On The Transience Of Adelasters
"One week in paradise."
There was a sigh somewhere in there, too soft to be heard. She couldn't help it, having such a translucent thought lingering in the back of her head for days on end, luminous with longing. For days, she had been anticipating for this very moment. For nights, she had gritted her teeth while playing for party after debilitating party. She enjoyed each and every one after them, yet having so many racked up in the past week alone, which had resulted in a couple of sleepless nights, it was beginning to take its toll. Right now, however, she was here, at the beginning.
One week in paradise.
Vinyl Scratch stood out from the usual crowd in these parts. Hauling her trolley luggage bag with a whip of magic, she had been the sole pony to step off the train and onto the station platform. In the town she had passed through on the way here, her vibrant mane and gleaming glasses had caught the eyes of many, some with interest, some with envy, some with disdain, all with varying degrees of success at unsettling her. She hastily scampered through there, though not before picking up some puffy pastries from the bakery, which she had kept in a paper bag clenched between her teeth. Another sigh came forward, softer than the last, as a new thought passed her by.
"Tavi's gonna love this."
Surprisingly (or unsurprisingly, if you knew her well), Octavia was the one who suggested this whole paradise gig in the first place. 'It's about time we both take some time off anyway', Vinyl remembered her saying ages go, to which she wholeheartedly agreed to. For the longest time, however, nothing happened. She brought it up a couple of times, but her marefriend would always stave it off, always promising to have it some other time. Vinyl couldn't blame her: Octavia ran on a constantly tight schedule, what with her rehearsals and concerts and everything, and though she wouldn't admit it, it was her job — her shows — that's keeping the both of them afloat. Octavia not minding that was what Vinyl really found surprising. Even now, she could distinctly remember, apart from a few posh words, the speech she made regarding passion and doing what you love in the end. Nothing screamed 'Octavia' quite like that.
After so many months, Vinyl could hardly believe it when the time finally came. Nevertheless, the letter spelled those four words out, clear as day: one week in paradise, or at least, a paradise in Octavia's eyes. That mare... by Celestia's holy mane, that mare somehow made all the arrangements without her knowledge despite her schedule, claiming it to be a surprise that she would like, though she really wouldn't mind as long as she had the chance to see her marefriend again as they agreed to. They were to arrive at their destination separately, as Octavia had left for Canterlot the previous night for another one of her shows. Sure enough, whatever doubts Vinyl had about this place were cast away on the journey here, and though it was not the paradise she had in mind, it was certainly a cozy one.
Paradise was a two-storey log cabin with a wrap-around porch, a pair of balconies front and back, and a brick chimney, located in a hidden corner of a forest far away from the quaint town and the rest of civilization.
Sometimes, she just hated how much Octavia can be right.
Before it, she stood. Between the grand rapids of the autumn leaves, she stood. Beneath the fuzzy sun and the crispy wind, Vinyl Scratch stood and marveled at the structure standing in the middle of it all. The cabin belonged to an old relative of Octavia's, apparently. Something she had inherited and kept, as per the will. How she didn't find out about this sooner, Vinyl had no idea. In the end, all she could concur was that Octavia's full of surprises. Not that it's a bad thing, really.
"You're late."
A warm, sheepish smile graced her features as her magic tugged the paper bag from her lips, her gazing rising to meet the lovely mare standing out in front of the porch. "You're early," Vinyl quipped back.
Her dear marefriend let slip a badly-hidden giggle; a fickle strum of her heartstrings. "And here, I thought after a terribly long night of sitting straight and playing my cello without breaking out into a yawn, I'd arrive to find you by the fireplace with a nourishing cup of cocoa to welcome me in beginning our week," she said, strutting down the steps with a haphazard frown. "Well, I'm assuming something happened during the journey?"
"Train engine overheated, so I was stuck in the middle of nowhere for a while, but hey, look what I got!" she said, waving the bag of treats between their eyes, though that only earned her an indifferent stare. "Come on, Tavi, I picked out your favorite ones. They even had raspberry tarts, Tavi! Raspberry tarts!"
"Well, I could've went down there and pick them up myself."
"You could've, but you didn't," Vinyl pointed out. "Also, I swiped the last of them clean off the shelf. The local baker said it's a popular treat in town, so what I'm holding here are some extra-scrumptious, highly sought after raspberry tarts here. All for you."
That was all Vinyl needed to finally bring a smile to that lovely face. "Only if you start the fire as well," Octavia added.
"Deal."
With that magic word, the two mares embraced each other, finding bliss in their familiar warmth. "I was beginning to believe you thought it was some crude prank I was playing on you, Vinyl," Octavia softly sighed as she broke from their hug. "I wasn't really looking forward to spending a week here in the middle of the forest all by myself."
"Yeah, no way," Vinyl laughed. "That'll be too elaborate even for you, Tavi."
"Elaborate and impractical, I dare say." the two mares laughed. "Come along, I'll help you with your bags."
