The DJ reached her newly gained fingers to her head and adjusted her glasses, she wasn't entirely sure what Paradigm had been thinking when he had released her and Octy, not that she was going to argue, but her concerns for the why didn't seem to matter. No, instead, she was being hunted through world after world by... well, 'heroes'. Those that had protected her home now trailed her, most in particular, a man calling himself 'Sound Machine' and could manipulate the music he planned in horrifying ways.
Vinyl was oddly immune to these ministrations of sound waves, likely from attuning herself to handle her bass cannon. The said cannon was who knows where, unable to assist its mistress in the finer points of escaping these bastards. Vinyl was just happy for the assistance she had received from Paradigm, of all people. He had made his friend, 'Brel Stire' place some sort of spell on her and Octy. Now, they could jump to other worlds, and the so called heroes had a hell of a time tracking them.
Somewhere along the way, she had lost track of Octy. Apparently her friend had not successfully jumped to the same world, and this worried Vinyl. Octy enjoyed the refined things, but absolutely nothing of their journey had been refined. "Octy, where are you..." she muttered into her hands. A slight sob escaped her mouth as she realized she was much more alone than she had ever been, or so she thought.
"Oh..." said the voice who had opened the door to her hiding place. A woman with pink and blonde hair blinked down at the depressed mare before her. "I'm not sure what you're doing in my pantry of all places, but she of all people should know I've ended up in weirder places myself," the woman chuckled, "So come on out and explain a bit, I won't bite."
Vinyl hesitated, "Why, you could be one of them..."
The woman looked hurt before nodding slowly, "Logical enough I suppose, but I think you'll have to trust me," she held out her hand to Vinyl who eyed it carefully before accepting the woman's help out of the pantry to stand. When she looked around, she was shocked. The room was a fair amount like what that one earth pony, Time Turner was it?, had his house like. The key difference was the window. When she peered out of it, she blinked. It was nothing more than fields all the way to the horizon, dotted with a few trees.
"Nice, isn't it?" the woman joined her at the window, "Its a wonderful place to live, quiet, calm, nothing but me and the fields, unless I let someone else come in." The woman sighed heavily, "So... What's your story?"
Vinyl blinked. This woman seemed used to things like people appearing in pantry, or at least similar places, and had even done the same thing herself. She finally spoke, "I'm not sure, but I think it started..." Vinyl went on to explain how she had ended up how she did, in this woman's pantry. It was a long and rather troublesome story to tell and left her feeling mostly exhausted. The woman nodded sagely as she finished.
"Quite a few hardships you've had there, not the worst, but definitely challenging, don't you think?" The woman eyed a spot near Vinyl and Vinyl raised an eyebrow in confusion, and got ready to answer when she was interrupted. Beside her stood a woman with dark brown hair, and cat ears. Outside of that, the most eye catching things were the markings on her arms and the amount of pressure she seemed to be radiating. Vinyl blinked as the woman grinned.
"Most certainly, Uchu," the woman with the cat ears said. She looked at Vinyl, grinning madly, "Looks like you might need something to help you in the future, more than Paradigm himself could grant you," she smirked, an evil twinkle appearing in her eyes while Vinyl looked wildly between the two women.
"Who... Who are you?" Vinyl managed to splutter out at the cat-eared woman.
"Do you want the answer that leaves you most sane, or the truth?"
Vinyl paused, "The truth," she said, making a decision that most certainly would change her and her life forevermore.
"I'm Music," she answered, "I'm Madness, I'm many things, each of which I could show you with ease, but in this case, you may call me Essence, Vinyl Scratch, and I am here to help you find your way to a new future, but will you accept my help?" Essence looked the DJ directly in the eyes and watched as the former pony's eyes stilled into a calmness that few could truly master. Uchu watched the exchange with a curious eye as Vinyl answered.
"Will I be able to save Octy?" Vinyl asked, all nervousness gone.
"If you choose to, you'll be able to do a great many things, and save a great many people," Essence answered.
"Then help me," the DJ said with conviction. Essence's face was graced by perhaps one of the craziest grins she had made in an age. Uchu stood up to leave the room, and to make sure a few things were secure. Today was not going to be anything calm.
Vinyl panted heavily as she glared at the beast before her, "Feel the sound you wish to use, feel the music that resides in your soul," Essence shouted at her from the sidelines, "If you can harness this, you can do almost anything!" Vinyl raged at the woman internally, how could she expect her to do this?
"If that music note on your ass means anything, then do what I'm saying you can!" Essence shouted.
Muster my strength, believe in myself, its for Octy, Vinyl said, she hesitated. If she couldn't do this normally, then there was only one way. She closed her eyes, drawing up what had been her worst fears. Octy's cello lay on the ground, destroyed along with its owner, and in front of her sat the very man hunting her down. Octy's fresh... Vinyl's eyes flashed open, No way IN TARTARUS am I going to let that happen. I have to do this for her. I will do this for her. I AM doing this for her!
Vinyl's eyes glowed brightly as the air around her crackled and warped, an omnious tune playing through the air. The beast before her roared before charging. Vinyl looked at it and wished for the music she felt to bore into the beast and destroy it, much as she wished to take out her pursuer.
The beast shuddered beneath the air and exploded violently. Instead of blood expelling itself, the animal just turned into particles and Essence grinned. "Now you've done it, very, very good!" She smiled, "You're most definitely ready. Almost."
Vinyl panted a bit and looked at her mentor with a confused look, "How can I be 'almost' ready? I just destroyed that thing!"
"This," she passed the DJ a phone, the music note glowing slightly before returning to its chrome silver appearance against the sleek black phone. "You'll need it, I gurantee." The mare blinked and looked at Essence. "It has some important features, most importantly, it can call me, and track Octavia."
Vinyl nodded appreciatively, "Alright, thanks."
"No problem," Essence said, "Be off, I have something I need to talk to Uchu about, you can handle yourself, can't you?" Vinyl nodded and vanished quietly before landing with a crack in a large ornate castle, banners swaying slightly as hoards of people looked at her in shock from their tables.
"What have I done now," Vinyl muttered as screams erupted from people across the room and an elderly man stood up, directing a stick towards her.
