//------------------------------// // Chapter 1 // Story: The Long Road Home // by Wheller //------------------------------// Chronology notes: Stop! You are reading the Eleventh and story in the series started by The Kindness of Strangers! Please read The Kindness of Strangers first! http://www.fimfiction.net/story/389/ The second part of the story is Putting the Pieces Back Together found here: http://www.fimfiction.net/story/407/ The third part of the story is Midnight in the Heart of Equestria found here: http://www.fimfiction.net/story/419/ The fourth part of the story is Tomorrow is Always a New Day found here: http://www.fimfiction.net/story/433/ The fifth part of the story is To Each Their Own found here: http://www.fimfiction.net/story/526/ The sixith part of the story is Imperfect found here: http://www.fimfiction.net/story/600/ The seventh part of the story to Paradiso found here: http://www.fimfiction.net/story/687/ the eighth part of the story is Broken Record found here: http://www.fimfiction.net/story/732/ The ninth part of the story is Home Sweet Home found here: http://www.fimfiction.net/story/826/ This story is the direct sequel to Rite of Passage found here: http://www.fimfiction.net/story/895/ The Long Road Home Chapter 1 Home. Such a simple thing, and yet for Vinyl Scratch, it was something that she had never truly had. She had spent her fillyhood on the streets of Manehattan, dealing drugs for a greedy Diamond Dog named Trigger. What did Vinyl Scratch know of home? It was because of this that Vinyl Scratch had decided to wander. In those days, she had no home, no friends to keep her in one place. So why stay? That was the reason that she had made for herself when she decided to go to the Hoofson Bay. As fate would have it, it had been the most important choice in Vinyl Scratch’s life. That trip, walking along that long road, had taken Vinyl Scratch into the path of two other ponies with whom she bonded instantly. The long road had introduced her to two of the three real friends that Vinyl had made during her life time, Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash. Things were different now. Vinyl Scratch had followed the long road back and discovered something important at the end of it, home; the town of Ponyville, where her friends lived, where Vinyl Scratch now lived, where she and her friends kept the world from falling apart around them. Things were different now. Rainbow Dash was dead. Vinyl Scratch had been hit hard by the loss of Rainbow Dash, but what hurt her most was the fact that she couldn’t show it. She needed to be strong for everypony else who was grieving. Vinyl looked up from where she was lying on her sofa towards the corner of the room where an orange Pegasus filly sat, staring blankly towards the ground. Scootaloo and Vinyl Scratch had both grown up without homes. It was this fact that the two of them had bonded, they’d become sisters de facto. Now Rainbow Dash was dead, both of them were grieving. “Scootaloo?” Vinyl asked quietly. The Pegasus filly did not look up; Vinyl Scratch frowned and repeated herself. This time the filly looked up. “Yeah?” she asked, her voice filled with sadness. “Are you hungry? I can make my onion soup if you like!” Vinyl said. “No... thanks,” Scootaloo said, her head drooped back down, and she continued to stare blankly at the floor. Scootaloo had idolised Rainbow Dash for much of her life in Ponyville, she had looked up to Rainbow, making her her personal hero. Now her hero was dead, her spirit had been crushed under the weight of it. Vinyl rose from her spot on the sofa and sat down next to Scootaloo; she put her foreleg around her and did her best to console her. “I just want to be left alone right now,” Scootaloo said as squirmed her way out of it. “Sorry.” Vinyl Scratch felt tears forming in her eyes. She was glad that she was wearing her goggles; the last thing she wanted was for Scootaloo to see her crying. While Scootaloo had done a lot of growing up since meeting her de facto sister, she was still a kid. Vinyl needed to be strong for her. “Okay,” Vinyl said, forcing the best smile she could muster. It was not convincing. “Let me know if you get hungry, okay?” “Okay,” Scootaloo said, Vinyl wasn’t convinced. Vinyl went back over to the sofa and curled up on it; she closed her eyes and tried to go to sleep. Twilight Sparkle was staying with them; the Ponyville public library was off limits thanks to the deaths of two pegasi which had taken place early this morning. Even now, some fifteen hours later, the library was still full of uniformed police ponies and detectives. Vinyl had spent most of the day being interviewed by the mare in charge, Detective Chief Inspector Clockwork. Ponyville fell under the jurisdiction of the Canterlot