“Octavia!” Vinyl exclaimed, dashing into the living room as her marefriend put on her saddlebags.
“Goodness, Vinyl, are you alright?”
“No, I’m not. Do you know what happened to these?” Vinyl levitated her most prized possession, her headphones, in front of her. The right earpiece had broken clean off the rest of the set, attached only by a few frayed wires.
Confusion turning to guilt, Octavia circled her hoof on the ground. “Oh, yes. That. I’m so sorry, Vinyl. I accidently stepped on them this morning, and I forgot to tell you. Though, to be fair, you shouldn’t leave your belongings lying on the floor like that if they’re that important to you.”
“You what?!” Vinyl exclaimed, shouting a lot louder than she intended to. Noting her marefriend’s concerned expression, she swallowed hard, attempting to hold back her growing rage, though she couldn’t hide her tightened jaw and scowl. “Okay. That’s okay,” she finally said through clenched teeth, “but you owe me a new pair.”
“Of course,” said Octavia, nodding in agreement, though still unsure why Vinyl was this upset. “I understand that they’re important, but with the amount of music you’ve been listening to lately, perhaps a day without it would do you some good.”
With a twitch of her eye, Vinyl snapped. “Maybe it would do you some good to watch where you’re walking!”
Taken aback, Octavia raised an eyebrow. “Perhaps you could take some quiet time to cool down,” she said, growing irritated with Vinyl’s lack of understanding. “I’ll be back in a few hours, and I’ll get you a new pair while I’m out. Fair?”
“Fine.” Vinyl plopped down on the couch, her forelegs crossed, staring at the wall. She heard Octavia huff before walking out the door, closing it with a greater deal of force than usual. With a deep breath, she slid onto her back, her flank nearly touching the floor. Without her headphones, things seemed so… eerily quiet.
Ever since the night she came to live with Octavia, she had listened to more music than she ever had before. It filled the void of silence, providing a sense of warmth and comfort she only felt when she was next to her marefriend, huddled together in a warm, meaningful embrace. Only in those times her mind didn’t race, didn’t think of her time with… him. Even the mere thought of him made her shudder. Despite his nonchalant response when Octavia told him that he was single and that his marefriend's things would be removed, she couldn’t help but feel that he felt something stronger, deep down. An anger, a burning fury towards her not yet satiated. She had felt such rage both physically and mentally in her time with him, but now that she had Octavia, maybe she could forget about all that.
A creak from the bedroom made her ears snap up, focusing on the sound. Her eyes darted towards the source, ready for anything she may find. Nothing. She shook her head, chuckling to herself. Get ahold of yourself, girl, she thought. Nopony else is here. Nothing is here. Looking around the living room, she eyed the television next to the fireplace. Maybe some TV would help with the Celestia-awful silence.
Levitating over the remote, she brought the rest of herself onto the couch and turned on the TV, flicking through channels until she found a rerun of one of her favorite horror movies. “Ah sweet!” she exclaimed. “I love this one.”
On the screen, a young mare sat on the edge of a dock, looking across the moonlit lake before her in an absent-minded manner. Behind her, powerful hoofsteps thudded against the wood, causing a creaking sound to accompany the clopping. As the sound came closer, the mare slowly turned, her eyes widening and her jaw hanging open. As the camera angle changed, the mare let loose a bloodcurdling scream as it panned up to the stallion behind her.
Vinyl saw the stallion’s form even after the scene had ended. Something about him felt… off. She couldn’t quite place her hoof on it. Was it the way he stood? His stance was wide, shoulders forward, like a predator waiting to strike. It gave her a funny feeling in the pit of her stomach. Could it be… him?
She laughed to herself, no longer paying attention to the movie. “No, of course not,” she said. “That’s stupid.” The stallion came on screen again, but this time it was different. He looked directly into the camera, as if he stared at Vinyl, herself. A chill shot from the tip of her horn to the base of her tail. The movie didn’t move on from the stallion; the camera remained focussed on him, not moving in the slightest.
The stallion spoke, his voice low and booming. “Vinyl.”
Her heart nearly stopped. Had he… just…
It couldn’t be. No. It was just a movie, they’re not real. He repeated himself, this time sounding irritated, as if he wasn’t pleased with her reaction. Looking around the room, Vinyl tried to see if Octavia had set up some sort of elaborate prank, even though those weren’t her style. When her quick scan brought up nothing, Vinyl returned her attention to the TV, horrified that the stallion still looked at her.
