Chapter 5 - Loyalty
Vinyl rolled over in bed, still adrift in a warm, hazy feeling thanks to whatever the doc had put in that nasty drink. A little pain still lingered in her head, but it seemed like a faraway thing that she could let future Vinyl deal with. Present Vinyl just wanted to lay here and feel fuzzy.
She’d have to ask the doc what he’d given her. It tasted bucking awful, but she couldn’t argue results. It had even let her manage to drift off a few times. She usually paid a hoof and a leg for sleeping pills that didn’t work half as well as this. Now if only they could do something about the silence and the boredom...
Octavia brushed past the room’s curtains, heading straight for the pile of blankets on the floor.
Glancing over as the mare dropped onto them, Vinyl asked, “You okay?”
“I don’t know,” Octavia grunted. After a moment, she added, “Hooves thinks that Lyra will come through for us. We just need to wait for her friends to reach out.”
“Well, that sounds like things are going pretty well.”
The mare sighed. “Yes, but I find that tends to be the case right before everything starts to go horribly, horribly wrong.”
“Duh. Of course that’s going to happen if you keep thinking like that.” She rolled over so she could look at Octavia while she spoke. “You gotta stay positive!”
Octavia did not even try to hide her eyeroll. “How about you, Vinyl? Are you feeling any better?”
“Pretty good! A lil’ uh…” Vinyl waved a hoof in the air to fill in for words she couldn’t think of, “But it beats feeling like my horn is inside out.”
“I’m glad.” As an afterthought, she added, “Hooves said you might want to try eating something again.”
“Don’t feel like getting up. Besides, I don’t think I could stomach more of that bull. Seriously don’t know how someponies eat it day in and day out.”
“When the choice is that or go hungry, it really is not a difficult choice to make,” Octavia said, her formerly friendly tone chilling.
Vinyl silently cursed the fuzziness in her head. Of course, she’d probably have said something just as stupid even if she were thinking perfectly clearly… “Sorry. I get it. I really, totally do. It just sucks that there are ponies who have to live like that, you know? It’s why I run Crazy Horse the way I do. Everypony – unicorns, pegasi, and earth ponies alike – should get a chance to chill, eat good food, drink to their heart’s content, and listen to great music.”
“It was a very nice club.”
Vinyl watched as Octavia kept shifting on the floor, apparently struggling to get comfortable between the carpet and the tangle of thin blankets the doctor had provided. After a few moments, she finally offered, “You wanna sleep with me?”
“V-Vinyl!” Octavia sputtered, looking up at her. The mare’s cheeks reddened furiously. “I… I am absolutely aghast that you would suggest such a thing! You’re injured! This is somepony else’s home! And besides, no!”
Restraining a smirk proved impossible. “While I’m totally flattered that’s the first thing that came to mind, I just meant in the bed with me. It’ll be a lil’ crowded, but I bet it beats the floor.”
Somehow the mare’s face actually managed to turn a deeper shade of red. “You could have phrased that much less ambiguously,” she muttered.
“Prolly. But this was way funnier.”
With a sigh, Octavia forced herself to her hooves. “It seems you are absolutely incorrigible, Vinyl.”
“Maybe?”
“But I think I will take you up on that offer. If you really don’t mind, of course.”
“I dunno, kinda thinking it might be a bad idea now,” Vinyl said, unable to stop herself. “I mean, what if you try taking advantage of me while I’m all weak and helpless?”
Octavia eyed her. “Vinyl?”
“Yes?”
“Please just shut up and move.”
It took a few moments to get things situated – even Vinyl could tell that Octavia was careful about climbing into the bed in an effort to avoid jostling her too much – but, just like she’d thought, there was just enough room for the two ponies to fit without needing to cuddle too much.
“Hey, Octavia—”
“I swear to Celestia, if you ask, ‘Have you ever slept with a mare?’ I am going to kick you out of this bed.” Despite the annoyance in Octavia’s tone, Vinyl caught the barest hint of a smile as the mare laid her head on the pillow and closed her eyes.
