Vinyl Secret.by Proud Blank FlankChaptersNormality.Control.RevealTruth.Closure.AwakenGoodbye.Acceptance. The Final Scratch.Normality.Never does it occur to anypony that the objects and meaning we search for in our lives could possibly be restrained from within our grasps due to deceit. We may never acknowledge the simple fact our individual existence is based upon a fake reality that somepony has chosen to enforce on us. Some may suggest lying as an option to prevent offending or distressing, however; a simple, or even complex, fib can create a false reality for any individual. Usually it is the ones we share affection for most that tend to retain us from a, sometimes hurtful, truth. Which is the true irony of lying in itself. In some cases, lying not only creates a false reality for a single party, but for others around them as well. This is also true for a familiar pony, known as Vinyl Scratch. Chapter One: Normality. Vinyl Scratch was an ordinary pony, well; at least six months ago she was. Now she lives with her older sister Star Shy. Six months ago Vinyl Scratch suffered a serious case of amnesia, causing her to lose all memories of her life before hand. Her older sister works as the Head of Development and Research at the Manehatten Medical Center. Star Shy decided to take care of Vinyl Scratch in Ponyville until she recovered from her forgotten life. The only physical resemblance of Vinyl Scratch and Star Shy is the fact they are both Unicorns. Vinyl Scratch being a White hided unicorn, spiked-puffy mane with Dark and light blue streaks that flow like rays of sun light, her double-eighth note cutie mark compliments her occupation as a DJ, and her purple shaded steam-punk goggles, Then there's Star Shy; a light velvet unicorn with dull purple mane that includes a light gray streak, and a clipboard cutie mark that fits her perfectly. “It's time for bed little sis'!” Star Shy is heard yelling from upstairs. Vinyl Scratch had been downstairs in the living room all day working on her new mixes and beats. Vinyl worked tediously sundown after sundown in order to create a perfect track. “I'm coming, I'm coming!” Vinyl replied as she made her way upstairs to her bedroom, where Star Shy waited patiently. Dark blue painted walls enclosed the room. A single lamp, the only source of light, dimly lit the room from above her bed. Vinyl stepped into her bedroom and headed straight to her bed where Star Shy was sitting next to within a comfortable chair. “Hey Sis'. . .” Vinyl Scratch whispered while she crawled under the covers. “Yes, Vinyl? By the way, you forgot to take your goggles off.” Star Shy said as she placed her hoof on her own face. “Oh, Oops.” Vinyl giggled. She reached up with both hooves, unwrapping the fashion statement from around her head. She placed them gently on the shelf that comfortably sits above the bed then looked back to her sister with both hooves paced upon her blanket. “Can you tell me what happened to mom and dad again?” she innocently asked. Star Shy sighed, setting her hooves on her lap. “I've told you this story before, Vinyl. . .” said Star Shy with worry in her eyes. “I don't want you having nightmares.” “Oh, Please! Just one more time!” Vinyl whined. Star Shy huffed, “Oh, fine.” “Good.” said Vinyl, satisfied with her victory. Vinyl snuggled down into her covers, placing her head on her pillow, and staring at her older sister with anticipation of the same old story she heard many times. “Where to begin. . . Well. . . Our parents were poor ponies, with only the clothes on their back. After 3 years, they considered giving me up for adoption as food became scarce, but; when they realized a second filly was on the way, they waited. They wanted us to be together when they sent us to the orphanage.-” “But why did they have to give us up? Didn't they love us?” Vinyl scratch interrupted. “Very much. They wanted a better life for us then the one they could offer. It was the only way they could allow us to have a normal life.” Star Shy finished with the up most compassion. “Thank you, sis'.” Vinyl smiled then rolled on to her side facing away from Star Shy. Star Shy patted her lap, stood, and turned the lonely lamp off. The room flooded with darkness while the only light source came outside the door. “Goodnight, Vinyl.” Star Shy whispered as she slowly closed the bedroom door. “Night, sis'.” Vinyl replied quietly. She says our parents wanted us to live normal lives. . . but I'm far from normal. . . Vinyl thought. She closed her eyes, thinking of where her parents could possibly be. Vinyl was right. She is far from normal. Ever since she first suffered amnesia, her emotions and speech became impaired. She faced communication problems between her and the other ponies that reside in Ponyville She is often shunned as an outcast. Vinyl wants nothing more but to be “normal” and have her memories back. Whatever normal means. Once, While Vinyl was shopping, she bumped into a colt named Blaze Fury. Without hesitation Blaze apologized, unfortunately; Vinyl Scratch had said “It's okay.” with a cold tone of voice on accident. Star Shy headed into her room to finish her report. Papers scattered the room, as if a tornado had suddenly ripped apart a notebook, leaving the remains specially for her. Star Shy yawned gently and sat down within her office chair. She pulled herself up to her vintage desk and filed through stacks of papers that blanketed her workspace. With her magic, she levitated her quill into the air, surrounding the quill with a dull light. She reported back to the Manehatten Medical Center on Vinyl Scratch's conditions, but not of her amnesia. Oh no, Star Shy kept watch over Vinyl Scratch for other reasons. Once she was done writing her new report, she used a magic spell to instantly send it to Manehatten, where they quickly received and replied. After reading the reply, she got up from her chair, turned off the lights, and settled into bed. Star Shy wondered why Vinyl Scratch continues to repeatedly insist on hearing the story of their parents. There was only one reason Vinyl Scratch had to know, and that was to hope. It gave Vinyl Scratch a reason to dream peacefully and to dream of her parents. If only Vinyl Scratch knew the truth about her existence, then maybe she could live a normal life. Control.Chapter 2: Control. Vinyl Scratch awoke the next morning and readied herself for the brand new day. Before she leaves she puts on her trustworthy goggles and heads to her favorite store in all of Equestria; the music shop. Vinyl Scratch spends hours each day trying out new equipment that she hopes to obtain for herself one day. “What's your fascination with techno and trance?” The store manager once asked her. Her answer? “Because it speaks to me.” she replied. Computer created beats captivated the filly. She literally felt that she could understand every beat created, as if it were her own language. Once she finished indulging herself in her own personal heaven, she retired to her home. Upon entering her abode, she attained the goggles from her face and placed them on the coffee table next to her DJ set. She put together a little something for the fashion show that Rarity was holding that day and Vinyl was hired to play. Vinyl worried though. She worried about her ability to respond to others if somepony decided to strike up a conversation with her. Even then, Vinyl's confidence levels were high. Her determination to speak to somepony could not be restrained. It was almost time for Vinyl to leave for her gig. She packed up her Turntables and records, thus heading to the door. “Don't forget your goggles, Vinyl.” Star Shy said, standing at the bottom step of the stairs. “Oh, right. I almost forgot.” Vinyl laughed. She set her stuff down by the door and grabbed her goggles. After putting them on, She grabbed her satchels, placed them on her back, and leaves. “That's odd. . .” Said Star shy, heading back upstairs to her bedroom. Once there, Star Shy sits at her desk, finds a blank piece of paper, and reports back to Manehatten. “3:27PM. Vinyl Scratch almost forgets her goggles before leaving the house.” her report to Manehatten said. She waited a few minutes and received a reply. “Does this mean she. . .?” the reply read. Star Shy immediately wrote back. “Very unlikely, But it isn't impossible.” Moments later. “Just be careful.” Vinyl Scratch arrived to the event and set up her equipment. She did her best to avoid any communication, not until she was ready. Ponies of all kinds gathered to watch the fashion show, even Hoity Toity, an important representative of fashion in Canterlot. Vinyl turned her table on, then the lights dimmed, and, using her magic; set the needle upon the record. Joyed that her equipment worked on the first shot, she smiled and bobbed her head to the music that she created. Spot lights moved into place and a voice was heard over the speakers. “Since the beginning of time, the elite of Equestria have longed for pony fashions that truly express the essence of their very souls. Patiently waiting decades, no; centuries, for the perfect pony gown. Today, at long last Equestria, your wait is over. Let's hear it for the breathtaking designs of Ponyville's own Rarity!” said the young dragon. The curtain lifted and revealed the gussied up ponies. Everybody gasped and gossiped as Twilight, Apple Jack, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie made their way to the end of the cat walk. Sounds of disapproval flooded the audience. Hoity Toity did not look impressed. “Oh, those amateurish designs look like a piled on mish-mash of everything but the kitchen sink” he criticized. Everypony around him laughed. “It's a travesty is what it is. Those outfits are the ugliest things are the ugliest things I've ever seen. Oh, for shame. Who is responsible for subjecting our eyes to these horrors? Not to mention wasting my valuable time.” he continued. Rarity came out from behind stage, her head hung as she walked down the cat walk. Only the young dragon cheered her on. The crowd gossiped some more to her arrival and nervous smiles took shape on the center stage ponies. The event ended and Vinyl Scratch disassembled her gadgets, stuffing them into her bags and levitating them onto her back. Almost everypony was gone. Vinyl Scratch had one last chance to talk to somepony. She scanned the crowd and spotted a colt. She hopped down from her platform and made her way to him. Vinyl shyly walked up right behind him and caught his attention. “Um, Hi.” she said. She picked an Alicorn as her first conversation. A rainbow bolt shot out from within a dagger implanted his dark green hide as his cutie mark and blue, spiked, mane surrounded his zig-zagged horn. Scars of all shapes and sized covered body, not to mention he was also missing a wing. “Oh, Hey.” he replied then realized who she was. “Oh! Hey, you're the DJ. DJ Pon-3 if I'm correct.” Vinyl Scratch's heart raced. She had a strong feeling that the conversation would be ruined because of her. She felt the line “What's it to you?” with a rude tone of voice bubbling up in her throat. She closed her eyes for a moment to concentrate. “Yeah, that's me.” she blurted with kindness. Her eyes shot open, but the colt didn't seem to notice. “I loved the music. Such a fitting choice for such an event.” he complimented her. Comfort washed over her. I finally had control over myself she thought and giggled in her mind. “Thanks. “ She said, blushing lightly and digging at the ground with her hoof. “I'm Oxide.” the colt said, extending his hoof to her. “M-my names Vinyl Scratch.” she replied shyly. Her heart pounded as she rested her hoof into his and shook. “Nice to meet you. Hey, I gotta go. Where do you live? Maybe I can come by tomorrow and we can continue talking?” said Oxide. Vinyl Scratch agreed and explained to him where she lived. Oxide absorbed it into his memory and before he left; complimented on her goggles. For once, Vinyl Scratch felt normal. Excited, Vinyl Scratch galloped all the way home. She finally had a normal conversation with somepony who wasn't her sister. Once she arrived, she dropped her gear, took off her goggles, and raced to her room. “How did it go?” Star Shy stood in the middle of the hallway, blocking Vinyl's way. “It went great!” she yelled, her eyes opening wide, and a huge smile stretched over her face. “I'm glad you had fun. Care to share details?” Star said, moving aside for Vinyl to get through. Vinyl explained to her, while she prepared for bed in her room, “I talked to a colt.” “Really? How did that go?” Star Shy asked. “Really well. I controlled myself this time, Sis'! I didn't blurt out a rude response or come off as boring to him. He's actually coming here tomorrow to hang out.” she shuddered in excitement. Star Shy stood in the doorway of Vinyl's room. “That's good. Looks like somepony has a boyfriend. What's his name?” she teased and winked. “Oh, stop it sis'. His name is Oxide. Now, the faster I get to bed, the faster I get to see him. So if you don't mind, I'd like to sleep.” Vinyl worried that her demand came off as rude, but Star Shy smiled. “Okay, Okay. Goodnight Vinyl.” “Goodnight Star.” Vinyl crawled into her bed and turned off the lamp. Star Shy, as usual, went directly to her room to report to Manehatten. “10:39PM: Vinyl Scratch has control over her responses and emotions in a conversation with a colt.” She wrote. Before sending it, she stared at several of the words. “Control” and “conversation” riddled her mind. Finally, she sent it, and within moments received a reply. “Hmm. . . This is odd. Very odd. Are you sure she didn't lie?” It read. “No. She's incapable of lying. I think. I'd believe she lied to me faster than believing she could formulate her own response with control of her emotions.” Star Shy sighed as she sent it. That was the final report for the night. Star Shy switched off the lights and slid into bed. RevealChapter 3: Reveal. Vinyl Scratch woke up early that morning, anticipating Oxides visit. Vinyl took as much time as possible to prepare herself. She took the longest shower and brushed longer than she ever had before. Vinyl Scratch could safely say that she had a little crush on Oxide. Eagerly awaiting the knock on the door, Vinyl set up her equipment on the coffee table and messed around with it to pass the time. An hour later. No knocking. An hour later. Still nothing. An hour later. Still nothing! Star Shy came in several times to check on the waiting filly. Vinyl became irritated and a bit sad. Vinyl finally gave up on her wait and decided to head back upstairs, when suddenly; knocking. She ran downstairs, put her goggles on, and opened the door. It was only the mail colt delivering mail. Vinyl sighed and took an envelope for Star Shy. The envelope had some significant weight to it, which made Vinyl curious. It would have been rude of her to intrude on Star Shy's mail so she didn't bother to wonder. Vinyl thanked the mail colt, closed the door, gave the mail to Star Shy, and headed to her room to wallow in a slight depression. Star Shy came in after opening her package to check on Vinyl, who lay her in bed with her goggles removed. Small tears ran down her cheeks. She had good reason to be down, considering the first colt she had a successful conversation with actually stood up on her. “You okay?” Star Shy worried for Vinyl. “Yeah, I'm fine.” Vinyl sniffled and rubbed her eyes. “How do you feel?” Star Shy sat at the edge of Vinyl's bed. “A bit sad. That's all.” Vinyl whispered. “Maybe he had something important to do. Don't be too mad at him.” Star Shy rubbed Vinyl's head gently. “I'm not mad. . . I'm just hurt. The first colt I talk to and he doesn't show up like he promised.” Vinyl looked at Star through her hair that had been pressed down by Star Shy's hoof. “Don't worry. You'll have more chances. I'll check on you later.” Star Shy affirmed Vinyl and resided back to her room. “12:05P.M: Vinyl Scratch is stood up by the colt. She is currently in her room crying softly. Not only does she have minor control of her sadness; she has completely rejected any anger that should have come from this.” Star Shy reported. A few minutes later, a reply. “So she hasn't gone over board with her emotions like she has before?” read the reply. “Confirmed.” wrote Star. Star Shy decided to check on Vinyl Scratch to confirm her report before sending it. Star Shy knocked on closed door and let herself in. “Vinyl?” “Yeah?” Vinyl set down the book she picked up a while back. “You feel better?” Star Shy asked, remaining in the door way. “Yup. I figured he must have had something come up. I'll see him again anyway.” said Vinyl. “Oh, good. Glad you feel better.” Star Shy went back to her room and added to her report. “Confirmed. Vinyl Scratch not only has full control of her emotions at the moment, but she has also learned to overcome them.” Star wrote and sent. “Whether or not this is good or bad, did you get the package we sent you?” “Yes, I will be sure to use it if things become out of hoof.” Star Shy picked up the opened envelope and held a small device within her hoof. She then set it down, went downstairs to get a cup of coffee, and relaxed at the dining table. Vinyl Scratch, still in her bed, resolved to use her new found skills to go apologize to the colt she had bumped into. Vinyl kinda hoped to see