I'm Sorry, I'm Broken

Chapters

The fall
What Happen?
What now...

The fall

Author's Note

{Edited version finished}

This is just an idea I had after reading so many Vinyl/Octavia fan fictions, (Best ship ever!) Took me a while to finally find time to finish the first chapter but here it is, I would really like to hear what you readers have to say about it.

Cover art!!!: http://neronova00.deviantart.com/art/I-m-Sorry-I-m-Broken-605301272

I have one other fanfic idea if anyone is interested.

The fall

I’m Sorry, I’m Broken, chapter 1, The fall

Warm, if any word could be used to describe the feeling Octavia got when playing her cello, that was the one. Alone on an old bench made of rotting wood, overlooking a vast field, hidden by a small tree line, here sat a skilled musician, a secret place she came across only a few days into her first year of university in Tall Tail City, far from her home in Trotingham. The view, however, was almost meaningless, for it paled in comparison to the world Octavia created when she played. Each cord crafted a new shape, each note a new color, all mixing together in a swirl of dramatic beauty commanded by the young musician. In this time and place, nothing mattered to the young gray mare, only the bow in her left hand, and how she could make her fingers dance across the strings with her right. Deeper she fell into her own world as the fields came alive with the hum of the strings until a blue flash interrupts her colorful spectacle, knocking Octavia out of her trance with a sour note.

“Drat,” She whispers to herself before bringing the bow back to the strings. Again the music fills the air, but only for a few moments before another sour note is struck. Octavia scuffs at her lack of focus as she adjusts herself, checking that every hair is still in place. Once more the bow is brought to the strings only to hit the same sour note with the first’s stroke. “Confound it!” The mare tenses her body in frustration and then relaxes completely before allowing her head to fall into her hand, the bow hangs loosely between her fingers. “Blast you Vinyl Scratch, even here the mere thought of you torments me.”

“Oh great, what did she do this time?” said the voice of another mare. Looking over her shoulder, Octavia sports a mint green mare clothed in white short shorts and a sky blue tang-top, her hair and tail a shade darker than her coat with a white stripe on the side over her ear. Just behind her, another mare, cream colored fur in a white blouse with blue slacks and a bright blue and pink hairstyle that reminded you of candy. “Is it just me or did I hear-”

“Sour notes, I know Lyra,” Octavia whined returning her face to her hand.

The two took a seat on either side of the gray mare, “Ummm Octavia?” The cream colored mare utters as she picks up a strange scent in the air, “Why do you smell like-?”

“Milk Bon-bon, even more sour than my playing just now, Vinyl somehow equipped my dresser with a slingshot full of curdled milk. I was wondering why she wouldn’t throw out that old carton in her room.” Octavia’s lavender eyes fall on her purple vest that covered a white dress shirt, both a shade darker than normal, still moist from the disgusting prank. While her dark purple Skirt was spared, the smell was still insufferable. “I was so infuriated I grabbed my cello and left without even thinking to change. But at least, it will force that degenerates to wait until I return to see the fruits of her labor, with any luck she will be asleep before then.” Without a word spoken Octavia found herself in a warm embrace, courtesy of Bon-bon, “Oh, come now dear you don’t need to-” Lyra made a soft shushing sound as she joined in hugging the gray mare stroking the back of her head softly. For a moment, Octavia simply sat there, enjoying the gentle embrace before the three mares started laughing at one another for seemingly no reason.

“What in Celestia's name would I do without you two,” Octavia asked through her laughter as she throw her arms around her friends.

“Most likely go crazy, jump out a window,” Lyra answered before receiving a firm punch to the arm.

“That’s not funny Lyra,” Bon-bon said scowling at the mint green mare, “That kind of talk is the last thing we need right now.”

“Save the rough stuff for tonight babe,” Lyra quipped with a sly smirk, rubbing her arm “In case you forgot, your childhood friend her is on the verge of tears.” She ended with a pouty face as she motioned her hands around Octavia.

Bon-bon’s eye twitched just before she brought her hand to her forehead, “Octavia, please remind me why I fell for this mare”

Octavia started to giggle heavily, “You’ve asked me that same question at least a dozen times in the past seven months and I still haven’t the foggiest idea.”

“But on a serious note,” Bon-bon stated, “I think it’s about time we did something about you living with Vinyl.”

“Come now Bon-bon," Octavia said rolling her eyes, "it’s just one of her pranks, nothing I can’t handle."

“Yeah, one of how many now?” Lyra asked, “She’s been pranking, hell almost abusing you ever since you two got stuck in the same dorm room. Day in and day out you get one prank after another," The green mare continued waving her hand in a circular motion, "and when she doesn’t have a prank to pull she finds every little string to pull until you’re red in the face. Ho, let’s not forget last time, when she throw food on you at the café, you looked like you were about to tear up. Blue haired bitch would be six feet under right now if Bon-bon hadn't stopped me.” For a long moment, Bon-bon and Octavia looked at the green mare as if amazed, “What?! I do more than make dirty jokes you know, I pay attention, how else would I know that Bon-bon like’s it when I-”

“One more word and you’re on the couch tonight,” Bon-bon snapped as her cheeks took on a slight tint of pink. Lyra's mouth shut tight as if on command, he widened eyes looking straight into her marefriends glare. “But surprisingly enough she has a point,” the cream colored mare continued, “Vinyl has been tormenting you for a full year, and it’s starting to get to you.”

“Oh please,” Octavia scuffed as she prepared to play her cello again.

“Oh no you don’t, we’re talking about this,” Bon-bon said in a motherly tone pinching the gray mares check, “You’ve been getting less and less sleep even with the stuff your doctor gave you,” She said poking below Octavia’s eye lightly, reminding her of the, very clear, bags under them. “You can’t even get out of bed without looking over your room like Daring Doo looking for some kind of hidden trap.” The gray mare’s ears drooped realizing how accurate the comparison was. “You can’t even practice in your own room without looking over your shoulder wondering when she’s going to strike.”

“Yes well…” Octavia paused for a long moment looking at her two friends, trapped in the middle of their longing eyes full of concern. “What exactly would you have me do? I’ve tried getting back at her but she’s a master of her craft." The gray mare smiled nervously, "I tried to prepare a counterstrike once before but she saw it coming a mile away and got me before I even started. How she planted a trip wire under my favorite sweater I’ll never know, thank Celestia there’s tile at the front door or those blasted balloons would have ruined the carpet.”

