//------------------------------// // The Tension Of Past Regrets (Part 2) // Story: As a Family // by Dashzilla93 //------------------------------// Drift hung his head and sighed, annoyed today didn't go as smoothly as he'd hoped. He walked through Ponyville and entered the neighborhood part of the town, ignoring other ponies around him and ignoring the odd looks they were giving him. To them, he looked like a friend to Cranky Doodle Donkey, but to himself, he was just a guy who wanted to be left alone. Today was supposed to be a peaceful day and just do his job as always. Then that annoying, moronic, nuisance of a mare showed up and ruined it all. If it wasn't for Gilda, he'd never get out of Rainbow Dash's torment. That's the first time he ever thanked Gilda for anything; even so much as appreciated it. Last time he saw her, she and Rainbow Dash beat the ever-loving flank out of him and a few of his friends. And he didn't even know why! Gilda shouldn't have been involved, to begin with. He quickly stopped himself before he made himself go crazy. The past was the past, and Gilda apologized for what she did; he was thankful that someone changed over the years. He should focus on Rainbow Dash and try to figure out how to stop her... “Wait, why should I even care?” Drift thought to himself as he passed a few ponies walking around him. 'She needs to let go and move on!' he rolls his eyes to himself. He doesn't care about Rainbow Dash and he wasn't going to let her manipulate him into having a guilt trip. What's done is done and there wasn't a thing he could do about it; nor did he ever want to. But he couldn't shake the feeling he had to. He stared off into the bright blue, cloudy sky and pondered if he should. He crushed his eyelids and let out a small, sharp groan; he was annoyed and confused and tired. He really wished Rainbow Dash would've just left him alone. Now all he wanted to do was go home and sleep the day away. Lucky for him, he didn't have any other plans today, so that was a plus. He walked several blocks down the neighborhood district and approached a unique looking house. While other houses looked off-putting and almost identical, he decided to have his own house be vastly different from the others. Despite the average two-story height, his house was fifteen feet in length and width and had a perfect triangular-shaped roof with a sky blue coating to match the cloudy-white color spots. The walls were also coated with light green tint and decorated with brown leaf-like spots. The windows were placed evenly with an oval-shaped door between them. And to add more to his perfect house, there was a large round window under the roof with a camo-style curtain blocking the room it was attached to. Drift smiled wholeheartedly at a sight he so loved to see. If there was anything he was proud of, it was buying a house like this. It was his castle and he loved it. He approached his home and was about to get his key before he noticed something off about the door. He looked at it confused for a moment so he could process until a click in his brain pointed to what was wrong. “What rotten luck,” Drift utter as he gazed at the slightly opened door. Someone broke into his home, but there wasn't a scratch on his door; not one chip of wood off place. One specific answer would be that magic was involved. Something like a crowbar would leave an imprint or something. He hummed to himself and went with the magic guess. But another question came up: is the intruder still inside? Only one way to find out. Drift Velocity placed a shaky, hesitant hoof on the door and gently pushed it open to find nothing but a hallway with four rooms, mossy green walls and swirling stairs at the end. He gulped one time before entering. He quietly closed the front door with his back hoof and placed his bag onto a small table. He looked back at the front door and locked it with his wing. If the intruder thinks they were going to escape easily, they'd be wrong. His tired and annoyed attitude became defensive, determined and ready. “Picked the wrong house to be in, whoever you are,” Drift said as he ventured into his own home, being as cautious as a wolf on the hunt. He trotted quietly and kept his ears focused, listening in; if the intruder was gonna hide, luck will not be on their side since there a few places to hide. He passed another small round table to his left with two picture frames of him with a giant boa in a cage and him with another stallion pony standing over the carcass of a large cockatrice. He stealthily looked to the first room on the left to see the kitchen, but no pony there. Room 1 was clear. Then he looked into the room behind him and saw a large wooden table with four chairs and pictures of himself with his parents and his sibling framed on the walls and on furniture. He let out a slow, relieving breath and saw that nothing was missing from the dining room. Which was strange to him, because most thieves would leave a form of mess or leave some clues behind. But Room 2 was clean, which confused him the longer he stayed around. He walked away from the dining room and walked further down the hall, walking passed another picture frame of his younger days in high school with two other pegasus stallions. He decided to skip the room next to the dining room because he thought that would be a really dumb place to be. There were no windows to escape out of and, unless they were a rat or small filly or colt, hiding under the sink would be another really stupid option, so there was no need to check it. He looked at the door facing the door to the bathroom and opened it to see a room with a medium-screen TV on top of a furniture with a game station underneath and a small, yet comfortable, bed was laying sideways with the head facing next to a window and a fan lazily hanging from the ceiling. He smiled calmly, seeing the bed had nothing to support it so no one would hide under there. He walked in to check the window, but it looked completely untouched; no scratch, no attempted to escape. There was nothing. This room was clear, too. “What is going on here?” Drift said to himself as he walked out of the guestroom. If this intruder really wanted to steal anything, they were either doing a lousy job or really great job. Did this intruder love to clean up after themselves before leaving? Or was this intruder doing this just to tick him off? Either way, it was