Oxide on the way, but she didn't know what she would say. Vinyl Scratch uncovered herself and rolled out of bed. Quickly, she fixed up her mane. She took a few steps and realized she forgot her goggles. She turned around to the shelf she had set them on and stared at them for a few moments. For the first time in her life, she had the slightest confusion on why she had to wear them. She pushed back the thoughts, grabbed them, and strapped them around her face. Vinyl galloped out the door and charged her way down to the fire station. Since it was a public building, Vinyl made her way right in. “Hey, Vinyl.” said Oxide. She had completely forgotten that Oxide worked at the fire station. Vinyl stopped mid stride, staring at the colt who hadn't showed up. “Oh. . . Hey. . . Is Blaze here?” Vinyl asked. “Yeah, Why?” He got up from his office chair that was placed casually in front of a similar desk to Star Shy's. “I just wanted to talk to him.” she answered with a bit of annoyance. “Okay, Okay.” Oxide turned, walked up to a funnel implanted into the wall, and called into it. “Blaze, we have a guest here who wants to talk to you.” He faced Vinyl and looked straight into her goggles. “I'm sorry I didn't show up this morning. I completely forgot I had work today. I thought it was my day off but, I guessed wrong.” Oxide apologized. “It's fine.” Vinyl turned away as she said this and watched Blaze approach her. “How can I help you?” Blaze said with a small smile. “Can I speak to you outside?” Vinyl proposed. Oxide took offense to this. He knew she didn't want to be around him right now. “Yeah, no problem.” assured Blaze. The two ponies headed out, Blaze closed the door after Vinyl exited, and they stood a few feet apart, facing each other. “So what's up?” asked Blaze. “Well, I'm here to apologize.” Vinyl stated. “For what? You didn't start yesterdays fire did you?” Blaze retorted. “No, No. Remember awhile back when I bumped into you, and you apologized?” Vinyl inquired. “Yeah. What about it?” Blaze was a bit puzzled. “I wanted to apologize for my tone of voice when I said it was okay.” she hung her head. “It's fine. Don't worry about it. The past is the past.” Blaze smiled and rubbed the back of his head. Vinyl's head shot up. “Really?” “Really.” Vinyl smiled. “Thanks. That's all I wanted to hear.” Blaze put his hoof down and nodded. “By the way, why do you wear those goggles all the time?” “I. . .” Vinyl Scratch didn't have an answer. She never actually wondered that herself until now. “Look, if it's personal, forget I asked. I'll see you some other time.” Blaze said and went back inside. Vinyl rubbed the back of her head with her hoof. “Yeah. . .” She sighed. Vinyl gradually headed home, trying to come up with her own answer for her goggles. Vinyl was tempted to take them off right there and then, but Star Shy had warned her many times not to do so, which made Vinyl wonder even more. Star Shy finished her second cup of coffee while relaxing on the couch when Vinyl arrived. “Where did you go?” Star Shy asked. “No where.” Vinyl stated, rushing upstairs to her bedroom. Star Shy's eyebrow raised as she watched Vinyl. Once Vinyl was in her room, she withdrew her goggles from her face and examined them carefully. Nothing about the goggles were unusual. The only thing she could think of is why the plastic shades allowed her to see out, but nopony to see in. Were her eyes hideous? She set down the goggles on her shelf and turned, facing the mirror that hung from her closet door. What she saw confused and frightened her. Truth.Chapter 4: Truth. Two red metallic eyes glared back with her reflection. Vinyl's heart sank. “Wha-what the hay??” she stuttered. She hesitantly inched her way towards the mirror. She rubbed her eyes with her hoof and stared into the reflection. “No way. . . “ She whispered, sliding her hoof down the mirror. She couldn't believe it. Vinyl spent countless moments trying to explain her eyes. She could tell they were robotic. Where did they come from? How did I get them?? How haven't I noticed them before? she thought. Is this why I wear those goggles? To conceal these? She instantly thought of Star Shy. Tears started forming in her eyes and rolling down her cheeks. Anger and betrayal boiled inside her gut. She ran downstairs to demand Star Shy for answers. “Star Shy.” Vinyl said, staring at Star Shy from within the door way to the kitchen. Star Shy set her cup down on the table and looked at Vinyl. “What's wrong? You look like you've been cry-” “Tell me what these are.” Vinyl interrupted. She lifted her hoof and waved them in front of her eyes. “Those are your eyes, silly.” Star Shy giggled. “No they're not!” Vinyl yelled. “Ponies do not have these!” Star Shy's faced turned from amuse to dumbfounded. “Wait. . . You can see them?” “Yes I can see them! I was just in my room looking in my mirror when I realized these damn things were in my head. Now tell me what they are!” Vinyl demanded. “I just told you, they're your eyes Vinyl. They look like every other ponies eyes.” Star Shy insisted. Frustrated tears dripped onto the hardwood floor below Vinyl Scratch. “Sis. . Please.” Vinyl eased up on her anger and tried asking softly. Star Shy sighed and shook her head. “Fine, I guess it was a matter of time until you found out.” “Found out what?” Vinyl asked. Star Shy relaxed back into the couch. “Where to start. . . Okay. I'll start from the beginning.” Vinyl Scratch stood, glaring at her sister. Star Shy continued. “For one, we're not sisters. Not even close.” This statement shot Vinyl right in the heart. “We're not?” “No. Anyway, about your parents.” Star Shy went on. “They didn't abandon us and you don't really have amnesia. Six months ago you and your parents went on vacation in Manehatten. After you guys toured the town, you headed back to your hotel. On the way to your hotel, you passed an active construction site. It was safe for the most part, however; the operator of a crane that had been transporting steel pipes to the top made a mistake which caused the crane to jerk. All of the pipes were supposed to be strapped down individually. One of them, was not.” Star Shy leaned forward with her elbows on the table and hooves on her chin. “A steel pipe became loose and fell from the platform. It fell several stories before it hit you. As you were passing by, the steel pipe penetrated directly into the back of your head, destroying the occipital lobe, which controls your eyes, and the left portion of your brain. You were immediately rushed to the medical center where we confirmed you were dead. Your parents were devastated and would have done anything for you. Which is where I come in.” Vinyl Scratch fell to the floor and sobbed into her hooves. She continued listening. “I offered to use you as a test subject for Artificial Intelligence that we wanted to create. Your parents agreed when I promised to them that I could bring you back to life, Although I warned them that they could have no contact with you after the procedure was done. We brought you into the laboratory and began replacing the damaged portions of your brain with a engineered computer. We also had to replace your eyes. We tested them carefully to make sure they would work, but because of the amount of time it took us; the right side of your brain received a huge amount of damage. We programmed the left side of the brain with functions of the left and the functions you lost from the right. This is why you have problems communicating with others. We programmed you with preset emotions and responses. We hoped to see how well you would live with them.” Vinyl Scratch sobbed harder, she couldn't believe what her so called sister was telling her. “We gave you those goggles to conceal your robotic eyes from the world. We couldn't let anyone see them.” “Then how come I couldn't see them?” Vinyl asked, her face still pressed into her hooves. “I'm getting there. We programmed you not to distinguish between your eyes and others. So technically, you did see them, you just didn't realize what they were. We also programmed you not to question why you had to wear the goggles. Everything seemed perfectly fine until you had your conversation with the colt. We didn't expect your brain to adapt.” Star Shy rubbed her eyes and thought for a moment. “I've come to the conclusion that your brain somehow adopted the ability to over come our programming and also adapted to the preset emotions we gave you. You now have full control of them somehow. That's about it.” “So. . . my whole life. . . Is a lie??” Vinyl slowly seized her crying and stood up. Her whole body shook in confusion and anger. “Well I wouldn't say that exactly.” Star Shy replied. “Where are my parents. . .?” Vinyl demanded. “Canterlot.” answered Star Shy, giving Vinyl the exact address. “I'm going to find them. . .” Vinyl whispered. “You can't. Now that I told you the truth, I need to reboot your brain. VS.” Vinyl shuddered a bit. “What the. . .” Star Shy puzzled. “VS” “VS?” Vinyl was confused. “What's this 'VS'?” Vinyl Scratch approached Star slowly. Star Shy squirmed back to the opposite side of the couch. “Why isn't the word working. VS!” It was a fail safe word that Star Shy had programmed into Vinyl Scratch in order to reboot her brain in case of emergency. Vinyl Scratch realized this and turned away. “I'm going to find them.” She stated again. Vinyl Scratch ran out the door, tearing up once again. Star Shy ran to her room and reported to Manehatten in a quick note. “Emergency.” She grabbed the envelope and took the small mechanical object from inside. Instructions on how to use the device were included. How To Use The EMP It was titled. Closure.Chapter 5: Closure. Vinyl Scratch's whole life at this point was a lie. She wanted nothing more but to be a normal pony and Star Shy kept that from her. Vinyl ran and sobbed all the way to the train station. She avoided looking at anypony. She didn't want anyone to realize her horrendous secret that now, even she had to hide. The filly stood at the train station, looking directly at the floor the whole time. She had already bought her ticket to Canterlot upon arriving. Tears continued dripping from her eyes and She no longer wore her goggles. The train arrived to take Vinyl to Canterlot. She used her job earnings to pay for a secluded room. She needed to be alone for the remainder of the trip. She thought about what her life would be like if the incident in Manehatten had never happened. Vinyl promised herself that after she saw her parents, she would expose her secret. The train came to a stop in Canterlot. Vinyl Scratch composed herself and exited the train. She went over the address to her parents in her head. This was a problem for Vinyl. Vinyl has no knowledge of Canterlot and it's streets. She would have to ask for directions. She spotted a colt in a uniform selling train tickets outside the gates of the station. Vinyl exited the station and walked up to the colt, keeping her head down. She asked him where the address would be. He pointed his off to the left and told her that the residence is a few blocks that way. Vinyl thanked the colt and galloped away. Finally, she found the address she was looking for. Nervously, she knocked on the door. A light blue filly with white mane answered the door. “Hello, May I help. . . you. . .” asked the home owner. “Mother?” Vinyl whispered, looking directly into the eyes of the stranger. “Vinyl. . . Is it. . .Is that you?” “Yes. . . Yes it's me mom.” “H-Honey get over here!” she turned and yelled. “What is it?” a white colt with light blue man said, appearing behind Vinyl's mother. “It's Vinyl.” she answered. The colt peered over her mothers shoulder. “Vinyl. . .? Vinyl!” “Hi, Dad.” Vinyl said with a smile on her face and tears on her cheeks. The reunion started with hugs and kisses. Vinyl was invited into their home and welcomed to stay. She couldn't though and she knew it. “I can't stay. They know I'm here. We could all be in danger.” Vinyl explained. They knew this too. Her parents were told not to talk to Vinyl and that rule had been broken. Vinyl sat upon the couch and so did her parents. There was something that bugged her. “Why did you guys agree to stay away from me. . .” She asked. She felt unloved and unwanted despite their joy to see her. “We had too, Vinyl. They told us that if we were to speak to you, it would confuse you and mess with your brain.” her mother explained. “It was hard for us, Vinyl. We didn't want to say goodbye, but we didn't want you to die either.” said her father. Her mother placed her hoof on Vinyl's back. “We did it because we love you.” Vinyl sniffled then smiled. She hugged her mother and father in a group hug. Her parents wanted to celebrate their daughter's return. They both insisted on going into town and picking up a few things in order to make Vinyl dinner. Vinyl hated the idea at first but her parents promised she would be safe, and as an added measure; they would lock all the windows and doors before leaving, which they did. Her parents left Vinyl alone in the house. Vinyl spent her time in the guest room thinking about her new , normal, life. She wanted to stay here with her parents forever, however; it wasn't an option. A knock on the door was heard. Vinyl got up, suspicious of who could be knocking. She had an idea of course, but if it was Star, this was her chance to finally end it. Vinyl opened the door slowly and she was right. Star Shy kicked open the door. Vinyl backed away very quickly. “You're so predictable, Vinyl.” Star mumbled with the device in her mouth. She released it from her mouth and held it in her hoof. “What is that?” Vinyl asked and stopped moving. “It's an EMP. It's small, so I have to be in within a close range of you. It's designed to disable your brain, allowing me enough time to bring you back to Manehatten for reprogramming.” “Why can't you just leave me alone??” Vinyl stomped. “Because, we still need results.” Star answered. “Results for what?” “I told you already. We need your data in order to create artificial intelligence. That's why we repaired you.” Vinyl didn't want to go back to her life. Vinyl bit her lip and pleaded. “Please don't do this. . .” Star Shy placed the EMP on the floor and held her hoof over it. “I have to. Your brain will help future generations.” Star Shy's hoof fell. “Wait!” Vinyl yelled. Star Shy stopped right before her hoof activated the device. “What?” “Remember how you used to tell me you became a doctor in order to help others? You wanted to help individuals recover from their accidents and get on with their lives. I thought that's what you wanted. That's the Star Shy I know and love.” This was true. Star Shy became a medical doctor in order to heal others. Star had betrayed her beliefs and Vinyl for her own career. Star Shy had become so wrapped up in her own lie that she too became someone she wasn't. Shame flooded Star's mind. She placed her off down away from the EMP and hung her head. “You're right. . . I became so obsessed with the project that I forgot why I became a doctor in the first place. . .” said Star. “But I have to do this. . .” she added. “Star, Please, No.” Vinyl pleaded and cringed down to the floor. Star Shy stomped her hoof down on the EMP. AwakenOkay so I lied. Star Shy isn't Vinyl Scratch's older sister and Vinyl didn't suffer from amnesia. I created a false reality that you as a reader might have been gullible enough to believe, but even then I did what I did and I can't take it back. I have no regrets, simply because if I regretted my past, I wouldn't be truly thankful for what I have in my life right now, though; I faced many situations in my life where, at the time they happened, I wished they hadn't. But after the storm had passed and everything in my life cleared up for the better, I learned that the good I have, came from the bad. Chapter 6: Awaken. (30 Minutes later) System Reboot. . . Vinyl Scratch slowly opened her eyes to find herself laid flat against the cold floor within the darkness of that very room. Vinyl raised her head and looked around, though she couldn't see anything within that void of black. Trying to collect her thoughts of the previous hour, she rubbed her head and eyes with her hooves, unfortunately; she had no memory of what happened. Dry tears and some kind of other liquid stained her face, which made her curious about what lurked in the dark that she had no vision of. An empty feeling of dread took refuge within her being that produced nausea. If Vinyl had eaten anything when she arrived to her parents house, she might as well have heaved right there. She placed her right hoof flat on the floor, pushed herself up, and stumbled back down. A stinging sensation engulfed her hoof with such ferocity it made her teeth clench. She tried once again – placed her hoof on the floor, pushed herself up, and endured the discomfort. Vinyl stood up straight, taking one step forward, and found her hoof in a puddle of a warm gooey liquid. Her heart pounded as she raised her hoof to her face to take a sniff. Whatever liquid that now stained her hoof smelled like blood. Vinyl shook her hoof, releasing the juices, fell back to the floor with her hooves over her face, closed her eyes tight, and wished nothing more but to be able to see in the darkness that surrounded her. A discharge sounded