The inside of the cabin was everything Vinyl imagined the inside of a log cabin would be. The moment she stepped through the front door, Vinyl was greeted with the sight of a trio of red, plushy velvet couches, all of it facing the unlit fireplace. Beyond it stood a grand piano, gleaming in the sunlight coming in from a pair of windowed doors leading out to the porch, held shut by a single latch. Situated on a slightly higher platform to her left was the kitchen, closed off from the rest of the cabin by a built-in L-shaped bar table outlined with a quartet of tall stools, save for an inviting doorway on the shorter end. Right above it was a balcony overlooking the living room, stretching all the way around and above her to the stairway on her right.
"Hey, babe?"
"Yes?"
"We should just move here. Live the rest of our lives in this place."
A brief laugh escaped from Octavia's lips. "However much I agree with your sentiment, you know we can't do that. It wouldn't be feasible for the two of us."
"This whole place is yours now, isn't it?" Vinyl asked, catching her marefriend's nod while still beaming at the rustic architecture. "Seriously, this place must be worth a fortune! Your uncle must've been something."
"He certainly was, I can say that for sure." She was wearing a smile, tinged with a certain kind of sadness, if Vinyl were to judge. "That's his piano over there, by the window. My uncle, he was quite the pianist back in the day. Always riveting with his concertos, he was. You know, he would play me the softest lullabies to sleep with that piano every time I came around with my parents. Strangely enough, it was always to me and never to my other cousins."
"He must've liked you very much."
"I would imagine it to be so," Octavia muttered before shaking her head. "Ah, enough of this! We're here to spend one week in paradise, not hear me go on with my dreary stories!"
"Hey, I was enjoying your dreary stories!"
"Well, I most certainly am not," she declared pompously, making Vinyl snicker. "Come on now, let's get your bags up there. You would love where we'll be spending the night, dear."
"Would I now?" Vinyl ribbed, though the polished smile on her marefriend's face told her everything.
Sometimes, she just loved how much Octavia can be right.
The bedroom was brazen with its amenity, the centerpiece of it all being the king-sized bed with its fluffy white pillows and red satin sheets. Flanking it were two matching nightstands holding up their respective lamps, their ornately-carved facade outmatched only by the cupboard on the side, standing between a study table and a door into what Vinyl assumed was the bathroom. Putting aside her luggage, it didn't take long for her to scurry forward and leap into the bed, gleefully giggling even despite her marefriend's crusty stare.
"For Celestia's sake, Vinyl, I just made the bed minutes ago."
"Oh come on, Tavi, I just wanted to try it out," she chortled, curling and stretching about as she wrinkled the sheets. "Besides, one week in paradise, remember? Don't worry, I'll make the bed later once I'm done... and also start the fire... and... Luna's flanks, you should really try this out... ah, nothing like a good bed after a long day..."
"Well... if only because you insisted."
"C'mere, you."
With a gentle, relaxed hum, her marefriend joined her, curling up right beside her with her head resting on one of the pillows. Chuckling wholeheartedly, Vinyl shimmied her head up to do the same, her eyes slowly closing to relish the snug warmth that her lovely marefriend had prepared just for the both of them. One week in paradise, the magical thought passed her by once more. One week, just the two of them, all by themselves... finally, after all this time, after months and months of waiting, they were finally here. Already, Vinyl was browsing in her head all the things they might do together out here. How would they spend these seven days here? What would they do? A few minutes of that later, she sighed the softest sigh she could ever muster: perhaps it would be best to just do nothing at all. A week of relaxation... that's not so bad, she thought to herself. Unless, of course, Octavia already made some plans.
"So, what are we gonna do first, Tavi? Tavi?"
Opening her eyes, Vinyl smiled when she saw her marefriend still facing her, already deep in silent slumber. She withheld a chuckle, instead snuggling closer to the sleeping mare until she could feel Octavia's breath tickling the hairs on her snout. With a quiet hum, she soon closed her eyes, joining her marefriend as they begin their first few minutes of one week in paradise.
"A nap is nice too."
Vinyl Scratch opened her eyes.
The dense night met her first, veiled in moonless black. The autumn chill was next, nipping like bats lashing out at her skin. A quick flash of light startled her, though the low, immense rumble that followed eased her vexations. From the windows danced the silhouette of the trees in the vicious wind, briefly showing themselves in the scintillation of streaking lightning, the rustling leaves joining in the dissonant choir of the coming storm. Grumbling, she flipped to the other side, her eyes steadily drifting to a close, only to sluggishly open again.
"Tavi?"
She couldn't see in the dark, but Vinyl knew from the lack of cascading warmth that her marefriend wasn't there. Perhaps Octavia must've woken up at some point before this, she thought to herself, grinning. Maybe making some preparations for tomorrow without her knowledge. Sneaky as ever, she chuckled. Stifling a yawn, Vinyl shuffled to the side of the bed, her hooves slipping off the edge before daintily touching the cold surface of the wooden floor. She gave one last gander about the room just to be sure, only to furrow her brows and make her way outside.
"Tavi? Tavi, you down there?"
All she could see beyond the door was the unwelcoming black. Groggily, Vinyl cantered forwards to glance over the balcony railing, though with how dark the night was in the depths of the forest, she couldn't make anything out apart from a few fuzzy shapes. Her horn soon lit up with a swirling cord of light after a bout of straining from her tired head, guiding her along to the stairwell, down the steps and right into the living room. Cantering aimlessly around into the field of darkness, lead on only by a hoof extended outwards, she soon felt it brushing against the fuzzy velvet of the couches, prompting her to stop.
