Chapters Snow fell from the skies in little white flakes. Winter was in full swing as the cold air rushed past the ponies and through the streets. Vinyl pressed further into the collar of her coat. Even though the chill of winter was stinging her cheeks she was still happy, happier than she had ever been. A smile beamed across her face as she looked back at the pony behind her. The charcoal gray mare stood in her very own coat and boots. An electric blue scarf was tucked around her neck, an early gift from Vinyl for the upcoming holidays. Vinyl trotted up and tugged at the scarf, beckoning Octavia farther along. Octavia giggled and walked up alongside the excited white mare.
Vinyl was nearly bouncing with each step as she moved along the street. She smiled at all the ponies she passed and was always stopping to wait for Octavia to catch up. She loved that mare, but she sure did take her sweet time. Vinyl was living the dream, right up until the point she turned around one last time. She looked back, and there was nopony there.
Octavia was gone. She wasn't standing in the snow anymore just behind Vinyl. But it was more than that. It was as if she had never been there. There were no hoofprints in the snow. There was no giggles echoing through the air. Vinyl searched all around that spot. She turned up the snow for almost half a block but it was empty. Her face twisted with worry, her eyes wide and alert. It wasn't until then she realized the silence.
The silence all around her. Her eyes lifted up and darted around, but there was nothing to be found. Ponies filled the streets moments earlier and yet, they were empty now. Not a pony was seen for blocks and blocks. Vinyl raced down to the end of the block. The snow was falling thicker and heavier. It was getting harder and harder to see. She shook the snow off her mane and looked around in a frantic effort to find somepony, anypony. But the more she looked, the more she only saw white. The snow filled her vision until all she saw was the little white flakes blowing in a flurry around her. She desperately closed her eyes and held them shut. She wished and wished for Octavia to be back at her side.
Vinyl's body snapped upright in her bed. A cold sweat beaded over her coat. She breathed heavy for a few moments before shaking it off. Icy cold wind pierced through her blanket, threatening to turn her white coat a very cold shade of blue. Vinyl shivered and reluctantly climbed out of bed. The winter winds blew open the window again. She annoyingly trudged over and slammed the window shut with her magic. Vinyl was forced to step back once the glass pane shattered into smithereens. A gust of wind rained the shards down around her, and a cut appeared on her cold cheeks. The warm blood quickly ran cold upon contact with the winter winds. Vinyl cursed in her head.
AAAAAHHHHHHHH! Just great! And now this happens! What else? What else can possibly happen to me now, huh? The glass, this terrible frickin apartment, damned winter. I have to go through all of this after- after- after her. But why?
Vinyl slowly slumped down to the floor. Her thoughts turned from those of anger to those of sadness. She thought back to that time. Six months had gone by and she still filled her thoughts. That one mare of charcoal gray, with eyes of violet and heart with so much compassion it could bring anypony to tears. It certainly did for Vinyl, seeing as how her every night from the past six months has been filled with her face. Octavia's face.
A wall. A wall of magic, a barrier keeping them apart. She slammed her hooves down on it, tears streaming down her face. She watched as her friend, her love, was being forcefully kept away. Her voice rang out with cries of pain and heartbreak.
Octavia's eyes snapped open. She shifted uncomfortably in her bed before sitting up. She rubbed her temple with a hoof and sighed. She had been having those dreams all the time lately, for the past several months. Her subconscious mind kept bringing these memories up to torment her. She sighed again. The stillness of her night was broken only by the sound of knocking at her door.
“You may enter,” She said aloud.
One of the double doors to her room opened with barely a creak and an older pony walked in just as quietly.
“Are you well, Miss Octavia?”
“I'm fine,” Octavia replied sharply. No matter what these ponies said she knew the truth. They were always saying things like they were 'walking by' or simply 'in the area'. Her personal favorite was when they were so bold as to just bring her something. A midnight snack, a cool towel for the warm nights, a heated blanket for the recent ones.
“Leave me be,” Octavia said as she lay down and turn her back to the door. “And be sure to tell my mother the same.”
“As you wish, Miss Octavia,” The old pony said as he backed out of he room.
Octavia laid there for many an hour. The night seemed to last forever, even as much as she wanted it to end. She was left with nothing but painful memories and a teary pillow to keep her company.
The next morning came after much too long. Octavia wasn't sure when she finally fell asleep, only that it was late morning when she finally did wake. She rolled out of bed and groggily made her way through her family home to the dining room.
A long table filled the room and there was a chair waiting for Octavia with a plate of food. She was a bit less than ladylike when she pulled out the chair and slipped onto the seat. The scents of the food wafted up to her nostrils, breaking on through her weary state. She heartily took up the silverware and began to eat her fill.
“Goodness, child, show some manners.”
Octavia finished chewing her mouthful of breakfast fruit and turned her eyes to her mother, who was barely paying attention to her even now. That was perhaps the only reason she didn't notice the look of pure, unfiltered hatred in her daughter's eyes.
Octavia quickly averted her eyes as her mother looked back at her. “I have heard that you are still mumbling in your sleep, child.”
“What of it, Mother,” Octavia said less than politely. She didn't wait for a response as she kept to eating her fruit.
“Watch your tone,” Her mother scolded, “And this problem of yours is getting worse. It must be dealt with.”
“You are the only one who sees it as a problem, Mother.”
“I am the only one who sees it for what it is, child,” Her mother almost yelled. To anypony else it would have been nothing, but Octavia could tell there was a slight raise in her volume as well as tone. “This has been going on for months now. It has to end at some point.”
“And when will that be, Mother?!” Octavia roared. She slammed her hooves down on the table. “You know just as well as I do why this is happening. What did you expect to happen?”
Octavia's hatred showed in her face as she stared down her mother. In turn, her mother just looked at her with the same cold look she always had. The only acknowledgment she gave to Octavia's outburst was a raise of one of her eyebrows.
“You must be speaking of . . . her,” She said after a moment.
“Her name was Vinyl, Mother,” Octavia said. “And I enjoyed my time with her. I had more fun in the one day I spent with her than I have ever had in the many years I have spent in this house.”
“No matter,” Her mother said. “You are here now, and you can continue with your studies, and continue your time with the orchestra. You can get back to your life as it was before.”
“As if nothing happened,” Octavia said. “But something did happen mother. I actually met someone-”
“I do not care!” Her mother said, finally showing some emotion in her face. “That trash of a mare was going to simply drag you down to her level. I was not going to let that happen!”
