Paranoia

Chapters

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5 (Finale!) [Updated]

Chapter 1

Octavia's mind was racing. She had gone through the classical concert flawlessly without a hitch. It had been perfect from head to hoof; not a single wrong note hit on her Cello. The crowd had not interrupted her at all and appeared spell-bound by her skills. Octavia was happy.

Just as she stretched her forehoof to the final position to finish her performance, Octavia let out a long but silent sigh of relief. The crowd raised to their hooves and cheered instantaneously at her majestic efforts. With a polite bow and grateful smile, Octavia gracefully led her way off the stage, disappearing into the curtain at the left side of the stage.

She fervently wiped a bead of sweat from her brow and tidied her appearance up. With a flick of her hoof her hair returned to its usual state and she yanked at her bow tie from the awkward and chafing position it was in currently. Octavia hadn't had chance to do so for a few hours, what with her busy performance.

The next act had entered the stage and the crowd applauded her. The next act got into gear and prepared her instrument, a Lyre apparently. Before long, Octavia heard the sweet and melodious tunes wafting through the curtains. They reached her ears and her brain melted at their beauty. Octavia had always had a burning passion for stringed instruments since an early age. The Cello was her favourite since she was a filly though, but she wasn't denying that the Lyre was an instrument with an elegant tone.

Octavia exited backstage and gathered her things. She headed to the door to leave and head home, giving it a generous shove to open it. As the door swung shut behind her, a breezy gust of wind picked up and blew through Octavia's charcoal coloured mane, leaving an eerie effect behind on her pale grey coat. The darkness of the sky and emptiness of the street made Octavia feel extremely uneasy that night. She was entirely thankful that the bus stop was conveniently situated just opposite the theatre for the conveniences of travel to the theatre.

The bus stop was deserted. Shelter was minimal there, and gaps allowed for draughts to pass in and play with Octavia's mane. Octavia disliked this feeling and it left her shifty and uncomfortable on the hard, plastic bench. The wind was menacingly chilly, which Octavia also disliked. She shivered to herself and sighed a deep and cold sigh. If only the bus would hurry up and turn up.

As if on cue, the lights shone into view of the buses strong and powerful headlights. They were conquering all forms of nearby darkness, engulfing the street with light that lamp posts could not supply. Octavia sighed inwardly in relief as the bus parked to a halt infront of her hooves. She picked herself up and began shuffling around in her saddlebags for the cost as the doors to the bus flew open. Octavia stepped onto the bus and was greeted warmly by bright lights and a smiling driver. She smiled her thanks and tossed a few bits into the tray for money.

Octavia looked at the seats. Very few of them were occupied. She picked a seat on the left side which looked fairly inviting and sat herself down. She couldn't stop herself from smiling at her successful escape from the gloominess outside. Closing her eyes and bracing herself for the lengthy journey home, Octavia allowed herself to drift off into an undisturbed and light sleep.

Octavia's eyes flickered open at the perfect time. She had a good sense of direction and her timing had been adequate. She had allowed herself 30 minutes of sleep before she should be at her stop, which had been correct and fine. As the bus pulled to a halt at Octavia's stop, she gathered her possessions together. She stood up precariously and made her way down the middle of the bus. She gave the driver a grateful smile and thanked. He waved it off and blushed a little. "Such a GentleColt." Octavia thought to herself admirably.

Stepping off the bus was the last thing Octavia wanted to do though: it was still a good 10 minute walk to her house. Although it was a brisk journey at a normal time in the day, with the current setting and her current mood, Octavia knew it could feel like much longer.

She had forgotten how the air was so unforgiving and its violent edge was slicing at her flank, leaving metaphoric cuts. It was freezing out. Not only was it late at night, but Winter was looming ahead of everypony in Equestria. It was also being predicted that this one would also be particularly ferocious and the temperatures would be especially low for the time of year.

Octavia fought back the thought sthat began to raise in her mind. An eerie presence was around. Octavia sharply swung her head round to check what was behind her - she could swear she heard the shuffling of hooves on the pavement nearby. She glanced frantically and feverishly about, searching for the source of this noise. It was gaining in amplitude. The volume was slowly being notched up. Octavia quickened her pace and began sweating a little. The cold air was stinging her eyes, causing them to water. Something was there.

Octavia continued her awkward stumble home until she saw her house. At that point, she rushed to the door and retrieved a key from her saddlebag. The noise was still audible to hear and was freaking out more than ever before. She could feel approaching up her path to the door. The hoofsteps grew louder and...

Octavia dived indoors and slammed the door shut with such force that it almost flew of its hinges. The noise had gone from her ears and Octavia sighed with great relief. What a relief it was to be in her cosy little house - indoors and safe.

Octavia wiped her eyes and lay her saddlebags down neatly in the hallway. She carried her Cello to the special cabinet it was encased in. The cabinet was positioned in the living room, motionless and precious. Whenever Octavia opened the front of the cabinet, she was flooded with positive emotions and memories from her past. They all involved her extremely cherished Cello.

This time was no exception as Octavia gently placed the Cello down in its correct position. It looked simply divine where it stood. Octavia smiled contently and let out a heavy breath. She closed the door cautiously, doing the latch up with the utmost care.

Octavia flicked on the central heating for the house with one deft and swift motion. She sat down gracefuly and turned on her TV. The picture came into view almost instantly. Octavia relaxed, laying back her head into the comfortable back of the armchair. Her armchair had always been a place to be to if she wanted to escape bad thoughts. "It sure was working." Octavia thought. After a few moments thought, Octavia fell into an entranced state. The background noise of the TV and heating gave a pleasant atmosphere for Octavia to relax in. She sure was relishing it.

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Octavia's eyes jumped open instantaneously. She could swear she had heard a noise; one that was out of place and unnatural. She rapidly fumbled for the switch for the TV - it seemed to take forever to find. As the room fell silent abruptly, Octavia shivered with all the tension being caused by these unexpected happenings. This was the second one she had encountered this night, and her privacy felt intruded by this strange... 'thing' that was stalking her, watching, following and mimicking her every movement. Every hoofstep, every heartbeat, everything.

Then, Octavia heard it again. There was a gentle tapping on the window. With each soft tap there was an audible rattle being emitted by the window. She didn't dare approach the window. She was frozen solid in fear. Beads of sweat trickled down her face and Octavia grew a shade paler as instinct took over.

The noise wouldn't cease. It just continued, but it was beginning to increase in volume, very gradually. Octavia gulped down her fears and tried standing her ground ot whatver it was making the noise. It was no use. Octavia was unable to do so and fear took over a she galloped out of her living room in a wild panic. She leaped the stairs in a few giant bounds and burst into her bedroom.

With a deep breath, Octavia cleared her head of the thoughts which were dashing around her head in an unending roller coaster. After a few brief moments of consideration, Octavia allowed herself to relax. Her nerves were besting her at present and she was shaking uncontrollably. With each deep breath she took, Octavia calmed down.

Octavia gave her mane a quick brush, making sure to perform this action in her special way which caused her mane to have the usual mysterious flick. She removed her bow tie from her neck carefully, setting it down on the bedside cabinet ready to put back on tomorrow. She genlty pulled back her crisp, clean covers to settle herself in for a nights sleep. Octavia had always loved her bed. It was sensually soft and it allowed her to lean back and fall into a soft slumber with ease, even with bad thoughts crossing her head constantly.