working as his annoyance was growing by each passing minute. He rubbed his head slowly. He was thinking way too hard about this and it was making him exhausted, or more exhausted than he already was. This intruder confused him and the last room left was his bedroom above him. He looked up at the wooden roof and was ready to go up there. But other thoughts suddenly rang throughout his mind, on one hoof if there really was an intruder then there would be signs and he'd call the police, but on the other hoof was there really an intruder, to begin with. He then felt dumbfounded and embarrassed of himself, and then asked himself “Did I forget to lock the door earlier?” He shook his head before heading to the stairs... Then there was a flush behind the bathroom door. He swung his head around and widened his eyes, flabbergasted. He was right, there was an intruder, but he didn't expect the intruder to pull a 360 with his thoughts. All his thoughts now shifted and came up with more guesses, but he had little time; the intruder will be out soon. Nothing was stolen. Nothing was damaged. And he was proven without the intruder knowing it. He turned around and waited as he tried to put all the pieces to this new mysterious puzzle together; this intruder was the kind to come in unannounced and hang out without any of his consent. Whoever this intruder was, they'll get more than a scolding. Until a sudden click in his head made him confused and have a second thought of this situation. He couldn't shake the feeling this happened before. But why? It was an itch he couldn't scratch and it was slowly irritating him. He can't get himself to recall who would come to his home unannounced without reason and... and... “Wait, a minute? This has happened before. I know who this,” Drift said to himself and snarled a little. He was annoyed at himself for not figuring this out sooner. The water to the faucet and whistling can be heard before the water turned off; then the door finally opened. Drift sat down, annoyed, as the intruder revealed themselves, or now herself, to him. A unicorn mare with pale yellow fur and a mix of blue for the main color and light blue for the secondary. She had on a pair of glasses with magenta lenses and a set of earphones on over her ears. Most likely blocking out any sound she could hear. And her music note cutie mark was also a dead giveaway to him. His annoyance became a sudden shock of surprise and curiosity; why was she here? More importantly, how did she find him? He did not recall telling her where he lived just yet. But she was here now, so answers were in order. To others, she was a highly popular DJ, but to him, she was his little, music-loving step-sister. “Hello, Vinyl Scratch,” Drift greeted. Vinyl smiled at Drift, keeping herself cool but she was excited to see her older step-brother, “Yo, D-bro, how's it going? Haven't seen you in ages,” Vinyl greeted in her tomboy accent. As much as he was hating himself right now, Drift couldn't help but give her a small smile in return. He couldn't really be mad at her, but he had cut to the chase right now, “Oh you know, good, wondering why my sister came in here without my permission. “You left your door unlocked, so I took advantage of it,” Vinyl closed the bathroom door with her back hoof and let out a chuckle as she took off her glasses to get a better look at him. But now he had a reason to be mad, at himself. He mentally cursed for being so foolish for forgetting a simple thing, he even uttered a quiet “D'oh!”, but what's done is done. He really should work on that. “So, how did you find me?” Drift asked. “I only told--” “Yup,” Vinyl said answering his question before he could get another word in. It threw him off-guard but Vinyl explained to him rather casually and straightforward, “Thunderlane told me where you lived and I had to see you when I got the chance.” She nudged an arm on him with a smug smile, “And I couldn't waste this chance. I missed you, D-Bro.” “Please don't make a habit of that.” “No promises.” “Well, I'm glad it's you and not some other pony,” Though he loved seeing his little step-sister, he secretly wanted to beat the holy tar out of Thunderlane for pulling a stunt like this and telling her; he wasn't ready. The rage bug was biting and it was biting hard. He breathed a calm, soft sigh to hopefully settle his nerves. He came close to attacking his little sister. Had he not stopped himself and done so, he'd never forgive himself. And that would've made things a whole lot worse given he was already in a stressful situation. “Would you like a tour around the house, V-Sis,” he asked as she waved an assuring hoof at him. “I gave myself a small tour while you were gone. The only place I haven't seen is the room upstairs.” He looked at the spiral stairs and figured Vinyl arrived probably a few hours before he did, “Guess it hasn't been that long, then” He looked back at nudged his head to his left. “Come on, I'll show you my room.” “Before we do, how's that scar?” Vinyl asked curiously. After she heard what happened to him from her parents when one of her concerts was over, she wasn't too thrilled about it and it worried her a lot. She never got the whole story and wanted to know from the source. “What happened, exactly?” Drift widened his eyes and placed a hoof on his face, rubbing the scar gingerly. He hadn't really paid any attention the scar ever since it fully healed after his... 'accident'. But now that it's being brought up, some shocking memories came back and it was hard to answer right away. But what confused him was that Vinyl didn't receive what happened to him from their parents. Why didn't they tell her the whole story? ”Really?” Drift pondered confusedly. “Mom and Dad never told you what happened?” Vinyl shook her head and explained, “No, they never told me. All they told me was that you got attacked by something or someone,” She scoffed a bit. “and they told me something about your face and you were out cold. That's it. They were talking so fast, I could barely understand what they were saying before they hung up.” He put his hoof down and frowned in slight disappointment, “That doesn't sound like them,” he shrugged carelessly. He wasn't in the mood to know right away, because “I have a lot of time on my hooves, so I can tell you what happened.” Vinyl smiled a bit at Drift. She was happy to hear he was willing to tell her what happened. She