//------------------------------// // Chapter 2 // Story: Scratchback // by FightorFlyT //------------------------------// Scratchback Written by FightorFlyT with support from FreelancerZENA …............................................................................. Chapter 2                  “She left,” Contradiction stated.         “No kidding, really?”         “Yes,” Contradiction replied, not catching the intended sarcasm.         “We need to catch up to her.”         Contradiction huffed in acceptance, however upset with the situation he might have been in.         When I'd woken up, the sun had been a few clicks into the sky already. And of course, a certain brash figure was long gone. Figures.         “She can't have gotten far,” I said to nothing in particular, kicking some dirt onto the already dead fire.         “True, but if she ran into my brethren-”         “We'll find her before then,” I stopped Contradiction. “We'll get to her before then.”         With that, we set off. I snapped open my wings, and was about to take off when I glanced back at Contradiction. He was still laying there. Oh, right. Broken hoof and everything...         “You just... stay put,” I told him. Then I jumped from the cliff.         - - - - - - - - - -         “Mix!” Vinyl Scratch called out in a strained tone. She did NOT want to run into any changelings, definitely not while she was alone. Celestia damnit, why'd she run off without Lycii?!         “Mix! she called again. “Mix!”         Vinyl reached the entrance to the club they were going to play at the night previous.         The entire city had been a ghost town. Nopony to be seen, not a soul of life in the place. Her short journey had been entirely uneventful so far, not even running into a changeling. Where were they all, anyways? Wasn't the city supposed to be infested with them?         But no, she had yet to sight anything twitching the entire excursion, and it didn't look to change as she pushed open the door to the club they'd rented out. It was dead inside.         Vinyl shuffled slowly into the club, glancing this way and that. There were posters and graffiti on the wall. The party must have already started when the changelings attacked.         “Yeah, and I would have been here if that pegasus hadn't fallen out of the sky...” she muttered, eyes glued for any sign of life.         “But then I'd be in this mess with 'em,” she contemplated, kicking at an empty, discarded paper cup on the floor. The room was littered with them, a well as random streamers and shreds of paper, probably confetti.         Vinyl reached the far side of the room, approaching the DJ hub. There were still a few discs on the stand.         A shape suddenly flitted at the edge of her view.         Vinyl jumped around, coming face-to-face with a changeling. It's eyes were a cold blue.         She dipped her glasses down a notch, showing her cerise eyes. They were burning with rage.         “Where's Mix?” she demanded, voice barely above a snarl.         The changeling jumped at her. A quick flash of cobalt magic, and the changeling crashed against the ceiling. Vinyl was in his face again.         “Where's MIX?!”         - - - - - - - - - -         I knew that voice...         I barrel-rolled out of my flight lane, aiming myself for where the voice had originated. Of course, I wasn't that good of a flier, so instead of performing a beautiful sweeping dive, I rocketed down to the pavement where I face-planted it. Perfect.         I jumped to my hooves at a growl. A changeling stood before me, eyes blue and cold.         “So...” I said, inching away from the threat.         “Beautiful weather, isn't-” The changeling jumped at my, fangs flashing through where I stood seconds before.         “AAAH!!!” I screamed, half a block away and running for my life.         The changeling pursued me. And dang, it was FAST!         I rounded a corner and tripped over a sleeping changeling. At least, it was sleeping. Now, not so much.         I screamed my lungs out as two seriously peeved changelings tore up the ground behind me. They were obviously gaining. Dang, how did I manage to out-run Contradiction when I was carrying Vinyl?! He couldn't have been any slower than these guys were!         I took a left down a street and jumped through an empty doorway, and seconds later I saw the changelings keep on running right past the open door. And to think, all my life I thought that only worked on Scooby-Doo...         I looked around at the inside of the building I found myself in. It looked like what had once been a club of some sorts, and there was trash littering the floor everywhere. Looked familiar.         