“I’m telling you, you should suck it up and go see Doctor Wolf,” Lyra said waving a finger at Octavia “he’s got more pull in the university than anyone and you’ve known him for years, he could-”

“Heavens no,” the cellist exclaimed, “It’s true the good doctor has been an old family friend for years now but you know how I feel about his profession." Octavia said, waving her bow back at the mint mare, "Even when we talk casually I always get the feeling he’s deconstructing everything I say, whether he’s trying to or not. No, I will simply have to endure until the end of the semester.” Octavia said as she returned her bow to the strings to play a slow relaxing melody.

“But that doesn’t solve anything,” Bon-bon said in protest, “your just prolonging the problem expecting it to get better when classes are over.”

“That’s right,” The gray mare said seemingly confirming her friend’s fears, “Then will come the next semester, with new classes, the professor, and most importantly, new students,” She added turning to the cream colored mare with a wink.

“New students?” Lyra questioned for a moment, “That means… you can request a new roommate!” she declared enthusiastically.

“Precisely,” Octavia said, “I left well enough alone, or rather bad enough alone, for far too long. As soon as finals are over I’m going to march right down to the main office and ask for a change in rooms.”

“That’s great and all but,” The cream mare said under hear breath, not wanting to kill her friend's optimism, “that’s still a month away, are you sure you’ll be alright.”

“I’ll be just fine Bon-bon don’t worry.” Octavia takes her attention away from her instrument and embraces her old friend warmly, trying to reassure her of her wellbeing. “Well it’s starting to get late, we best be on our way.” Octavia stands walks behind the bench to her cello’s case and a small white shoulder bag.

Opening the case she tips her shoulder bag causing a small orange container to fall out and roll right next to Lyra’s feet. she picked up and inspected the small container and found it to be full of pills, “What the fuck is this?!” she yelled standing up and facing Octavia who glanced over to her green friend holding the bottle of pills. “This better not be what I think it is Octavia!”

“Now Lyra, calm down,” Bon-bon said seeing the bottle and sliding away on the bench from her marefrined, “I’m sure she has a good reason for having those.”

“My ass she dose," He angry mare snapped marching over to her friend, "give me one good reason why I shouldn’t take these and throw them down the drain!” Lyra said now standing over Octavia who had finished putting away her instrument and reached into her book bag to pull out a piece of paper to hand it to Lyra. “Huh?” Lyra read the paper aloud “Medically Prescribed to Octavia Philharmonics to assist with concentration during college finals for the fall semester….. Oh…” Lyra looked past the paper and received a piercing glare from Octavia. “Octavia I-”

“While it’s good to know what you would do if I were to go so low,” The gray mare said coming to her feet and gently taking the bottle from her friend, “Do you really think I would go so far as to abuse drugs to deal with my problems?” Most would have been annoyed by the overly confident look Octavia had at that moment, but it was more than reassuring to Lyra and Bon-bon who gave a sigh of relief. “Normally I would never resort to such extreme measures for my studies,” She continued, “But with Vinyl on my back so much I thought I could use a little extra to keep me focused. I talked to my doctor and he gave me these after a few tests to ensure they would be safe to use.”

“But are you sure you need them?” Bon-bon asked.

“Better safe the sorry in this case,” Octavia responded, “but don’t worry I looked into the medicine myself before it was decided. So long as I take no more than six a day I’ll be just fine.” Lyra and Bon-bon were unconvinced but hold their tongues as the gray mare places the bottle back in her bag. Another prolonged embrace and the three part ways, the couple heading back home while Octavia makes her way back to the university.

As Bon-bon watches her dear friend turn the corner, she can’t help but worry as if a mother scared for her child’s safety. “Maybe we can talk to the-”

“We have Bon-bon," Lyra sighed, "over and over again, the landlord already said no more roommates, only two per apartment.”

“I know Lyra but I can’t stand to see her like this," The cream colored mare said ready to tear up at the thought of her best friend going back to the university. "I don’t care how tuff she looks on the outside, I know her,” Bon-bon said looking into her marefrineds eyes.

“I know what you mean;" Lyra agreed, scratching the back of her head, "she never played like that when you first introduced us and you were right, you can really see how she feels when she plays.”

“Uh, what do we do Lyra?” Bon-bon asked bringing a hand to her forehead, stressed.

“Well, I’m still willing to go right up to that blue haired bitch and knock her right on her-”

“We talked about that too!” Bonbon snapped, grabbing the green mares check and pulling, “What did you promise me when we moved in together?!”

“No more fighting, I know I know,” she said as a sharp pain pulsed in her check, “but come on you know it’s the only way she’s going to stop.”

“Or get you arrested, again!” The cream mare said emphasizing on past events the quickly came to both their minds.

“Well if we can’t hit her and she won’t listen to us then you need to stop stressing out so much and trust your friend." Bon-bon was shocked for a moment by the sheer depth of her words. "For Celestia’s sake, it’s bad enough watching one of you all sad and depressed, you know what it’s like seeing both like that?Aall we can do is be there for her the best we can and hope for the best.” Lyra suddenly found her marefriend looking deep into her eyes as she kept a firm pinch on her check. “What?” she asked.

“Oh yeah, that’s why I fell for you,” Bonbon said letting Lyra’s check go and moving closer, sliding her hand behind the green mare’s neck, playing with her hair, the tension leaving her face and curving into the gentle smile the green mare had grown to love.

“What? Why?” Lyra asked, confused

“Never mind,” the cream colored mare said giving her lover a deep kiss of pure passion wrapping her arms around her the other mare's shoulders.

Lyra wrapped her own arms around her marefriends waist holding her tightly, eager to return the sudden display of affection. A good few seconds passed before their lips parted, but the end of the world would not have parted them any sooner. “Wow…” Lyra whispered, slightly dizzy from the sudden rush the kiss gave her, “What was that for?”

“Don’t worry about it, let’s just get home,” Bon-bon said before moving closer to whisper in the green mare's ear, “and if you're good I might let you do that thing I like.” The tight grip around her waist clamped down, even more, nearly lifting her off the ground. Coupled with her marefriends overly excited expression, she knew that she would not get any sleep tonight. Rolling her eyes, she planted another kiss on her lover before releasing herself from the embrace so they could walk hand in hand.