was also excited to not only talk to him but spend time with him for once – even though she broke in instead of waiting for him. Her excitement gets the better of her. “Just let me get settled, alright? I know my home isn't really all nice or fancy, but it's still a good home. Might as well make it like it's yours.” She knew exactly what that meant and Vinyl wasn't going to refuse that offer, “Thanks, D-Bro,” Vinyl said appreciatively and immediately rushed to the spiral stairs without Drift. Drift tried to call to her but she was already in his room faster before he could get a word. “And she's already upstairs,” Drift paused for a bit but chuckled. “Ah well, it can't be helped.” and he thought Rainbow Dash had speed. He shortly followed her upstairs and poked his head out and watched his little sister crash onto a large blue beanbag with a fuzzy comfy outer layer a few feet away from a turned off forty-inch TV on top of a strong two-door wooden furniture. Vinyl looked around his room. It was nothing like looking at a dusty attic. There were light green coloring with darker green colors to mix with it on the ceiling with different shapes of leaves and branches and a painting of three Wonderbolts flying over a cloud was on the far right over Drift's bed. There was a fan lazily hanging directly in the middle of a ceiling. And some rather large wooden chests next to the bed and his TV. But unlike most attics, this one had a room had a closet in front of Drift's bed. She didn't know what to think about it, but Vinyl wasn't going to complain; turning an attic into your own room was somewhat creative, in a way. “Now this is the life, Drift. I don't care if it's fancy or not; we never grew up in a fancy house anyway.” “Thanks, I guess,” Drift climbed up into his room and walked up to her before sitting on a soft chair with thick padding next to the beanbag. “So, spill it, D-Bro. How'd you get that scar?” Vinyl asked very enthusiastically. Drift leaned back in his chair and relaxed, thinking hard about what happened, “Well,” it's been a while since the incident and he wasn't really good with explaining situations, so he had to be blunt and straightforward; it was easier that way for him. But he did remember what his objective was when that horrifying event happened. “I went on a hunting trip with at least five other hunters helping me out. We were trophy hunting and our only goal was to find an elusive manticore in the Everfree Forest.” “A manticore?” Vinyl tilted her head and raised a confused brow. “Aren't manticores supposed to live in rocky areas?” She barely passed biology class but she did recall hearing about Manticore habitats; usually in a cave or rocky areas. Drift shook his head and corrected her about that information, “Oh no, Vinyl. Not in the slightest. You're half-right, but Manticores can live where ever they so, please. What you're thinking of are stone golems.” Which he was relieved to still remember stone golems are way more friendlier than manticores, but trophy hunting at least one of them would be near impossible since... well... almost nothing can harm them. “Oh, alright. Figured something was off there. Biology wasn't my strong suit,” though she was happy Drift was there to help her out when she needed it. She had too many headaches to count. “Ya think?” Drift teased as Vinyl glared at him with a pout, but continued his story. “Anyway, we ventured into a good chunk of the forest; I'd say miles even. We were walking along a path, keeping our eyes out for the damn thing. It wasn't hard finding it...” he suddenly looked down and cast his eyes at the grassy-green wooden floor. “Or rather... it found us.” He concentrated hard and actually managed to remember what occurred. “We weren't hunting it, it was hunting us,” he snorts at the irony in it but continued. “We didn't see it coming before it was too late. It leaped out of a bush, ambushing us.” Vinyl widened her eyes a bit and kept her ears open, “Then what happened?” Drift slightly snarled. He thought he was on a simple task. Just an easy way to get bits. He didn't expect his trip to be a death trap and it was biting back at him like a snake bite, “We thought we were hunting an albino manticore or something like that. What we were not prepared for was for it to be a rogue.” he sighed disappointingly. He regretted ever going on that had he not known that would happen, but now he could see it clear as day. He sat back on his chair, and continued, “Tiger skin. Dark mane. Brown eyes. Bat-like wing. Teeth and claws that could possibly tear even dragon scales. This... this thing wasn't a normal manticore. It looked like it came straight out of Tartarus.” Vinyl widens her eyes in shock. Guess biology class never told her about this, or maybe she just wasn't paying attention when the teacher brought up manticores. But now she felt like she was taking lessons all over again because this story was probably all she needed to know about how dangerous these creatures can be. To hear one going rogue made it more convincing to her, but she knew there was more to the story and something in her told her to tell Drift she got the idea and he can stop while another voice told her to have him keep going. She chose the latter and allowed him to continue. If she stopped him, things wouldn't end well for him mentally. His body twitched and shuddered violently as the memories were coming back with a vengeance. Images of the fight began to burn, “We did what we could to try and take it down. Crossbows, spears, guns, even illegal weapons like grenades and tear gas, nothing took this thing down. If one of us did manage to injure it, it probably brushed it off like it was a tickle or something,” he said as he tried to keep himself steady; it was harder than he'd wish. The horrific memory that really stood out from that event was the beast striking him down, pinning him down by the arms. He was lucky that his claws had missed, but that was the very least of his worries as the monster of a manticore glared its primal eyes down at him while having one of the hunters in its mouth, dangling as a lifeless corpse. It was not a pretty sight but it was already burned in his mind. He never moved an inch or even breathe as all he could do was stare right back at the creature's eyes. The creature let out a growl through its kill. He seemed satisfied with one hunter instead of five; one seemed filling enough