“Y-yeah?” she asked, not sure why she was attempting to talk to a movie character.
Stepping forward, the stallion’s features became clearer. He had a scar across his left cheek, a ring on his right eyebrow, stubble on his chin, and blank stare that sent a familiar chill through Vinyl’s veins.
“Vinyl,” he repeated, still staring at her with those piercing green eyes.
It’s all in your head, Vinyl. You’re not actually seeing this, she thought. These thoughts immediately left her when the stallion’s forelegs extended through the TV and stepped onto the livingroom floor. She could only watch, motionless and silent, as the rest of him appeared and his form became clearer in the light.
“Hello, Vinyl,” he said, a wide smile crossing his lips.
Silence. Vinyl couldn’t move. She sat there, looking at the one she never wanted to see again right in front of her. Though she tried to speak, to answer him, no words came, only the sensation of a dry throat.
He stepped towards her, his hooves pounding with every step. “Vinyl. I thought I’d lost you. Why did you leave?” When he was mere inches from her, he extended his hoof forward. “Please, Vinyl. I love you.”
Those words. Those three words that brought joy and fear into Vinyl’s heart with every utterance. What real meaning did they hold? Were those words used to create vulnerability in the declarer or the declare?. She could never tell.
“Why… why are you here?” asked Vinyl finally, unable to hide her trembling from the stallion’s gaze.
He took his hoof back, smiling at her. “Isn’t it obvious? I want us to be together, again.” As he walked to the kitchen, he turned back to her and winked. “Forever.”
Shaking, Vinyl huddled herself on the couch, grasping at a nearby pillow, squeezing it to her chest. Moments later, the stallion came back with two bottles. One he gave to her and the other he cracked open, himself as he sat on the floor across the table.
“Drink up.”
Looking closely at the bottle, Vinyl saw it was the beer she always got at the bar, the same scantily-clad pony on the front with the same old-timey hairdo. “I can’t. I’m sorry.”
The stallion looked to her, his expression blank. He set his bottle down on the table and got up, approaching her much in the same way he had approached the mare in the movie.
“Drink.”
Slowly, Vinyl shook her head, eyes closed tight in a desperate attempt to escape her reality. Suddenly, the stallion grabbed her by the mane, jerked her head up, put the bottle to her lips, and held her down as the contents went down her throat.
“Drink!” he shouted, his eyes stabbing Vinyl in the same way they had ever since she knew him.
Though she struggled to break free of his grasp, Vinyl couldn’t fight against his strength, squirming as she was forced to swallow the burning liquid. When the bottle was empty, she felt the force of the stallion fade as she opened her eyes. She lay on the floor in the kitchen, the tile chilling the skin under her fur.
It… wasn’t real? She thought, looking around her for any trace of her attacker. She found nothing out of the ordinary, prompting her to giggle to herself, her tone acting more as an attempt to calm herself down. See? It’s all in your head, Vinyl. He isn’t here, you’re just-
She froze when she looked over and saw the bottle in her hoof. It had the same scantily-clad pony and the same old-timey hairdo. Swallowing hard, tension grew when she detected the familiar aftertaste of alcohol - cheap and strong, just like she always had. She slowly tipped the bottle to the floor, and as she feared, every drop had been drained. Looking to her right, she saw another bottle by her flank, empty just like the other.
“O-okay, Vinyl. Just calm down, okay? S-stay calm,” she said, trying to convince herself that everything was going to be okay. She barely believed her own lie. With a burdened sigh, she trotted through the living room into the bathroom before looking at her reflection in the mirror.
Holy crap, she thought. You look terrible. Her mane stood up in spots and hung matted in others, as if she had been out partying like she used to. She blinked, her eyes bloodshot and half-lidded, stains from the beer on her lower lip and chin.
“Well, Octy wouldn’t like to come home and see me like this,” said Vinyl, shaking her head at the thought of her marefriend’s reaction if she caught her looking like such a slob. “Better wash up.”
She turned on the water, letting the cascading river run across her hoof, sighing at the coolness. When she was sure the water was cold enough, she dipped both hooves under before bringing them to her face, rubbing them across her mouth, muzzle, and cheeks. As soon as as the water hit her, a jolt of alertness shot through her, causing her to open her eyes wide. Along with this came a growing feeling of dread, a feeling that settled in her chest, making her heart race.
