The sound of waves crashed behind her as she gently opened her eyes. She blinked once. Twice. She saw nothing but the grains of sand under her. They were the same grains sprinkled around her body, and she made no attempt to brush them off. She felt weak; on the beach she lay, still. Her coat was drenched with the seawater and it smelled almost horrendous, but she refused to move. She felt like her body had submitted itself to the coasts, and all she could do was accept it. After all, all she could accept was that she was still alive.
The waves crashed behind her once again. No pony was in sight. There could have been a seagull flying above her, but she paid no attention to its gawks. Instead, she chose to steady her breathing. Once. Twice.
Her heart beat fast; it had been much faster before she opened her eyes, and took glanced at her surroundings. Left, right, up; her head rotated steadily. Barren was the sight, and her once tensed muscles relaxed. She slumped back onto the warm sand once again and closed her eyes. Her cracked lips trembled slightly; she opened them as if she were to speak, but nothing escaped out of her mouth.
"O-O-O..."
Her eyelids felt heavy and her heartbeat sped up. Her hooves slowly shifted itself to her heart, and she felt it beat, hard. Once. Twice. Her eyes flickered. Once. Twice. And darkness consumed her once again.
==========
"H-how is she?" whispered a light-gray-coated pony with purple eyes; although it might have been tinted a deep shade of crimson red. Octavia knelt down, next to the bed. Her trembling hooves clenched themselves as she lay them next to a white-coated hoof.
Her eyes grew weary by the minute and her back ached, but she grabbed the white hoof. Gently, she caressed it, stroking it ever so gently. Her rigid body remained stiff, and she struggled to turn her head to look at the orderly standing beside her. "How long?"
The two mares briefly made eye contact, but none moved their lips. Slowly, the orderly's eyes went to her notes she clutched tightly in her hooves. Briefly, she scanned the text, and released a small sigh. Her eyes shifted nervously, refusing to stare back at the solemn grey mare.
Still, no words were spoken, but the kneeling mare nodded. With a soft sob, she holstered herself up, using the bed frame as support. She faced the machine that displayed a series of jagged lines and a few numbers on the top right hand corner. She watched the line jump, and with each jump, the machine released a 'beep'. Then she glanced down at the sleeping mare. Blood-soiled bandages had been wrapped around the sleeping mare. She could have been a mummy if it weren't for the cables that ran from the machine to her body. Some of the wires had been tangled up, but it was the least of any pony's concern.
"Thank you," whispered the shaken mare. With her head down, she turned towards the open door and left the room. Silence filled the room, and the orderly gulped. With a sigh, he approached the monitor and tapped the screen a few times. Then his eyes widened.
"What..."
==========
Sunlight seeped into the mares' room, but only one had been awake. She had already been sitting on the red loveseat at the corner of the room, and her faced showed signs of bewilderment. She looked at the calender pinned up high at the wall beside her, and held her breath. She dared not release it. She dared not turn her head once again to double-check the date.
"What?" she whispered as her eyes met the carpet. Her mind raced to find a plausible explanation other than time travel, but it returned naught. Her thought raced to the memories she last remembered, and it definitely did not match what she was seeing on the bed; a grey mare lay peacefully on the bed as a blue comforter wrapped around her. It was peaceful, and unlike her recollections, reminded her of when things started turning sour.
She remembered this day clearly, but still could not understand what was going on. She tapped nervously on the empty seat beside her as she closed her eyes. Pictures filled her brain. Memories flickered back and forth. It was fuzzy, but she felt a definite sense of de ja vu.
She heard a "mmm" coming from the sleeping mare, and her eyes opened. She saw her partner toss around a few times before slowly getting up, flickering her eyes gently and rubbing them. Then their eyes met.
"Morning, Vinyl," said the grey mare with a big yawn and with outstretched hooves, "You're early. How unusual." Slowly, the grey mare shifted the covers away and sat on the edge of the bed, her back facing Vinyl.
"Yeah..." That was all Vinyl could say as she stared at Octavia with a puzzled look.
"Is everything okay? You're acting a little... weird." Octavia's eyebrows were raised as she shared the same look as Vinyl.
"Yeah... totally. I uh... too bright, so I... " That was when Vinyl realised that she actually didn't wake up. Instead, all she remembered was that she was greeted with the peculiarity of time playing tricks on her mind. She knew today. She knew Octavia would leave Canterlot for a few days on a business trip. She knew exactly what would happen in this bedroom much later after Octavia had left. She remembered it clearly.
"I... uh... I had been thinking about your business trip," Vinyl tapped nervously on the couch again.
"Yeah?"
"Have a safe journey."
"Thanks?" Octavia cocked her head slightly towards the left. Then she glanced at the mounted wall clock, shook her head, and stood up. "Well, I have to go now. I'll see you in a few days."
She approached Vinyl with a contented smile on her face and wrapped her hooves around her. "I'll miss you, Vinyl. Have fun at that music workshop later."
Vinyl returned the hug. Her body could have been embracing Octavia, but her mind had floated back to her memories. There was not going to be any workshop. Neon Lights was going to come over later.
"I'm gonna miss you too. I can't live without you." Her voice dropped to a whisper. Her words felt forced, but her sincerity was there. "Don't ever leave me." She released the hug, just slightly, as to make eye contact with Octavia's, and proceeded to kiss her.
"Of course not," whispered Octavia after the kiss. She smiled as she gave Vinyl one last kiss before breaking off from the hug. "Now, why would I do that?" Octavia chuckled as she approached the bedroom door. There was a light switch beside it, and she flicked it, turning the bedroom lights off. For a moment, it was dark as Vinyl had remembered.
"It's not like you're going to cheat on me."
==========
The sound of waves was heard once again as Vinyl opened her eyes. Her back ached and her hooves were numb, but she had managed to lift herself off the sandy ground. She wobbled a few times before finding her balance, and for the first time, took a complete look at her surroundings.
It had turned dark, and there was nothing in sight. In front of her lay a field of sand, and behind her lay an endless water bed. Even if there had been a figure or prominent object in the distance, the lack of light made it hard to see anything.
Vinyl took a few steps forward, limping her way through the empty field. It was pointless, she thought. Nothing was around her, and even if she found something, she was not sure if it could help her. What she needed was water, and fast.
She smacked her dry lips and her tongue gently swept across the cracks, trying to get rid of any sand that might irritate it. Left, right. She kept going at it until it was clear of particles, and then she trudged forward. One step. Two steps. It might have taken her a few minutes, but eventually, she found a wilting flower sitting under a wilted tree. Dead grass littered around it, but Vinyl took the chance to drop to the ground. Her body wanted to rest once again, but her mind wouldn't let.
Vinyl lay as still as the single-petaled-flower in front of her. She contemplated picking it up, but her hooves just would not budge. Instead, she blew it just ever so gently that the flower would sway. She kept going at it until the last petal slowly drifted and made its way to the ground.
Just as it almost hit the ground, there was a slight breeze; it was just enough to send it towards the sea. A pair of droopy eyes followed its motion, and as it landed on the waterbed, the petal dissipated, and Vinyl's eyes eventually shut.
==========
There was a loud, obnoxious stream of thumps in the background as Vinyl struggled to get to her feet. She could hear other sounds as well, like the screams and cheers of many ponies around her, as well as the tune of a familiar song. Slowly, her eyes revealed themselves under a pair of purple shades, and she put one and one together.
She was now at her workplace, and she stood, albeit shakily, behind her booth. The loud, obnoxious stream of thumps turned into a steady, soothing beat of trance that worked its way out from the two large speakers on either side. Her headphones hung comfortably around her neck while strobe lights flashed behind her, rapidly filling the scene with an array of colors.