off within her head. Kinda like the sound an old camera makes when the flash had to charge after use. Vinyl shuddered from being startled from the loud sound. Her eyes flinched tighter then opened slowly. To her surprise, she could see her hooves, then she looked up and everything she saw was shaded from light green to pitch black. All the windows were covered in drapes and the door was closed, which would explain why no light penetrated into the house. She rubbed her eyes in disbelief of what her eyes could do. Vinyl looked up past her hooves and made out the shape of a pony, laid out on the floor in front of her in a pool of green light. Vinyl stood, suppressing the sensation her hoof gave her, and hesitantly stepped towards the body. There lay Star Shy, sprawled out in a pool of her own blood with her hoof covering the EMP. It must have been activated, thus shutting down Vinyl's brain and turning off the power within the house. Vinyl gasped, backed away slowly with her hoof over her mouth, and started to tear up. The stinging sensation in her hoof fired up again, which made her look to see what it was. A deep incision ran across her hoof and dry blood surrounded it. Her hoof started to shake uncontrollably in front of her eyes. Vinyl looked at Star Shy's body again and saw a new shape that settled itself into Star's skull. Vinyl fought back her tears in order to squint. Tiny shiny particles scattered the floor next to Star's figure as if it had snowed only in that one spot. Vinyl then traced the blood back to where it had come from. A transparent object shaped like the bolt on Rainbow Dash's cutie mark resided in Star's forehead. Vinyl took assumption to what the object had to be. She didn't want to admit that Star Shy was dead, nor did she want to accept the fact that a shard of glass punctured the fillies skull. No longer could she hold back her tears that built up within her ducts. The empty feeling within her body began to release sorrow through her eyes. She took a few more steps back, bumping into the couch that was positioned behind her. Vinyl fell to the floor once again, taking in the inevitable truth that became of Star Shy. Lifting her hoof to rub her eyes, she acknowledged the presence of the opening on her hoof. Her eyes weaved back and fourth between Star's body and her hoof. If Vinyl scratch had held the shard within her grasp, it would perfectly match the cut. Could she have killed Star Shy? She had no evidence to suggest other wise. With no memory of what happened after Star Shy activated the EMP and the fact the cut on her hoof matched perfectly with the size of the shard. Vinyl's mind went blank and she started to giggle. “This is all one bad dream and I haven't woken up yet. Heh. . . Heheh. . . Heheheheh. . . She's not dead, I'm just dreaming. Okay Vinyl, wake up now.” She said calmly. She giggled, laughed, and went on about how she would wake up any second. “I'm gonna wake up any second now, and I'll be back in my bedroom sleeping.” She continued. Her pupils went into separate directions and she laughed hysterically, at least; until she realized she wasn't dreaming. At that point her giggles turned into sobs. Jingle Jingle made the sounds of keys outside the door. She completely forgot that her parents had left. Keys jingled, despite the fact that the door was unlocked, and the door knob turned slowly. “Vinyl?” Goodbye.Chapter 7: Goodbye. “Vinyl?” her mother whispered as the door slowly swung open. Vinyl pressed her hooves into her face and clenched her teeth. Only a small wash of light flowed into the home, though it was still too dark too see much of anything. “Vinyl are you here?” her father called out. The sound of a light switch flickered on and off but the lights didn't respond. Vinyl's mother focused her magic in her horn to start a spark which finally turned into a heavy glow. Everything in the room illuminated in a white light that flickered every now and then. Vinyl's eyes adjusted to the new light source which returned her normal vision. Vinyl looked up, over her hooves at her parents who were just entering the room. They took two steps and asked Vinyl if she was okay, then they looked down to the floor in front of them. Their eyes grew wide and their ears pinned back down against the back of their heads. They looked at each other for a brief moment that seemed like forever to Vinyl. They both glared at her. “What happened, Vinyl? What did you do?” Her father asked in a cold tone. Her father wrapped a hoof around her mother as she started crying. “I don't know.” Vinyl loudly whispered. Tears ran down her cheeks like parallel rivers. Her mother's soft cries turned into loud sobs. “We have to call Manehatten. Now.” her father ordered. “Please don't. It wasn't my fault! At least . . . It couldn't have been. . .” she doubted herself. She knew deep down she was to blame and there was no proof to suggest other wise. Her father took his arm off from of her mother and walked to the right - straight to the phone. Her mother couldn't stand it anymore and escaped upstairs. Her father picked up the phone then set it down quickly. “Vinyl . . . You have to leave.” her father said and whipped his head to her with anger in his eyes. “But I just got here. . . I don't wanna leave. . . Please da-” “No, Vinyl! You need to leave now! You have thirty seconds to get out of this house before I call Manehatten. After that, you're on your own.” He stated coldly, fighting back the tears in his eyes. Of course he didn't want his daughter to leave again. “But. . . I. . . Please, I don't have anywhere to go. . .” She said in between gasps of air from her now, sobbing state. Her father pillaged through his satchel and grabbed a few bits, throwing them to the floor in front of her. “There's money for a train ticket. Go anywhere, I don't care where. You just can't be here, Vinyl.” he huffed and turned his attention back to the phone. He picked up and started dialing. “Please daddy. . . Don't do this. . .” she said as she stood up slowly. Her body shook involuntary, like a earthquake. “I said leave, Vinyl!” he yelled and closed his eyes. He quietly cried to himself so his daughter couldn't see or hear. “W-what about mom?” She asked, biting her inner lip. “Dammit, Vinyl! We don't have time for this! You need to leave now! You're mother will be fine, Vinyl. She'll come around. So go!.” He pointed his right hoof at the door while the other held the phone. She rubbed her eyes, fought back her tears, picked up the bits and slowly headed for the door. “And, Vinyl. . . I love you. . .” Her father added. Vinyl stopped at the door to hear this, her head hung as the tears began to flow again. She nodded slowly and began to run. After running and sneaking around Canterlot, trying to keep herself undetected by others. When she finally made it to the train station around midnight, she was surprised to find out that the train actually ran this late. She paid for the ticket, using every bit of darkness she could find to conceal herself. No pony could find out about her eyes nor the blood stains. Finally the train arrived and she sat in the caboose, hoping she'd go unnoticed there. It was pretty empty for the most part, considering it was midnight in Equestria and not many ponies had anywhere to be at the time. Vinyl took a chair in the middle of the eastern wall of the caboose. She sat facing parallel to the other wall, taking deep breathes to calm herself, as if to meditate. She sat with her back pressed into the chair, with her hooves on her lap, and her head leaned up. She fought back her tears and continued her breathing process to clear her mind. She wondered what would become of Star Shy's body, what would happen to Vinyl when they find out it was her, and what they would do to her parents for talking to her. She then wondered what life would have been like for her, her parents, and Star Shy if she hadn't ran away that day. The phrase “ignorance is bliss” came to mind. The wheels came to a screeching halt once the train arrived to Ponyville. The squeals of metal on metal echoed through out the night. Vinyl exited the caboose and quietly made her way into town. Ponyville was empty and no sound escaped from any of the sleeping ponies homes. Vinyl did her best to stay within the shadows, even if no pony was out at the time. Vinyl made her way though town, staying low, and headed straight for the one place she could possibly find help. Knock Knock. She worried that her knocking would attract attention from the other homes. Vinyl looked around for any signs of lights or open windows, then her attention was drawn back to the door when the tumbler lock thumped. The door creaked open and a pony peered through. “Hello?” a red pony with orange spiked hair said. “Blaze?” “Yeah?” he opened the door all the way. “May I come in? I need a huge favor, Blaze.” she asked. “I suppose.” he said, stepping out of the way for Vinyl. Vinyl walked into the fire station where lights showed her every detail. She stopped when she had passed Blaze then turned. Blaze closed the door, locked it, then faced her, scanning her body up and down. “What is that?? Is that blood? And what the hay is with your eyes??” Blaze backed away into the door. “Blaze, you need to listen. I need a place to hide, just for awhile. You're a fire man, you like to help people. Can you please help me?” she begged. “Tell me why you have blood on your hide and. . . robot eyes first.” “I'll explain later. Please I really need a place to hide right now, Blaze.” she took a few steps towards him which made him cringe away to the wall. “Let me ask, Oxide. You just,” He scanned her again. “Wait here.” He bit his lip and rushed upstairs. Vinyl took a seat in Oxide's office chair and waited patiently. Faint voices could be heard upstairs, foot steps here and there, and a few loud statements and questions. After ten agonizing minutes of staring at the clock for Vinyl, Blaze and Oxide emerged from upstairs and stood next to each other at the base of the steps. “We've decided on whether or not you can stay here, Vinyl.” said Blaze. “And the answer is.. .” Oxide said, looking to Blaze. Acceptance. Acceptance. Chapter 8: Acceptance. “Yes,” Blaze agreed to Vinyl's request. “On two conditions,” Blaze approached Vinyl and stood within a good 3 feet of her. “What are they?” Vinyl asked, rolling off the couch and standing, closing in the distance between them down to about a foot. Blaze was slightly taller than Vinyl so she had to angle her head up to meet his gaze. “One: You must stay upstairs at all times. We will bring you food, water, and things to keep you entertained. You are free to use the restroom as well.” “Okay,” Vinyl Nodded. “Two: We will need you to keep our room clean, Such as; making our beds.” “'Kay. I can do that,” Vinyl said. She turned and walked around Blaze to the stair way. “Wait,” Blaze said, putting his hoof out to stop her. “Go shower. Get the stains out. Okay?” Vinyl sighed in relief. She hadn't had any real relaxation in a while. She loved the idea of a warm shower but her answer to Blaze gave him the impression it was a chore for her. “Fine,” She had said. After Vinyl's shower, around 2am in the morning, Vinyl dried off, opened the bathroom door, and exited. Blaze and Oxide stayed up to make sure Vinyl didn't have any problems or needed any help, though she was in the restroom, certainly a female pony didn't have any questions on how a bathroom worked. Blaze and Oxide quietly readied themselves for their favorite pass time; sleep. “Ummm. . . Where do I sleep?” Vinyl asked, searching the room of any possible place to rest her weary head. “Uhhhh. . . I didn't really think of that,” Blaze whispered to himself, rolling his head around his shoulders, scanning the room. “Know what? How about Oxide and I share the top bunk and you can take mine?” Blaze jumped off his bed and looked up to Oxide, who stared down at the two ponies on the floor from the top of his ladder. “It's okay with me,” Oxide assured with little enthusiasm. “I don't wanna put you out of a place to sleep, Blaze,” Vinyl said, lowering her head. “No, No. I insist. It's fine,” Blaze raised his hoof, pointing to his bed. “If you say so. . .” Vinyl trotted to the bed and quickly crawled within its soft, heavenly sheets, while Blaze latched onto the ladder and urged Oxide to get situated. “I'll get the lights,” Blaze announced, flicking a small switch that was easily located at the top of the steps for Oxide's benefit. Darkness filled the room and Vinyl rolled around within the sheets to find a comfortable position in which to lay. Shuffling noises could be heard coming from the top bunk. Blaze and Oxide had to become accustomed to sharing a bed together, at least as long as Vinyl is there. She finally found a position she could rest in. She worried her night vision would kick in, but she had a feeling they would only do that on command or in case of a dire situation. Vinyl wondered what other kind of things she could possibly do with her mind and eyes. Of course she wasn't any kind of super hero or anything out-of-the-ordinary but she could do incredible things given the chance. Maybe. After a few moments of deep thought, something caught Vinyl's attention. Something she smelled titillated her nostrils. The smell enticed her in a way she never felt before. The only thing she knew was, it was coming from the bed, however; she didn't know that the aroma came from Blaze. Vinyl, being new to any interaction with colt's - and having forgotten her life before the accident – didn't have any recollection or knowledge of the “Birds and the bee's” speech. Vinyl fought off the confused feelings of arousal and interest and proceeded to clear her mind, though the smell, having stained the walls of her nose, didn't help much. Maybe Vinyl had a thing for the mixed smells of adrenaline, sweat, and smoke. Or maybe she had a building-on-fire fetish. Sleep finally subdued the filly and kidnapped her into dreamland with the sweet call of relaxation. Vinyl awoke around noon. She leaned up in her new bed and rubbed her eyes, yawned, and then earned herself a well deserved stretch. Blaze and Oxide left to do their jobs, though she knew they were downstairs, but she wasn't allowed to go downstairs. She crawled out of bed and groggily made her way to the bathroom. She stopped in the doorway to come across a note and a small package that sat on top of the sparkling clean, porcelain counter. Vinyl picked up the note and read it. Some toiletries for your stay, complimentary of Blaze and Oxide. The way Blaze had written the note made Vinyl feel like she had the VIP room in some fancy hotel, which made her smile. Vinyl set the note down and opened the shoe sized box. A toothbrush, soap, shampoo, a brush, toothpaste, and some other feminine items – unmentionables – were placed within the box for Vinyl to use. The first thought that came to her mind was the simple idea of who caved in first to their pride to buy her the unmentionables she needed. Vinyl showered, brushed her teeth, and did other things to freshen herself up before she cleaned up the room for Blaze and Oxide. Vinyl giggled at the thought of wearing a french maid outfit, considering she had become their bed making slave. When she finished her chores, Oxide came up with a tray of breakfast items. Eggs, hash browns, and a glass of milk were all hers to enjoy. Vinyl thanked him and placed the delicious meal upon the desk that sat parallel to the beds and next to the window. Vinyl slowly enjoyed the food, she hadn't eaten in almost 2 days. Oxide came upstairs thirty minutes later to check on Vinyl, bringing board games with him to keep her entertained. Monopony, The Game of Life, Connect four, Scrabble, Chess, Checkers, and Battle Ship were stacked on top of each other within his hooves. He set them down carefully on the floor in the middle of the room. Vinyl and Oxide played games for a few hours; Oxide taking a few calls now and then. First they started with Monopony, and ended with Battle Ship. Vinyl won almost every game, or at least; Oxide might have let her win. The fun and games lasted about 3 hours before all the games had been over played. Oxide had to return his full attention to his job so they cleaned up the games and stored them away for another time. Vinyl decided to take a nap until dinner was brought up by Blaze. Vegetable pot pie, hand made by Blaze himself, was placed upon the bed as Vinyl arose to rub her eyes and yawn. Gravy mixed with carrots, green beans, and peas flourished through out the room, finding its way into her nostrils. Steam rose slowly from the punctures within the golden brown crust. The 5 inch diameter pie was accompanied by a glass of Sweet Apple Acre's own apple cider. Vinyl's mouth watered, her eyes glistened with delight, and her body shook in slight hunger. Tears formed, releasing a single bead of joy down her cheek. She quickly resisted the urge to cry and whispered to Blaze, “Thank you.” “You're welcome,” he replied. Blaze nodded and turned towards the stairs. “Wait, aren't you going to eat?” Vinyl asked. Blaze stopped and looked over his shoulder. “Well, Oxide and I eat downstairs so you can have privacy,” he answered. “Well. . . Could you eat with me this time? I'd kinda enjoy the company,” Vinyl said. The absence of Star Shy being