The breeze grows cold as Octavia walked back to her dorm, the university always seemed so much bigger when she was alone. To spite having memorized the exact length of the campus, it would still feel as if she had walked several miles before reaching her front door. The sky began to dim as Celestia's charge began to set on the horizon, the first of Luna's stars already showing themselves in the distance. “Can I really do it?” she asked herself, “They’re not wrong, Vinyl’s pranks have indeed been getting... under my skin for a while now. Thank goodness I didn’t have to hear that incurable laugh of hers when that milk hit me, who knows what I would have done.” Memories of the past year flooded Octavia’s mind starting with the day they met. Their first day in the dorm and Octavia was halfway moved in before she went to her first class; she then went back to the dorm to find all her things thrown out into the hall. Vinyl had decided to take the room Octavia had picked out. In the coming days, Vinyl would deliver every form of verbal assault using every word in her seemingly low-class vocabulary, to belittle the gray mare. Soon after came the first of many pranks, hot salsa mixed with a carton of orange juice.

She tried many times to talk to the crazy white mare, trying to understand why she had become the focus of such abuse. Each time was met with a horrific bombardment of insults calling Octavia weak, pathetic, annoying. For a time Octavia stopped reacting to Vinyl thinking she would get bored. When that didn’t work she tried fighting back, only to be showed up every time. “You actually think you can step to me, your too high class to play dirt the way I can,” Vinyl said that the first time she tried to set a trap for the blue haired bitch, and she was right. Back home Octavia never had anyone who hated her, some who were nasty to her every now and then, but nothing she couldn’t talk through herself. This was different; Vinyl was tormenting her for the pure pleasure of it, and she had no idea what to do. Now she stood there at her door, just on the other side her tormentor, Octavia took her time sliding the key into the door and nearly jumped when she heard it unlock. Not a sound was made as she pushed the door open and crept inside; the sound of heavy breathing could be heard coming from the door on her left just before the living room at the end of the small hall. “Thank Celestia she’s asleep,” she thought to herself as she took her things into her room adjacent from the other. It was not until her door was closed and locked that the gray mare could breathe easy. The next ten minute were just like Bon-bon said, being spent checking over every inch of her room for any surprises or trip wires. With none to be found Octavia finally got out of her ruined clothes and showered before bed. Starting tomorrow, she would study every day until finals to ensure she receives the highest grade possible.

Morning comes; again Octavia starts her day checking her room for traps, to her surprise there was nothing to be found again. Just when all looks clear and she can eat in peace; her taste buds catch fire upon sampling Vinyl’s classing orange juice prank. Soon after Lyra and Bon-bon knocked at the door with some of her clothes that Vinyl had strung up outside on a tree, After a short chat the gray mare went to the shower to get ready only to have a bucket of cold water come pouring down ruining both her pajamas and clothes for the day. None of this, however, would get to Octavia now, she was focused and ready for what was to come, in one month she would be free of this torment and nothing would stop her. In class was no different, Vinyl was not above resorting to something as childish as spitballs, and was outrageous enough to fully disrupt class to humiliate Octavia. No matter what Octavia would not budge or fight back, she stayed focused, so much so, she never noticed the few tears that started to form every now and then in the corner of her eyes. She would never admit it, not even to Bon-bon, but these childish pranks, this attempt to belittle, degrade, and humiliate Octavia over the past year, it was working. At first, it was nothing, something even Octavia could laugh at, but as she learned that it was only to hurt her, each prank started to feel like something cutting deep into her skin, as if she were being made less of a pony each time.

The more Octavia ignored Vinyl, the more she was attacked with pranks and hurtful words. One week into the month Octavia felt the need to add an extra lock to her door, clearly against the rules of the mares dormitory, but she was willing to risk it to keep Vinyl out. The first hour of having the new lock was greeted with the crazy white mare banging on the door annoyed that she could no longer plant her traps in Octavia’s room. The whole time Vinyl cursed at the gray mare until she was huddled in the corner covering her ears begging quietly for the onslaught to cease. It took her almost twenty minuets to realize that silence had returned, at the same time, after reflecting on how she had spent the last hour, Octavia was starting to realize just how much Vinyl’s words alone were hurting her. Never the less, Octavia did everything she could using the pills her doctor gave her and kept focused on her work, which also, to the gray mares surprise, helped sharpen her awareness to avoid a few pranks Vinyl had laid out across the dorm room. Then it happened, Octavia paused in a deep breath frozen like a statue just outside her classroom, time had passed in a flash, and she had just turned in her last test of the fall semester.

“Yes!!!!” She yelled at the top of her lungs, the last test meant the semester was over for her, and tomorrow she would be able to request a new dorm room. Casting aside every thought and usual mannerism Octavia took off running clear across the campus in search of her friends. Spotting the loving couple the gray mare jumped on the two with her arms starched out giving them more of an excited tackle then the gleeful hug she saw in her mind.

Lyra and Bon-bon now with their backs on the cold concert could only look awkwardly at the historical out of breath mare that laid between them, embracing them both in a crushing grip. “I told you she would snap,” Lyra said being the first to recover from the fall.

The two then brought themselves back to their feet before lifting the joyful mare to stand, “I haha, I'm far from... insane, I'm ecstatic!” Octavia somehow managed to say through her gasps of air. “It's over, I just finished my last test, the semester ends tomorrow and I can request a new room, it's finally over!”

Having never seen the high-class mare act so excited and childlike, it took a moment for the two lovers to process what Octavia had just said. Lyra and Bon-bon were so caught up in their work and studies they had lost track of the days and forgotten that the semester was coming to an end. Confused looks suddenly became wide smiles as the two realized the date and time, in seconds, the three mares were all leaping for joy without a care in the world.

“YOU CAN GET A NEW ROOM!!!” Bon-bon shouted

“NO MORE OF THAT STUPID BITCH!!!” Lyra added, as she reached out to hug the two mares but only grabbing Bon-bon. Looking around she saw Octavia running off. “Hey, where are you going?!” she shouted.

“Are you kidding me,” Octavia called back rhetorically, “I haven't gotten to play my cello all month, I'll meet you at that old bench when you're done with your last class!” With that said the gray mare turned and headed for the dorms as the happy couple stood there in each other arms.