She sighed and relaxed. "Remind me never to drink whatever anyone offers me ever again," said Vinyl, chuckling. She grabbed the glass cup beside her turntables and flung it behind her, and took up the mic. "Who's ready to party?!"
"Hey, that's my mare, Vinyl. Let me in!" She heard a familiar voice shouting from afar, and turned hear head towards it. What she saw was two big, burly bodyguards of hers holding back a familiar greyish-blue pony. What she could not understand was why he had difficulty entering again.
"Hey, hey, that's my friend. Let him in!" yelled Vinyl, mistakenly shouting into the mic. "Uh, that's the track of the next song. New song. Sick track, I swear. Be right back."
In a swift motion, she grabbed her headphones and threw it where the glass cup had been. She pressed a few more buttons, automating a few loops in the current song, and headed towards the tiny situation unfolding a few meters away. "Yo, yo, yo. He's chill, guys. He's that dude from before."
"I've never seen this passé before. Your friend?" asked the boisterous bouncer named Breaker Beast, whose one hoof held the pony's neck, while the other readied to strike a punch. He stared him down with one eye closed, and his lips curled into a slight grin. The other big-sized bouncer named Buoyant Bunny was seen trying to stop him. "I don't think we should be doing this."
"Yeah? Well, I don't think you know here. Just listen to what I say, junior, ¿comprende?" His other eye was now staring down at him. How he could swivel his eyes in two different direction, Vinyl could ask at another time.
"Relax! He's alright. Just let him--"
"No can do, mister. Gotta check him for drugs or weapons. It's how we do things here." A third eye was prepared to form at the back of his head.
Vinyl could only roll her eyes. She shook her head and firmly insisted, "I tell you, he's clean. Vinyl says he's clean, ¿comprende? Or do we need another talk, passé?"
With a snort, he relaxed his grip on the pony, but not before pushing him slightly backwards. He dusted himself, and turned to look at Vinyl. There was a short stare-down between them before Breaking Beast broke eye contact. Reluctantly, he turned his body sideways and grudgingly made a path for Vinyl's friend. "I got my eyes on you." He scowled as the greyish-blue pony walked past them.
"Hey, Vinyl. What's the deal with these two?"
"Management's lackeys, Neon," groaned Vinyl. "You think they'll get better ones after they've been thrown out."
"Thrown out? No way! Of what?"
"You don't remember? I mean, it was just the week before. You were there, remember? Or were you too drunk in your pants that you couldn't remember anything," snickered Vinyl.
"Gosh, you're so drunk now. Last week was my sister's party. Didn't come down here at all," deadpanned Neon.
"Wait." Vinyl paused herself. Her eyes looked around for answers, but her brain couldn't find any. "Neon, what's the date today?"
"Huh. Uh, fifth of July? Sixth? I don't know." Neon shrugged his shoulders.
Vinyl took a step back with enlarged eyes. A million questions flooded her mind, but she was as confused as him. "Neon... what time is it?"
"Who cares. C'mon, I'll treat you a drink. You need to relax," said Neon as he tried to pull Vinyl along. However, Vinyl wouldn't budge. "I'm serious. What time is it?"
"What? I can't hear you over the speakers!"
"Neon! Stop messing with me, I'm serious! Today's the Fifth. Saturday, right?"
"Uh-huh." He rolled his eyes and he placed a hoof over Vinyl. Instinctively, she brushed them away. "Ffith."
Vinyl's face recoiled back first in shock, then in horror. Her eyes widened even larger as she turned her attention to the speakers above her. "Oh no."
She hurried to her booth where she checked her current playlist. 'Next: The Final Fall,' distinctively showed up on the right side of her monitor. There was a timer at the bottom, which indicated that the current song would end in a two seconds.
"C'mon, Vinyl! Beer's on the table!" He sang as he placed a mug of beer beside her turntables.
"Neon, stay a--" There was a loud crackling sound from above. She could only watch as the speakers fell towards her. Fear rooted her to the ground, and all she could do was brace for impact. She screamed, closing her eyes and shielding herself with her hooves, as she awaited her fate.
==========
"How is she?" asked a pale, grey mare. Her eyes showed no care, but her heart fooled nobody. Octavia, with a book in her hand, sat beside a fully-bandaged-Vinyl Scratch. All she could hear were the steady, rhythmic breathing of her lover, as well as the pulsing, dull beep of the heartbeat monitor. An orderly stood over, daring not to say a word just yet.
"How long until she wakes up?" whispered Octavia.
"Well, there's good news. Her bleeding in her arteries have stopped and her fractured bones seemed to be healing. However, she's not responding to the medicine very well."
"I asked, how long more?"
A lump formed in the doctor's throat as he nervously shifted. "We... we don't know."
With one hoof, she stroked Vinyl's face gently. With the other, she placed the book onto Vinyl's bedside drawer. "Wake up, Vinyl. Please. I'm sorry," she whispered. A little tear drop trickled down onto her lap. "I've made a mistake, please. Forgive me." She held Vinyl's cold hoof to her face, hugging it like a little foal would do, but not squeezing to the point where it would hurt Vinyl.
"Miss, five more minutes." Octavia didn't budge, choosing to salvage whatever time she had left with Vinyl. She simply nodded, and the orderly left the room. What tiny sobs could be heard before had turned into wails of cries.
==========
"Out! Out!" Vinyl was jolted awake by a furious Octavia standing over her as she laid comfortably in her blankets. "I... I don't wanna see you ever again! Out!"
"Hey, Octy you're back early..."
"I can't believe you, Vinyl. After all these years..." Her voice was harsh, yet felt so broken at the same time. She turned away from Vinyl and her breathing quickened. "Why..."
"I... I don't know what to say."
"Say no more." Her voice had dropped into a whisper. "We're breaking up." As she said that, Octavia left the bedroom, slamming the door in the process. A loud cry could be heard beyond those doors, and Vinyl felt a tinge of regret, as well as confusion.
"Did I do something wrong?" She whispered, before raising her volume. "Octy--"
"Shut up!" She yelled back, her voice filled much with anger and rage this time. "G-get out. Now!"
Vinyl jumped out of bed, but the first thing she realised was that her blanket had been wrapped over her. She hated sleeping with the blankets. She only used them when...
"No. No, no, no, no, no." She shook her head and hurried to the calender. The calender had read, 'Six of July,' and what used to be bewilderment turned into realisation. "Neon... and I... oh no. What have I done."
She dropped to the loveseat right beside her and laid, silently sobbing. "How could I have let this happen? Again? I don't understand." Her head spun, but again, she had no answers. She knew what would happen next, but she didn't want it to happen. She knew that one thing led to the other, and she definitely did not want to reach the end.
With her mind set, she went for the door handle, and pulled it back. "Octy..." She whispered, but Octavia was nowhere to be found. Instead, she found a note on the floor that read, "I want you gone by the time I get back." Defeated, she slumped towards the floor.
"Why? Why?!" Her hooves hardened up and she began punching the wet wooden floor under her. Her hooves kept going at it, but her mind shook. It was happening all over again, and Vinyl couldn't do anything to stop it. With one final punch that was much harder than any of the others, she dropped to the floor and the light in her eyes dimmed. "Why..." And she closed her eyes, hoping that this was all a dream.
==========
Vinyl opened her eyes once more to the familiar sight of sand and water. Her eyes were no longer red, but her heart was still heavy. Slowly, she got up, and walked. She didn't care where. She figured that this was some kind of limbo, and she had managed to convince herself she was already dead. This didn't look like how ponies would describe hell. Yet again, she has done nothing deserving of heaven either.
"Sweet Luna, why am I here?" she asked out loud, but there came a reply short. "Why am I still alive?"
