The Rocking Horse

“Please! I’ll give you the bits I swear just let me go!” a light green unicorn pleaded, shaking furiously from side to side. No matter how hard he moved though, he was unable to free himself from the ropes that were tightly knotted around him, suspending him a few meters above ground level. The stallion’s eyes were puffy and bruised, and his coat was rugged and dirty. A single bright light hung over head as well, granting the helpless stallion a spotlight within the center of the warehouse.

“I know a buyer” he continued, pleading to a group of ponies ahead, who surveyed him from ground level with a heartless gaze. “He’ll give you the money. I’m sure he will-”

Despite the desperation in his voice though, not one colt in the abandoned, worn down facility gave his words one thought. They only stared in silence, gaining no form of satisfaction as they watched the stallion cry and scream in frustration. After all, it was just business.

“You claim to have all these connections Frenzy…” a dark coated unicorn snapped, standing in between the group of colts all of whom contained neatly combed manes upon their head. The speaker then began to step forth, singling himself out of the group towards the bright light where the hanging stallion would be able to view him. “…yet here you are…”

The stallion, now crying as he glanced at the figure, locked his gaze with the dark green eyes of the unicorn, sending his mind into a state of fear. “…I…I…can…get the…bits just…please…”

“I’m afraid it’s far too late for that my friend” the unicorn sighed, trying to display an emotion of regret. He had no wish to play a part though, so he quickly let out a laugh afterwards, glancing back at his comrades who all forced a smug expression on their face. One of them, a lean built yellow pegasus with a grey fedora, let out a smug look, carrying over his shoulder a large rod with a stock and lever.

“No, please, I don’t want to die!” the stallion screamed from above, his cries echoing off the walls of the warehouse. The unicorn’s laugh quickly died down as the sentence pierced his skull. Slowly turning away from his group, he glanced upward at the stallion who’s tears began to fall beneath him – pouring into a large pit with wide metal gears and sprockets .

“You’re afraid to die?” the unicorn repeated with a sinister smile. The stallion from above could see that smile and a shiver ran up his spine. The unicorn watched the stallion in silence, waiting for a response.

“Well?!” the unicorn shouted, his voice roaring throughout the facility and causing every being in the room to jolt.

“…ye…yes…” the stallion admitted through muffled sobs, trying his best to bring out the slightest feel of humility to any of the ponies before him. His attempts were beyond futile.

Slicking his dark green mane back, the unicorn let out a heavy chuckle. “Why?” he asked the stallion, who’s mind was beginning to regret every decision he’s ever made.

“Wh-“

“WHY?!” the unicorn shouted again, this time sending the stallion into paranoia.

“I DON’T KNOW!” the stallion screamed on the top of his lungs. His throat was now beyond dry and he could feel himself growing light headed.

“You don’t know…” the unicorn repeated, shaking his head side to side. “You ask me to spare your life, and you respond to me with ‘I don’t know’…”

The dark figure began to pace himself back and forth in the glow of the light, almost as if thinking, but deep down, he gave his mind not one thought. He already had his goals set.

“Life, my friend, is a gift, given to us” the unicorn began, pacing himself back and forth repeatedly. “We are given the ability to choose our own path, the ability to govern our own actions. Yet, here you are, stuck in what many would call ‘a bad deal’.”

The term made the unicorn cringe, finding it offensive.

“Give me one reason I should let you live” the unicorn added, finally coming to a halt. The stallion perched above tried to process the question in his mind. He was scared and his mind would not enact right, but in an attempt to save his life, he began to dwell in his memories, trying to give the opportunist before him a good reason he should live.

But as time passed by, the stallion could not utter one thing. In his mind, he could not find a memory that would be able to redeem himself.

And this is exactly what the unicorn expected.

“You don’t have one memory?” the unicorn asked, lifting a brow in a rhetorical manner. The stallion did not utter a word, but instead stared at the monster with deep hollow eyes.

“…Please…have mercy…” he begged, his lip quivering with fear. That was all that the unicorn needed to hear. He knew the stallion had nothing to redeem himself with – as did all his other customers before him.

“I’m sorry my friend” the unicorn sighed, actually holding no regret for his next decision. “As I said, life is a gift…”

Then with a glare as cold as stone and a smile as cold as ice, the unicorn looked up at the stallion before finishing his sentence.

“…and it seems you don’t deserve such a thing…”

“Wait, no please-”

“I grow weary of hearing you” the unicorn spat, turning back to the group of mysterious colts, “Suck up your sorrows and die like a colt. Do not fear the inevitable. Death comes to everypony-”

“Please, you can’t do this!” the stallion sobbed, but this final protest finally broke the unicorn’s patience.

“Enough!” the unicorn hissed, growing tired of the stallion’s pleas and turning back around to glare up at the helpless victim. “I have all the power to do this. You’ve gave me your word, ensuring you would repay your debt. When you did not do what was asked, you knew the consequences, yet you still defied me!”

The unicorn then let out a snort as he shook his mane from side to side. “There is a reason they call me Thanatos, Frenzy. I control the balance of life and death, and choose when one’s time comes…”

Thanatos then spit in disgust at the gears below the stallion. “…and it seems your time is up…”

Without another word, Thanatos turned away from the stallion that was now hyperventilating, realizing there was going to be no way out of this situation. His screams grew louder and he began to thrash about wildly as his mind began to race, letting the events of his life unfurl before his mind.

Thanatos paid no heed to the cries though. It was all simply business and he could not let himself look like a fool because of some street junkie. Turning to the most distinct stallion of the group, Thanatos nodded his head to the yellow coated stallion.

“Take care of it Fulgore” Thanatos signaled, glaring at the built stallion with desolate eyes. The yellow stallion did not utter a word in return. Instead he simply tipped off his fedora and flashed a satisfactory smile, a glint of evil apparent in his light blue eyes, to the unicorn that continued to walk away from the group of stallions, making his way to the outskirts of the city. Despite the lack of sympathy he invested in a kill, the unicorn never enjoyed the sight of his customers dying – it only showed more bits going down the drain. The same could not be said for his associate.

As the unicorn disappeared behind a conveyer belt at the far end of the facility, Fulgore turned back to the stallion hanging above and let out a slight chuckle.

“What do you prefer” he asked, in a cold sinister tone. “Slow and painful, or quick and painless?” His voice was deep, yet it contained enough charisma to ensure he fit perfectly amongst his fellow con artist. Frenzy, shaking violently as his throat began to tighten, did not say anything in return. He knew he was going to die. He just wanted to get it over with…

“…Qu-quic-quickly” the stallion stammered, his glands finally dry of tears. He only shook nervously as he hung his head, fear consuming his mind as the essence of death began to vastly approach.

Fulgore let out a smile, finding the stallion’s paranoia to be humorous. He pointed his to one of the ponies beside him, signaling them with a loud shout, and once he caught his attention, pointed to a control panel next to the pit.

Upon seeing the stallion walk over to the control panel, Frenzy began to grow paranoid. “Wha- what is…he doing?” he stammered in fear, glancing frantically back and forth at Fulgore and the pony at the panel.

“He’s just doing what you asked” Fulgore cooed, giving the victim a sarcastic assuring gaze. Suddenly the sound of gears turning and winding amongst one another began to flood the entire facility, causing the stallion to glance beneath him. There, he could see large gears intertwining with one another, their jagged ends twisting aside other gears and sprockets. Frenzy began to shake his head from side to side, growing frantic at the realization his death would be long, painful and horrendous.

“No! What are you doing?!” Frenzy shrieked, trying to be heard over the sound of the mechanisms beneath him. Fulgore, hearing his screams, let out a loud laugh.

“We are staying true to our word!” the stallion retorted walking past the group of ponies as he approached the colt by the control panel. The stallion at the control panel seemed to be monitoring a level, but Fulgore pushed the colt out of the way and pulled it. The colt that was once at the control panel watched Fulgore with a hateful gaze, but he knew he would have no way of enacting his hatred upon him; after all, he was the successor to Thanatos.

The result was Frenzy’s rope slowly descending down to the bottom of the pit, rearing him closer to the moving gears by each second. To the stallion though, time seemed to have slowed down, so each second that passed felt like a minute of excruciating emotions and sorrow.

“PLEASE JUST STOP THIS!” Frenzy shrieked, moving himself as frantically as he could, swaying the rope that held him from side to side.

Fulgore, now beginning to move away from the control panel, looked up at the stallion that swung helplessly, screaming at the top of his lungs as he approached his inevitable end. These screams proved to be annoying and tiring to the rest of the stallions in the room, all of whom felt the stallion should just give up and realize his end was going to come. Fulgore on the other hoof, found his screams to be something much more extravagant. He found the pitch of his shrieks to be poetic, talented. Frenzy’s screams were nothing more than music to Fulgore’s ears.

The sounds of the gears began to grow louder, as Frenzy could now see that the large gears he seen from above were only the tip of the iceberg. Deep within the pit he could see tinier, jagged gears twisting and spinning in different directions, instilling more paranoia into his mind. He knew his death would be beyond painful, and he wanted nothing more but to die.

“JUST KILL ME!” he began to plead, wishing for the feeling he feared not long ago. Frenzy knew his death was inevitable now though…and he did not wish to be alive to feel his body began to tear and dismember before his very eyes.

Fulgore raised a brow upon hearing the stallion’s wish, a sinister grin stretching across his face. “What was that?” the yellow coated stallion asked, lifting off his fedora and tilting his ear to the direction of the screams.

“KILL ME! JUST DO IT ALREADY! FOR FUCK’S SAKE PLEASE!”

Fulgore placed a hoof on his chin, pretending to consider his offer while the stallion began to grow closer to the gears. “I’m sorry, I can’t hear you” the stallion mouthed, shaking his head to simulate he could not hear Frenzy. The stallion was growing desperate.

“DO IT YOU MOTHER BUCKING SON OF A BITCH!” the stallion spat, his hooves nearing closer to the gears. Fulgore’s humor quickly faded with that curse and with and angry glare, he had enough.

Grabbing the rifle from around his back, Fulgore quickly whipped it around stood on his hind legs, and glancing down the back of the rifle, he let his tongue wrap around the trigger and fire.

BOOM

The sound of the rifle discharging rang throughout the entire facility, followed by the sound of rifle being cocked, a bullet flying out of the chamber to descend down to the ground.

The screams that were once present in the warehouse were now gone, replaced with the sound of silence. Fulgore, panting heavily with a stern expression glanced ahead, staring at the stallion that was now inches away from the pit.

Frenzy was now limp, and unmoving. His eyes were wide open and in between the center of his skull, droplets of blood began to drip downwards, indicating Fulgore’s single shot proved to be fatal.

The yellow stallion, holstering his weapon, returned back to his four legged stance and watched in silence as the sound of the stallion’s lifeless frame began to get caught in the gears – a sick, crunching noise echoing throughout the warehouse. The sound of something gurgling soon followed, making most of the ponies’ cringe in disgust. All except Fulgore.

Fulgore watched as the stallion’s body began to disappear from view, all evidence of his existence getting mashed and grinded into bits. He did not care though, for he did not view him as a living being. He only saw Frenzy as another junkie. A nobody.

He was just another loose end in his books, and that is what left Thanatos to favor this stallion. The dark unicorn saw potential in this stallion, seeing not only the aspects of sadistic murderer, but a cold calculative opportunist as well.

This was enough to tell the unicorn Fulgore may soon overtake the business someday…

***

With a loud groan, Dutch’s eyes began to slowly crack open, his mind finally awakening from its dormant stage. He felt a cold wind sweep over his face, causing him to shiver slightly as a bitter cold emotion swept over his shaven muzzle.