I trotted across the large room, taking in the posters on the wall. They advertised bands and energy drinks and all sorts of stuff. It was actually pretty interesting. I was reading everything I could. Corporate Mare, Falling Hooves, Fourth Day's Grace, all sorts of information on this world's musical and recreational hobbies and habits. To the side, near the back, there was a DJ table, discs still on a stand, ready to be struck up. I walked over towards it, curious as to-         CRUNCH!         … Uh-oh.         I glanced under my hoof and saw a familiar pair of glasses. I picked up Vinyl's set of shades, noticing I'd broken one of the lens. The glass was like plastic, further confirming my suspicions that they were simply for show.         Wait... Vinyl had these when she left, as they weren't at the 'campsite' when I left this morning... That would mean-         Vinyl had been here. I was sure of it.         “Vinyl?” I called out, quietly enough that the changelings outside wouldn't hear me but hopefully loud enough that anypony inside would be able to catch my voice.         There was no response.         “Vinyl?” I called again, a little bit louder. From behind a pair of double doors in the very back of the room, I heard a very faint shuffle of movement. It wasn't much, but it was just enough to freak the clop out of me.         I swallowed pathetically and headed towards the brief disturbance.         “For the love of pie and all things sacred,” I whispered to myself as I moved towards the doors, “If a little doll in a sailor outfit jumps me-”         I stood in front of the doors, not willing to open them. You know, maybe I should just leave this place behind me. It's not like Vinyl couldn't handle her own, I'd seen her handle one changeling before. She wasn't an easy nut to crack, this much was plainly obvious.         I took a step back, and then I heard it. It wasn't loud, but it was just enough for my ears to catch up on it. It was a sound that infuriated me so much, I lost control. Buck pacifism, by baked goods somepony was going to die if my sickeningly accurate gut was right.         I charged through the double doors, following the hall that it opened up to.         I'd heard the muffled, pained moans of a certain off-white mare. - - - - - - - - - -         Contradiction sighed, letting his magic dissipate again. Not far off, a small rock fell back to the ground, meeting many of it's brethren at the bottom of the cliff-side below.         “They were supposed to be here by now...” he grumbled.         He cast his eyes up to the sky, watching the dark clouds that shadowed an overcast on the city drift above him, creating sinister-looking patterns in the sky.         “Seriously,” he muttered again, Returning his view to the city, picking up another rock in his magic as he started whittling slow, careful runes into the stone's surface.         “They need to hurry up, before I become angered.” - - - - - - - - - -         “Vinyl!” I screamed, rage coursing through my veins. I followed the halls for what felt like hours, clearing the structure methodically and thoroughly. No sign of life anywhere so far. The only section I hadn't searched was the basement floor, which I was saving for last. Not because I was scared of basements, mind you, but because... well okay, they still freaked me out a little bit.         The doors to the basement loomed in front of me. I gulped hard. To the outsider, they might look simply like any other door. I knew better. These were a portal to another world. These led to the dark abyss, the depths of a building no pony should ever have to endure suffering through. These were the gates of Hell, these were the beginning of the end. Here, there be clowns, or something equally as scary.         This was the entrance to the basement.         I gulped again. A cold sweat had sprung up on my brow. Once again, I had second thoughts, pictures in my head of Vinyl standing right behind me, perfectly fine. I glanced behind myself, just to confirm this was just a hopeful thought, and nothing more. Dang it.         I gently pushed against the doors, only to find that they wouldn't budge. I furrowed my brow. SO they wanted to play that game, eh? Well, two can play at that!         I stood on my two hind legs, spitting into my front hooves. I rubbed them together, generating a little friction, then slammed them against the door. I started pushing, my rear hooves digging into the floor.         No give.         I doubled my efforts, grunting under the strain. I felt the doors buckle only slightly under my attempt, bu they remained as impassive as ever.         I poured every ounce of strength that I could into pushing the door open, but it was to no avail. They would not give in.         Slumping down, all of the frightened adrenaline I'd accumulated dissipated instantly. I set my head against the door, looking blankly the the left.         And of course, right on the wall, was a red and yellow sign that read PULL.         … Horseapples.         I hopped back to my hooves. There, right in front of me, was a pair of looped door handles, plenty large to accommodate a pony hoof. I pulled gently on the door, secretly hoping it was locked... okay, not so secretly... but it was unlocked. The door creaked open in my grasp.         Swinging the door towards me, my nose was instantly met with a foul rancid stench. I couldn't place a hoof on quite what it was, but it was sure as hay NASTY.         Light from the hallway I was in bled into the darkened stairway. At first glance, it looked as though it simply went down to a single floor below it. However, when I trotted carefully over to the metal railing and looked over it, I saw this staircase went down quite a few floors.         Then I heard a voice. A raspy, tired voice. Directed straight at me.         “Figures somepony would show up eventually.”         I swear, I leaped out of my hide right then and there. I spun around, expecting to see either a clown or a doll about to slice my head off with a rusty meat cleaver. Instead, I saw a dark gray unicorn with a bright green mane, swept forward like mine and Vinyl's.         “Who are you? We're you expecting me? Where's Vinyl?!” I shouted.         “Vinyl?” he asked, exasperated. “You're looking for her too? That's... good,” he finished, a relieved look on his face. He then trotted over to me and stuck out a hoof.         “I'm Mix Beat. You?”         I returned his hoof, awkwardly of course. What was I supposed to do with it?! In the end, I simply bumped my own stubby hoof against his, which seemed to be the socially accepted way of returning such a gesture, as he lowered his hoof after.         “Lycii,” I said evenly.         Mix Beat flashed his blazing blue eyes and a grin came across his face. “Glad to see somepony else came. I have no idea what's been going on here, do you know what's happened?”         “Changelings took over the city,” I explained to him. “I... ran into Vinyl Scratch-” realization came over my mind, albeit a little later than I would have been comfortable with.         “Wait... Mix Beat- you're Vinyl's coltfriend!” I shouted, putting one and one together.         “Yeah,” he sighed. “So you ran into her? Then what?”         “Oh yeah, I ran into her and we escaped the city, but she came back this morning before we woke up and started looking for you. She's been here, I found these,” I showed him Vinyl's glasses, which I had been wearing backwards at the base of my neck, tucked between the bottom of my mane and the beginning of the tuft of icy fur.         “So I take it you've cleared the rest of the structure?” Mix asked.         “Yeah, I just have this area left,” I stated. “And by the looks of it, it's larger than I expected.” I glanced over the railing again.         “Much larger.”         Mix ran a hoof through his mane. “Then I guess we should keep looking.”         “Yeah,” I agreed.         We started walking down the first set of stairs.         And no, I didn't trust this guy. He was a little creepy, and for him to not know what had happened while being inside of the same building Vinyl Scratch had last been in (as far as I knew) was a little too suspicious. There was something up, and I was going to figure it out. - - - - - - - - - -         Vinyl groaned, slowly returning to consciousness. Her eyes were heavy, and she felt a painful welt on her right temple. She could feel from the blood rushing to her head that she was being held upside-down.         With a pitiful groan, she remembered how she must have gotten into this mess.         She'd been yelling at the changeling, and her magic was crushing it's throat. There had been a sharp blow to her head, and she flew to the side. Apparently there had been another changeling nearby.         She opened her eyes slowly and painfully. I liquidy haze stung her eyes, making tears well up, and her vision was fizzed over with a sickening green. She tried to move her legs, but they were strung up above her. With a jolt, she started kicking in fear, but to no avail. She could remember what they'd done to her.         Vinyl struggled again, desperate to free her legs. They were suctioned into a fleshy trap that she elicited gargling noises from as she squirmed.         “Ahaha, and the cheeky little heroine realizes the pickle she's in. How cute.”         Vinyl froze. She recognized that voice. Anypony could recognize that voice...         Vinyl glared hard, trying to see through the much she was in, pulling herself up with her legs. It felt like she was suspended in a thick gel-like substance. She managed to pull herself up just enough to see over the crystallized base of her cage, and she saw her.         