She looked up to the night sky, and saw that a crescent moon had graced itself upon her. Vinyl couldn't help but smile. Even in exile, there was something comforting about seeing a moon. She just hoped this moon had her answer.
"Hey, Luna-- I mean, Princess Luna. If you can hear me, please, tell me what's going on." Vinyl swore she saw a light flicker at the corner of the moon, but nothing happened after. "I'm kinda in need for some answers here."
After a few seconds of hoping, Vinyl looked down. She felt silly. She had totally managed to convince herself that she was dead, and that Princess Luna couldn't talk to dead ponies.
"But at least there's you," whispered Vinyl as she bent down towards the wilting, white flower. "I don't know what use you have, and I wouldn't eat you, but stay beside me, okay?"
She sat down beside the flower, her feet facing the sea. A small breeze flew in Vinyl's hair, and for the first time, she felt relaxed. "Huh, didn't think limbo would be such a bad place after all."
Minutes passed. Hours had passed too, but Vinyl just laid there, still. Her eyes got heavier by the minute, and eventually, she fell into slumber. Unknowingly, one of the petals had fallen towards the ground.
==========
Vinyl woke up with a loud, annoying sound in her ears. "Vinnie, wake up. We're here."
"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Five more minutes." She waved her hoof in dismissal.
"Hey, I know you're taking the breakup really hard. That's why I got you out," said a smirking Neon Lights, "Now don't be a loser, and get off! You're sitting on my saddlebag anyways."
Vinyl moved over reluctantly to one side as to free his bag, but she wouldn't get up. "I swear it's your fault. I told you Octy would over react."
"Octy, is, a loser--"
"You take that back!" Vinyl angrily snapped at him.
"Oh, so that got your attention, huh?"
"Screw off," said Vinyl as she leaned against the carriage door with her back facing Neon. "Go buy whatever you need. I'll be in the carriage."
"Pft. So that's what I get for being nice and letting you stay in my apartment," said Neon as he got out of the carriage. He proceeded to pay the two stallions in front and whispered a few lines to them before heading back to Vinyl. "For the record, I did not sleep with you."
Gently, he closed the door and walked away. Vinyl then sighed loudly and threw herself across the carriage seat. "Of all luck, I had to pick the mare that doesn't trust me enough to believe me. Sure, I may have lied to her about certain things before, but I swear Neon and I are clean. Damn it. I gotta find her someday when she's calm. She's gotta be around town somewhere."
For a second, her eyes caught a glimpse of a familiar-looking pony in the backgrounds, and she jolted. She pressed herself against the window glass and stared at it, before slapping herself silly and got out of the carriage. "Uh, I'm taking a walk. Stretching legs. Don't go anywhere," said Vinyl to the carriage drivers.
As she ran forward, her premonitions were scarily correct. "Of all luck... Octy!" She yelled as she ran in her direction, but the grey mare didn't seem to either hear it, or acknowledge it. She glanced once at the sun, and then around as if she was looking for some pony.
"Octy!" As soon as Vinyl yelled it again, Octavia froze. She dared not turn around. Instead, she took off, frantically walking down the street and turning into an alleyway. Her heartbeat increased as she quickly searched her surroundings for some sort of cover. Left, right under. By chance, a brown door was slowly closing in front of her, and she took the chance to dive past just before it slammed shut.
"Where is --oh, Kandi!" yelled Octavia as she hurried to her side. "Vinyl. Behind me. Help me."
The orange mare with pink hair nodded her head and placed a reassuring hoof over Octavia's shoulder. "This was bound to happen, sugar."
"Well," she nudged her head in the direction of the door and pleaded, "Fix it. Please."
Kandi sighed as she walked towards the door with Octavia by her side. "Celestia, help me least I break off her neck. She's the one who cheated on you, right?"
Octavia could only nod her head as sour memories flooded her, but she shook her head after. "No, no, don't hurt her."
"Pft. I ain't gonna hurt her. Ain't worth my time. But this idea might be worth all my time," said Kandi with a sly smile.
"What is it?" asked Octavia as she cocked her head in confusion. With her head already in position, she stood still and could only close her eyes when Kandi's lips approached hers.
Kandi first gently brushed them against Octavia's lips, before pressing them firmly against hers. Octavia's blush on her cheeks reddened remarkably and was really radically radiant under the red lights.
She couldn't lie. She liked it. She loved it. In response, she wrapped her hooves around her and kissed her back. However, it had lasted mere seconds before Octavia stopped herself, her head full of confusion and her eyes all teary. "Kandi," she whispered as she pulled out of the kiss. "Stop. This is so wrong."
"Seems to have done the trick," said a proud Kandi as she spun around to a fleeing Vinyl Scratch. "She's gone now."
Octavia looked over her shoulder and sighed in relief. She caught the sight of a blue pony dashing off, leaving the brown door wide open.
"Vinyl's... she's gone." A small giggle escaped it before she could catch her wild thoughts, and she faced an equally reddened Kandi staring into her eyes. "She's gone, Kandi."
They didn't break eye-contact. None of them took their hooves off each other too. Instead, they slid down towards each other. Nothing else was said after, but two smiles just lit up.
===========
Vinyl pounded the sand as her eyes swelled up. There was no mistaking what she had remembered, and what she saw in that. She thought she had already turned cold to that, but her wounds had just reopened. And salt had just been poured on it.
She remained quiet except for the occasional whimpers, choosing to vent her frustration through physical pain. Her hooves had cuts on them, and the sand seeped in, but she didn't care. Nothing mattered to her anymore.
She smacked the ground one last time, and collapsed to the floor, exhausted. Her head was tilted to the left and her hooves were sprawled out. Still she lay as the winds blew over her. She was greeted by the soothing and familiar sound of waves crashing, and yet she spotted something moving in the distance.
Slowly, she raised her hooves to her head, brushing off any remains of sand there were, and focused on what was like a dot along the horizon. A moving dot.
"Octy!" She yelled as sprang to her hooves. She ran clumsily, tripping over boulders and washed-up seaweed along the way. Soon, the dot had been magnified into the shape of a pony.
"Octy! Octy!" shouted Vinyl as she picked up her pace. Soon, she caught a glimpse of a unicorn's horn and a pair of wings by its side. The figure slowly rotated its head towards Vinyl, revealing a pair of tiny dots. Eyes. Bluish-Teal eyes.
"Wait a minute--aah!" They were the last thing Vinyl saw before she fell face first.
When she opened her eyes once again, she was no longer at the beach. The sandy flooring turned into hard glow-in-the-dark tiled floors, and the moon that had proudly shone now hung above her, reflecting light everywhere. Silence had been replaced with loud music booming in the background, and the loneliness she once felt had been replaced with a sense of a calm, yet bewildering familiarity.
"C'mon, babe, let's dance."
"Huh?" Vinyl looked up at the pony whose hoof was out. She didn't recognise him, but she could tell from the reddened cheeks and sore eyes, that he was so drunk.
"C'mon, don't sleep. Dance with me. Then you can sleep with me later."
"Not now," said Vinyl as she got up to her feet and brushed his hoof off. Before she could allow him to say anything, she ran in the opposite direction, ducking past ponies-- some were in rather awkward positions while others could really use a room.
"What... in the world?" a panting Vinyl asked herself as she swam against the crowd. "I recognise those eyes back there! It's Princess Luna! What's she doing there? More importantly, what am I doing here?"
After a whole lot of brushing and catcalling, Vinyl managed to get out of the dance floor. She barely managed to catch her breathe before the DJ hit the microphone twice and spoke into it.
"How's every pony doing?!" he yelled. As expected, Vinyl was bombarded with loud cheers, and she didn't hesitate to cover her ears.
"So... loud..."
"As you all know, DJ P0N-3's all washed out. Done and good."