“That was not your choice, Mother! Aarrgh!” Octavia swiped her hoof across the table, sending her plate flying off the table with her enraged scream.
“I am your mother, Octavia,” She said in a stern voice. “And as long as I am your mother, as long as you live in this house, I will do what I think is right for you. And you will learn to appreciate it. For now, get back to your studies. You have wasted enough of the morning already.”
“As you wish, Mother,” Octavia hissed.
Vinyl hugged the brick wall of the building next to her. All she had on to protect herself from the winter air was a mildly thick hoodie and footwear that wasn't boots, but instead a pair of normal shoes. Needless to say, she was feeling the cold down into her bones. She hated her life.
She had her face buried into he side of her hood as she walked. The harsh, chilled air stung at her face. She was glad she at least had her shades to cover her eyes. She was also glad that her walk was almost over. The dingy little brick building she was outside of was actually an underground rave venue. One of her least favorites. The place was small and cramped. The sound quality always seemed terrible, no matter what she did with her own beats. Not to mention she always had to fight through dozens of ponies just to get on the stage, and to leave the building. Just one more thing to add to her list of things that were making her life miserable lately.
She pushed through the doors and descended down the stairs into the underground area of the building. The sun was out and the day early, so the venue was mostly empty. Only a few ponies were inside, getting ready for the night's events.
“Oi, there she is,” The manager came trotting up to her with some fake enthusiasm.“Vinyl Scratch. Glad you could make it. Know the weather is a right bit nasty out there.”
Vinyl walked in with a shiver. She tossed her hood back and splashed semi melted snow all over the floor and a nearby table. The manager looked at the floor and the table. He contained his feelings over the mess as he signaled another pony to clean it up.
“Alright, madear, now we can get down to business,” He said.
He lead Vinyl away from the floor and up to his office. Vinyl lazily walked behind him, enjoying the comfortable temperature inside the building. It was still cooler than most other places, but at least she wasn't outside.
The manager opened the door to his office and held it for Vinyl. She walked in and stood around while he hurriedly moved behind his overly nice desk. He sat down his his chair and nervously shuffled some papers around. Vinyl stood there, looking bored. Her ears were slightly down and her posture was leaning to one side, like she wanted to leave. She raised one eyebrow at the manager.
“Yes, yes. I suppose you want to know why I called you here in this dreadful weather,” He said as he moved yet some more papers around. “Well, it has to do with your working with us.”
He had her attention now. Her ears perked up and she leaned more into the conversation. She stared at the manager from behind her shades.
“Vinyl, you know I like ya,” He started, “But unfortunately, we can't work with ya any longer.”
Vinyl was visibly shocked. She stepped back in shock, her mouth slightly open. She looked at him with questions in her eyes.
“I'm sorry, Vinyl,” He sighed, “But these past few months your game has been off. It's effected your performance, and that means-”
Vinyl stepped up and slammed her hooves down on his desk. Papers went everywhere and whatever other small items shook or fell over.
“Whoa, there. Ain't no need to get angry now,” He said. “Well, I suppose there is, but please calm down.”
She continued to stare at him with anger in her eyes. After a moment she slowly, one hoof after the other, stepped down from the desk. With one last glare she turned and with an angry flare of her horn she headed for the now open door. It was time for her to leave.
“Now hold up there, Vinyl,” The manager said. He rushed around the desk and came up next to her. “I might be able to talk to some sense into the ponies I work with. Could get you back in their good graces. But I will need something from you.”
Vinyl stopped where she stood, but her body was still tense with anger. Some small part of her wanted to relax just a tiny bit, but the rest of her didn't trust this pony at all. However, she knew she had to at least hear him out. She needed a job She needed money. And so she turned around to face him again, closing the door behind her.
“Smart choice, Vinyl,” He said with a smile. The annoyed look in her frown told him that she wasn't in the mood for smiles. She just wanted to know what he needed from her.
“Come now, Vinyl, relax,” He said with a whisper as he stepped up closer to her. He brushed up against her as he walked a circle around her body. Her skin crawled where he touched her. She shivered as she could feel his eyes going over every inch of her. He draped one hoof over her body and pulled her in closer. He was small for an Earth pony, but still very strong. There was little she could do to pull herself away from him. “If you want to keep your job, you know what you need to do.”
Vinyl closed her eyes tightly under her shades. She could feel his breath on her neck. She could feel him, his hooves, moving further and further down her body. He lightly kissed her neck and Vinyl nearly fainted. She turned her head away from him, only to have a strong hoof twist her head back to face him.
“Show me you want this, Vinyl,” His words came out like poison to her ears. “Give me a kiss.”
He used the word 'give' but he was not giving anything. He was taking what he wanted. Vinyl stared in horror as his face came closer. Her mind flashed back to that amphitheater. For the briefest of moments she could see Octavia's face again. She remembered the time they shared, and the kiss under the stage. The kiss!
The kiss! That was our kiss. These lips are for Octavia, and Octavia only. He can't have them!
At the last second Vinyl turned her head. His taken kiss landed awkwardly on her cheek, sending a nauseating feeling to swell within her. He didn't seem to happy with her cheek, though. He pushed her to the side and came around in front of her. He took her chin up with a hoof.
“Get with it, Vinyl,” He said. “This is the only way your keeping your job.”
Her whole body shook under his hoof. She was tired of this jerk thinking he can take whatever he wants from her. She yanked her head away from his hoof, just enough to get her mouth around that very same leg. She bit down with all her might barely an inch above where her chin just lay. He howled in unexpected pain as Vinyl leaped back. She closed her eyes for a second to focus on a spell. She brought her magic and unleashed it outward like a tidal wave. She panted a heavy breath as she opened up her eyes. That always took a lot out of her.
“You think I haven't taken a magical hit before?”
Standing tall and very pissed off was the manager. His office was a complete and total mess. Every little thing and most of the bigger stuff was not where it should be. It looked as if a small hurricane had come through and wrecked the place. And yet, he was unaffected. Vinyl stood as scary thoughts swarmed her mind. The manager was quickly upon her, standing in front of her like an imposing demon. He raised a hoof and brought it down fiercely on the right side of Vinyl's face.
The first thought of Vinyls mind was pain. Pure pain. She must have blacked out for a moment. The last thing she remembered was seeing a hoof coming at her that she couldn't stop. He was a lot stronger than he looked. She opened her eyes to find herself on her side on the floor. She was staring at her shades. One of the lenses was shattered, and the other one cracked.