There was the changeling queen Chrysalis, staring right at her. Several other similar cages surrounded them, each with what Vinyl assumed to be other inhabitants of the city.         “Poor, poor innocent little pony,” Chrysalis taunted, casually strolling through the numbers of cages. “All we need you for is a trap, as bait. Don't worry though; that dolt of a colt that ran off with you will be here soon enough. And then you will no longer be needed.” With that, Chrysalis wandered off, cackling madly.         Vinyl struggled again, but stopped when she realized it was hopeless. She wasn't going to get out.         “Mix...” she whimpered. - - - - - - - - - -         Mix Beat and I slunk through the rooms, and what we found wasn't pretty.         There were tons upon tons of ponies I assumed were from the city, strung up in the sickly glowing green wraps of cages, fleshy and slimy. They were suspended in a mucus-like gel, and they all looked asleep. That, or dead. I hoped for the former.         “I don't think she's here,” Mix Beat whispered.         “Why are you whispering?” I asked out loud like an idiot.         A snarl from half-way across the warehouse-like room told me why. We ducked behind the stem to one of the cages, listening carefully. There was some pittering hoofsteps, and I peeked around the think stalk.         There was a huge changeling patrolling the room, glancing this way and that. There was no doubt that he'd heard me. I cursed at myself for being such a... well, a dolt as it felt. Odd, a sudden case of deja vu raced over me.         “Snap, that's one hulk of one, isn't it?” I heard Mix breath on the other side.         “Yeah,” I responded. “How do you think we can get around it?”         “Leave that to me- AH!”         While we'd been talking, a changeling had snuck up behind Mix and wrapped him in a bear hug, snapping at his throat. A sudden pulse of green magic, and the changeling boiled off of Mix and sailed up over him, shooting straight through the stalks of some cages.         “Run,” Mix stated evenly.         Don't mind if I do.         We took off running, and as luck would have it our path inevitably met with the hulk's as well. Of course. It took one look at me and I knew it was thinking of how it should fillet me. I would recommend plucking the wings first, maybe a slow broil after that...         Mix pushed me aside as we raced around the beast. Turns out I was worried about nothing. With two targets to track instead of just one, the poor guy must have had an aneurism or similar, it's head was shaking so bad!         We met back up in front of some double doors. I was more following him, and was amazed as to how he knew his way around this place, like he'd been here before. Duh, paranoia. This guy still was a little fishy, but I'd worry about that later. The matter at hand now was that we weren't being gnawed on by a retarded changeling steroid beast.         We leaped through the doors, and suddenly I felt like I'd missed something. We stumbled (well, I stumbled) into yet another hallway (this place had a lot of them), and came face to face with a group of grizzled-looking ponies with sashes wrapped around them and devices that looked a little too much like rifles in their arms.         My response to this: What the fu-         One of them grabbed my hoof and pulled me after him. Seconds later, the door crashed open behind us. The 'tarded changeling was responsible. It was also bounding after us. Quickly.         “Come on!” The one pulling me along shouted. Mix was right beside me.         A few of the battle ponies opened fire on the changeling beast, and I was sadly confirmed that the rifle-looking things were, indeed, rifles. Why, cute, cuddly ponies, WHY?!?!         We rounded a corner and the three of us ducked behind it. I saw my savior as it were was a deep red unicorn, with a pure white mane. He actually reminded me a bit of Santa Claus.         Although the last time I recalled, Santa Claus had an orgy of gay little elves making toys for all the poor unexpecting children of the world, not a gang of grizzled mercenaries. I liked this guy already!         But what he asked me freaked me out just a little.         “Are you Lycii?”         … Okay, try a LOT. - - - - - - - - - -         Contradiction felt the battle begin. It was time.         Smirking, he rose to his hooves, using his magic to repair his 'injured' hoof.         “The fools,” he muttered in glee. “They were suspicious but oh so gullible. I know just what you are, dear Lycii. And I know just how to get to you...”         Contradiction phased out, and reappeared over the city, fluttering his razor-like wings to keep him aloft. He was back in his changeling form.         “You shall not escape me,” Contradiction laughed as he landed right in front of the door to the club where Vinyl had disappeared from.         “Or my mother.” -END CHAPTER 2-