with her left her feeling empty deep down. At least with Blaze by her side, she can attempt to fill the void. “I suppose. I'll bring my food up here. Be right back,” He said, looking onward and descending downstairs only to return a few moments later with the exact same meal. Blaze set his meal down at the opposite edge of the bed and sat next to Vinyl. He moved his tray onto his lap and licked his lips. “Did you make this?” she asked, looking at him with her head tilted. “Yes, I did. I usually cook all our meals,” Blaze said. “Oh, cool. Well it does look good and I'm sure it tastes great too,” she said with an honest smile. “Thanks,” Blaze said, rubbing the back of his head with his hoof with an embarrassed smile flashing on his face before he finally decided to pick up a fork. “Let's eat.” Blaze announced, digging into his dish and taking a huge bite. Vinyl looked to her meal and picked up a fork, staring at the collation. To her, the pie was too perfect to dig into, to devour, or to destroy, but her hunger suppressed the feeling and urged her to eat, which she did. Blaze finished his meal, shortly followed by Vinyl. Blaze plopped back against the bed and let out a sigh. “Ugh. . . I'm so full,” He groaned. “Me too,” Vinyl sighed and laughed softly, falling back onto the bed as well. The smell of dinner faded away and silence filled the room for a few moments. Vinyl rubbed her stomach and closed her eyes, taking slow, deep breathes. A similar smell filled her senses, the same one that had penetrated her nose the night before. Vinyl looked to Blaze, who also had his eyes closed with his hooves behind his head. Heat filled Vinyl's cheeks, causing shades of red to stain her face. Her pupils shrunk, she never felt this way before in her life, well; life in the past six months. Blaze opened his eyes slowly and looked to Vinyl, his eye brow raised in curiosity. “Uhhhh. . .You okay there?” he asked. Vinyl shook her head violently, shaking away her obvious feelings within her face, and smiled innocently. “Yeah, I'm fine.” “M'kay,” Blaze murmured, laid his head back, and closed his eyes. Vinyl rubbed her cheeks vigorously with her hooves, shaking her head in the process, then covered her nose to keep whatever smell was making her feel that way from entering her sinuses again. Blaze raised himself from bed. “Well, I gotta head back down. I'll see you at bed time,” he said and returned back downstairs. Vinyl rose slowly from the bed as well and nodded to him, then sat in the desk. She had to keep herself occupied once again, so she decided to pick up a book that sat at the edge of the desk. There was no title on it, but she opened it and began reading it anyway. It was a book about a group of young colts crash landing on a deserted island. She read the first thirty pages of the novel. The only thing that intrigued her about the book was a colt named Ralph. She read on and off for awhile. When the sun started its descent behind the mountains, she had been reading it again. She glanced out the window from time to time to make sure no one was watching or spotted her. Vinyl set the book down for the last time. The bedroom glowed a soft orange, while the warm, still air in the room wrapped around Vinyl. Everything would have been perfect if what she saw just outside wasn't happening. Two royal guards were passing from store to store and home to home, asking questions and entering for whatever reason they had. Vinyl stood and sunk beneath the sill of the window, peering over the edge to watch. Her heart began to race and anxiety attacked her. She couldn't go downstairs to warn Blaze or Oxide, it was a rule, but she did have another idea. Vinyl turned to the hole in the wall that Oxide used to call Blaze downstairs. She leaped to it, wrapped her hooves around the funnel, and whispered loudly. “Blaze, Oxide, Royal Guards are coming, help!” No reply. Vinyl crawled over to the window and peered out again, the guards finished with the building next door and headed their way to the fire station. Vinyl ducked her head as one of the guards looked up to the window. She cringed her body down to conceal herself. The sound of a door opening came from below with the chime of a bell. “Yes, what can we do for you?” Oxide said. “We'd like to speak with you for a moment, ask some questions, and then search your facility,” came a deep voice. “Okay. What for?” Blaze said. “We're looking for a pony by the name of Vinyl Scratch. We have a warrant for her arrest.” “On a charge of what?” Oxide interrupted. “That's confidential, sir. Anyway, we have a warrant for her arrest. She's white hided with dark blue spiked mane and light blue streaks. Her cutie mark is double eighth notes and she sometimes wears goggles. Have you seen this pony?” Silence. “No, we haven't,” answered Blaze and Oxide in unison. “Okay. We'd like to search the building for any evidence that may lead us to finding her,” Heavy foot steps grew louder at the edge of the steps. “Wait!” Blaze yelled in attempt to stop him. “What?” “That's a personal living space up there. Don't you need a search warrant for this?” Blaze asked. “No. Royal Guards do not need any search warrant to search personal living quarters. . . Are you hiding something?” The guard finished with suspicion. “. . .No,” Blaze whispered. Heavy foot steps started once again. Vinyl's mind raced, wishing she had invisibility at that moment. Vinyl knew Manehatten would somehow search for her. Or maybe Manehatten didn't have anything to do with it. Maybe her parents ratted her out on the murder but didn't say anything about Manehatten. Or it could have been both. The Final Scratch.Chapter 9: The Final Scratch. The foot steps grew heavier and heavier. Vinyl could see the shadow of the Royal Guard shown on the wall. Her heart raced, she cringed into the corner of the room farthest away from the stairs. Then - out of pure luck and timing - something stirs up outside, shouts and screams are heard, and in response the guard whips his head around in a double take and descends the stairs quickly. “What's going on?” one of them said. “It looks like a robbery!” the other responded. “We'll be back tomorrow morning,” one of the guards said. The guards leave, slamming the door behind them. Vinyl could hear them shouting and chasing the robber down the road. Vinyl slowly crawled her way to the window to peer out at the two guards running off into the distance after whoever the criminal may be. Vinyl turned around afterward and found Blaze packing her things into her satchel bags with little patience. “It's not safe here. You need to go,” Blaze said. “Go where? I don't have anywhere else,” Vinyl whined. “Don't worry. I'm going to bring you to a friend of mine. She lives in the Everfree forest so I doubt the guards would think to check their; and besides, it's just for the night,” he assured her. She looked down for a second in disappointment. “You're gonna come back for me right?” she asked, looking up. “Of course. Once the guards come back, I'll head over there to come get you,” Blaze said. “Okay. Are you sure she'll let me stay? What's her name?” Vinyl pondered. “Her name is Zecora and yes, she'll definitely help,” said Blaze as he finished packing her bags. Once it reached midnight, Blaze and Vinyl quietly made their way through Ponyville, snooping around ever so quietly They dashed behind buildings, traversed through alley ways, and ducked under carts to the edge of town. Once they finally reached the Everfree forest, they moved quicker and became reckless with their foot steps. No pony would hear them out here anyway, nor would anyone be out here at this time of night. The canopy of the trees within the Everfree forest made it impossible to see anything. Only the glow of the moon had helped any and it still wasn't enough to see past even their hooves. Everything sat still, no sounds, no light, no nothing from any direction. Not even a breeze crossed their path. The mud under their hooves silenced their foot steps to the point where they couldn't even hear their own. “Ugh, I can't see anything,” Blaze said, bumping into Vinyl, “sorry.” “Me either,” Vinyl said, “wait.” Vinyl stopped and Blaze once again bumped into her. “What did you stop for?” He asked. “Just. . . Hold on.” Vinyl closed her eyes and concentrated her mind on her eyes. Her eyes twitched and her body tensed. She whispered “come on, come on” to her self over and over. She was just about to give up before a discharge sounded and echoed through the forest. When she opened her eyes, everything illuminated in bright and soft greens. She had successfully commanded her night vision to activate. “What was that?” Blaze whispered. “It was me. Night vision, remember?” “Oh yeah, you told me about that.” Vinyl rolled her eyes but Blaze didn't see. “Just follow me,” she commanded him. Blaze put one hoof on Vinyl's back as they continued their journey. Vinyl had no idea where to go, only Blaze knew where Zecora's hut is and he couldn't see a thing. “Where is Zecora's place?” she whispered back to him. “It should be somewhere straight ahead,” Blaze said. Vinyl wasn't sure if he knew was he was talking about. It's not like he could see anything and she herself had no sense of direction when there was darkness everywhere. Vinyl turned her head side to side, scanning the area around them, 'till finally-“There!” Vinyl spotted a small hut inside a tree. It was dim and poorly lit but Blaze could see it well enough to make it out for himself. Vinyl focused again, deactivated her night vision, and Blaze took his hoof off. They trotted the rest of the way side by side. They slowed to a stop outside the door to catch their breathe. Blaze knocked on the door impatiently, looking at Vinyl and nodding. The door opened slowly and a familiar zebra peers out suspiciously. “Who comes knocking at this late? You know best to come before eight,” Zecora warned. “Zecora it's me Blaze. Listen, I need a favor. My friend here needs a place to sleep, just for tonight and I'll come back to get her in the morning,” Blaze asked. A pause. “I see. . . And who would this pony be?” Zecora glanced at Vinyl. “My name's Vinyl Scratch. Please, It's just for tonight. I won't take up much room and I'll stay out of the way,” Vinyl pleaded. Zecora thought for a moment then opened the door completely, steeping out the way. “There's always room for a new friend and a bed for you I will lend.” “Oh, thank you so much,” Vinyl said before looking at Blaze. “and thank you too.” “No problem, I'll be back in the morning,” Blaze replied. Vinyl levitated her satchel bags off Blaze, taking them inside with her. Zecora nods to Blaze then closes the door. Blaze sighs and turns around and is quickly faced with a problem. “How am I supposed to find my way back?” he whispered to himself. The door opened behind him and Zecora had a lit torch within her mouth. Eventually Blaze found his way home and rested well through the night. The guards game back and searched the whole station and found nothing. Blaze readied himself and made his way to Zecora's home to retrieve Vinyl. “They took her away in the middle of the night and took her away without a fight.” Zecora told Blaze. “. . . Seriously?” Blaze doubted. Zecora assured him once again, telling him that two Royal Guards had taken her an hour after they arrived. Blaze's heart sank. He felt his was his fault for her capture, and now he had to go find her. He figured she'd be in Canterlot and at that point, he figured he'd at least find her parents a long the way, though they probably already know. Vinyl sat still in her cold, dark, gray stoned cell. She sat against the back wall with her arms around her legs which are pressed against her chest. She cried softly to herself and whispered pleads of help. Her hair a mess and her white hide was now stained with dirt and dust from the dirty cell. Every once in a while a guard would come by to check on her. After a few hours of silence and solitary, she had finally received some water and some food. She gobbled up the food and water as if she hadn't eaten in days. “Come with me,” said a Royal Guard as he opened the cell door. Vinyl didn't respond at first, but then looked up and realized it wasn't her imagination. She got up slowly and exited the cell. A second guard stood behind her while the first one lead the way. She worried about her fate. She thought of every possible outcome, from banishment, to permanent imprisonment. The dark halls turned into fresh, pristine hallways of colored glass and sunshine. She knew where she was going, straight to Celestia's throne. They entered the double doors that lead into her throne room and told her to stay until Celestia arrived to decide her punishment. The guards stood on opposite sides of the room among other guards. Minutes seemed to last hours go by for Vinyl, until finally Celestia entered and sat upon her throne, clearing her throat, and pulling out a scroll. “Vinyl Scratch. You've been brought here for me by the Royal Guards for me to decide what to finally do with you,” Celestia said, her face didn't show any positive or ay negative emotions. “I have reviewed the charges you have been pressed with, and personally looked over the evidence. You've been charged with murder, a serious and unforgiving crime.” Vinyl's heart pounded in anxiety. She wants it to be over with, for Celestia to say “banished” or “permanent imprisonment” and move on. Cold sweat ran down Vinyl's forehead and her mind shut down. She couldn't think, she could only stand there while Celestia became white noise. “And that is why I'm here to announce. . .” Here it came. “I'm releasing you to your Guardian,” Vinyls' ears flopped and pinned against the back of her head. The words echoed inside of her head, but then she shook her head. “Wait, released?” “Yes, released,” Celestia confirmed. “I don't understand. . . “ Celestia nodded to the royal guards standing near the doors, upon which they pulled them open. A familiar face walked in slowly, taking long strides with pride, while smiling at Vinyl. A pony who shouldn't even be here, but some how existed within the same room, entered. “S-Star Shy?” Vinyl whispered. “Yes, It's me Vinyl.” Star shy smiled. “But. . . You're alive. . . I thought. . . I thought I killed you” “For one, you didn't kill me, Vinyl. After the Royal Guards investigated the scene, they discovered that the glass shard within my forehead was the result of a light bulb exploding from short circuiting. The EMP caused it, but if it weren't for the data we collected from your brain, they wouldn't have been able to build and repair mine.” “That's why the lights were off. . .” Vinyl whispered. “But wait, why did I have blood and gashes from the glass on my hooves?” “You didn't do it Vinyl. I'm not sure how it happened, but my best guess is that your brain took longer to shut down then it took for the glass shard to impact me. So I'm guessing as your brain shut down, you must of attempted to pull the glass shard from my forehead,” Star Shy explained, pulling back the hair from her forehead to reveal the stitching. “But. . . But you still activated it,” Vinyl stated. “Yes. . . and I'm sorry. I've had some time to truly think about things, and I shouldn't have done what I did. But I am here to make up for it, Vinyl.” “How, how could you make up for it?” “What if I told you, I could give you normal eyes again?” “. . . You. . .You can do that?” “Yes, we've been practicing our technique ever since the accident, we hoped that the day you were done giving us the data we needed, we'd give you the eyes you wanted.” “So you didn't intend on making me live this way forever?” “Exactly. We didn't plan on keeping you this way, we simply used the robotics in order to gather data and to give us time in order to perfect our technique.” “But. . . How can I get my eyes back? It's been so long.” “That's why we had someone sign up to donate there's since the day of the accident.” Star Shy turned as Vinyl's father, her mother, and Blaze entered the room. The three stopped and her father stepped forward. “Vinyl, your father signed up to give you his red eyes,” Star said. “It's true Vinyl, I'm willing to donate them to you,” her father said. “No. . . I won't let you give up yours for me,” Vinyl said. “I insist, Vinyl. I'm doing this for you, and I'm not taking no as an answer.” Vinyl's eyes teared up as she ran to her father into a hug. “We'd do anything for you, Vinyl,” her mother said as she joined the hug. Blaze just stood back and smiled. The hug broke apart and Vinyl's father and mother thanked Blaze for looking after their daughter and apologized for any problems this caused him and Oxide. Blaze assured them that he was glad to help. Vinyl's eyes open slowly, her vision is extremely blurry at first, but soon comes into focus. Her father,who now wore a bandage over his eyes; her mother, Blaze, and Star Shy stood on both sides of her hospital bed and Star Shy raised a mirror to her face. Vinyl gasped and smiled. Glistening red eyes shimmered in the mirror. Vinyl's eyes watered and a single tear of joy ran down her cheek. [The End] Thanks to Star Shy (http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100003619293441&ref=ts) For letting me use her OC. Thanks to Kenny Core for letting me use his OC, Oxide. I Do Not own the cover art for the story.