“Didya really think that would work, Vinyl?” He stood over her with an intensely angry look in his eyes. “You are just some low class punk who deserves whatever she gets.”
For some reason, Vinyl's mind took that moment to make a connection. She forgot about the manager for a second as only Octavia filler her thoughts. But it was just the small things. The way she stood, the way she walked, the way she talked. Vinyl remembered the hotel that Octavia took her to. It was one of the nicest hotels in Manehatten. The room had one of the best views of the city. All of that came together around Octavia. All of that showed her that Octavia had class. She had the finer things in life. This jerk was right about one thing. Vinyl may be low class, but Octavia was not.
Vinyl lifted her head as the pain shot through her right cheek. She cast her gaze up at the manager. For the first time in the years they worked together he saw her eyes. Those radiant, red eyes. He would have thought them to be beautiful if it weren't for the sudden feeling of dread that he was feeling. Those red eyes. Those red, rage filled eyes looked deeply into him with a pure kind of hatred that he had never seen before.
I'm coming, Octavia.
Octavia drew her bow across the strings of her cello one last time. She let out the last note in the piece they were performing. She bowed her head and lay her bow across her lap. She listened as her fellow musicians finished up their own parts and the whole show came to a stop.
“Very, very good! All of you,” The pony at the head of the stage waved his hooves back and forth. “Wonderful! Simply wonderful. That was a perfect practice performance. You are all ready for the upcoming show. I know I can't wait. Go home and get some rest, all of you.”
Octavia nodded and stood up. Many of the other performers stood up as well. They talked amongst themselves, congratulating and shaking hooves. Almost everypony was doing it. But not Octavia. The dear cellist simply moved past all the rest and put her instrument away.
“Hey, Octavia. Wait up.”
She closed the lid to her instrument case before looking up. Another of the performers. Velvet String. A nice stallion who played the violin. She always liked him. He was kind and smart. He liked her as well. They had gone out on a couple of dates before, but it never went anywhere. Luckily, they had broken up amicably and they still remained friends to this day. She was very thankful for that. He was probably the last and only friend she still had.
“Hello, Velvet,” Octavia said plain and flat.
“Octavia. It is good to see you,” He said. “You've been gone a long time. I'm glad you're back.”
“But,” Octavia said. “There is something else you want to say. I can see it in your face.”
“If I may,” He replied. “I wish to ask what happened. Something about you has changed, Octavia. I can hear it in your music. You used to play with your soul in every note, but now there nothing but a sadness in your music.”
“It fits the piece we're playing, Velvet,” Octavia replied. “Leave it at that.”
“I simply wish to help, Octavia, if I can.”
Octavia sighed. “You cannot help me, Velvet,” She said. “Now just leave me alone.”
“Octavia, I-”
“Leave it be!” Octavia snapped back at him over her shoulder. Several of the other performers turned the heads as a hushed whisper quieted them. Octavia glared at him for a second longer. She sighed regretfully. “I'm sorry, Velvet. It's just that. . . there is nothing you can do to help me.”
=====
The day went on with Octavia going home by herself. This was quite normal for her. She stood outside in a sullen silence and waited as a car came around to pick her up. It was another of her mothers feeble attempts at swaying her moods. Not that it worked, but Octavia still took the car ride home. Velvet watched from afar as his friend had to suffer. He only wished he could do something about it.
Octavia sat in her room at home. Hours in the day ticked on by ever so slowly. She tried to occupy her time with a good book, but it seemed that no matter which book she tried none of them were good enough. Each one was more boring than the last. Well, not even boring really. It just seemed that she couldn't get into them. She couldn't focus on the pages and the words.
She picked up the fifth book in her attempt to read as the afternoon ticked on by. She lazily opened up the book. Three pages she read and she found herself not being able to retain anything of it. No feelings the author was trying to impart, no characters that caught her attentions. She sighed and tossed the empty book aside. The book landed with a thud on its spine and fell with its pages open.
The gray mare sighed heavily and moved away from the seat by her window. The afternoon light was fading fast. Nighttime was coming. Octavia looked over at her bed. She knew that if she laid down right now she would be laying and tossing and turning half the night. Even if, by some miracle, she did fall asleep she knew her slumber would be tormented by nightmares and horrid dreams. She could practically feel the restlessness as she looked at her bed.
Uugghhhh. She thought to herself. I can't sleep. I can't read. Maybe I can draw or something.
She moved over to a corner of her room. Some simple art supplies were collected there. This wasn't one of her favorite activities, but something her mother had pushed her to do. She believed it was something all of the high class mares should know how to do, even if just the simplest things. Even though, Octavia did find the act of drawing to be a bit relaxing.
She lit a half dozen candles around the corner and picked up a piece of charcoal. She held it up to the easel and held her hoof there.
“What the bloody hell am I supposed to draw?”
Octavia firmly pressed the tip of the charcoal against the paper. Her mind that had been racing all day, keeping her from focusing on anything, was suddenly blank. She stared at the empty, blank, whiteness and wondered what to do as it reflected her own state of mind. Octavia frowned and dragged the charcoal down the paper. A heavy, black line decorated the page. In a state of growing anger, Octavia struck out with her charcoal.
She lashed out at the paper as if the charcoal pencil were a sword. She sliced lines of darkness onto the paper. Fine black powder drained from the lines. With each and every stroke of her pencil she made more lines, blurring those she had already put to paper. One of her strokes hit the paper harder than she intended, snapping the pencil in two. The pieces fell from her hooves and she stared down at them with a huff. A knock on her door shook her away from her easel.
“Not now!” Octavia yelled. “Leave me alone.”
She hardly noticed as a door opened slightly. “I take it you're not in a good mood then? Should I come back later?”
Octavia's ears perked up. She knew that voice. It was familiar to her, but she hadn't heard it in years. She looked over her shoulder with a small glimmer of hope, but she really wasn't expecting much. For once, she was glad to be wrong. Her angered expression turned into a wide smile.
“Lydia, is that you?!”
Octavia raced for the door. The pony on the other side of the door eased it open and stepped through, only to be nearly tackled by Octavia.
“Hello, Octavia,” She said as Octavia squeezed a hug out of her. “It is good to see you, too.”