"Tavi, come on," she muttered. "I know you're here."
Deathly silence filled the living room, save for the looming rumbles of distant thunder. A chill swept between her hooves— the wind, she told herself. Just the autumn wind. Her measured breathing couldn't stymie the shivers, instead buckling into an erratic rhythm. She kept it quiet, though she knew even that facade would collapse eventually. Black upon black preyed upon this white mare standing in the middle of it all, lost in the dark.
Alone.
"Tavi... Octavia..."
A flash of lightning filled the world.
It was brief, yet in that brief burst of white, Vinyl caught sight of a silhouette of a mare. From beyond the recognizable silhouette of the piano, behind the glass doors leading to the porch and the brewing storm outside, she spotted her in the open between dancing branches and convulsing leaves, causing Vinyl to sigh in relief. Out in the open, her long mane was violently tussling in the wind, with the first needles of rain ready to batter her at any second, yet the mare stood firm, standing there, staring there, gallant before the fit of luminous laughter traipsing across the midnight sky.
"Tavi, what are you doing out there?" Vinyl called out, making her way towards her marefriend. "You know you'll catch a cold if you stand outside, right? Tavi?"
No response.
"Tavi?" Vinyl called out again. She stepped forward, only to feel the chill from between her hooves earlier return in full force. A flash lit the world once more, in which she soon caught the strangest sight of a tinge of bright scarlet.
"Tavi," she tried once more.
Nothing.
Her marefriend... the mare outside those doors still stood there, undaunted by the furor of wind and thunder. The war drums of rain resounded in the distance, the needles of water charging in right behind. Still, the mare stood there. Still, the mare stared ahead, severely silent.
"T-Tavi? O... Octavia?"
The mare's ears perked, before she began to turn around.
Only for a flash of light to burn the entire world.
It came in a flood of red and white, rushing in from both sides before meeting in a clash. She was swept away by the tidal wave, coughing and choking as globs of ink rushed down her throat and out her nostrils. Her skin sizzled, her eyes swelled. Her bones trembled and trembled, stretching and twisting and turning as they bulged out against her flesh, threatening to tear out from her sides and into the open. Fires danced in her horn as she screamed, before she keeled over with a retch from her throat. Her jaw hung from its hinges, her tongue stretched out into the open as she gripped her gargling abdomen, just as something thick and pungent came flooding up from within the depths of her lungs—
"Vinyl, what are you doing down here?"
VInyl Scratch opened her eyes, blinking profusely as her vision returned from its blinded haze. Veering around, she caught sight of Octavia standing by the stairwell with a hoof on one of the light switches, looking right at her with wide eyes shimmering in concern. Quickly, Vinyl turned back towards the doors, only to find nothing standing there, just the waving trees and the coming onslaught of rain.
"But..." she muttered, blinking again. "But... But I thought—" No, she was certain that...
"What is it, Vinyl?"
"Nothing," the words came out before she realized them. "N-Nothing, I... I thought I saw something... someone..."
"It's the middle of the night, Vinyl," Octavia sighed, trotting up to her. "I doubt anyone would be prancing around outside at this time, particularly in such a remote place."
"But I'm sure I— I know I... you were standing out there, I think..."
"I was in the bathroom, Vinyl. I didn't want to wake you up." their hooves met in a pact of reassurance. "You sure you're not just imagining things, Vinyl? Seeing things that aren't there? It might just be the trees, you know. I've had scared myself a couple of times because of them when I was younger. It's not utterly unique to you, I'm ashamed to say. Come on, let's get back to bed."
Vinyl bit her lip, her wary glance still glued to the place where the figure stood, now engulfed in thrashing curtains of blinding droplets. With a shake of her head, she followed her marefriend back to their bedroom, trying her best to ignore whatever she saw, or she thought she saw. She turned her gaze towards those doors one last time from the balcony, only to sigh as she slowly made her slow, eventual return to the comfort of their bed.
"It's nothing, Vinyl," she told herself, unconvincingly.
"Just nothing."
"P, S, R and T. Remember me to one who lives there."
"Oh wait, I know this one, I definitely know it!" Vinyl shrieked with gritted teeth, hooves prancing in place as Octavia lightly giggled, leaning back into the couch they were sharing with wine glass in tow. "Oh, come on, come on, Vinyl, you got this one, you got this—"
"Want a hint?"
"I don't wanna! I got this one, I promise!" she whined, much to her marefriend's amusement. "P, S, R and T... P... S... why is this whole 'leave important words out' rule in there anyway?"
"Well, it wouldn't be a challenge without a little twist, wouldn't it? Plus, it's not like you needed those words anyway. You could, of course, ask for a hint if you wish."
"Ugh, fine, fine! Can I have a hint, Tavi? Just one! Please?"
"Since you've asked nicely," Octavia hummed in delight. "The P stands for parsley."
"Parsley... parsley, S, R and... oh wait! Of course! It's 'Scarborough Fair'! Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme!"
"Correct!"
"Yes!"
