Entwined Lives: A Cold, Lonely Winter
by zaczac111
Chapters
Sorrowful Strings
The bow felt heavy and awkward as it rested in the crease of Octavia's wrist, her hoof growing numb from the constant position and pressure. She stood in the sound room, her only friend she had left after these months of seclusion propped against her. She allowed the cello to keep her balanced as she looked out the solitary window. The last glorious rays of sunlight flirting down through the sparse clouds, reflecting off the snow that blanketed the world. The icicles hanging from the rooftops and overhangs of the nearby mansions managed to catch Celestia's light, refracting its beauty as the two joined in harmony.
She stared longingly at the outside world, unable to escape her prison the instrument beside her brought with it. She had stayed locked away in the mansion she called home ever since she had gotten the instrument and mark soon after. Her calling had stripped away the life of before, leaving only practice in place of what it had taken. The cello felt as if it was becoming heavier as she continued to stare out the window, demanding attention as it threatened to topple them both over.
Breaking her gaze with the window Octavia let out a sigh, staring at her cello in defeat. "What's the point in practicing if there is no passion behind the notes," She mumbled to herself, placing the bow along the strings. The maple backing felt stiff and cold as it lay against her shoulder while the spruce top basked in the sunlight that warmed her coat.
"Practice makes perfect', father says, 'I don't want to hear one sour note' he says," She grumbled, starting to glide the bow along the strings, hitting each note in perfect time and with the utmost precision. The piece however felt soulless, chilling the hearts of any that heard. No emotion was being sung by the strings as Octavia persisted, her performance cold and calculated instead of creative and inspired.
A knocking at the sound room's door broke her trace, the tempo of the piece lost from the single distraction, a long, bitter note being released as she stopped. Octavia let out a sigh as she set the cello and bow down on their stands. Needles pricked her hoof as she put the bow on its cushion, having completely gone numb from holding it for hours on end.
She tried to put weight on her hoof, only to have sharp knives run through her leg, causing a single tear to form in her soft, lavender eyes. Octavia instantly picked her hoof up, the knives disappearing as quickly as they came, leaving only the single crystalline tear on her muzzle. She noticed her reflection in the droplet, the bags under her eyes from stress and lack of restful sleep leaving their mark upon her.
Brushing the drop aside she reached out for the door handle, only to have the cherry wood of the door swing out to meet with her face. She felt a few more clear tears slide down her face as a burning sensation spread across her head from the impact of the heavy door. She lay in a daze on the ground, only a faint whisper of the shout from whoever had opened the door reached her ears, turning into a garble of nothing as she tried listening.
She hardly noticed the light turquoise hoof waving in front of her face, trying to gain her attention to no avail. A light tapping on her cheek brought her back to the sound room. "How'd I get on my back?" She questioned to herself, her head pounding as she tried to sit up and failed.
"Um... heh, that was sort of my fault Octavia," The light turquoise mare said, rubbing the back of her neck with a hoof, "You alright?" She asked, reaching out a hoof to help her up. The pounding in her head increased as the mare brought her back onto her hooves.
"Lyra? Is that really you?" Octavia said, a haze still lingering over her, "I haven't seen you in months, where have you been?"
"I...I had to deal with some personal problems I was going through, sorry I never stopped by, and about the door..." Lyra said, scuffing the floor with her hoof as she bowed her head just so slightly. A lock of her white highlights falling over her amber eyes as she looked down at her hooves.
"It was nothing Lyra, just a simple accident," she said, as the stinging in her face protested, "Anyways, what brings you here?"
Lyra looked up at her, "Well, tonight is the Winter Solstice Ball, so I came by to check if you were going... but it looks like you forgot all about it."
"I've already asked father and there's no way he'll let me go Lyra, I haven't even left the house since I got my cutie mark..."
"Oh..." Octavia noticed a fleeting look of sadness pass over her amber eyes, "Well, I guess I'll come over after the ball then, and Octavia, I had no clue you were stuck up here, I would have tried coming around sooner or something..."
"Oh, it's fine Lyra," Her voice telling otherwise, "Enjoy yourself at the ball, try to meet someone nice." She said, a weak smile forming across her lips.
"You sure Octavia? I could stay her with you if you want..."