for it, so as if by some miracle, he was going to spare the four. Drift's body was paralyzed from the shock and he braced for the end put down its kill before lifting its head; if he was going to be killed next, he'd prayed the creature at least made it a fast one. What happened wasn't pain, but a roar in his face. How he didn't go deaf from that is beyond miracles; he didn't know if it was a warning or threat... Probably both. With a satisfied snort, the creature took his kill and left, and right at that moment, Drift passed out with only the fading calls of the other hunters coming to his side. He placed a hoof on his scarred muzzle, and said with a disheartened sigh, “But in the end, we were gnats compared to it. It killed one of my fellow hunters and lashed its stinger at me. It cut across my face, but it felt like a minotaur wearing a spiked brace knuckle punching me dead center in the face.” He knew his wound was healed but he couldn't help but rub his face as though the pain came back all over again. Vinyl looked at him in utter shock and horror. She couldn't bring up the words to say when she heard this. What could she say? She was so relieved that her brother was alive to tell this story but felt bad for bringing up now. She felt ashamed of herself. She tried to speak to him, but Drift kept going. “All of us were hurt. Most of us, including me, was out cold after the attack. The last thing I remember was that damn manticore roaring in my face and leaving with one of our own in its jaws as if he was prey.” he said with a growl in his tone and slammed his right hoof on the chair arm. Vinyl flinched and quickly reached her hoof over and placed it on his shoulder, “Drift?” Vinyl called to get his attention. She didn't know what to say to him, but she had to say something to calm him down, “It's okay. It's all in the past now. You don't have to deal with that thing anymore.” Drifted felt his sister's hoof on him, but didn't react. He shook his head, refusing to believe that, “No, Vinyl. He's still out there. As long as that beast of Tartarus is still around, that pain will never leave,” Drift said. “When the rest of us woke up from the hospital, we gave him a name. A name we will never forget.” “W-What was his name?” Vinyl asked a bit timidly, actually getting scared not just because of the story, but because it was bringing out a side she'd never seen in her step-brother. Drift glanced at his sister and spoke his name to her, unaware he was scaring her, “We named him, Marabunda.” “Marabunda?” Drift nodded, “It means nature's tank.” He looked away and shook his head as the horrific look on their faces when the Manticore attacked came back and the brutal, primal, killing intents in the manticores' eyes gave him slight dread and anguish. “And he showed it without any hesitation. He was a monster.” His tone sounded serious and full of hate. He wanted revenge, and Vinyl could tell right away. “D-Bro, are planning on doing what I think you're--” “No,” he said and cutting her off. “I'm not capable. Not yet, at least.” he sighed again, contemplating on what to do. “I quit the trophy hunting business because of what happened. I believe the rest of the hunters did the same. I don't really know what they're doing right now.” She didn't have the answer for that, but that did answer one thing that was going through her mind, “So, that's why Mom and Dad didn't say much. I guess they didn't want me to worry about you.” Drift took note of that and looked at Vinyl puzzled, “If that's the case, they must've known you were a busy mare.” he chuckled then said, “After all, you are the world's famous DJ.” He nudged his elbow against her and teased her as she blushed bashfully. “Oh, you know me, I don't like to toot my own horn, but I am pretty famous. Octavia and I are both famous music ponies after all,” she giggled and bashfully looked away. Even when she was younger, she always wanted to entertain a crowd. It was in her nature, in a way. “Octavia?” Drift said. “I think I've heard her name in a magazine before. She your girlfriend or something?” he teased her again but Vinyl just swiped a sharp glare at him and blushed embarrassingly and somewhat angrily. She didn't find it the least bit funny. “Where did you hear that kind of info from?!” Vinyl asked in a sharp tone and waited a bit for Drift to respond. He looked away in thought for a moment then gave her an answer, “I don't know? Fuzzfeed, I guess.” he looked back at Vinyl only to see her give him a straight face that clearly spoke 'You're an idiot'. “What?” Vinyl gave Drift a solid clunk on the noggin with her hoof that sounded like she hit a coconut. “Ow! What was that for?” Drift asked irritated as he rubbed his head tenderly. “First off, it felt good. Second, I'm straight and so is Octavia. Third, why in Celestia's bloody name are you reading news from Fuzzfeed? All they spread is nothing but garbage. I was their target for I don't know how many times and ponies believed them,” She presses a hoof against him and gave him a stern look. “Don't you dare fall for their idiotic lies, you got that?” Poor Drift was a little scared now, he only wanted to joke around with that. He didn't expect that big of a reaction out of his sister, 'I dunno know who's scarier at the moment, Marabunda or Vinyl?' Either way, do not joke with her about Fuzzfeed. Lesson learned. “Alright, alright. Sorry. I was just clowning around.” Vinyl removed her hoof from him and relaxed after hearing that, “Good.” she then giggled innocently and apologetic as she rubbed her head awkwardly, “Sorry about that, I just don't need any of my friends and family thinking I'm something I'm not,” she then thought about one thing they said. “Though, I will admit, me as a vampire does sound awesome.” she shrugged it off, of course. But that didn't change her mind about them, though. “Eh, it's alright. I've dealt with crazy customers back where I work. I'm kind of use to it,” that and a boss who knows a thing or two about dealing with them; he still wonders if Rocky was just as crazy or has an immunity to it. Vinyl smiled a bit and nodded before asking, “Think you're gonna be alright after that little skirmish of yours?” She wanted to know how he got that scar. She didn't expect him to have an episode. Hearing that story was downright horrifying. He nodded to her, looking a bit tired. He didn't mind telling her the story, but it wasn't enough to make him go insane. Sure, it was traumatizing to him and he knew he couldn't face Marabunda again, he couldn't leave his sister hanging. Besides, it actually felt good for him to get that off his chest. Though, there was one issue he couldn't escape if his life depended on it. It almost felt like a tumor in a way. “Yeah, I'll be fine, V-Sis,” Drift said with a positive smile but looked away in thought, but his sister caught it right away. “Something wrong, Drift?” “Well, sort of. It's complicated to say,” he didn't really know how to break it to her or what to even say? 