Title:           One Heart - 4. No One Knows Who We Are
Author:          Slasher_Science
Pastebin link:   http://pastebin.com/M1FvPz87
First Edit:      Wednesday 6th of August 2014 08:11:55 PM CDT
Last Edit:       Wednesday 6th of August 2014 08:11:55 PM CDT

 4. No One Knows Who We Are
 
 
"Octavia? I don't know who that is."
 
"I haven't seen Anonymous for about a week now I'd guess..."
 
"Sorry, never heard of that name."
 
Why does no one know anything? How hard was it to notice a six foot tall Human?
Well, It's not like you were having much luck with that yourself.
 
You had a strong feeling Anonymous was at Octavia's. In fact, you were ninety-nine percent sure. It's why you had spent about a half an hour outside of her home ringing the door bell and banging on the door.
 
If he was in there, he had ignored you.
 
And why wouldn't he?
 
"What a darn mess you've made girl..."
 
You take off your stetson and run a hoof through your mane.
"Applejack!"
 
You look over and see Rarity trotting up.
Great.
Of all the long-winded ponies-
"Applejack what are you doing?"
 
"I ain't got time to chat now. I'm sorta' busy."
 
"Are you looking for Anon?"
You snap your head up, "Y-yeah, I am! You know where he is?"
She looks a little too serious for normal-Rarity. It's like she knows what-
"You talked to him, didn't you?"
 
She nods solemnly.
 
You can feel your cheeks flush and you look down in embarrassment. "Can yeh... Can you just tell me where he is?"
 
Rarity speaks with a softer voice.
"Applejack. Don't you think it would be better to give him some space for now? He's trying to figure things out and-"
 
"No."
 
You look back at her, pleading openly with your eyes.
 
"He doesn't need to be alone right now. We need to talk. We can't just ignore the issues, he needs me! We have ta' talk Rarity! Tell me where he is!"
 
She looks at you sadly, "Applejack, please calm down."
 
"NO!"
 
You stomp and snort.
"I'm not going to let him go! TELL ME! WHERE IS HE?!"
Tears are beginning to cloud your vision.
You're aware of random ponies now staring at you.
 
"Applejack... You have to calm down."
 
Instead of hollering more, you turn and gallop away.
 
"Applejack! Applejack come back!"
 
-
 
She's out there.
 
You sit with your back to the door, listening as Applejack pounds and shouts.
"Octavia! Let me in! I just want to see Anon!"
 
You cover your ears.
 
"Anon! Are you in there?"
 
You grab the towel wrapped around your hand and squeeze it, your knuckles turning white.
Octavia steps from out of the bathroom.
Her mane is damp and dripping from standing in the shower.
She was staring into space when you left.
 
You look into her eyes.
 
All that you get are hollow looking purple orbs.
You grit your teeth and turn around, stuffing the towel into the crack below the door.
 
With Applejack's voice somewhat muffled more, you walk past Octavia's piano and up the spiral staircase.
"Come on."
 
She follows, her hooves clopping against the floor.
 
You both go to your room.
"Anon."
Sitting on the guest bed, you look at your friend.
She holds up the bottle of gin from her wine cabinet.
"Help me finish this."
 
She looks as bad as you.
Bags under her eyes.
Mane wet and falling over her eyes.
Eyes that look utterly defeated.
 
"Sure. Come have a seat."
 
She jumps up on the bed and lays on her belly. You take the bottle and have a drink.
Forcing it down, you sigh, "What's your story, Octavia."
 
She takes the bottle and forces down her own drink.
Without a word, she passes you the bottle, jumps up and leaves the room. After a moment, she comes back with an envelope in her mouth.
You take it and she takes her place on the bed again.
 
The envelope looks very official with a seal on it.
You open it and unfold the letter.
At the top in big red letters are the words 'EVICTION NOTICE'.
 
"I don't have much longer. That came today. I've missed my rent twice now..."
 
She takes a long drink of gin and passes it to you, taking back her letter.
 
"What happened?"
 
You take a gulp of clear liquid and cough.
 
"I guess it started with my music. I just... Lost my muse I guess. I was completely unmotivated and started making mistakes. So I was kicked out of my troupe."
 
The bottle is below half empty.
 
"I'm not really good at anything but music. I couldn't find another job. I've been hiding in this stupid house for a while now... And all I have to blame is myself."
 
You take another drink. "Why did you let me stay then? I've been eating your food..."
 
She takes the bottle. "I don't know... I couldn't let you stay out in the cold. And- I guess I wanted the company."
 
You take an extra long swig.
"Heh, some company I am."
 
"You know, Applejack's gone now."
 
You listen.
She's right.
After another drink, you get up and walk to the window.
No sign of AJ.
 
"I want to go outside... Octavia."
 
Your words are a little slurred now.
"You do?"
 