"No, go and enjoy yourself, I need to practice some more if I want to leave this house and I wouldn't like to keep you from having fun," Octavia said, Lyra's eyes seeming to lose some light at these words.
"Ok then, I guess I'll see you later then Octavia." Lyra said as she turned to leave.
"Bye Lyra." Octavia said before closing the door behind her, the faint sound of dragging hooves making their way to her ears. She sighed as she trotted back to her instrument, picking up the bow with her hoof before she propped herself up against the cello again.
A few tears glistened as they dropped from her face, landing on the strings and wood. She started playing, emotion now behind the notes from the visit. The piece bringing sadness to any who heard, including the turquoise mare in the hall way, reflecting her mood.
Beneath the window, a bush rustled as a white mare with a sapphire mane thought of her brother as the piece played, a small puddle at her feet.
Strings of the Heart
The streets of Canterlot were packed as nobles hurriedly went about their day, making any last minute changes they needed before the Winter Solstice Ball that evening. A turquoise unicorn sat alone at one of the many cafes, lost in thought of the realization she had that morning.
"What would mother and father think of me if I told them?" She thought to herself, burying her head into her hooves. "Calm down Lyra, I-I'm sure a lot of ponies are like me..." She told herself, not believing in her own words. The simple thought of it made her feel worse about the situation she found herself stuck in.
"Your drink madam." Her waiter said, placing a cup in front of her head, the scent of fresh coffee beans wafting up to her nose eased some of her tension away. The steam felt good against her face, as she lifted her head from her hooves.
"Thank you." Lyra said as the waiter walked off to greet a new party. The smell of the coffee was intoxicating as she levitated the rich drink to her mouth. As she took a small sip of the hot liquid, a fleeting sense of happiness spread across her. The flavor washing over her tongue was simply divine, forcing a smile onto her lips as she sat there, her doubts temporarily blocked out.
The drink reminded her of happier times, times before the problems of life came crashing down on her head. She opened her eyes and smiled at the midday sun, "Maybe, maybe it just might work." As she got up, leaving her bits on the table, she noticed a commotion down the street.
"Get back here you thief!" A street vender yelled, giving chase to a soot-black mare. The mare had the same color mane, making her appear to be a shadow as she expertly wove through the crowds of ponies, easily managing to put ground between the two.
Lyra, along with the rest of the onlookers shrugged off the event, continuing their preparations for the night to come.
~~~
"Ok... I have everything prepared, now all I have to do is walk up the steps... and ask her out..." Lyra said to herself as she paced back and forth along the sidewalk outside the mansion. "Oh Celestia, what if she doesn't like me the same way, what if she hates me afterwards..."
Lyra looked up towards the mansion, its imposing figure placing her in a shadow as the evening sun rested behind it. "Oh, why does this have to be so hard!" She thought to herself, taking in a deep breath as she started trotting up the walkway, doing her best to not let herself turn back. Coming to the door she let out a sigh, "Almost there Lyra, almost there."
Grabbing the metal knocker with her magic, she hit the metal and wood together, "No turning back now..."
Nearly instantly the door opened, a light grey unicorn with a glossy black mane stood in the doorway, a black bow tie around his neck. "Yes? What do you want?"
"Um, I'm sort of here to see Octavia, wait, Silver Platter, is that really you?" Lyra said, cocking her head just a tad, as if trying to physically remember.
"Why yes, I am Mr. Platter, and what business do you have with Miss Octavia, Miss...?"
"Heartstrings, and I came by to see if she is going to the Winter Solstice Ball tonight." Lyra said, putting on a thin smile.
"Hm, well alright, although I do think she has already asked her father, she's in the sound room right now practicing." Silver Platter said, opening the door fully to allow Lyra in. "Just take the second right and it's the last door in the hallway Miss Heartstrings." Pointing at the hallway to take.
Lyra stood still, not knowing just how enormous the mansion really was, the sheer size dizzying to her. The foyer itself was half the size of her entire house. The walls adorned with riches she never even dreamed of.
"Miss Heartstrings, are you quite alright?" Silver Platter said, true concern in his voice.
"Oh, uh, ya, sorry about that, I guess I sort of lost myself there for a little..." She said, eyes still wide open from this 'simple' foyer.