Laughter filled the confines of the cabin, brief and mirthful. With a pair of contented sighs, elicited just few seconds apart of each other, Vinyl turned her pensive gaze back to her lovely marefriend, smiling as she watched her gingerly take a plaintive sip of wine from her glass before quickly snapping out of her wonderful daydream. "So!" she gasped, hoisting herself up to her hooves. "We're done with musical guessing games. What now?"
"Well, anything you'd love to do, really," Octavia nonchalantly replied with a shrug, taking a bite from a raspberry tart, chewing for a while before swallowing to continue: "I have to admit, there really isn't much to do out here in the forest. At least, nothing that is to your liking, I suppose."
"Just a day into paradise and we're already running out of things to do." Vinyl sighed. "Well, it's not like I'm not enjoying it or anything. It's not everyday you get to drink wine in the middle of the day, for starters."
"You're certainly not wrong there. You're sure you don't want a glass to taste, at the very least? It's a particularly exquisite bottle, this one."
"Nah, I'm more into the heavier stuff. Even then, I usually drink until I get wasted, Tavi. You know that."
"Ugh, do I ever."
A chuckle from Vinyl before silence took center stage, broken only by her marefriend's occasional dainty sipping of her wine. Her glance drifted to the cabin she was in, still in awe at how this place looked. The architecture, the atmosphere, even the graceful waltzing of the embers in the fireplace! Just... Luna's flanks, she could just lie down here to soak in it for the rest of the week without doing anything else and she wouldn't mind! Nevertheless, it was still amazing how Octavia managed to inherit this place all for herself. From the sounds of it, there was a bit of history that Octavia shared with these walls. She would love to know about them, though considering how sensitive Octavia can be with her personal matters, she knew better than to pry.
"So, about last night."
Vinyl flinched. "What about last night?"
"You said you saw me standing out on the porch, didn't you?" Octavia pointed out, to which she nodded despite her dismay. "I was thinking about it this morning and... well, I might have misremembered a thing or two about it, but I faintly recalled my dear uncle telling me a story similar to that a long time ago. A myth of sorts in these parts of Equestria regarding some sort of spirit."
"Huh. Okay." Vinyl nibbled her bottom lip. "W-What's it about?"
A grin. "They called it the Adelaster," she spoke in a hushed tone. "Celestia knows why they called it that really, but they just do. They're said to prowl in the forests in these parts, so says my uncle. Back in the day, when ponies set out into these forests to gather food, some of them would disappear without a trace, in which case they would say it was the work of the Adelaster, luring ponies in with false promises before devouring them whole. No one's ever seen one up close and have gotten away with it, but there were some ponies who claimed they spotted it, my uncle being one of them,"
"Really? How did it look like?"
"Just like you said, it took the shape of a mare, sometimes wearing a red dress." The thought of it made the both of them shudder, before Octavia began to giggle. "My, my, even describing it gives me the shivers! Imagine seeing it then! It would've been ghastly."
"No kidding," Vinyl laughed along, albeit nervously. "So wait, you said your uncle saw it?"
"Several times, apparently. Being the night owl he was, my uncle would often play his piano late into the night. It was on those nights, while he was rehearsing for an upcoming performance, that he saw it standing behind one of the trees, staring at him without doing anything else." The color on Octavia's cheek visibly faded as she glanced out of the windows and into the forest. "He said it sounded like it was.... singing something. It's rather strange, I know."
"A singing ghost. Great. Just what I wanted to hear."
"It is just a myth after all, Vinyl," Octavia chuckled. "Though my uncle did say that the creature only came around when he played his more riveting pieces, so he instead chose to play them during the day and opted to play his quieter solos for the nighttime."
"Your uncle's a really interesting pony, wasn't he?"
"Well, more than most, I'll admit," her marefriend sheepishly said, the sight of which made Vinyl dance a little dance in her head. "Then again, this is his cabin we're staying in. I'd say being interesting does come with a few luxuries, wouldn't you agree?"
"When you put it that way, of course!" Vinyl laughed. "To be respected as an excellent pianist, have the comfiest, coziest cabin in all of Equestria, not to mention having one of the loveliest, cutest mares I've ever known as his wonderfully-talented niece—"
"Vinyl!"
"What? It's true, you know! I'm sure your uncle wouldn't mind if I shower some praise on his obviously-favorite niece, wouldn't he? Loveliest, check. Cutest, check. Most beautiful too, if I had to put a third one in there."
"You flatter me."
"Oh, I try my best."
Two mares giggled, before Vinyl nuzzled the pony she knew as the loveliest, cutest, most beautiful and talented marefriend in all of Equestria, who very eagerly reciprocated with one in return. With a sigh, she kicked back her hooves and closed her eyes, sending off what few worries she had brought along on their merry way in a quiet sigh, leaving her to relish in the warmth of the cabin and the mare snuggled up to her side stirring and spreading across her chest.
Just another day in paradise.
Vinyl Scratch opened her eyes.
Night, dense and cold as they come. The former was never a problem to her; the latter was easily fixed with her huddled up in the sheets. There was a light creaking coming from the rafters, though Octavia had mentioned it was a common occurrence, considering how old the cabin is. Speaking of which, the mare was still sleeping right beside her, hugging tightly with a single hoof around the pillow she was resting on. She always looked so carefree in slumber, smiling and muttering the quaintest things, quite unlike the composed facade she would always put on when she was awake. A part of Vinyl just wanted to sit there and admire her marefriend in all her tranquil beauty, though right now, that was pushed to the back of her mind.