Octavia, having run out of breath halfway home, walked with a kick in her step and the widest grin she had ever worn in her life. Nothing mattered to her at this time, even her shoulder bag that contained three heavy textbooks seemed light as a feather as she entered the dormitory. Four weeks of none stop studying, thirty days of using pills to focus on classes and to relax for sleep. Octavia had lost count of how often Vinyl tried to torment her, but with the new lock on the door, she was always out of reach of the crazy white mare's pranks. However, none of it mattered now, as Octavia claimed the stairs to her room on the third floor, all she could think about was the many songs she would play during the rest of her afternoon. The thought even crossed her mind to pass by the local pastry shop and make the day even better by crafting picnicking for Bon-bon and Lyra, the two perfect friends that helped her through her hard times. The music of the small corner bakery started to play in her head inspiring a new melody. She began to hum the notes to herself as she slipped the key into the lock and opened the door.

And there it was, her custom cello, solid gold decorated the edges of the bright, well-kept oak wood. The brass stem at the bottom and cords of the finely toned instrument seemed to shimmer in the light glowing like a work of art brought to life. The sound of music was so loud in Octavia's mind that it was almost real to her... but it quickly faded as two things shout through her mind. The first was that she had locked her cello in its case, in the closet, in her room. The second was the realization that her cello was in the hands of a mare wearing a jet black leather jacket, a purple tang top, and torn up jeans, that almost completely covered her pure white fur, much like how her violet sunglasses always covered her eyes, while her electric blue mane was unmistakable from even a mile away. “Oh, there you are, hey how to you play this stupid thing? I've been at this all morning.” The mares boyish voice was nearly mute to the gray mare as white hands molested the strings of her cello and the day she had been dreaming of all month, suddenly became a nightmare as she watched in disbelief as her most prized possession was in the hands of Vinyl Scratch.

“AHHHH!!!” Octavia let out a blood-curdling scream of panic that echoed through the halls alerting every student in the building to her distress.

“Ow the fuck is wrong with you, you crazy bitch, I haven't even scratched it or... huh?” Before Vinyl could finish talking Octavia was already lunging to grab her cello. “Nope,” she said tauntingly as she yanked the instrument out of the gray mares reach. “Over here, nope here, what's wrong Octy all tired from studying too late.” Every second that passed Vinyl teased the poor mare pushing her away and into the furniture.

“Please, Vinyl anything but that!!!” Vinyl, while unfazed was delightfully surprised by Octavia's words having never heard her beg before. “Please I'll do anything you ask, I swear it just please give me back my cello, please!!!” The white mare danced around her victor playing keep-away like some school yard bully. Vinyl laughed enjoying every moment until she noticed a strange glint of light on Octavia's check. She didn't notice it at first, but since the moment Octavia stepped through the door, she was crying.

This realization distracted Vinyl enough to through her off balance and trip, tossing the cello across the room and into the wall. “Ops,” she said catching herself before falling, “well serves you right for locking me out like that, you owe me a full months worth of entertainment you dumb bitch and you know what else...”

Vinyl went on degrading Octavia further, justifying her actions, but her voice slowly became little more than a muffled sound in the back round as the gray mare fell to her knees in front of her cello. “Why is she doing this, what did I ever do to deserve this?” she asked herself as she eyed the brass stem snapped at its base. “Was if really my fault, did I do something wrong, have I hurt her in some way, is it OK that she does this to me?” she watched as the broken strings slowly became motionless. “Will a new room even change anything, she'll just go to that room and do the same thing, maybe even to my new roommate.” Tracing the dented, scratched gold Octavia spots a long crack on the body of the instrument.

“But you know what, I guess I should let that all go,” Vinyl said as Octavia became aware of her presence once more. “Because I busted that fucking lock of your, and I'm going to make sure you never get one of those again. So you can have your toy back and... hey are you listening?” Everything went quiet until the last hum of the broken strings of the cello was the only thing that could be heard. At this point, the blue haired mare becomes aware of the crowd of ponies standing outside the still open door of her dorm room. “Hey! You guy's mind? Get the fuck out of here!” her attention was reverted back to her roommate quickly as she saw the gray mare stand up from the corner of her eye.

“There's nothing I can do,” Octavia muttered to herself just loud enough for Vinyl to hear.

“Wh...What are you whining about... won't take much to fix the damn thing up, you could probably have it done by the end of the day.” Octavia remained still as a stone her back turned to everyone, “Hey, if you're really that worried about it I've got some wood glue... you can... have... it...” Vinyl's speech slowed as Octavia finally moved, slowly walking to take a seat on the open window seal. Her eyes blood show and still full of tears, opened wide as if having just witnessed a violent murder. “Hey... I don't think you should sit there...” Vinyl said slowly walking over to the gray mare, her voice becoming softer as she stretched out a hand. “Octavia?” she called her softly.

The gray mare lifted her head and looked Vinyl straight in the eye through her sunglasses, her vision blurred with tears. She looked back at the crowd at the doorway, some of them on cell phones filming and calling others. Her gaze fell back to her tormentor as she took a deep breath that made everyone stand on edge. “No more,” was the last thing she whispered before tilting her head and shoulders backward, guiding her out the window of her dorm room on the third floor.

“OCTAVIA!!!!!!”

What Happen?

Author's Note

Wow, it's been almost six months since I posted that last chapter of this, I bet those of you who read the first chapter thought this was a one shot huh?

I took all the time I could going over this new chapter, rereading my storyboards and going over the first chapter too, to make sure I got everything right so I hope you all like it!!!

Be sure to come back next Friday for the next chapter of "Secrets of a wanderer"

Stay crazy my friends!!!

What Happen?

I’m Sorry, I’m Broken, chapter 2, What happen?

“What the fuck just happen?! What the fuck just happen!?” It was all Vinyl could ask herself as she ran through the streets faster than she ever thought she could run. She dodged and weaved through the crowds gasping for air with every step. “Dame it! How much further!” she asked having already run two miles at as much of a sprint as she could muster, all while her mind replayed the event from moments ago, trying desperately to make sense of it all.

