Twilight Sparkle gawks at me.
"... ... ...you wish to do what?"
I stare at her from across the throneroom. Calmly—with a twirl of two floating sticks—I repeat my request.
Her muzzle hangs agape. She tilts her head from one side to the other, dredging the air for the right words to say. At last, she glances over my shoulder.
Flash Sentry and another guard stare curiously at her from where they stand behind me.
She gulps, then waves a regal hoof. "Thank you, sirs. If... if you two wouldn't mind leaving us alone for a moment..." A deep breath. "I'll summon you when you're needed."
Both guards bow low and leave. Flash Sentry lingers for a few steps, glancing my way. With a shuffle of armored hooves, the two exit, closing the throneroom doors behind them.
Twilight immediately slumps back in her seat. She holds her forelimbs together, biting her bottom lip. After a tense minute of contemplation, she finally murmurs, "Vinyl... what we've been through lately... with your suspension..." She slowly shakes her head. "It's not a permanent resolution. You understand that, right? The council—my friends and I are still deliberating over what transpired with Opulence von Melody, and... and there's no reason to give up hope!" She grimaces. "I mean... do you even wish to know about our—?"
I swiftly twirl my instruments. "It. Is. Not. About. That."
"But I don't understand!" Twilight gritted her teeth. She leaned forward in her throne. "We can still make this work! It's... it's not the end of the world! Word has traveled across Equestria about the show you've performed at the Gala! You practically owned that night! Imagine... h-how future delegates will feel if they show up here at the Castle and you're not here! I mean, they'll be heartbroken! I'll..." She rests a hoof over her chest and gulps. "My friends and I—Vinyl—we benefit so greatly from your talent and—"
I sigh, frowning slightly. The instruments spin. "I. Only. Came. For. Your. Blessing." My brow furrows above my shades. "The. Decision. Is. Already. Made."
Her eyes instantly gloss over. The gray in her voice blends with a thickening blue. Once upon a time, this may have affected me. Sniffling, she leans back, rubs her muzzle, and finally murmurs, "This is about Tavi, isn't it?"
I am mute.
"Pinkie..." A gulp. "She t-told me about what happened. Well... as much as she knows anyway. Rarity bumped into Lyra this morning. Miss Heartstrings... seemed an emotional wreck. I was planning to go visit her and Bon Bon when you..." Another swallow. "Vinyl, this... is a very serious situation. And a most unfortunate one." She shakes her head, smiling delicately at me. "You don't have to go through it alone."
I hang my head.
"Friendship... is a challenge. An adventure. If making and maintaining friends wasn't so complicated, then there wouldn't be a castle right here... existing... representing it." She gestures with her hoof. "I'm not just a Princess who functions in diplomatic relations. I'm here in this kingdom for an express purpose... and that's to foster relationships and social interactions. Now please..." She dismounts from the throne and gently trots towards me. "If there is an issue... a problem that's... that's been gnawing at the two of you... let me know? I... I have experience, Vinyl. Both good and bad." A hopeful smile. "Maybe Octavia hasn't been willing to work it out. But you? I can't imagine a pony who needs someone to talk to more than you. We're here for you, Vinyl. Don't for a second believe that any of the crazy things that's happened since the Gala has changed the fact that we need each other as friends—"
"I. Know. What. I. Need. To. Do."
She merely stares at me, blinking.
I gesture once more. "Tavi. Left. Because. I. Did. Not. Do. It. Sooner."
Twilight exhales. "Vinyl..."
"May. I. Please. Have. Your. Blessing."
She grimaces... squirms... then finally deflates with a sigh. The mare hangs her head. "... ... ...with the power invested in me by the Equestrian Sovereignty, I, Princess Twilight Sparkle, hereby relinquish you, Vinyl Scratch, from your duties as royal minstrel of the Court of Friendship."
I nod. The sticks twirl. "Thank. You."
"Vinyl..." It's a whimper.
I turn around.
"Vinyl, please..." Twilight fights the urge to sob. "Don't... don't do this. Don't make yourself scarce. What Tavi did... it may be understandable... but that doesn't make it right. There's... th-there's no need for two talented mares to be lost. Please. Let us help you. You don't have to be alone right now."
I levitate the sticks one last time. "I. Was. Always. Alone." My ears fold back. "I. Just. Did. Not. Know. It."
She shudders. "Vinyl..."
I sheathe the instruments and trot out of the throne room.
Twilight slumps back against the table. "...what the two of you had was beautiful..."