Something woke her up.
Something definitely woke her up.
Her eyes searched the room — nothing out of the ordinary — before falling out the window to the crescent moon hanging in the night, smiling at her predicament. She perked her ears up, hoping to catch a stray noise, though all she could hear was her quickening breaths. "Hello?" she softly called out, taking care not to wake the sleeping mare beside her. All she got was the thick silence, as she liked. With a groan, she kicked her hooves out and shimmied back into her sheets, brushing her mane back with a free hoof and shuffling her head about the pillow before she closed her eyes in hopeful slumber.
Silence shattered five minutes later.
Vinyl Scratch opened her eyes at that sound.
That unmistakable sound.
The piano.
Someone was playing the piano.
Carefully, she rose from the safety and security of her bed, her eyes fixated on the door from where the dissonant sounds rushed out between its cracks. The playing was haphazard and frenetic, as if the pony or... thing... playing it had no inkling of what they're doing. Vinyl crept towards the door, slowly but surely, step by step. Every step closer, the jangling of the ivory keys grew just a little louder, almost as if it was acutely aware of her approach. Trembling, she stopped right at the door, staring at it for the longest time before tentatively reaching out a shaking hoof to twist the frigid curves of the doorknob and give it a gentle, measured tug.
Suddenly, silence.
Deathly silence.
The sounds had stopped. The jangling had stopped. Whoever or whatever's playing the piano had stopped. Through the widening crack of the door, the calming silence from before now bore a dreadful qualm. With a feverish gasp, Vinyl crept out onto the platform, her eyes shakily stumbling into the gaps between the railings. Hesitantly, she glanced over the balcony, the sight of the living room drenched in the unfamiliar, unforgiving darkness permeating the world only meeting her with its outstretched jaws, nary a trace nor sound of anything amiss within its bowels. Beyond the crowd of velvet couches and potted plants, the grand piano valiantly stood there, untouched and unmoving, its secrets of the night left unspoken. Stepping back with a relieved gasp, Vinyl Scratch wiped the cold trickle of sweat running down from the corner of her forehead, grumbling quietly to herself and her excited bout of paranoia before ending it all with a sigh as she turned around to return to the company of her loveliest, her cutest, her most beautiful—
"AAHHHH!"
Silence.
Deathly silence.
Shunning silence, still.
"Vinyl Scratch!" came a breathless gasp. "Celestia's sake!"
"Tavi," Vinyl sighed in sheer relief, catching her breath. "Y-You scared me..."
"I could very well say the same thing, Vinyl! What were you doing out here? Do you know what time it is?"
"I..." she gulped. "Sorry, Tavi, I thought I... I heard something..."
"Something?"
"The piano, it was..." Vinyl's voice shivered. "I heard the piano playing..."
"R-Really?" Octavia glanced over towards the instrument below. "Vinyl, I... are you sure you're not just hearing things? Maybe... maybe you got a little jumpy after hearing my story this afternoon?"
"M-Maybe?" her eyes watered a little. "I... I don't know, Tavi... I don't know, I..."
"I'm sorry, love. I... I didn't mean to scare you," her marefriend quietly muttered, hugging her tight. "Come on, let's just... let's go back to bed, shall we? We'll sleep it off and um... tomorrow, we'll make some great memories of this place to keep your mind off it, alright? Just... you and me and our... week in paradise, okay Vinyl? Just us together, alright?"
Vinyl, of course, couldn't help but give an inkling of a smile.
"O-Okay..."
"But I don't want you to go!"
"I'll only be gone for a while, Vinyl."
"But Tavi~!"
"Oh, would you stop acting like a spoiled child." her marefriend sighed. "Look, I'll only be gone for half an hour to pick up a couple more pastries for us to last the week. I, for one, do not wish to spend the rest of my remaining days in paradise on an empty stomach, and I'm fairly certain you don't want that too."
Of course she doesn't, Vinyl snickered to herself. No one would want that! Nevertheless, she adopted her best rendition of the puppy eyes, her lips puckering up in a telltale plea, though that only made her marefriend roll her eyes. "Enough with your incessant, bothersome teasing, Vinyl Scratch," she groused, making Vinyl snicker once more. "Now then, if I may?"
A gleeful grin as she helpfully opened the front door. "Be back soon, Tavi! Remember to pick up the raspberry tarts!"
With a wave and a peck on the cheek, Vinyl Scratch sent her marefriend off traipsing to town. She would've went along with her, though having remembered the amount of stares she had racked up on the day of her arrival alone, she quickly decided against it. Having the cabin all by herself, she galloped towards the living room, took a great leap and dived into one of the couches, slowly sinking into its velvet embrace with a purring sigh. Stretching her hooves, her gaze drifted up to the rafters, her daydreams enticed by the slow haze of a lazy afternoon.
Three days into paradise already. Four more to go. The thought of it was enough to make her anxious. What could they do in the remaining four days? How could they make this week even more memorable and meaningful for the both of them? Vinyl knew deep down she didn't really have to try that hard to make Octavia smile — with how much time they would spend being away from each other, her company was really enough — yet she knew she just had to try. Complacency just wouldn't do, not when Octavia's done so much already to make this week worth it. They might not even have another chance at this, after all. She just... she just needed to make it special. To make her feel special, more than the usual dosage of special. At the very least, as her marefriend, Octavia deserved it.