“Octavia!” The white mare ran for the window reaching for any part of her roommate she could grab hold of, she missed by less than an inch. As if by reflex, some protective instinct Vinyl did not know she had taken over, her horn flared with more magic than she had ever used before and wrapped Octavia in her spell. The mare was heavy, easily three times heavier then what Vinyl used to lifting, but it didn’t matter. Leaning out the window keeping her eyes on the musician, Vinyl pulled desperately, defying gravity, even as it threatened to take her down with it. Alas, she was not strong enough to stop the fall, all Vinyl could do was slow the decent, which still ended with a prominent thud on the blush grass that was now slightly indented with the shape of a young mare.

With the impact came the screams of other students, all of them rushing to the fallen mare but stopping just before her. Vinyl’s vision was blurred and her head light as she stammered on her feet to the door rushing past the many students that still stood at the door and even had come into the room filming everything. “What just happen, why did she do that?!” The white mare all but jumped down the stairs even pushing past someone on the second floor. “Was it the cello?! It was just a joke; I didn’t mean to break it! I was just about to stop too!” She slammed her way through the door stopping for just a moment to get her bearings. Vinyl spotted the crowd that had surrounded Octavia, some on their phones, “they better be calling an ambulance!” thought the mare as she ran over.

Vinyl pushed her way through the crowd shoving over at least four other students until she was stopped and held in place by a much larger stallion. “Hey, get off of me you fucking ass whole, that’s my roommate!”

“Please stay back, we can’t let anyone move her!” the stallion said sternly pushing the white mare back and holding her by her shoulders. She was ready to retaliate and bust some heads, her fists clenched with a fire in her eyes. This was extinguished in less than a second when she noticed the stallion was wearing medical scrubs.

“Pre-meds?” The phrase struck the mare like a speeding car giving her a small, very small sense of relief. Five medical students had surrounded the gray mare looking over her unconscious body for injuries, while four others kept the crowd at bay.

It didn’t take long for the ambulance to show up, along with the police, they questioned Vinyl and the other students, writing down what they had witnessed. The pre-medical students made sure to give the EMT’s every scrap of information they could bring together about Octavia’s injuries before letting them load her into the vehicle, which Vinyl ran to get in, wanting to be with her roommate. Not being Family, Vinyl was not allowed to ride with Octavia, so she ran, to the other end of town to the local hospital. The memory played back in her head, over and over, looking at every moment, to Vinyl, it didn’t make any sense.

Vinyl Crashed through the automatic doors of the hospital lobby causing then to swing open on an emergency hinge that was installed. She was in a panic and was not going to wait for “slow ass doors” to open. She scanned the lobby through her violet shades for the front desk ignoring the many eyes of ponies waiting to be seen that had witnessed her dramatic entrance. “Octavia Philharmonica! Where is she!?” Vinyl shouted slamming her hands on the counter nearly scaring the nurse out of her seat.

“W-Who?” The nurse asked in a shaky voice as her hand reached for the phone, wondering if she should call security.

“Octavia Philharmonic!” Vinyl shouted again, “Gray mare, she’s in her twenties, black mane! She was just brought her after she fell out a window!”

“Oh!” The nurse said finally realizing that the frantic white mare was looking for a patient. “Just a second…” Vinyl’s eye twitched as she waited what felt like forever for the nurse mare to find Octavia’s room. “Third floor at the end of the hall on the left, room three oh one.”

Again Vinyl was off, sprinting through the hall and catching the elevator just as it closed. “Ok, calm down Vinyl,” The mare told herself finally taking a moment to breathe. “You slowed her fall as much as you could, she still hit pretty hard, but I’m sure she’s just fine.” The first ding of the elevator rang as she passed the second floor. “But what if she broke her arm? She can’t play her cello, what will she do about school?!” Vinyl panicked at the thought as more and more horrible thought crept into her mind. “What if she has brain damage, will she even know how to play anymore! Celestia damn it, Octavia! What the hell made you do that!?” The second ding rang and the doors to the elevator opened, as soon as there was enough room Vinyl slipped through the doors having never been so grateful to be so skinny and flat chested. Back in a full panic she ran to the end of the hall and found two mares that she knew would be there. One cream colored mare with a pink and blue mane crying relentlessly into her hands, the other, a mint green mare fighting back her own fountain of tears trying holding her marefriend close, desperately trying to appear stronger than she really was.

“What happen…” Vinyl asked gasping between breaths. The two mares looked up at her and for a moment looked only in confusion. “Is she… Is she OK?”

“You…” The green mare hiss, the word hitting Vinyl like a dagger covered in acid. “What did you!...” Lyra was cut off as her marefriend leapt to her feet. Vinyl didn’t know what to expect when she got to the hospital when she saw Octavia, her friends or the doctors. Of everything she could have thought of, she would have never expected this. Bon-bon, the kindest mare anyone could ever meet, jumped to her feet and slammed her fist clear across the white mare's face. “What the fuck?” Lyra whispered under her breath, questioning if she had really just seen her marefriend take a shot at Vinyl.

“You…” Bon-bon uttered, her face covered in tears trembling with rage, “You stupid bitch!” she shouted taking another swing at the white mare, this time knocking her to the ground. The weight of Bon-Bon’s fist was immense, a true testament to earth pony strength. The cream colored mare was in no way a body builder, but Vinyl could practically feel her jaw crack under the weight of the second blow. “I’ll kill you, you blue-haired bitch!”

“Bon-bon, stop!” Lyra grabbed her marefrined from behind struggling to hold her back, having never seen Bon-bon so enraged; she was actually scared that the cream colored mare would really kill Vinyl.

“Let me go, she’s dead, I’m going to kill her!” Bon-bon struggled to move, but Lyra was holding her with everything she had, even using magic to levitate Bon-bon’s front foot, stopping her from even taking one step. “We should have gotten another place, we should have snuck her over to our place, and we should have gotten her out of the same room as this heartless bitch!” The tears flowed relentlessly as she shouted in the halls, repeating to her marefrined everything she had been saying for months, to get Octavia moved out of the dorm rooms. “You!” she said addressing Vinyl, still laying on the floor in shock, just watching the crazy mare struggle to attack again. “Do you have any idea what you’ve done?! do you even know what that cello meant to her, It’s all she has left of her grandmother!” The words cut Vinyl deep, piercing her to the core, striking a part of her she thought long dead. “But you never thought of that did you?!” Bon-bon continued, “I all you fucking care about is pulling your stupid pranks and making her life miserable, you abusive blue haired butch. Give me one good reason I shouldn’t throw you out the window!”