"What do you mean--" She quickly brought her hooves to her lips as she sat down on a nearby stool, her eyes filled with shock and anger. "I'm not washed out! Washed out doesn't even stand a chance against me!"
"So sad to hear that she's quitting. But enough with the frowny, boo-hoo stories. My good friend, you know her, Octavia Melody, is getting married! How about that!" All but one pony cheered and clapped. "Alright, alright, everybody, get a shot, a mug, or whatever you wanna drink. I say, a toast, to the soon-to-be-wed couple! Three cheers!"
Vinyl would have yelled back and waved inappropriate gestures at the DJ. She would have stormed up and angrily demanded him to be fired; this club was almost hers to begin with. However, she could barely move her lips. Her heart felt as heavy as lead and her head spun slightly, and yet she stood there, still, as the ponies around her raised their glasses.
"Hip hip..."
"Hooray!"
"Hip hip..."
"Hooray!"
"Hip hip..."
"Hooray! Woo!" The whole club erupted in cheers as music slowly enveloped over it. Hooves were raised and flanks were shook. Once again, the party resumed, and the night was still young.
"Where are you going?" asked a bouncer by the main doors. "It's still early. You wanna leave already?"
"Yeah. I need to get out of here," said a white pony with spiky blue hair. She quickly donned her purple shades and looked back at him.
"Sure thing, miss. No refunds though."
"It's okay," said the pony as she left the club. As the door slammed behind her, she was greeted with the sight of a smelly, intoxicating back alley. Puke littered the floor, and as she ran, she made sure to watch her step.
"I need to find Princess Luna."
==========
Octavia gently pushed the doors open, revealing a bed with a lone pony on top of it, and sighed before closing the door. As she made her way to the bed, she took out a book and placed it on top of a neatly-stacked tower of books. Then she took out a white flower, and replaced the wilting flower in the bedside vase.
"Can... Can I talk to you? Well, I guess won't be answering me but I hope you... I... I just need someone to talk to," said Octavia as she sat down beside her. She looked over gently at the sleeping pony, and gently caressed her untrimmed hair. "I guess, I haven't been fair to you, have I. And now... you're in this... this..."
She sighed as she leaned towards her head. "I miss you. Please, wake up."
There was quick flash of lightning, and everything froze, including Octavia. Out of the shadows, Princess Luna took a few steps towards her. "No, no. She doesn't deserve this pity." She shook her head, and stared at the frozen scene. Her thoughts ran wild in her head, but she mentally said no to all of them.
"Tell me again, sister, why are you doing this?" There was a bright portal on the other side of the room that first revealed a horn and two pair of hooves. When the pony stepped out, Luna flinched and growled slightly.
"She didn't deserve this. She had a bright future. You could say that... I learned... something from you that I could not have done thousands of years ago."
"The past, is the past, Luna. Leave it as it is." Her horn shimmered, and Octavia froze.
"I have learned compassion, my dear sister! I am learning now, as we speak! Why do you take this away from me too?" Luna's voice faltered and her eyes dampened. She gritted her teeth, and spoke with increasing volume, "Do not rob me of this, if thou still want I to call you sister!"
"Very well. If it is what it boils down to, then I shall take my leave. I hope you know what you're doing, Luna." With a white flash, she vanished.
"Hmph. Good evening, sister," said Luna as she turned her attention back to Octavia. With a light spark emitted out of her horn, she resumed time. "If I control dreams, I can make dreams happen."
"No." She heard a whisper from behind and spun around. Her face was full of terror and she stumbled backwards a few steps.
There, by the doors, stood Vinyl. Her face was equally filled with shock and surprise and her eyes widened. "This can't be."
"You're not supposed to be here!" She lit her horn up, warping the room around her. Straight lines turned into wavy ones and colors alternated between color and monotony. However, Vinyl, too, concentrated on the room, and the reality fluctuated between the two sides. There was a clear line between greyscale and color, straight and curvy lines.
"This is my dream. I have more power than what you can do!" For a while, color filled more than half of the room. A smirk lit up, but it quickly dissipated.
"You forget, peasant," her voice deepened into a growl, "I am Princess Luna, Watcher of the Night, Keeper of Dreams! You have no say in this!" The line quickly shifted away from Princess Luna. She glared at the other pony on the other side with a face full of confidence, ready to pounce once she defeated her. Dream-state was her domain, yet the fight lasted longer than she could imagine. She could sense a powerful aura coming from the other pony, and she knew exactly why.
"Vinyl!" Octavia's voice echoed in the room, much to Vinyl's surprise. For a slight second, her magic weakened, and Princess Luna smirked. That was the distraction she needed.
With all her might, the entire room changed into a familiar setting. Sand littered the floor, and the sound of waves crashing behind them rejuvenated their senses. The two ponies, both still exhausted, didn't move a muscle. They stared at each other; one had her teeth gritted while the other had a sense of triumph.
"Nice try--"
"How could you do this?!" yelled Vinyl, her face full of anger. Her hooves tightened and her body shook, but her eyes were sore. "How could you?!"
"You don't understand, Vinyl. Leave. Now." Luna's voice erupted and echoed in the openness, startling Vinyl for a second. "You shouldn't be here."
"Now, tell me why I should listen to you. You tried to kill me in my dreams. You shattered my heart, and brought me so, so much pain." There was a slight pause as she lowered her head. Her throat stiffened and her lips were dry. Her eyes watered up, and her voice dropped to a whisper. "Why aren't you stopping it? Why aren't you helping me? Why am I in so much pain?"
"Vinyl--"
"Am I really dead?"
For once, Princess Luna could not retort. She stood speechless, but her mind raced to find an answer.
"Is this hell?"
"Child, you must understand, I don't have the power to take away your life, even if you were so close to it. My sister will not allow me. I can, however, change it so that it will never get better.
"Then stop messing around in my dreams. Can't you spare me?" She hung her head in shame. "I... I tried to end my own life because... because I was dumb. I regret it."
"Do you truly regret it?" asked Princess Luna with an eyebrow raised. "Why do you regret it?"
"Because... because... I don't know. It seems so stupid! I could have... I don't know, find someone else..." She lowered her shoulders and sighed. "And I might have already found him."
"Huh, is that so. Does his name happen to be Neon Lights?"
A slight blush appeared on Vinyl's cheeks, but she shook her head in denial. "Maybe. I don't know. We... we made love."
"You... you don't know."
"What do you mean..." Vinyl's eyes widened as Princess Luna's horn emitted a beam of light that shone onto a invisible wall, revealing a series of pictures. She paused for a second, analysed the scene, and spoke, "That's the club I was working when Neon Lights saved me."
She looked down and searched her mind for exactly had happened that night. "Neon saved me, I sat on top of the speakers, gave a toast to the audience, started feeling high. Then Neon talked to me, offered to bring me home, I offered to bring him to my house, and we... ahem... Wait a minute, I wouldn't have invited Neon to my house. Wait a minute, speakers, Neon, Octavia... don't tell me..."
She looked up at the same time she got her answer. "There was something in the drink." Right enough, there was a picture of Neon Lights dropping a pill into Vinyl's drink. It was a round and pink pill, and it had dissolved in a matter of seconds.
"No way..." she shook her head in denial. "But... but he said--"
"Are you sure you love him, or do your heart still lies with this mare?" Princess Luna emitted another beam of light. There was a single grey pony leaning against a wall in a humid staircase. Although void of color, Vinyl could feel the emotions building up in her.
"Vinyl, c-come back... I'm s-s-sorry," cried Octavia. Her voice was more rugged than usual, but Vinyl recognised that voice anywhere. "I'm sorry."