As Octavia floated off into a deep and overwhelming sleep, her mind wandered aimlessly. She recalled the events of today. There had been a very successful concert she had practicing for for an eternity. That had gone flawlessly, without question.

Then all those various noises. Octavia shuddered at the thought of this. It plagued her how she had been unable to uncover the source of the sounds at either one of the two events. Octavia knew she had always been a touch on the paranoid side. Was she taking things just a bit too far? She asked herself.

Octavia smiled to herself smugly at the thought. Yes, that was it. She was just being paranoid and hearing things.

With her mind settled and all unanswered questions answered, Octavia relaxed coolly and felt the tension escape her muscles in a quick and subtle motion.

However, Octavia had no proof. For all she knew, dismissing her thoughts now could be vital to the future. She decided to allow the thoughts to pass for now, but made sure to keep them deftly tucked away in her mind for future reference. Although her unconscious state had been peaceful beforehand, after her thought processes it had become broken and restless.

As Octavia tossed and turned in her desperate attempts to find comfort in her sleep, her mind continued to wander: denying her of any chances of a good night's rest. Octavia sighed, breaking the deathly silence in the empty room. She definitely wasn't getting much rest tonight. She could just tell.

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Okay. So I've written chapter 1. My intention was to go into a lot more detail than I did before, which I hope I managed.

I hope you enjoyed! Honest and constructive feedback is warmly welcomed with wide arms.

Please tell me if you like the idea and premise so far. If you don't, I have a back up plan. I just wanted to write about Octavia because she is awesome. ;)

Also, I have computer access for a few days! Expect more chapters over the next few days!

Bye for now!

Chapter 2

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Ok, I want to apologise for how late this chapter is. I have had some problems recently in my life, and that has been topped by the fact that I am doing GCSE's and have Work Experience to sort and organise. The hours aren't forgiving either. I hope you can understand. I will be continuing at normal pace from now though.

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"Ughh." Octavia groaned. She couldn't have had a much more disturbed and restless sleep if she had tried. Her head was throbbing with pain and traces of her thoughts from the night still lingered in her mind.

With a straining heave, Octavia pulled herself out of the comfortable bed she had laid in all night. Although the sheets were incredibly inviting, she resisted the temptation and headed towards the window. With one flick of her hoof, the curtains flew open and light began being radiated in. It was early morning and Octavia was glad that her bedroom window faced the East: it allowed her to see the sun rise beautifully every morning. She was also grateful for having an over-sized window as well; it allowed a lot of light to penetrate her bedroom, clearing the dark thoughts of last night with ease. Octavia felt better already.

With a delicate trot, Octavia made her way down the staircase of her home. She pushed her way gently through the door to the kitchen and forced open the bread bin. After retrieving two slices of thickly cut bread, she pulled some daisies from a separate cupboard and began her usual morning ritual of constructing a delectable daisy sandwich.

With a final crunch and chew, the sandwich had vanished. Octavia had not eaten a decent meal in a considerable amount of time and she had been starving prior to wolfing down her sandwich.

Octavia delicately switched her TV on. After a few seconds of static, the picture came into view. Thankfully, Equestria News was the first channel to appear. Convenient, because it was the very channel Octavia was interested in watching. She loved keeping up to date with the current events in Equestria.

Today was drab though. Nothing was of any importance or significance. The TV may as well have been off with news stories of that quality. Octavia released a large sigh as she rose to her hooves once more, this time to turn the TV off.

Octavia sat herself back down deftly, takiing care to be as inaudible as possible. She wanted all the possible time to think; for this to happen she would require peace and quiet.

After an undecided few minutes of deep thought and concentration, Octavia came to the conclusion that if she fetched her Cello, she could both practice and clear her troubled mind. She gently pulled the cabinet door open and lifted the heavy and intricate instrument out of it with great care and caution. There was no need for harm or damage to be caused right now.

As soon as Octavia began playing she was distracted by a startlingly loud and obscure noise. This noise had ruggedly dragged Octavia out of her muddled mindset and ruined the sweet and sophisticated tones her ears craved to hear. The noise was the sole focus of all of Octavia's attention now.

Octavia listened intently to the odd noise and worked furiously to attempt to discover the source of this conspicuous sound. The sound resembled a dull thud, similair to a heavy object hitting the ground from a good height. It could be heard loudly and it appeared at sporadic intervals.

Her mind was an indecipherable mess now. Thinking straight was not only bottom of the priorities list, but also something Octavia was unable to do.

Then, just a small period of time after clearing her head of all the menacing and horrifying thoughts that had been existing beforehand, they all flooded back in a tearing tidal wave. This noise: it could be being produced by the same thing or same pony that had caused the uneasy feelings from the previous night, Octavia refrained from talking about that night though: she wanted to retain as much sanity as possible, furthermore go into her interesting investiagtion with an open mind and an extremely non-biased opinion.

Octavia brushed away the thought with an utmost haste. She knew it was always a bad idea to be dwelling on the past: her parents had drummed that lesson into her forcefully since her young filly days.

Octavia's mind was going crazy; overloaded with thoughts. What should she do to clear it out? She was unsure.

After a debate with herself, Octavia came to the conclusion that taking a bus into Canterlot for some shopping and to see a few familiar faces would perhaps put her mind at ease. Octavia began scuttling around the house in a hasty movement to search for things to take with her on her adventure.

Octavia returned with a bulging saddlebag containing numerous necessities. With a nod to the postpony, Octavia swung open her window wide. She took a deep intake of breath and allowed it to release gently, taking all stress prior to the breath out out of her body and into the crisp morning air.

As Octavia stared at herself in the mirror, she realised her mane was a massive mess. It looked repulsive: tufts stuck out at random intervals and it was a general mess. In a rapid rush, Octavia greedily snatched up her brush and began to run it through her mane in an attempt to rid her mane of previous monstrosities. Octavia thought she had made a rather decent job of it.

In her final preparation for the trip she was about to take, Octavia darted up the stairs in a blind rush and grabbed her bow tie. She fixated it in its usual comfortable and stylish position. Octavia was ready.

With a brave smile fortified on her face, Octavia pushed open her front door. She had a task to be doing and her fears to conquer. There was nothing or nopony stalking her; she was just acting like a silly filly. With those thoughts set in her mind thickly like concrete, Octavia began the brief journey that was required to get to her local bus stop.

The walk was uneventful; nothing of any importance happened. It was definitely what Octavia needed to put her mind at rest: with such an average walk, Octavia's confidence gained by the bucket load. She felt ready to attack the day and enjoy herself along the way.

With a swift but soft notion, Octavia perched herself preciously on the plastic bench that was sheltered by the bus stop. The temperature of the bench was extremely minimal - the seat was practically freezing. The cool winter morning air followed suit, being of a low temperature and having a biting effect on Octavia's coat: one that seemed to have an affect that lasted and continued to exist long after the effect had disappeared.

It wasn't a long and extensive wait until the bus smashed its way onto the scene. Octavia grinned at the sight of the large vehicle making an entrance this quickly. With this temperature outside, Octavia couldn't wait to hop onto the bus and be out of the chilly air. Another bonus to a bus when the warmth outside was non-existent was that the heaters on the bus would be blasting out hot air in an effort to warm all passengers.