"What should I do?" she found herself muttering aloud. "What should I do... what should I..."
Her gaze had drifted again, wandering this time to the grand piano, gleaming in the sunlight. She found herself rising to her hooves and striding across the room towards it, before gently reaching out and gracefully placing a hoof onto the polished ridges of ebony and ivory. Pressure prolonged swirled at the tip of her outstretched hoof, the key slowly but surely sinking underneath the extra weight until finally, it clicked to a halt with a muted toll that resonated in her ears and throughout the cabin. For the longest time, Vinyl Scratch stood there, staring at her hoof stuck on that single key, unsure of what she's doing or why she even went ahead with it in the first place.
A creak from above made her jump, snapping her out of her reverie.
A long, loud creak.
"Stupid cabin..." she muttered, wiping her hooves against the rug as she glanced about, hearing its rafters groan once more. As cozy and comfy as it were, the creaking was, in the words of Octavia Melody, as irritating and ear-splitting as they were frequent. Wrinkling her snout, she made her disdain known to the panels of wood hanging above her head, before giggling quietly to herself as her gaze fell back down and wandered over to the side, staring out into the breathtaking, autumn-swept landscape awaiting her admiration right outside.
Then she stopped.
Her breathing stilled. Her hooves froze. Her eyes wanted to scurry someplace else, yet it remained glued to the window, or more specifically, what's beyond it. The frigid wind swooped in between her hooves once more as she stared out over the porch and into the corner of the forest, separated only by a pair of windowed doors easily opened with the flick of the latch.
There was a mare standing there.
A white mare standing beside one of the trees.
A white mare with an overgrown mane of silky black shielding her face.
A white mare wearing a red dress.
She was staring at her. Standing in broad daylight, she was staring at her. Her mane covered her eyes like an unkempt veil, yet she was staring right at her. Vinyl knew it was staring at her. She could feel its piercing glare prickling her skin. She could feel it laughing, coarse and dry in a strangled warble. She could hear it sing... heavens above, she could hear it sing. It rang in her head, crisp and arid. It wailed. It echoed. The melody... the melody was... it was alluring. Sure, broken. Jangled. Messy. Familiar. Frantic. Desperate. Still, alluring. Nevertheless, Vinyl wasn't so whimsical to fall prey to it, yet try as she might, she couldn't move. She didn't dare to move. She didn't know what would happen if she moved. Can she move? Should she? Why wouldn't she? Why can't she move?
In the end, Vinyl Scratch chose not to move.
So instead, the mare in the red dress did in her place.
Vinyl gasped as the mare visibly stepped away from the tree, only to trip and fall backwards onto her haunches with a terrified cry when she suddenly zipped forward, this time standing just mere inches away from the porch. Scrambling onto her hooves, she quickly galloped up the stairwell and bolted for the bedroom, reaching it just in time as that thing burst through the doors and lunged into the living room with an agonized moan. Quickly, she slammed the door shut and locked it tight, stumbling back with her horn flickering as she desperately searched her head for something —anything — to chase it away.
Another hollow, chattering moan later, silence.
Vinyl stared ahead.
Silence.
Still, Vinyl stared ahead.
Silence.
Then, humming.
Vinyl tensed up at its arrival. The disjointed tune came from the side— the stairs! It was on the... Celestia, it's... no, no, she heard it shifting now. It's moving. Slowly, but surely. The humming, the melody, the fractured, ruptured groans beneath it, the humming, the humming, it... it's moving closer. Closer. Closer. She held her breath when she heard it ringing from the corners. Flickering. Frazzling. The humming, it moved again, then it stopped.
Right there.
Right at the door.
Vinyl stared ahead, right at the door.
Then, silence.
Deathly silence.
Sheer silence.
*BAM!*
Her knees buckled. The door shook.
*BAM! BAM!*
Her eyes quivered with tears. She fell backwards. The door shook.
*BAM!*
Frantically, she shook her head. Violently, the door shook.
*BAM!*
"G-Go away..."
A whimper. The door rumbled.
*BAM! BAM! BAM!*
"G-Go! Go away!"
A howl. A screech. The door trembled, its knob rattling.
*BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM!*
"Go away! Go away!"
A scream. The door shuddered and lurched. The hinges creaked. The knob rattled and rattled.
*BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM!*
"GO AWAY! GO AWAY!"
A deafening shriek. The floors trembled. The roof crumbled. The convulsing door shook and shook and shook. Vinyl screamed at it, covering her ears with her hooves with watering eyes clenched shut.
"GO AWAY! GO AWAY! GO AWAY! GO AWAY! GO AWAY! GO AWAY—!"
*BAM! BAM! BAM!*
"JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!!"
Then, silence.
Pure silence.
Deathly silence.
"Vinyl?! Vinyl, are you in there?!"
"T-Tavi?" she gasped at the muffled voice coming from outside. "Tavi, is that you?"
"I heard screaming and I came back as fast as I could! Vinyl, what happened?! Why were you..." the knob jiggled a bit. "Why did you lock the door? Vinyl, what's going on?!"