Octavia released her captive and held her at hoof length. “Lydia. It is you. But what happened? Where did you go? I just woke up one day and you were gone. I heard you went to work for another household. Did Mother have anything to do with it?”
The two of them moved away from the doors and over to the window. Lydia, a Unicorn, moved a few of the candles from the corner over to the window sill. Lydia was hoofmaiden for the house. Octavia had grown up with her. She was over two decades older than herself, but she had been one of the best friends Octavia had ever had. Until some time ago when she just up and vanished.
“Seven years, dearie,” Said the old pony, Lydia, “It has been seven long years, Octavia.”
“What happened to you?”
“I was sent off is what happened,” Lydia almost shouted, “That mother of yours said I wasn't doing my job, so she sent my off to that awful family in Phillydelphia. That one with the two sons that you always disliked.”
“That's awful,” Octavia gasped, “What did you do?”
“Not much I could do, dearie, but work,” Lydia said. “And work I did. Why, I had that place running better than anypony could have guessed in less than a year. Eventually, I was bumped up to the head maid.”
“You always were the best, Lydia,”
“And don't you forget it,” She said in a playfully joking manner, “Yes, and then the whole place went under. Bad investments, I heard. I was forced to find another job, and so I sent word back here.”
“Mother took you back,” Octavia was visibly shocked by this.
“Please, she hardly notices who is or isn't hired,” Lydia said. “She doesn't care as long as the job is done.”
“HA! Very true,” Octavia had to hold back her laughter, lest she wake somepony.
“But enough about this old bat,” Lydia said, “It's been seven years, dearie. Tell me about yourself. What's is new with you? Is there a special stallion in your life?”
Octavia's cheeks became flushed with a red color. The blush only got bigger as Lydia pried.
“Oh, come now, dearie, you have to tell me,” She said. “I can see it in you. I know its there.”
“Well,” Octavia said, nervously fidgeting with her hooves, “There is a pony out there, I guess.”
“Ho, I knew it,” Lydia roared. “I want to know it all, dearie.”
“Well then. First, you should know that she isn't a stallion,” Octavia said.
“Ooh,” Lydia cooed. “How scandalous. Tell me more.”
Octavia couldn't help but smile at the old mare. She was so much older, but still had the heart of a younger pony. She was always in s good mood and always nice to her. She was Octavia's friend. She was her big sister, her best friend, her diary. She was the one source of happiness she had always had in this wretched house. And she was finally back.
They sat there together for hours just talking. The candles had burned down to almost nothing. Octavia had spent most of the time telling Lydia of the one day, six months ago. That one day where she met the pony who would change her life. She went on and one about Vinyl, and how her mother had separated them. Lydia just listened.
“Oh my,” She said when Octavia was finally done. “Now that is quite the tale, dearie.”
“I know, but you wanted to know if I had anypony in my life.”
“Pardon me saying so, dearie,” Lydia said. “But this Vinyl isn't in your life at the moment.”
“And whose fault is that,” Octavia shouted. “Mother had us magically pried apart. I don't even know where to begin looking for her. I only met her for the one day.”
Octavia jumped off her seat. She paced around the room as the rising anger stirred up a restlessness in her. Lydia watched as she moved back and forth, wearing a small indent into the carpeting. She sighed heavily and looked over at the young gray mare.
“Tell me, dearie, why is she so important to you if you only knew her the one day?”
Octavia stopped in her tracks. She looked up at Lydia with an intent to yell at her. To scream some of the same things she had been yelling at her mother for months now, but she didn't. As soon as she saw the look on Lydia's face, that look of patience and understanding, she stopped. The words got caught in her throat and she couldn't speak. The anger subsided and she was forced to look away. She turned her head and found herself looking at the corner where the easel stood. Only then did she notice what she had actually drawn.
It was Vinyl. Every charcoal line. Each dark shaded mark. Somehow, in her anger she had drawn an image of Vinyl. It was rather crude, but the image was still clear. Octavia stared at it for a moment before walking over to it.
“Because, Lydia,” She said as she grabbed a pencil. A colored pencil. “Vinyl Scratch is special to me.” Octavia began to take that pencil, and color in the blues of her mane.
“I can't tell you exactly why she means so much to me, but she does. Yes, we only knew each other for one day, but it was one very special day. We made a connection that day.”
She finished with the blues of her mane as she spoke. She took a second to look over the paper. She smiled as she liked what she saw. She took a hoof and brushed it across a few of the lines, erasing some of the harshness of some of the lines. She blew away the fine powder from the materials with a soft breath.
“Dearie, I think you do know,” Lydia said as she came up behind Octavia. She was working with a deep red color now. “You are just too afraid to say it aloud. Let me tell ya, there ain't nothing to be afraid of. Not your mother, not all this time apart, not anything. You can say it. I promise I won't tattle.”
Octavia stared into the eyes of the image she had drawn. She had just colored them the deepest of the reds that only a real ruby could compare to. She stepped back as she looked upon the face of the pony that had been filling her mind all this time. Her image filled her view and tears welled up in her eyes.
“Vinyl Scratch,” Octavia said softly, but aloud, “I love you.”
Velvet String quickly, yet carefully made his way down the streets of Manehatten. He shivered under his coat as chilled wind blew across his body.
“Curse this insufferable weather,” He grunted, mildly annoyed that he even still lived in this city.
He gathered himself in his coat as best he could as he kept moving. Normally he wouldn’t have even been in this part of the city, but today wasn’t a normal day for him. He wasn’t here for himself. He was here for a friend.
Octavia was here, in this part of the city. Before, when she wasn’t so solemn. He asked around. There wasn’t much anypony remembered from six months prior, but he did finally manage to get something. Octavia was walking through this part of the city. It may not have been the nicest part of the city, so he couldn’t really figure out what she was doing here. There was nothing around here but small little shops, a few clubs, and some not very appealing apartment complexes.
"Why were you here, Octavia," He asked himself as he looked around. He could see the hotel her family used. It was so far away, but he could still see it so clearly. In contrast to where he was now, it seemed so odd. His thoughts ended as another gust of wind brought more chills. He shivered again.
He took one last look around. He was about to leave when he heard something. It was a small thing. A thump? A thud? A grunt? He was not quite sure exactly. It was coming from a building down the block. His curiosity won out as he trotted over to the only door he could see. He neared the door and he heard it again. It was much easier to make out this time. A crash. Yelling and shouting. Grunting, breathing. It was getting closer. He stepped back from the door as it burst open and a pony stumbled out. She only managed to get a few steps before collapsing into the snow.
