Equestrian Shippers: OctaScratch
Author's Note
The links are optional, but I feel like I should still offer them.
Operation: OctaScratch
*click*
A light turned off in the dark basement. The stone walls gave a lot of room for the few rows of metal fold out chairs set up. On one end of the room, there was a big linen sheet hanging from the ceiling and excess lying on the floor, while on the other side stood on a projector on a tall stack of books.
*click*
With the flip of a switch, the projector came to life, revealing the long drapes in the room to truly be white. After a moment’s pause a yellow unicorn with a brown mane trotted into the right corner of the screen without looking to her audience.
After she stopped gave a sharp turn to face the projector.
Her horn ignited and three note cards materialized in the air next to her. She forced a cough into her right hoof before she spoke up, “Erhumm, ladies and gentlecolts, I would like to thank you all for coming out on such short notice for an emergency meeting of the Equestrian Shippers Society.”
A faint cheer from a mare echoed the room, “Woooooh!”
The unicorn gave quick nod to the enthusiastic club member, “As you all probably know, I’m Commander in Chief of the Canterlot Area, Fresca. Our goal is to make all OTP’s come true, and tonight, we’ve gotten an important development regarding Operation: OctaScratch.”
*Schliip*
The photo slide projector turned to display a drawing of a two toned electric blue maned, white unicorn mare with purple shades resting on her horn holding a grey, black maned earthpony mare wearing a pink bowtie.
"As you all may or may not know, these two ponies displayed here are Octavia Philaharmonica and Vinyl Scratch aka DJ-Pon3. These two have been at the top of our list since the conception of our organization."
*Schliip*
The projector switched from the picture of Octavia and Vinyl to lone picture of Octavia.
“Octavia Philiharmonic is renown cellist and lead member of a famous quartet the name of which eludes us for now.”
*Schliip*
“We also think she might be a country, fiddle player and member of the Apple family, but we have yet to confirm any concrete connection between the pony in the picture and Octavia.”
*Schliip*
“We also have some theorists who think she might also be a guitarist for a mariachi band, but this idea has yet to bear any legitimacy yet.”
*Schliip*
“Now we have Vinyl Scratch, a nighttime DJ who plays for clubs in downtown Canterlot, but has been known to take other gigs in a variety of other locations. Vinyl Scratch is a electronic musician whose popularity has grown to extreme heights due to her pioneering in the new genre of 'dubstep'.”
*Shliip*
“Frustratingly, these two have been living together for three years as roommates, but haven't taken it any further. It seems as though they are actually satisfied with being friends… and nothing more.”
“Noooooooo!!!”
“Worry not ESS members, for we now have a new plan of operation to bring those two together to make a harmonious love relationship.”
*Schliip*
“Now, with intel that has been gathered through discreet methods, we have found that Octavia and Vinyl are both going to the Grand Galloping Gala tonight and neither were commissioned for their services as musicians, forcing them to mingle and talk amongst other guests. This puts them, and us, in a perfect opportunity to give them the nudge they need to realize their feeling for each other.”
*Schlet*
“Now top field operatives, Second in Command Screwpine-”
“Woooh, that’s me!”
“-and myself, will both disguise ourselves as part of the catering crew. I worked our disguises well enough so that the guards won't recognize us from our previous failure, Operation: Twilestia.”
*Schliip*
“After we have successfully infiltrated the castle we will change into high class attire to mingle amongst the guests dropping hints here and there that Vinyl and Octavia are in a relationship and are, infact, OTP. After enough seeds of unrealized truth have been planted, Screwpine and I will both make our way to the castle intercom system and play a classical dubstep fusion of both Octavia and Vinyl’s recorded music over loud speakers. After that, it should lead others to believe that the two are spending much time together, enough for the topic to keep being mentioned in their company. They will spend so much time together debunking these lies, that they will see the light in each other enough for them to question their feelings and how much further they want to go together.”
*click**click*
And with the light switch and projector switch both flipped by a magical aura, turning off the projector and turning on the lights, to reveal that there was only one lone green Pegasus mare with two tones of green and white in the audience eating popcorn from a bowl.
Fresca not surprised at all at the number of attendants, looks at Screwpine and asks, “Any questions?”