'A crazy pegasus mare is trying to get me back with someone who probably wants to kill me?' that seemed a bit much. He turned his head and noticed the radio on a box next to the window. Then a few things came to mind and he loathed himself for not thinking this sooner. “But before I tell ya, I need to do a few things here,” Vinyl looked at him confused as she watched him hop off his chair and turned on the ceiling fan. He then walked up to a radio and turned it on. It was on a station that played all kinds of rock and roll music. And the sound of the music made Vinyl gush with happiness. It may not be a large stereotype speaker, but it was better than not listening to anything. She would listen to her music in her earphones, but she didn't want to be rude. “I knew there was something missing around here,” she giggled jokingly as Drift came back and sat on his chair more comfortably. Drift was a former trophy hunter and Vinyl was a DJ, but if there was one thing that they shared in common with the absolute most was their love for music; rock, jazz, disco, a bit of pop, any kind they seem fit to them. And they absolutely loved it. Drift smiled ecstatically as an upbeat song came up on the radio. It was loud, but not loud enough to rattle the house and bring attention to other ponies. It was in a good volume for the siblings to hear each other speak. “This place isn't perfect without music around,” he lively said as Vinyl bobbed her head a bit to the song. “You got that right, D-bro,” she giggled before asking him, “So, what were you going to say?” With the music soothing and helping his nerves, Drift could nearly think straight. He leaned back in his chair and explained, “Alright, so, you know Rainbow Dash right?” Vinyl thought about that name for a moment and nodded right away, recognizing it, “Yeah, I know her through Pinkie Pie. I haven't hung out with her, but I know she's really awesome like me. At least that's what ponies tell me.” Awesome wasn't the word he was looking for, but he was glad to know Vinyl knew of her and somewhat surprised she never hung out with her in high school. Either way, he was glad that never happened. He figured it was alright to tell her since she most likely wouldn't care. “She's been getting on my back lately trying to get me to go talk to an ex-girlfriend of mine I had back in high school.” A look of shock jolted onto Vinyl and she beamed her eyes on Drift, “Seriously?!” she had no idea he had a girlfriend before. During high school, she minded her own business hanging with ponies like Octavia and a few other ponies. Now and then she'll hang with Drift if she wanted to. But this was an absolute shock. “Why would she do that? She has no business trying to force you to do something you don't want to. But why didn't you tell me you had a girlfriend before? I thought we were close, D-bro.” she teased childishly. Drift rolled his eyes and chuckled, “We are, Vinyl. And I wanted to; loved to, in fact. But she always hung around Rainbow Dash constantly or always wanted to be alone with me. She was always so shy around others, it got really annoying over time.” Vinyl raised a suspicious brow, taking note of what Drift said. His ex-girlfriend hung around Rainbow Dash a lot, but she was shy around others. That didn't seem like anyone she knew, unless... “I mean don't get me wrong, what she did was really annoying, but we were together because I thought she was quite the looker; hotter than Rarity, that's for sure. She was like a trophy mare.” As Drift talked, some memories of high school came flowing back bit by bit in Vinyl's mind. She seemed to recall spending some time with a mare in the cafeteria. She was so shy and quiet, she didn't know if one single movement from her would scare her off. But lucky for her, she wasn't as scared as what she thought and she sat next to her to hopefully start a chat with her. To her surprise, she did and she was super sweet. Vinyl would make fun of her just for giggles, but she made it so hard to. Vinyl thought this mare was alright. She wasn't weird; just quiet and shy. They hung around with each other for a while until they stopped suddenly. She hung out with Octavia from then on. She forgot her name, so it wouldn't hurt to ask, “Drift, what was her name?” “What?” he asked and looked at her slightly confused. “What was her name? I think I might know who you're talking about.” Drift wondered why she would ask that, but shrugged and told her Fluttershy's name, “Oh, well, her name was Fluttershy.” “Pink mane, yellow fur, totally shy?” “Um, yes, yes, that's her. Why? Do you know her?” he felt puzzled a bit. Vinyl wasn't so curious about much. Realization could never hit so hard in all her life. The mare Drift was talking about was Fluttershy and he never told her about this? Now she has a reason to be upset at him. Well, excited mostly. But she just decided to refrain herself before she caught what Drift said about Fluttershy being a 'trophy mare' and that wasn't too appealing to her ears. Drift was a trophy hunter when it came to animals, but to a mare? Something was off here. She relaxed on the beanbag and nodded to him, answering his question, “Yeah, I know her. Not by a lot.” She lied knowing full well she knew more than what she planned for Drift to think. She had to pull an act to get more of the story. “We only hung out for thirty minutes until I decided to go find Lyra.” The look he was giving to her was like a gullible fish – buying it hook, line and sinker. She mentally sighed in relief as he nodded. “Well, if you say so,” Drift said with a shrug as he continued, “We use to date for quite a while. A good year and it was okay... I guess.” Bittersweet would've been a better word for him. “I see,” she was quite impressed with him for holding a relationship for that long. “And were you two