Police Service’s Greater Canterlot, South department. DCI Clockwork had nearly the entirety of GCS’ Criminal Investigation Department relocated to Ponyville after a string of murders, two of the victims being detectives themselves. Ponyville had never needed a police presence before, but now it was a sign that times were changing. Worse still, Equestria was teetering on the edge of war with the Twin Gryphon Kingdoms of Nord & Syd. While formal hostilities had not been declared, the gryphons had chased elements of the South Island XX Corps across the border from the Hoofson bay and into Equestria, ending with a small battle in Ponyville itself. South Island was now an Equestrian ally; it was only a matter of time before the gryphons upped the ante and openly declared hostility, and to make matters worse, the kangaroo soldiers who had made their temporary home in Ponyville did not get along with the police and vice versa. The kangaroos had made it their duty to protect Ponyville, which lead them into conflict with the Police, as they were the ones legally charged with protecting Ponyville. So far, these confrontations had not lead to violence. Vinyl Scratch knew that eventually, things were going to break down. Ponyville was becoming a powder keg, and frankly, it scared the hell out of her. Vinyl spent an hour or so lying awake; she turned her head and looked towards Scootaloo. Scootaloo’s head had drooped; she was asleep sitting in the corner, snoring quietly. Poor kid. Vinyl closed her eyes again, and found herself drift off to sleep. ... “Vinyl? Vinyl wake up.” Vinyl’s eyes popped open. Twilight Sparkle was standing over her, looking incredibly worried. “Twilight?” Vinyl asked sleepily, yawning loudly and stretching her legs. “Everything okay?” “No,” Twilight said, shaking her head. “No they’re not. I just had a visitor.” “What? Not... them?” Vinyl asked. Twilight shook her head. “Applejack,” she explained. “I need you to take me to the caves in Whitetail Wood.” “The caves? What do you want to go there for?” Vinyl asked. “I don’t. I really don’t,” Twilight admitted. “But I don’t exactly have a choice.” “All right, let’s go then,” Vinyl said, rising from the couch. She looked over to Scootaloo, sitting asleep in the corner. Vinyl gently wrapped her magic around the filly and carried her into the other room, where she tucked her into bed. “Hush now, quiet now, it’s time to lay your sleepy head, Hush now, quiet now, it’s time to go to bed,” Vinyl sang quietly. A small smile formed on the sleeping filly’s face, and Vinyl quietly left the room, closing the door behind her. ... The two of them made their way to the opening of the caves in Whitetail Wood. Vinyl Scratch had been here more times than she would have liked. The first was when she led an expedition to Manehattan during the winter months. The second was when the remaining gryphons from Lieutenant Razorwing’s Platoon who had fled into Equestria ambushed her and Trooper Benjamin Willoughby and drove them here. The third time was when Scootaloo had hidden here on Vinyl’s instruction. Now here she was, here for the fourth time. “Come on,” she said to Twilight. “Let’s go.” The two mares walked into the caves, Twilight found herself looking around at the walls. “This cave isn’t natural! The walls...” Twilight began. “The walls are too smooth, someone dug this cave,” Vinyl finished. “Had this conversation with others before, got Déjà vu now.” The duo rounded the corner where the tunnel split, one path lead down to the lower level, which contained the other exit. The other path had been blocked by a boulder the last time Vinyl was here. This was no longer the case. The boulder had been shattered, exposing the pathway that Vinyl Scratch and Co. had never had the desire or opportunity to explore. Naturally, the new path was the way they needed to go. Both unicorn’s light their horns, for extra light and climbed over the rubble of the shattered boulder and made their way along the path. They were heading down, twisting and turning for nearly a kilometre until they came to an abrupt end. The wall in front of them however was not made of rock. Instead it was made of metal. It was a, large gear shaped metal door with the letters “EPMB” printed on them. Next to the door was a small, heavily rusted console, Twilight went up to it, the console displayed the word “unlocked” on it, she pulled the console’s lever down. Two hazard lights began to flash. A small buzzing alarm went off, and the air filled with the hiss of steam. Something from the inside pulled the metal gear back, creating a deafening screech as metal grinded against metal. Twilight and Vinyl covered their ears, and watched as the large metal door rolled to the left. The doorway was open, and what was inside astounded them.