Normality.Never does it occur to anypony that the objects and meaning we search for in our lives could possibly be restrained from within our grasps due to deceit. We may never acknowledge the simple fact our individual existence is based upon a fake reality that somepony has chosen to enforce on us. Some may suggest lying as an option to prevent offending or distressing, however; a simple, or even complex, fib can create a false reality for any individual. Usually it is the ones we share affection for most that tend to retain us from a, sometimes hurtful, truth. Which is the true irony of lying in itself. In some cases, lying not only creates a false reality for a single party, but for others around them as well. This is also true for a familiar pony, known as Vinyl Scratch. Chapter One: Normality. Vinyl Scratch was an ordinary pony, well; at least six months ago she was. Now she lives with her older sister Star Shy. Six months ago Vinyl Scratch suffered a serious case of amnesia, causing her to lose all memories of her life before hand. Her older sister works as the Head of Development and Research at the Manehatten Medical Center. Star Shy decided to take care of Vinyl Scratch in Ponyville until she recovered from her forgotten life. The only physical resemblance of Vinyl Scratch and Star Shy is the fact they are both Unicorns. Vinyl Scratch being a White hided unicorn, spiked-puffy mane with Dark and light blue streaks that flow like rays of sun light, her double-eighth note cutie mark compliments her occupation as a DJ, and her purple shaded steam-punk goggles, Then there's Star Shy; a light velvet unicorn with dull purple mane that includes a light gray streak, and a clipboard cutie mark that fits her perfectly. “It's time for bed little sis'!” Star Shy is heard yelling from upstairs. Vinyl Scratch had been downstairs in the living room all day working on her new mixes and beats. Vinyl worked tediously sundown after sundown in order to create a perfect track. “I'm coming, I'm coming!” Vinyl replied as she made her way upstairs to her bedroom, where Star Shy waited patiently. Dark blue painted walls enclosed the room. A single lamp, the only source of light, dimly lit the room from above her bed. Vinyl stepped into her bedroom and headed straight to her bed where Star Shy was sitting next to within a comfortable chair. “Hey Sis'. . .” Vinyl Scratch whispered while she crawled under the covers. “Yes, Vinyl? By the way, you forgot to take your goggles off.” Star Shy said as she placed her hoof on her own face. “Oh, Oops.” Vinyl giggled. She reached up with both hooves, unwrapping the fashion statement from around her head. She placed them gently on the shelf that comfortably sits above the bed then looked back to her sister with both hooves paced upon her blanket. “Can you tell me what happened to mom and dad again?” she innocently asked. Star Shy sighed, setting her hooves on her lap. “I've told you this story before, Vinyl. . .” said Star Shy with worry in her eyes. “I don't want you having nightmares.” “Oh, Please! Just one more time!” Vinyl whined. Star Shy huffed, “Oh, fine.” “Good.” said Vinyl, satisfied with her victory. Vinyl snuggled down into her covers, placing her head on her pillow, and staring at her older sister with anticipation of the same old story she heard many times. “Where to begin. . . Well. . . Our parents were poor ponies, with only the clothes on their back. After 3 years, they considered giving me up for adoption as food became scarce, but; when they realized a second filly was on the way, they waited. They wanted us to be together when they sent us to the orphanage.-” “But why did they have to give us up? Didn't they love us?” Vinyl scratch interrupted. “Very much. They wanted a better life for us then the one they could offer. It was the only way they could allow us to have a normal life.” Star Shy finished with the up most compassion. “Thank you, sis'.” Vinyl smiled then rolled on to her side facing away from Star Shy. Star Shy patted her lap, stood, and turned the lonely lamp off. The room flooded with darkness while the only light source came outside the door. “Goodnight, Vinyl.” Star Shy whispered as she slowly closed the bedroom door. “Night, sis'.” Vinyl replied quietly. She says our parents wanted us to live normal lives. . . but I'm far from normal. . . Vinyl thought. She closed her eyes, thinking of where her parents could possibly be. Vinyl was right. She is far from normal. Ever since she first suffered amnesia, her emotions and speech became impaired. She faced communication problems between her and the other ponies that reside in Ponyville She is often shunned as an outcast. Vinyl wants nothing more but to be “normal” and have her memories back. Whatever normal means. Once, While Vinyl was shopping, she bumped into a colt named Blaze Fury. Without hesitation Blaze apologized, unfortunately; Vinyl Scratch had said “It's okay.” with a cold tone of voice on accident. Star Shy headed into her room to finish her report. Papers scattered the room, as if a tornado had suddenly ripped apart a notebook, leaving the remains specially for her. Star Shy yawned gently and sat down within her office chair. She pulled herself up to her vintage desk and filed through stacks of papers that blanketed her workspace. With her magic, she levitated her quill into the air, surrounding the quill with a dull light. She reported back to the Manehatten Medical Center on Vinyl Scratch's conditions, but not of her amnesia. Oh no, Star Shy kept watch over Vinyl Scratch for other reasons. Once she was done writing her new report, she used a magic spell to instantly send it to Manehatten, where they quickly received and replied. After reading the reply, she got up from her chair, turned off the lights, and settled into bed. Star Shy wondered why Vinyl Scratch continues to repeatedly insist on hearing the story of their parents. There was only one reason Vinyl Scratch had to know, and that was to hope. It gave Vinyl Scratch a reason to dream peacefully and to dream of her parents. If only Vinyl Scratch knew the truth about her existence, then maybe she could live a normal life.
Control.Chapter 2: Control. Vinyl Scratch awoke the next morning and readied herself for the brand new day. Before she leaves she puts on her trustworthy goggles and heads to her favorite store in all of Equestria; the music shop. Vinyl Scratch spends hours each day trying out new equipment that she hopes to obtain for herself one day. “What's your fascination with techno and trance?” The store manager once asked her. Her answer? “Because it speaks to me.” she replied. Computer created beats captivated the filly. She literally felt that she could understand every beat created, as if it were her own language. Once she finished indulging herself in her own personal heaven, she retired to her home. Upon entering her abode, she attained the goggles from her face and placed them on the coffee table next to her DJ set. She put together a little something for the fashion show that Rarity was holding that day and Vinyl was hired to play. Vinyl worried though. She worried about her ability to respond to others if somepony decided to strike up a conversation with her. Even then, Vinyl's confidence levels were high. Her determination to speak to somepony could not be restrained. It was almost time for Vinyl to leave for her gig. She packed up her Turntables and records, thus heading to the door. “Don't forget your goggles, Vinyl.” Star Shy said, standing at the bottom step of the stairs. “Oh, right. I almost forgot.” Vinyl laughed. She set her stuff down by the door and grabbed her goggles. After putting them on, She grabbed her satchels, placed them on her back, and leaves. “That's odd. . .” Said Star shy, heading back upstairs to her bedroom. Once there, Star Shy sits at her desk, finds a blank piece of paper, and reports back to Manehatten. “3:27PM. Vinyl Scratch almost forgets her goggles before leaving the house.” her report to Manehatten said. She waited a few minutes and received a reply. “Does this mean she. . .?” the reply read. Star Shy immediately wrote back. “Very unlikely, But it isn't impossible.” Moments later. “Just be careful.” Vinyl Scratch arrived to the event and set up her equipment. She did her best to avoid any communication, not until she was ready. Ponies of all kinds gathered to watch the fashion show, even Hoity Toity, an important representative of fashion in Canterlot. Vinyl turned her table on, then the lights dimmed, and, using her magic; set the needle upon the record. Joyed that her equipment worked on the first shot, she smiled and bobbed her head to the music that she created. Spot lights moved into place and a voice was heard over the speakers. “Since the beginning of time, the elite of Equestria have longed for pony fashions that truly express the essence of their very souls. Patiently waiting decades, no; centuries, for the perfect pony gown. Today, at long last Equestria, your wait is over. Let's hear it for the breathtaking designs of Ponyville's own Rarity!” said the young dragon. The curtain lifted and revealed the gussied up ponies. Everybody gasped and gossiped as Twilight, Apple Jack, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie made their way to the end of the cat walk. Sounds of disapproval flooded the audience. Hoity Toity did not look impressed. “Oh, those amateurish designs look like a piled on mish-mash of everything but the kitchen sink” he criticized. Everypony around him laughed. “It's a travesty is what it is. Those outfits are the ugliest things are the ugliest things I've ever seen. Oh, for shame. Who is responsible for subjecting our eyes to these horrors? Not to mention wasting my valuable time.” he continued. Rarity came out from behind stage, her head hung as she walked down the cat walk. Only the young dragon cheered her on. The crowd gossiped some more to her arrival and nervous smiles took shape on the center stage ponies. The event ended and Vinyl Scratch disassembled her gadgets, stuffing them into her bags and levitating them onto her back. Almost everypony was gone. Vinyl Scratch had one last chance to talk to somepony. She scanned the crowd and spotted a colt. She hopped down from her platform and made her way to him. Vinyl shyly walked up right behind him and caught his attention. “Um, Hi.” she said. She picked an Alicorn as her first conversation. A rainbow bolt shot out from within a dagger implanted his dark green hide as his cutie mark and blue, spiked, mane surrounded his zig-zagged horn. Scars of all shapes and sized covered body, not to mention he was also missing a wing. “Oh, Hey.” he replied then realized who she was. “Oh! Hey, you're the DJ. DJ Pon-3 if I'm correct.” Vinyl Scratch's heart raced. She had a strong feeling that the conversation would be ruined because of her. She felt the line “What's it to you?” with a rude tone of voice bubbling up in her throat. She closed her eyes for a moment to concentrate. “Yeah, that's me.” she blurted with kindness. Her eyes shot open, but the colt didn't seem to notice. “I loved the music. Such a fitting choice for such an event.” he complimented her. Comfort washed over her. I finally had control over myself she thought and giggled in her mind. “Thanks. “ She said, blushing lightly and digging at the ground with her hoof. “I'm Oxide.” the colt said, extending his hoof to her. “M-my names Vinyl Scratch.” she replied shyly. Her heart pounded as she rested her hoof into his and shook. “Nice to meet you. Hey, I gotta go. Where do you live? Maybe I can come by tomorrow and we can continue talking?” said Oxide. Vinyl Scratch agreed and explained to him where she lived. Oxide absorbed it into his memory and before he left; complimented on her goggles. For once, Vinyl Scratch felt normal. Excited, Vinyl Scratch galloped all the way home. She finally had a normal conversation with somepony who wasn't her sister. Once she arrived, she dropped her gear, took off her goggles, and raced to her room. “How did it go?” Star Shy stood in the middle of the hallway, blocking Vinyl's way. “It went great!” she yelled, her eyes opening wide, and a huge smile stretched over her face. “I'm glad you had fun. Care to share details?” Star said, moving aside for Vinyl to get through. Vinyl explained to her, while she prepared for bed in her room, “I talked to a colt.” “Really? How did that go?” Star Shy asked. “Really well. I controlled myself this time, Sis'! I didn't blurt out a rude response or come off as boring to him. He's actually coming here tomorrow to hang out.” she shuddered in excitement. Star Shy stood in the doorway of Vinyl's room. “That's good. Looks like somepony has a boyfriend. What's his name?” she teased and winked. “Oh, stop it sis'. His name is Oxide. Now, the faster I get to bed, the faster I get to see him. So if you don't mind, I'd like to sleep.” Vinyl worried that her demand came off as rude, but Star Shy smiled. “Okay, Okay. Goodnight Vinyl.” “Goodnight Star.” Vinyl crawled into her bed and turned off the lamp. Star Shy, as usual, went directly to her room to report to Manehatten. “10:39PM: Vinyl Scratch has control over her responses and emotions in a conversation with a colt.” She wrote. Before sending it, she stared at several of the words. “Control” and “conversation” riddled her mind. Finally, she sent it, and within moments received a reply. “Hmm. . . This is odd. Very odd. Are you sure she didn't lie?” It read. “No. She's incapable of lying. I think. I'd believe she lied to me faster than believing she could formulate her own response with control of her emotions.” Star Shy sighed as she sent it. That was the final report for the night. Star Shy switched off the lights and slid into bed.