Velvet looked down upon the white mare. She breathed heavy as she lay there, red streaks running down her cheeks. Velvet rushed to her side. He gently brushed a bit of her mane from her face. Her left eye was bruised and swollen. Underneath was a cut that was turning the snow red.
"Oh my," His voice trembled with worry.
"Where is she?!" The voice echoed up from the building. "I swear, when I get that mare in my hooves. . ."
Velvet didn’t know why, but for some reason he looked in the building. He peeked his head in just enough to see down the steps the mare had just come from. What he saw he did not like.
A stallion of a rather large size, certainly larger than Velvet himself. This stallion did not look happy, or even nice. His mane was a mess, his face was lightly bruised and he wore a panic inducing face of unadulterated anger. Velvet gulped and turned back the mare at his feet.
"I know this isn’t the best time," He hurriedly uttered as he picked the mare up from the ground. "But did he do this to you?"
She hung limply from Velvet’s hooves. Her breathing was still heavy and slow. And yet, she was able to give him a slight nod. That was all he needed. He gathered her up as best he could without causing her too much discomfort. He had to move fast though.
"Let's get you out of here then," Velvet said as he used his own magic to close the door behind them, trying to slow that mad stallion down a bit.
It was only mere moments after they had left that he heard the door slam open. It was so loud he worried if they had gotten far enough away. He didn’t stop moving, though. Every part of him was telling him to panic. He held the mare close to him, hoping beyond hope that maybe the swirling snow all around them would hide them enough.
"Vinyl!" The mad stallion screamed. "When I find ya, yur done!"
Velvet let out a small sigh of relief. Maybe this weather is good for something after all.
Vinyl’s eyes snapped open. She tried to sit up, quickly realizing that was a mistake. A pain unlike anything she had ever felt coursed through her. She winced and grimaced as she brought a hoof up to her face. She ever so lightly brushed her hoof against her eye. Memories of what happened came flooding back to her. The cold of the outside, the warmth of the inside. That pony, the manager. She remembered what he tried to do. She tensed up at the memory but the soreness and pain in her body reminded her to calm down.
She slid her hoof down her cheek. She knew her cut cheek was just below her swollen eye, but she didn’t feel it. Instead, she felt the feel of a bandage. She looked down at the rest of her body. She had bandages around more of her body than she would have liked. She breathed in deeply. At least she was alive.
"Oh, you’re awake."
The voice brought Vinyl’s attention immediately to the door. Her body instinctively tensed up as she spotted a pony in the doorway. A stallion Unicorn. He stood up straight with his mane hanging down around his face. His eyes seemed warm and inviting. He looked at here without judgment or malice. He smiled with a kind smile that she hadn’t seen much in her life. She liked it. She allowed herself to relax a bit as he came in.
"I hope you like the room," He said nervously. "I wasn’t exactly sure what to do once we got away from that stallion, so I just brought you home. This is my guest room."
Vinyl cast her gaze around the room. She hadn’t noticed it before, but this was a nice room. It was large and spacious. The windows faced the setting sun and she watched a moment as the last rays of daylight disappeared beneath the horizon. She took a deep breath. The room smelled of vanilla candles. There was a table and chair along the opposite wall. The floor had a rug. This was everything she was not used to. Everything she didn’t have.
"I know it may seem like a little much to a pony like you," Velvet muttered while nervously looking at the room. Vinyl scowled at him with clear annoyance. She narrowed her eyes when he looked back at her. "Oh, no! I didn’t mean it like that," He frantically apologized. "I just meant that I don’t think you’re used to this kind of a place."
Vinyl kept staring at him for a few seconds. She let her scowl fade away. She was still annoyed, but she knew he was right. And he was genuinely apologetic. She twisted in bed and almost passed out again as pain shot through her.
"Whoa, there. Be careful now," Velvet told her with compassion in his voice. "The doctor said you were in pretty bad shape. Your face was badly bruised. You had some bruised ribs as well. You passed out from exhaustion he said. I don’t know what happened to you, but I must have been pretty bad."
Vinyl looked over to him. Why was he being so nice to her? Who was this pony? She glanced over at him again. He was looking over her body. More specifically, he was looking at her bandages. She waved her hoof just enough to get his attention. When he looked up at her she shrugged. She gestured at her injured self and the room she was in, and shrugged again.
"You, uh, don’t talk much," Velvet stated the obvious. "But I think I get what you’re saying. You want to know why, don’t you? Why am I helping you? Why did I bring you here instead of just dropping you off at some hospital in the city? Is that it?"
Vinyl nodded in response.
"Well, that’s actually a pretty simple answer,' Velvet replied with a kind smile and light chuckle. "I have this friend you see, and she has always been kind and wonderful to everypony around her. It never mattered who they were or where they were from. She would talk to the pony that delivered the mail the same as she would talk to a high society pony at some grand event."
Velvet stopped for a moment to grab a chair and bring it closer to the bed. He sat down next to Vinyl and continued. Vinyl adjusted herself in the bed so she was more comfortable. She was almost laying down at this point.
"She was always in such a good mood, too. Always with a smile on her face. And her music! She used to play with such cheer and happiness," Velvet grinned, to which Vinyl’s ears perked up. "She used to play in such a way that the entire room could feel it. It was like you could closed your eyes and reach out with a hoof and touch it. Every note she played was joyous!"
Velvet had gotten a little ahead of himself. He was lost in his thoughts, reminiscing about his friend. When he looked back over at Vinyl he was quite surprised. Vinyl had managed to sit up in her bed despite the pain it must have caused. Her head was down and her eyes were closed. Her ears, however, were perked up. They moved and twitched to an unheard force as her hooves moved through the air. Once she held high as the other she dragged through the air beneath. To anyone else, she would have been seen as crazy or confused.
"That’s exactly as Octavia plays," Velvet exclaimed.
Vinyl’s eyes opened up, sparkling at the mention of Octavia’s name. She leaned closer to Velvet with a smile widening on her face, begging him to keep going. She wanted to hear more of Octavia and her music.
"So you’ve heard Octavia play before," Velvet asked. "It’s such a beautiful thing to hear. If only she still played like that. Unfortunately, as of late her music has been somber and full of woe. It is filled with such a sadness that I cannot understand. And Octavia carries this with her always, and she always seems so alone."