Raising her head, she stopped as soon as she saw her reflection, again. The area around her right eye was swelled, blackened in one hell of a shiner. Curious, she touched it, only to take her hoof away in a hiss of pain. She stared at the mirror in confusion; she didn’t remember injuring herself at any time before that moment, despite how real the pain felt.
Somewhere in her mind, Vinyl heard a faint whisper. The voice sounded sinister, as if the venom-ladened could puncture her skin. “Why did you leave me, Vinyl?”
Staring directly into the mirror, Vinyl found herself paralyzed, her front hooves on either side of the sink, her back legs shaking violently. Him. She inhaled sharply as she felt the touch of a powerful hoof on her right shoulder, tracing circles in her fur.
“That wasn’t very nice, you know,” said the voice, its tone smooth and collected, though Vinyl could sense a toxic, menacing undertone. When she didn’t respond, the voice continued. “Why would you do such a thing to me? All I ever did was love you, unlike… her.”
Octavia? Vinyl thought, still looking into the mirror, trying to make out the faint outline of a pony next to her. She tried to raise her hoof, to get away from the growing sense of danger, but just like last time, she was trapped in place.
“Yes, Octavia. That bitch left you out in the cold, and for what, because she wasn’t sure? How selfish is that?!” he shouted, the hoof traveling from Vinyl’s shoulder down to her stomach, pressing firmly against her abdomen. “I took you in. I gave you the attention you craved, and I loved you!”
Vinyl’s heart beat faster than she thought was possible. She bit her lip and whimpered as she felt the hoof venture further downward, going around her hip and resting on her flank. Without warning, he gave her flank a hard smack, causing her to cry out. She rested her head against the cold porcelain of the sink, drawing in breaths through clenched teeth. “Wh… what do you want?” she asked, her fear combining with a growing anger. She was surprised and frightened to hear the stallion laugh, moving his second hoof to the other side of her flank.
“I want what’s mine.”
As he was about to smack Vinyl’s flank again, she reared up and bucked at the air, but to her surprise, she hit something. The stallion cursed loudly, the sound of a body hitting the tile prompting Vinyl to try and make her move. When she found she could move her hooves again, she darted out of the bathroom and headed for the front door.
When she reached the living room, she paused, looking to the figure standing by the door. “Oh, Octy, thank Celestia you’re here! Something’s very, very wrong. I think I-”
“How could you?” Octavia asked, tears welling in her eyes. “How could you do this to me?”
“What? Octy, what are you talking about?”
Octavia stepped back towards the door, looking at Vinyl as though she were some sort of insect. “You went back to him… I loved you, Vinyl! How could you go back to him after all he’s done to you?” Before Vinyl could answer, Octavia held up her hoof. “I suppose it doesn’t matter now, does it? You made your choice, and now I’m making mine. Goodbye, Vinyl.” With that, she walked out the front door and slammed it shut.
The world around Vinyl began to distort, melt away into some unseen barrier where she stood. Tears fell from her eyes, accompanying the material of the house that melted until it was nothing but a puddle at her hooves, leaving her surrounded by a black nothingness. As she looked to the ground, the details of her former surroundings fading away, leaving only her reflection in an endless floor of glass. Sobs rocked her body as she lay down, huddling in a ball.
“I’m so sorry, Octavia,” she said, shaking her head slightly. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me. Just… please come back.” Opening her eyes, she looked back to her reflection, staring blankly at herself. “What’s happening to me?” she asked, as if the Vinyl she looked at could answer her question. Silence. With a huff of defeat, she rested her head on her forelegs and continued to sob.
“Vinyl.”
Her head snapped up, ears twitching, skin cold, and body frozen in place. Looking back down to her reflection, she saw she wasn’t the only one present. Standing next to her was the stallion, looking at her reflection with the same eyes she’d grown to fear.
“She won’t bother you, anymore. Now it’s just you… and me…”
“No!” Vinyl shot up, staring daggers at the stallion, her blood boiling over. “You c-can’t ruin my life again! Leave… leave me…” She trailed off as the stallion approached her, his form as intimidating as it had ever been, if not moreso. “I mean, what I meant was-”
He leaned in close to her, his mouth inches from her ear. “I love you, Vinyl.” Without warning, he grabbed Vinyl by the throat, lifted her up, and threw her across the nothingness.