Once his eyes were fully open, the colt was able to make out the purple hue of the sunrise shine in from his window – a sight that he deemed extravagant this early in the morning. In a way, he saw it as a sign of a good day. Stretching out his arms slowly, letting a sigh escape his throat, Dutch slowly turned to the left side of his bed, tilting his body in the direction of the table and the piano. With his mind still trying to reach full efficiency, the stallion groggily scooted his body off the side. As Dutch ascended off the bed on his hind legs though, he caught the sight of his blankets slowly slipping off his bed in the corner of his eye. Before Dutch could see the reason for the odd occurrence, the sound of a light thud rang in his ears and he felt the force of something falling onto the ground with his hind legs.

Glancing over to the source of the noise, Dutch looked down at the ground with sleepy eyes as he found half of his bed sheet scattered on the ground – and beside it laid Vinyl, carrying a set of gentle eyes and a warm smile. Dutch, finally growing awake as he ran his hoof through his head, began to remember the events of last night as he glanced down at the doll.

‘Well, it seems like I did sleep with a doll…’ Dutch mused to himself, not exactly displaying any humor. The stallion, remaining on his hind legs, glanced down at the sheet covering Vinyl and with a sigh, knelt down and took the sheets off. Focusing on his sheets, the colt began to fold his white clear thin blanket in folds, then in halves and then in fourths, until it was finally a small tidy square. Turning back, Dutch placed the sheet on the edge of the bed and without turning back to Vinyl, the colt began to shake of his bed, removing all remains of hair and skin his body left over night.

Finally finishing his bed, Dutch turned back around and focused on the toy on the ground who was now exposed on the floor. She was positioned on her side and her legs were stretched outwards, while her tail and mane seemed to be caught underneath her body. Her facial expression has not shifted since last night either. The sight of the mare made Dutch smile, finding this position to be very petite and innocent. The stallion felt it would be wrong to leave the toy lying on the ground any longer though.

Bending down, he grabbed Vinyl by her side, lifting her up from the ground. Tilting her in his direction, Dutch looked at the doll with a sheepish smile and shook his head.

“Did you sleep well?” the stallion asked, letting out a smile in a joking manner. Dutch knew the answer to his question though. Last night he swore he was sleeping on a clear, cumulus cloud, without the cold harsh winds blowing at him. Never had he felt so warm in his sleep, utilizing the doll’s extra fur as a heater.

Suddenly, Dutch’s mind flipped into full alert, realizing he had a job to attend to. “Shit” Dutch muttered to himself, turning to the direction of the clock. Upon glancing at it he saw the approximate time

8:35

“Damn, only twenty five minutes left” Dutch continued, letting a sigh out a she turned away from the clock back to the doll in his forelegs. She was a large doll and it looked sort of ridiculous in Dutch’s hooves. Still, she was light, so there wasn’t much of a hassle when carrying her around.

Dutch was focusing on work though, and he knew he would need to be there on time if he wanted to get there in time. Shaking his head, Dutch placed Vinyl on the head of the bed, posing her in a sitting stance in front of his pillow – much like a young foal would do with their plush dolls. Vinyl’s head hung low, despite her generous expression fixated on her face and her mane hung neatly to once side of her head.

The stallion seemed to be getting a kick of posing the doll now, finding it fun and interesting to move her around. It was no wonder foals loved to play with these things, he thought to himself.

Seeing that the colt was wasting his time ’playing with his toy’ though, Dutch turned away from the unicorn on his bed towards the bathroom. The stallion was not going to take another shower, seeing he took it twice yesterday. Instead he would merely do a quick wash up – clean his face, brush his gums and teeth, and other various hygienic activities.

During the stallion’s morning rinse, Vinyl lifted her head up and twirled her hooves in front of her around in a circular motion, glancing at the violet hue ascending from the window. She has never seen such a thing like that before in her life, so within those seconds, she could do nothing but just marvel at the beauty of its color. She never expected to see something so rare in a city where everypony was cruel and heartless.

‘…I don’t know…’ Vinyl thought to herself, catching that thought and inspecting it in her mind. The unicorn was considering the stallion that kept her warm throughout the night, making him a legitimate example. The problem with that though was Vinyl still could not find herself to trust him. Despite her best efforts to do so and the signs of his good nature, her mind held strong, denying her the possibility to admit he was like no other.

Vinyl let out a breathless sigh, knowing her mind was only thinking the best for her. She did not want to go against it, feeling it has kept her alive for this long. Still, she knew if these signs of the stallion’s integrity prolonged longer than she would have expected, her mind would be able to accept him for something he may not truly be. As of now though, to Vinyl, he was just another pony trying to get by in this place.

The unicorn’s thoughts stopped as the sound of running water died down, meaning that Dutch finished his quick rinse. Shifting her body back to its previous stance, Vinyl froze just as Dutch walked out of the bathroom, his once tired expression gone from his face. The cold morning water seemed to have awakened him from his dormant state, for his eyes seemed to be more alive and refreshed. His coat did not look rugged either, and his mane seemed to be back at its average ragged state.

“Brrr, that’s cold” Dutch remarked, letting a shiver pass over his body as he ascended close to the wardrobe next to the bed. He then repeated the same process he has done on these days – pulling out the hardhat and the brightly lit vest.

Putting them on, Dutch shook his body, showing he was now wide awake.

“Okay” he said to himself, “Today is going to be a good day. I can just feel it”

And he truly felt it would be. Glancing around at the clock, Dutch saw he had twenty minutes to attend work. If he left now, he would be able to catch his shift five minutes early – and if Dieter was around to see this drastic change, Dutch’s luck may soon change.

Making his way past the bedframe and table, Dutch stopped in his tracks as he looked back at the doll one last time. He knew that to ensure full entitlement to his luck, he needed to get a look at those fiery, warm irises.

Upon seeing them with the greeting smile, Dutch let out a smile in return and felt this shield overcome his entire body, almost as if it provided him with a new state of mind. Although hesitant at first, his excitement seemed to have driven him to be more optimistic and light hearted, so he went back a few paces to say one last thing to the doll.

“Goodbye” he waved with a generous smile towards Vinyl who was still stuck in her position. Dutch shook his head and looked up at the roof, talking to some unknown deity as he let this happiness overtake him.

Dutch decided to continue his conversation with this god on his way to work though, so with his new, lively feeling inside him, Dutch left his house, locked the door, and noticed the true beauty of the purple glow that lit up the dirt ridden streets that carried toxic carriages.

Inside Dutch’s house, still stuck in her pose, Vinyl blinked her eyes and let a true smile grow across her face as her cheeks blushed red.

It has been a long time since she could recall being told ‘goodbye’ by anypony. It has been even longer since she could remember anypony telling her that as if they truly meant it.

***

A few hours have passed since Dutch’s early arrival that scared the senses out of the blue pegasus who was quietly enjoying a smoke. Being surprised by the stallion’s early arrival once again, he merely let out a sigh and informed the colt what to do. And with a light spirit, he worked hard, occasionally rushing past workers that have appeared for their shifts early in the morning.

He has been doing the same task since then, occasionally aiding with the lift of bricks or metal rods. As Dutch finished tightening a rope around a stack of wooden boards, he began to run back across the other end of the site. Upon reaching halfway through the site though, Dutch saw a familiar looking unicorn who seemed to have walked in just in time to attend work. Halting midway through his route, the colt flashed a smile in the direction of the orange pony, who glanced back at him in a quizzical way. It took a matter of seconds to finally realize who he was.

“And the surprises just keep racking up” Twin Twist remarked as he was greeted by a clean, broad stallion that referred to himself as Dutch.

“What is that supposed to mean?” Dutch asked, raising a brow as he lifted his hoof outwards to the orange unicorn. Twin Twist gave a sly look and sighed. The question has been burning in the colt’s mind for quite some time and he needed to let it leave his system, in hopes of finding the truth.

It did not seem like drugs were the reason behind Dutch’s sudden mood shift anymore, according to Twin Twist. Dutch seemed to have a calmer, more collective attitude, but at the same time, he was surely in a good mood. This only pushed the unicorn to know what was this stallion’s ‘anchor’.

Although what the unicorn saw, to him, seemed to be pretty strange.

“Well…” the colt began, hesitantly shaking the hoof of the grey stallion who found the notion strange. “…I could see you no longer have your beard…” he informed, trying to find a pathway to discussing about what was supplying this stallion with such happiness.

“Oh yeah” Dutch assured, letting his hoof run underneath the bottom of his face. “Wanted to try a different look, that’s all.”

Dutch then flashed a smile as Twin Twist glared at him with suspicion; all the while ponies around the worksite began to set up large boards, carry bricks and mix the new batch of cement.

“You do realize its freezing around this time of the season right?” the unicorn retorted, causing Dutch’s ears to redden. He began to lightly stomp one of his hooves on the ground, trying to forge an answer to explain his act.

“Well, yeah but…I felt it would be…good to try something…a bit different…” Dutch grumbled, his mind piecing together an excuse as he continued to speak. Twin Twist knew he had him by the reigns by then.

“So who’s the lucky mare?” the unicorn asked, flashing a smile to the now dumbfounded colt.

“Uhh, I don’t know what you’re talking about…” Dutch responded, laughing nervously. To the unicorn though, that seemed to be a blunt lie.

“Oh c’mon now, don’t think I can’t recognize when a stallion’s falling for somepony” Twin Twist chuckled, flashing a wink and pointing his hoof at Dutch. The colt smiled weakly but in his mind, he was feeling his thoughts clashed as Twi n Twist began to get at something Dutch was not comfortable with.

“It’s almost obvious. You’re so happy, don’t even give a damn about anything, as if nothing can hurt you” Twin Twist continued, kneeling down to pick up a tool that slipped out of a ponies mouth not too long ago. “You shaved your beard too, and I’m sure that’s just the start. Face it Dutch, you’re in love.”

Dutch listened in silence, his thoughts actually taking the unicorn’s words into consideration. It disturbed him deeply though to realize there was indeed a connection between the colt’s happiness and the doll. But Dutch found this ironic. He could recall actually yearning to regain love from the doll; it was the reason he bought it in the first place. Why did it disturb him to realize he was actually gaining his sense of happiness back?

“There’s no one in my life” Dutch responded, trying to deter away from the conversation. The colt’s happiness was not gone, but he felt that he did not want to discuss the topic any further. Deep down though, he knew the reason. He did not want to accept it, fearing for his sanity, but he knew why. He may have truly been falling in love with the doll.

And he began to feel this pain build inside him as well, realizing he may have been replacing the mare he once cherished with a lifeless figure. Subconsciously, it was as if he knew what he was doing, finally beginning to see most of his actions piece together. It was almost as if it was trying to make him move on…

“That seems unlikely to believe” Twin Twist smirked, shaking his head lightly in disapproval. “I mean there is no problem with it. It’s just good to know you found that other half that keeps you happy”

Dutch’s mood shifted slightly but it did not falter. Although the mare he once cherished long ago burned in his mind constantly, memories of her were always distant and painful. As for the doll, he had memories that were of happier times with his mare – despite it being nonexistent. The colt knew he would never forsake his soul mate for some toy, but to keep Twin Twist from opening Dutch’s emotion’s, he had to give in to the unicorn’s taunts.

“…Okay you’re right” Dutch sighed, more so from the brain activity in his mind then from defeat. Twin Twist let out a snicker, considering this as a victory.

“I just knew it” Twin Twist smiled, shaking his head from side to side. “Where’d you meet her?”