Octavia fished out a few bits to pay the fee of the bus ride and practically dived onto the bus. As soon as she had entered the indoor proximity of the bus. Octavia was greeted by the welcoming feeling of warm air being forcefully blown around her. It played with her mane, whistling its way through each strand effortlessly. She closed her eyes and allowed a delicate smile to sweep across her face. Octavia was extremely content.

She tossed the bits into the tray and thanked the driver. She scanned for a seat that was available. However, Octavia was after more that just an empty seat: she was desperately searching for one that had a heater nearby which would be pumping out hot air like there was no tomorrow. She would be able to enjoy the sumptuous feeling she was filled with when having the hot air pushed through her coat and mane to the maximum extent if she obtained one of these seats.

After a few seconds with no luck, Octavia's eyes came across a free seat near the back of the bus. There was a heater powerfully radiating hot air and performing for its purpose. Octavia galloped towards and parked herself down on it. She instantly felt the hot current being wafted through her grey coat and charcoal mane. The feeling was extremely satisfying. Due to a combination of the homely atmosphere on the bus and the severe lack of sleep last night due to worries, Octavia was quick to slip off into a deep and memorising sleep.

"Hey! Hey Octavia! It's time to get off!"

Octavia forced her eyes open. They tried to resist, but she wasn't having it. The faint and distant ramblings had almost been inaudible, but they had been enough to resonate through Octavia's dreams and awake her. As Octavia blinked the blur out of her eyes and corrected her vision, she was greeted by the smiling face of the driver looming over her. She had fallen asleep for far too long, much longer than she had intended to allow herself. With a silent curse to herself, Octavia sat up and collected her belongings together. With a swift but meaningful apology to the driver, Octavia nodded her thanks to the driver. He gave her a warm smile in return and drove the bus away and back to the bus station.

Octavia had been significantly lucky that her stop was the last stop of that particular bus trip. It was a routine check for the driver to check for possessions that had accidentally been left behind by foolish and clumsy riders. This had been how the driver had encountered the silly sleeping body of Octavia as she had been cuddled up against the heater, entranced in a deep sleep.

Outside of the bus the air had thankfully warmed up a bit. Octavia still continued to feel chilly outside though, the homely heater had been so much warmer than the mediocre temperature outside. There was no way that the mid morning winter air could compete with such an effective and warming heater.

However, the city in front of her definitely enthralled Octavia. Shops loomed over the main street from either side, glaring at each other in fierce battle for customers. The other ponies trotting through the streets were merrily on their way from shop to shop; each one carried many bits to spend being that it was Canterlot she was in: you had to be rich to live in the most prestigious city in all of Equestria.

Octavia was so dumbstruck she didn't know where to start. There were countless options, but Octavia was unsure as to which would be the most effective starting point. With an effortless motion, Octavia pulled the list of items she required out of her saddlebag. She scanned over them numerous times and eventually decided on an order of which to follow.

After carefully and precisely placing the list back in her saddlebag, Octavia began the brisk journey required to fetch the first item she needed. It was a new bow tie: her old one that she was wearing currently was beginning to become tacky. Some aimless wandering later, Octavia stumbled across an ideal shop: one that sold pony accessories.

She stepped in and began the elaborate search needed to find the ideal bow tie for her. Octavia was after one with a similar colour scheme and style to the one she owned now. It took a small amount of time, but eventually Octavia discovered the perfect bow tie for her. It was white on the strap that would go around the neck; adjustable as well: quite convenient. The bow itself was a dashing shade of pink, a little brighter than the one she wore now. With no hesitation, Octavia rushed to the counter and paid for the bow tie with a few bits. With careful placement, Octavia put the bow tie safely in her saddlebag away from harm. Octavia gave the pony behind the till a grateful smile to portray his thanks. The pony nodded in understanding and returned the smile, leaving Octavia feeling satisfied with her first purchase as she exited the shop.

Octavia retrieved the list of required items from her saddlebag again and looked over them. The next needed thing was a brush of high quality. With a quick scan of the shops nearby, Octavia set her eyes upon the ideal shop. As she began making her way deftly over towards the shop, Octavia began deep and extensive thinking.

Things were going well. Almost too well... Octavia thought. Still, nothing had gone negatively yet, so she must be fine: nothing could go wrong.

Or could it...

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Thanks for reading!

I apologise again for the giant delay between this chapter and the last. I've had some problems in my life and I hope you will understand. I will be back and posting again at a more steady pace now: expect the next chapter by next weekend, probably Friday night/Saturday morning.

Tell me what you thought of this chapter then! Feedback is always appreciated.

Finally, I just wanted to thank everyone for all the positive feedback on the first chapter. So many good comments and constructive criticism. All errors pointed out have been corrected. :)

Anyway, pony on guys!

-FluttershyAllTheWay

Chapter 3

What a lovely time for my computer to give up on me. For the last 4 days my PC has decided it has had enough, but oh well. Once again, my deepest apologies for this extremely delayed chapter.

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With a swift inner motion, Octavia dismissed her insecure thoughts and banished them to the depths of her mind. She was fine now, why should anything change? She would just finish off with her casual shop and gain the items that are required, before heading home for the day. On the other hoof, Octavia was thinking about stopping by at Joe's restaurant for her classic meal done to perfection.

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Joe's restaurant may be your run-of-the-mill restaurant to any other pony or your untrained eye, but for Octavia many precious memories were sealed away inside the interior of this quirky restaurant. It had been her favourite when she was a young filly; her parents used to treat her to a meal there every so often. Octavia always knew what to order prior to even entering the place: the distinctive and staggeringly memorable taste of Joe's "Daffodil and Daisy Sandwich with a side of Crispy Hay Fries" was something Octavia used to crave.

However, roughly half a year after Octavia's first visit to Joe's restaurant, her parents departed from life due to infectious diseases: both in the same week. Octavia's life as she knew it was erased and rewritten - as an Orphan.

The Orphanage Octavia was brought up in was an environment she found dank and desperately miserable. To start with, Octavia blamed herself unanimously for her parents departing. For a few months, all Octavia hankered for was to place her hooves in the entrance as she used to with her general care-free expression and attitude, either with her parents or on her own.

But she couldn't bring herself to do it.

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And as of now, nothing had appeared to have changed. As Octavia stood outside the towering building in front of her, she couldn't seem to move her hooves towards the entrance of Joe's restaurant.The smell was apparent and undeniably enticing, but Octavia couldn't bring herself to enter. So many memories would be vigorously re-awoken inside her; none of these would be helping her either.

With an extensive sigh that was thick with sorrow, Octavia slumped in a strange and unbeknown street. She sat outside Joe's restaurant, just next to the fold up sign and under the thick canvas.

The day had been good up until Octavia's flashback. It had hurt inside forcefully, and bad memories had been uncovered and re-awoken - memories that should have stayed as they were.