RevealChapter 3: Reveal. Vinyl Scratch woke up early that morning, anticipating Oxides visit. Vinyl took as much time as possible to prepare herself. She took the longest shower and brushed longer than she ever had before. Vinyl Scratch could safely say that she had a little crush on Oxide. Eagerly awaiting the knock on the door, Vinyl set up her equipment on the coffee table and messed around with it to pass the time. An hour later. No knocking. An hour later. Still nothing. An hour later. Still nothing! Star Shy came in several times to check on the waiting filly. Vinyl became irritated and a bit sad. Vinyl finally gave up on her wait and decided to head back upstairs, when suddenly; knocking. She ran downstairs, put her goggles on, and opened the door. It was only the mail colt delivering mail. Vinyl sighed and took an envelope for Star Shy. The envelope had some significant weight to it, which made Vinyl curious. It would have been rude of her to intrude on Star Shy's mail so she didn't bother to wonder. Vinyl thanked the mail colt, closed the door, gave the mail to Star Shy, and headed to her room to wallow in a slight depression. Star Shy came in after opening her package to check on Vinyl, who lay her in bed with her goggles removed. Small tears ran down her cheeks. She had good reason to be down, considering the first colt she had a successful conversation with actually stood up on her. “You okay?” Star Shy worried for Vinyl. “Yeah, I'm fine.” Vinyl sniffled and rubbed her eyes. “How do you feel?” Star Shy sat at the edge of Vinyl's bed. “A bit sad. That's all.” Vinyl whispered. “Maybe he had something important to do. Don't be too mad at him.” Star Shy rubbed Vinyl's head gently. “I'm not mad. . . I'm just hurt. The first colt I talk to and he doesn't show up like he promised.” Vinyl looked at Star through her hair that had been pressed down by Star Shy's hoof. “Don't worry. You'll have more chances. I'll check on you later.” Star Shy affirmed Vinyl and resided back to her room. “12:05P.M: Vinyl Scratch is stood up by the colt. She is currently in her room crying softly. Not only does she have minor control of her sadness; she has completely rejected any anger that should have come from this.” Star Shy reported. A few minutes later, a reply. “So she hasn't gone over board with her emotions like she has before?” read the reply. “Confirmed.” wrote Star. Star Shy decided to check on Vinyl Scratch to confirm her report before sending it. Star Shy knocked on closed door and let herself in. “Vinyl?” “Yeah?” Vinyl set down the book she picked up a while back. “You feel better?” Star Shy asked, remaining in the door way. “Yup. I figured he must have had something come up. I'll see him again anyway.” said Vinyl. “Oh, good. Glad you feel better.” Star Shy went back to her room and added to her report. “Confirmed. Vinyl Scratch not only has full control of her emotions at the moment, but she has also learned to overcome them.” Star wrote and sent. “Whether or not this is good or bad, did you get the package we sent you?” “Yes, I will be sure to use it if things become out of hoof.” Star Shy picked up the opened envelope and held a small device within her hoof. She then set it down, went downstairs to get a cup of coffee, and relaxed at the dining table. Vinyl Scratch, still in her bed, resolved to use her new found skills to go apologize to the colt she had bumped into. Vinyl kinda hoped to see Oxide on the way, but she didn't know what she would say. Vinyl Scratch uncovered herself and rolled out of bed. Quickly, she fixed up her mane. She took a few steps and realized she forgot her goggles. She turned around to the shelf she had set them on and stared at them for a few moments. For the first time in her life, she had the slightest confusion on why she had to wear them. She pushed back the thoughts, grabbed them, and strapped them around her face. Vinyl galloped out the door and charged her way down to the fire station. Since it was a public building, Vinyl made her way right in. “Hey, Vinyl.” said Oxide. She had completely forgotten that Oxide worked at the fire station. Vinyl stopped mid stride, staring at the colt who hadn't showed up. “Oh. . . Hey. . . Is Blaze here?” Vinyl asked. “Yeah, Why?” He got up from his office chair that was placed casually in front of a similar desk to Star Shy's. “I just wanted to talk to him.” she answered with a bit of annoyance. “Okay, Okay.” Oxide turned, walked up to a funnel implanted into the wall, and called into it. “Blaze, we have a guest here who wants to talk to you.” He faced Vinyl and looked straight into her goggles. “I'm sorry I didn't show up this morning. I completely forgot I had work today. I thought it was my day off but, I guessed wrong.” Oxide apologized. “It's fine.” Vinyl turned away as she said this and watched Blaze approach her. “How can I help you?” Blaze said with a small smile. “Can I speak to you outside?” Vinyl proposed. Oxide took offense to this. He knew she didn't want to be around him right now. “Yeah, no problem.” assured Blaze. The two ponies headed out, Blaze closed the door after Vinyl exited, and they stood a few feet apart, facing each other. “So what's up?” asked Blaze. “Well, I'm here to apologize.” Vinyl stated. “For what? You didn't start yesterdays fire did you?” Blaze retorted. “No, No. Remember awhile back when I bumped into you, and you apologized?” Vinyl inquired. “Yeah. What about it?” Blaze was a bit puzzled. “I wanted to apologize for my tone of voice when I said it was okay.” she hung her head. “It's fine. Don't worry about it. The past is the past.” Blaze smiled and rubbed the back of his head. Vinyl's head shot up. “Really?” “Really.” Vinyl smiled. “Thanks. That's all I wanted to hear.” Blaze put his hoof down and nodded. “By the way, why do you wear those goggles all the time?” “I. . .” Vinyl Scratch didn't have an answer. She never actually wondered that herself until now. “Look, if it's personal, forget I asked. I'll see you some other time.” Blaze said and went back inside. Vinyl rubbed the back of her head with her hoof. “Yeah. . .” She sighed. Vinyl gradually headed home, trying to come up with her own answer for her goggles. Vinyl was tempted to take them off right there and then, but Star Shy had warned her many times not to do so, which made Vinyl wonder even more. Star Shy finished her second cup of coffee while relaxing on the couch when Vinyl arrived. “Where did you go?” Star Shy asked. “No where.” Vinyl stated, rushing upstairs to her bedroom. Star Shy's eyebrow raised as she watched Vinyl. Once Vinyl was in her room, she withdrew her goggles from her face and examined them carefully. Nothing about the goggles were unusual. The only thing she could think of is why the plastic shades allowed her to see out, but nopony to see in. Were her eyes hideous? She set down the goggles on her shelf and turned, facing the mirror that hung from her closet door. What she saw confused and frightened her.
Truth.Chapter 4: Truth. Two red metallic eyes glared back with her reflection. Vinyl's heart sank. “Wha-what the hay??” she stuttered. She hesitantly inched her way towards the mirror. She rubbed her eyes with her hoof and stared into the reflection. “No way. . . “ She whispered, sliding her hoof down the mirror. She couldn't believe it. Vinyl spent countless moments trying to explain her eyes. She could tell they were robotic. Where did they come from? How did I get them?? How haven't I noticed them before? she thought. Is this why I wear those goggles? To conceal these? She instantly thought of Star Shy. Tears started forming in her eyes and rolling down her cheeks. Anger and betrayal boiled inside her gut. She ran downstairs to demand Star Shy for answers. “Star Shy.” Vinyl said, staring at Star Shy from within the door way to the kitchen. Star Shy set her cup down on the table and looked at Vinyl. “What's wrong? You look like you've been cry-” “Tell me what these are.” Vinyl interrupted. She lifted her hoof and waved them in front of her eyes. “Those are your eyes, silly.” Star Shy giggled. “No they're not!” Vinyl yelled. “Ponies do not have these!” Star Shy's faced turned from amuse to dumbfounded. “Wait. . . You can see them?” “Yes I can see them! I was just in my room looking in my mirror when I realized these damn things were in my head. Now tell me what they are!” Vinyl demanded. “I just told you, they're your eyes Vinyl. They look like every other ponies eyes.” Star Shy insisted. Frustrated tears dripped onto the hardwood floor below Vinyl Scratch. “Sis. . Please.” Vinyl eased up on her anger and tried asking softly. Star Shy sighed and shook her head. “Fine, I guess it was a matter of time until you found out.” “Found out what?” Vinyl asked. Star Shy relaxed back into the couch. “Where to start. . . Okay. I'll start from the beginning.” Vinyl Scratch stood, glaring at her sister. Star Shy continued. “For one, we're not sisters. Not even close.” This statement shot Vinyl right in the heart. “We're not?” “No. Anyway, about your parents.” Star Shy went on. “They didn't abandon us and you don't really have amnesia. Six months ago you and your parents went on vacation in Manehatten. After you guys toured the town, you headed back to your hotel. On the way to your hotel, you passed an active construction site. It was safe for the most part, however; the operator of a crane that had been transporting steel pipes to the top made a mistake which caused the crane to jerk. All of the pipes were supposed to be strapped down individually. One of them, was not.” Star Shy leaned forward with her elbows on the table and hooves on her chin. “A steel pipe became loose and fell from the platform. It fell several stories before it hit you. As you were passing by, the steel pipe penetrated directly into the back of your head, destroying the occipital lobe, which controls your eyes, and the left portion of your brain. You were immediately rushed to the medical center where we confirmed you were dead. Your parents were devastated and would have done anything for you. Which is where I come in.” Vinyl Scratch fell to the floor and sobbed into her hooves. She continued listening. “I offered to use you as a test subject for Artificial Intelligence that we wanted to create. Your parents agreed when I promised to them that I could bring you back to life, Although I warned them that they could have no contact with you after the procedure was done. We brought you into the laboratory and began replacing the damaged portions of your brain with a engineered computer. We also had to replace your eyes. We tested them carefully to make sure they would work, but because of the amount of time it took us; the right side of your brain received a huge amount of damage. We programmed the left side of the brain with functions of the left and the functions you lost from the right. This is why you have problems communicating with others. We programmed you with preset emotions and responses. We hoped to see how well you would live with them.” Vinyl Scratch sobbed harder, she couldn't believe what her so called sister was telling her. “We gave you those goggles to conceal your robotic eyes from the world. We couldn't let anyone see them.” “Then how come I couldn't see them?” Vinyl asked, her face still pressed into her hooves. “I'm getting there. We programmed you not to distinguish between your eyes and others. So technically, you did see them, you just didn't realize what they were. We also programmed you not to question why you had to wear the goggles. Everything seemed perfectly fine until you had your conversation with the colt. We didn't expect your brain to adapt.” Star Shy rubbed her eyes and thought for a moment. “I've come to the conclusion that your brain somehow adopted the ability to over come our programming and also adapted to the preset emotions we gave you. You now have full control of them somehow. That's about it.” “So. . . my whole life. . . Is a lie??” Vinyl slowly seized her crying and stood up. Her whole body shook in confusion and anger. “Well I wouldn't say that exactly.” Star Shy replied. “Where are my parents. . .?” Vinyl demanded. “Canterlot.” answered Star Shy, giving Vinyl the exact address. “I'm going to find them. . .” Vinyl whispered. “You can't. Now that I told you the truth, I need to reboot your brain. VS.” Vinyl shuddered a bit. “What the. . .” Star Shy puzzled. “VS” “VS?” Vinyl was confused. “What's this 'VS'?” Vinyl Scratch approached Star slowly. Star Shy squirmed back to the opposite side of the couch. “Why isn't the word working. VS!” It was a fail safe word that Star Shy had programmed into Vinyl Scratch in order to reboot her brain in case of emergency. Vinyl Scratch realized this and turned away. “I'm going to find them.” She stated again. Vinyl Scratch ran out the door, tearing up once again. Star Shy ran to her room and reported to Manehatten in a quick note. “Emergency.” She grabbed the envelope and took the small mechanical object from inside. Instructions on how to use the device were included. How To Use The EMP It was titled.
Closure.Chapter 5: Closure. Vinyl Scratch's whole life at this point was a lie. She wanted nothing more but to be a normal pony and Star Shy kept that from her. Vinyl ran and sobbed all the way to the train station. She avoided looking at anypony. She didn't want anyone to realize her horrendous secret that now, even she had to hide. The filly stood at the train station, looking directly at the floor the whole time. She had already bought her ticket to Canterlot upon arriving. Tears continued dripping from her eyes and She no longer wore her goggles. The train arrived to take Vinyl to Canterlot. She used her job earnings to pay for a secluded room. She needed to be alone for the remainder of the trip. She thought about what her life would be like if the incident in Manehatten had never happened. Vinyl promised herself that after she saw her parents, she would expose her secret. The train came to a stop in Canterlot. Vinyl Scratch composed herself and exited the train. She went over the address to her parents in her head. This was a problem for Vinyl. Vinyl has no knowledge of Canterlot and it's streets. She would have to ask for directions. She spotted a colt in a uniform selling train tickets outside the gates of the station. Vinyl exited the station and walked up to the colt, keeping her head down. She asked him where the address would be. He pointed his off to the left and told her that the residence is a few blocks that way. Vinyl thanked the colt and galloped away. Finally, she found the address she was looking for. Nervously, she knocked on the door. A light blue filly with white mane answered the door. “Hello, May I help. . . you. . .” asked the home owner. “Mother?” Vinyl whispered, looking directly into the eyes of the stranger. “Vinyl. . . Is it. . .Is that you?” “Yes. . . Yes it's me mom.” “H-Honey get over here!” she turned and yelled. “What is it?” a white colt with light blue man said, appearing behind Vinyl's mother. “It's Vinyl.” she answered. The colt peered over her mothers shoulder. “Vinyl. . .? Vinyl!” “Hi, Dad.” Vinyl said with a smile on her face and tears on her cheeks. The reunion started with hugs and kisses. Vinyl was invited into their home and welcomed to stay. She couldn't though and she knew it. “I can't stay. They know I'm here. We could all be in danger.” Vinyl explained. They knew this too. Her parents were told not to talk to Vinyl and that rule had been broken. Vinyl sat upon the couch and so did her parents. There was something that bugged her. “Why did you guys agree to stay away from me. . .” She asked. She felt unloved and unwanted despite their joy to see her. “We had too, Vinyl. They told us that if we were to speak to you, it would confuse you and mess with your brain.” her mother explained. “It was hard for us, Vinyl. We didn't want to say goodbye, but we didn't want you to die either.” said her father. Her mother placed her hoof on Vinyl's back. “We did it because we love you.” Vinyl sniffled then smiled. She hugged her mother and father in a group hug. Her parents wanted to celebrate their daughter's return. They both insisted on going into town and picking up a few things in order to make Vinyl dinner. Vinyl hated the idea at first but her parents promised she would be safe, and as an added measure; they would lock all the windows and doors before leaving, which they did. Her parents left Vinyl alone in the house. Vinyl spent her time in the guest room thinking about her new , normal, life. She wanted to stay here with her parents forever, however; it wasn't an option. A knock on the door was heard. Vinyl got up, suspicious of who could be knocking. She had an idea of course, but if it was Star, this was her chance to finally end it. Vinyl opened the door slowly and she was right. Star Shy kicked open the door. Vinyl backed away very quickly. “You're so predictable, Vinyl.” Star mumbled with the device in her mouth. She released it from her mouth and held it in her hoof. “What is that?” Vinyl asked and stopped moving. “It's an EMP. It's small, so I have to be in within a close range of you. It's designed to disable your brain, allowing me enough time to bring you back to Manehatten for reprogramming.” “Why can't you just leave me alone??” Vinyl stomped. “Because, we still need results.” Star answered. “Results for what?” “I told you already. We need your data in order to create artificial intelligence. That's why we repaired you.” Vinyl didn't want to go back to her life. Vinyl bit her lip and pleaded. “Please don't do this. . .” Star Shy placed the EMP on the floor and held her hoof over it. “I have to. Your brain will help future generations.” Star Shy's hoof fell. “Wait!” Vinyl yelled. Star Shy stopped right before her hoof activated the device. “What?” “Remember how you used to tell me you became a doctor in order to help others? You wanted to help individuals recover from their accidents and get on with their lives. I thought that's what you wanted. That's the Star Shy I know and love.” This was true. Star Shy became a medical doctor in order to heal others. Star had betrayed her beliefs and Vinyl for her own career. Star Shy had become so wrapped up in her own lie that she too became someone she wasn't. Shame flooded Star's mind. She placed her off down away from the EMP and hung her head. “You're right. . . I became so obsessed with the project that I forgot why I became a doctor in the first place. . .” said Star. “But I have to do this. . .” she added. “Star, Please, No.” Vinyl pleaded and cringed down to the floor. Star Shy stomped her hoof down on the EMP.