Velvet hung his head low. His words had brought such a bright smile to this mares face and now he knew they would just a quickly take it away. He did not want to look up at her, and so he kept his eyes on the floor. Seconds passed like hours in the most uncomfortable silence he had ever heard. The air itself seemed to weigh down on him. He stared at the floor, only to see drops falling down. He looked back up.
Vinyl was still sitting at the side of the bed, leaning forward. He saw that now her eyes no longer sparkled as they did. Now, her eyes had welled up with tears and they were running down her cheeks like rivers. And yet, she still held onto that smile. Velvet was amazed, and confused.
"Why?"
Vinyl slid forward, kind of falling off the bed. She ignored the pain as she wrapped her hooves around Velvet in a warm hug. She shut her eyes tight and held that hug. Velvet was too shocked to do anything for a moment. But when he did finally regain himself he returned the embrace.
"I'm not sure what I did or said exactly," He kindly whispered to her, "But you are most welcome."
Octavia woke that morning feeling better than she had in a remarkably long time. Her dreadful mother came to her room in the afternoon. She told Octavia that she would be leaving for business across the city and she would most certainly be gone for a few days. Because of this her and Lydia were able to stay up late into the night. They talked. Well, mostly Octavia talked. She spoke of Vinyl, of the orchestra, of anything really. It was just great for her to be able to talk to somepony again. Somepony other than one of her mother's drones. Lydia even let her sleep in a bit late. And she woke up to a glorious start to the day. Or so she had thought. By the time she had gotten downstairs, she would find that her entire world was about to come crashing down.
"Velvet," Octavia barely breathed out, stunned. "What happened to you?"
Velvet stood in the doorway. His chest heaved with heavy breaths from running. The icy chill from the late morning winds coated his mane in a layer of frost. Snow fell from the sky and stuck to his coat. He shivered under the weight of the chill, but didn't let it bother him. Various small cuts and scrapes stood out in the cold weather. A small gash on his brow and a split lip seemed to be the worst of it. His eyes, normally so full of kindness, now only displayed a worrisome gaze, as if begging Octavia for forgiveness.
"Octavia," He stammered through clattering teeth and split lip. "They took her. She's gone."
Octavia had no idea what was going on as she lead her friend inside. She sat him down next to the fireplace as Lydia fetched him a warm cup of tea. His body seemed to relax ever so slightly next to the warmth of the fire and yet, his eyes never lost that worry.
"What happened," Octavia asked him again. "Who was taken?"
"Vinyl," Was all he said.
"What," Octavia questioned. "Vinyl? You mean, you know Vinyl?"
"I'm so sorry, Octavia," Velvet pleaded. "Please, forgive me. I should have told you sooner."
"Just tell me now," Octavia pushed him onward. "Tell me everything."
Velvet and Vinyl sat together. It had been a few days since he had brought Vinyl back to his home. Most of her time was spent in bed resting and healing. On that day she was feeling good enough that she was able to walk out into the dining room for breakfast. She winced with a couple of the steps, but the pain was negligible.
"Good morning," Velvet said as she climbed into a chair. He finished making the latest batch of pancakes and joined her at the table. She happily filled her plate and slathered it all with syrup. She took bite after bite, savoring each one. She hadn't eaten pancakes in years. She had already eaten two before realizing that Velvet was staring at her. She smiled bashfully and put her fork down.
"Sorry, didn't mean to stare," Velvet joked. "I was just wondering something."
Vinyl tilted her head and raised an eyebrow. She was curious. What was he wondering about?
"When did you and Octavia meet," Velvet asked her. "It must've been a pretty special meeting."
Vinyl nodded fiercely at that statement. It was indeed special. She remembered everything about that night. She looked down at her pancakes and an idea came to mind. Velvet had set aside a small bowl of blueberries in case she wanted some with her pancakes. She magically floated some over to her plate and arranged them in a very specific way. When she was does showed off her work to Velvet.
"6 and 'M'," He guessed. "Six months? You met her six months ago."
Again, Vinyl nodded heartily, and then she took a large bite of her now blueberried pancakes. She couldn't help but smile at how wonderful they tasted.
"That's about the same time Octavia started behaving oddly," Velvet stated. "If you don't mind me asking, Vinyl, what happened between you?"
Vinyl gulped down one last bite before responding. She closed her eyes and let some of her magic flow out of her. She took it in front of her and molded it into the shape she wanted. She rounded the edges and added a point at the bottom. It took only a moment and she help up a heart to Velvet, and as he observed this heart she rapidly tore in two pieces and threw them to opposite sides.
"Oh, I see," Velvet mumbled. "You needn't say any more, Vinyl."
"She really said that," Octavia muttered the question.
"I saw it with my own eyes," Velvet answered.
By this point Lydia had come back with that warm cup of tea. She had only just set it down before Octavia was on top of her. She was bouncing around the room and giggling with glee like a little filly.
"Lydia, did you hear that," She asked gleefully. "Did you hear what he said. Vinyl said, or showed it actually. It doesn't matter because she said it! She loves me."
Lydia stood next to Velvet. "Come now, dearie. Settle down."
"I can't," Octavia replied. "She loves me. I knew it. I always knew it. The only thing better is if I could see her one more time. To see her tell me herself." As if realizing that she could Octavia rushed back over to Velvet. She looked at Velvet with her eyes pleading with him to continue.
The two of them sat together in silence for a few moments. Until a knock on the door broke the silence. Velvet nodded at Vinyl to keep eating. He would get it. And so he stepped away from the table and moved for his front door.
Something had Vinyl feeling uneasy. She followed a few seconds behind him. The knocking had increased in the short time it had taken him to get to the door. By the time he reached his hoof out to open the door whoever it was on the other side was practically pounding on it.
He had barely twisted the handle before it all started. The door was forcefully pushed in. The door swung in so hard it sent Velvet crashing into the wall with an audible thud. He slumped to the floor gasping for breath as the visitors came in.
Vinyl didn't want to stay any longer than she had to. She felt bad but she wanted to leave, to run away, but some part of her stayed. Until she saw the pony who barged in. A stallion, tall with a large frame. Fear began creeping up into Vinyl as this pony walked in. It was the same Earth pony managet of that rave club, and he wasn't alone. Her mouth hung open in stunned silence. She shook her head every so slightly. With eyes wide she moved to run for the guest room, if only her body would have let her. She moved too fast, to soon and pain forced her to the ground.