After a moment of silence, Vinyl asked, “Have you?”
The hoof that hit her side was just strong enough to make a point without actually hurting.
“Seriously, though. Thanks for what you did.”
“I am sure one of your adoring fans would have helped you.”
The chuckle that escaped from Vinyl was not a very nice one. Unpleasant thoughts were starting to cut through the pleasant haze. “I dunno about that. Most fans don’t really give a buck about the ponies they dig. They’re there when things are great, but nowhere to be found when it ain’t.”
“I suppose that is true,” Octavia mumbled.
Vinyl looked over at the half-asleep mare. Shutting up made the most sense – Octavia clearly wanted to sleep – but the thought of letting the room go silent again bugged her. “Once all this bull is cleared up, think you’d wanna visit Crazy Horse again? Wouldn’t be too tough to hook you up with another VIP badge since the owner thinks you’re pretty cool.”
A smile crept across Octavia’s face. “I am not so sure. What would I even do? That is not really my type of crowd. I am not much for dancing, and most of the ponies there did not seem much for talking.”
“Well, you know, I’m not on stage all night all the time. Neon’s been wanting more time up there, and I host all sorts of guests, so I could always take an hour or two to grab a drink with you. Besides, we never got those last drinks. Or dessert. And we definitely never hit the dance floor like you promised. So, basically, you have to.”
“I may be half-asleep, but I do not recall ever agreeing to do any of that. But I suppose I may well have accidentally obligated myself somehow.” Octavia struggled to speak around a yawn, her voice slurring as she slipped closer to sleep, “In which case my only polite option would be to go back.”
“Definitely,” Vinyl said quietly, before lapsing into silence. Keeping Octavia up wasn’t really fair. Besides, something about the soft, almost musical sound of her breath as she slept helped keep Vinyl’s anxiety at bay. It wasn’t as nice as a rumbling bassline or a some hypnotic synths, but it was nice to know that somepony was there.
~~~~~
Lyra’s hooves shook as she magically flipped through the pages of the books that she’d spread out on the floor around her. The fourth cup of coffee had probably been too much. Or maybe it had been the second energy drink. Or that bag of leftover doughnuts she’d found and eaten. And, of course, the occasional, magically induced – she still held out hope on that point; her faculties still seemed intact aside from the visions – hallucination did not help.
But, regardless of the havoc being wreaked on her body right now, they’d all worked together to make her an impromptu expert on the Elements of Harmony. At least insofar as one could be an expert on a set of supposedly mythical relics that the Alicorn princesses had plucked from the Tree of Harmony.
She sighed. The idea still seemed absolutely ludicrous. The Elements were things from storybooks. Sure, some ponies believed in them, but some ponies also believed in Alicorns.
Magic made it too easy to believe in the strange and impossible, but magic had rules and limits. You couldn’t do just anything with it. Even the most powerful unicorns in the Empire could only perform very specific tricks, and even those took their toll on the caster. But everything she read about the Elements? It all seemed to defy that.
They could seal evil creatures away on distant moons, purify the wicked, lock the embodiment of chaos in stone, transform ponies into demonic entities, create castles from nothing, and even utterly obliterate those they were turned against. They were… well… legendary.
But something else nagged at her. The stories mostly talked about the Elements as they were used by the Alicorn princesses, but a few of them mentioned the Elements being wielded by six ponies. And her hallucinations…
Six ponies. The books left them unnamed, but names came to mind anyway. Twilight Sparkle. Rarity. Applejack. Pinkie Pie. Fluttershy. Rainbow Dash. The representations of the Elements of Harmony. Not just the wielders. The ponies who perfectly embodied the core of the Elements.
Based on the pictures Shimmer had given her, the design on the stone they were looking for was a close match to the cutie mark on the one named Rainbow Dash – the Element of Loyalty.