close?” “Heh, oh, we were close all right,” Drift smiled as he drifted into space, recalling that 'certain moment' with Fluttershy and how fun it was. How Rainbow Dash never knew before hoof was still surprising to him, “Very, very close.” Vinyl caught what Drift was talking about and her eyes widened as big as dinner plates, blushing tomato-red. She waved her hooves frantically at him to get him to stop from going any further, “Not like that, D-Bro!”, she barked. “I mean were you two best friends before you got together?” Drift looked at his little sister and blushed awkwardly, feeling like he shouldn't have gotten straight to 'that' point just yet. He rubbed the back of his head and smiled apologetically, “Whoops, sorry, V-Sis. I guess I got a little carried away.” Carried away was an understatement. She pouted at him and wanted to swing another hoof at him; hopefully in the face. She just wanted a simple conversation and that's it. She didn't need the image of Drift and Fluttershy doing the dirty deed. Guess some things haven't changed. “I'll ask again, perv. How close were you and Fluttershy?” Now back to reality, Drift can answer properly instead of making it awkward again. Though Vinyl's reacting was very hilarious to him. He refrained himself from laughing and explained, “We were close, but not close enough to be best friends. We were just friends,” more or less like acquaintances. He still to this day never knew what Fluttershy saw in him. But he wasn't complaining. She was perfect to him and that was it. Something about that didn't quite set right. If they weren't that close, why be together? Unless it had something to do with that trophy business. But she needed to ask a few more questions before bringing that up. She needed a few more pieces to this puzzle. “Then who asked who, if you two weren't that close?” Drift let out a light chuckle and openly admitted, “Believe it or not, she asked me out. We were hanging out with other one day and she popped the question. She was straightforward about it – in her shy way, I guess.” “Wait? Seriously?” Vinyl said completely thrown back by that. “She asked you out?” Drift nodded in response, “Yeah. Of course, I said 'yes'. I couldn't pass that up. Rainbow Dash wasn't too happy about it, but I didn't care.” He really didn't. Even in high school, he thought that tomboy Rainbow Dash was just a nuisance. But it looks like he had to tolerate her since he was gonna be with Fluttershy. Well, that and the fact that said tomboy was friends with Fluttershy, too. Drift was right. She found it hard to believe Fluttershy would ask first; she didn't seem like the mare to do so. What gave her the bulk to ask Drift out? This was starting to get interesting. “Then what happened after that?” Vinyl asked. “Once we made it official, things were going great,” Drift said with a smile. “Our relationship was strong and I couldn't be happier.” His smile slowly sank to a disapproval frown, and he said in an annoyed tone, “But then things went south when she kept bring up the idea of starting a family.” it was weird to him, but even he knew they were too young to start a family. Vinyl lifted her head and leered at Drift in shock and excitement. That can't be right. Fluttershy wanted a what?! “Whoa, wait-wait-wait wait...” she had to speak up about this new info she just received. “Ok, timeout.” Vinyl requested as she tapped her hooves in a timeout gesture. “Fluttershy wanted to start a family with you?” Even she didn't see that coming. Back when she knew her, Fluttershy didn't even tell or give a hint that she wanted to start a family. What gives? “Both of you were too young!” “I thought the same thing,” Drift agreed with her. “Why would anyone start a family while still in high school? It makes no sense.” She sat back down and leaned back as she thought about this, “No, it doesn't.” She then started pieces the story together or tried to at least. It didn't take long to click that he answered his own question, and she was gonna let him know. She glared disappointingly at Drift. “Apparently she did, D-bro. And you gave it to her.” Drift raised a confused brow and asked in a deadpan tone, “Uh, come again?” Vinyl pushed herself off the beanbag and kept her stern glare at Drift. It was time he knew what he did wrong, “Spill it, Drift. What did you mean by trophy mare? And did you ever love Fluttershy?” Drift leaned his head back, confused by Vinyl's actions, “Why do you care? You said you barely knew her?” he had no idea what was going on. Vinyl didn't seem like she cared and now she looked upset. Vinyl shook her head, “I lied. We used to hang out for a while in the cafeteria before I started hanging out with Lyra and other students in the music room and I actually got to know her.” “You what? Why would you do that?” Drift asked concerned. Was she playing a game with him? “Why?” “Because I know you'd lie to me,” Vinyl said dryly. Drift was gonna talk whether he wanted to or not. Drift didn't say anything to that as they locked eyes. She read him like a book. 'Clever girl' was all he could describe his sister after hearing her answer. He would've done exactly that because he didn't want any more scolding from anybody, not even from his own family, especially his sister. No point in hiding anything anymore. he looked away, ashamed of himself. Being cool wasn't thrown aside. Vinyl was as serious as she's ever been. More serious than the time she lost her glasses. She knew her brother and she knew he can be deceiving. “Now talk. Did you or did you not love Fluttershy and did you do the unthinkable?” Drift blinked a few times and answered truthfully, “At first, no. I saw her as a means to say 'I have a marefriend' and because she was very beautiful. I didn't really care about her feelings or what she wanted. I only cared for her looks.” Vinyl stood there jaw-dropped and with eyes widened once more. Her snout folded into a slight snarl and her irises shrank to the size of pennies. If her body was a furnace, boiling-hot steam would jet out of her back at that moment and engulf the whole house. Drift didn't look at his step-sister, but he can tell she was getting pissed. He played into her trap and now he's paying the price. He honestly can't blame anyone but himself for this. He would say he was so proud of her if it weren't for the situation they were in. And he understood Vinyl's anger and doesn't even try to convince