Dutch, taking another sigh, knew the unicorn would ask these questions if he said he had a mare. Luckily for Dutch, he could bend the truth to his will.

“Well, I’ve known her since I was a young foal, but I met up with her again” Dutch replied, glancing at ponies who grumbled and whined as they carried buckets in their mouth, through gritted teeth.

“Wow” Twin Twist said, nodding his head. “That means something…”

Dutch nodded his head, tapping his hooves as he began to grow a bit agitated. ‘Walk away before he asks another question, walk away…’

“What’s her name?”

‘Buck’ the colt snapped in his mind. Dutch was going to answer the question right away, but then realized something strange. Did the doll even have a name? Was it ever given one?

‘I guess it must be my responsibility to name her’ the colt thought to himself as he scratched the back of his head, tilting his hardhat forward.

“Well…” Dutch responded, placing his hoof back down. “Her name is odd…”

Twin Twist seemed eager to know though and quickly insisted. “It can’t be that bad. Now c’mon what is it?”

Before Dutch can respond though, the sound of a familiar voice shouting caused Dutch and Twin Twist to jolt in alarm.

“Dutch!” Dieter shouted, slowly walking up to the two colts from the office. “The ponies on the fourth floor need your help to lift the rods on the other end of the sight” he informed, pointing his hoof to the right end of the site where the other lift was located. “I asked you to help them not to long ago!”

“Sorry Dieter” Dutch shot, standing sternly. “I was just telling Twin Twist I may require his assistance”

Twin Twist was about to add his say, but before he could say anything, Dieter cut him off.

“You don’t need help. Twin Twist has his own post to cover” Dieter snapped, glancing at the orange unicorn who gave a fixated glare to the pegasus.

Dutch closed his eyes and sighed. “Okay then…”

Dieter, seeming to be frustrated at the moment, was in no mood for an apology. “Just don’t say anything and get to your posts…”

Dieter then reared closer and glanced at both colts with unnerving eyes. “…now!”

The two workers, glancing at each other slowly, knew they would have to carry on their conversation later. Without another word, Dutch took off across the other side of the site to take his nomadic post while Twin Twist went the other direction, trotting past common laborers to reach his post.

As Dutch ran to the lift on the other side of the region, he could not help but utter a silent prayer for Dieter interrupting the discussion. If the blue coated pegasus never interrupted the conversation, Dutch had a feeling things would have not gone down well, and his calm, focused attitude would have went down with it.

***

“Ahhhh” the white unicorn sighed as she began to shift her back from side to side comfortably on the mattress of the bed. Her eyes were closed and a smile of satisfaction spread on her face as her head rested comfortably on the pillow. She let all four of her legs stretch outwards and her torso was now vulnerable, but she did not care.

Realizing she was finally alone, she decided to do what she did on the floorboards yesterday…except this time she had a chance to truly do it on a bed. It wasn’t soft like a cloud and it seemed to be a bit dirty, but the mare did not complain, preferring it over the wooden worn down floor.

The unicorn’s eyes grew heavy but she was far from sleepy. She just felt so calm and peaceful – almost as if she hadn’t a care in the world. She knew the reason behind this strange feeling in her gut, and as much as she wished to rid of it from her mind she couldn’t. She could feel herself slowly accepting the stallion’s presence.

She knew she had to be cautious still, but she could not help but feel this stallion she barely knew was unlike no other. She could see it in his behavior from the night before, dancing with her with such passion and generosity. It was almost as if she wished for her to be alive.

‘Maybe…maybe I could…’ Vinyl thought, actually giving the idea some thought but she quickly changed her mind, clasping her hooves over her closed eyes.

“No, what are you thinking Vinyl?” she muttered to herself, her body slightly jolting on the bed. ‘You can’t do that! If he even knew you were alive, who knows how he would react. He might run out and get…him. And I don’t want to go back…’ she continued to think to herself, shaking her head on the surprisingly cozy pillow.

With each twitch of her body, Vinyl realized the bed would shake, moving in a wave pattern that carried her body. Her mind began to take notice of this, and slowly leaving the ridiculous antic of revealing herself, began to test it herself.

Removing her hooves from her face, the mare slowly looked down at her body and to the side of the body. Moving her body upwards and letting herself back down gently, she felt the rest of the bed move her body. As if testing an experiment, Vinyl tested it once again. After proving it successful again, she repeated the process a second time. Followed by a third time, then a fourth time…

A smile grew across the unicorn’s muzzle as an ancient thought slipped past her mind. A thought that she thought was long forgotten…

Getting on all four of her hooves on top of the bed, Vinyl began to lightly pounce up and down gently, testing the springs of the bed. To her surprise, they were actually sturdy. And this caused the mare’s eyes to sparkle with excitement. With a broad smile, Vinyl began to pounce up and down on the mattress of the bed, the sound of springs following every landing. Her smile was wide though as she looked down at her hooves ascend up from the ground, her imagination allowing her the opportunity to soar out of the roof. Her hair flopped up and down as well, gravity dragging it down as physics helped lift it up.

The unicorn began to spin every so often, a light hearted giggle leaving her chest as she felt her youth crawl out from the void within her. She grew playful, letting out yips of glee and laughing as she would allow her body to move freely on the creaking bedframe.

The activity brought back memories into the unicorn’s mind – memories of her youth where she would stay up in the early morning or in the eve of night, jumping on her bed as she began to let her body follow the beat of music that echoed on her room, just as it did in her mind. She could see herself, a young ecstatic filly, moving as long and far as her spirit would allow her to. That spirit she once had, she believed to be dead.

But Vinyl could feel that spirit once again, giving her body the energy to jump on the bedframe, the ability to laugh, and the will to smile. It was almost alien to her, but it felt so rejuvenating as well – almost as if it was making her feel whole.

The creaking of the bed soon grew louder, catching the attention of the mare that began to let her mind accept one factor of reality: if she kept jumping, she would most likely damage the bedframe or worse. She did not want to stop hopping though; this feel of happiness was like morphine. She loved the feeling of the emotion and did not want it to go away. Still, she knew she had to come to a halt.

Hesitantly, Vinyl stopped hopping, her body jolting up and down lazily as she stuck her final landing. She was breathing heavily, not out of oxygen deprivation though, but because she loved the feeling of being alive. Her ears wilted as the jumping came to a halt, but her mood was not damaged for a smile was still on her face.

Slowly, the unicorn began to crouch low, moving into a laying position in the middle of the bed as she let her body race with this wonderful feeling inside of her. The problem with that though was this feeling could not be contained. It needed to be used, invested.

And that’s when the idea entered the mare’s mind.

With her head raised, Vinyl glanced around the room, looking for the most interesting item within the entire place. As the mare turned her head to the left side, she saw it. The worn down piano…

Hopping off the bed with an excited attitude, the mare trotted carefully over to the piano, passing by the table she sat in not long ago. As she crept closer to the piano though, she began to slow her pace, her youthful, rebellious attitude leaving her body. She found it strange as she could feel this calm, respectful persona slip into her mind, which began to enhance her senses on the piano before her. It did not damaging her current mood.

Approaching the large, ancient instrument, Vinyl began to make out every detail on the grand piano – marking every scratch, tracking every chip, noticing each error in the wood. It seemed to be beyond ancient – it was as if it may have been one of the very first pianos ever designed, giving it this fragile (yet holy) feel. The top portion of the piano was closed, sealing off the innards of the relic that consisted of dampers, hitch pins and other various organs that helped it perform its assigned function.

To her though, it was extravagant. Yes, to Vinyl, this old, dull, historical instrument was marvelous. The mare had her reasons surely. For you see, the unicorn has fed off the passion of music. Although she did prefer her rebellious, heavy genre, she never had an issue with a more harmonized symphony of notes. An old friend of her taught her the true values of music – its true meaning. Although back then, the pony would have dismissed the grey, eloquent mare’s words, finding them as bland and ‘boring’. But now, she could not deny she was right. Her thirst for music proved it to be true.

As Vinyl came closer to the seat of the piano, she could see the leather was beginning to wear out, containing rips and tears that revealed the yellow foam underneath it. She paid it no heed though as she slowly pulled out the seat and carefully sat her rump on top of it, carefully shifting her body to the side as she gazed down at the pattern of black and white keys integrated into the dashboard of the piano. The sight was enough to confuse the mare, who has not laid eyes on an instrument in over a decade. It was as if she was looking at it for the first time, admiring the framework as she slowly brought her hoof over the piano despite its run down state.

The feeling of degraded, old wood passing under her hoof made her grit her teeth for she did not like the feel of the wood at all. As Vinyl continued to run her foreleg down the rest of the piano though, she began to notice the entire piano was not destroyed. She could feel smooth wood pass under her sense of touch, giving her mind a much more positive outlook of the instrument. It was smooth, much like velvet sheets.

She was not concerned about the looks of the piano. Although the features were intriguing, the unicorn never cared for its condition. As long as it was able to display any form of rhythm, she would have no problem with it.

Judging from its condition though, it looked like it was in no position to be used, making Vinyl hesitant to press her hooves over one of the keys. Every fiber in her body was burning to push the key, allowing a note to be chorused within the house, but she did not know if it actually worked.

So, wishing to fulfill her needs, the mare got up from the small seat and standing on her hind legs, made her way to the right side of the piano and glanced down at the large top that hid its insides. She glanced down at the top portion, her thoughts slowly pacing as she let her breathing enact her nervous state. It seemed so delicate and fragile, she did not want to touch it.

Her body seemed to be thinking on its own though, for her hooves already began to carefully grab hold of the lid, bent slightly to cater to the tender skin of the piano. With every ounce of strength, Vinyl slowly began to lift the lid of the piano, closing her eyes as if to expect a fume of dust to shoot out from under, built up from over the years since its productions.

As she raised it higher though, she felt no form of dust or dirt shoot out from the opening. No, instead the smell of crisp, antique wood seeped into her nostrils, causing her ears to twitch in curiosity. It was not a smell she would not expect.

Opening her eyes, Vinyl glanced downward into the piano. Her eyes grew wide and she could feel her mouth slowly opening as she stared into the organs of the piano, stunned from the sheer sight of their state.

The entire internal frame of the piano was pure – no scratches, dents, or any signs of disturbance were apparent. The sight of the components seemed to be entirely foreign as well. Each item and component within the frame was clean, polished and undamaged. It was almost as if the piano has never been touched in ages…or as if she was looking at an entirely new piano.

Vinyl was completely dumbfounded. She could not help but peak her head a little underneath the lid to admire the components much closer. To avoid dropping the lid on herself she carefully prodded the stand upwards, allowing the weight of the lid to depend on the sturdy black crimson peg. It was unusual for Vinyl to ever be interested in an item like this, but she did not care. As she stared down at the strings and pins of the piano, she knew that the instrument was in great condition. Which meant she could fiddle with the notes on the console.

The unicorn pulled her head out of the piano and returned back to the seat, a huge smile on her face. Her eyes fluttered with delight as she scooted herself carefully to the piano, her hooves clanking against one another in excitement. Just as Vinyl brought her hoof out to press a note on the piano, she instantly retracted it as her smile began to fade.

“I…don’t remember…how to play piano…” she informed herself, bringing her hooves back down to her sides. It struck her dead center in the chest, instantly killing her mood as her hopes of playing music died down. She could bash the notes in confusion, but that would only leave a ruckus and possibly break the strange piano.

The true issue though, was the fact that Vinyl once knew how to play the piano. She never admitted it to anypony, nor has she ever displayed her skills in public, but before, every so often, she would tend to relieve her urge for a set of slower, fluent notes.