As if to line this day with a cherry on top, the cloudy skies begun transferring to grey as time flew past Octavia. Almost instantaneously rain began thrashing it down violently and ferociously. The canvas cover above Octavia's slumped body prevented her coat and mane from getting wet, but only to some extent. A lot of the rain was hitting Octavia's body and her hooves consistently. The fresh and flowing rain water was picking up impurities from the ground and allowing them to float freely to anywhere they wished to go. Some were collecting around Octavia. Water flowing near a flower bed picked up some dirt and allowed the two to mix perfectly, causing a thin and sticky mud to be created. It flowed over to Octavia and began clustering together and plastering around and onto her coat. Octavia just sighed and fell into a weak and disturbed sleep on the street. A few ponies glanced over in curiosity, many offering looks of pure disgust, looks which were set like cement across their faces.

Although Octavia's sleep was fragmented and disturbed, this didn't prevent her having some incredibly joyful dreams. She continued to enjoy the experience of the said dream until she felt something...

Something touching her...

Something warm...

With a start and a loud, shrill shriek, Octavia forced open her eyes to confront her attacker. She jumped back and fell into an instinctive defensive position. As soon as her eyes began to focus so she could so clearly, Octavia was shocked at what she saw in front of her.

Another pony. But not just any old run-of-the-mill pony. This pony looked more than just obscure.

With a jagged and striped brilliant Blue and striking Cyan mane and tail and a pair of violet shades worn precariously over mysterious eyes, this mare was not the everyday pony to see in Canterlot. Octavia gasped at the sight and continued to stare openly at the mysterious and anonymous mare.

All of a sudden, the mare spoke up. Her voice was energetic and slightly hoarse.

"Hey there! I'm Vinyl Scratch. I saw you slumped in the street and just had to find out what was wrong." She claimed in an almost proud fashion.

"LEAVE ME ALONE!" Octavia screeched. She picked up her hooves and began racing down the street, galloping at top speed. She needed to find a way home.

Vinyl just watched curiously as Octavia sped off, dumbfounded by her instant reaction.

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Octavia reached a shadowy alley that was secluded from any streets in Canterlot and began to tidy herself up and make herself look presentable. After a few minutes of vigorous brushing, Octavia met with a terrible tangle in her mane. Intent on removing this impurity from her mane, Octavia began brushing at vigorously in an attempt to correct it and restore normality. However, Octavia was a little too intent and was almost engrossed in removing the tangle. This had led to her letting her guard down and allowing her reactions to slip noticeably.

She had almost blanked out all noise in the background in her fierce concentration when Octavia heard a loud crash that resonated around the alley. The noise was metallic and quaintly out of place. Octavia's head shot up at the sound and panic rose inside her as she fervently eyed every creepy corner and suspicious shadow for movement or life. After a minute of standing her ground, Octavia slowly began to reverse out of the alley. Her heart was racing at phenomenal speeds at the presence of something peculiar and unnatural.

Octavia was enveloped in bright light once more as she entered the street again. With a hefty sigh of relief, Octavia began breathing deeply in a desperate attempt to stay calm. She brushed herself down and began trudging her way home. The day had been extremely eventful for Octavia; very little of it was positive either. More unanswered questions were being revealed and Octavia's head was overflowing, straining to fit so many things in in such a short space of time.

Octavia was almost at the bus stop now. She had numerous unchecked items on her list of items to purchase, but it didn't bother Octavia in the slightest. She was just in a frantic rush to get herself into her secure home - she also was hoping for a decent night of rest to perhaps cure her mind.

Octavia needed to get to the bottom of these eerie occurrences from the past few days. Either something incredibly unnatural was going on, or Octavia was just being the melodramatic drama queen of paranoia. Currently, Octavia believed the former, but hadn't dismissed the possibility of the latter yet. She wanted to believe the latter, but was lacking in solid evidence for that being the truth. Whichever was correct, Octavia needed to stop worrying about things such as this because she had an insanely important performance to be prepared for: she was performing at a royal Canterlot wedding as the main cellist of the Orchestra. The Orchestra consisted of the greatest and latest talents of all things classical over Equestria and Octavia was thrilled as well as honoured to have been specially selected to lead the stringed instruments with her mighty cello.

As Octavia snapped back into focus with the real world, she realised the bus stop was situated directly in front of her hooves. In her aimless mind wandering Octavia had lost track of reality and had been day dreaming throughout her lengthy ponder, not realising how far she had come. With a partially stunned feeling of both curiosity and confusion, Octavia bewilderedly sat herself down on the hard and plain plastic bench. Memories instantly flooded her brain of when all these awful events started, that night so strangely similar to this day. The setting was oddly identical and the wind apparent as much as it was before.

The bus rapidly entered view and parked up at the bus stop. The doors flew open and Octavia crammed onto the bus which was incredibly cramped and full in comparison to the buses Octavia had taken recently, which seemed peculiar to Octavia.

Finding a seat adequate was like attempting to retrieve a needle from a haystack. So few were available that a compromise was the only option. In the end, Octavia was forced to settle for an uncomfortable seat close to the front next to a strange colt that continued to constantly give her dirty looks. Octavia shifted in her seat uncomfortably, feeling extremely awkward. His looks were suggestive of things Octavia was not interested in: this made the lengthy bus ride home all the more intolerable for Octavia. The bus was stuffy, smelly, noisy and crowded. No peace was available or possible to find, and the disgusting colt next to her was sliding ever closer to Octavia. She just couldn't take it.

"Excuse me sir, but I'm not interested in anything with you. Please refrain from touching me or expect reportings. So, back off and BUCK YOU!." Octavia stated, beginning calmly but ending up hollering at the colt. She had attracted unwanted attention and the awkward feeling of many prying eyes behind her staring at her and the commotion she was causing. With a final disgruntled groan, Octavia stood herself up and moved to another free seat, this one in a less desirable position. The rest of the journey home was entirely uneventful as Octavia sat still and stared forward uncomfortably.

Eventually, Octavia reached what was her stop. With a begrudging grunt, Octavia lifted herself to her hooves and stretched her back. She had a quick walk home now and she would be safe in her cosy home. All she wanted was to be in safe hands at home and to flick on the central heating. The comfy blasts of hot air would entice Octavia as she relaxed in her soft armchair. She couldn't wait.

With these thoughts fresh in her mind, Octavia set off on hoof to her house. Joyfully for Octavia, she encountered no oddities and had a fairly pleasant early evening stroll home in the less populated and less city-like parts of Canterlot. Octavia reached her front door without and opened it with precision and care. She stepped in and placed her saddlebag gently down in the hallway, ready to unpack later. For now, Octavia just wanted to relax and unwind in her armchair with the central heating blaring away and the comforting background noise of a barely audible TV. For once in the last few days, Octavia was feeling safe and secure.

But should she be letting her guard down now..?

Octavia violently shook her head and dismissed the negative thought instantly so she would not ruin her good mood.

Tucked inside the inner confinements of her home, Octavia's mind was assessing the day. One thing caught her attention: how rude she was to the mare who went by the name 'Vinyl Scratch'. An apology was order: Octavia detested keeping grudges with anypony. The decision Octavia came to was to ask around about this pony in an attempt to find her details. From this point on, Octavia could give her sincerest apologies and also a hearty thanks for taking notice of her. No other Canterlot pony strolling past seemed to do so. From there, Octavia would offer them to go somewhere to do something and then have a meal on her. Things were slotting together peacefully as Octavia thought more and more about it all.

