//------------------------------//
// Chapter 3: Values 
// Story: The Black Cello Mafia 
// by WolfOblivion 
//------------------------------//

The Black Cello Mafia
Chapter 3: Values

Octavia awoke to the sound of sizzling from outside of her room, which she then promptly bolted upwards in realization that she had slept at her own house instead of the luxury cell. Octavia was confused as she looked at the patio door open, even more when she scanned the room to she the blanket thrown about the room and the sheets lose. The other pillow she had put on the bed was crooked, a small dent in the area to the right of her. Looking out the door, she saw that the kitchen lights were on, stepped from the bed, donned her discarded shirt, and left the room.

Peering over the spiral staircase, she saw that the entire house's lights were on, obviously containing activity that Octavia was still oblivious to. Cautiously, she stepped down the stairs and onto the carpet to find a white unicorn cooking hay bacon inside of her frying pan. Vinyl's hair was a complete mess, which oddly gave her an essence of beauty, and ruffled fur matted all over her body. Tail twitching as she cooked, she seemed to not notice Octavia approached until she snapped her head and stared into her eyes.

"Well good morning. I'm cooking bacon, so feel free since it's yours." The unicorn offered when she turned the stove of and placed the hay bacon on a plate. 

Octavia stared at her as she moved about the kitchen, feeling utterly confounded at her being at her house. Finally, she entered the kitchen and sat at the table, picking a greasy-crispy piece of bacon and placing it in her mouth. Instantly her taste buds lit up in euphoric jubilation when the bacon hit her tongue, mouth watering at the wonderfully and almost fictional taste.

Octavia moaned from the taste, hungrily shoveling another two into her mouth while grease ran down her chin. Vinyl snorted a chuckle as she sat down, shaking her head.

"Save some for me."

Octavia looked up from her fourth bacon at Vinyl, giving her a hard stare of daggers. "Why are you here Vinyl?"

The unicorn pulled her gaze from the newspaper levitating in her magic, looking mockingly crestfallen at Octavia's question.

"I am offended!" Vinyl put a hoof to her chest and gasped, all to the frustration of Octavia whom rolled her eyes. "I had a great time last night, I can not believe you have forgotten it!"

Octavia tilted her head and squinted. "What do you mean? We didn't...."

Just then, all the memories of last night rushed to her conscious. She dropped the half eaten bacon in her hooves, eyes growing wide and mouth sliding open. A guttural draw came from her throat as more of the passionate night raced through her mind.

"We...We...We..."

Vinyl smirked and nodded, chewing on her bacon with loud smacks that snapped at the air. "We did it."

Octavia put her head in her hooves, regretting what she had done. "Oh my gods." She mumbled.

If her mother would know, all she would say is something racist against the unicorns, but Octavia was not her mother. She only thought of the fact that she let herself get sucked into more trouble. Shaking her head once more, Octavia looked up from her hooves to see Vinyl just looking at her with her deep red eyes, swirling with a certain decadence that made her want to submit; And so she did.

"Alright....so my first question is this: Why?"

Vinyl stared at Octavia after hearing her ask this, lowering the newspaper from her face to look up at the ceiling.

"Remember what I said to you the night we met?" Vinyl asked, still looking up towards the ceiling.

Octavia nodded. "You said I was sexy."

Vinyl smirked and snapped her neck, chewing her bacon again. "And I meant it!"

Octavia gaped her mouth again, still not quite understanding what the whole thing meant. Other than her being sexy and Vinyl had some type of affliction towards her. Vinyl looked down at her, putting the paper down again.

Vinyl closed her eyes for a couple minutes and nodded. Putting the paper on the table, she righted her self and opened her eyes to look into Octavia's.

"Alright Octavia, I got a question for you. Why are you in the mafia?"

Octavia whipped her head. "What do you mean? How do you-"

"I know you're in the earth pony mafia Octavia, why else would you be kidnapping Blue Blood, wearing a suit, and drinking in a Speak?"

For her second question, she had no answer. Perhaps she had made it too obvious, but she still had another question to answer.

"I guess I'm in the mafia because at the time of the prohibition I needed a job." Octavia shrugged.

Vinyl gave her a bored look. SLAM, Vinyl brought her hoof down on the table, a piece of bacon flying off of the plate. "NO! WHY ARE YOU THERE!"

Octavia shrunk in her seat, not expecting the sudden anger coming from her, lack of a better term, lover. She shrugged a wide eye'd shrug. "I don't know!"