After years of being deprived her passion though, she lost the skill she knew long ago. It was a skill she cherished, for Octavia taught her the methods of learning to play such a beautiful instrument, despite her minimal patience and lack of enthusiasm. Negating all of her personal thoughts though, Vinyl cherished the ability to play for she felt it was the closest thing to the best friend she once had.

She could remember the private lessons the two use to attend every day after school, her memory of their once strong friendship flashing before her eyes as she began to shut the world off from around her.

“Vinyl, what are you doing?”

The ecstatic white coated unicorn was shaking her head back and forth as she began to bash her hooves on the keyboards of a brown, elegant piano, making Octavia cringe in the process. Vinyl was now younger –her blue hair bundled up into a bun as she flashed a smile with braces over her teeth. Her eyes were covered by thin, visor looking purple glasses that only covered half of her large irises.

“I’m just making it fun!” the mare shouted over the sounds of the mixed notes that echoed throughout the room, a wide smile on her face. Her friend would hear none of it though.

“Fun?” the grey pony repeated, almost as if the phrase was a joke. Her friend, still bashing her hooves on the panel of the keyboard, did not seem to acknowledge her words. So in order to make herself heard, Octavia leaned to the side next to Vinyl and clamped down on her hooves, stopping the ruckus of noise and attracting her friend’s attention.

The grey pony let out a light sigh, enjoying the sound of this newborn silence. Taking a few seconds to collect herself, Octavia eventually let go of the unicorn’s hooves, leaving her friend to be free from her grasp.

“I understand that your style is a bit more…extreme” Octavia said, giving Vinyl a tired look with her sleek purple irises. “But with a piano, you mustn’t be so rough”

Vinyl’s ears wilted and she felt her eager, enthusiastic mood disappear. “Well that isn’t any fun” she pouted, bowing her head and crossing her arms. Octavia rolled her eyes in response to her friend’s childish behavior – despite the fact they were both fillies.

“It isn’t always about fun you know” Octavia informed, turning her attention back to the piano as she began to lightly pass her hoof over the notes. “To play an instrument it requires patience, discipline-“

“Lies!” Vinyl shot, cutting off her friend. “I learned to play a guitar without breaking a sweat. It was a piece of cake” The unicorn than puffed her chest outward to show she was proud of her statement. Octavia, who gave her companion a stern look, let out a deep sigh.

“You were born with a guitar in your hooves” she retorted, waving her mane back as she turned back to the piano. “Not to say it isn’t a difficult instrument, but in your case, you could always improve the way you play”

Vinyl raised a brow in confusion. “What are you trying to say Octavia?”

Octavia, knowing she finally had her attention, let a smile grow across her face.

“As I was saying,” Octavia emphasized, raising a brow in the unicorn’s direction, “Learning an instrument is not something simplistic. If it was, it would not be considered a talent.”

Octavia then began to run her hooves over a few notes, letting out a simple melody of chords quickly batched together to create a simplistic symphony. It was the theme given to Vinyl, but apparently it proved to be too much for the young filly.

“Anypony can play an instrument, just like anypony can play guitar” Octavia continued, intriguing Vinyl’s attention by the second. “But…”

Suddenly, Octavia began to play the same rhythmic melody as she did before, except this time, it did not seem so bland. Instead it seemed to be heavily modified, each note carrying a harmonic melody as the grey mare’s hooves passed over one another majestically, pressing down on the next key in the sequence. Her hind leg was extended outward, pressing down on the petals located on the bottom of the piano, emphasizing the weight of the notes as it chorused throughout Octavia’s eloquent living room.

“…With discipline, everything sounds better” she cooed, her eyes flashing a haughty attitude as she glanced at a stunned Vinyl Scratch. She continued to let her hooves trot over the keyboard evoking a wonderful coordination of notes, until she let her hoof run off the keyboard, finally putting an end to the wonderful noise.

Vinyl Scratch, automatically comparing the two versions in unison, began to actually think about the weight of Octavia’s words.

“…That’s all because of rules?” Vinyl asked hesitantly, pointing her hoof in the direction of the piano as if to show evidence of the wonderful noise that was once there. Octavia, now flashing a proud smile, nodded her head.

“With discipline you learn how to pace yourself” Octavia said, staring at Vinyl Scratch who was now interested in the way this piano sounded. “And by pacing yourself, you’re able to have…fun”

Vinyl looked back at Octavia and let a sarcastic smile grow across her face, rolling her eyes in the process. “You make it sound like it’s a bad thing” the unicorn remarked, bringing a smile to the earth pony.

“It’s not like I’m always serious. It’s just that there are times when you should enjoy yourself, and there are times when you shouldn’t” Octavia explained, rolling her hoof as she began to act in a despotic manner. Vinyl, bringing her hoof up to her chin as she leaned on a set of notes on the right side of the piano, releasing a mess of heavy chords, gave her a friend a disapproving look as if she just slapped her across the face. She must have taken it as an indirect insult.

“…Anyways” Octavia continued, possibly seeing Vinyl’s thoughts in her eyes, “Why don’t we just start out with the basics again…”

Vinyl, taking that as her queue, moved closer to her friend, giving her friend a nervous smile as she decided to take another shot at the piano. Her being in her rebellious nature, she felt she was not prepared to undertake this form of discipline to learn a new instrument. Her friend Octavia was there for every step of the way though.

“Don’t worry Vinyl” her friend assured, patting the back of the nervous mare. “It’s okay if you don’t get it the first time. I sure didn’t when I started.”

“Really?” Vinyl asked shocked. After seeing her friend display her skills on the piano, she believed Octavia was born with a piano by her side.

Octavia bobbed her head up and down slowly. “Of course. Like I said, I just gave myself some discipline and paced myself. Just like you do with the guitar” She flashed a warm smile that lifted her companion’s hopes up.

So Vinyl slowly began to press the notes on the piano, trying to follow the melody of the theme her friend gave her. She would reach a certain portion, but eventually stumble, giving her a slight feel of frustration. Octavia continued to urge her on though, assuring mistakes were always bound to happen. Once again she tried, trying to pace herself as her hooves slowly passed over the keyboard, but she failed yet again.

Try after try, attempt after attempt, Vinyl continued to falter, not exactly grasping a hold of this new instrument. She was surely pushing herself, but despite Octavia’s help, she could not help but feel as if it was all fake – as if she was pushing for this dry, useless rhythm. It soon began to grow apparent to Octavia as well, who began to see the frustration build up in the little filly.

“…What motivates you to play the guitar?” Octavia asked, causing Vinyl to swerve her head around in confusion.

“Huh?” she asked, her mind growing a little tired from failing continuously with the piano.

“What makes you play the guitar so good?”

Vinyl was confused, for she did not know why the question would mean anything at the moment.

“Umm…I guess since I know how to play it that’s why I play…” Vinyl answered, but Octavia shook her head and waved her hoof.

“No, what I mean is when you play guitar, what do you think about?” her friend rephrased. As Vinyl opened her mouth though, Octavia quickly added, “…besides the strings”

Seeing that her response was ripped out of her mouth before she could even say it, Vinyl remained silent, lost in thought to the earth pony’s question. She decided the best answer would be to shrug and give up, but her friend would not accept it.

“Come now” she pleaded, shaking her head. “What makes you love playing music so much?”

“I was just born with it I guess…” Vinyl remarked, but Octavia quickly added on.

“If that was the case, you would have already got a hang of the piano” she said with a sarcastic smile, patting the frame of the piano. Vinyl’s cheeks grew hot with embarrassment.

“…I honestly don’t know Octavia” she sighed, throwing her hooves up in the air again. “I mean, when I play I don’t think. I just do it because it lets me…I don’t know…express myself or something like that…”

“Exactly” Octavia shot, clapping her hooves together. Vinyl, raised a brow, thinking about everything she just said. Before the unicorn could think though, her friend elaborated for her.

“Playing music is all about expressing yourself. Investing all of your emotions into the music you play. When I play music, I tend to let my emotions pour out but at the same time, I try to keep calm and pace myself. That way, my notes don’t ever get messy.”

The unicorn always was intrigued by the earth pony’s mind. At such a young age, she seemed to be so old and wise, almost as if she could solve any problem headed her way. This was one of the many reasons Vinyl always liked hanging around with her, despite her being so different from herself. It was because she felt comfortable around the elegant mare.

“…So…” Vinyl sighed, “I have to follow rules while not following rules?” the mare asked, actually grasping onto the concept Octavia was trying to say. Octavia bit her lip, realizing what Vinyl said actually sounded more difficult than she intended it to be.

“…Yes” Octavia sighed, flashing a weak smile towards Vinyl who gave her friend a tired look. She was beginning to grow frustrated and didn’t want to learn how to play anymore. But her friend insisted, seeing her patience was quickly withering away.

“Let’s do this again” Octavia insisted patting the keys on the piano. “You can’t just give up. I know you can do it. All you need is time…”

Her friend flashed another smile, trying to urge Vinyl to stay. The unicorn grumbled loudly and then let out a groan, but she gave into her friends pleas.

“Alright then” she sighed, bowing her head as she turned back to the piano once again to endure more moments of failure. Once again, her friend forced her to play the same chords she played before, except this time with this new mindset of being both free and caged. It was a confusing concept that distracted the unicorn many times, causing her to stumble over notes or slowly pace herself to the point where the melody was lost.

Octavia saw there was improvement though. She could see that despite the trouble Vinyl seemed to be undergoing, it was as if she was beginning to grasp a hold onto the concept of multitasking. Vinyl was an impatient kind of pony though, so whenever she didn’t reach perfection, she never acknowledged her progress.

“You’re doing good” the grey pony complimented, watching as her ecstatic friend continued to repeat the same number of melodies over and over again, determined to achieve greatness. Despite her mindset though, Octavia always assured her friend that she did not need to rush. Progress was all she needed.

And over time, progress began to show. As time flew by, despite her frustrated moments, Vinyl’s skills in the piano began to increase, her mind processing her frustration into the piano (as Octavia informed her to). Basically her friend told her to invest her feelings, mood, and emotion into the instrument she played, for it would help improve the feel and thrill of playing drastically.

Soon, Vinyl was able to perform the song Octavia gave her (although not perfectly). Her hooves began to move in a consistent matter and she managed to quickly move them around, grasping the concept of how her movement of the guitar resembled the movement on keyboards. Her hoof pressed down on the levers beneath her at perfect timing, evoking a loud heavy bass as she let it sink it with the sound of light melodic notes. It was all enough progress to shock Octavia who did not think it would have taken this quick to learn.

“Wow” she said, staring at the young white filly to her right. “That is…really great!”

Vinyl, finally putting the notes to a rest, let out a light sigh and looked at Octavia with heavy eyes. “Really?”

“Yes” Octavia responded, wondering if her advice had anything to do with this vast improvement. “It sounds as if you’ve been playing for years”

Vinyl found the words to be comforting, realizing she finally managed to learn something she has always wanted to try. Although it was excruciating at first, she felt she could have not done it without the help of her friend.

“Thanks” Vinyl responded with a smile. Then, before Octavia could respond, Vinyl clasped her hands around the grey pony, thankful to have a friend as kind, wise, and patient as her.

Vinyl opened her eyes once the memory faded from her mind, glancing down at the piano which looked so lifeless compared to the one she just saw in her mind. She slowly brought a hoof up to her face, feeling her old youthful features gone, free of braces, spectacles and a bundled mane.