Between the shaking of her hooves and legs and the lightness in her head, standing proved more difficult than expected, but she managed to make it to her desk without tripping over anything or having a heart attack, so things were probably okay for the moment. The console still had several windows open – stories from several entertainment bloggers and news organizations. They had been a serious pain in the flank to hunt down, but they did seem to support her current line of thinking.
A few references to an earth pony quartet that had taken the station’s music scene by surprise, a few mentions of Octavia Melody by name as a standout, some discussion of Octavia Melody being invited to play in the Manehattan Grand Symphonic Hall, and then… nothing. She couldn’t find another mention of Octavia anywhere. It was as if the mare had simply disappeared.
The potential story didn’t take much imagination to create. A star musician who outstripped her companions, had the chance for solo fame, and then didn’t follow through for… reasons. Lyra could not think of many things that would make an earth pony turn down a chance at stardom in Manehattan.
Maybe unswerving loyalty to her bandmates?
She knew it was a stretch, but it just fit far too well. Everything fit far too well. Which, despite the utter impossibility of it, meant that logically it had to be the case.
“Probably time to stop putting it off,” Lyra grumbled, opening the console’s call function and inputting Shimmer’s network code. After just a few seconds Shimmer’s face appeared on the monitor. She must have been waiting for the call.
“About time. I was just getting ready to call. What do you have for me?”
“A few things,” Lyra said, deciding that she should have worked out the order of this before calling. Too many thoughts were swimming around in her head. “I guess I should start with the fact that a stallion came by here, claiming he knew where both Vinyl and Octavia were. And he seemed to know, at the least, that the stone existed.”
Shimmer frowned. “And what did he want?”
“To meet you and Fancy—”
“You told him about us?” Shimmer snapped, slamming her hooves down on her desk.
Cringing at the sudden increase in pitch, Lyra gestured for Shimmer to lower her voice. “No, but he assumed I had friends on the council, and that there must be some who were interested in what was happening and not working with Sombra. Let me finish before you snap next time, okay?”
Shimmer glared at her – it was a rare few ponies who dared take that tone with her, but Lyra didn’t really care – but remained silent.
“He wants to give you the stone in exchange for getting Vinyl and Octavia in the clear. That’s all. Though he was very insistent that my ‘friends’ meet him in person at a time and place of his choosing. He also expects an affirmative answer tonight, otherwise he said he’d tell Octavia to hurl the stone out an airlock.”
To her surprise, Shimmer seemed to take all that information in stride. “It certainly doesn’t sound like a trap laid by Sombra. About the only thing he could do with a setup like that would be kill us, and I sincerely doubt he’d stoop to something like that. Can you tell me anything about the stallion?”
Lyra rubbed her eyes tiredly, trying to recall the conversation. It seemed like so long ago already. “He was some sort of brownish, with a darker brown mane? His cutie mark was an hourglass, I think? Maybe?”
“Mm,” Shimmer grunted, a frown crossing her face very briefly. “All right. What else did you have for me?”
The sudden shift in subjects caught Lyra off-guard. She had figured that the next ten minutes were going to be dedicated to grilling her over the stallion’s identity, not just hearing a bleary description and moving on. Did Shimmer know something she didn’t?
The impatient clearing of Shimmer’s throat pulled her attention back. “I assume you managed to do more than just talk to this stallion?”
“Yes,” Lyra said, doing her best to ignore the snideness of the comment. “The Elements, if the legends are at all true, are probably some sort of magical conduit. It makes the most sense, given how many different powers they’ve supposedly demonstrated. They simply act on something like a pony’s heart or their desires or their nature, but their power is probably limited by the pony that has it.”
“So we don’t have to worry about the groundling accidentally destroying the station or something equally stupid. Great.”
Lyra hesitated. Shimmer was not going to like the next part, especially since it was about ninety-nine percent speculation. Still, the cutie mark on the hallucinatory pegasus and the design on the stone were too close for it to be coincidence.