The day had been incredibly eventful. Many things had happened: some positive, some negative. Either way, it was all done with now and none of the past could be re-written. Many unanswered questions remained, clogging up Octavia's mind intensely. However, Octavia was determined to getting to the bottom of what was going on, if anything. All would be revealed. But for now, she was too tired to continue thinking. With the TV still at a barely audibly volume and the heating still blasting out heated air, Octavia silently slipped into a calm and relaxed sleep: the first sleep of this calibre she had had in a while.

She would find out what was going on, because something was definitely ahoof.

Whether it risked her life and safety or not.

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I think I'm slowly starting to return to a more solid schedule. We will see, I'm promising nothing.

Enjoyed writing this, but I don't think it's brilliant. Writing at 4am has to be detrimental to the quality. Perhaps I;m just being paranoid though. :P

Thank you for the great feedback! I just hit 20 favourites. :D

Also, thanks to Church for the support and morale boost: it was one I really needed. I thank you once again.

I will update soon, but bye for now!

Chapter 4

Hey there guys! A more regular schedule is falling into place: once a week updates. :D

So yeah, I made a facebook for myself, if you enjoy my stories then a like is always nice, but you don't have to of course. The link is here.

This is the penultimate chapter, so I hope you enjoy!

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A week had passed since Octavia's erratic and eventful day in the bustling high streets of Canterlot. A lot of things had occurred between the present day and then - none of which had been anything like the sort of events from before the day out: meaning they hadn't been eerie, odd, and hadn't caused Octavia to be swimming in paranoia. In short, Octavia felt free ad so much better about herself as well as her life. A burden appeared to have been lifted off Octavia's shoulders: all she had to do now was practice fiercely for the upcoming Canterlot wedding. Octavia had been diligently attempting to impress her coach prior to the selection; it appeared to have paid off too. She was formally invited to lead the strings section of the Canterlot wedding's Classical band. They chose her for this prestigious position over anypony else - something that pleased Octavia infinitely There was no way she would screw up something as insanely important as this now. Practising was her only thought and with nothing to distract her, Octavia felt free and happy.

All that remained for Octavia to do was to meet this "Vinyl Scratch" character and for her to give her sincerest apologies about her incredibly uncouth behaviour that day. She knew an explanation was in order, and Octavia was ready to dish one out.

From the speculation Octavia had heard, this Vinyl Scratch certainly was a 'character'. On the other hand, Vinyl was a musician herself. This elated Octavia: they already had something in common before even properly meeting. Perhaps they could discuss certain symphonies and agree on the best classical instrument...

Octavia snapped back to reality with a bang. She had been carelessly daydreaming and had walked into the doorway - with the door still firmly closed. Suffice to say, it had yanked Octavia out of her almost unconscious state.

It had been a fairly extensive week of exhaustingly scouting around for information on Vinyl. Most of Octavia's frantic attempts had been fruitless. Many ponies around her local area had no clue of this odd mare who went by the name of Vinyl Scratch, but a few had little trinkets of information that Octavia could add to her ever-growing collection. After the full week was up, Octavia felt proud in a smug and silent way. She had balanced out discovering Vinyl and practising her Cello to perfection. All together, Octavia had gained everything she needed to know about Vinyl Scratch prior to them actually meeting, but also received the required amount of practise time with some extra hours thrown in sporadically. Things were looking positive.

Today was Sunday, Octavia free day. It was the day in which she had no set schedule or anything lined up to do. This, of course, was consequently the best day for her to confront Vinyl with an apology and perhaps get to know her a little better.

************************

With herself mentally prepared and her saddlebag neatly packed with every essential, Octavia was ready to leave the house
and meet Vinyl Scratch properly. With the address to Vinyl's house in hoof and a few bits for a bus ride in the other, the door was the only thing standing between Octavia and Vinyl Scratch. She was ready to set off. With a brave face on and an almost menacing smirk splashed carelessly across her face, Octavia nudged the door open with her muzzle. It was time.

The journey to Vinyl's house couldn't have been any less eventful. Not a single word was uttered by anypony. The driver didn't speak; nopony else spoke. The bus ride was plain at best. The bus was deserted and Octavia had the pick of seats. Nothing happened along the way. Additionally, the journey was fairly short; Vinyl lived closer to Octavia than she knew.

Octavia stood outside Vinyl's house awestruck. It was big and secluded from the busier city streets. no noise could be heard at all. There were large grounds surrounding the house, engulfing it in trees of green and stretches of thick and bushy grass. All plant-life was well accounted for and cared for. Everything was looking sumptuous and plump, as if nutrients were constantly being pumped into them like steroids. A small stream flowed on the far right side of the grounds, but very little audio was emitted from it. The only thing stopping a complete circling of the embrace of nature around this house was a winding and difficult-to-traverse stone path of cobbles and pebbles. This house was perfect. Octavia had never been so jealous of a building in her life.

With cautious steps, Octavia made her way deftly to the front door. The almost impassable path also seemed to take forever to travel along - mostly because it wasn't in a straight and linear line. It curved and twisted, as if it was avoiding something and constantly making detours to avoid it. Eventually, Octavia found herself at the hoof of this towering building. Its presence was numinous. Feeling tense, Octavia attempted to breathe the nerves away. She had to make a good first impression! With determination soaring through Octavia's bloodstream, she reached a hoof up to the fancily decorated doorbell.

**************************

Octavia sat waiting for a minute or two. She was becoming impatient fast and a second ring at the doorbell was incredibly inviting. However, just as she was about to stretch her hoof out again, the big, looming door began slowly creaking open until it hit the catch. Just then, Octavia heard a voice she recognised instantaneously from that day a week ago.

"Hey, who is it and whadda you want?" The mysterious but memorable voice queried into the November afternoon's crisp air. She seemed disinterested in anypony right then, and Octavia hesitated for a moment before speaking. She pondered whether it was worth speaking, but eventually Octavia came to the conclusion that it would be worth it.

"Umm, hey! I'm Octavia. I'm the pony from the Canterlot high street who you tried to help about a week ago. I just wanted to pay you a visit to give my dearest and sincerest apologies for my unprofessional and uncouth behaviour after you tried to help me that day." Octavia clearly and boldly stated. She felt that she had done a splendid job of voicing that, giving herself a metaphorical pat on the back.

Nothing happened at Vinyl's front door for a few seconds. These long and arduous seconds extended on until they felt like minutes; hours even. No reaction or any sign of a reaction. Panic slowly began to rise inside Octavia. Had she done something incorrectly? Was her introducing statement too formal? Or not formal enough? Any minute now panic would overcome Octavia and she would do something stupid in her fear.

All of a sudden, Vinyl's door violently flung open - almost blowing Octavia off her very own hooves. "Well, why didn't you say so sooner? Come on in!" Vinyl stated with a newly found excitement and intensity that didn't match Octavia's personality. With a silent sigh of relief, Octavia brought her head from facing her hooves up to meet the eyes of Vinyl Scratch.

Eyes. Her eyes were luscious. They were a vibrant red colour, the sort of colour that nopony else could have. She was unique, one of a kind in this sense.

Octavia shook her head and tried to claw back focus on reality. She was acting plain silly, getting side-tracked by a pony's magnificent eyes.

After taking a personal moment to retain her smartness by adjusting her bow tie and mane, Octavia breathed a deep but silent breath. With cautious steps, Octavia entered Vinyl's astonishing abode. Everything was smart and tidy. It was clear that every little trinket in this home was cared for and maintained on a consistent basis.

