Octavia grit her teeth, tears streaming from her eyes as another shock lit up her body. She pressed a hoof to the damnable device around her neck. Pain wracked her body, bringing her down to the floor. “No...No. You...You don’t get to do this to me any longer!”

She trembled as she arose, her legs twitching with each electrical shock through her body. Even in spite of the pain traveling through her body, she couldn’t help but grin. “Looks...looks like some pony does not like what they are seeing!”

It was a forced laugh, as she thrust the pain into the furthest recesses of her mind. One hoof in front of the other, she told herself. Then this would all be over. As she took the stairs one hoof at a time, she thought of Vinyl.

Her closest friend, her roommate...the one they had captured to keep her in line. The whole reason she had put on this damnable choker. Octavia had wanted to protect her, had wanted to keep her safe.

“You can stop with the pain any time you wish…” She muttered to the air. “It will not make any difference.”

Octavia hated keeping their secrets. They didn’t deserve it. They hadn’t earned her loyalty. They had taken it, forcefully. Vinyl was their leverage. She did what they say...or she never saw her again.

As much as it pained Octavia to think about it, she hoped that Vinyl would discover the hidden option before it was too late. Before her free will was stolen, and every avenue of escape cut away one by one, leaving no option but to become a toy. A prize. A mere plaything.

“Tell her I’m sorry.” The choker around her neck vibrated and hummed, and Octavia was down on the floor again, her hooves kicking at the air, her head leaning back as she heard an ear-piercing scream. Distantly, her mind recognized that it was herself.

She rolled over onto her hooves as she pressed her forehead to the ground. Sweat dripped from her once neat mane; it had been so perfect before she had began the concert. Her final concert. The one where they had slipped up. Octavia saw her chance, and she took it. She had to take it, before it was too late. As she climbed to her hooves, Octavia saw something that made her heart leap. Written on the door, in blocky, black letters.

Roof Access

With a growl, she forced herself to rear up on her hind legs, planting both forehooves on the bar and shoving the door open as violently as she could manage. It felt good, to vent her frustration on the door, and allow herself a breath of fresh, cold Canterlot air.

“Freedom.” She spoke softly. Freedom had been such an alien concept for so long. She rolled her head in the wind, feeling it play through her mane. A cold shiver ran down her spine as the breeze played over her sweaty coat. Not even the consistent pain from her choker would take this from her. A laugh built up in her throat. “Freedom!”

She lowered her head and forced herself into a gallop; she heard shouting behind her, but that was all it was. Meaningless words. This was her choice. The only choice she had made of her own free will since this had all began.

She would end this. Rather than live with what had been done to her...to Vinyl.

Octavia hadn’t been strong enough. She knew that. Hope dies in a pony’s heart when those they are close to are held away. She had cast enough blame on herself. The long nights, crying herself to sleep as her mind thought of what they were doing to her. Turning the wild, carefree party pony she had grown close to into an animalistic, obedient thing.

Octavia planted her hooves on the edge of the rooftop. The pain was excruciating; it shot through her very core, her heart beating with each shock it gave. But this would not stop her. She was free. Her legs bent, and she pushed herself off, her eyes closed as she felt the Canterlot air rush across her body. Lavender eyes fluttered open, looking three stories down at the busy Canterlot street below.

If only she could remain there forever. Suspended in time and space, looking down at such a remarkable, beautiful view. The ponies below, who never once thought of the darkness in their midst. Who never knew there were such extremes a pony could be driven to. Before they made their own choice. Before they ended it all, and buck the consequences.

All the panicked shouting behind her turned into meaningless wind as it rushed past her ears. She stretched out her forehooves. The ground rushed closer to her, and she welcomed it. She wanted it more than anything she had ever wanted in her life. This would be over. She would worry and cry no longer. No tears fell from her eyes.

Finally, at long last, she was free.

Author's Note

I sincerely apologize for this story.

This was the prologue to a story that was written as a response to another story on FIMFiction, building off of a situation that I felt was a rather depressing ending. I'd rather not name the story, especially since this idea has since been scrapped.

The idea itself would have been a murder mystery style, with a cast of characters investigating the strange events of a strange suicide. This chapter was written very quickly, and while I had plenty of ways to take the story, I could never decide on which one. Eventually, I contacted the author of the original story, and learned their take on the situation. While they have seen this story and actually enjoyed it, I decided that this idea could be considered 'petty' at best, which aided in my decision to scrap the story as a whole.

But, you got to admit, it has one hell of an impact.