“Are you telling me you think she could?” Shimmer asked, the hesitation not going unnoticed.
“No. Well…” Lyra sighed. “I don’t think the stones are the actual Elements. At least, I don’t think each stone is the whole Element.”
Shimmer frowned. “What?”
“The Elements… they’re a sort of universal concept. If you look hard enough, you can find stories where the power of the Elements is used without having access to the stones. So it makes even more sense to think of the stones as conduits to an even greater power. But if somepony can harness that power without the stone, then that means the stones just act like doorways or something. Which probably means that, while anypony can sort of use them, certain ponies might be able to really use them.”
“Maybe I should have let you sleep before asking you to explain this to me.”
Lyra rubbed her eyes, trying to sort the thoughts spinning in her head. Books, films, and visions swam before her, all swirling around one very unfortunate grey mare. “I think there are ponies that embody the Elements, and that what they could do with the stones would absolutely dwarf what somepony like you or me could do. Just like the stones, they’re conduits to the true Element or whatever.” She knew she was rambling, so she tried to cut straight to the point. “I think the stones are drawn to them. The Elements want to be whole, so the stones, and the ponies, and the power all try to connect.”
“You think the stones are drawn to certain ponies and vice versa?”
“Yes! And I think the owners will be drawn to each other too.”
Shimmer tapped her hooves on the desk, studying Lyra through the screen. “You think this groundling is one of them.”
“I do. You know that, despite every weird accident Ditzy Doo has been involved in, she has always made her deliveries successfully. Always. And this stone is the first thing she actually loses? And it ends up in the hooves of some random earth pony? And that that pony—”
“That is all a stretch Lyra, and you know it.”
She sighed. Shimmer was always a pain in the flank, and that was the last thing she needed right now. The thought of discussing this further made her head pound and her hooves shake harder. Sleep needed to happen, and it needed to happen soon, but she couldn’t afford to lose this argument. “Look. You wanted my opinion on this subject, and you know I’m good at this sort of thing.” After a moment’s pause and the spastic firing of a few neurons, she added, “Besides, if I’m right and the Elements do call to each other, then having Octavia around might help you find the rest of the stones before Sombra.”
“All right,” Shimmer said. “Give me that stallion’s network address. I’ll send him a message and let him know that we agree to meet on his terms.”
Lyra blinked and stared vacantly at the screen.
“Well? What are you waiting for?” Shimmer quirked an eyebrow at her.
“I… just expected you to argue more.”
Shimmer rolled her eyes. “Look. One way or another, I want to know where the stone is. That means meeting with the groundling and her keeper. We can worry about your theories after that. I’ll call you once we have this sorted out. Until then, keep working.”
As soon as Shimmer ended the call, Lyra’s head dropped to the desk. The caffeine and sheer, dogged determination had finally run their course, leaving an exhausted husk behind. Getting out of bed at any point in the next three days seemed unlikely, if she could even make it all the way across the unit to lay down in it.
She didn’t even bother powering her console down before shutting it off. It was rough on the magic circuits, but she didn’t feel like wasting the extra minute or two it would take.
Now all she had to do was get up and go to bed. Less than a couple dozen feet away. Just needed to get up and...
~~~~~
Octavia shifted nervously from hoof to hoof, flinching at every flickering light and metallic sound echoing through the tunnel. She had never seen the station’s first tier, and now she understood why. These overglorified pipes were not a place where ponies belonged.
“Try to relax,” Hooves said, not looking up from the tablet console that had been engrossing him since they had arrived at this particular junction. “They’ll be here soon.”
“That is not what I’m worried about,” she mumbled.
“I know what you mean,” Vinyl said, brushing up against her. Lowering her voice conspiratorially, she continued, “Feels like some horrible alien creature is going to suddenly crawl out of one of the vents or pop around a corner and eat us. I’ve heard about all sorts of weird things happening Manehattan’s lowest tiers. Ponies disappearing, or mutating, or just straight up going crazy!”