Her eyes alternated between the two scenes unfolding, and her hooves stiffened. "Bloody Neon, it's all your fault! Let me have him!" She focused intently on the image of Neon, hoping he would appear, but nothing happened.
Seconds passed in silence before Princess Luna spoke up. "Tell me, Vinyl. Do you still love her?"
"Yes." Her voice was soft, but its sincerity was enough for the princess.
With a small sigh, she nodded her head and took a step towards Vinyl. Placing a hoof on her shoulder, she knelt down and looked her in the eye.
"Very well. I shall help you. But remember, nothing lasts forever." The world around them swirled one more time, and the towering image of Luna slowly faded in front of Vinyl. "Chase the light, Vinyl. Make it count," was the last thing Luna had said before her body turned into smoke, and evaporated into the background.
Along with the last sight of the princess, shapes and colors were distorted, and the ground under Vinyl shook. She could feel something constrict her throat, and Vinyl instinctively put her hooves to it. She could not feel herself breathing anymore. Her eyes widened, and one by one, she lost any feeling of her hooves. She started squirming, rolling on the floor and tossing her body around, and her breaths were nothing but sounds of loud, painful screeches.
She fought the unknown strangler for a few seconds before her body went limp. Foam escaped out of her mouth and her bloody eyes just stared into the warped space. Her heart beat for the last time, and eventually, her world seemed to fade away into nothing but darkness.
Her body might have been limped, but she soon regained control of her hooves, one muscle at a time. She could feel the warmth, however, escape her body, and she was no longer breathing. She attempted to move her body, wiggling her hooves, her body, and her head. When she regained most of her muscle control, the first thing she did was to look at the beam of light on her right. The only thing there was a flower in the center of the light.
"Chase the light."
Eventually, Vinyl pulled herself up and walked towards the light. As she got closer, however, the light seemed to move itself further and further away. The more she moved forward, the more it reversed.
With every ounce of strength, Vinyl tried to run. Still, the beam distanced, but she could feel herself getting closer.
With one last push, she broke into a sprint and raced against the light. She found herself closing the gap until the light and the flower were right in front of her. Her hooves frenzied, and with a final push, she stuck a hoof out and leapt, grabbing onto the flower and gripping onto it as if it was her lifeline.
Her face had been buried in the dirt. She laid still there, panting, thinking of her next course of action. She could open her eyes, and see what Princess Luna meant. Or she could lay here forever, accepting the fact that Octavia was never going to be hers.
"Make it count."
"One... two... three," Vinyl counted inside, deciding it was time to wake up. She embraced for any oddity she might encounter when she opened her eyes, and lifted her head off the ground on three.
There was a blurred line in Vinyl's sight, but she hadn't mistaken the grey block in front of her to be Octavia. Dressed in something white and pink, the grey mare spoke, "Well, here's now or never."
She heard nervous laughter-- nervous, soothing laughter-- that she grew fond of, and slowly, her vision came back. Vinyl blinked a few times, her eyes widening in the process. "Woah."
"I know right? I can't believe it either; I mean, this is my greatest wish come true. The dresses, the ponies, the marriage, you. It's a dream come true." Octavia slowly nudged towards Vinyl and reached for her hoof. Grabbing it, a faint red tinge spread across both mares' faces.
Vinyl eyes darted around. She caught the sight of banners, balloons, streamers, but most importantly, she spotted the recurring word 'marriage' splattered all over the room. A mirror stood elegantly on the other side of the room, and Vinyl took a good look at herself.
Dressed in purple, she had her formal suit and her golden tie on. Her hair was unusually combed backwards, and her shades lingered in her shirt pocket, with half of it sticking out of it. On the other hand, Octavia was dressed in a frilly pink and white dress that flowed all the way to her hooves. She had a beautiful white corset that Vinyl recognised. "No way."
"I know. I'm nervous too," squealed Octavia she cuddled up to Vinyl. A loud voice boomed out of tiny speakers that hung in every corner of the room. "Vinyl, Octavia, get ready. The ceremony is starting in one."
Vinyl beamed and cuddled Octavia back. She turned to face her, their heads just barely apart, and spoke. "Octavia, I'm so sorry for what I did before... it was... I didn't..."
"Hush now, my dear. Today's not the day for bringing up the past. What happened, happened, unfortunately. However, we can only hope to better ourselves for our future. For us."
"To us." Vinyl leaned in, and the two ponies shared a kiss.
The voice over the speakers spoke once more, and the two ponies locked hooves. Side by side, they walked as they pushed the doors open, revealing a crowd of ponies dressed in their finest dresses and suits, as well as a pink alicorn dressed in white. She stood in the center of an altar, and nodded towards the two ponies to come forward.
As they took a step, the organist began playing.
==========
"Mmm. Tell me, Vinyl. What's sexier than socks?" whispered a luscious Octavia in her white wedding gown. With her dark blue eyeliner and cherry red lipstick still on, she pushed Vinyl on top of their bed and grinned. "These socks."
From the corner of the bed, Octavia pulled out two pairs of red and white striped socks and dangled them in front of a reddened Vinyl. She inched closer until the smell of her perfume lingered over Vinyl, and laid her forehead on her newly-wedded partner.
"Ya, know," teased Vinyl as she pulled Octavia down for a quick kiss. "They would be sexier if you're wearing them."
Wrapping her hooves around her, she bucked her legs in the air and pulled her into the bed in one swift motion. With a flick of her horn, she attempted to remove the wedding dress around Octavia but the grey mare's hoof were quicker; with the straps off, Octavia slipped out of the dress and started working on Vinyl's suit.
"Woah, woah. Slow down, Octy."
"Oh no. You don't know how long I've waited for this day." Her eyes shone fiercely in the dark, and Vinyl's heart raced. "I want you so badly, Vinyl. You have no idea."
Vinyl's lips didn't open; simply smiling, she gently nodded her head. "I know, Octy, I know," Vinyl thought to herself.
Something sounded like it ripped, but neither pony seem to mind it. With one hoof, Octavia threw Vinyl's shirt off, and started working on her pants. She fiddled with her zippers and rubbed at her inner thighs ever so often, both of which caused Vinyl to squirm.
"Somebody's ticklish," giggled Octavia as she tugged down hard on the zipper and pulled at the pants. "Can't wait until I eat you up later."
Soon, their wedding outfits were all scattered around the floor. Only an article of clothing was left in Octavia's hooves, and she quietly put them on, her eyes never leaving Vinyl. "So, who wants to go first?"
No pony spoke, but a spark lit up in between the two ponies eyes. Vinyl nodded and Octavia smiled, and in a flash, Octavia was now pinned on top of the bed.
Without wasting a second, Vinyl lunged at her neck and kissed it ever so delicately; with her two free hooves, she stroked Octavia's bare body. A moan was heard, and the bed rattled.
"T-that's... that's not fair," said a squirming Octavia, "You're gonna make it end real quick."
"Oh? Then, in that case," Vinyl gave her one last peck on the neck before sliding her tongue down her body. Octavia shuddered and her body shook, but a large smile was plastered across her face. It soon faded away as Vinyl's tongue slowly approached her groin, only to stop near it before she pulled it all the way back up her body.
"You tease!" said Octavia as she recoiled in shock.
"Says the one wearing those... You know how much I l-like... I like..." Vinyl stuttered, her face a deeper shade of red.
"Socks? Ooh la la!" sang Octavia in a singsong voice.
"Shut up." Vinyl helped her with that, her lips hurrying to Octavia's as she pressed down firmly on them. " I l-like you-- no wait. I love you, my sweet, sweet Octy."
As Vinyl pulled away from the kiss, she played with Octavia's hair and gave her a sly smile. "Be right back. I'll make sure this is a night you'll never forget."