Glancing down at the components of the piano, she no longer felt nervous, nor did she no longer see it as nerve wrecking. It looked just as it did long ago – a black and white gateway to a world full of a variety of symphonies. Her hoof slowly swept over the notes, simply passing over each black and white key without pressing down on any of them. She was simply rerunning the feel of the notes back into her mind, trying to set the mindset she held once before.

Vinyl began to truly take Octavia’s words into her heart now, remembering the only true rule she has ever followed. Do what your heart tells you, and let your emotion fuel your music. It was a moral that was dusty and old…and Vinyl wished to bring it back.

As the unicorn glanced down at the piano, she let out a light sigh, pressing her hoof over a set of keys, from the left side, and then slowly making her way down to the right, trying to grow familiar with the notes. She noticed a strange bland sound come from each note though, which caused the mare to grow confused until she remembered one of the movements she performed in her memory.

Extending out her hind leg, Vinyl let her hoof reach out for the pedal underlying the bottom of the piano and pressed down on it. Knowing the bass of the notes would increase, she began to test out a few more keys, all of which let out a long, condescending note. Vinyl let a quick smile spread across her face, the sound of the noise assuring she was quickly grasping onto the concept of playing once again

“Just let the emotions guide you” Vinyl muttered to herself quietly as she scanned the keys on the left and right side of the piano. She was trying to ponder what note she should start off with and allow her the option to let her emotions carry off from there.

Vinyl knew there was only one true emotion inside of her though. Despite today and yesterday’s wonderful course of events, they were all not enough to undo a decade of torture and abuse. Her heart was hurting, as were her mind and spirit. And Octavia made it clear, that the feelings in one’s heart would guide their melodies and notes in the music, providing them this subconscious list of notes that they can use to create music.

As the thoughts in her mind began to mellow down, Vinyl could begin to feel the mood of her true self start to shift into place. She could feel her body grow tense as this overwhelming sense of fatigue and sorrow began to overwhelm her. It tried to weigh her down, push her to the point where she would not gain the urge to play. The unicorn would not let anything shield her from her goal though.

Taking a deep sigh, Vinyl shut her eyes and let the dam around her emotions collapse, weighing heavily against her heart. As soon as she did this, through heavy eyes, Vinyl pressed her hoof softly against a key, allowing its note to eerily echo throughout across the room.

The emotion inside of her was pouring out all too quickly, causing the mare to let out another sigh. She felt her eyes clench momentarily as she let her hoof press down on another note, evoking another long note throughout the room.

‘You can do this Vinyl’ she thought to herself, holding herself back from pressing another key as she hung her head low. ‘Remember what Octavia told you. Just remember what she told you…’

In Vinyl’s head, the grey pony’s words continued to repeat themselves, eventually turning into a chorus of some sort

When I play music, I tend to let my emotions pour out but at the same time, I try to keep calm and pace myself….

The unicorn soon began to mouth the words in her head, setting her mind to achieve this task her friend has told her so long ago. And eventually, it finally came to her.

“Keep calm, and let your emotions do the work…” Vinyl muttered, paraphrasing the rule she imbedded into her skull with her chant.

Lifting up her hooves back to the black and white keys of the piano and bringing her hoof down on the panel beneath the piano, Vinyl opened her eyes and began to strum her hooves over the dashboard of the ancient relic in a slow, dramatic manner. The act was not intentional though nor was it done on purpose.

Vinyl was simply transmitting her heart and soul into the piano, all of which resulted in the loud, slow ring of heavy notes, followed by the pressing of smaller keys in between each intermission of the loud bass. Her breathing grew steady as she tried to interchange her thoughts, forming them into symbols she could use for the song unraveling before her.

Soon, she began to abandon the simple tapping of the loud notes, pressing them constantly under her hooves as she began to feel her emotion transmit underneath her hooves – the feeling of pain, sorrow, and loss. It did not damage the unicorn’s pace though. It simply pushed her to continue, motivating her to vent out all the toxins held within her spirit.

The feelings of abuse, love, and betrayal clouded her heart, but it never stayed long for Vinyl’s hooves began to move quicker over the keys, pressing down on each note harder and faster than she had before. Memories began to flash before her eyes like flickering lights – memories of her youth, passions, hobbies, friends. All of which she took for granted. She had it all and even then she felt like it was never enough. Had she known before how well she had it, she would have never left it.

This thought fueled the mare’s sorrow and anger, causing her to play faster and press her keys quickly over the keys as she swiveled on the seat beneath her, trying to reach the right notes as her mind began to grow fuzzy. This caused her to shortly falter and Vinyl caught herself, finally bringing herself down to a slower tempo. As she done that though, her emotions began to slow down as well, displaying only memories of her true friend.

Her moments with Octavia began to shroud her mind, bringing her this sense of happiness and peace. The smile of the grey earth pony was clearly visible in her mind – the smile that assured her ‘no matter what happened, it would be alright’. The times of their ridiculous adventures brought a smile to her face as Vinyl began to take the song into a lighter approach, pressing her hooves lightly over the soft notes. The memories of the two running after one another, tackling each other and embracing in an unbreakable bond of friendship.

She knew those memories were gone though. Her mind instantly reminded her she was no longer wanted back home. It told her she was nothing. All those moments of what she had once were now nothing but memories. Her majestic hooves began to slowly bring the light notes to a halt.

She paused for a quick second, shutting her eyes as she felt her life just flashed before her eyes – a life she never got to fulfill. Taking another sigh, Vinyl switched the mood of the song, bringing her hooves to the left side, pressing down on the keys as her eyes winced with each sound of the note.

All that remained in her mind now was herself, alone and broken. Her body leaned forward as she pressed the keys with a strong gesture, temporarily lifting herself up on the seat. Her mind was pacing back and forth between emotions, changing the beat and tempo of the entire song. Vinyl began to feel her self-control slowly falling apart.

When all seemed lost though, she let one last memory slip into her mind. The stallion that catered to her, despite her state. The stallion that tended to her, despite her flaws. It was enough to show the mare there was still hope. It was enough to bring her mind back into a more positive state, making her realize it was not over.  That It was far from over.

This positive feel caused the more to bring the tempo of the song to a lighter tone, until finally she began to come to the end of the song, slowly strumming her hoof off the last couple of keys on the right side of the piano. He eyes closed as she lifted her hooves upward and a smile slowly began to spread across her face.

After years of being confined to nothingness, she was glad to know that she still had it in her to play piano.

“You still got it Vinyl” she remarked to herself as she slowly opened her eyes and let a smile grow across her muzzle.

***

“Don’t think you’re off the hook just yet” Twin Twist remarked, speaking to Dutch who was finishing his task of putting away most of the open tools that were left out in the worksite. The morning and afternoon glow of the sun was now beginning to fade away as a mysterious dark cloud seemed to have grown comfortable positioning itself in front of the work of Celestia, giving the city a darker outlook.

“Off the hook?” Dutch repeated, as if to play off this confused feel, but he knew what the unicorn was getting out. And it was a topic that was making him eager to leave.

“Yes, I still want to know more about this mystery mare” the orange unicorn replied, flashing his trademark smile. Dutch, who was moving a box of mechanical tools on his backside, let out a groan, knowing the colt would refuse to leave him alone about the topic.

“There’s not much to her” Dutch shot, slowly walking away from the unicorn to transport the items back to the large bin on the left side of the worksite – which was a long way down. Twin Twist quickly followed after though, letting his telekinetic abilities aid the stallion as it let a purple hue grow around the large box. Dutch, turning back to see magic was responsible for the sudden loss of weight let out a small ‘thanks’ in which Twin Twist responded with-

“You can repay me by telling me more about this mare” he shot raising a brow as the two continued to pass by abandoned post. Ponies already completed their shifts and the only one’s remaining were Dutch, Twin Twist, and Dieter – all of whom were fixing up the site. The last thing they needed were bums stealing their equipment.

Dutch rolled his eyes. “Okay, okay” he sighed, shaking his mane in frustration. ‘Just play it cool. Just keep calm…’

Twin Twist, seeing he finally convinced the stallion let out a chuckle.

“You enjoy bothering me huh?” Dutch snapped, lifting a brow upwards and causing Twin Twist to chuckle a little harder.

‘Wow’ Dutch thought, finally nearing the large red bin resting against the wall. ‘I think he’s a narcissist…’

“No, I don’t” Twin Twist finally responded, with his usual expression. “But in all seriousness, tell me about her”

“Well…she’s a unicorn” Dutch began, noting the features of the mare that sat motionless on his bed. Twin Twist’s eyes widened upon hearing this.

“Wow, she’s a unicorn?” Twin Twist asked shocked as Dutch opened the door to the bin. The unicorn, seeing the door open, concentrated his energy into the large box within his grasp and slowly moved it in there.

“…Yeah” Dutch responded, glancing around the bin before he closed the doors and sealed it with a lock.

Twin Twist let out a slight whistle and turned his head to the side. “Quite the charmer aren’t you Dutch?” he snickered, bucking the stallion’s shoulder lightly as he passed by him, trying to make his way to one last item left out.

“No” Dutch responded plainly, trying to think what else he could add to that response. “…I just got lucky is all…”

Twin Twist let out a ‘pfft’ and shook his head. “If she was a result of luck, I’m betting she’s lucky. I say that because I know you aren’t exactly lucky”

Dutch, finding the words to be dangerously true, looked at Twin Twist with a stern glare, but the unicorn simply let his smile fall and apologized quickly.

“…It’s alright” the colt sighed, approaching another large toolbox found on the right side of the work site.

“…What I was trying to get at was how does she look like?” the orange pony continued, catching up with his grey coated companion. “You got a picture or anything?”

Bending down to place the box on his back, Dutch shook his head slowly. “No picture” he admitted, thinking it would be entirely strange to have a picture of a doll. “…I’ll just describe her to you.” He grunted shortly after, looking at Twin Twist to see if he could help him once again, which he did.

“So…she has a pure white coat” Dutch sighed, lifting the next item onto his backside. “And…she has a long blue mane…and…”

Dutch’s voice trailed off as he began to move onto the most eccentric features of the doll. He could see her staring at him with those red eyes, those eyes that meant almost everything to him. Twin Twist, aiding Dutch once again, was curious about the mare’s features, but he still listened, finding it all coincidental.

“…and her eyes” Dutch muttered, almost as if he was lost. “Her eyes are…a crimson red….the kind that just tell you, that it will all be good…”

As Dutch was entranced in his own words, the unicorn halted for a short while, widening his eyes as far as he could. It finally came to him why the features sounded so unique and familiar.

“Dutch” Twin Twist said, quickly catching up with the grey stallion that was close to the bin once again. The grey stallion snapped out of his stupor at the sound of his name, shaking his head as he looked at his approaching companion.

“What is this mare’s name?” the unicorn asked, causing a long stare to occur between the two. In the stallion’s mind, he tried to process a clever name while in the unicorn’s head he was waiting to hear one particular name.

“…Her name is…” Dutch began, muttering some inaudible words under his breath that the unicorn found strange. Dutch kept rummaging through words he could conjoin, words that flowed in and out of his head constantly. Finally one unforgettable name came to the stallion and he quickly blurted it out to make up for wasted time. “…Free Star” he finished, flashing a smile shortly after. His smile slowly faded though as he realized the name he just referred the doll to.

“Her name is…Free Star?” Twin Twist repeated, not truly expecting that name. The stallion was lost for a while, feeling an ounce of regret growing inside of him, but he slowly snapped out of it, trying not to seem odd in any way. Slowly opening the door to the bin, he nodded.