Octavia rolled her eyes, but chose to stay silent. Stupid as it sounded, she could understand the view. There was something abnormal about the bowels of the city. Maybe it was just that it was all wires and machinery and Celestia-knew-what down here. Maybe it was the odd mechanical noises and magical crackles that echoed around them from every angle. Or maybe it was just the tightness of the tunnels squeezing in around her as the entire weight of the city bore down. Regardless, believing in monsters was something she felt she could do right now.
“I doubt any of it is true,” Hooves offered, continuing to tap his tablet. “Focus on remembering the way back to the lift, just in case we have to leave in a hurry.”
“I’m pretty sure I forgot how to get out of here four intersections back,” Vinyl grumbled.
“I am surprised it took that long,” Octavia said absently, watching Hooves work.
“Hey. I have an excuse. I was concussed.”
He had been checking it repeatedly since they reached the first tier. Tension had kept Octavia quiet initially, but now, having been sitting in the same junction for over an hour, doing absolutely nothing besides feel tense, it had started to wear on her. “What are you doing, Hooves?”
“Checking some of the bio-sensors. It should help me determine whether our new friends are holding up their end of the bargain.” He smiled. “I don’t expect too much trouble, but a little caution never hurt anypony.”
“No. It has not.” Octavia stared at the little tablet. Magitech like that was expensive. Very, very expensive. While the generosity of the doctor had certainly not gone unappreciated, she could not shake the feeling that another horseshoe was waiting to drop. Still, if Hooves wanted to turn them over the Council Guard, he could have just done it while she and Vinyl were asleep.
The bulk of the instrument case on her back reminded her that sometimes ponies simply lucked into nice things.
After gesturing for Octavia to come closer, he moved the tablet so she could see it. Of course, it did not really help, given the screen seemed to mostly consist of lines, boxes, and occasional dots. “See,” he said as a section of the screen flashed, “The sensors scan these tunnels at regular intervals, then attempt to identify any living creatures they detect. They were originally installed to help during the Changeling Incursion, but most of them have been removed or disabled.”
“Is that why you chose this location? Because it still has working sensors?”
Hooves’ smile grew a little, but he shook his head.
Octavia looked back down at the tablet. “Right. You would not be able to access the sensors on your own tablet so easily, would you? That means… you must have reactivated the sensors yourself?”
“You got it. ”
Vinyl chuckled. “Doc and techie? What’s next? You gonna show us some sweet hoof-to-hoof fighting moves next?”
The fact that Hooves did not actually answer that question with anything but that small smile of his bothered Octavia. The questions had started to form in the back of her head last night, and had continued to fester there: why did Hooves, an earth pony living near the bottom of the station, seem to know much? Arranging clandestine meetings, repairing and hacking station equipment, medicine… what sort of life had he led? And why was he just helping them for no reason?
She would have suspected trouble if it were not for the fact that he could have sold them out or taken the stone any number of times since they had shown up at his door.
The tablet chimed, attracting the attention of all three ponies. Four blips had just appeared at what Octavia guessed was a few junctions away.
“Well,” Hooves said, “It looks like our friends will be arriving shortly. Now remember. At the first sign of trouble, run. And make sure you do not tell them where the stone is. As long as they don’t know that, you have power.”
Despite the churning in her stomach, Octavia nodded. “I understand.”
“Got ya!” Vinyl said, far more upbeat than she should be.
Seating herself near Hooves, Octavia watched the end of the tunnel, waiting for the inevitable appearance of the ponies who would either save her or end her. She stiffened as a hoof touched her back.
“Hey, Octavia, relax,” Vinyl said quietly, offering her a reassuring smile. “Everything’ll work out. I’m sure!”
“And what makes you say that, Vinyl?”