She stroked Octavia in between her legs as she pushed herself off the bed, causing Octavia to gasp. "You!" Her eyes were alarmingly wide, but Octavia shocked face ended with a grin. "You're so dead when you're back."
Octavia watched as Vinyl sauntered out of their room and into their bathroom. A click by the door was heard among Vinyl's devilish voice. "Now which one should I pick?"
Octavia was flushed red, but she yelled from the bedroom, "The b-blue one."
Snickers were heard were in the bathroom.
"Hurry up, Vinyl!" You should know a mare does not like to be kept waiting."
"Well, I'm a mare too, so that doesn't count."
"T-that's not fair!"
"Don't care!"
"Meeeehhh!"
"Still not caring!"
"But... what about... oh fine! But please hurry!" With the lack of a proper rebuttal, Octavia pouted and threw her hooves over head. Her nerves danced like a filly's first time on stage, but she kept reassuring herself that it would be fine. It would be more than fine; it would be great. She was going to love it.
As she closed her eyes, she thought of the wonderful adventures Vinyl and her was going to have. She always wanted to go visit Ponyville; Vinyl had always talked about settling in a small town, and Octavia always wanted to meet Applejack, the mare behind the fantastic cider she loved. She thought about Vinyl's idea, but shuddered at the sound of living at a place far away from home.
There was always Appleloosa, a town even further away from Canterlot, but it boasted cider even better than Applejack's, as well as cheap land to build a house. Octavia always wanted a mansion to call their own, but Vinyl strongly opposed to the idea, citing 'rampant bulls' and 'the lack of proper music there' as 'factors why Appleloosa is inhabitable.'
"We could figure that one out another time," said Octavia to herself as she raised her head off the bed. She just noticed the lack of noise coming from the washroom, and raised her eyebrows. "What's taking her so long?"
She leapt off the bed promptly and walked towards the door. She could hear Vinyl's voice from inside. Mumbles were first heard, but as she neared it, those incoherent speeches turned into cries of pain.
"No, no. Please! I beg you! Don't end this right now!" Vinyl's cries rattled inside the washroom. "We're... we're just about to..."
"I can't let you do this. I can't let you control your dreams either. Your time is up. Any more and you won't be able to wake up!"
"But I don't want to wake up! I'm perfectly fine here!"
"Huh?" Octavia wondered out loud. "Vinyl, is everything okay in there?" She knocked on the door three times, but Vinyl didn't respond. Instead, she heard a different mare speak.
"You... you can't stay here any longer. If you don't wake up now, you'll never see her again!"
"That's a lie if I ever sensed one." Just as Vinyl finished her sentence, Octavia froze. The lines in her body became wavy, and the coat of grey she once had slowly faded into white. Her expression, once a happy mare, disappeared with a frown. Eventually, her entire face disappeared, along with her body.
The room around her started warping too. Colors turned grey-scale, and squares became circles. The line between foreground and background blurred, and eventually became a complete smudge of black and white.
Slowly, the white became black, and in the end, everything around them turned dark. Vinyl laid on the floor with a torn heart and bloodshot eyes as Princess Luna towered over him.
"Oh, no. This is not good," mumbled Luna. She turned her attention to Vinyl and spoke alarmingly, "Listen, Vinyl. End yourself, right now."
Vinyl's tears stopped shedding, and her distress turned into puzzlement. "What?"
"Do you know why you get jolted awake from a nightmare? Let's say you're falling to your death. Before you hit the ground, you wake up in your bed, your forehead full of sweat. Do you know why?"
"Because... I jolt awake from the dream?"
Luna paced around Vinyl. "No. When a pony actually dies in a dream, they go into limbo, a state between life or death. It is a fate far worse than death. As the Protector of the Dreamworld, I cannot allow any pony to die in a dream, or rather, my sister won't. It becomes my duty to protect everyone who's asleep." She sighed. "Everyone, including you."
"What happens if you're in limbo?"
"You never wake up. That's why some ponies... they... they don't wake up."
A cold shiver was sent down Vinyl's spine. "I... I see. Wait. Am I... in a dream?"
Luna paused in her tracks, nodding ever so slightly. Holding her head up high, she closed her eyes and heaved a huge breath in. "That is why I cast a spell at the start of their dream to wake that pony up if they would encounter a near-death experience. It is just to protect them from that terrible fate. And you Vinyl, will wake up soon. I cannot allow you in here any more. Once dead, my spell will bring you back. You will end you yourself, least face my wrath."
"But why? It was going so well! I wanna stay here! I wanna be with Octavia! Isn't this what you wanted to do? To allow me to be with Octavia? I'm finally happy with her, but you're taking that away from me! How could you do that to me?"
"Vinyl," insisted Luna. "My heart was once vulnerable. Don't test my patience."
"You're not the boss of me! I can do whatever I want in my own dreams, thank you very much," said Vinyl with a disgust. "In fact, I don't wish to end it. I'm perfectly happy. You can't tell me what to do!"
"Vinyl..."
"No, no. I'm sick of you interfering in my world. It's time for you to leave, Princess, if..." Vinyl mocked Luna in an English accent, "... thou shall still want to be called Princess. Get lost."
Luna's voice sharpened and her hooves stiffened. "Vinyl Scratch, this was never about you! Never a time was it about you! In fact, it was all about the other mare... the mare who loved you back deeply, but you didn't cherish her enough! "
"Pft. Yeah right. I loved Octavia! More than you'll ever know."
"You may have loved here. But she loved you even more. She wished for your return every single night, but one day, after learning about your... incident... her heart gave way. Palpitations. And she no longer could wish any more." Even with her solemn words, Luna stood tall, her stance of one where a lion stood proudly, facing its herd.
On the contrary, Vinyl's violent eyes and hunched shoulders slowly faded away. Her eyes now widened and her mouth now ajar as she looked into Luna's eyes. Her voice cracked, and her throat dried to the point it became difficult to talk. "A-are you saying Octavia's got a heart attack?"
"Because of you, Vinyl. Because of your selfish act. You did this to her." Her voice boomed in the darkness, and somehow echoed too. "And for that, you will suffer! You will wake up, and learn to accept a fate a thousand times worse than death!"
"No--" As Vinyl screamed, she was hit by a jolt of lightning that came from Luna's horn. Her hair frizzled and her eyes widened, and her scream got increasingly louder.
"Just remember, you don't deserve her. You never did." With an ominous goodbye from Luna, Vinyl's world turned into a sheet of white, which eventually faded into black once again.
==========
"Vinyl, wake up! Please. If you can hear me, wake up!" A voice boomed loudly in the room, startling the orderly taking notes.
"Shh! Keep it down! There are other patients in this hospital," the orderly whispered.
"Sorry, but there's no time! Vinyl, wake up!" Neon Lights shook her, rattling the bed in the process. Wires flew everywhere and a tray got knocked over, which angered the orderly. "You have to wake up! There's bad news!"
As if right on cue, Vinyl's eyelids shook, startling Neon Lights. "Did her eyes just..." He released her grip and backed off, turning to face the the now-joyous doctor.
"Shake her more!" shouted the doctor, who realised his mistake a second too late.
With the doctor's permission now, he did more than just shake. He slapped her, tickled her and rattled her head back and forth.
The eyelids did open eventually, however, to the sight of a pony kissing her.
"Get... away... from... me..."
"Hurray! She's awake!" yelled Neon Lights, which prompted both Vinyl and the doctor to both hit him. "Ouch! Glad you have your sense of humor back too, but there's bad news."
His face turned solemn as he slowly backed away from Vinyl. "There's... really bad news. You... uh... woke up at the wrong time."
"H-huh? W-what's going on?" Vinyl's voice was weak and her face was pale, but her words were still audible.
