A white mare stood in the distance, crying out joyfully to her. Octavia smiled, chasing after Vinyl playfully.
“Catch me if you can, Tavi!”
Octavia ran speedily at her, up a plain-swept meadow, a large grin on her face. Her hooves galloped on the grass, the wind rustling through her hair, the blue sky shimmering above. She reached out and yelled,” I’m coming to get you, Vinyl!”
She rushed forwards, heading towards Vinyl, yet it seemed impossible to move. She looked down, frowning as the ground stuck to her hooves like water, congealing tightly around them. What now, Octavia thought to herself. She was confused, in a naive and childlike manner, an emotion emanating deep from her heart.
“Vinyl?” Octavia whispered puzzledly .
“Come on Tavi!” Vinyl smiled elatedly, jumping on the top of her little hill, a small tree rising up next to her.
Octavia pulled hard on her bonds, but they seem unbreakable. A thin, black shadow crept slowly from the side of her eye towards Vinyl, still jumping on the hill, encouraging Octavia. Octavia, anxious, pulled at the ground forcefully, trying to get away. “Tavi! Tavi!” Vinyl cried out. The sky darkened as the figure encroached towards her, her voice slowly starting to distort. Her flesh melted away in a horrifically crude manner, exposing the thin layer a pumping red muscle covering her skull. The shadow gripped her roughly, its long paper-like claws grasping Vinyl’s pristine white fur as her head melted away. The palpitating muscle peeled off in strips, falling onto the floor. Vinyl was still crying out, her voice now convoluted with pain and agony. Her mane dropped off in ropes, the follicles exposed, bloody and red. A raw, primal scream tore out of her as her eyes sizzled in her sockets, fluid dribbling down her dry cheekbones.
Octavia stared in horror, mortified, unable to do anything, fear and dread clutching onto her as she watched Vinyl regurgitate a few vital organs, slowly withering away to dust. The shadowy creature clutched onto her, sucking away her lifeblood. Vinyl gave a final gasp, jerking as her kidney slid out of her throat, warm and moist from its recent ejection.
Octavia gathered all her will-power, pulling against the ground, forcing, willing herself to move towards her, but her body wouldn’t comply. She could only watch as Vinyl Scratch’s heart took a final, mortal beat, her blood-stained body collapsing on the floor.
“You couldn’t save me.”
Octavia Melody jerked up spontaneously, gasping from the shock and the terror. Sweat dribbled down her wet, black mane as she stared alertly at the wall ahead, residing in her small apartment rented near the heart of Canterlot. She looked over to her side, watching a gently resting Vinyl cozying up on the bed beside her. A small, protective smile slid across her face as she glanced warmly to the white albino mare, her soft pink eyes hidden under her eyelids as she rested peacefully under the duvet.
Octavia reached under the bed, feeling gently for a small black bag hidden underneath, nailed right into the bed boards. It was a small bag, with a thin mouth, looking more like a folder stuck to the bottom of the bed. It was impossible to spot unless you had a precise eye and was looking in the exact direction. But Octavia knew its location by touch, the bag worn and smooth with constant use. She slid her hand inside and pulled out a small black handgun, disassembling it systematically, cleaning the small mechanisms inside, re- oiling the small springs hidden inside it. It took her half an hour of wiping and re-wiping before she was satisfied that it was in good condition. Nothing will get past her, she thought to herself. Nothing.
She slid the gun back into the small bag hidden under the bed, walking out towards the kitchen, closing the door softly behind her as she took a final look at her lover, resting quietly on the bed. She never told Vinyl of the gun, and like the dreams, it was one of the few things that Octavia never told Vinyl about.
It was the fourth time that week she cleaned the gun.
“Mmm,” Vinyl moaned lazily, not wanting to move. Octavia smiled affectionately.
“Get up you lazy oaf,” Octavia smirked warmly.
“Three more minutes.” Vinyl rolled over in the bed, snuggling closer to the pillow.
Octavia pulled her final, most powerful stop. “I’ve made breakfast. Real breakfast, with waffles and orange juice.”
Vinyl’s figure burst up from under the duvet, looking around excitedly. “Really! Where?”
“Octavia chuckled to herself, bending over to kiss Vinyl behind her ear. “In the kitchen, silly, where else?”
“I’ll go get a shower first, then.” Vinyl crawled out of the bed. Octavia nuzzled her under her jaw, hitting her tender spot. “ You do just that. I’ll be waiting for you.”
Vinyl walked out of the room, a messy blue tail swinging side to side seductively as she exited the room. Octavia couldn’t resist a wee smile. It was why they were together, wasn’t it?
She headed off to the kitchen, using her teeth to pull open the cupboard and pull out a pair of shiny clean plates, as well as some cutlery. She had done this every time she had a nightmare, making breakfast for Vinyl. It felt like her own special way of repaying her, and it helped ease the guilt of the secrets that she had been keeping from her.
A loud beeping sound issued from the living room, signaling that their apartment telegraph had received a message and was now type-printing it out. “I’ll get it,” Octavia yelled out to Vinyl in the shower next door, their cramped apartment meaning that corridors were non-existent. She walked over to the living room, curious. Moving over to the side of the large, expensive machine, the only existing method of long-range communication, she tore off the piece of paper, reading it with extensive care, a look of surprise and anger slowly clouding her beautiful face.
1145. STLNGRD. EQUEST SRT 44. 3RD BENCH. L.
Octavia checked the clock mounted to the wall. 1013. She stomped over to the coat hanger, grabbing a faded grey coat and an old fedora, seemingly untouched for years, before dashing over to the bed and pulling out the secret semi-automatic hidden inside. She slipped it inside her coat pocket, lacking a waist holster to contain it, as well as a few magazines.
“I’ll be heading out for the day, got an urgent matter I need to clear out,” Octavia yelled towards Vinyl whilst making a beeline to the door. “Have breakfast without me.”
“Really?” came Vinyl’s reply, muffled through the bathroom door. “You don’t usually miss these things.”
“Really urgent.” Octavia insisted, undoing the lock and speedily removing the latch.
“If you say so.”
Octavia galloped towards the train station, making a dash for it as she saw the next engine arrive. An old mare sat in the ticketing counter, exhaustion coating her eyes, clearly one of the night shift workers waiting till she could switch hands for her break at twelve. She yawned sleepily. “Mornin’, welcome to Equestria Express. How may I help you?”
“Two tickets to Stalliongrad. Fast” Octavia spat out in furious hurry.
The old mare stared into blank apace wistfully. “You young people, always rushing off to somewhere. Reminds me of myself when I was younger.”
Octavia tapped her hooves impatiently, clearly not having the time for this trash. The old mare chuckled, her wrinkled face lifting up.
“So busy, so busy. Well, here’s your tickets, have a nice day,” she smiled warmly.
“Oh I hope so,” Octavia muttered under her breath, rushing off to the awaiting train.