AwakenOkay so I lied. Star Shy isn't Vinyl Scratch's older sister and Vinyl didn't suffer from amnesia. I created a false reality that you as a reader might have been gullible enough to believe, but even then I did what I did and I can't take it back. I have no regrets, simply because if I regretted my past, I wouldn't be truly thankful for what I have in my life right now, though; I faced many situations in my life where, at the time they happened, I wished they hadn't. But after the storm had passed and everything in my life cleared up for the better, I learned that the good I have, came from the bad. Chapter 6: Awaken. (30 Minutes later) System Reboot. . . Vinyl Scratch slowly opened her eyes to find herself laid flat against the cold floor within the darkness of that very room. Vinyl raised her head and looked around, though she couldn't see anything within that void of black. Trying to collect her thoughts of the previous hour, she rubbed her head and eyes with her hooves, unfortunately; she had no memory of what happened. Dry tears and some kind of other liquid stained her face, which made her curious about what lurked in the dark that she had no vision of. An empty feeling of dread took refuge within her being that produced nausea. If Vinyl had eaten anything when she arrived to her parents house, she might as well have heaved right there. She placed her right hoof flat on the floor, pushed herself up, and stumbled back down. A stinging sensation engulfed her hoof with such ferocity it made her teeth clench. She tried once again – placed her hoof on the floor, pushed herself up, and endured the discomfort. Vinyl stood up straight, taking one step forward, and found her hoof in a puddle of a warm gooey liquid. Her heart pounded as she raised her hoof to her face to take a sniff. Whatever liquid that now stained her hoof smelled like blood. Vinyl shook her hoof, releasing the juices, fell back to the floor with her hooves over her face, closed her eyes tight, and wished nothing more but to be able to see in the darkness that surrounded her. A discharge sounded off within her head. Kinda like the sound an old camera makes when the flash had to charge after use. Vinyl shuddered from being startled from the loud sound. Her eyes flinched tighter then opened slowly. To her surprise, she could see her hooves, then she looked up and everything she saw was shaded from light green to pitch black. All the windows were covered in drapes and the door was closed, which would explain why no light penetrated into the house. She rubbed her eyes in disbelief of what her eyes could do. Vinyl looked up past her hooves and made out the shape of a pony, laid out on the floor in front of her in a pool of green light. Vinyl stood, suppressing the sensation her hoof gave her, and hesitantly stepped towards the body. There lay Star Shy, sprawled out in a pool of her own blood with her hoof covering the EMP. It must have been activated, thus shutting down Vinyl's brain and turning off the power within the house. Vinyl gasped, backed away slowly with her hoof over her mouth, and started to tear up. The stinging sensation in her hoof fired up again, which made her look to see what it was. A deep incision ran across her hoof and dry blood surrounded it. Her hoof started to shake uncontrollably in front of her eyes. Vinyl looked at Star Shy's body again and saw a new shape that settled itself into Star's skull. Vinyl fought back her tears in order to squint. Tiny shiny particles scattered the floor next to Star's figure as if it had snowed only in that one spot. Vinyl then traced the blood back to where it had come from. A transparent object shaped like the bolt on Rainbow Dash's cutie mark resided in Star's forehead. Vinyl took assumption to what the object had to be. She didn't want to admit that Star Shy was dead, nor did she want to accept the fact that a shard of glass punctured the fillies skull. No longer could she hold back her tears that built up within her ducts. The empty feeling within her body began to release sorrow through her eyes. She took a few more steps back, bumping into the couch that was positioned behind her. Vinyl fell to the floor once again, taking in the inevitable truth that became of Star Shy. Lifting her hoof to rub her eyes, she acknowledged the presence of the opening on her hoof. Her eyes weaved back and fourth between Star's body and her hoof. If Vinyl scratch had held the shard within her grasp, it would perfectly match the cut. Could she have killed Star Shy? She had no evidence to suggest other wise. With no memory of what happened after Star Shy activated the EMP and the fact the cut on her hoof matched perfectly with the size of the shard. Vinyl's mind went blank and she started to giggle. “This is all one bad dream and I haven't woken up yet. Heh. . . Heheh. . . Heheheheh. . . She's not dead, I'm just dreaming. Okay Vinyl, wake up now.” She said calmly. She giggled, laughed, and went on about how she would wake up any second. “I'm gonna wake up any second now, and I'll be back in my bedroom sleeping.” She continued. Her pupils went into separate directions and she laughed hysterically, at least; until she realized she wasn't dreaming. At that point her giggles turned into sobs. Jingle Jingle made the sounds of keys outside the door. She completely forgot that her parents had left. Keys jingled, despite the fact that the door was unlocked, and the door knob turned slowly. “Vinyl?”
Goodbye.Chapter 7: Goodbye. “Vinyl?” her mother whispered as the door slowly swung open. Vinyl pressed her hooves into her face and clenched her teeth. Only a small wash of light flowed into the home, though it was still too dark too see much of anything. “Vinyl are you here?” her father called out. The sound of a light switch flickered on and off but the lights didn't respond. Vinyl's mother focused her magic in her horn to start a spark which finally turned into a heavy glow. Everything in the room illuminated in a white light that flickered every now and then. Vinyl's eyes adjusted to the new light source which returned her normal vision. Vinyl looked up, over her hooves at her parents who were just entering the room. They took two steps and asked Vinyl if she was okay, then they looked down to the floor in front of them. Their eyes grew wide and their ears pinned back down against the back of their heads. They looked at each other for a brief moment that seemed like forever to Vinyl. They both glared at her. “What happened, Vinyl? What did you do?” Her father asked in a cold tone. Her father wrapped a hoof around her mother as she started crying. “I don't know.” Vinyl loudly whispered. Tears ran down her cheeks like parallel rivers. Her mother's soft cries turned into loud sobs. “We have to call Manehatten. Now.” her father ordered. “Please don't. It wasn't my fault! At least . . . It couldn't have been. . .” she doubted herself. She knew deep down she was to blame and there was no proof to suggest other wise. Her father took his arm off from of her mother and walked to the right - straight to the phone. Her mother couldn't stand it anymore and escaped upstairs. Her father picked up the phone then set it down quickly. “Vinyl . . . You have to leave.” her father said and whipped his head to her with anger in his eyes. “But I just got here. . . I don't wanna leave. . . Please da-” “No, Vinyl! You need to leave now! You have thirty seconds to get out of this house before I call Manehatten. After that, you're on your own.” He stated coldly, fighting back the tears in his eyes. Of course he didn't want his daughter to leave again. “But. . . I. . . Please, I don't have anywhere to go. . .” She said in between gasps of air from her now, sobbing state. Her father pillaged through his satchel and grabbed a few bits, throwing them to the floor in front of her. “There's money for a train ticket. Go anywhere, I don't care where. You just can't be here, Vinyl.” he huffed and turned his attention back to the phone. He picked up and started dialing. “Please daddy. . . Don't do this. . .” she said as she stood up slowly. Her body shook involuntary, like a earthquake. “I said leave, Vinyl!” he yelled and closed his eyes. He quietly cried to himself so his daughter couldn't see or hear. “W-what about mom?” She asked, biting her inner lip. “Dammit, Vinyl! We don't have time for this! You need to leave now! You're mother will be fine, Vinyl. She'll come around. So go!.” He pointed his right hoof at the door while the other held the phone. She rubbed her eyes, fought back her tears, picked up the bits and slowly headed for the door. “And, Vinyl. . . I love you. . .” Her father added. Vinyl stopped at the door to hear this, her head hung as the tears began to flow again. She nodded slowly and began to run. After running and sneaking around Canterlot, trying to keep herself undetected by others. When she finally made it to the train station around midnight, she was surprised to find out that the train actually ran this late. She paid for the ticket, using every bit of darkness she could find to conceal herself. No pony could find out about her eyes nor the blood stains. Finally the train arrived and she sat in the caboose, hoping she'd go unnoticed there. It was pretty empty for the most part, considering it was midnight in Equestria and not many ponies had anywhere to be at the time. Vinyl took a chair in the middle of the eastern wall of the caboose. She sat facing parallel to the other wall, taking deep breathes to calm herself, as if to meditate. She sat with her back pressed into the chair, with her hooves on her lap, and her head leaned up. She fought back her tears and continued her breathing process to clear her mind. She wondered what would become of Star Shy's body, what would happen to Vinyl when they find out it was her, and what they would do to her parents for talking to her. She then wondered what life would have been like for her, her parents, and Star Shy if she hadn't ran away that day. The phrase “ignorance is bliss” came to mind. The wheels came to a screeching halt once the train arrived to Ponyville. The squeals of metal on metal echoed through out the night. Vinyl exited the caboose and quietly made her way into town. Ponyville was empty and no sound escaped from any of the sleeping ponies homes. Vinyl did her best to stay within the shadows, even if no pony was out at the time. Vinyl made her way though town, staying low, and headed straight for the one place she could possibly find help. Knock Knock. She worried that her knocking would attract attention from the other homes. Vinyl looked around for any signs of lights or open windows, then her attention was drawn back to the door when the tumbler lock thumped. The door creaked open and a pony peered through. “Hello?” a red pony with orange spiked hair said. “Blaze?” “Yeah?” he opened the door all the way. “May I come in? I need a huge favor, Blaze.” she asked. “I suppose.” he said, stepping out of the way for Vinyl. Vinyl walked into the fire station where lights showed her every detail. She stopped when she had passed Blaze then turned. Blaze closed the door, locked it, then faced her, scanning her body up and down. “What is that?? Is that blood? And what the hay is with your eyes??” Blaze backed away into the door. “Blaze, you need to listen. I need a place to hide, just for awhile. You're a fire man, you like to help people. Can you please help me?” she begged. “Tell me why you have blood on your hide and. . . robot eyes first.” “I'll explain later. Please I really need a place to hide right now, Blaze.” she took a few steps towards him which made him cringe away to the wall. “Let me ask, Oxide. You just,” He scanned her again. “Wait here.” He bit his lip and rushed upstairs. Vinyl took a seat in Oxide's office chair and waited patiently. Faint voices could be heard upstairs, foot steps here and there, and a few loud statements and questions. After ten agonizing minutes of staring at the clock for Vinyl, Blaze and Oxide emerged from upstairs and stood next to each other at the base of the steps. “We've decided on whether or not you can stay here, Vinyl.” said Blaze. “And the answer is.. .” Oxide said, looking to Blaze.
Acceptance. Acceptance. Chapter 8: Acceptance. “Yes,” Blaze agreed to Vinyl's request. “On two conditions,” Blaze approached Vinyl and stood within a good 3 feet of her. “What are they?” Vinyl asked, rolling off the couch and standing, closing in the distance between them down to about a foot. Blaze was slightly taller than Vinyl so she had to angle her head up to meet his gaze. “One: You must stay upstairs at all times. We will bring you food, water, and things to keep you entertained. You are free to use the restroom as well.” “Okay,” Vinyl Nodded. “Two: We will need you to keep our room clean, Such as; making our beds.” “'Kay. I can do that,” Vinyl said. She turned and walked around Blaze to the stair way. “Wait,” Blaze said, putting his hoof out to stop her. “Go shower. Get the stains out. Okay?” Vinyl sighed in relief. She hadn't had any real relaxation in a while. She loved the idea of a warm shower but her answer to Blaze gave him the impression it was a chore for her. “Fine,” She had said. After Vinyl's shower, around 2am in the morning, Vinyl dried off, opened the bathroom door, and exited. Blaze and Oxide stayed up to make sure Vinyl didn't have any problems or needed any help, though she was in the restroom, certainly a female pony didn't have any questions on how a bathroom worked. Blaze and Oxide quietly readied themselves for their favorite pass time; sleep. “Ummm. . . Where do I sleep?” Vinyl asked, searching the room of any possible place to rest her weary head. “Uhhhh. . . I didn't really think of that,” Blaze whispered to himself, rolling his head around his shoulders, scanning the room. “Know what? How about Oxide and I share the top bunk and you can take mine?” Blaze jumped off his bed and looked up to Oxide, who stared down at the two ponies on the floor from the top of his ladder. “It's okay with me,” Oxide assured with little enthusiasm. “I don't wanna put you out of a place to sleep, Blaze,” Vinyl said, lowering her head. “No, No. I insist. It's fine,” Blaze raised his hoof, pointing to his bed. “If you say so. . .” Vinyl trotted to the bed and quickly crawled within its soft, heavenly sheets, while Blaze latched onto the ladder and urged Oxide to get situated. “I'll get the lights,” Blaze announced, flicking a small switch that was easily located at the top of the steps for Oxide's benefit. Darkness filled the room and Vinyl rolled around within the sheets to find a comfortable position in which to lay. Shuffling noises could be heard coming from the top bunk. Blaze and Oxide had to become accustomed to sharing a bed together, at least as long as Vinyl is there. She finally found a position she could rest in. She worried her night vision would kick in, but she had a feeling they would only do that on command or in case of a dire situation. Vinyl wondered what other kind of things she could possibly do with her mind and eyes. Of course she wasn't any kind of super hero or anything out-of-the-ordinary but she could do incredible things given the chance. Maybe. After a few moments of deep thought, something caught Vinyl's attention. Something she smelled titillated her nostrils. The smell enticed her in a way she never felt before. The only thing she knew was, it was coming from the bed, however; she didn't know that the aroma came from Blaze. Vinyl, being new to any interaction with colt's - and having forgotten her life before the accident – didn't have any recollection or knowledge of the “Birds and the bee's” speech. Vinyl fought off the confused feelings of arousal and interest and proceeded to clear her mind, though the smell, having stained the walls of her nose, didn't help much. Maybe Vinyl had a thing for the mixed smells of adrenaline, sweat, and smoke. Or maybe she had a building-on-fire fetish. Sleep finally subdued the filly and kidnapped her into dreamland with the sweet call of relaxation. Vinyl awoke around noon. She leaned up in her new bed and rubbed her eyes, yawned, and then earned herself a well deserved stretch. Blaze and Oxide left to do their jobs, though she knew they were downstairs, but she wasn't allowed to go downstairs. She crawled out of bed and groggily made her way to the bathroom. She stopped in the doorway to come across a note and a small package that sat on top of the sparkling clean, porcelain counter. Vinyl picked up the note and read it. Some toiletries for your stay, complimentary of Blaze and Oxide. The way Blaze had written the note made Vinyl feel like she had the VIP room in some fancy hotel, which made her smile. Vinyl set the note down and opened the shoe sized box. A toothbrush, soap, shampoo, a brush, toothpaste, and some other feminine items – unmentionables – were placed within the box for Vinyl to use. The first thought that came to her mind was the simple idea of who caved in first to their pride to buy her the unmentionables she needed. Vinyl showered, brushed her teeth, and did other things to freshen herself up before she cleaned up the room for Blaze and Oxide. Vinyl giggled at the thought of wearing a french maid outfit, considering she had become their bed making slave. When she finished her chores, Oxide came up with a tray of breakfast items. Eggs, hash browns, and a glass of milk were all hers to enjoy. Vinyl thanked him and placed the delicious meal upon the desk that sat parallel to the beds and next to the window. Vinyl slowly enjoyed the food, she hadn't eaten in almost 2 days. Oxide came upstairs thirty minutes later to check on Vinyl, bringing board games with him to keep her entertained. Monopony, The Game of Life, Connect four, Scrabble, Chess, Checkers, and Battle Ship were stacked on top of each other within his hooves. He set them down carefully on the floor in the middle of the room. Vinyl and Oxide played games for a few hours; Oxide taking a few calls now and then. First they started with Monopony, and ended with Battle Ship. Vinyl won almost every game, or at least; Oxide might have let her win. The fun and games lasted about 3 hours before all the games had been over played. Oxide had to return his full attention to his job so they cleaned up the games and stored them away