"Octavia... uh... did the same thing you did."
"Huh? Oh," said Vinyl casually as she leaned back before realising what Neon meant. Her jaw dropped and her throat was dry, but she managed to cough out enough volume that caused Neon to stumble backwards after. "Wait, what?!"
He caught onto the handle of a chair, breaking his fall, and smiled back at Vinyl. "Now, I'm glad you're awake, don't get me wrong. Octavia, she... she's in an even worse state than you," said Neon as he walked towards Vinyl with his shoulders shrugged. "Man, why do all the good ponies try to take their own lives? It's as if they prefer dreaming."
Vinyl snapped. She furrowed her eyebrows at her and tried to sit up, but there was a restrain holding her back. "You don't deserve to live."
"Why, I've been visiting you everyday. Don't I deserve something later? Something I haven't gotten in a while?" said Neon in a seductive tone, which prompted Vinyl to tug at the restraint even more. "I need some of that candy. Been missing it lately."
Vinyl must have wiggled free and have eaten some superpony pills, because Neon soon faced the ground with a broken and bloody nose. His rear was being stomped on, and his voice, which was once confident, had turned into tiny, helpless whimpers.
"H-help, doctor!" Neon cried out, but the doctor just shook his head.
"Shh. Keep it down. There are other patients in this hospital," taunted the orderly as he gave a wink to Vinyl, which prompted her to kick him even more.
With one final blow to his stomach, she stomped towards the doctor with a frizzled mane and gritted teeth. Her words came out slow and displaced, but she spared no hesitation in getting to the point. "Her. Where."
Alarmed, he quickly flipped through his notes, only to be interrupted by a hoof where his neck was. "Where. Is. She." Vinyl asked once again.
With sweat on his brows, he scanned at a list of names on his keyboard, and eventually found Octavia's name. "R-room twenty. Don't hurt me!"
With a push, Vinyl threw the doctor towards the wall and turned towards the door. As she left, she gave Neon's face one last kick, and turned to face the doctor. "You saw nothing."
"Wait! You're not supposed to see her!"
"I can, and I will." Her words were as cold as steel, and her eyes matched those of the devil's. With a loud slam, the door was closed.
The moment she left the room, tears flew from the corner of her eyes and the rage she once had settled into melancholy. She could feel a sharp pain where her heart was. Bringing her hoof towards it did no good, and she knew it too, but she needed something to comfort her heart right now.
"I need... I need to see her." Bearing a broken spirit, she trudged down the hallway, looking up occasionally to find room twenty. She had been in room four. Room twenty was theoretically sixteen rooms away, but Vinyl soon realised the number of the room skipped every now and then.
Eventually, she did find room twenty at the end of the corridor. Like all rooms, only one pony had been laid inside, and anypony could view the patient through a glass window. However, what Vinyl saw wasn't Octavia, but a completely bandaged-up pony.
Vinyl reached for the handle, but stopped short of pulling it down and entering. She though about what she would see, and what that would mean for her. If Octavia was in this state, could Vinyl ever forgive herself? Could she ever learn to love her? And most importantly, did Octavia love her back?
Many questions flooded Vinyl's head, but she had no answers for them. But she knew that if she could wake up, Octavia had a chance. She knew that if she did wake up, she could have a chance with Octavia again. She could fix things with Octavia. Her dream would not end.
There was no doubt anymore that pulling the handle was the only right option. As she slammed it down hard, with tears in her eyes, she barged in and threw herself over the bandaged pony.
"Octavia..." Vinyl cried as she hugged her. "I'm so, so sorry. I made you do this. I'm so sorry."
A stream of tears flowed out of her eyes and down her cheek, and then onto the unsoiled bandages. "Please... wake up, Octy. Wake up. I'm sorry."
"Ahem. No visitors," said a stern voice, but Vinyl ignored him, refusing to let Octavia out of her arms.
"I'm not letting you go, Octy. Not ever again."
"Leave, or I'm calling security!"
"Make me!" shouted Vinyl, which prompted the doctor to leave the room posthaste. "Leave us alone!"
Perhaps it was Vinyl's presence or her loud, booming yell a moment ago, but the pony on the bed emitted a tiny cough. Once, and the room went silent.
"Oc... Octavia?" Vinyl choked as she turned around. Still, Octavia laid. "Octy, can y-you hear me?"
With shaky hooves, she reached for Octavia's. "I know you're still there. If you can hear me, I want to let you know I'm... I'm..."
Vinyl's eyes watered; her tears flowed down the side of her face and onto the sheets. Once, twice. A drizzle. Nine, ten. There was rain. And the blanket was eventually soaked. They laid still there; with both pony eyes still shut, with both ponies still desperately trying to cling on to the only thing they have, one of them emitted a cough. The other emitted a soft hum.
"D-doc..." whimpered Vinyl. "D-doct..."
With every ounce of strength, she yelled, "Doctor!". She could feel something gently nudging her hooves-- a once familiar touch she yearned for.
"Vinyl..." The words escaped from Octavia's barely parted lips; her eyes squinted in the light, and she tried to get up.
"No, Octy, stay." There was a smile slowly growing on both ponies' faces. "I'll... I'll get the doctor for you. Just wait. He'll be here in no time. I promise."
"It's okay, Vinyl." She tried to reach for Vinyl's hooves, but her fatigue only allowed her so much movement. Vinyl grabbed hers instead.
"I'm sorry, Octy. I never meant to hurt you. I... I didn't know what I was doing. Literally. Everything's fuzzy, but... I didn't do it. There..." Vinyl's eyes were sore but dried up; even as she was unable to produce tears, she sniveled and rubbed her eyes.
Octavia caressed Vinyl's hooves in her own and smiled at her. "I... I knew, Vinyl. Kandi. She was Neon's ex. She knew. She told me everything. I also knew you were behind us that day. I couldn't bear to... Kandi was so nice... but I couldn't. I still loved you, Vinyl. Even when I threw you out. I was miserable for a long, long time. Kandi just made me realise how much you were so different from everyone else I've met. Why I'm even with you, Vinyl. I've... I've missed you." Her voice was weak and her face was paler than before. She croaked as she spoke, and every now and then, coughed to catch her breath.
Vinyl took a step forward and kissed her on her forehead. "I've missed you too." They stared at each other, both smiling like little foals on the playground. Reality slowed down for these two lovers, but Octavia brought them both back with a harsh, dried cough.
"Vinyl, I don't feel too well."
"You need rest, my dear. And where's that damned doctor who was here a minute ago? Where the hell is he!"
"Vinyl... Please. Stop." Octavia pleaded as she tugged at Vinyl's hooves, her voice much worse than before. Her breathing was unsteady and the loud, beeping sound on the cardiac monitor quickened frantically. "I have to tell you one last thing, before I...."
Vinyl's heart sank. No.
"I... I love you."
Slowly, Vinyl felt Octavia's hooves go numb and weak. There was a small pinch, but eventually, the grip on Octavia's hooves disappeared. All Vinyl could hear was a long, constant beep coming out of the monitor, and the quickened one-two thump of her own heartbeat.
"No." A whisper escaped from Vinyl's lips. She frantically searched Octavia's face for answers. For reasons. But nothing came up. Time had came to a standstill for her as her unwilling brain struggled to absorb the scene placed before her.
The first thing she did when she regained some of her senses was to yell. "No. No! Doctor!". She refused to let go of Octavia's hooves, and the intensity of her voice increased. "Doctor! Doctor! Somebody, anybody! Please! You've got to help her!"
She turned to face Octavia, silently hoping her cries of plea woke her up. "Hang in there! I know you can! Don't leave me now! We just got back together! Please, Octavia, wake up!" She shook Octavia slightly with her hooves still locked in hers, refusing to let go. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Please! Octavia! Don't... don't... don't leave me. Don't leave me... again."