Vinyl bucked the chair she was sitting on, sending it towards the stove and breaking into pieces. "Octavia. Listen to me. What-the fuck-is your business with the mafia?"

Octavia slowly sat back up in her seat, thinking about Vinyl's question. She had no idea for her being. After her incident with Nero, she had no passion for her life anymore, efficiently becoming a walking nihilist. She looked to Vinyl who was still leaning on the table with her two front hooves and peering into her soul, trying to search her for her secrets. Then Octavia found her answer.

"I owe it to them, to all the members of my family to do my best and do what what is best for the organization." Octavia said, crossing her legs as Vinyl stared back at her.

Vinyl kept still for a moment before breaking into a smile, nodding and dropping down from the table. "Good, good."

Octavia watched as Vinyl picked up the chair pieces and threw them out. After she was done, she walked over to the entrance, willing to leave.

"Vinyl!" Octavia yelled, not sure of what she was doing was what she wanted.

The unicorn stopped and looked over her shoulder to the grey mare.

"Where you going?"

Vinyl chuckled. "I can't stay here, you'll just regret it more. Anyway, you need to go down to the Rich building, I think the filthy pony wants to talk to you. See ya babe, it's Hearts Warming tomorrow, so expect me."

Octavia sat, staring at the door with and odd expression lit on her face. Was it regret? Confusion? Or was it Longing? Octavia turned back to face forward in her seat, thinking about her entire encounter with the mysterious mare.

"Filthy wants to speak with me? How does Vinyl know Filthy?" Thinking about it, Octavia dressed in her suit with her revolver in the holster under her left leg, it wasn't until she stepped out the door until she realized Vinyl had called her babe. Becoming flustered, she hurried her way to the warehouse.

=-=-=-=-=

"It's now phase two of the plan Octavia, and I want you to lead it." Filthy Rich said as Octavia had situated herself in a chair.

It was noon, every pony in Manehattan up in about to commute during the cold day. It was becoming evident to the citizens of Equestria that something big was happening in Manehattan, and the tension in the city was ripe and bountiful.

"And what does phase two involve sir?" Octavia said wryly. Filthy explained.

"So, with the ransom money we will acquire from the prince, we buy artillery."

Octavia felt lagged for a moment, not processing what Filthy had told her.

"Wait... artillery as in...Explosives?"

Filthy nodded, pulling out a file and tossed it to Octavia. She flipped it open to see orders of mortars, grenades, and other assorted exploding equipment. Gulping down the lump forming in her throat, she looked up to Filthy.

"Sir, what is this for?"

Filthy looked around his room before answering, an almost wild twinkle forming in his eyes.

"We are going to take the Pegasi."

Octavia sat confused. "What do you mean? Why are you planning this?"

"Well, I've received reports from our mole in the mafia, and he has told me that they plan to attack us soon. A well organized hit against our head quarters."

Octavia closed her eyes and put her hooves to her head. What the hell is going on lately with all these plans and military like incursions?

Though to not question Filthy, she nodded. "Okay, so we attack them first huh?"

"Yep. And once we acquire the explosives, you go in and destroy them first."

Octavia agreed, stepping from his office. She decided to go down to Applejack to tell her about this for their further plan to take down Filthy.

=-=-=-=-=

"Okay, so now things are really getting complicated." Applejack said when Octavia had told her about Filthy's plan.

Octavia nodded. "So what's our next move?"

Applejack was pacing, thinking through all events that had a possibility to occur. She looked to Octavia and shook her head.

"Go along with it, you might have a chance to kill Nero while you're at it." Applejack kept pacing, stopping with a confused look on her face.

"What's that noise?" She asked slowly walking to the large metal doors of the warehouse and peered outside. 

Octavia couldn't hear anything until she stepped closer to the doors, the large alarm of berating police sirens screeched past them in blinding fast speed, carried on a extra boost from magic that propelled them farther than legs could. 

The mares burst from the ware house and scanned the road to find the source of the hurry, leading them to the building that situated the earth mafia headquarters. Fires stood out from destroyed windows, and the flashes of gunshots were visible as they crashed through the air waves. An explosion blew five windows on the left side of the building, a collection of screaming following suit.

"Shit!" Octavia cursed out to no one. "Come on Applejack, we need to go!"

Applejack shook her head. "No, go ahead of me. I'll meet you there. Just don't die!"

Octavia nodded galloping down the street, following the route and hiding from the police as they veered by. All the way there, Octavia felt the dread begin to grow within her chest. Nothing about this will end well.