"Looks like that beating I gave you is still hurtin'," He sneered. "Good. Makes this lots easier."
"No," Velvet coughed, "Leave her alone."
The stallion chuckled over his shoulder. "What are ya gonna do to stop me?"
The question itself was rhetorical. Velvet knew he didn't have an answer. So did the stallion. He chuckled again as he signaled for the two other ponies he was with. They both came in, one a pegasus and the other another Earth pony. They gave Velvet a few hits that sent him back down the floor. Meanwhile, the stallion moved to scoop of Vinyl.
"I told ya, Vinyl," He hissed into her ear as he stepped on her body, "That I would find ya. Now yer done for."
He pressed his hoof into her ribs. She did everything she could to not cry out in pain. Through tear filled eyes she could see Velvet, bleeding on the floor. There was no relief when he finally removed his hoof. He just unceremoniously tossed her limp body over his back and carried her out. There was nothing that could be done to stop him. She couldn't move. Velvet was barely conscious.
"When I woke shortly after that I ran straight here."
"Who were these ponies," Lydia asked. Octavia was much to stricken to even speak. She stared off, her mind filled with every horrible possibility as to what was happening to Vinyl right now.
"I don't know," Velvet answered. "The only other time I saw them was when I first met Vinyl. She was in a rather poor state and I reckon it was because of that brute of a stallion."
"Where is she?" Octavia's intense gaze sent a small shudder through Velvet. "Where did you see him? Where can I find him?! Tell me!"
"Octavia," He breathed.
"Why did you even come here if not to help," She yelled angrily.
Velvet straightened in his chair. "I never said I wasn't going to help. I was just going to say you might want to bring a few more ponies along. You haven't seen this stallion."
"It doesn't matter," Octavia vowed. "I'm going to get Vinyl back."
Three ponies stood outside in the snow. They stood before a door. Not just any door. No, this door was an old, rusted metal door that creaked a bit when opened. No pony touched it, they only stared. On the surface of this old, rusted door was very new red stain. Still wet and smeared across the handle.
"Vinyl," Octavia gasped as she reached out. She felt it under her hoof as she slowly pulled on the door. The icy winds whipped through her mane one last time as she descended the stairs. She didn't know what she was walking into, but she knew Vinyl was here. She could feel it.
When she reached the bottom she finally saw just how bad it was. Vinyl was laying in the middle of the floor. Her eyes barely open and unfocused. Even from across the room she could see the red pool around Vinyl's midsection. Octavia wanted to run, to run as fast as she could over to Vinyl, but she couldn't. Her body refused to move. Even if it could, she wouldn't reach her.
"So, who might you be?" The voice belonged to a large stallion. He stood front and center among this horror show. Beside him stood five other ponies. Two Pegasus were flexing their wings. Three more Earth ponies showed their own frustrations.
Octavia stood tall and proud, or as much as she could. She didn't want to admit it, but maybe Velvet was right. She really should have brought some more ponies. And this stallion was quite large. But she didn't want to let that stop her. She did everything to suppress that fear.
"I'm here for Vinyl," She boldly stated.
"Again," The large stallion asked. "Who are you?"
He took a few steps forward, towards Octavia. He also stood tall and proud, using his size to try and intimidate her. He stopped moving, though, when he saw a rather familiar face. Standing just a few paces behind her was a male Unicorn.
"Hey," He pointedly stated, "Didn't we deal you already? Didn't we leave you passed out on the floor, like, and hour or two ago?"
Velvet gulped, trying to swallow his nerves. "Yes," He squeaked. "And you might want to think about getting new goons seeing as how I woke in just over an hour." His heart was pounding. Why? Why did he just say that? Why was he antagonizing this monster of a pony?
"Hahahaha," The stallion roared, "Yaknow, I misjudged you. I took ya for a coward, but yer actually pretty funny. Hehe."
"I am here for Vinyl," Octavia stated again, this time a bit louder.
"Yeah, I heard ya the first time," The stallion replied, coming down from his fit of laughter. "Ya can't have her."
"Give her to me," Octavia yelled, unable to contain herself anymore.
"Why should I?"
"She's not moving and she's badly bleeding," Octavia started.
"What, that," He gestured back at her seemingly lifeless body. "She took a fall. A bad one."
"Just let me take her, or-"
"OR WHAT?!" The stallion challenged. "I am tired of everypony getting between me and her! What are ya gonna do?" He was shouting every word with anger as he stepped closer and closer to Octavia. "You got you, the coward turned comedian, and an old mare with ya. What are you gonna do to me?!"
Lydia had been quiet up til this point. She had tried to reason with Octavia same as Velvet, but she was having none of it. She was too caught up in Vinyl to see anything else. The only thing Lydia could do was go with her, and hope that nothing happened. Unfortunately, a lot more was happening than she wanted to.
"Now you hold on there," Lydia piped up as she walked next to Octavia. "You are getting awfully angry there, mister. You want this Vinyl pony so bad, hmm? Well guess what, so do we. And we aren't going anywhere. Now, I may just be an old mare, but even I can see that she isn't worth this much trouble for you. Just give her up. It'll be a lot less trouble for everypony."
Lydia stood as tall as Octavia was, but she was also just pretending. Her legs were shaking even more than hers. But she kept her head held high and her voice calm and clear. She could tell that this stallion was much more brawn than brains, but even he had to be smart enough to see the logic in her words.
"I don't think so." He said back after a second of thought.
"Now see her-" Lydia never got another word out as a hoof came across her face. It wasn't a particularly hard or forceful hit, but it was more than enough to knock her back. Velvet ran up to her right away. She was still conscious, but she was definitely not going to be saying anything for a while. The last thing she saw before looking away was that dastardly stallion with a wicked smile on his face.
"You monster!" Octavia shouted the words. She was done. Done with the chivalry and the politeness. She was past nice and civil. She was done with all of it. She let her emotions take over her. She stepped up to challenge the stallion. "Is that all you know how to do, you brute? Beat down those smaller and weaker than yourself? Are you so dimwitted you cannot see what you do to ponies?"
"You best be quiet," The stallion said with such calm that it almost scared Octavia. Almost.
"NO! I will not be quiet," She shouted. "You have beaten both my friends. You have nearly killed the mare that I love! I will not be quiet while you assault us any longer."