"Alright then, now, if you'll please excuse me, I need to prepare dinner." He said before disappearing into one of the numerous hallways branching off the room.
"Ok then..." Lyra said more to herself then him. "Ok, take the second left and then the last door..."
~~~
"And... I'm lost" Lyra said to herself as she wandered around an inside garden, "Although I must say, these plants are quite exquisite."
"Well I'd hope so!" Somepony behind her said, causing Lyra to jump while her heart raced, "Oh, whoops, sorry, I didn't mean to scare ya like that." She said, chuckling softly.
"Oh, n-no, it's my fault, I... sort of got lost in this place" Lyra said, a faint blush coming over her face.
"Ah, it's no problem, you should have seen me when I first got here, they had to send in a rescue party after me!" The light orange mare joked, her blue and yellow mane bouncing as she laughed. "Anyways, I'm Flower Bed, what's your name?"
"Lyra, Lyra Heartstrings, and did they really need to send in a search party to find you?" She said, a small look of concern on her face as she thought of what could have happened, had Flower Bed not found her.
"Well, if you consider the butler, a filly, and my sister a search party then yes," She said with a smile, "Anyways, I bet you didn't just come here to smell the flowers, so, what did you need?"
"I came by to see Octavia, could you tell me how to get to the sound room?"
"Well, if I did that I bet you'd end up lost again, so, I'll take you." Flower Bed stated.
"Oh, thank you so much, but what about your garden?"
A sly smile appeared over her lips, "You think I spend every minute of my life here?"
"No... I just don't want to be a bother is all..."
"Don't worry about, now come on, we could have already been there by now."
~~~
"So... how'd you become the gardener here?" Lyra asked Flower Bed as they trotted to the sound room, passing an uncountable number of doors on their way.
"Well, I had always loved flora, especially shaping it into whatever form I wanted it to be. My mother enrolled me in a small school where I aced all my tests and my work caught the eyes of one of the teachers at Golden Roses Exquisite Gardening School, which is join-able by exclusive invitation only. To my surprise, I got an invitation asking me to enroll, full scholarship too. I graduated top of my class, and, my favorite teacher, the same one who sent me the invitation, is the mistress of the house here." Flower Bed explained, smiling as she reminisced in her past.
"Oh wow, so, what happened to your family when you left though..." Lyra asked, wanting to know more of her new friend.
"We were all sad and happy at the time, but it all worked out for the better I believe, in fact I'm going to meet my sister Carrot Top in Ponyville this coming weekend."
"Cool, um, how much further do we have to go?" Lyra asked, impatience getting the better of her.
"Why, we're here," She exclaimed, stopping at another one of the cherry wood doors that had been passing for a while now. "Well, I hope to see you again sometime Lyra, it was a pleasure to meet you!" Flower Bed said as she turned to leave.
"Definitely, I'll try my best to see you later too."
Lyra watched Flower Bed disappear into the labyrinth of hallways again, sighing as she left. She stared at the door for a few minutes now that she was alone, "Now or never Lyra..."
Raising a hoof, she knocked on the cherry wood door. Lyra was growing impatient as she stood there, "Maybe I missed her," she said with a frown, "Might as well look."
The Thief of Canterlot (Part 1)
The first light of dawn pierced through the grimy, cracked windows of the rotting house. The house let out a deep groan as the early morning winds buffeted its sides, ripping one of the few remaining shutters from its rusty hinges. The shutter floated on the air for a brief moment before crashing down to the ground below, the wood splintering as it landed.
A faint thud resounded throughout the building, causing one of the two white coated unicorns inside to stir. Vinyl lazily opened an eye, only to have a veil of sapphire hair obscure her vision. A tickling of her nose made her crack open her other eye, a forest of ruby red hair sat before her muzzle as she let a thin smile grace her lips.
She stared at her brother, watching his chest rise and fall with each breath, a small plume clearly visible in the winter air as it swirled upwards. With her free eye, Vinyl slowly traced the streaks of color that wound along his otherwise white coat, all ending at the same point on his flank.