for another time. Vinyl decided to take a nap until dinner was brought up by Blaze. Vegetable pot pie, hand made by Blaze himself, was placed upon the bed as Vinyl arose to rub her eyes and yawn. Gravy mixed with carrots, green beans, and peas flourished through out the room, finding its way into her nostrils. Steam rose slowly from the punctures within the golden brown crust. The 5 inch diameter pie was accompanied by a glass of Sweet Apple Acre's own apple cider. Vinyl's mouth watered, her eyes glistened with delight, and her body shook in slight hunger. Tears formed, releasing a single bead of joy down her cheek. She quickly resisted the urge to cry and whispered to Blaze, “Thank you.” “You're welcome,” he replied. Blaze nodded and turned towards the stairs. “Wait, aren't you going to eat?” Vinyl asked. Blaze stopped and looked over his shoulder. “Well, Oxide and I eat downstairs so you can have privacy,” he answered. “Well. . . Could you eat with me this time? I'd kinda enjoy the company,” Vinyl said. The absence of Star Shy being with her left her feeling empty deep down. At least with Blaze by her side, she can attempt to fill the void. “I suppose. I'll bring my food up here. Be right back,” He said, looking onward and descending downstairs only to return a few moments later with the exact same meal. Blaze set his meal down at the opposite edge of the bed and sat next to Vinyl. He moved his tray onto his lap and licked his lips. “Did you make this?” she asked, looking at him with her head tilted. “Yes, I did. I usually cook all our meals,” Blaze said. “Oh, cool. Well it does look good and I'm sure it tastes great too,” she said with an honest smile. “Thanks,” Blaze said, rubbing the back of his head with his hoof with an embarrassed smile flashing on his face before he finally decided to pick up a fork. “Let's eat.” Blaze announced, digging into his dish and taking a huge bite. Vinyl looked to her meal and picked up a fork, staring at the collation. To her, the pie was too perfect to dig into, to devour, or to destroy, but her hunger suppressed the feeling and urged her to eat, which she did. Blaze finished his meal, shortly followed by Vinyl. Blaze plopped back against the bed and let out a sigh. “Ugh. . . I'm so full,” He groaned. “Me too,” Vinyl sighed and laughed softly, falling back onto the bed as well. The smell of dinner faded away and silence filled the room for a few moments. Vinyl rubbed her stomach and closed her eyes, taking slow, deep breathes. A similar smell filled her senses, the same one that had penetrated her nose the night before. Vinyl looked to Blaze, who also had his eyes closed with his hooves behind his head. Heat filled Vinyl's cheeks, causing shades of red to stain her face. Her pupils shrunk, she never felt this way before in her life, well; life in the past six months. Blaze opened his eyes slowly and looked to Vinyl, his eye brow raised in curiosity. “Uhhhh. . .You okay there?” he asked. Vinyl shook her head violently, shaking away her obvious feelings within her face, and smiled innocently. “Yeah, I'm fine.” “M'kay,” Blaze murmured, laid his head back, and closed his eyes. Vinyl rubbed her cheeks vigorously with her hooves, shaking her head in the process, then covered her nose to keep whatever smell was making her feel that way from entering her sinuses again. Blaze raised himself from bed. “Well, I gotta head back down. I'll see you at bed time,” he said and returned back downstairs. Vinyl rose slowly from the bed as well and nodded to him, then sat in the desk. She had to keep herself occupied once again, so she decided to pick up a book that sat at the edge of the desk. There was no title on it, but she opened it and began reading it anyway. It was a book about a group of young colts crash landing on a deserted island. She read the first thirty pages of the novel. The only thing that intrigued her about the book was a colt named Ralph. She read on and off for awhile. When the sun started its descent behind the mountains, she had been reading it again. She glanced out the window from time to time to make sure no one was watching or spotted her. Vinyl set the book down for the last time. The bedroom glowed a soft orange, while the warm, still air in the room wrapped around Vinyl. Everything would have been perfect if what she saw just outside wasn't happening. Two royal guards were passing from store to store and home to home, asking questions and entering for whatever reason they had. Vinyl stood and sunk beneath the sill of the window, peering over the edge to watch. Her heart began to race and anxiety attacked her. She couldn't go downstairs to warn Blaze or Oxide, it was a rule, but she did have another idea. Vinyl turned to the hole in the wall that Oxide used to call Blaze downstairs. She leaped to it, wrapped her hooves around the funnel, and whispered loudly. “Blaze, Oxide, Royal Guards are coming, help!” No reply. Vinyl crawled over to the window and peered out again, the guards finished with the building next door and headed their way to the fire station. Vinyl ducked her head as one of the guards looked up to the window. She cringed her body down to conceal herself. The sound of a door opening came from below with the chime of a bell. “Yes, what can we do for you?” Oxide said. “We'd like to speak with you for a moment, ask some questions, and then search your facility,” came a deep voice. “Okay. What for?” Blaze said. “We're looking for a pony by the name of Vinyl Scratch. We have a warrant for her arrest.” “On a charge of what?” Oxide interrupted. “That's confidential, sir. Anyway, we have a warrant for her arrest. She's white hided with dark blue spiked mane and light blue streaks. Her cutie mark is double eighth notes and she sometimes wears goggles. Have you seen this pony?” Silence. “No, we haven't,” answered Blaze and Oxide in unison. “Okay. We'd like to search the building for any evidence that may lead us to finding her,” Heavy foot steps grew louder at the edge of the steps. “Wait!” Blaze yelled in attempt to stop him. “What?” “That's a personal living space up there. Don't you need a search warrant for this?” Blaze asked. “No. Royal Guards do not need any search warrant to search personal living quarters. . . Are you hiding something?” The guard finished with suspicion. “. . .No,” Blaze whispered. Heavy foot steps started once again. Vinyl's mind raced, wishing she had invisibility at that moment. Vinyl knew Manehatten would somehow search for her. Or maybe Manehatten didn't have anything to do with it. Maybe her parents ratted her out on the murder but didn't say anything about Manehatten. Or it could have been both.
The Final Scratch.Chapter 9: The Final Scratch. The foot steps grew heavier and heavier. Vinyl could see the shadow of the Royal Guard shown on the wall. Her heart raced, she cringed into the corner of the room farthest away from the stairs. Then - out of pure luck and timing - something stirs up outside, shouts and screams are heard, and in response the guard whips his head around in a double take and descends the stairs quickly. “What's going on?” one of them said. “It looks like a robbery!” the other responded. “We'll be back tomorrow morning,” one of the guards said. The guards leave, slamming the door behind them. Vinyl could hear them shouting and chasing the robber down the road. Vinyl slowly crawled her way to the window to peer out at the two guards running off into the distance after whoever the criminal may be. Vinyl turned around afterward and found Blaze packing her things into her satchel bags with little patience. “It's not safe here. You need to go,” Blaze said. “Go where? I don't have anywhere else,” Vinyl whined. “Don't worry. I'm going to bring you to a friend of mine. She lives in the Everfree forest so I doubt the guards would think to check their; and besides, it's just for the night,” he assured her. She looked down for a second in disappointment. “You're gonna come back for me right?” she asked, looking up. “Of course. Once the guards come back, I'll head over there to come get you,” Blaze said. “Okay. Are you sure she'll let me stay? What's her name?” Vinyl pondered. “Her name is Zecora and yes, she'll definitely help,” said Blaze as he finished packing her bags. Once it reached midnight, Blaze and Vinyl quietly made their way through Ponyville, snooping around ever so quietly They dashed behind buildings, traversed through alley ways, and ducked under carts to the edge of town. Once they finally reached the Everfree forest, they moved quicker and became reckless with their foot steps. No pony would hear them out here anyway, nor would anyone be out here at this time of night. The canopy of the trees within the Everfree forest made it impossible to see anything. Only the glow of the moon had helped any and it still wasn't enough to see past even their hooves. Everything sat still, no sounds, no light, no nothing from any direction. Not even a breeze crossed their path. The mud under their hooves silenced their foot steps to the point where they couldn't even hear their own. “Ugh, I can't see anything,” Blaze said, bumping into Vinyl, “sorry.” “Me either,” Vinyl said, “wait.” Vinyl stopped and Blaze once again bumped into her. “What did you stop for?” He asked. “Just. . . Hold on.” Vinyl closed her eyes and concentrated her mind on her eyes. Her eyes twitched and her body tensed. She whispered “come on, come on” to her self over and over. She was just about to give up before a discharge sounded and echoed through the forest. When she opened her eyes, everything illuminated in bright and soft greens. She had successfully commanded her night vision to activate. “What was that?” Blaze whispered. “It was me. Night vision, remember?” “Oh yeah, you told me about that.” Vinyl rolled her eyes but Blaze didn't see. “Just follow me,” she commanded him. Blaze put one hoof on Vinyl's back as they continued their journey. Vinyl had no idea where to go, only Blaze knew where Zecora's hut is and he couldn't see a thing. “Where is Zecora's place?” she whispered back to him. “It should be somewhere straight ahead,” Blaze said. Vinyl wasn't sure if he knew was he was talking about. It's not like he could see anything and she herself had no sense of direction when there was darkness everywhere. Vinyl turned her head side to side, scanning the area around them, 'till finally-“There!” Vinyl spotted a small hut inside a tree. It was dim and poorly lit but Blaze could see it well enough to make it out for himself. Vinyl focused again, deactivated her night vision, and Blaze took his hoof off. They trotted the rest of the way side by side. They slowed to a stop outside the door to catch their breathe. Blaze knocked on the door impatiently, looking at Vinyl and nodding. The door opened slowly and a familiar zebra peers out suspiciously. “Who comes knocking at this late? You know best to come before eight,” Zecora warned. “Zecora it's me Blaze. Listen, I need a favor. My friend here needs a place to sleep, just for tonight and I'll come back to get her in the morning,” Blaze asked. A pause. “I see. . . And who would this pony be?” Zecora glanced at Vinyl. “My name's Vinyl Scratch. Please, It's just for tonight. I won't take up much room and I'll stay out of the way,” Vinyl pleaded. Zecora thought for a moment then opened the door completely, steeping out the way. “There's always room for a new friend and a bed for you I will lend.” “Oh, thank you so much,” Vinyl said before looking at Blaze. “and thank you too.” “No problem, I'll be back in the morning,” Blaze replied. Vinyl levitated her satchel bags off Blaze, taking them inside with her. Zecora nods to Blaze then closes the door. Blaze sighs and turns around and is quickly faced with a problem. “How am I supposed to find my way back?” he whispered to himself. The door opened behind him and Zecora had a lit torch within her mouth. Eventually Blaze found his way home and rested well through the night. The guards game back and searched the whole station and found nothing. Blaze readied himself and made his way to Zecora's home to retrieve Vinyl. “They took her away in the middle of the night and took her away without a fight.” Zecora told Blaze. “. . . Seriously?” Blaze doubted. Zecora assured him once again, telling him that two Royal Guards had taken her an hour after they arrived. Blaze's heart sank. He felt his was his fault for her capture, and now he had to go find her. He figured she'd be in Canterlot and at that point, he figured he'd at least find her parents a long the way, though they probably already know. Vinyl sat still in her cold, dark, gray stoned cell. She sat against the back wall with her arms around her legs which are pressed against her chest. She cried softly to herself and whispered pleads of help. Her hair a mess and her white hide was now stained with dirt and dust from the dirty cell. Every once in a while a guard would come by to check on her. After a few hours of silence and solitary, she had finally received some water and some food. She gobbled up the food and water as if she hadn't eaten in days. “Come with me,” said a Royal Guard as he opened the cell door. Vinyl didn't respond at first, but then looked up and realized it wasn't her imagination. She got up slowly and exited the cell. A second guard stood behind her while the first one lead the way. She worried about her fate. She thought of every possible outcome, from banishment, to permanent imprisonment. The dark halls turned into fresh, pristine hallways of colored glass and sunshine. She knew where she was going, straight to Celestia's throne. They entered the double doors that lead into her throne room and told her to stay until Celestia arrived to decide her punishment. The guards stood on opposite sides of the room among other guards. Minutes seemed to last hours go by for Vinyl, until finally Celestia entered and sat upon her throne, clearing her throat, and pulling out a scroll. “Vinyl Scratch. You've been brought here for me by the Royal Guards for me to decide what to finally do with you,” Celestia said, her face didn't show any positive or ay negative emotions. “I have reviewed the charges you have been pressed with, and personally looked over the evidence. You've been charged with murder, a serious and unforgiving crime.” Vinyl's heart pounded in anxiety. She wants it to be over with, for Celestia to say “banished” or “permanent imprisonment” and move on. Cold sweat ran down Vinyl's forehead and her mind shut down. She couldn't think, she could only stand there while Celestia became white noise. “And that is why I'm here to announce. . .” Here it came. “I'm releasing you to your Guardian,” Vinyls' ears flopped and pinned against the back of her head. The words echoed inside of her head, but then she shook her head. “Wait, released?” “Yes, released,” Celestia confirmed. “I don't understand. . . “ Celestia nodded to the royal guards standing near the doors, upon which they pulled them open. A familiar face walked in slowly, taking long strides with pride, while smiling at Vinyl. A pony who shouldn't even be here, but some how existed within the same room, entered. “S-Star Shy?” Vinyl whispered. “Yes, It's me Vinyl.” Star shy smiled. “But. . . You're alive. . . I thought. . . I thought I killed you” “For one, you didn't kill me, Vinyl. After the Royal Guards investigated the scene, they discovered that the glass shard within my forehead was the result of a light bulb exploding from short circuiting. The EMP caused it, but if it weren't for the data we collected from your brain, they wouldn't have been able to build and repair mine.” “That's why the lights were off. . .” Vinyl whispered. “But wait, why did I have blood and gashes from the glass on my hooves?” “You didn't do it Vinyl. I'm not sure how it happened, but my best guess is that your brain took longer to shut down then it took for the glass shard to impact me. So I'm guessing as your brain shut down, you must of attempted to pull the glass shard from my forehead,” Star Shy explained, pulling back the hair from her forehead to reveal the stitching. “But. . . But you still activated it,” Vinyl stated. “Yes. . . and I'm sorry. I've had some time to truly think about things, and I shouldn't have done what I did. But I am here to make up for it, Vinyl.” “How, how could you make up for it?” “What if I told you, I could give you normal eyes again?” “. . . You. . .You can do that?” “Yes, we've been practicing our technique ever since the accident, we hoped that the day you were done giving us the data we needed, we'd give you the eyes you wanted.” “So you didn't intend on making me live this way forever?” “Exactly. We didn't plan on keeping you this way, we simply used the robotics in order to gather data and to give us time in order to perfect our technique.” “But. . . How can I get my eyes back? It's been so long.” “That's why we had someone sign up to donate there's since the day of the accident.” Star Shy turned as Vinyl's father, her mother, and Blaze entered the room. The three stopped and her father stepped forward. “Vinyl, your father signed up to give you his red eyes,” Star said. “It's true Vinyl, I'm willing to donate them to you,” her father said. “No. . . I won't let you give up yours for me,” Vinyl said. “I insist, Vinyl. I'm doing this for you, and I'm not taking no as an answer.” Vinyl's eyes teared up as she ran to her father into a hug. “We'd do anything for you, Vinyl,” her mother said as she joined the hug. Blaze just stood back and smiled. The hug broke apart and Vinyl's father and mother thanked Blaze for looking after their daughter and apologized for any problems this caused him and Oxide. Blaze assured them that he was glad to help. Vinyl's eyes open slowly, her vision is extremely blurry at first, but soon comes into focus. Her father,who now wore a bandage over his eyes; her mother, Blaze, and Star Shy stood on both sides of her hospital bed and Star Shy raised a mirror to her face. Vinyl gasped and smiled. Glistening red eyes shimmered in the mirror. Vinyl's eyes watered and a single tear of joy ran down her cheek. [The End] Thanks to Star Shy (http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100003619293441&ref=ts) For letting me use her OC. Thanks to Kenny Core for letting me use his OC, Oxide. I Do Not own the cover art for the story.