Bon-bon kept yelling, but Vinyl couldn’t hear her anymore, one word caught her attention more than anything else. “Abusive?” She thought to herself, even her voice in her head spoke with a shaky tone. “No, I couldn’t have been… it was just teasing… she never cried, never fought back. Yeah, she tried to prank me back a few times but, I was never that bad, I just had to show her who's boss and… No…” Tears began to fall from Vinyl’s eyes as they grow wide behind her sunglasses, practically re-watching all the horrible ways she abused and tormented her roommate. She lost count of how many times Octavia's eyes began to grow red as she stormed out of the room, a clear sign that she was about to cry. “How did I miss that?” Vinyl thought, “All this time,” Vinyl looked at herself in her memory, watching herself spike Octavia’s Orange juice with hot sauce, set her music sheets on fire on her desk, and throw her clothes out the window. “I’m… I’m no better than… Oh, Celestia… what have I been doing to that mare!”

“Is- is there a problem out here?” Asked a tan stallion walking out of Octavia’s room wearing a lab coat and holding a clipboard.

“Doctor!” Bon-bon and lyre addressed him in unison.

The cream mare ran over to the doctor, Lyra having finally loosened her grip, “Is she OK? How bad is it? Please tell me her arms are OK.”

The doctor braces himself fearful of the small mare for some reason, “yes she’s just fine,” he managed to spit out. “He left arm is sprained and she has a concussion but she will be just fine and free to leave in a few days.”

“What do you mean a few days?” Lyra asked, “She should be OK to go home, right? We know her family, they would be just fine with her coming home with us, I’ll even call them right now.” Lyra took out her phone and started dialing the number only to see a tan hand rise signaling her to stop.

“Yes, I was informed that the two of you are to be treated as family,” The stallion said, “However Octavia’s parents have requested that she remain here at the hospital for psychological care and evaluation. Until she is cleared to leave by their family’s psychiatrist, she will remain in our care here, but the two of you have been cleared to visit her whenever you like, she actually asked for you when she woke up.”

“She’s awake?!” Bon-bon asked grabbing the doctor's coat, “Why didn’t you say so?!” Bon-bon was in the room before the doctor could react, and joined her a moment after, sighing.

Lyra lingered in the hall for a moment, “I swear, if she acted like that for any other mare I might just be greener with envy.” Slowly, she turned away from the door and looked to the white mare, still sitting on the ground. “You don’t even know do you?” Lyra asked, her words like venom, “how much that cello actually meant to her.” Lyra took a few steps toward the mare to stand over her and then knelt down to glare at her at the same eye level. “That cello was passed down in her family for the past five generations; it has a special spell on it to keep it preserved. The last one to have it in her family was her grandmother because her mom was more into business and always busy. Octavia spent most of her childhood with her grandma, and do you know what her favorite thing to do was? To just sit back, and listen to grandma play her cello.” Vinyl just sat there and listened to the sweet story, unable to speak, slowly understanding just how important the cello really was. “And then grandma got cancer…” Vinyl could not describe what she felt after hearing those words, but she compared it to the sound of cracking a mirror. “Octavia had to sit and watch her grandmother die for seven months, around the end, she couldn’t even play the cello anymore, but she asked for it one last time in her last week so that she could be the one to pass it down to Octavia.” With every word, the mirror in Vinyl’s mind kept cracking, little by little. “Do you understand now Vinyl? She got that cello from her grandmother, while the mare was on her death bed. After that, Octavia spent three weeks practicing until her fingers bled so that she could play her grandmother favorite song, at her funeral.”

That was it, the sound of glass breaking echoed in Vinyl’s mind, the cello was the most important thing in Octavia’s life, and she had broken it. It was not a matter of, if it can be fixed or not, it was broken, and she was to blame. Lyra said nothing as she stood up and left, walking into the hospital room without looking back. For a brief moment, the sound of the other mare crying could be heard as the door swung shut. “It’s just like before…” Vinyl said to herself as her body moved without her command, “I’m no better than…” Vinyl didn’t finish her thought as her feet dragged her away, back into the elevator and through the lobby.

“Oh, miss?” The nurse called to the white mare as she walked by. “Did you find your friend? Her papers say she took quite a nasty fall.” Vinyl said nothing as she kept walking, leaving the hospital.

Vinyl wondered around the city for hours, aimlessly, her mind blank. She didn’t want to think, she couldn’t think, every thought she had nearly brought her to tears again in the street. She walked with her head down only stopping at crosswalks, not even watching to see if she would run into anyone else, eventually, she did run into an opening door. It only tapped her, but it was enough to knock the white mare out of her trance. She looked around getting her bearings, it was sundown, and she was in downtown, not too far from the university. “Wait… this is…” Vinyl looked up at the bright neon lights reading Echo, “My old bar.” Vinyl thought to herself as she remembered the sight of the bright lights, the dull sound of dubstep and techno humming through the walls. She held her ear close to it, letting the golden sound resonate through her. “How long has it been?” she thought to herself.

“Excuse me?” a voice called, causing Vinyl to jump for a moment, “you know you can go in if you’d like, I’ll just need to see some ID.” The stallion at the door was a deep jet black with a silver mane and yellow eyes. He towered over everyone that came to the door, clearly the bouncer.

“He’s new…” Vinyl thought as she took out her wallet and showed it to the stallion, who waved her in. Vinyl walked through the small hallway that led to the inside as the memory of her first time there played through her head. The music back then was too loud, even for her, but now, it was like a breath of fresh air. The sound of dubstep echoed through her entire form, making her fingers twitch as every step she took synchronized with the beat. The lights flashed and danced around the room moving seemingly at random, the same lights that taught her to wear sunglasses inside. Ponies danced everywhere, at the tables, on the dance floor, on the second floor that overlooked it, and on smaller stages that popped up everywhere in the building.

Vinyl slipped her way past the crowd to the bar, “What can I get you sweetie?!” a young mare shouted over the music. The white mare said nothing and instead reflexively preformed a hand gestor that somehow told the bar mare her order, it was common to do so for regulars to avoid shouting over the music. The bar-mare winked and made Vinyl her drink, she sipped it slowly at first, but as soon as no one at the bar was looking, she downed it in one gulp and asked for another from a different bartender. Only three hours later and vinyl had already lost count of how many drinks she had, the events of the day had been washed away in a drunken haze that she was all too happy to fuel. Before she knew it, the white mare was tapping her feet, swaying her hips, and bobbing her head to the music. She didn’t want to dance, and she sure as hell wasn’t going to leave her spot at the bar, but every moment she stood still felt wrong and she started moving.