A rumbling snapped her out of the dream-like trance she had fallen under, bringing attention back to the tasks she needed to complete for the day. Letting out a sigh, Vinyl pushed aside the rough fabric they called a blanket as she stood. The chill of the winter air bit at her, attacking her from all sides. The thought of laying back down raced through her head as she slowly trotted to the tin where their food was held.
The metal tin opened, Vinyl's ears drooped as she looked inside, just two pieces of stale bread looking back at her from the recesses of the tin. Her stomach begged her to take them both, letting out a loud grumble as she looked back at the small unicorn, blissfully asleep. "How could I even think that..." She whispered to herself, "I could never leave Tape hungry."
Levitating out one of the pieces, Vinyl tugged at it with her magic until it gave, ripping in two. Her stomach protested as she placed half back into the tin and shut it. "Well, looks like I'll need to grab some more food today," She thought to herself, biting into the measly breakfast, "Good thing it's market day, lots of loot to snag."
Her horn glowed as a scrap of paper and a piece of charcoal floated over to her. Finishing her miserable portion, Vinyl wrote a quick note before grabbing her improvised saddlebags and exiting into the cold, snowy back-alleys of Lower Canterlot.
~~~
Vinyl let her hooves take her along the cobblestone road toward one of the few scrapyards in the city. As the scrapyard came into view, a midnight blue hoof extended in front of Vinyl, forcing her to stop. As she looked at the pony the hoof belonged to, dread filled her.
"Vinyl, so glad I could find you," the pegasus colt said with a small grin that sent ice down her back, "Especially without that idiotic friend of yours."
"I would so love to stay and chat Nightshade, but I've got more important things to do," Vinyl said as she tried to walk around, only for a dull yellow colt to block her way. Turning around she found another colt with a muted lime green coat moving behind her, trapping her in the middle. A shiver went down her spine as she stood trapped, the scrapyard still a ways away.
"I'd like to introduce you to my friends, Brass," Nightshade said, pointing a hoof to the dull yellow colt with a vermilion mane, "And his brother Bloody," pointing to the muted lime green colt with a dirty blonde mane. Both brothers gave a snort that sent out small wisps of smoke as they were called out, puffing out their chests slightly, yet, a sadness in their eyes.
"I've waited long enough for you Vinyl, I've given you many chances, but I'll give you one more; come with me peacefully, or the Knuckle brothers will help you," Nightshade said, malice burning in his dark green eyes as he waited for her response.
The colts had moved closer to her as he spoke, now just out of reach of the mare in the middle. Vinyl let out a sigh as she looked down at the ground, shutting her eyes as she took a long breath. "Go buck yourself."
"Always the hard way with you isn't it Vinyl?" Nightshade said with a grin, "I like that in a mare. Brass, Bloody, if you'd please." With a wave of his hoof, the two brothers leapt at her, closing the distance in an instant. Vinyl moved faster however.
Agility came with being a thief, no thought to her movements as she flowed past the brothers, sliding under Nightshade as he started flapping his wings to pursue from above. Vinyl however, had different plans. Planting her front hooves on the ground, Nightshade looked back at her, a flash of fear overcoming his face as he flapped harder. Vinyl smiled as she looked at him frantically trying to get away, the world seemed to move in slow motion as her back legs extended, all the force she could muster behind the buck being transferred into Nightshade.
Vinyl wondered briefly if he'd ever be able to have foals of his own as she watched him tumble through the air, scrunched up in the fetal position. His tears seemed to hover in the air, glistening in the early light as they slowly fell to the snow below. His deep black tail brushed both of the colts as they stumbled to their feet, having freed themselves from each other.
Nightshade landed on his back with a loud thud, tears still welling in his eyes as they burned with anger. Everything was blurred, either due to the tears or the pain, he didn't know, all he knew, was somepony was going to pay. And that pony was making a run for it as he lay there. "What the buck are you two waiting for! Get that bitch!" He managed, barely able to keep down his breakfast as he stood, his hind legs still bent from pain.
Brass and Bloody looked at each other for a second, before nodding, and racing to get the white mare running for her life.
Vinyl could barely breath, her adrenaline rush had left her now, her legs felt heavy as she ran for the safety of the scrapyard. Looking behind her, she saw both brothers gaining ground on her, and a hurt Nightshade starting to flap his wings.