"I..." Vinyl muttered, choking on her sniffles as she rose up onto her hooves. "H-Hold on, let me just..."
She heard the humming again.
This time from behind her neck.
A single scream was all she could let out before she was yanked back into the abyss by the throat. Red and white seared her eyes and spread throughout her skin. She thrashed and howled as a raging fire blasted from her intestines, flaring outwards to sink its fangs into her liver and stomach. Lash upon lash whipped across her body, every crack like a needle driven deep into her ears. The churning fluid from her lungs returned, and all she had left in her was a pained groan before Vinyl doubled over as she regurgitated the scarlet slime of liquid cinnabar, sobbing and slobbering from lump after gooey lump spilling out from her snout and between her teeth. Throughout it all, the mare in the red dress stood before her, watching her, leering at her, until, at the very end of it, when Vinyl felt her vision dying out, the monster knelt down to meet her broken gaze with its own eyeless, soulless stare, before it hummed its lullaby once more.
A single scream was all she could let out into paradise.
Then, as dense and cold as they come, darkness.
Vinyl Scratch opened her eyes.
It was nighttime, that much was clear. A blink. A much-needed gasp cooled her lungs. Another blink, this time ridding her of the stinging dryness stirring beneath her pupils. The swiveling world returned to its familiar form, shedding away the virulent blur it adorned. The fires in her guts had long since been put out, yet there was still a light pressure there. A plaintive shift of her hooves and a downward gaze was all it took to alleviate it, however, as the mare that had been resting peacefully on her stomach roused from her slumber.
"V-Vinyl? Vinyl! Vinyl, oh... oh, thank Celestia, Vinyl! T-Thank Celestia..."
"O-Octavia... Tavi?" she murmured, still blinking. "W-Where am I?"
"The bedroom, of course!" her marefriend sniffled, before hugging her tight. "Celestia, I thought you would never wake up, Vinyl! You've been out of it for hours! Hours, Vinyl!"
"Afternoon..." Vinyl rumbled, before everything came rushing back to her. "No... no! Tavi! Tavi, is she here?!"
"Who? Is who here?"
"The mare in the red dress! The... the monster you talked about!"
"I... not that I know of..." came her answer, prompting a sigh of relief. "Wait, you met it, Vinyl?! The Adelaster?! You saw it with your own eyes?!"
"I... yeah..."
Vinyl felt her throat lurch when she said that. The moaning, the humming, the banging and rattling, the torture she was subjected to... by the princesses, it's still ringing clearly in her head. Every sensation she felt, every scream she made, everything she was put through, she couldn't help but break into a quiet sob once more, tears already beginning to drip into the satin sheets.
"I-It came right after you left..." she whimpered, clutching tightly onto her marefriend's hoof. "It... I don't know what it wanted, but it chased after me. I-I tried locking it out, I tried, I... I locked it out and I thought I, I thought it, I... I thought it would keep it out! I thought it wouldn't come in! Then when I heard you outside the door, it... it..."
She couldn't take it anymore.
When her voice dwindled until it was no more than a shriveled squeak, Vinyl broke down, crying and sobbing as Octavia quickly pulled her into a hug, hushing and softly holding her close. She wailed and howled into her marefriend's chest, her tears flinging across the room. Still, Octavia hushed her, even going so far as to gently stroke her mane. For the longest time, they were stuck like that, one sinking into a welcome embrace, the other staying strong even despite the black shroud of darkness hanging above them. It wasn't until VInyl's sobs softened that Octavia did something she never saw coming.
She leaned in and gave Vinyl a gentle kiss on the lips.
"Okay, here's what we're gonna do, okay Vinyl?" she muttered, softly and carefully. "First thing tomorrow, we'll leave this place, okay? We'll pack our bags, take everything we need and just... just leave, alright? We'll go back home and spend the rest of our week there, or maybe we could go somewhere else. All that matters is that we get out of here, okay?"
"O... Okay..."
"For now, Vinyl, just... just get a good, long rest. I'll help you pack everything tomorrow, alright?"
"B-But—"
Octavia shushed out any of her attempts at protesting. "Just leave everything to me, Vinyl. You've been through enough already. For now, just... try and get some sleep, okay? Can you do that? For me, please?"
Vinyl hated it. She hated how useless she was. She hated how she ruined everything just because of something as insignificant as that crazed monster. She was supposed to come up with a way to make Octavia know what a wonderful marefriend she was; she never imagined to be like this! She was ashamed, yet she reminded herself it wasn't all her fault. Maybe if she had been a little stronger, or a little smarter, she could've settled this without a thought and their week in paradise wouldn't be disrupted. If only that were the case, but no, here she was now, stuck in bed and crying her eyes out. Here she was, being told to rest for tomorrow. Here she was, in the comfort of a king-sized bed, lying next to her marefriend who's pleading her to get some rest.
Having been through everything, perhaps the best thing Vinyl could do for her now was to oblige.
"Okay..."
Vinyl Scratch opened her eyes.