The unicorn gave Dutch a suspicious look, trying to run this mysterious mare’s features in his head once again. He could have sworn there was only one mare with such features. In a large world though, it seemed as there may have been more unicorns with features similar to that.

“So…are you going to help me put the box in the bin?” Dutch grunted, seeing the unicorn was lost in his thoughts. ‘Is he alright?’ he thought to himself as the unicorn slowly nodded his head.

“Oh, yeah” Twin Twist responded, levitating the box into the red bin. Dutch, closing the doors to the bin one final time, was wondering what was going on in the colt’s head, finding his behavior to be a tad bit odd. It crossed Dutch’s mind that he may have known he was talking about the doll, seeing that she was displayed in a window case, but Twin Twist thought he was talking about a living creature so he dismissed the thought.

“She sounds really unique though” Twin Twist continued as Dutch walked alongside the unicorn. The stallion surveyed the entire worksite, trying to see if there were any items left that he needed to put away. Seeing that there weren’t any more though, he let out a sigh and finally responded to the unicorn’s remark.

“Yeah, that she is…”

The stallion let out a sigh, trying to play off this romantic gesture. Deep in his mind though, he felt that sigh was far from fake.

Twin Twist, seeing the stallion’s feelings for ‘Free Star’, gradually began to abandon his idea of this mare. He could see that he had true feelings for her and that she made him happy.

“So that was your anchor?” Twin Twist said, patting Dutch’s back as the two began to make their way to the exit of the worksite.

The stallion was almost in deep thought, trying to decide if he was going to say yes to stave off Twin Twist, or because he truly felt she was his anchor. After yesterday’s turn of events, Dutch saw she was a gateway to another realm – a place he could dream without actually closing his eyes.

“…Yes, she is” Dutch sighed, slowly bringing a smile to his face. Twin Twist felt his heart slowly expand, for as he saw Dutch’s happiness, he began to feel slightly disheartened to know his over was far from his reach. The unicorn had no wish to damage his companion’s mood with his sorrows though.

Eventually the two finally reached the exit of the worksite, glancing at the outer world where the street lights hung over the street, bearing its dim glow over citizens and pedestrians.

“I would like to meet Free Star one day” Twin Twist informed, flashing a warm smile. Dutch grew slightly tense and let out a nervous laugh. He was not exactly with the name being uttered by others.

“She’s a bit shy at times…” he informed, scratching the back of his mane with his hoof. Twin Twist laughed and shook his head.

“Just want to keep her all to yourself, don’t you?” the unicorn asked winking. The stallion did not utter anything in response, instead giving a weak smile and letting out a shrug. Twin Twist saw the stallion was eager to go home and attend to his new mare, so he decided to quickly wrap up the conversation.

“Alright Dutch I won’t keep you from her any longer” he said, kicking the dirt underneath him to the side. “I’ll let you be on your way. See you tomorrow I reckon?”

Dutch, seeing that he had a gateway to leave the discussion, quickly brought out his hoof towards Twin Twist.

“Yeah I’ll see you tomorrow” he smiled, catching the unicorn off guard who slowly grabbed his hoof and shook it. Before Twin Twist could say anything else, Dutch quickly made his way out of the worksite, leaving the unicorn at the exit of the worksite alone and dumbfounded.

“…Wow” the unicorn muttered to himself as he saw the grey earth pony descend down the street. “He must really want to be with her…”

All the while though, Dutch could not help but think Free Star looked similar to a mare he once knew growing up as a foal. She was big in Equestria around the time, but soon she just vanished. It was big in the news too, but not one pony knew where she went.

‘It can’t be her’ he thought, glancing around the outskirts of the site as he began to walk outside. ‘If it’s been that long she is definitely old by now. It’s been sixteen years…’ he thought to himself, assuring that unicorn mare was not who he thought it was. Still, it did not matter for Twin Twist had his own matters and issues to deal with. And he was never fond of thinking about Equestria. It always left him home sick.

Meanwhile as Dutch followed his usual routine around this time, he could not stop pondering on what Twin Twist was saying. He was grateful he managed to leave as quickly as possible, but the unicorn left him with thoughts to ponder on. He knew she was just a doll…she could not be real. Yet, he felt like he was treating her real. As if she was living and breathing.

Almost as if she truly was Free Star – the mare he fell for long ago.

***

Vinyl took notice of the sudden darkness that has blocked the sun. It was apparent in the absence of the light that shone through the small window from above. She gave it no thought though for she remained posted on the seat of the piano, strumming her hooves peacefully over the keys of the piano, her mind and spirit fully entranced in the art of music – her true love.

She beckoned back and forth, strumming light notes as she decided to peace her mind through a symphony of light majestic notes. Her forelegs have not grown tired, for her body was in no need of such fibers. Her mind though, was another story.

Still, she continued onward, staring down at the keys with a peaceful essence in her eyes as she continued to move back and forth, pressing on key after key after key…

Her mind was practically functioning as another being, granting her this peace to strum her hooves over the piano, pulling each string that then moved the damper to bring a note ringing through the house. The piano was loud, consisting of a heavy bass, but in the case of light notes, it carried this soft, eloquent noise.

“...I wish Octavia was around to hear this…” She told herself as she continued to play, her voice being drowned out by the song. She knew her companion’s favorite song, and she did well to remember it – A Melody of Tears by one ancient being she knew nothing of. Yet she demonstrated his work, and she did so with passion.

As the notes continued to ring throughout the house though, Vinyl’s earlobes were too clouded to note any other noise from the outside world. Her mind was shielded from anything that factored her music as well, much to her dismay.

That is because Dutch has waited behind the door of his house for some time, listening to the strange noise flowing from the piano in his household. Upon reaching the street to his house, the stallion’s thoughts of today were cut short as he heard the majestic noise of notes come from afar, though he thought nothing of it at first. As he ascended closer to his home though, he began to realize it was coming from his house. He did not know how anypony got into his house, nor did he know why anypony would want to break in, simply to play piano. It left him confused, yet furious.

And it is here where fate has a tendency to provoke treacherous paths.

In fear of this mystery intruder, Dutch quickly opened the door and swung it outwards to show himself to the being playing the music. The loud noise of the door creaking caused Vinyl to flinch upwards in fear and fall off the seat of the chair, bringing the chorus of notes to a halt. In fear she quickly glanced in the direction of the door but she already knew who was there. Her eyes grew weary and her mouth began to tremble as she stared at a grey broad stallion who stared back at her with wide brown eyes...

Dutch could not believe what he was seeing. Upon opening the door he expected to see a skilled thief of some sort trying to run out the way he came – or try to attack him. Instead, he found himself glancing downward at the doll – alive and moving. He felt every muscle in his body tense up and his expression froze, leaving him to be wide eyed and beyond petrified. His heart began to race as he tried to process what was occurring.

‘No, this can’t be real. What the buck is going on…she…it…’ he thought, even stammering in his thoughts from the sheer sight of the moving mare. He could not find words to explain how he felt.

Vinyl remained on the ground, trembling in fear as her mind began to race of what awaited her. She was now caught, her only route to freedom now blown – all because she embraced in her own passion.

‘Damn it, damn it, damn it!’ she screamed in her mind, shaking unbearably. ‘Why me Celestia, why, why, why?!’

There was a horrible silence in the household as the two ponies looked at one another, both petrified and terrified. Dutch could not move and he felt this strong desire to slip into unconsciousness but he couldn’t. Not while he believed it was all a dream.

The unicorn could see Dutch’s expression, which began to make her teary eyed. She knew all he saw now was an utter abomination – a work of dark magic. Her lip quivered as she pressed her hooves against her face, shielding herself away from the stallion. She knew she was going to go back to hell, left to be tormented by Lucius.

Her sobs intensified, shocking Dutch even more now. She saw she was crying, like a living being. ‘That’s not possible…it can’t be…’

He could not make out what was going on with the doll. She was alive – and yet she remained still the entire time she was here, not even moving once. He could not understand what was going on. Nothing made sense to him.

The mare’s sobs grew stronger though, slowly bringing Dutch out of his stupor. He did not know what to do. He was now fearful, knowing she had to go. He could not keep a living being in his home like a prisoner.

Suddenly Dutch remembered the warning given to him by the dark coated unicorn:

If there’s anything wrong with the item, or you don’t feel comfortable with it, just be sure to drop by the shop and let Red Ace know

And to Dutch, there was something surely wrong with this…

The word item could not come to Dutch anymore as he saw the unicorn crying, who now lifted her hooves off her eyes and glared at him with pleading eyes. Her red irises were now glassy, and the once romantic, happy gaze he always saw was now cold and afraid.

He had to do something. ‘I need to tell Red Ace and Top Spin what’s going on. They have to know what is happening…’

Glancing at the mare petrified, he turned to the side, slowly making his way back outside. Vinyl, seeing he would do what she feared, shouted.

“No, please!” she screamed, her body tensing as she reached her hoof outward. Dutch flinched as her words pierced his heart, causing him to jolt in fear. She was now talking, he realized – and her voice…it sounded strong, yet it was broken.

He turned back to the mare and saw she was crying once again, beyond terrified. He knew he had to do something and he couldn’t let her be left like this.

“Ho-hold on….I’ll…get so-some help…” he stammered, nervously bringing his hoof up to assure the mare it was going to be alright. He did not know what else to do though. He felt that his mind was playing tricks o him, fooling him into believing the doll was alive and moving after what he thought today. The issue with that theory though, would be that Dutch would never personify the doll crying in fear.

“No, don’t go please!!!” she cried, slowly standing up from the ground in a weak feeble manner. Her body was now heavy with fatigue and her fears began to crawl into the back of her mind as she felt the feelings of death cloud her soul.

Dutch was now worried, for he could not understand what was scaring her. It seemed almost as if she was afraid of him – which he felt was tremendously ironic.

“I’m...going to get the merchant, don’t-” he began, trying to bring comfort to the mare, but instead he only instilled more fear into her heart. Vinyl grew desperate.

“NO!” she shouted with intense fear welling in her mind. In desperation she quickly ran to the stallion, which was beginning to take a few paces back as the unicorn charged him. At first he believed she was going to make a run for it, which he would have not prevented, but instead he was struck with the full force of her weight. She held onto him tightly, sobbing and pleading as Dutch remained speechless.

Taking a deep sigh, Dutch glanced at the mare whose previous image was beginning to fall apart. The sight of her in pain and tears began to replace his memory of the romantic and comforting doll he once had. Her eyes brought him a great amount of pain and he felt he could not hurt her more than she was hurting herself.

Carefully, he slowly stepped into his house and shut the door, sealing in the sobs of the mare inside the large room. He stood at the entrance of the house, watching as the mare buried her head into his chest, begging and crying continuously. Vinyl knew what she was doing. She knew she was being weak and vulnerable. She did not care though – she would have done anything to remain safe in the stallion’s household and away from the shop.

Dutch felt his throat tighten and his lungs began to grow stiff as he tried to glance away from the mare. He could not though. She looked lost, afraid and alone. The stallion felt powerless as she cried, her mind burning with her fears.

“Please, I don’t want to go back with him” she sobbed, rocking back and forth as she gripped tightly around Dutch’s forelegs, “I don’t want to see him again. I don’t want to die. I don’t want this anymore…I just want to go home already…I just want to go home…”

The words struck Dutch hard as he began to process the weight of her words. He could not explain it and he most certainly did not understand it, but he could not leave her like this. His throat was dry and he could do nothing bit feel a shiver run down his back.