“Because if they try to screw you over, I promise that every pony in the Empire is gonna hear about it. And I won’t shut up about it until the entire council gets… I dunno, recalled? Whatever it is when they throw somepony off the council.”
A genuine, if tiny, smile came to Octavia’s lips. Staring into Vinyl’s wide eyes, it was easy enough to believe that the idiot would do just that. “I think you may be overestimating exactly how many ponies listen to your music.”
Clearing his throat, Hooves shoved the tablet into his saddlebags and stood up. He nodded at the end of the tunnel where four shapes were barely visible in the dim light. “I do believe our friends are here.”
Octavia stood up as well, hoping her shaking legs were not too obvious.
The four ponies were dressed in hoodies – not a poor choice, considering how cold it got this low in the station – but she suspected the hoods were the important parts, especially considering how quickly they shed them as they closed in. She recognized two of them instantly: Councilor Sunset Shimmer and Councilor Fancy Pants. That did little for her nerves. They were two of the most well known members of the council and known for being unicorns of extraordinary power.
The pale pink unicorn and orange pegasus with them did not seem familiar. Presumably the guards Hooves had allowed them.
“Good evening, Councilors,” Hooves said, inclining his head slightly.
“I was wondering if this was your work, Hooves,” Councilor Shimmer snapped, looking past him and right at Octavia. “I thought it had been suggested you move to one of the other stations after your debriefing.”
Octavia’s ears pricked. Hooves knew the councilors? And more important, they knew him?
“Now Shimmer, there is no need for that,” Councilor Fancy Pants said. He bowed deeply towards the group, then offered a smile that rivalled Vinyl’s for warmth and sincerity. “Hello, Hooves. And if I’m not mistaken, your lovely friends would be Miss Octavia Melody and Miss Vinyl Scratch?”
“Yo,” Vinyl offered warily.
Octavia nudged her before bowing back and returning the greeting, “It is our pleasure, Councilor.”
“Yes, yes, we’re all polite and cordial,” Councilor Shimmer grunted. “Now let’s get down to business. You have the stone, we want it. Yes?”
Octavia took a deep breath. Before they had left, Hooves had told her that this would need to be her show. The only way to ensure that the councilors respected her was to handle this part herself; if she left the negotiations to Hooves, they might think they could trot all over her once they separated them.
Still, even if she had to do this herself, the presence of Vinyl and Hooves helped buoy her confidence. She barely knew these ponies, but here they were, helping her at what she hoped would be the lowest moment of her life.
She knew calling them friends went too far, but they were something close enough for the moment.
“That is right,” she managed without a quaver in her voice. She had dealt with entire crowds of unicorns who wanted to see her fail, so she could handle this. “I have the stone and I will be more than happy to return it to you. Provided, of course, that you are willing to help with the current situation. This stone has gotten me and Vinyl in a lot of trouble, so I feel it is only fair that you do something about that.”
“That’s all you want?” Shimmer asked.
Octavia nodded. “That is all.”
“Well, that seems like a perfectly reasonable—” Councilor Fancy Pants started, before he was interrupted.
“We won’t be able to do that,” Councilor Shimmer said.
Hooves’ eyes narrowed.
“What the buck, Shimmer?” Vinyl growled. “Why come all the way down here just to say the deal isn’t going to work?”
“I am not talking to you, Vinyl Scratch!” Councilor Shimmer snapped. She glared the unicorn into silence before turning back to Octavia and repeating, “Like I was saying. That deal is not going to work.”
Clenching her teeth and doing her best to control her temper, Octavia asked, “Then what deal are you willing to make?”
“We’ll clear things up for you, Octavia. I will get the Council Guard off your back and make sure that Sombra loses interest in you. I will provide transport to another station, and a new BitCard account with enough in it to get you settled. But that’s it. Vinyl is on her own. Getting just you out of the way is going to be hard enough, and frankly? Nopony on the Council is a fan of that outspoken brat. It might actually make things a bit easier to let Commander Lulamoon have her for a while.”