Screwpine shakes her head.
Fresca starts to walk toward the stairs that exit the room and motions for the Pegasus to follow, “Now remember, subtlety is the key to this mission. We can't go screwing this up and revealing ourselves. We were lucky that the Royal Guard only think we're amatuer thieves.”
“Don’t worry,” Screwpine replied coolly, “subtlety is my middle name.”
Later that very same night…
“YOU TWO ARE GOING TO LOVE EACH OTHER!!!”
The sounds of rattling of shaking chains could be heard faintly with the high pitched whine of sirens outside Screwpine’s house. The owner of the house in question was still in her ball dress, but it was slightly torn and covered in blotches of red splattered on.
A platoon of Royal Guard had already established a perimeter and set up the spotlights aimed at a window in the middle of the attic. One guard with a megaphone in his hoof looked up the black silhouette of a standing pegasus mare and spoke in a loud, monotonous voice,
“You're surrounded. Release the hostages and give yourselves up.”
In loose chains, two musicians held each other tight in one another’s’ forelegs, shaking in fear of the deranged green pegasus who had been repeating the instruction for cooking Ramen Noodles for half an hour while they were on the crazy chariot ride which had ended up with every passengers fainting, and Screwpine getting a very unique, golden lawn ornament planted in front of her house.
Fresca, was pacing nervously on the opposite side of the room from the captives. After a few seconds of internal screaming, she was ready for external screaming, so she grabbed Screwpine by the shoulders with her forehooves, and started yelling, “Why didn't you stick to the plan?! We were supposed to be subtle!”
Screwpine unphased by her friend’s outburst, smiled with pride, “I think this is pretty subtle.”
Fresca started shaking the maniac, “The Royal Guard think we’re holding hostages here!”
Screwpine replied while scratching a cheek, “Well, we kinda are.”
The panicked unicorn's eyes went wide and pointed to a red spot on Screwpine’s dress and yelled, “Where did all this blood come from!?”
The pegasus’ smile dropped and shrugged, “Okay, to be honest, I have no clue how that happened.”
“What!?”
Octavia looked away from her captors and turned to her roommate with a look of fear in her eye, “Vinyl, can’t you use your horn to free us?”
Vinyl's eyes were just as wide as Octavia's with her fore hooves wrapped around her hind legs in a fetal position as she rocked back and forth slowly, repeating the same lines over and over again with the occasional twitch in her eye.
“... two cups of water to a boil, add noodles, place in microwave and heat for three minutes on high, open packet, add flavoring. Bring two cups of water to a boil, add noodles... ” She mumbled off, fitting in perfectly with the chaotic scene that was the upstairs attic.
Equestrian Shippers: OctaScratch
The day after the Grand Galloping Gala ...
The small Canterlot apartment was quiet that evening, or at least it would have been, if a certain, loud, white unicorn would leave. Octavia was resting on a red couch in the apartment's main room and held a magazine tight in her hooves in front of her eyes, but she wasn't reading a word of it.
Thanks to the headache she was coming down with, she couldn't do anything. Octavia wasn't sure how long she could stand her friend before she burst out saying something she might regret, but to her relief, she heard her nuisance was finally leaving.
"Bye Rarity! Have a safe trip home," Vinyl said before she closed the door.
"Is she finally gone?" Octavia said with a hint of hope and desperation in her voice as she popped over the couch so quick that the magazine went up into the air and came down on her head.
Vinyl turned around and sighed before gave the cellist a soft smile, "Yeah, but don't worry Octy, she won't be back for a while."
The gray cellist gave a sigh of satisfaction, "Finally. I don't understand how you can stand that mare."
The DJ trotted over to the small kitchen that connected to the main room, "Look, I understand that Rarity can be a hoof-full at times and is very... tiring, but that's what cousins are. And family always deal with each other."
Warm rays of red and orange light tinted the room and it's atmosphere.
Octavia felt a bit low and empathized, "Yes, I understand completely."
Vinyl trotted into the main room and laid down next to Octavia with a half eaten banana in her magical grasp next to her. Together they lied in silence, Octavia finally reading her magazine while Vinyl looked out a window at a sunset view of the Equestrian countryside under Canterlot, eating a banana.