“…It’s okay…” Dutch muttered, slowly stooping down to comfort Vinyl. The unicorn, seeing he was now closer, instantly curled up tighter, as if trying to protect herself from him, despite holding onto his legs. It caused him to carefully rear back from her, a feeling of loss and sorrow burning in his mind now. “I…I’m not going to hurt you…” he promised, trying to move his foreleg to comfort her but Vinyl held on, not allowing him to move.

“Don’t go…” she sniffed, fearing he would turn and run away. “…I promise I’ll stay still. I won’t move. It would be like it was…just…don’t tell him….”

Vinyl glanced up at Dutch, hoping he heard her pleas and would actually listen. She was willing to do everything to remain here. She wanted to go home, and be free from all this pain and suffering, but she was stuck here. Magic kept her bound to this house and she would have no chance of ever leaving.

Dutch, upon hearing the mare’s words, felt his heart grow heavy and his mind flood with pain. He could feel her sorrows flow into his body, giving him the urge to cry with her. He could not cry in front of this mare though. She did not need to see such a thing in a state like this.

“Everything will be okay…” Dutch said, hoping to ease her mind but it did not work.

“No, you’ll tell him and he’ll take me away” she snapped, constantly referring to her murderer, “I won’t move I swear. I’ll be like a doll, just-“

“Stop” Dutch sighed, clenching his eyes as her pain was beginning to weaken his mental barrier. Her sorrows were bearing into his soul, and it did not help that she begged to be his play thing in order to remain safe. Vinyl kept going though.

“ –I’ll be good. I won’t breath in front of you, move, or talk. You can play with me, pose me –“

“Stop it” Dutch snapped, bending down to the trembling mare. She was fidgeting, her mind growing haywire as she broke down mentally and emotionally once again. Dutch was close to entering the same state, which is why he had to silence her.

“Look” he said as sternly as he could. “I am not going to hurt you. I don’t want you to do anything for me either. I’m just going to tell the merchant what’s-“

“Please, I don’t want to go with him…” she sniffled, bending her head low and allowing her mane to shield her face. Dutch now began to notice this male figure the unicorn kept noting and felt a sharp pain in the back of his head.

“…Who’s him?” Dutch asked, looking at the unicorn with worried eyes. Vinyl did not respond immediately for her mind was beginning to grow fuzzy. She could feel her mind slowly eroding, almost as if her will to live was finally leaving her body once again. Dutch did not give up though.

“Who is this colt?” he asked again, finally attracting the attention of the unicorn. Slowly, she lifted her head, staring at the stallion with young petrified eyes. It looked too wrong to Dutch – her eyes were like a filly’s and yet they showed so much pain and loss.

“…The…merchant…he…he…”

The white coated mare bit her lip, trying to stop it from trembling once again. She has never told anyone what has happened to her, only herself. And now that she had the chance, she could not do it. She never knew it would be so difficult.

“What about him?” Dutch asked, going off of what Vinyl said. His voice shifted to a sterner tone, knowing he was responsible for this mare’s fears. With a sigh, the unicorn winced as she finally made the decision to finish.

“…he…killed….me…”

Time instantly came to a halt as the words struck Dutch’s conscious, instantly setting his mind into a state of reset.

Killed

Everything around him came to a halt as the word continued to chant in his mind, almost as if setting off a cycle.

Killed

The term gave him chills, yet he did not react to it. His body grew rigid and his eyes widened as he came to the realization the mare before him was not amongst the living. She was dead, yet alive.

Killed

She defied the very rules of mortality and all Dutch could do was think. He could not even process such a thing in his mind though, no matter how hard he tried.

And the merchant was to blame. He was the reason for this mare’s sorrows. For her pain. For her demise.

Dutch’s mood shifted, feeling time quickly pace up again as his mind shifted into anger, flexing every muscle in his body in anger.

Vinyl, watching the stallion grow enraged grasped onto his legs tighter, trying to prevent him from moving. She knew telling him was a mistake, and now she had to hold him back. Or else…

“Stop!” she shouted, seeing that Dutch was now beginning to ready himself to storm out of the house. Dutch, having some sense left in his body, was caught off guard by the mare’s words.

“What do you mean stop?” he shouted enraged. His face twitched in rage and frustration as Vinyl remained silent. She did not know how to respond to a statement like that.

“He…he…killed you and you want to protect him?” Dutch continued, glaring down at the mare that was now beginning to loosen her grip around his legs. The stallion’s anger began to slowly redirect towards the mare, feeling she was working in favor of her own murderer.

She did not utter a word though, so Dutch reckoned to act on his own accord. When Vinyl saw he was turning away to the door, she tried to keep him still, hoping he won’t go.

“You can’t go. He’ll kill you too!” she blurted, causing the stallion to stop in his tracks. Vinyl knew that Lucius would not hesitate to kill the stallion before her, and with ease. Lucius was larger than this colt and she knew there would only be one true victor.

Dutch did not care though. “I can care less what he does to me” he remarked, giving a cold stare that would have proved his words right, “I’m going to make sure he never harms another soul again.”

And Dutch meant it. The colt knew the feeling of loss. He knew the feel of being tormented, defeated and watching those he cared for crushed under the heel of heartless beast. He was once a stallion of morals and values – until his reason to maintain such integrity disappeared. Now though, he had another reason to uphold those values yet again.

Vinyl would not allow him to go though. She was now growing fearful for she knew the colt would not survive the encounter with Lucius.

“If you try to kill him though, he’ll realize I’m alive!” she begged, nearing closer to the stallion that was standing tall with anger built inside him. Dutch’s anger deprived him of the ability to reason though.

“Then leave” he shot, pointing his hoof to the door and clearing out of the way. Vinyl glanced ahead as the colt’s anger began to take a hold of him. “Get as far away from here as possible!”

To the unicorn, it almost sounded like he was taunting her, teasing her with an option she had no access to. She closed her eyes and began to shake her head.

“I can’t do that! If I could I would have already!” Vinyl snapped, shaking her mane from side to side. Dutch, seeing the mare was not moving raised a brow

“Why not?” Dutch asked, confused. She had the option to leave and yet she denied it. ‘Why was it that she did not want to leave?’

“The door is right there” Dutch continued, trying to persuade her to leave. “Just go –“

“They put a spell around your house” Vinyl shot, looking up at Dutch who remained quiet. ‘A spell?’ he thought to himself, glancing around at the walls of his home.

“What kind of spell?” Dutch asked, confused as to what kind of spell it was. Vinyl nodded her head silently.

“A barrier spell…which means I can’t leave…” she continued, turning her head to the side as she began to walk away from the entrance of the house. Her hooves clanked softly against the floor board beneath her as she moved past the dinner table. “I’m stuck here….and if I try to leave…they’ll come for me”

She looked up at Dutch with defeated eyes that showed she had no other option but to remain isolated in his home. It was enough to bring guilt to his heart, feeling responsible for putting this mare in this position. The stallion, realizing any attempt to help the mare would result in her capture, let out a long tired sigh.

“…What happens” Dutch began, slowly trotting over to the unicorn who wandered away, “if they come for you?”

The stallion stopped a few paces away from the doll that was now looking inside the damaged crate she was shipped in two days ago. Her mind flushed with pain as she heard the question. She did not want to tell the stallion what would become of her if she were to return to Lucius. But she needed to tell him the truth to convince him to not do anything. It pained her she was in a position like this. It only proved how helpless she truly was, for despite finally revealing herself to somepony, she was no closer to freedom than before.

With a sigh, Vinyl turned to Dutch who was now beside the table, watching the unicorn struggle to say the words in her head. Finally, she muttered the answer, clenching her eyes tightly as she began to feel the pain in her heart grow stronger.

“…He’ll…use me…” she stammered, choking on the words that began to fall out of her mouth, “…kill me…over…and over…and over…”

She muttered the words a few more times, her mind becoming lost as she could visualize it happening again and again, with no chance of ever leaving. She would be used until she was ripped to shreds, broken down into nothing but a heap of limbs.

Dutch, upon hearing those words, closed his eyes and brought his hoof over his face. His desire to kill the merchant grew stronger while at the same time, he was stunned. It seemed apparent to him that the mare could be killed repeatedly – and he could do nothing but feel envy and hate towards the deity that allowed such a thing to occur to such a young mare. He knew he could do nothing now, for the safety of the mare. And that only frustrated him more.

“…Fuck!” Dutch shouted, throwing his hoof off his face and stomping on the ground beneath him. Vinyl clenched her eyes as Dutch began to thrash around in anger, stomping on the floor beneath him that caused the house to shake. The unicorn could do nothing but watch as the stallion who was so happy the day before become enraged. She felt she just threw her problems onto the stallion that had no clue what he got himself into.

“I’m…sorry…I…” she began to plead but Dutch quickly raised a hoof upward, his breathing growing heavy as his chest puffed in and out. His nostrils were flaring and his eyes were shut tight.

“Don’t apologize.” Dutch snapped, shaking his head. “You have done nothing wrong. It’s just…fuck me…”

The stallion remained silent after that swear, pacing back and forth as an eerie silence began to overtake the entire room. Dutch was in deep thought, trying to find a way to help the mare out without bringing harm to her.

Dutch considered the police force, but in this city they would not help. They only helped those with a hefty amount of bits –something Dutch was short on. He tried to pull out ideas, but all seemed to prove futile.

“…So what now?” the unicorn asked, cutting off Dutch’s connection with his thoughts. Opening his eyes, he let out a tired sigh and pulled out the seat of his table, where he then sat on to lay ease to his tense nerves.

“…You can’t leave…” he said, placing a hoof on his head to display how tired he was, “so you stay here for now…until I can figure something out…”

Vinyl, seeing the stallion was now full of negativity, bowed her head in shame. ‘All because you had to play piano’ she thought to herself, letting out a defeated sigh which caused Dutch to look at her for a short while. She could not help but curse herself, feeling that her happiness brought trouble and suffering. It was all enough to prove she was bad luck to everypony around her…

The unicorn wished to find a way to break the silence between them, hoping she could find a way to bring his lively spirit up once again. Vinyl did not know the stallion, but she felt that when he was happy he set the mood of this place. And the mare wished to be nothing more but happy at the moment.

“What’s your name?” Vinyl asked, approaching the stallion who still sat quietly in the seat. His hoof was still over his face as she positioned herself in front of him, sitting on her flank as she looked up at Dutch with desolate eyes that struggled to display a warm greeting.

The stallion, not understanding the mare’s sudden hospitality looked down at the unicorn who was fiddling with her hooves on the ground like a little foal. “…Dutch…” the grey stallion sighed, his mind pulsing with rage and anger. Vinyl, hearing a name that was not common to her, gave a somewhat puzzled look but did not ask of its origin. Instead she nodded and her head and looked to the side for a short while before saying something.

“…that’s cool…”

Dutch raised a brow in confusion. ‘Cool?’

The stallion looked at the mare, seeing she was indeed a young mare. As he tried to make out her origins though, he began to think who she was, where she was from and how long she was gone. These questions began to burn in his mind, but he did not dare ask these questions to the unicorn who has been hurt far enough,

Seeing the stallion was quiet yet again, Vinyl decided to introduce herself, hoping this would keep him from attempting anything that would get them both killed.

“My names Vinyl Scratch” she introduced, placing a hoof on her chest and brining her other hoof out to Dutch. The stallion glanced down at her hoof for a short while, not actually considering to shake it. He was enraged, and the fact this mare was not taking this matter serious seemed to turn Dutch bitter – especially when she was the one behind this.