The lobby was gigantic. The ceiling was miles away, almost touching the outer limits of the sky. The walls were huge and painted in clear and bright colours, bringing out Vinyl's cheerful and colourful personality into the house. Vinyl must feel at home here, Octavia thought.

Taking a moment to be a dignified guest, Octavia politely wiped her hooves daintily on the welcome mat. She had to respect this astounding house. It really was breath-taking.

Vinyl lead Octavia into the living room. If Octavia had found the house breath-taking already, then who knew what she would think of what was hidden away in the living room?

As Octavia entered Vinyl's living room, she nodded her thanks to Vinyl for holding the door open for her. However, as she rotated her head to a more usual position, her jaw dropped instantly. It came into contact with the floor instantly. Octavia had stopped in her tracks as she gawped at the pure brilliance of what was in front of her.

The whole wall was just thick glass. It enabled full view of the beauty and serenity of the exterior part of the house, as well as allowing natural light to pour in generously. It really was a beautiful sight indeed for Octavia. Vinyl ushered Octavia to sit down with her on one of her luxury leather sofas.

"So. What did you want to tell me then, Octavia?" Vinyl asked suggestively, expecting the apologies to come thick and fast - she was relishing the moment.

Octavia noticed Vinyl's cheeky line instantaneously and frowned upon it to start with. However, she knew Vinyl was joking and had good intentions. Octavia just laughed Vinyl's behaviour off and began her explanation.

"Well, recently, I had been experiencing unexplained events. They were scaring me into paranoia. When unconscious in the street, you can imagine that being awoken by a randomer would scare you out of your coat. It sure did for me!" Octavia chuckled midway through her explanation, before continuing on: "Well, you scared me so much, I ran away and rudely interrupted your introduction. Well, I'm sorry." Octavia made sure her apology was said with the utmost amount of conviction as was possible.

Vinyl just smiled and retorted calmly, "It's cool. Hey, you want to go get a drink?"

Octavia smiled. The friendship was blossoming; it was evident. Although their personalities were pretty much polar opposites, they both could take a joke. With a grin brewing across her muzzle, Octavia replied, "Yeah, sure!"

*************************

Nothing significant happened on Octavia's and Vinyl's trip out together. Octavia and Vinyl chatted for a while and had a few drinks. The bill was equally divided between them for equality purposes. Differences were found, and similarities discovered.

But one thing Vinyl said stood out to Octavia.

*Flashback*

Octavia: "So yeah, I'm doing a performance next week... Leading the string section of a wedding band."

Vinyl: "Wow, sweet. Hey, do you mind if I attend? Hey, I could also have my chauffeur drive you to band practices throughout the week. How's that sound, huh?"

*Flashback over*

Octavia had accepted the offer: she was glad she did too. It would be good to have some company at practices for motivational purposes. Plus, she enjoyed Vinyl's company. Vinyl was a great mare once you got to know her: unique but herself.

As Octavia began her journey home, she reflected upon today's events. Not a single negative thing stood out on the detailed timeline of events for the today. As equivalent to the journey there, the way back to her own house was uneventful. Nothing of significance occurred.

**************************

Octavia yanked open her door handle with minimal effort. Her hooves were tired, her body was tired, she was tired. However the day had been brilliant. A new friend found, travel to practices arranged, her apology for her unacceptably rude behaviour given and she had been forgiven. With the last of the strength Octavia could muster, she dragged her way up her stairs to her bedroom. She dumped her saddlebags down on the floor with a thud and practically collapsed into bed. The day had taken everything out of Octavia. All she craved was a good night's rest to rejuvenate herself. Within a few minutes Octavia was sound asleep. She had forgotten to remove her bow tie - something routine to her normally. She was that knackered.

All that remained was to ace this wedding. Canterlot weddings were prestigious events and being on lead strings was an honour for anypony. Success meant more advancement in her musical career. Octavia smiled happily in her sleep as her face lay engulfed in a big, white marshmallow of a pillow.

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Well, another chapter done. Only the finale remains now! :D

I hope you enjoyed reading this, I enjoyed writing it.

The finale shall be available on Saturday night. I will write it then. Look forward to that. :)

Oh, and fimfiction, please stop being "under maintenance" when I need to write. My schedule was almost delayed a week by that; just found enough time to write though.

Bye all!

Chapter 5 (Finale!) [Updated]

Well, usually I use this slot to speak my mind and talk of current events.

Nothing changes here then. :D

Going on holiday the week after next, down to Cornwall with my mate. Don't expect any updates for that week.

Next week is my last writing slot. I am going to brainstorm throughout the week on ideas for what to write, then start a first chapter and upload it before I go.

However, THIS IS NOT A GUARANTEE. I may actually end up with no available writing slot.

Come to think of it, it's not likely. Don't expect updates for two and a half weeks. Sorry all. :/

Wish I could do something, but I don't own a laptop I have access to all the time.

Without no further ado, I'll get on with the finale of Paranoia. :D

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"In other news, Canterlot will be having a wedding binding two prestigious ponies together tomorrow. The orchestral band has been practicing frantically for this event and everything looks to be spectacular." Blared the newspony on the TV.

Just then a dull and hollow thud echoed through the house. It resonated off every wall and reached Octavia's ears: it was time. She was ready for anything. It was her last practice session before the big day; Octavia couldn't be more pumped for anything in her life. Octavia almost fell over at the prospects and possibilities that this event brings to her metaphorical table.

Octavia began to prop herself up from her incredibly comfortable armchair and reached a hoof over to flick the switch on the TV. On her way to the exit, Octavia retrieved all necessary belongings for her day. Bow tie, saddlebags, bits, Cello: the typical things for her sporadic expulsions.

With a quick swish of her mane and brush down of her coat, Octavia was mentally ready. She stretched out her hoof eagerly and flung open the door to be greeted by, as expected, Vinyl Scratch.

Her warm smile was apparent as usual and the casual attitude of Vinyl was being emitted for all of the atmosphere to admire. Well, whether the atmosphere was or wasn't, rest assured Octavia was.

Despite Octavia's severe lack of discretion, Vinyl appeared to not notice. All Vinyl did do was mention her greetings and turn tail to leave.

The whole charade of Vinyl driving Octavia to her rehearsals via a chauffeur driven limo was definitely becoming routine - and it definitely wasn't a routine Octavia wanted to end. Octavia welcomed the fuss made over her because of her general lack of importance on a high class tier.

Although Octavia was known around Canterlot and gained the odd recognition here and there, she was fairly unknown due to the more extravagant choice of music. This caused her to gain little attention and to gain less fame.

Consequently, Octavia relished every lasting moment with a burning passion.

The walk from her door to the stylish limo (which purred at the roadside monotonously) felt like the red carpet to royalty. Cameras flashed blindingly from every direction, but Octavia didn't flinch. Instead, she beamed with pride at the false moment occurring inside her head.

Suddenly, Vinyl flung open the passenger door carelessly; almost recklessly. She jumped in emphatically and peeked out at Octavia, inviting her in with a soft gaze and a waving hoof.

Octavia was quick to pounce to the offer and she immediately bolted for the limo and hurtled into the back with Vinyl, cascading into her and causing all of Octavia's possessions to be deposited onto the floor of the limo.