“Love? Love,†The stallion repeated the word, as if trying to figure out what it meant. "Is that why yer here? Your in love with Vinyl?"
Octavia's mouth opened but nothing came out. Her mind was still racing. She said it. She actually said it. Vinyl was so close. Could she hear it? Did she? Octavia's heart was already racing, but now it threatened to burst from her chest. Her cheeks turned red as silence filled the air.
"Ooh, that's rich," The stallion hollered with a laugh, "You came all this way for love? Ha! I'm almost tempted to let ya take her at this point. But I'm thinking you should join her instead."
He raised a hoof. He expected what always happened when he did this. In the seconds before his hoof came down he always saw the same thing. The fear, the panic, that ran through the minds of the ponies. He loved those seconds. He lived for them. But this time they didn't come. He raised his hoof and got a response he never could have expected.
"Do it." A few stray tears fell down her face as Octavia glared up at the stallion. Even behind her tears he could see her anger. He found it unsettling in every way. "Do it," Octavia cried again. "Hitting things is all you know. So do it. If hitting me is the only way I can be close to Vinyl again, then go ahead, and do it."
By now she was crying fully. Tears rained down her face as she yelled at this stallion. Her eyes full of tears, her voice full of anger, her heart full of love. She did not back down. She was no longer afraid.
"HIT ME!"
"NNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!"
A new voice screamed.
Silence. It started with a scream, and then nothing. No angered yells and shouts. No pained crying and injured groans. There was nothing. Everypony was there, in stunned silence, too shocked to make even a hint of sound. All eyes turned to face it. The source of that soul wrenching scream.
It started with a pain. A pain unlike any other. But there was more. Through gritted teeth and blurred vision she could see her. Little more than a shade of gray against the background, but she knew. It was her.
Octavia!
She had to move. She had to something. But even the smallest of movements caused her side to burn. That stallion threw her against a chunk of ice outside. She had a large cut down her side, and she was laying in a pool of red she couldn't leave. But she had to. And yet all she could was watch. And listen.
". . .the mare that I love. . ."
Love? Did she just say 'love'?
She had to get up. She needed to get to Octavia. She pushed herself. Throbbing pain almost sent her back into unconsciousness. She couldn't help it. She wanted to move. She wanted to reach out and touch her. She was barely able to move a hoof at all. She had to keep trying.
She took as deep a breath as she could. She could feel her hooves. She could feel the floor underneath her. She could feel the pain, ever present and unyielding. She breathed as deeply as she could.
". . .thinking you should join her. . ."
What? No! Octavia, no! Go, run away. Don't stay here. Don't let him do this to you.
She really focused. Pain coursed through her but she fought through it. She had to. It wasn't about her anymore. It was more than just her wanting what she wanted. To see Octavia smile so cheerfully, to listen to her talk and laugh. To feel her coat in her arms, the beat of her heart because she's so close. She wanted all those things, but she couldn't get them if Octavia was here with her.
"Do it."
NO!
"HIT ME!"
"NNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!"
Silence. She heard nothing but silence. With more effort than she knew she had she moved. With more pain than she knew she could even feel she rose. She groaned as she put one hoof under her. She clenched her teeth as she put a second hoof under her. She grunted, nearly collapsing, as she fought through the pain. She could hardly see, her vision blurred by the pain. And yet she stood. She struggled to stand on shaky legs, but she did.
She breathed heavy. Her coat stained with red she stood. She lifted her head up as high as she could. She could see them. Octavia and the stallion. Her face twisted with rage. Her mouth peeled back, showing her teeth like some wild animal. Her eyes narrow and focused. Her gaze burned with passion. Her mane hung messy and loose around her face. She looked between several fallen strands out to see her mare.
"Vinyl," Octavia gasped.
"No,"€ The stallion growled. "You can't be standing. Not after everything I did to you."
Her eyes snapped to him and she snarled as her horn began to glow. It was a small light at first but it rapidly grew to an eerie glow. She
"Get her!"
The stallion shouted at the other ponies in the room, but it was too late. Much too late. Vinyl sent out a pulse from her horn. It hit the ponies even if they didn't feel it right away. The two Pegasus ponies leaped high into the air and attempted to dive at her. Meanwhile, the other three all just charged.
"AAAAAAGGHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Vinyl screamed out a passionate, rage fueled scream. With it came another pulse of magic, this one stronger than the last.
Five came at her. Five ponies were violently moved away from her. All them were sent flying by that pulse. One of the Pegasus ponies went careening over the stallion's head. He hit the far wall wailing with pain as his wing snapped. Other ponies were tossed through tables and the air. None of them were in any condition to get back up. Or if they were, they chose not to. There was only one left. Vinyl locked eyes with the stallion.
Even he had to admit, he was a little shocked. Five ponies. He had five ponies, and she sent all of them flying across the room with a scream. He felt that first little pulse, but that was little more than a breeze to him. But that second one. He didn't feel it, and he was fairly sure he didn't to. Because she just looked at him. He felt a twinge of fear.
She stood on her own hooves. Her chest heaved with every breath. Her mane hung down in loose stands in front of her face. Yet her eyes. All he could see were her eyes. Glowing orbs of red, staring down at him like he was nothing more than small prey. No, he was less than that. Her eyes burned with a passionate rage he had never seen before. He could feel it on him. He could feel the very weight of her emotions as the poured over him. He struggled to keep his composure. He moved his mouth to speak only to find his words hollow and empty and without sound. He lifted a hoof to moved toward her only to find his body rigid and immobile. He lifted his head only to find himself shrinking to the floor.
"No," he managed to grunt with all his strength. "How?"
Vinyl didn't answer him with words. No, she stepped forward. A single step. He found himself shrinking back. He didn't want to believe it. He couldn't be. Yet his body did not lie. He was afraid. He watched in terror as she took another step towards him. Try as he might, he couldn't move. Her horn flashed and he felt a crushing weight upon him. His legs buckled beneath him and his large body slammed into the floor with enough force to make the cheap wooden floor groan and creak. It took all his strength to look up. All he saw were those eyes. Glowing red orbs of hatred, and love. She pointed her horn at him. It started as a small flicker of light.
"Vinyl, stop."
Vinyl's head snapped up. Before her stood Octavia. She was there. Her face was marked with the path of tears, and she did not smile. Her own purple eyes, pleading with Vinyl, begging her.
"Enough, Vinyl," She pleaded as she walked up to her love. "Please, just stop."