Dutch simply looked at the mare and turned away, staring off into the dark window space. The stallion was now tired, his once great mood shifted into a state of anger and turning his heart back into a void. Despite the mare beside him, he felt alone again, tossed into the real world with the cruelties of reality slowly surrounding him. He no longer saw the doll as his source of happiness – she was another soul lost and broken just like him. And now it was his responsibility to cater to her.

Vinyl’s ears wilted as she saw Dutch turn away from her greeting. She knew this would happen if he ever caught her alive. She knew he would never look at her the same. Before she saw her as a living being, and now she saw her as nothing. There was a word to the feeling, but Vinyl forgot the term long ago.

“…It’s getting late” Dutch remarked, catching the attention of Vinyl who lifted her head in his direction. “You should get some rest-”

“I’m not sleeping” she snapped, causing Dutch to swivel his head in her direction. She gazed at him with a stern hollow look, which showed she did not trust him.

Dutch shook his head. “Look, get you’re rest. Tomorrow I’ll see what I can do after I come back from work. I have too much on my mind to rest-”

“If you’re staying awake then so am I.” She retorted, standing up from the floor as she began to display her lack of fatigue. Deep down though her body was craving rest. Her entire body was defeated, releasing every single emotion out of her system earlier in the day.

Dutch stared at Vinyl for a long while, knowing this unicorn would not leave him be. As he looked at her he could see her reason for her decision in her eyes. He did not blame her for being on the defensive end – had he been in the same position he would’ve acted the same way. The stallion decided he would need to break the tension with her if he wanted to help her in her time of need.

Getting out of the chair, Dutch grew closer to Vinyl who looked up at the approaching stallion with a stern glare. She may have been tired, but if he tried anything, she would be ready for it. To her surprise though, he stopped a few paces away and let out a deep sigh.

“I  may not know what you’re going through” he began, shaking his head gently, “But I know what you’re thinking. You don’t trust me because you believe I’m going to leave. You think I’m going to abandon you. Well, I’ll tell you now I will not do that. I will not sell you out and let you get hurt. I’ve seen enough ponies get hurt in my lifetime to let another one slip by me. I know you don’t like me and most certainly wish to leave. I want to help you though. I want you to get out of this miserable hell hole. But if you don’t trust me, I can’t help you.”

Vinyl listened silently as she stood tall with her defenses raised high. But as she began to process the stallion’s words, she could slowly feel herself letting down her guard. She knew he had a point.

“Vinyl Scratch” Dutch said, catching the unicorn off guard. Seeing the stallion had her attention, he flashed a weak smile and brought his hoof out to the mare, which looked down at it with suspicion. “Do you trust me?”

The white mare could do nothing but stare at Dutch, trying to find his true antics within his brown irises. As she gazed into his eyes though, she could not find any emotion she knew of. She tried to put a name to it, but it was this strong feeling – this feeling that offered comfort, yet provided protection. It was a look that assured Vinyl Dutch could be trusted.

She took a sigh and slowly grabbed a hold of the colt’s hoof, gently shaking it as she nodded her head.

“…I trust you” she muttered, trying to give him a smile in return but her mind was too clouded with negativity she couldn’t. She wished to actually hug this stallion, but she saw he was in no mood to be bothered with such things. Dutch did not mind though. As far as he knew, she was one of the strongest mares he knew. And the mare trusted him, which was a start. But to this challenge, it seemed like there was no end in sight.

“…I guess this means you still want me to sleep don’t you?” Vinyl sighed, glancing down at the floor as she finally broke the shake. Dutch, not even uttering a word, closed his eyes, sighed, and nodded his head. He needed time for himself, seeing that he would not be able to garner rest after today’s series of unfortunate events.

Vinyl, seeing the stallion’s head bob up and down, turned to her right side and slowly began to make her way to the end of the room where the box was located. Before she took four steps though she felt something lightly touch her backside. She turned around slowly only to see Dutch shaking his head with a stern look.

“You aren’t sleeping in that” he shot, pointing over at the box. Vinyl, seeing that was the only place she rested, lifted a brow in confusion. Dutch was not far from elaborating though. Moving back a few paces, Dutch brought his hoof out to the bed frame and began to tap it twice.

“Sleep here tonight” he suggested, giving a tired look to the mare.

“Then where would you sleep?” she remarked, staring at Dutch as if he was insane. The colt, moving away from the bed frame, let out a shrug.

“Don’t worry. Just sleep on the bed. I’ll find somewhere”

“Are you sure?” Vinyl continued, finding the offer too great to be true. She wished for nothing more but to finally lay on a bed once again, this time with the aspects of a true living being and not a toy.

Dutch shook his head as he muttered something under his breath. “If you do not wish to sleep on the bed and would rather prefer the box-”

The colt did not finish his sentence though for his voice was drowned out from the scurrying of hooves across the floorboard, causing him to follow the white blur that sped to the other side of the bed. As Dutch turned to see Vinyl he could see she was already on top of the bed, sprawled outwards as if she just fell from a four story building.

“I’ll take it you prefer the bed” Dutch muttered as he watched the white coated mare turn from side to side on the bed, much like a pet would with their small bed. She did not mutter anything in return though.

Vinyl’s body felt like it was on a cloud and she could feel her tense back unwind as a strong comfort began to take a hold of her body. She was far from peaceful, but the mattress was allowing her the ability to ease her nerves.

The colt shook his head as he watched the mare act in such a young humble manner – which brought more pain into his heart. She was a child at heart, but it was buried beneath her misery and fears. Dutch, seeing the mare was now going to slip into dormancy any moment, slowly began to walk away. But Vinyl, hearing the steps of the colt, quickly called after him.

“Dutch…” she muttered quietly.

“…Yes?” Dutch responded, looking back at the mare that no longer looked comfortable. Her face grew serious and it was apparent something painful was on her mind.

“…I…I just want you to know…” she stammered, patting her hooves on the blanket of the bed, “…thanks…for actually wanting to…help me…”

She looked down at the hooves in front of her but there was more on her mind and Dutch could see it. “…Don’t thank me…” he sighed, feeling he was in no position to be complimented. He did not know what to tell the mare after that though, for he felt anything else would be false. He was a stallion of true words, so he made sure to choose his words carefully.

“...I just want you to know that though…” Vinyl responded, turning her head to the side. Dutch did not respond though and continued to make his way down to the end of the living room.

Vinyl, hearing no response, knew that the colt was in deep thought now and he would not acknowledge her any further. She wanted to tell him something else – to tell him he didn’t have to save her. But she only wanted to ask that to prove to herself the stallion would be willing to keep his word. After seeing his reaction to her meltdown though, and hearing his promise, the mare believed he was telling the truth. Although she did remain suspicious of the colt’s promise, Vinyl felt her mind going numb and her eyes grew heavy. She wanted to remain awake, hoping to stave off the darkness surrounding her mind. It was no use though, for she eventually fell asleep, her body falling back as her mind went blank. It was a strange act considering Vinyl never required sleep.

Nevertheless, Dutch was now posted at the end of the room staring around at a dimly lit house. The colt was aware of the time, but lied to the mare in order to put her to rest. He knew it was around six in the afternoon, but he did not wish to tell her the time. He wanted time to think to himself – he needed time to think for himself. And it was something he could not do with the mare around him. Her presence brought a feeling of overwhelming dread to his heart, but it wasn’t because of her. It was him.

Dutch felt sick with himself, treating a living being like a lifeless object. Posing her, tossing her, playing with her – it was all enough to make him disgusted with himself. He also could not understand why she hadn’t told him this earlier. Why wait until now, when he finally managed to gain comfort from what he believed was just a doll?

Dutch sighed and stooped down to the ground, resting his belly on the floor beneath him. The mare’s cries and sobs echoed in his head as well – all of which scarred his mind with images of pain and suffering.

I’ll be good. I won’t breath in front of you, move, or talk. You can play with me, pose me

The begging, the pleading…all of it to avoid a second confrontation with the merchant.

Please, I don’t want to go back with him. I don’t want to see him again. I don’t want to die. I don’t want this anymore…I just want to go home already…I just want to go home…

Dutch knew there was something wrong about that colt…something sinister.

And now he knew he was a sick, twisted bastard who tricked him into buying one of his victims. What did that colt do to Vinyl Scratch? Where did he find her? How long did he have her displayed in the window like a prop?

Dutch’s teeth clenched tightly as he brought his hoof up, preparing to punch the nearest item he could find. It was all too painful for him to process. He could not understand who would want to harm such a defenseless, young creature. Who would be willing to take a life away from somepony who has not even lived it to the fullest?

He wished he could simply avenge Vinyl Scratch, but if he did manage to take him down, the merchant was not alone. That unicorn was most likely a part of it, and he knew nothing of his origins...or what he was capable of. The more Dutch pondered on plans and possibilities, the more helpless he felt

‘I don’t know what to do’ Dutch admitted in his mind, his foreleg still twitching in rage. ‘I can’t tell anypony, for they won’t be able to help. They would most likely try to take her away or worse. There has to be something I could do. I can’t just leave her like this’

The colt stared at the far end of the room, taking notice of the figure lying on his bed that rested quietly. Dutch could not stop but ponder on the mare for a short while. While the burdens of her past beckoned in his mind, he could not forget the majestic noted of the piano that echoed throughout the household. ‘Where did she learn to play like that?’ he thought to himself, ‘Her pace is unbelievably perfect…she can’t be from this place…’

Dutch stopped right there though, seeing that if he indulged in her past any further, his pity for the mare would only increase and break him down from the inside out.

With the thousandth sigh today, the colt slowly lifted himself off the ground as he began to make his way back to the bedframe. Although he was tired, he was not going to rest just yet.

As he approached the bed, the stallion was able to note the features of the sleeping unicorn, which left a scar in his soul. She shifted her position while Dutch was gone for she was now wrapped underneath the sheet, her entire body hurdled up together like a scared filly. Her wavy mane lay underneath her head and her eyes were clenched shut, shielding her gifted eyes away from the rest of the world. It was a sign of broken beauty and torn innocence.

The unicorn suddenly let out a light shiver, showing that she was cold. Dutch, instantly taking note of that, brought his hoof out to the blanket and pulled it closer to Vinyl, shielding her entire coat. Vinyl then grabbed the sheet that approached her and began to shake her head around it, snuggling with it tightly as if it was her only friend.

“…I’m going to get you out of here Vinyl” Dutch whispered, glancing up and down at the sleeping mare. Her complexion was frail and fragile, yet she has endured more suffering than Dutch. “You don’t deserve to be here. You…you don’t belong in this city…”

The challenges awaiting the stallion were now apparent to him. He was now truly alone – one pony against the entire city. He could not trust anypony…not even Twin Twist. They were all hostiles, out to claim the majestic unicorn sleeping soundly in his bed. He would have wondered why she was so special, but he already knew why. Her innocence in this city was so unique, every creature aimed to destroy it. And it seemed one already accomplished that task…and even then, it was not enough.

Dutch did not know what awaited him. He knew nothing of the challenges he would inevitably encounter. Still, he remained strong, willing to risk it all to help this mare out. He could not just leave her out in the cold.

So, sitting on his flank, Dutch remained beside Vinyl, silent and vigilante until fatigue took a hold of him. If the colt could not find a way to pull her out of the city, he would do well to keep her safe for as long as possible. He glanced back at the window frame, remembering a violet hue that assured him the day was going to go perfect. That nothing would dare ruin his new found peace.

Fate had other plans it seemed.

Still, he tried to remain strong, guarding the mare who already suggested the idea long ago. As long as he was around, she was safe. He would do all in his power to protect her.

Just as he did for Free Star.