“Well, who do we have here?!” Called a young stallion, “what’s your name beautiful?!” The stallion asked barely audible over the music.

Vinyl refused to talk over the booming base, but she turned to the stallion and mouthed something along the lines of, “Go fuck yourself…”

“Wait, don’t I know you!?” Vinyl rolled her eyes behind her glasses, “Yeah, you use to DJ here!” the words only barely reached the mare as she stopped herself from doing a spit take. “Yeah, what was your name again?” He didn’t have a chance to remember as Vinyl quickly left the money for her bill under her drink and left, the stallion tried to follow but she lost him on the dance floor.

Vinyl stumbled around as she found her way back to the university, taking all the time in the world to climb up the stairs, and just as long trying to unlock her door that must have been closed by another student since she didn’t take the time to do so when she left. The first thing she saw when she opened the door, was the broken cello, the slight breeze from the door causing the broken strings to sway. Vinyl stood there for a long time at the door, just looking at the interment, “It was passed down to her, by her grandmother,” Lyre’s voice reminded her, replaying in her head. The more she thought about it, the more she felt like she was being buried alive, “No less than I deserve…” She whispered to herself. She stumbled around her dorm as she finally walked in; at the corner of her eye, she spotted an orange pill bottle in Octavia’s room. Distracted by the bottle Vinyl fell over, she decided it was best to crawl around instead of walk and did so to Octavia’s room. At the base of her desk, the white mare reached up and grabbed the bottle, taking a good long while for the text on the label to become legible through her drunken haze. “Sleeping pills?” Vinyl said, finally able to read them after the room started spinning a little slower. She popped off the cap and shook a few pills into her hand; taking them in her mouth she forced them down her throat with a heavy gulp before letting her body collapse. Be it from the pills, the drinking, or the long, emotional day, Vinyl was exhausted and let the bottle roll off her hand and under the bed. She rolled onto her side and used her arm as a pillow, fully intending to sleep to the foot of Octavia’s bed. The last think she saw through her blurred vision, was a part of the pill bottle label, “WARNING, DO NOT TAKE WITH ALCHOHOL.”

What now...

I’m Sorry, I’m Broken, chapter 3,

Vinyl was a mess of grunts and groans as she returned to the waking world, a white hand wondered around the floor until the mares head slipped off the part of her arm that had served as her pillow for the night. As her forehead greeted the ground, she felt her glasses over her eyes and instantly relaxed becoming a limp lump on the floor. "Got to get to class," Vinyl thought as her eyes finally opened. She saw the orange pill bottle for only a moment before her sensitive eyes were shut at the sight of daylight pouring through the window. By some strange reflex, she took the bottle in her hand before deciding that it was time to get up.

Vinyl swung her head and tightened her stomach, pulling herself to sit up without the use of her arms. Seconds after she fell to one side, knocking her head on a dresser with a prominent thud. The dresser rocked for a moment as an unknown object could be heard falling to the ground, but the mare simply sat there, uncaring. Another moment passed and Vinyl curled her legs in and shrugged forward until she was leaning over her folded legs, and with more effort then the mare would have liked to use, she rolled onto her feet and stood up. She swayed side to side, her eyes barely ready to open as she reluctantly made her way to the living room. Vinyl greeted the door the same as the floor, with another firm thud just before her hand found the nob. She made it a few steps out of the room before grazing the wall and falling to the floor, her mind finally waking up with her, and beginning to think of the day ahead.

"I got to get to class soon," Was her first thought, "No wait, classes were over yesterday. Well, I still wanna eat, I'll head to the cafe." Vinyl's fully adjusted eyes opened to look at the ceiling, her thoughts becoming mischievous. "But First I got to do something in Octavia's room, maybe a..." All at once, the events that transpired yesterday came flooding back to her, remembering in detail the sight of Octavia falling to the ground. Vinyl didn't have to look to know that the broken cello was just a foot away from her, still sitting broken on the floor where it had been left. "Why...." Was all she could ask herself as her mind drifted back.

"Can't believe I didn't think of this sooner," Vinyl thought to herself as she rummaged through her dresser, "Where is that stupid,... there you are!" The white mare pulled out a small rolled up tool-kit and ran to the room opposite of hers, "This will teach that grey bitch not to lock me out." It had been a full month since her roommate had snuck a new lock on her door, keeping Vinyl from attempting any of her usual pranks that the grey mare would normally wake up to. Vinyl unrolled the kit and revealed a series of small picks, taking hold of two, she slid them into the lock and got to work. "This use to be a lot easier," She complained to herself just as she heard the lock click and unlatch.

The room was clean, cluttered only by a few stray clothes and a desk covered in papers and other supplies. "Now let's see..." Vinyl looked around and thought of what she could do to mess with her roommate. Many of her old tricks came to mind, a bucket of water, dresser sling shot, itching powder in her sheets, all had been done and would not be satisfying enough. Her eyes fell on the closet that hung half open, a large glass case sitting just inside. The glass case contained the one thing the crazy mare had never even thought to lay a hand on, a custom cello. "Weird, she normally has this with her no matter where she go's," The thought of breaking the instrument popped into vinyl's head and made her cringe, "Wow brain, I'm trying to prove a point, not kill her college life, no instrument means she can't pass her classes. However..." The mischievous mare pulled out another lock pick as she eyed the small lock on the glass case, a devilish grin crept across her face. "I bet just having it will do the job, no need to even scratch it."

Vinyl rolled over, away from the one thing in the room that reminded her of her guilt, how she had gone too far before she even realised it, and pushed a mare to a point she herself could have never imagined. She hugged herself as the image of Octavia's near death fall played over and over again in her head. The look in her eyes as she fell from the window, void of any fear or regret, it was the saddest sight Vinyl had ever seen. Suddenly, Vinyl could feel a pair of eyes watching her, standing over the broken cello. She froze as she heard a snicker in the back of her mind. Then she felt anther presence, three, four, five, until the living room could have easily been filled with ponies. The sound of laughter filled her mind causing a piercing headache that threatened to crack her skull in two. Her chest tightened and choked her as the room began close in around her. Then, it all stopped, the sudden sound of her alarm clock broke the silence like a wrecking ball hitting a china shop. The sudden shock of the noise had made Vinyl jump to her feet and face her room. She dropped the pill bottle that was still clutched in her hand, and noticed that the room was empty, no one was there, she was alone. Unexplainable anger welled up inside the unicorn as she looked for something to throw at the offending device, finding nothing, she settled for punching the door frame.