Octavia felt like a clumsy clown. All she could do was smile sheepishly at Vinyl as she stared disapprovingly with her crimson eyes lighting up her crystal white face.

Just as the awkward moment was about to climax, Vinyl surprised Octavia with a laugh. It wasn't a cold-hearted laugh, no, it was more of a soft, joking laugh. Octavia was stunned at Vinyl's reaction to her stupid shenanigans. Like a good friend would, Vinyl also begun carefully collecting Octavia's items into a neat pile for her to replace into her saddlebag.

Octavia was left unable to notion even a stutter. Her voice had escaped the limo instantly, along with her dignity. The only option available to Octavia was simply to give her gratitude with a warm and friendly smile. Vinyl just nodded her acceptance and gave the signal to the chauffeur for the limo to set off.

The ride was incredibly nostalgic. It differed in no ways and served only as a stimulant for Octavia's mind to wander.

Every journey in the substantially comfortable limousine didn't differ. All of them were flawlessly not interrupted and each remained relaxing. Octavia was always able to lose herself and her train of thought departed the station of her mind shortly after. It was always enjoyable to not worry about anything plausibly negative and be able to enter rehearsals with a clear mind.

Speaking of rehearsals, each one throughout the tiresome week Octavia had experienced had been perfect: in every sense of the word. Everyone on strings knew of their part and Octavia was keeping the brilliant balance between knowing her own piece and maintaining the section as a whole. Nothing could go wrong today; it was their final runthrough before the big thing.

*******************

A soft and warm object was prodding Octavia. She was trying to practice! Did this pony not know of what Octavia was entitled to do tomorrow? The performance was staggeringly important!

With an irritated grunt, Octavia began the journey between her current state and consciousness. Just then, realisation kicked in and began prodding Octavia's side in tandem with whatever was doing it prior to now.

Octavia's eyes jolted open instantaneously to find herself slouched along the back seat of the limo. In addition, a vibrant pair of brightly coloured eyes stared at her: half amused. half annoyed. Octavia's blush spread rapidly across her muzzle to a hue similar to that of Vinyl's thought provoking eyes.

"Hey sleepyhead, ain't you got a rehearsal to get to?" Vinyl light-heartedly questioned.

At that statement, Octavia's muzzle exploded. The whole thing was brightly flushed with a deep red colour: Octavia had never felt so embarrassed in the last year.

Vinyl just laughed in a gentle but mocking manner. Before things got worse and escalated out of proportions, Octavia scooped up her belongings and exited the limo.

As her final back hoof touched down on the ground, Octavia looked up at the perilous building that she must intrude. With a slow but sure manner and her expectations high, Octavia entered the theatre proudly and regally. Vinyl just scuffed her hooves on the carpet and followed on from the rear a little awkwardly.

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After a few minutes of misdirection and aimless wandering, Octavia stumbled upon the stage they were rehearsing at. The theatre was a ginormous building with a multitude of stages and diverse performing arenas. It really was magnificent and Octavia knew it must have cost a fortune of bits to rent it out.

As soon as Octavia came into sight she was engulfed by the whole strings section's warm welcome. The positive reception stirred good memories into her mind. Without no further interruption, Octavia begun practicing: taking a lead role over the other ponies who followed suit. They did not question her moves and no quarrel was made over anything. The whole session was going swimmingly.

Out of the corner of her eye, Octavia caught sight of Vinyl sitting in the front row of the audience. She was parked on one of the many chairs invading the theatre; part of the rough sea that spanned across the whole room.

Octavia noticed only one thing: Vinyl's complex expression. Across Vinyl's face was a nonchalant stare, one that penetrated right through Octavia's body. It almost made her feel a little uneasy as she sat comfortably in the luscious chair that was thickly and generously laden with padding.

Another thing that peeved Octavia was the lack of a definitive emotion to pin to Vinyl's expression. Octavia's take on it was that Vinyl was admiring the sweet tones that the strings section was creating and combining. The sheet music provided was a wonder made in the heavens and it wouldn't have surprised Octavia that much if this was the case: even if their preferred genre of music differed marginally.

The uncertainty in everything around her was causing Octavia some troubles with her rehearsing. She was slipping up in numerous noticeable areas and her general performance was being hampered by her current mind-set. Within moments Octavia was on the receiving end of countless confused gazes from the ponies around her. It was clear that everypony was noticing her slip-ups so Octavia sighed inwardly and gave up on trying to keep her composure.

With a disgruntled huff, Octavia grabbed her Cello and walked off the stage. "I'm just going to re-tune my Cello and regain my composure. Be back in a bit!" She boldly proclaimed. It was evident that the ponies were confused. In fact, Octavia was sure she could feel the cold and menacing stares burning right through her. All this caused Octavia to do was quicken her pace to something resembling a dash as she shot of the stage.

With frantic glances to either side, Octavia checked every doorway of the corridor for a place to chill out. However, she was sure she could still feel and hear a pony shadowing her, following her every move. It was getting Octavia worked up intensely; so much so she started to hyperventilate. With a gasp for air, Octavia dived for the nearest door to her and exploded into the room. It was a bare, compact room, one with no decoration. It contained a basic swivel chair and nothing more, aside from the mucky window in front of her. The door was directly behind her.

Octavia needed air desperately. With all the strength she could muster, Octavia prised open the grimey window and took in a deep and much-needed breath of fresh air. As soon as she had done so, Octavia lowered the window to a close and sat down gently in the chair in the middle of the room. The chair faced the window so Octavia could immerse herself in the view, but her back was facing the open doorway. She picked up her cello and stood it up correctly so she could begin her favourite calming ritual: checking each string was in tune.

Just as Octavia picked up her neatly crafted bow to begin testing each string, the door behind her begun to swing shut. The sound emitted was of a high pitch and it alarmed Octavia. Her ears pricked up to vertical stance and Octavia started to rotate in the swivel chair to find out the source of the noise.

What she saw directly in front of her confused and intrigued Octavia.

A familiar face; one she couldn't quite put a name to. The pony stepped further into the room and locked the door behind her, as well as pulling the curtains to a close precariously. Octavia was desperate to object but curiosity was taking over as she found herself unable to even create meaningless noises from her mouth. All she could was watch intently what this random pony was doing.

"You don't know me, do you." Sneered the pony menacingly. Octavia could only manage to briskly shake her head from side to side.

"Well, I'm Brightshine and I was a violin master a little while back. I lead the string section at the Royal Canterlot Wedding between Shining Armour and Princess Mi Amore Cadenza. You, Octavia, played in this string section." Brightshine stated clearly.

"After the wedding, the Canterlot Orchestra decided I was inadequate for them, so they fired me. I tried everything I could to retain my position, but nothing prevailed. Everything changed when I was given a second chance to be in the Orchestra, but you... You beat me to the position of leading the string section, which consequently destroyed my career. Well, I'm not having it - I've been stalking you for weeks now, discovering information about you and uncovering potential weak spots in your metaphoric armour. Now, I must execute my plan and gain my rightful position as leader of the string section tomorrow!" Brightshine boldly proclaimed.

"I've been waiting for this day, Octavia. Many ponies called me crazy through my arduous life, but now is the time for my revenge. You ruined my career, I ruin your life!" Brightshine announced loudly. Her voice raised intensely to an inappropriate level, one which caused Octavia to tremble in horror at this ponies insanity.