Vinyl expected to land on the glass floor a fair distance from her attacker, but instead she broke through a wall she wasn’t aware existed, sharks of blackness scattering the air around her. A short fall later, she landed on carpet, much to her surprise. Looking around, she saw she was back in Octavia’s living room. Before she could fully regain her bearings, she heard the pounding hoofsteps. Above her, she saw the open hole into the blackness.
In a split-second decision, she ran through the living room into the bedroom and slid under the bed, backing as far away as she could from the door. The hoofsteps didn’t stop. The stomps of the stallion’s hooves matched the sound of Vinyl’s heart, beating so hard she felt her ears would burst. As soon as she saw the hooves cross into her vision, she screamed, but covered her mouth with her hooves, feeling the tears rolling down her face.
Once he had reached the doorway, the stallion took a long inhale. “I know you’re here, Vinyl. I know your smell.”
Vinyl watched as he walked all around the room, trying to pinpoint where she was. She kept her hooves clasped over her mouth, nearly hyperventilating while trying to stay as quiet as possible. Every clop of his hooves against the floor caused her to flinch, her body seizing and her mind racing.
Suddenly, he stopped at the foot of the bed. He slowly walked around to the side before taking a brief pause to sniff the air again.
Go away go away go away! thought Vinyl, biting her bottom lip so hard she nearly drew blood. I’m not here, just get out of here! Please, for the love of Celestia! Leave! In her peaking fear, her hooves moved away from her mouth for a brief second, allowing a sob to escape her throat. She cursed herself as she heard the stallion chuckle. As he knelt down to look under the bed, she closed her eyes, brought her legs close to her, and prayed to every deity she could think of for help.
No help came.
Instead, she was pulled from under the bed by her mane, causing her to cry out in panic and pain. She struggled to release the stallion’s grip as he dragged her to the bathroom. When he let go of her hair, she tried to get up and run, but the stallion grabbed her and tossed her into the tub, landing with a sick thud.
Before she could try and move, he was on top of her, pinning her to the ground. Though she squirmed and writhed, his grip didn’t let up. Amid her protests, he knelt down so their faces were only inches apart, his eyes staring into hers with a malice the likes of which Vinyl had never seen before. “Please, Vinyl. Let me love you.”
Vinyl felt him press his lips against hers forcefully, his grip on her body tightening. She tried to break free, tried to escape from the disgusting creature forcing himself onto her, but try as she may, he was too strong. When he tried to force his tongue into her mouth, she bit down as hard as she could, her mouth filling with the taste of iron.
“You bitch!”
Every nerve in her cheek cried out as his hoof connected, though it was greatly overshone by the series of blows that followed. With every hit, another breathless sob escaped her, and before she could take another breath, another blow would connect. Just when she thought she couldn’t take any more, he stopped, stepping back and continuing to stare at her.
Despite the crushing pain in her stomach and face, Vinyl reached out a hoof for the tub’s edge, but the stallion punched her again. She took in short, raspy breaths, trying as best she could to regain her strength.
Then the bath turned on.
Vinyl looked to the water flowing into the tub, raising an eyebrow. What… what is he doing? she thought. The water was luke-warm, not boiling like she had expected from a pony like him. Once the water reached her chest, she tried to sit up, but to her horror, she couldn’t move. It was then that it dawned on her.
She panicked, frantically trying to move anything she could to get out of the rising water. Her heart rate only increased as she looked to the stallion and saw his growing smile. As the water rose over her ears, he stepped closer to the tub, looking down at the trembling, submerged mare within.
“Oh, Vinyl. It’s so good to be with you, again.” He leaned his head down to the level of the water, only making Vinyl struggle more. “Don’t fight. Everything will be okay soon. Just relax and look forward to when we can finally be together… alone… forever.”
Vinyl took one last deep breath as the last dry inches of her muzzle were submerged. Need to get out. Need to get free. Free, dammit! The more she struggled, the more she had to convince herself that she wasn’t about to be killed by him.
Sinking.
No, don’t do it, Vinyl. Hold it in, you can do it!
I can’t! I need air!
She saw the stallion’s mouth enter the water, wearing the same infuriating, gut-wrenching smile. “I love you so much, Vinyl. You mean the world to me,” he whispered, his voice still clear despite his mouth being underwater. “Octavia can’t save you now.”
Octavia. Vinyl couldn’t help but tear up at the thought of her. She’d never get the chance to apologize, to make things right, to show her how much she cared.
I’m so sorry, Octavia. Please forgive me… Her held breath released, her eyes closing as darkness overtook her vision.
No.
A spark, a flare somewhere deep in her body ignited, bringing a last bit of life into her. No. Not this time. You’re not going to let this guy win again, are you?
He’s too strong, I’m already dead.
Not yet, you’re not. If you won’t fight back for yourself, do it for her. For Octavia.
Vinyl’s eyes shot open, a fire burning behind them. With all of her remaining strength, she pushed her hoof out of the water, striking the stallion clean in the jaw. In the same motion, she rose out of the water, taking in the largest breath of her life. Seeing the stallion recover from the blow, she stumbled out of the tub and ran to the living room towards the door. When she got there, she paused. What would running do? She was tired of running. It was time time face him once and for all. With a deep, heavy breath, she turned to face the stallion, standing only ten feet away, his mouth contorted into a look of rage she’d never seen on anypony before.
“I’m not afraid of you, anymore!” said Vinyl, nearly screaming. “You can’t hurt me, anymore! Get out of my life you sick, son of a bitch!”
The stallion reared back, dragging his hoof across the floor, ready to charge. Vinyl looked him dead in the eyes, a scowl of determination across her muzzle. “I’m. Not. Afraid.”
With a piercing whinny and a thunderous roar, the stallion ran at her full speed, but Vinyl stood her ground, her gaze not leaving the hulking form headed towards her. As soon as they were about to connect, she instinctively closed her eyes, bracing for whatever pain that may have been inflicted. Nothing. Slowly, she opened her eyes, looking around the room, wondering where the stallion went. He disappeared.
With a chuckle, Vinyl fell to the ground, limbs spread and a smile across her face. “Think you can get one over on Vinyl Scratch, huh? Fat chance, buddy.” After she finished her sentence, her eyes closed and sleep quickly overtook her.
“Vinyl? Vinyl wake up!”
That voice… why is it so familiar?
“Vinyl, please. Please wake up.”
Opening her eyes, Vinyl looked to the face above her, staring down in concern. As her vision focused, she could make out a grey earth mare. Hey grey earth mare. “Octavia!” she shouted. Before the other pony could react, Vinyl had her wrapped in a bone-crushing embrace, nuzzling her cheek against the other’s. “I thought I’d never see you again!”
“I said I’d only be gone for a few hours,” replied Octavia, struggling to speak through her marefriend’s hug. “That eager for me to come back, huh?”
Letting Octavia go, Vinyl sat back on her haunches, rubbing the back of her neck with a hoof. “Yeah. You have no idea what kind of a day it’s been. Not a good one, I can tell you that much.”
Looking Vinyl over, from her tear-stained cheeks and eyes to her damp, matted coat, Octavia gave a soft smile. “Have something you’d like to talk about?”
“Yeah, but first… promise me you’re not angry.”
“Angry? Why would I be angry?”
Vinyl was about to mention what she’d said when she’d seen her last, but seeing as it probably didn’t happen outside of her mind, she shook her head slightly. “For… everything, really. I really appreciate what you’ve done for me. For… saving me.”
“Oh, you big softy,” said Octavia, leaning over and giving Vinyl a peck on the cheek. A wide smile crossed her face as she held up a pair of new neon-blue headphones, handing them to Vinyl. “I got these while I was out, just like the last pair! What do you think?”
Holding the headphones in her hooves, Vinyl looked between them and Octavia for a few moments. She let out a long, happy sigh before setting the headphones on the floor next to her. “Thank you so much, Octy, but I think I’m good for the moment.”
Looking into Vinyl’s eyes, Octavia nudged her playfully. “Well, is there anything else I could do to make things better? You certainly look like you had an eventful day.”
“Just… don’t leave. Please.”
“Vinyl,” Octavia cooed, resting her marefriend’s head in her lap. “I’m not going anywhere.”
Author's Note
Ending picture by Slackerburst on deviantArt.