Vinyl Walked into the cafe looking exactly how she felt, a depressed mess that lacked a dark cloud looming over her head. Her head hung low as she stared at the ground, her hands tucked away in her pockets where her thumbs flicked off each finger for no other reason than to feel the scratch of her nail. Vinyl wanted to go back home, spend the rest of the day, maybe even her life as nothing more than a lump on the floor. Each step she took only increased her desire to turn around and leave, but the knot in her stomach reminded her why she didn't, she was hungry.

Whispers filled the air as she trudged to the front counter, whispers about her, about Octavia. Some accused Vinyl of pushing the gray mare out the window. Had Vinyl been in higher spirits, she might have jumped the ponies in question. Others thought it was an accident, that Octavia was careless and Vinyl saved her life. One group sounded sure it was a suicide attempt, "Yeah, because of me," Vinyl thought. Out of nowhere, the white mare felt a firm bump of another ponies elbow strike her side, pushing her over forcing her to catch herself on the edge of a table. "The fucks your problem!?" Vinyl shouted, looking up to see the assailant. It was a white, skinny stallion dressed in black and a crimson red tie, he put on his best scowl, trying to look tough, in spite of the fact that he was short and his hands were clearly shaking, struggling to keep hold of his tray of food. Vinyl fumed and took a step forward, but stopped before taking another when she recognized his clothes, the stallion was dressed in the all black uniform that only music majors wore. Suddenly, Vinyls anger vanished, replaced again with remorse coupled with a feeling of sympathy. She gave the stallion a light shove to the shoulder, barely enough to force a step back, then returned her hands to her jacket pockets, and walked away. She could hear the musician gasp, having not noticed that he was holding his breath while he was being stared down by what most musical students know as "The Ivry Menace". Had this happened only two days ago, the poor stallion would be lucky to leave with all his teeth, but today, Vinyl looked like an empty shell, a ghost, just drifting through the cafe, and she knew it.

"Large strawberry smooth," Vinyl said, low-toned to the mare behind the counter. Nodding her head in response the mare got to work, whipping up the order within minutes and handing it to her customer, being sure to add a generous helping of whip cream on top. Vinyl pulled out a few bits from her pocket and began to hand them to the mare, who gently pushed her hand back. "Huh?"

"You can keep that sweetie," The mare said with a smile, her eyes lidded giving Vinyl a look she had never seen before. The white mare cocked her head in confusion, "it's on the house," the counter mare clarified. "I heard what happen and well... You look like you could use a pick-me-up, so..." she added, gently pushing Vinyl's hand full of bits further away.

The Vinyl understood, that look in the mare's eyes, it was pity, this mare was pitying her, and it pissed her off. she gripped the coins in her hand hard enough to hear them scraping against one another. She gritted her teeth as she emitted a low growl, directed at the mare behind the counter. The poor mare could feel Vinyl's death glare hidden behind the white mares glasses, and took a step back, smiling wider and raising her hands defensively. The white mare raised her hand, making the counter mare flinch in fear just before Vinyl's hand slammed the hand full of bits onto the counter. "I'm not some charity case!" Vinyl shouted before taking her breakfast in hand, "Keep the fucking change!" Vinyl stormed off, ignoring the stares of the ponies who heard her outburst. It was only after she had rushed out the door, that the mare at the counter relaxed, falling to her knees.

Vinyl wanted to go home, it was all she could think of, but even with her meal in hand, she just kept walking, further and further away from the university. Her mind was blank, void of thought, the only thing telling her that she was even awake and not walking through a dream was the ice cold fruit beverage in her hand. She sipped the sweet treat as she walked aimlessly through Tall Tail City, had she cared enough to watch where she was going, she would have noticed that she was walking in one circle after another, often passing the same street sign a few times before making a new turn. Hours passed, it was mid afternoon when Vinyl got her smoothie, but by the time she realized she had finished it long ago, the sun was already starting to set over the horizon. "Did I really just walk around town all day?" The white unicorn asked herself, her aching feet responding to the question with a few pulses of slight pain.

Vinyl spotted a trash can and moved toward it to throw away her cup which was long empty and bone dry. She looks around, trying to get her bearings and figure out which way was home, but she froze as her eyes fell on a large sign the bore a red cross. "W-what?" Vinyl studdered out loud to herself as she realized where she was. The entrance to Tall Tail Hospital was only a few feet to her left, opening and closing as she stood just close enough to set off the motion sensor doors. "I- I wonder if she's OK,... The doctor said she was but... could something else had happened?" she asked herself. "No, I shouldn't be here," Vinyl added snapping at herself as she remembered the weight of Bon-bon's fist on her cheek. "I should just go home and-"

"Oh, you're back!" Said a cheerful mare sitting behind the front desk of te hospital lobby, "Did you forget what room you're friend is in?" Vinyl's head snapped up having been pulled out of the trance she didn't know she was in. Somewhere between throwing away her cup and remembering getting punched by Bon-bon, she had walked into the hospital and up to the front desk. "Miss?" the nurse ask, "do you remember your friend's room number?"

"N-no," Vinyl stuttered, forcing the words out like a confused foal that didn't know if she was in trouble or not.

"Third floor at the end of the hall on the left, room three oh one," The mare said, gesturing her hand to the hall with a smile.

"T... thank you," Vinyl said, again forcing the words

"Happy to help," the nurse said, "it's good to see that someone has so many friends that come to visit her."

To be continued

Author's Note

So after coming back from vacation with the family I didn't have time to finish this chapter, thus it will be finished and uploaded next Friday, hopefully with the next chapter of "Secrets of a Wanderer". If not, then you can expect the next addition to Jax story the following Friday on the 5th.

Hope you enjoy this half of the chapter guys, STAY CRAZY MY FRIENDS!!!

P.S. Just reached 20 followers :pinkiehappy: :pinkiegasp: :pinkiecrazy: :pinkiesad2: