Vinyl drove her car up to the airport terminal. It was extremely busy that day. She walked through the crowded terminals, hoping that her best friend wasn't already dead. She pushed through the crowds of people looking for the next flight to Sicily.
Suddenly, Vinyl's eyes caught something. She could see a grey pony with a charcoal colored mane being pushed along by a deep red suited pony. The grey pony had a white collar with a pink bowtie. Vinyl's eyes widened. She charged at them, pushing through the crowd.
Bright One looked over and saw Vinyl in time to nudge Octavia further at knife point. Octavia and Bright ran through the terminal as fast as their legs could carry them, with Vinyl close behind.
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Two working ponies were doing some extra work to the airport terminal. They held a glass sheet in their hands as they walked through the hallway. Suddenly, a trio of ponies ran right through and smashed the glass sheet they were carrying!
The two ponies looked at each other. "Don't look at me." said one of the two. "You're the one who suggested we carry the glass like this."
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Octavia was desperately hoping that Vinyl would catch and save her, but was being forced to run away from her rescuer at knife point by her kidnapper. They barged through baggage and smashed through crowds, all of them headed for the flight to Sicily. Suddenly, Bright One opened his coat and at least a thousand tiny marbles fell out. Vinyl had no time to stop when she slipped and fell flat on her back.
The rescuing unicorn looked up to see her best friend and her kidnapper running on board the plane they searched.
"You win this one." said Vinyl. "But NOPONY gets away with my best friend."
Fortunately for Vinyl, there was a second flight headed to the same destination. She eagerly boarded it, and it left ten minutes earlier than Bright One's flight ended up doing.
"Having time ahead means I can stake them out and rescue Octavia before that freak even knows she's been rescued." said Vinyl to herself.
On the flight, she began to plan out her attack on the kidnapper. But in the middle of her thought, she began to think.
"Hmm... exactly why does this guy want Octavia in Sicily?" she questioned herself. "Is there some kind of weapon there he wants to use? Is there a friend of his there who knows how to painfully kill? What does he want to take Octavia to Sicily for?"
Eventually, Vinyl shook herself out of it and began to further plan her attack on the kidnapper.
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15 hours passed before the planes landed. Vinyl arose from her seat and walked down the jetway. In her head, all she could think about was her best friend. She walked to the exit of the jetway and turned to look for the jetway to Bright and Octavia's plane. Once she found it, she picked up a potted plant sitting at the corner of the room and stood net to the entrance to the jetway, waiting.
Meanwhile, Bright One began tapping his knife at Octavia's back, signaling her to move. She started walking down the jetway into the terminal, when suddenly the silence was broken by a loud CRASH and a scream of pain. Vinyl had smashed the potted plant into Bright One's face, his face now bleeding with shards of the broken pot sticking out of his cuts. Vinyl took this moment to run with Octavia across the hallway, and the two musicians darted for the exit.
Bright One wiped his cuts from debris and gave an angry scowl as he plowed through the crowds chasing after Octavia and her rescuer. The three of them eventually found themselves darting out into the parking lot, narrowly avoiding traffic and buses. Vinyl and Octavia started looking for a getaway. By some miracle, Vinyl spotted a Ferrari 360 Modena parked nearby. She bashed out the car's window to unlock the door and quickly used her intellect to hotwire the car. It roared to life and sped off with Octavia in the passenger seat.
Bright One wasn't too far behind with them, as he had found a BMW Z8 Roadster and was able to hotwire it. The two supercars burst out of the gates to the parking lot and sped out into the streets of the city of Palermo.
Vinyl was surprised to see Bright One still on their tails when she looked into the car's mirrors. That, however, didn't faze her whatsoever as she pressed her hoof further down on the accelerator pedal. The two cars cleared a 90 degree corner in the middle of the city as traffic swerved and screeched to avoid them.
"He's still on our tails!" shouted Octavia over the noise of the massive V8 engine.
"He won't be for long!" shouted Vinyl back at her. She cranked the steering wheel to the left and the car swerved into a pedestrian plaza. Birds flew up off the ground desperately trying to avoid the red supercar that was roaring through their territory. Determined not to let them escape, Bright One followed closely. They drove straight through a fountain and smashed through an ice cream stand before re-uniting with the road.
"You're gonna have to do more than that, mate!" shouted Octavia. "He's still right on our-"
THUMP! Octavia was cut short when Bright One gave their car a hard ram on the rear end. "So, he wants to play rough, huh?" asked Vinyl. "Well, I can play rough, too!"
Vinyl hit the brakes and pulled alongside the BMW, giving it a sharp slam to the side. Bright One almost lost control of his vehicle, driving straight on to the sidewalk and crashing through a tourist gift shop. Once back on the road, he pushed his car as hard as it would possibly go.
The two vehicles found themselves heading for the motorway out of the city. Octavia started looking for something to throw. Fortunately, she found somepony's purse sitting in the floor of the car. She picked it up and threw it behind them, and its contents spilled all over the BMW's windscreen. The windshield wipers were just barely able to wipe away the gigantic mess of money, tissues, and other purse-held items. Once the giant smear of paper items was finally cleared off his windscreen glass, it was too late. He saw another car headed straight for him.
Vinyl and Octavia both gave each other a brohoof in excitement. "Thanks, Vinyl. If it weren't for you, I'd probably be a dead girl." said Octavia.
"Don't mention it." replied Vinyl. "It's what best friends do."
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It was several hours later when they pulled up at a volcano on the other side of Sicily. "I learned there's a gift shop and en eatery here." said Vinyl. "We can refuel and relax before going back to the home."
The two got out of the Ferrari and walked into the eatery. Vinyl began placing orders. However, Octavia's curiosity ate away at her as she looked outside at the volcano. "Hey, Vinyl. I'll return." she said as she walked outside. Octavia looked up at the massive crater in the earth. She set off on a walk to its peak in hopes for a spectacular view.
She walked up the trail happily, thinking to herself. The rocks that lined the sides of the mountain stuck out in the most interesting ways, some appearing as if they were about to fall off. It was anyone's guess as to how they didn't. The dirt and gravel that made up the hiking trail were surprisingly well kept, and the evening sky continued to become less blue and more orange the further the sun set. It was a truly gorgeous sight to behold. Octavia couldn't help but smile as she walked between a few tall, green trees on her way up. The further she went up the mountainside, the rockier the scene became. A hillside that was once covered in grass and trees now appeared as a canyon. Octavia could tell she was getting closer to the volcano's crater by looking at the changes in natural appearance.
Once she reached the top, the view was just as stunning as she had hoped. The Medditerranean Sea was visible in the distance, the sunlight glimmering upon its smooth surface. In the other direction were mountains for miles. Each direction Octavia turned looked like a postcard.
"Well, maybe I should show this to Vinyl. But I'm sure she's waiting for me. Better head back down." she said to herself.
But suddenly, a familiar figure jumped out from behind a rock and punched Octavia in the chest. The grey mare fell to her back and looked up. There stood Bright One with the same horrifically angry expression as before.
"Did you think that crash I had killed me!?" he shouted aloud. "What's kind of interesting is that I brought you to Sicily in the first place so I could throw you into this very volcano!"
Octavia's heart pumped faster. "What do you mean!?" she asked.
"I MEAN THIS!" screamed Bright One as he kicked Octavia in the gut. Octavia fell backwards and fell over a ledge. She landed on her back on a rock formation inside the volcano's crater.
It was like a maze in there. Multiple rock formations towered out of the lava. Further down, Octavia could see extremely sharp spike-like rocks sticking out of the lava. It was official: this was closer to Hell than she had ever been.
Suddenly, Bright One jumped onto a nearby rock formation and started charging at Octavia, jumping from cliffside to rock to rock. Something in Octavia's heart told her to fight back, and her brain clearly obeyed. She stood up and began throwing punches at her enemy, who tried to kick her but missed. Bright One suffered a blow to the face, and quickly returned the favor at Octavia, who received a knock on the forehead. Octavia swung Bright One around and knocked him against a large rock.
Bright One opened his eyes to see Octavia charging at her. Bright One picked up a decent side rock and flung it at her. The stone hit Octavia in the jaw and sent it bleeding. Octavia collapsed onto the ground. Bright One smiled maniacally as he got up to deliver the final blow. But it was too late when he realized his injury prevented him from being able to stand up quickly. He suddenly felt a jolt of pain in his hip, which made him lose his balance. He stumbled around until he fell off of the rock formation, screaming in horror as he fell closer and closer to the burning rock below. His body landed atop a spiked rock and practically tore itself in half, blood and flesh spilling from its remains. Everything that was left of him fell into the flames and ended itself.
Octavia got up from her position and looked down into the lava.
Nothing.
She climbed out of the rock formation and out of the crater. Her trip back down the mountainside was much less enjoyable than her trip up it.
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"So, you're certain he's dead now?" said Vinyl, curious.
"Yes. I'm certain." said Octavia.
"Well, good. I've had enough of that son of a bitch." said Vinyl, satisfied.
They flagged a taxi to take them back to the Palermo airport, leaving the stolen Ferrari behind in hopes somepony would tow it and give it back to its owner. Once at the airport, they had to wait 3 hours for the next flight home, but they decided it was worth it. Once on the plane and flying home, Vinyl couldn't help but watch the night sky outside, thinking how accomplished she was.
Suddenly, she turned to Octavia. "I'VE GOT IT! THANKS, OCTAVIA!" she shouted in pure joy.
"What?" asked Octavia, confused. "I think I'm the one who should be thanking you."
"Yesterday, I was writing my latest song. I was having a boatload of trouble trying to think of something new and original, but I think this adventure inspired me enough to base lyrics after it! It'll be the most original electronic song ever to hit the market since 2005 when Dave Rodgers released 'Eldorado'!"
Sure enough, when Vinyl released her latest song the next day, it was a massive success. Vinyl ended up playing the song live at the very theater where Octavia exposed the new deceased Bright One.
"My heart is burning like some molten stone! I won't lose your love when I'm nothing but bones!" sang Vinyl with wubs blaring in the background. Octavia sat back in her seat, enjoying the music. "Now THIS is what I call a happy ending." she said.
The Best Musician in The World
Everyone knows the beloved Octavia Melody and the also beloved Vinyl Scratch. Sure, they may be different, but deep down, they are the best best friends in all of the world.
Octavia was preparing her cello for a concert one night. Vinyl sat in the crowd, waiting. At last, Octavia showed herself from the stage, and give a bright, warm smile to all who watched. The audience roared in applause as she played the first notes on her favorite instrument, the cello. Each and every note she played seemed to bring a knowing light to her face, as she had loved the cello ever since she first played one when she was a filly in Great Britain. As a child, life was fun. Or so she thought until she first heard the cello one day. Then, she was more determined than ever to buy and play one. Eventually, her parents decided to buy her one for her birthday one year. And she hadn't stopped playing it since.
Vinyl, on the other hand, had a different story. Being raised in the 90's meant that electronic music was gaining massive popularity in her homeland of Japan. Vinyl soon found herself in love with the music and told herself that she'd be a DJ someday. She lived up to her dream, for as soon as she graduated high school and had more free time, she bought herself her first set of turntables. She had come to love her instrument so much, that she was still using the same turntable set she used as a child (but with major improvements done by Vinyl herself). Now, she was the most famous electronic musician in both her homeland and beyond.
As Octavia brushed her bow across her cello's strings to create the most beautiful sounds, another musician was preparing herself to play after Octavia finished. He was another cello expert who went by the name of Bright One. Bright One was a very special looking stallion dressed in a black suit with a deep blue necktie. His mane appeared deep brown in color, and his coat appeared as a strong, deep red that almost resembled the color of a rose, only slightly darker. Bright One stepped upon the stage as Octavia had just finished, and began to play his custom-built cello.
Unlike Octavia's cello, which was a traditional wooden brown and looked nothing special, Bright One's cello was studded with diamonds along its edges and had a metallic black finish to it. It was clear that Bright One had money to his name. He played his cello seemingly perfectly, perhaps better than Octavia.
The audience watched in pure awe as he showed what he was capable of. However, Octavia noticed something quite off about his performance. Octavia had dearly loved the cello for years, and she knew that something about the way Bright was playing seemed wrong.
Suddenly, Octavia stood up in her seat.
"EVERYBODY, SILENCE!" she shouted at the top of her lungs. Her voice echoed through the theater, and the building became silent.
Octavia walked up onto the stage and faced Bright One straight in the face. "What are you doing?" she asked firmly. Everypony in the audience had no idea what was happening. They all stood in silence, not knowing what Octavia was so upset about nor knowing what she wanted.
Suddenly, it became clear what Octavia's eardrums were detecting. She found a tiny, hidden handle on the fancy cello which opened up the front of the instrument. Inside was a tape recorder playing the music Bright One had supposedly been playing.
The whole audience gasped. The theater's owner stormed into the stage area with a scowl permanent on his face. "What were you thinking, sir!? Were you trying to tarnish our reputation!?" he shouted at Bright.
Bright One felt himself sweat and tugged at his collar. "Uh, no. I just wanted to try and make myself a living! I'm not too wealthy, you know!" he said. However, his statement was easily shot down by the quality of his cello's appearance as well as the amount of expensive hair gel he was wearing.
Octavia gave a scowl as the theater's owner showed Bright One to the exit.
As Octavia began to exit the theater with Vinyl later in the evening, Vinyl looked to her best friend as they walked along the sidewalks through the city. "Why did you get so harsh with that guy? I mean, I know he was cheating and all, but I mean, everything went nuts!" she asked.
"I did the right thing." Octavia insisted. "There's not a single crime a musician can commit worse than cheating."
"Well, okay. but I'm pretty sure he's gonna remember that." said Vinyl.
The two of them walked a block further before calling a taxi back to their home. Vinyl and Octavia both sat with their expressions blank and emotionless for the entire ride home.
Once they arrived, Octavia walked through the front door and sat down on the sofa. Vinyl walked into her bedroom to start writing her latest song.
"I need something inspiring." said Vinyl softly to herself. "Something that's based on something real."
She grabbed a paper sitting on the other side of her desk and began to brainstorm on lyrics and notes.
"It's a Saturday morning, and I wanna make do.." she wrote down on the paper. "There's a supersonic love I'm pushing for you!"
Suddenly, Vinyl threw down her writing utensil. "NO!!" she shouted to herself. "That won't do! I want something more original..."
"Show me your dreams, show me your might," she wrote. "I've got an express love to hold you tight!"
This time, she slammed her head down on the desk. "NO, NO, NO!!!!!" she cried. "C'MON, VINYL! You've come up with smash hits! So come up with one more!!!!!"
Suddenly her ears shot upward. She could hear the sound of a clock tower down the street chiming. She looked at the clock on her own wall to see it was 9:30 in the evening. She sighed to herself.
"Every day when I try to write something new, I take until I need to go to bed. Why?" she asked herself. "Why do I have to be like this!? My cutie mark tells me I'm supposed to be the master of music! WHY!?"
She flopped down on her bed with a nasty look on her face, angry about her losses in originality and songwriting ability.
Octavia had gone to bed long before Vinyl after watching the late TV programs. She was already fast asleep and cuddled up under the covers when suddenly she was awoken by the ear-piercing sound of shattering glass. She shot up to see that her bedroom window was broken open.
A figure climbed through the window wielding something shiny. Octavia screamed and grabbed the lamp on her night stand. She held it at the emerging figure, who was now charging at her. She threw the lamp at the attacker, which shattered on contact. Electric sparks bursted everywhere. The momentary light revealed the familiar face of Bright One, wielding a knife in his hoof.
"You!" Octavia shouted.
"You ruined my career!" shouted Bright One in blind fury. "I was the best musician from my homeland until you came along!"
Octavia picked up a metal rod laying in the corner of the room and drew it like a sword. "Leave." she simply said.
Bright One charged at her with his knife. The two metal objects clashed and clanged, neither one of them truly winning or losing. But it wasn't long until Octavia suffered a cut to the foreleg, and she fell screaming in pain.
At was at this moment that a thought ran through the menacing stallion's head. Should he kill her here or risk letting her live so he could take her to a much more brutal and painful death? Thoughts were racing through his head as he heard Vinyl's footsteps nearing the door to the room, for Vinyl had been awoken by Octavia's scream of pain.
Something in Bright One's evil mind told him to take Octavia so he could throw a revengeful death at her as painfully as possible. He picked up Octavia and dragged her out the window as quickly as he had arrived.
The door to the room burst open. A horrified Vinyl Scratch's eyes darted around the room for any signs of her best friend.
There were none.
That is, until she saw the blood stains on the floor from when the lamp had struck Bright One and the smaller stain from when Octavia had been cut. The metal rod she used as a weapon was lying on the floor as if it were dropped. Vinyl was so horrified, she puked on the spot. Once her vomit calmed down, she ran out of the room to dial the police.
The police ended up leaving the scene with no one in hoof cuffs. Vinyl wasn't about to give up, though. She decided to keep searching for any possible evidence. Of course, she had no luck either.
She sat down on the sofa and put her hooves up to her head. "What's wrong with me, Celestia, for you to take my best friend away from me!?" she said aloud. "Not being able to come up with a new song isn't a reason to have your best friend stolen from you, is it!?"
Suddenly, a vision hit Vinyl. She remembered the day before in which Vinyl had caught Bright One cheating. She also remembered herself saying "He's gonna remember that" on their walk home. Vinyl's eyes widened and her mouth dropped open once she had come to the realization that her best friend had been kidnapped. Vinyl stood up and ran outside as fast as her legs could carry her. She opened their house's garage door to reveal her car; a souped up Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X. She jumped behind the wheel and gunned the engine as she sped off to the music concert hall.
Upon arrival, she questioned everypony she met if they knew anything about where Bright One lived. Finally, she got her answer from the building's owner. She typed the address into her GPS system and sped off to it.
Once she arrived, she found herself at a very prestigious mansion. The walls were a light beige color, and the tallest towers of the place reached at least twelve stories high! "Man, this guy's a cash cow." said Vinyl to herself. She drove up to the gateway and gave her car's horn a toot. No answer. Vinyl frowned. She stepped out of her car and tried opening the gate herself. It was locked. She started violently shaking the gate, desperately trying to break its lock. Suddenly, she was greeted by the call of a neighbor mowing his lawn. "What'cha doing out on a hot day like this?" he shouted.
"Trying to get into this jerk's place!" she replied firmly.
"Well, if you're looking for Bright One, you won't find him there." the neighbor said over the sound of his lawn mower. "He suddenly took off for a big vacation earlier. It was kind of a surprise, since he usually tells EVERYPONY when he's going on vacation weeks in advance. But this time, he just took off."
Vinyl knew something was up with this "vacation."
"Do you know where he was going?" asked Vinyl.
"I think I heard something about Sicily, Italy." said the neighbor.
Vinyl jumped behind the wheel of her Lancer Evolution and set off for the airport at full throttle.