Vinyl looked utterly taken aback, while Hooves watched the councilors and their guards suspiciously. Even Councilor Fancy Pants looked surprised.
“So, that’s the deal we’re prepared to offer. We help you, Vinyl worms her own way out. Take it or leave it.”
“You should probably take it,” Vinyl mumbled. Despite her smile, Vinyl’s eyes belied the fact that she was shaken. Nevertheless, she continued, “I think I can handle whatever bull goes down after. Wouldn’t be the first time I’ve had to get myself out of trouble, definitely won’t be the last.”
Octavia stared at the councilor. She knew Vinyl was right, of course. Looking out for herself was what she needed to do. The entire reason lived just above the city’s slums was that she had wasted all her chances looking out for other ponies.
Making the wrong decision back then had condemned her to this bloody awful life. Fame and fortune might be fleeting, but it turned out that, apparently, friends were too. The right choice was obvious. Vinyl was a rich and popular unicorn. She would probably be fine without help.
Besides, even if Vinyl did get in some sort of trouble, it would probably be far less than Octavia did. They couldn’t just make her disappear.
Anyway, they barely knew each other. Having a couple fun hours at her club did not an unbreakable bond of friendship make.
Octavia sighed, wishing that, for once, the right answer was the one she could give. “No.”
Councilor Shimmer raised an eyebrow at her. “Excuse me?”
Octavia swallowed. Even the whirr and hum of the machinery around her seemed to quiet in anticipation of a clearer answer. “I said no. That deal is unacceptable. I will not leave Vinyl drifting. It is both of us or nothing.”
“I am sure we could work out a way to—” Councilor Fancy Pants tried, but again lost to Councilor Shimmer.
“I would think very carefully about absolutes, Octavia.” The councilor’s voice hardened as her ears flattened. “I did not come down here to negotiate. Helping you is a favor to appease Fancy Pants and his delicate sensibilities.”
Out of the corner of her eye Octavia saw Hooves edge closer to the councilors and their guards.
“If I decide that I want the stone, I really doubt a pair of groundlings and a magic school dropout will be able to keep it from me for very long.”
“Octavia—” Vinyl started.
“Then why don’t you bloody well try and take it!” Octavia snapped, bringing her hoof down sharply on the metallic floor panels.
The words hung in the air, echoing up and down the tunnel, drowning out the sounds of the station’s heartbeat. But not Octavia’s. Her heart thundered in her chest as she held Councilor Shimmer’s gaze.
The unicorn broke it after a moment, sighing as she sat down. “Fine. You win. Take your new mare-friend with you.”
The tension flooded out of the air with almost tangible force, leaving Octavia – and probably everypony else in the room – off-balance.
“You should warn me before you do something like that,” Councilor Fancy Pants muttered.
“What the buck Shimmer?” Vinyl managed, managing to elegantly summarize Octavia’s exact thoughts at that moment.
The councilor rolled her eyes. “Helping you is going to be a serious pain in my flank, but not half as much as trying to find and take the stupid stone from the lot of you would prove to be,” Councilor Shimmer said, glancing not-so-subtly towards Hooves.
The doctor just stared thoughtfully at her.
“So, you will help us? Both of us?”
Another sigh escaped from the councilor. “Yes, but we can discuss exactly how that will happen somewhere else. I’ve spent enough time in the station’s bowels for one day. Assuming, of course, that that’s okay with you, Hooves?”
“That should be fine.”
Octavia frowned as Councilor Shimmer’s attention shifted away from her completely. Just a moment ago the unicorn had been bearing down on her like a comet, and now it was like she didn’t exist...
“Thanks, Octavia,” Vinyl said quietly, nudging her with a hoof. Her eyes didn’t quite meet Octavia’s as she continued, “You really shouldn’t have done that though.”