Her voice had drop to a whimper as she laid her head on the bed frame and closed her eyes. Time crawled by as hope faded away for Vinyl. And even with the factual, single sound of death, Vinyl still hung on.
Seconds had passed. Minutes. It wasn't until half an hour later that Vinyl let go off her grip, allowing her hooves to collide against the floor. Her limbs felt as numb as the pony on the bed, and her mind blanked away. She laid still by her bed, allowing herself nothing but the sound and sight of silence, and felt a gentle, soothing breeze flow right through her mane.
Time stood still for Vinyl to recollect the memories she shared with Octavia. Their first encounter. Their first date. Their last date, and the proposal. The gig. Her kicking Vinyl out. More painful memories surfaced. Sulking on the streets. Neon taking her in. Kandi. Kandi kissing Octavia. Back on the streets. Losing her job. Losing all motivation. Losing the will to live. The bridge.
"I'm... I'm so sorry."
With all her will, Vinyl allowed herself to take one last look at Octavia; she comforted herself with the thought of saying goodbye one last time, as well as the knowledge that Octavia had forgiven her. She told herself she could at least face her one final time, for old times sake.
"Octavia..." Her eyes slowly opened, not to the sight of white sheets and pastel colored walls, but to the familiar sight of rusty metal and salty water. A strong gust of wind blew by. Lights flickered from a lamppost nearby. All was quiet but the sound of waves crashing against the riverside.
Vinyl recoiled backwards, bumping into a metal piece of the bridge in the process. Her breathing quickened and her hooves felt even colder. Her head spun and she struggled to keep her balance, using only the metal beams around her as support. "What the hell!" Vinyl screamed at the sky, emphasising each word clearly. "Bring me back! Now!"
Her horn illuminated, but only for a short while. A cackle and a sizzle was all it takes for Vinyl to realise her magic wasn't working. "Why! Why!" She continued screaming at the sky, but there were no responses.
Glaring at the full moon, she cursed. Swore. Pent-up emotions exploded from Vinyl's tiny little bottle. More swearing happened, and more anger happened. She started punching the bars, kicking them. When she finally had enough, she gave one last knock on the grey bars and leaned her head against it. Tears struggled to flow no matter how much Vinyl tried. Her heart slowed down even much more than before, and her whole body grew numb.
She glanced right towards the waterbed, the moon and the vast emptiness that laid before her. Then she let out a tiny whimper as she closed her eyes. She felt like a black hole had sucked everything she once loved, once cared about, in. Everything seemed so lost, so futile. And yet, she gave in to that one feeling that started everything.
Dread.
She came to terms, that what she had had no longer been what she had before. She had lost everything again. Everything seemed so pointless. "What is life..." She nudged to the right, hooves as steady as before. "...Without death."
Fearless, she was as she inched closer and closer. Fearless, yet perhaps out of fear or out of familiarity, she closed her eyes. "And what is death..." Her grip slowly, reluctantly, but eventually, loosened on the iron bars. "... If it's merely eternal sleep."
Her mind went blank and she voluntarily let loose all emotions and feelings inside of her. "And what is life..." Her hooves slipped off the metal bars, and all she felt was the cool air rushing towards her face. She smiled; after all, she knew what awaited her. "... Without her."
Her hooves didn't tremble and her heartbeat steadied. She steadied her breath and extended her hooves towards the sides as if she was about to hug the air in front of her. "And what is life, or death..." Vinyl looked at the moon one last time, smiling like she had just been victorious. She had, of course, always been victorious, refusing to play life's game over and over again.
"... If I'll always be in limbo."
==========
There was a distant splash; audible, but not too loud. The air grew much colder, but no ponies were out tonight. All that laid in the light was a flower. A white flower, whose beauty stood out amongst the dead litter around it. Slowly, though the flower stood tall, it eventually succumbed to it surroundings, wilting petal by petal. A gust of wind blew by, picking up some of the fallen petals off the ground and blowing them towards the water bed. More gusts came, and each time, it swept more and more away until there was only one petal remaining. And then the air grew calm, a single-petaled-flower remaining in the midst of emptiness.
In the distance, a gravestone stood under a willow tree. There were writings carved on both the tree and the tombstone. "To us," the one on the tree read, and the grave had been marked with 'Octavia'. Once wrapped with a purple aura, the magic on the tombstone eventually faded away. The pony behind that spell stood in front of the two graves, her eyes and face plastered with sorrowful tears.
"My dear friend. I've watched you since you were a little foal. Watched you grow up. Fall in love. Get heartbroken. I, too, am heartbroken, and will forever be. This world has lost a great cellist, and I've lost a wonderful... friend. You were almost like... family... to me, and I thank you for that. I can only watch now, praying and listening to all the woes I've put myself through."
"But for what cause?" said Princess Celestia who walked out of the shadows of the willow tree. "Why do you even bother?"
"I wish for her happiness, nothing more. To be able to fulfill her deepest desires is the least I can do! Yet you meddle in my affairs!" she yelled.
"I had to. I had to stop you from spiraling down into what had turned you once bitter. You can't change the facts that has already happened. You can't rewind time and fix this mess. Move on, dear sister. Please."
"You're too late, sister; it's been done. Albeit, I regretfully gave Vinyl a chance to fix it all. Had a weak moment, but not any more. She doesn't deserve this and now, she'll be stuck forever in her past. Oh, it feels so great." Luna emitted a unscrupulous laughter and smiled at her sister.
"Luna, you gotta stop this nonsense. This will consume you from the inside out! I shall not desire to lose my sister again!"
"Do you not understand how I feel? Look me in the eye and say you do not wish to do the same." She stared intently at her sister, whose stoic expression was one of determination rather than fear.
"I do not wish to do the same. And neither should you. You can't change what has already happened!"
"But I can make her feel pain. I do not want her afterlife to be all dreams. I want them to be nightmares. Forever." Her voice was malicious as she growled at the engraving on the tree. "I hope you feel the same pain she has felt for years! I hope you really do."
Thunder flashed in the clear skies above them and struck the tree, setting it ablaze.
"Then why don't you feel my pain then!" Celestia cried out as she stomped her feet on the ground. "Do you know how it is like living without the one pony I care so much for? Of course you don't! When I banished you, I hoped you turned good. I hoped you learned your lesson, that you can't change the way things are by force! Nature doesn't work that way!"
"Tia." Luna swiveled her head towards her sister. Her fangs exposed themselves. Her pupils were enlarged. "When you left me alone on the moon, haven't you forgotten that I too... was alone? You're always so self-centered. Always has been! You, good for nothing sister! I wish you left me longer on the moon!"
"Nana, please." Her voice was soft-spoken like she was with every pony else.
"Don't call me that." Yet Luna's was still as vicious as ever. A purple hue emitted out of her body, and her eyes started glowing. "In fact, don't call me ever again. I'm taking my leave. Forever." There was once a spark on Luna's horn which quickly grew to envelope everything around her. With a surge of lightning, everything around Celestia vanished, including the tombstone, the bridge and the burning tree. All that was left, was the once familiar sight of a single-petaled white flower.
==========
The sound of waves crashed behind her as she gently opened her eyes. She blinked once. Twice. She saw nothing but the grains of sand under her. They were the same grains sprinkled around her body, and she made no attempt to brush them off. She felt weak; on the beach she lay, still. Her coat was drenched with the seawater and it smelled almost horrendous, but she refused to move. She felt like her body had submitted itself to the coasts, and all she could do was accept it. After all, all she could accept was that she was still alive.
Author's Note
I've changed the ending once. Also, added a dialogue part in where I forgot to explain one last thing.