I knock on the door. The guards open it for me.
"...and it still is."
The black sepulcher is sealed.
And I'm gone.
Onward...
So is she going to live a secluded life atop the purple mountains?
Tavi and Vinyl are two broken ponies who deserve each other. It is as much a blessing as it can be a curse. ♫ I'm growing fond of broken people, As I see that I am one of them ♫
Vinyl... You need therapy. And not the physical kind.
Commence read
Quickly check the main story page to make certain the story isn't marked, "Complete"
Damn you Skirts, you scared the hell out of me. I was afraid the was the end...
I want to reach into the story, hug Vinyl, and tell her everything is going to be ok.
6713925 Agreed.
Time to find what's lost... and at least try to make amends.
I know I've mentioned it before, but man, I'm still absolutely loving Twilight's characterization.
I walk a lonely road
The only one that I have ever known
Don't know where it goes
But it's home to me
And I walk alone
Goddamit.
Just when you think "Well, thats yhe worst possoble thing that could happen. Now thongs can only get better" it gets worse.
Gah!
6714122
Changeling!
Oh wait, wrong story.
All too soon:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xezg3z5IE8I
And it's official.
Both of them are idiots.
But idiots talk best to each other.
Good luck.
And Twilight?
Please realize you can hire them... Again.
Yes, Vinyl. Yes you are.
...
Oh.
I'm an idiot.
Well, that happened. Oh Vinyl, you stubborn pony.
I actually expected this for some reason. I have faith in you Vinyl.
This could get very bad. The only reason for optimism that I currently have is that Vinyl values Octavia's safety and happiness above her own.
She may not feel like a million bits, but if I'm reading this right, she's gonna have a million bits.
Man I'm reading nothing but sad stuffs Dx
Two broken ponies... but they complete one another...
Good luck to you Vinyl... good luck.
So they're both emotional, impulsive idiots who employ every solution except talking.
This is one of those places where ponies are too kind for their own good. What Vinyl and Octavia need is several swift boots in the ass, not to have their melodrama indulged.
Does Octavia think Vinyl and her mother are stupid? That they are mentally incompetent? Incapable of making their own decisions? Does she really think she's so magnetic that she MADE them do anything? You do others quite a disservice when you take responsibility for their actions. Vinyl and her mother weren't forced to love her, didn't have her thrust upon them. They chose to be with her, knowing full well what that would - and would not - entail. Is she really so arrogant as to think that they only stuck around because it's what she wanted them to do? Your loved ones aren't children, Octavia, and it's quite an insult that you apparently think of them that way.
Likewise with Vinyl. She's done an excellent job making this all about herself. Her pain, her satisfaction, her desires. And as she so wonderfully demonstrates here, she's not interested in listening to what anyone around her - people who would be her friends, if she would let them - have to say. No, she's made the choice that lets her pretend what she's doing is noble self-sacrifice instead of just more running away.
Twilight, back me up. What do these two need here?
Thank you.
Woo hoo! Go Vinyl! Do more stupid things and refuse all help because the plot demands it!
That's deep. The moment when you realize that you're supposed to be alone so you don't need to hurt anyone.
I hope this story will have a happy ending.
6714812
It's not deep at all, any more than angsty adolescent poetry is. It's just Vinyl trying to pretend the last few years meant nothing so she doesn't have to deal with uncomfortable emotions.
I think everyone's assuming she's off to go work more, but given how this thing's going she's just going to jump off a bridge because it's what she should have done in the first place, for overwrought angst.
6714820
Isn't that angsty adolescent poetry supposed to be like that? Pseudo deep-ish? Like those young adult novels.
Hmmm... I think she will do something that so drastic that will change her life and leave her status quo and do something that makes her either go far or creates a cage with Octavia in it.
We'll see I guess.
Sepulcher? How foreboding.
6714812 knowing, skirts, not likely.
6713960
It only gets worse from here. If Vinyl's not going to visit Octavia and her father in Trottingham, then she's just going to disappear from the public. Possibly never to be seen again, if you catch my meaning.
6714802
You know that real people actually do things like this, right? Some people (or ponies, in this case) shut down when they realize that something/-one they loved is gone, and they become incredibly self-destructive. It's not about doing the smart thing or the right thing; it's about trying to cope with their emotions however they can, and for someone who always felt alone, that's all they really know.
We've got an awful lot of chapters here that show your decisions tend to be unwise, Vinyl.