“No, she shouldn’t have,” Councilor Shimmer agreed without looking, “She should have made my life easier and left you to rot.” Under her breath, she added, “The Element of Loyalty, really?”
“What?” Octavia asked, the strange admixture of anger and relief bubbling inside her temporarily tempered by curiosity.
“Something we can discuss when we’re somewhere that doesn’t reek.”
“Just a moment, please,” Octavia said. Ignoring Councilor Shimmer’s eye roll, she pulled the recalcitrant Vinyl over to Hooves with her.
Hooves offered one of his little smiles to the pair. “Well, I suppose this is where we part ways then?”
“Yes,” Octavia said.
“A little word of advice, if I may.” He lowered his voice as he continued, “Fancy Pants is a good stallion and you can probably trust him, but be careful around Shimmer. She likes to get things her way.”
“We will,” Octavia said. ”And thank you for everything.” Questions still lingered in her mind, but now seemed like the wrong time to ask them. Besides, the important thing was that, at least as far as she could tell, he had done nothing but go out of his way to help them. He had earned more than a little trust.
Vinyl nodded. “Seriously. You really saved our flanks. I’ll drop you a line as soon as I can lay my hooves on my BitCard again.”
“Just be sure to take care of yourselves. I’d say the worst thing as a doctor is ever having to see one of your patients again.”
“Are you ready yet?” Shimmer snapped. “I have already wasted enough time today.”
Octavia smiled warmly at the doctor, then turned back towards Shimmer. “Yes, yes. Let’s go, Vinyl.”
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My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
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What a strange world you've built up here.
I wonder how it relates to the 'real' world, and what the original bearers' roles will be.
*Fave'd*
Yikes, Sunset, that was one rough experiment.
Hmn. Assuming this is going to be among other things an alternate Element Bearers story, at the moment I'm guessing Magic for Lyra, and Generosity for Hooves on account of hm being so helpful. No clue about Vinyl, but given Lyra's comments in the chapter about the Bearers collecting up together I'm guessing she's probably one too.
5488702
Loyalty is the obvious choice for Octavia. Hooves has been described as generous more than once and Vinyl seems to exhibit a fair bit of kindness.
5490490 Yeah, I meant to mention Loyalty for Octavia, it's pretty obvious for her considering the events in the chapter and the description of her past behavior. I could get on board with Kindness for Vinyl.
Damn I wish I could express how much I love this story... though... it could update a bit more, right? No? Okay
5491558 Well, it always helps to hear it. It has been a nice little confidence boost to see people honestly enjoying the story. So, I guess just knowing some people enjoy it is more than enough of an expression!
And I'm working on turning chapters around faster. Unfortunately, looking for gainful employment/making money interferes, as does the fact that I'm a bit spastic and unfocused at times. The obvious answer is I just need to become so beloved that I could somehow make a Patreon work, but I'm not thinking that's paying my bills right now.
Anyway, I'm honestly hoping to get new chapters down to every 3-4 weeks or so. So just hang tight!
5491335 5490490 I'd tell you guys what I think, but that feels unfair. >_>
5497365 yeah it blows my mind that this has only 41 likes, this deserves to have so much more! But yeah I understand that life happens, hell I'm at work right now (on lunch), so I know what it's like looking for and needing a job... I hate money...
either way I'll be happy to wait for the next chapter as long as you don't quit this story!
It's an interesting story that leaves one wondering if this is truly an alt-universe, or one twisted and mutilated by the utilization of vast evil power.
Well let's look at what we have
Magic: Lyra?
Generosity: Prolly Hooves
Kindness: Vinyl
Loyalty: Octy
Honesty: ?
Laughter: Well, Derpy said to smile. So there's that.
Also, who was the orange pegasus? Not
Scoots, is it?Nvm
Vinyl silently cursed
thethe fuzziness in her headscan these tunnels at regular interval
1. Extra The.
2. Intervals.
“Is that why you chose this location? Because it still working sensors?” (because it still what?)