Fear rose inside Octavia. Throughout Brightshine's speech, Octavia had analysed Brightshine's appearance. She was a white coated mare, a unicorn to be precise, with a mane of a very light grey hue. Her eyes were tinted dark blue and she wore an expression of pure hatred and disgust. As Brightshine perched herself in a position of a height advantage, a shadow loomed ominously across her face and the sheer insanity of Brightshine shone through.

After all this time, she had been right. Somepony had been following her every movement ever since the first fateful night when Octavia was returning from her performance. Octavia silently cursed to herself in annoyance for letting her guard down over the last week: now she was paying the price.

Finally, Octavia plucked up the courage to speak. "W-what are you going to do to m-me?" She whimpered.

Brightshine wore a grin that showed off her satisfaction; one that proved her hellbent and twisted mindset. Octavia simply cringed at how pathetic she clearly must have sounded then and there.

"Well Octavia, first I will gag you to stop you from whinging and whining for help: nopony will help you!" Brightshine retorted viciously. Octavia recoiled at Brightshine's words and in an attempt at freedom, poised herself to dive for the door.

Brightshine was expecting such a reaction and therefore reacted implausibly quickly. She grabbed Octavia's forehooves and poised herself in a position of advantage before Octavia could react. Her weight was holding Octavia down in her chair and Brightshine took this opportunity to tie a thick cloth tightly around Octavia's muzzle, so much so it began chafing her.

Octavia merely glanced at Brightshine in a plea of mercy, but Brightshine was quick to dismiss it. Octavia's heart simply sunk as she realised there was no way out: she would have to just accept whatever pain or torture was heading her way.

Brightshine seemed to react to Octavia's realisations and she put Octavia out of uncertainty.

"Well, first I'm going to smash your prized cello into fragments so you will never be successful again. Then, to dismiss you once and for all, I will kill you. Slowly is my preferred method; simply because I will cause you so much more pain. Not to mention the extra enjoyment I gain from it." Brightshine voiced.

Octavia could do nothing other than cry. She sat motionless on the chair, gagged and pinned down by the deadweight that was Brightshine.

Brightshine secured some rope around the chair to prevent Octavia from retaliating. Octavia just continued to shed tears, tears that tumbled down her cheeks and dropped onto the ground, forming a shallow pool.

With a deft motion, Brightshine picked up Octavia's cello, the cello that meant the world to Octavia, and threw it to the ground forcefully. As the intricate instrument snapped into two, every memory encased inside it was set free into the room. Octavia merely winced at the sickening crunch the impact made. Her life and her dreams were vaporising rapidly by the minute.

However, Octavia didn't mind so much. Besides, she would be dead soon: her cello was the least of her worries.

Brightshine then pulled a crowbar out from her large saddlebag and flung it above her head. Octavia braced herself for the impact by forcing her eyes shut.

Unfortunately, Octavia lacked the ability to block out sound effectively. The countless and reckless smashes that ensued meant only one thing: her cello was in tatters. Octavia silently voice her farewells to the cello she had always owned and loved, but she wished to see how it had fared after being massacred.

Towering above her was Brightshine. A dastardly grin was plastered wide across her face as she loomed over Octavia, both hooves above her head holding the crowbar that was ready to come thundering down upon Octavia imminently. The blow would not be fatal, but she would probably be left unconscious. Octavia held her gaze on Brightshine as the last thought of her life entered her mind: 'I hope you go to prison for your crimes you crazy mare!'

Suddenly, the window in front of Octavia shattered as another white pony careered through it. Octavia stifled a gasp under the gag as Vinyl Scratch herself came crashing into Brightshine, sending the two of them tumbling forward into Octavia. The resulting pile up had knocked Brightshine unconscious: additionally, her own crowbar had come careering down onto her head as she had lost grip of it whilst interrupted by Vinyl.

Vinyl got up and shook her head. She untied Octavia and removed the gag from her muzzle: Octavia remained stunned after her near death experience. With a clumsy but urgent manner, Vinyl fumbled through Brightshine's bag for a mobile phone, and it was only a brief period time before she uncovered one. One quick ring to the police later, Vinyl returned to her post of restraining Brightshine as she awaited the police's presence on the scene.

**********************

The next day, everything was sorted. Brightshine was locked up in prison, Octavia was on the mend mentally from her scarring experience, and Vinyl had been searching for a new cello to replicate Octavia's old one.

Of course, Octavia's position in the string section had to be revoked. It was given to another pony, one who was confident of all her roles and knew her way expertly around a Viola. Contrary to what you may think though, Octavia's career in the Canterlot Orchestra was not over: she was merely taking a few months for a break.

Only one question remained, one that was irritating Octavia with its unanswered state.

As she sat there in the back of Vinyl's limo, returning from today's eventful day out, Octavia found herself unable to not ask Vinyl this question.

"Vinyl?"

"Yeah?"

"How did you know I was in drastic need of help when you rescued me?" Octavia queried wonderingly.

"Well, when you stormed off, I felt compelled to follow: to check if you were okay. When I saw you enter that room and pull out your cello, I assumed you were well enough and therefore set off to wait patiently for your return. However, a peculiar pony passed me on my return. She seemed in a rush, so I took note. I also watched her enter your room. Something was wrong, so I exited the building and ran around the perimeter until I found the window corresponding to the room you were in. After listening to the conversation from outside for a while, I decided now would be a good time to intervene on Brightshine's dastardly plans." Vinyl answered plainly.

Octavia's eyes began to mist with tears as she stared at Vinyl. With no notification, Octavia flung her arms around Vinyl in a passionate embrace between two good friends: Vinyl Scratch was her hero!

Vinyl did not reject the offer and gladly joined in with the hugs. They were both ok, and every single piece of damage caused would easily be mended by time.

Octavia continued to hold Vinyl gently as she reflected on her last few weeks. She had gained a new friend, but lost her precious cello. Her life had been on the line, but it was saved by her new friend: and she would remain eternally grateful towards Vinyl.

One lesson had been learnt: believe in yourself. If Octavia had investigated her suspicions when they aroused, she could have prevented everything from happening the way it did. She would employ this into her life in the future.

A few questions and suspicions remained, but these were sure to unfold in the near future. Octavia knew it.

Paranoia: Paranoia is a symptom in which an individual feels as if the world is "out to get" him or her. When people are paranoid, they feel as if others are always talking about them behind their backs. Paranoia causes intense feelings of distrust, and can sometimes lead to overt or covert hostility.

THE END

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Well, it's done. Paranoia is finished. I wonder who expected that ending.

If you disliked the ending, tell me why and how I can improve so I can rewrite it soon.

If a few questions remain unanswered or your suspicions are not yet confirmed, this is because I plan to write a sequel which will follow on from the events of this story but contain a new storyline and perhaps some new characters. All remaining questions will be answered then, don't worry.

Well, I hope you like this story! I put a lot of effort into it to make of a decent standard and size.

I will see you in two weeks then, when I will begin brainstorming new ideas for a new fic. Writing will commence soon after.

I just want to thank Church here too for being awesome in general. He has been incredibly inspirational and constantly active with this story, and the reason it is completed today is as much due to him as it is due to me.

Thank you everypony once again for supporting me!

-FluttershyAllTheWay