After the sun was half through setting, Vinyl sighed and tossed her banana peel at the trash can and missed. She turned to Octavia sat up, looking at the cellist.
The tranquil silence was finally broken when Vinyl spoke up, "Octavia, what do you think that mare was talking about when she told us that we belong to each other?"
Octavia raised a brow at Vinyl's question and sat up, "Well, obviously that mare was rather... unhinged. She and her friend were way too interested in other people's lives then they had any right or reason to be."
Vinyl glanced at the gossip magazine in Octavia hooves. The cover had a picture of the DJ and the cellist as well as her captors all flying or rather crashing in a chariot stolen from Princess Celestia's personal vehicles. In a smaller side panel was a picture of Sapphire Shore in a trench coat, with a caption promising some juicy story. Octavia mind made the connection and without changing face or posture, she flung the magazine over her shoulder.
The white unicorn sighed, "Look, being locked up in that addic with you...." the unicorn stopped after a moments pause before she , "we've been friends for long and... uh, I'm just wondering about what those mares said."
Octavia leaned her head in closer to her friend's with genuine curiosity, "What are you thinking, Vinyl?"
Her voice was becoming shaking and unsure, "Octavia... do you maybe, wanna go out to eat.... or something." Her hoof had progressively gone form her side to her head, and her eyes from the gray mare to the floor.
"Are... are you asking me on a date?" Octavia asked with a smirk.
Vinyl shook her head and turned away, laughing awkwardly as she scratched the back of her head, "Yeah, stupid idea right? I mean, me asking you on a pffff, I really shouldn't have asked, I'm real sorry O-"
Octavia grabbed the unicorn's shoulders quickly, "No, no, Vinyl, it's alright, I just... I just didn't expect this."
Vinyl kept her head low, "Look I know it's stupid Octy, it's fine if-"
Octavia moved her hoof under Vinyl's muzzle, moved it to face her, and looked Vinyl straight into her crimson eyes,
"Don't you say another word," Octavia said in a firm, but soft tone. "Vinyl Scratch, I would love to go on a date with you."
The unicorn perked up, "Wait, really? I mean, wow yeah, I uh... when do you wanna go, I mean I saw this fancy place down the street from where I record, and maybe tonight if you want. I'm gonna get my shades, and then..."
The grey cellist just smile warmly at the scrambling, excited unicorn.
Meanwhile across Canterlot, two robed ponies in a crowded train station sneak onto the baggage car of a train undetected. After they had hopped on, the two figures began to look around the compartment full of suitcases and outside the doors that connected to the other cars of the train.
After the coast was clear, the two figures met up at the middle of the room and collapsed, lifted the hoods of their robes and sighed.
"Well that was a total bust," Screwpine said, downbeat and exhausted.
Fresca spoke up with a bit of optimism, "Well, at least we escaped going to prison."
"Yeaaaahh, sorry about that... you know ruining the plan, getting us into a hostage situation, destroying our hopes for Operation OctaScratch."
"Apology accepted. Nopony died and I know it won't happen again. Sure glad that was fruit punch on your dress and not blood, right?" Fresca replied, laughing awkwardly.
"Yeah, total relief. To think I would kill somepony," Screwpine waved her right hoof in the air in a gesture that suggested the notion was nonsensical.
"So what do we do now?"
Fresca smiled at her friend and pulled out a beige folder filled with papers out of her robe.
"Well, we still have have many poor, lost ponies who are destined for each other, and this train just so happens to be on it's way to Ponyville..."
Screwpine smiled and asked, "So who are the lucky ponies we'll be seeing next?"
The unicorn smiled and took a page from the folder and held it in her magic in front of her,
"Their names are Lyra and Bon Bon..."
Author's Note
They say a picture's worth a thousand words, so when I wanted to enter a contest I thought I'd try and stand out, by using a thousand words and a couple pictures.
Choice 2: Draw our OCs
-~~Draw~~ Write both of our OCs together (as friends)
OC's belong to:
Pandan009 who owns Screwpine
FoxgirlKira who owns Fresca the Unicorn
Disclaimer: I might have taken a couple liberties regarding their personalities.
I never even intended to write this chapter, but I felt compelled to. This chapter, to me, felt way more natural and all around better than the first one.