*No.*
 
"I don't want to go outside. Let's stay inside..."
 
You return to your spot. The bottle is rapidly approaching empty.
"We can do whatever you want."
Laying on your back, you sigh.
"Is there anything else to drink?"
 
Octavia finishes the last bit of gin and drops the bottle on the bed. It rolls off and clatters to the floor.
She lays her chin down on the covers and mumbles, "I have some beers in the fridge."
 
How did you miss those?
 
"I'll go get them."
 
You get up and head for the stairs.
The full effects of your drinking are slowly creeping up.
It almost makes you stumble down the stairs.
 
In the kitchen, you find a bleak scene.
 
There's really no food.
It looks pretty barren.
In the fridge are a lot of random condiments and not much else.
 
There's four beers in the back. You grab them all.
 
Before, you had thought Octavia was just behind on her grocery shopping.
Turns out she was behind on more.
 
With the beers in arm, you walk back to the main room. Something catches your eye by a closet door.
 
A rope is poking out from under the door.
 
You stop and place the beers down on a table, opening one and taking a drink.
Octavia could wait a little longer.
You kind of stumble to the closet and open the door.
 
Inside are a lot of cleaning supplies and a wound up rope on the floor.
You finish the beer in one gulp and grab the rope.
 
Dropping the bottle on the floor-
 
You head to the bathroom.
 
-
 
Anon has been gone for a while.
 
You get off the bed and start your search for him. It's been years since you've been this drunk. If you don't move too fast, you won't throw up.
 
There's a loud crash from downstairs.
 
"Dammit."
 
Very carefully, you make your way down the stairs as quickly as you can.
 
"Anon?"
 
It sounded like the crash came from the bathroom.
As you approach the door, you hear Anon choking out curses.
 
"Couldn't even fucking *cough* do it right..."
 
"Anon?"
 
You open the door and find your friend on the floor.
Your bathroom has a high ceiling with a small chandelier. The chandelier has been ripped down and now lays smashed next to Anon.
It has a rope tied to it.
The rope trails over a knocked over stool and comes to an end as a noose around Anon's throat.
 
He lays on his back, coughing with a reddened face and looking at you miserably.
 
"A-Anon... Did you just-"
 
Your friend gets up and rips the noose from around his throat.
"I'm *cough* I'm sorry about the chandelier."
 
There have been many stressful days in your life. You would say most of them have been recently.
So maybe that's why you laugh.
There's a point where it all sort of, overflows.
 
You begin to laugh.
 
Not because the situation is in any way funny.
You just laugh.
 
Anon stares at you, a dazed look about him.
 
Then he joins in.
Slowly at first, it turns into fits of laughter in the bathroom.
 
Once your laughter dies down, you wipe your eyes.
"I'm sorry Anon, I'm so sorry. I don't know why I laughed... Are you okay?"
 
He shrugs, "Actually- yeah. I'm not sure why I did it. I didn't want to do it... I just did it. I put up that rope... And it just looked-"
He pauses and swallows.
 
"Romantic."
 
"It looked romantic."
"Hanging down."
 
Silence.
 
You nod, "Yeah. Yeah, I understand."
 
It may have been the alcohol.
It may have been your recent frustration.
But you say to Anon:
 
"Hey, listen. If you need to get something out. Just do it."
 
He nods, an unspoken understanding passing between the two of you.
 
With a drink of beer, he runs past you and up the stairs.
You move to the sink and pick up his unfinished drink, taking a swig.
 
Upstairs, you hear things being smashed in the guest room and loud vulgar swearing.
 
Somehow, you feel like a teenager again.
 
And as your spare bedroom is trashed by a horribly depressed Human losing the last bit of stability he possessed-
 
You chuckle and drink stale beer while tears pour down your face.
 
No one knows what transpires in this house of melancholy catharsis.
 
They go about their lives.
 
While two lose grips on theirs.
 
-
 
The two of you sit in a completely trashed room.
 
Almost everything is broken.
 
Octavia found a bottle of pain pills in her bathroom and those feel pretty nice setting in right now...
 
"I said I would help you."
 
Octavia looks on the verge of passing out.
 
"I said I would help you and... I can't even help myself. Haha."
 
You put a hand on her whither.
"You've helped. More than anyone. I'm sorry I destroyed your house."
 
She laughs, "What does it matter! I'm getting kicked out anyway. Nothing really matters. Nothing really-"
 
She passes out mid-scentence.
 
You throw a blanket on her and struggle to your feet.
 
"Octavia."
 
She fights to speak. "Yeah? Whadja, wachya wunt?"
 
You look out of the window.
It's raining outside.
 
"Can I tell you about everything that happened?"
 
"Yeah. Tell me about... About Applejuck."
 
Too bad there's no more alcohol.
 
"Okay. I'll start at the beginning."
 
 
http://youtu.be/ZsyVUPf8G8M