Daylight welcomed her— a gesture she easily and eagerly reciprocated. The rays of late morning spilled through the glass, prompting her to rise to her hooves. She glanced around, realizing quickly that she was alone. Octavia must be waiting downstairs, she assumed, rubbing her tired eyes and stretching her hooves. Her luggage bags were all neatly aligned by the cupboard, to which she couldn't help but grin at the sight, before she whisked them up with a flicker of her magic, opened the door and stepped out of the room.
Stepping out onto the platform, Vinyl made her way towards the stairwell, her gaze peering over the balcony throughout her brief journey. The living room, even without a lit fireplace, still looked as comfy as the day she arrived, yet she would be lying if she said she didn't feel a cold layer of dread had wedged itself underneath it as well. It's a shame she couldn't spend any more time relishing in it and enjoying it, however, though she would admit three out of seven wasn't so bad. When she reached the bottom, she gave another gander, only to furrow her brows when the face she thought she'd see was not here.
"Maybe she's waiting outside," she muttered to herself with a hopeful grin. Just maybe.
Confidently, Vinyl strode out of the front door, shielding her eyes from the sudden glare of the morning sun as she emerged onto the porch. Once again, she glanced about the forest, yet strangely enough, she couldn't find a trace of Octavia anywhere. She cantered down the steps, her eyes quickly whisking left and right in search for her marefriend. Instead, all she saw were the trees shedding their golden leaves which, though a marvelous sight, was obviously the last of her worries.
"Tavi?" she called out inexplicably, her voice trembling. "Tavi, where are you?"
Then she stopped.
She spotted a mare galloping between the trees.
A mare with a black mane dancing in the ensuing wind.
A mare, saddlebags and all, hastily making her way towards her.
Vinyl stifled a giggle. "There you are!" she called out, grinning from ear to ear.
"Vinyl!" her marefriend gasped for air, panting and heaving. "Sorry, I'm... late... I... phew... I was..."
"I thought you'd left without me," she cheekily teased. "That'll be pretty mean, even for you. I mean, sure, your marefriend's been through a lot these past few days, but hey, why not we leave her behind here? See how she likes it, huh?"
"W... What are you... talking about?"
"Oh, it's just a joke, Tavi! No big! I was just teasing you, you know. Plus, I think we both know I kinda earned it, since, you know... everything that happened..."
"What?" Octavia stared at her, looking genuinely baffled at everything she said. "V-Vinyl, I don't understand."
"Don't understand what?"
"Everything!"
"Everything?" Vinyl stared back, equally perplexed. "What do you mean? You were there, weren't you?"
"There for what, Vinyl? I just got here!"
"What do you mean you just... got here..."
"First off, the concert was delayed at the last minute by a day, wonderfully enough," she explained frustratedly. "One of the players fell ill that evening and we had to look for a replacement. Something he ate that didn't agree with him, so I'm told. I-I was supposed to send out a letter to notify you, but the post office closed before I could make it." Octavia sheepishly rubbed her hooves. "I couldn't do anything else other than that, I'm sorry! Luckily enough, I had time to head out and book a ticket before it was sold out. Still, that's not to mention that the train broke down on the way here too! They took a few hours to fix that blasted engine! A few hours! The trip from Ponyville to here's already a day long and they had to add a couple more hours into it? It's a travesty! It must be hard for you, I can scarcely imagine! Waiting here all alone for days on end! Vinyl? Vinyl, are you okay?"
Amid all her marefriend's complaints, Vinyl could only look on with wide eyes, spiraling further and further into the depths of disbelief. Even when she was done and was staring at her in utmost concern, she just stared ahead. Her mind struggled to piece together the shattered fragments of everything she knew, everything she remembered that took place in the past few days. Slowly but surely, everything came together, bringing with it a horrifying revelation that sank its fangs into her fracturing mind.
"But if you've just arrived," she trembled meekly when the final pieces fell into place. "If you just came here... then who..."
Silence stabbed her throat mid-sentence. Anger bubbled first. Disgust followed suit. Her eyes fell to the floor, and had she been a little careless, she would've collapsed and fell over as well. Her lips froze in nausea, her breaths turned into rabid pants as the deep, brooding horror of what happened in the past few days washed over her, drenching her in a squirming, sickening sense of shame, guilt and despair she never thought she'd receive in the throes of paradise. Yet here she was, standing here. Here she was, screaming in silence.
Here she was, on their third day in paradise.
Three days.
Three. Days.
Three days with—
"Vinyl?" chimed Octavia's concern, accompanied by a worried stare. "Vinyl, what's wrong?"
Vinyl Scratch opened her eyes.
"We have to go. We have to go now."
"Vinyl? Vinyl, what is it? W-What happened?"
"We have to go!" she simply said, her marefriend yelping as she gripped her by the hoof. "I promise I'll explain everything along the way, now come on!"
"But Vinyl, what about—"
"Just trust me!" Vinyl yelled, only to stop and swallow her tone when she realized Octavia was shirking from her outburst. Her stare, however, drifted from her marefriend and to the cabin looming over them, only to have the icy talons of terror seize her veins.
She spotted her in the bedroom window.
The mare in the red dress.
"We're leaving, Tavi," she muttered quietly, feeling her lungs tremble for the last time.
We're leaving.
Author's Note
This was originally supposed to be Tale V, but I bumped it up for the occasion.
Happy Halloween!