Turning her attention forward, Vinyl narrowly missed an overturned trashcan, bounding over it on instinct. Dread rushed through her as one of her hooves touched down, she knew they had her in that moment as her hoof made contact with the ground. Ice. It wouldn't have been a problem, if only she didn't have to jump.
Her momentum propelled her forward as she slid on the slick surface, hooves scraping at the ground for any friction she could find to keep herself up and moving. The rhythmic clopping of hooves on stone told her the brothers weren't far behind, closing in on her as she slid without control. Vinyl let out a loud yelp as the ice ran out, hard road returning beneath her front hooves, the sudden change in speed sending her flying through the air.
Time seemed to freeze as she locked eyes with Nightshade, his dark green eyes filled with a joyous anger, his mouth forming a long grin that chilled Vinyl's blood.
Vinyl landed on her back harder then she expected, she clutched at her stomach as she slid again on a patch of ice. Her journey came to an abrupt end as her back slammed into the chain-link fence that surrounded the scrapyard. She lay there, winded, hurt, exhausted, cold, and with two hefty colts about to catch her and turn her over to Nightshade.
Part of Vinyl just felt like giving up and submitting to Nightshade, no matter what came of it. The thought of leaving Tape alone, frightened and scared, ran through her mind. "No," She thought to herself, rolling onto her stomach, the colts growing ever closer, "I'm NOT going down without a fight!"
Filling her lungs with air, she rose to her feet, fire in her eyes as she turned to meet the brothers. The brothers however, were already on top of her, wrestling her to the ground before she could properly fight back. Vinyl didn't care, she bit, bucked, and hit any part of them she could in her frenzy.
Bloody had an idea, wrapping one of his front legs around her neck, slowly applying pressure as Vinyl still thrashed. Brass moved his head in front of Vinyl's, looking straight into her eyes with his light lavender ones. "We're really sorry for this whole mess, but Night has promised us enough bits to help our lil' sis if we did... this... for him," A single tear welled up in his left eye, "She's really bad off right now..." he said, his voice trailing off.
"Ya, we need this bucking money, else she might not make it..." Bloody said in a gruff voice, loosening his grip on Vinyl's throat slightly, "We're bad ponies for doing this, we know, but we need to so a good one can live a better life then us."
Vinyl just looked down at the ground, her own tears welling in her eyes as she thought of Tape again, "I'm sorry about that, but my little brother needs me right now," she said in a whisper before redoubling her efforts, managing to slip out of the choke hold they had on her. Only one pony would be close enough to help her, and she needed him right now.
"SCRAP! HEL-" Was all she managed to shout before Bloody regained the choke hold on her, she prayed he had heard while the brothers dragged her back to Nightshade.
"Bout damn time," Nightshade said, malice dripping in his words, "Your going to get it good now Vinyl, real bucking good now!"
Setting himself down on the ground with a wince, Nightshade pulled a clear bottle out of his saddlebags with a wing. The thick, black liquid sloshed around inside the container as he brought it closer to Vinyl's face. "This is one of my own special brews, knocks a pony unconscious in seconds," he said with another grin, "Now, be a good girl and drink up before I shove it down your throat!"
Uncorking the bottle with his teeth, Nightshade pushed it into Vinyl's mouth. "Now bucking drink this!"
Vinyl fought back anyway she could, spitting up the disgusting liquid, staining her coat where it ran down her head and neck. "Stop being so bucking thick!" Nightshade yelled, near maniacal now.
Covering her nose with a wing to suffocate her unless she drank the putrid liquid, Vinyl finally gave in, letting the liquid slide down her throat before taking a ragged breath to alleviate the burning in her chest. Her vision swam as she lost control of her muscles, going slack in the colt's grip.
The last thing she saw were those burning, green eyes, and that wicked grin. They both knew he won. Her eyelids finally fell, sealing her in a world of nothingness.
Author's note
I'd like to thank any and everypony who has taken the time to give me a shot and read my first story.
Special thanks to Cordovan Splotch for being a great friend and helping me with finding color palettes for many of my OC ponies in the story. Another thanks to Vinyl Scratch, who has been an awesome friend, and is wonderful at writing, and lastly, one very special thanks to ScootyRooty's little brother for being plain awesome.
Well, that about does it, comment below, and I'll see you next time!