her to calm down because the answer to her second question will be set in stone. He actually felt a little cold for what he is about to say. “And... for the whole family part, I got fed up with Fluttershy bringing it up over and over; it broke me. On one of our dates, we did it. I wasn't in the mood to hear anything she had to say,” he sighed having to think back to that moment. It wasn't fun at all. He should've been more smarter about his actions. “I didn't even think to ask if it was her first time or if I was hurting her. I just... went in. No protection” Her jaw closed up and her teeth bared like hyena's. The rage she had within her was building up at an alarming rapid pace. Vinyl had never been so furious towards her brother in all her life. Joking around, sure, she got huffy with him but laughed it off. She couldn't recall a single moment she had ever been so mad at her brother because unless it involved her business or that newsfeed, hardly anything made her mad... Until now. “When all was done, weeks passed and I got word that Fluttershy was pregnant...” the moment he was told was the moment he bolted. He was not ready to be a father and all he had to do was hide until school was over. His friends were supporting him for doing the deed then bailing on her. “...but, instead of being happy, I ran and I had Thunderlane tell Fluttershy it was over between us. I couldn't bare to face her after what I did.” he gave Fluttershy her wish, but it had major consequences both had to endure. “After I ran, I didn't see her again. I don't know if she was happy, sad or what about what happened. No doubt she had the kid. Shame I don't know who it is,” and that's all he had to say. He didn't hear a word from Vinyl. No doubt she was angry. He couldn't blame her. He screwed up and he was willing to admit it. Back then he was energetic and tough, now he's laid back and carefree. Or at least he thought he did. Thinking about what he said earlier was just wrong but he was too scared to fix it. He was hoping Fluttershy would forget about what happened... and forget about him. He glanced at Vinyl for the moment of truth. She didn't have to say a word, as her face said it all for her. Her eyes were cherry-red, close to fire colored, they were full of anger and rage. Her muzzle was all scrunched up and her teeth were locked shut and baring. Her body shook in occasional bursts and her horn was seething of blazing magic. Like a bomb, she was about ready to burst at any given moment. Vinyl was not just pissed, but outraged for what her brother did to Fluttershy. He knew he couldn't escape this. Talking to Vinyl would be useless and she'd no doubt side with Rainbow Dash. Actually, he can say this, “If it makes you feel any better, Rainbow Dash and Gilda found me and my friends kicked our flanks. I'd say she was a messenger or something. Now she wants me to get back with her. Are you on her side?” The question was asked and the info was received, but Vinyl couldn't hold in her bottled fury any longer. She reeled her right hoof back, “You--” she threw her arm and slammed a firm right hook right across Drift's cheek; directly on the scar “--Idiot!” Drift was knocked onto the floor with the chair with a hard thud. He lifted his upper body and rubbed his cheek. He hissed in pain and looked at his hoof, seeing a bit of blood. He couldn't tell if this was a new injury or if that scar partially reopened. She may be his little sister, but Vinyl seriously has some muscle around those tiny bones. He let out a weak chuckle and complemented Vinyl with a joke, “Ow. Crap. You sure know how to knock a stallion off his hooves,” He rolled on his back to look at his sister, only to see she was not laughing. She was in no mood for jokes. “I'll knock your teeth out next, you buckin', abandoning jerk!” Vinyl threatened with a snarl. “Of all the things you could have done, you had to go and do something as stupid as that!.” Drift sat up and held his cheek as he glared defensively at Vinyl, “Stupid? Vinyl, all I did was--” “Make her life a living hell,” Vinyl interrupted with a scold. “Not only did you knock her up and up and abandon her, but you left her in pain.” “What are you talking about? I thought I made her happy when I left. I gave her what she wanted.” “No, you didn't. You gave her so much pain, it was hurtful to those close to her; including me.” That right there bewildered Drift. He sat there in front of her motion, trying to process what she just said and what she meant, “W-What do you mean?” Vinyl walked up to Drift like a mother to a son and looked him straight in the eyes a mere foot away and said in a stern, venomous tone, “Did it ever occur to you how fragile Fluttershy was? Huh?” Drift bit his lip and felt his heart start to race. Looking at Vinyl was like looking at his own mother. It was really scary. He shook a bit in fear and anxiously answer, “N-No.” Vinyl looked at him with disappointed eyes, but she expected that answer, “I figured you wouldn't. You were too caught up with how much of a 'trophy mare' Fluttershy was, that you neglected to actually get to know her,” she scowled so hard that Drift thought her face was going to crack and break like one of mom and dad's commemorative plates. “From what I can tell that relationship went south the moment you said 'yes'.” Drift didn't know if he should feel insulted or agree with Vinyl out of fear. Either way, Vinyl was unleashing her berserk mode upon him. This wasn't the V-Sis he remembered. He had no clue Vinyl and Fluttershy were friends. He didn't even think to ask her because of high school and stuff. Vinyl retracted herself away from Drift and spoke a bit of trivia to him, “Fluttershy told me before how shy she was around others. It took some time for her to get used to me. She was used to Rainbow Dash and, somehow, you.” She assumed Fluttershy had a crush of Drift before all that happened. He looked at her with remorse. He didn't know. He was scared to face what he did. He didn't know he caused Fluttershy so much pain. All he wanted to do was get it over with so he could break up with her while she had his 'gift'; it was wrong. So very wrong. He slowly curled into a fetal position hiding his face behind his arms. Time had passed but it was coming back thanks to Vinyl. And she was right. “I don't remember much of what happened, but I remember seeing Fluttershy crying her eyes out next to Rainbow Dash. And I think her belly was strangely abnormal for such a young mare. And you said Marabunda was a monster.” Adding salt to the wounds just like that. Vinyl wasn't holding any punching. He got the message loud and clear; he just wanted Vinyl to stop now. “Please, Vinyl. No more. I get what you mean.” “No more?” Vinyl raised an eyebrow, not buying that in the slightest. “Drift, I'm not--” He looked up at her with puffy-red, teary eyes and a snotty muzzle “-- on her side. Whoa.” her rage slowly diminished as she looked at him rather astonished and somewhat guilty. She thought Drift was gonna fight back and try and counter her own arguments, but instead of doing that he just looks like a tortured pony. “Drift, why aren't you saying anything about this. I'm telling you what you've done, and you're not fighting back? This is not how this should go,” She was getting confused now. What was the deal here? He sniffed and almost choked on his words, but he managed to get some out, “You're right. I... I did abandon her,” he said with a few hiccups. Throughout those years, he suppressed his real emotion and disguised it for another. Now Vinyl has broken that disguise and brought it out. He felt extremely guilty for what he's done and he can't do anything about it unless he goes to Fluttershy. “But, I can't see her, Vinyl.” Vinyl was actually surprised by this. She thought Drift still didn't care for her and yet he said she's right. He was admitting to her and she didn't know what to say to it. She was in the zone of chewing him out, but now she can't. What else can she say? Maybe a few things. “Now hold on, Drift. You may be in a lot of wrongs, but so is Fluttershy,” Vinyl said as Drift gazed his sorrowful eyes at her. Vinyl let out some calm breaths and explained as best she could, “She should've waited. I don't have a family of my own because I knew not to start one so early.” She rubbed her head and threw another unknowing verbal punch at Fluttershy, “Sounds to me like Fluttershy wasn't thinking either.” Drift mindlessly nodded. Vinyl was right, again. Both of them have suffered consequences because of their idiotic actions. And in the end, those actions created a new one. Drift gasped softly and realized what had been done. “And because of what we did, we brought a baby into the world.” Vinyl nodded in return, “That's right. You two made something you can't fix.” She then smiled and giggled, giving a little tease. “You also made me an aunt,” the tease actually managed to get them to giggle a bit, bringing down the tension, to a degree that Drift can talk more clearly. Although, now that she thinks about it, the thought of being an aunt doesn't sound so bad to her now that she knows her step-brother has a kid. Maybe she can teach the little one some of her famous beats. “But, the thing is, I'm too scared to even face Fluttershy,” Drift admitted. “It's been so long since I've seen her, I don't know if she'll be upset, sad or what.” Vinyl smiled a bit and shrugged, “Won't know until we find out.” Her smile contorted to an 'almost forgot' face, “Um, but first, let's fix you up. I think I've might've tortured you rather than give you a lesson.” She tried to lighten the mood with that joke, but she was also being serious. “Sorry about that. I'm not much of a therapy pony.” Drift looked at himself and stood up before wiping his eyes from getting stung by more tears, “Don't be. I had that coming miles away. And you seemed to know what you were doing for someone who hasn't in Fluttershy's shoes.” Vinyl let out an innocent giggle and blushed bashfully, “I guess I picked up what mom put down.” Drift chuckled before thinking about right now. Should he go and see Fluttershy right now or wait until he's ready? That decision was making him rather nervous. He rubbed the back of his head until a cotton-white hoof touched his shoulder. He looked to see Vinyl with a soft, assuring smile knowing what he was thinking. “Don't worry, we don't have to see Fluttershy right now. We can wait until you're ready.” Wise words he never thought he'd hear from his little sister. How did Vinyl become so smart with this? But there was one itch that hadn't been scratched yet, “What about Rainbow Dash? She's been on my back for a while and won't give up until I break.” Vinyl shook her head at Drift and gave him a determined glare, “You don't need to worry about Rainbow Dash, Drift. She had the right intention but she's being pushy and forceful with how she's doing things. You leave her to me, D-Bro. You just need to worry about yourself.” She nudged her head to the stairs. “Come on. Just let me know where the med-kit is and I can try and patch you up.” Drift smiled a bit and nodded to her as he got up and walked down the stairs. All while thinking that Vinyl was acting very caring, almost like their mother in a way. He shrugged to himself and thought it was a coincidence. But he did want to ask her something when she got here. “So, why did you want to come here?” he looked back as Vinyl stopped halfway down the stairs. “I know you didn't just come here just to see me.” Vinyl blushed tomato-red as she looked at Drift, trying to come up with an excuse to hide her true intention, “Um...” Drift raised a brow, acknowledging the attempt but he tried doing that just now and it failed miserably. “V-Sis, come clean. What are you hiding?” He asked as he opened the bathroom door to get a box of tissues for his runny nose. Vinyl sighed in defeat and just chuckled, “I'm trying to keep it low. Ponyrazzi is trying to hunt me down for more fake news. Can't take any more of their crap.” Drift laughed a little at that. He can completely understand that. Being famous can't be easy for any celebrity. Truth be told, he didn't mind that she hid here. Having her here was enjoyable to him; even though the punch he got still hurts. But still, better her than anyone else. He opened the mirror door and grabbed the med-kit, “Here it is, V-sis.” Drift said holding it in his teeth before placing it down on the sink's edge. Lucky for them, the bathroom was big enough for two ponies, so it should be easy for them. “So, how do you feel about being a dad, D-Bro?” Vinyl asked as she opened the med-kit. “Hmm, hard to say. I don't know who my kid is, but I'm excited to know I am a dad.” “Oh yeah, duh. My bad. Once we get the whole Fluttershy thing over with, we are so going to find out who your mini you is.”