//------------------------------//
// Sharing A Drink 
// Story: Bloodlines 
// by Zeck 
//------------------------------//

‘I think the Guard might want to keep an extra close eye on this one. Not only did she mention Princess Luna, but she said the Captain saved her life and she’s friends with one of Luna’s Agents. She might be making all of that up, but just in case she’s not...’
—A letter addressed to Luna’s Royal Guard 

Vinyl had thought that Hollow Shades was creepy. The town oozed atmosphere that made her constantly want to hide, and after Potions had told her that Luna’s elite guards were always watching, she could feel the eyes burning into her from every direction, even though she never saw them. She had spent an entire hour looking over her shoulder every few seconds, and jumping any time somepony spoke to her. 
She had finally worked up enough courage to ask a passerby where she might find a thief, but the look she had received had made her so uncomfortable that she had bolted before she had received an answer. 
Now the sun was setting, and what little light it had managed to sneak into the village was quickly fading. And Vinyl realized she had no idea just how unsettling the town could be. 
Owls began to hoot in night, causing her to frantically look up into the trees and huddle against buildings. Crickets chirped and she was positive she could see tiny yellow eyes looking at her, but whenever she turned to spot them, they vanished. 
“You lost little lady?” a voice asked and Vinyl screamed. Before she realized it, she was halfway across the street. She heard laughter and finally managed to calm herself. She turned around and saw a stallion grinning at her.
“Um…yeah,” the Unicorn said as she sheepishly walked back to the stallion. “Maybe you could help me?”
“I don’t know,” the stallion said. “Are you going to run away screaming again? Ponies might get the wrong idea about me.”
“Um, sorry about that,” Vinyl whispered as she looked at the ground. She really wished her glasses weren’t broken. “I’m…new here.”
“I can tell. It’s written all over you. I saw you freak out probably a dozen times from when you turned the corner until you got here. It was pretty damn funny.”
“Is everypony a spy in this town?” Vinyl mumbled. 
“Nah, we just don’t get many visitors, so they tend to draw a lot of attention. Mainly because most of them act like you.” The stallion thumped Vinyl on the back and laughed. “Some of us feel it’s bad for business, having all of our tourists scared out of their wits, but most of us find it a good source of amusement.”
“Oh, ha ha,” Vinyl said as she rolled her eyes. “Glad everypony is having such a grand time at my expense. So why are you talking to me instead of just carrying on with your good times?”
“Well, you see, that’s the thing,” the stallion said, and his brown eyes suddenly lost their merriment. “Hollow Shades is generally safe. Sure, the Thestrals like—”
“The what?” Vinyl asked. The last thing she needed to worry about was some sort of monster stalking about the town too. She didn’t think she could deal with that on top of everything else.
“Oh, sorry,” the stallion replied. “That’s just what some of us call the Bat ponies. Anyway, they may enjoy their little game of painting their town in a shadowy light, but like I said, it is pretty safe. But you’re getting into dangerous territory.”
Vinyl’s ears perked up. “Dangerous territory, you say?”
“Yeah. You’re starting to head down into what we call Training. It’s the place where all those criminals and lowlifes that come to our town hang out. The Guard keeps it still relatively in check, but their presence isn’t as heavily felt there. At least not right away.”
“Let me guess. They try to stay out of their until they’ve got enough evidence, and then they go in to see who might be ready to join the…what did she call it?” Vinyl cocked her head as she tried to remember the name Potions had used. “The L.S.R.?”
“L.G.B.,” the stallion corrected her. “I see you’ve already had the town explained to you more than most. But you’ve got the right idea. Basically, that’s where they go for their final exam.”
“Perfect,” Vinyl said. She puffed her chest out and grinned, trying to be more confident than she felt. “That’s exactly where I need to be.” 
“Look, I don’t think you get,” the stallion said. “It’s not the place for visitors. Most of us locals don’t even go there. The ponies and griffons there aren’t to be trifled with. They’re not like those three thugs you fought earlier today.”
“How did you…?” Vinyl stopped. She shouldn’t have been surprised. Everypony seemed to know more about her business here than she did. “Forget it. Look, just tell me which way I need to go to get to Training.”
The stallion shook his head. “Lady, are you trying to prove something? Do you think this will make you tough?”
Vinyl’s ears fell and her chest deflated. “No…I’m trying to save something.”
“Is it worth you life?”
“It is my life!” Vinyl shouted. She glared up at the stallion as tears fell from her red eyes. “She’s my life! I have to get it back!”
The stallion backed up and put his hooves up. “Okay, okay. Calm down.” He took a deep breath. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you though. Keep going down this street. You’ll know when you get there.” With that, the stallion turned and walked up the street.
“Thanks,” Vinyl said as the stallion left. She took a moment to collect herself and brushed the tears from her eyes, and then set out down the street. 
The sun had to have set now, and as Vinyl looked up she froze. She could see the moon. It was so big, and its light was beaming down in glorious white rays to illuminate the entire town. She felt a sense of calm come over her as she stared up at it, and she had to fight the urge to simply lie down on her back at stare at it. 
And then there were the stars. Vinyl had never seen so many of them. There were hundreds more than she could count, and each one glistened in the dark sky. She gazed up at them and they seemed to twist and dance as she watched them. They made the night sky look like an inviting blanket, and not the cold void she always saw it as. For a moment, she believed that everything was going to be okay. Hollow Shades seemed peaceful and inviting for a brief moment.
Vinyl shook the thought from her head and forced herself to look down and continue walking. Everything would be okay, because she was going to make it that way. Even if she had to go to the ends of Equestria. 
Or beyond.  
Vinyl decided that the stallion hadn’t been lying as she reached what must have been Training. Again, she found herself realizing that every time she thought Hollow Shades couldn’t get any worse, she was wrong. 
On the plus side, Vinyl now saw plenty of ponies out and about. They were leaning against buildings, sitting around makeshift tables playing cards, entering and leaving buildings, and walking along the street. 
On the down side, all of the ponies looked like they fit perfectly in with the reputation Hollow Shades had. Vinyl saw unicorns filing their hooves or horns with knives. Pegasi were sitting on overhangs and whispering just out of earshot as they watched other ponies walk beneath them. Earth ponies were more walking masses of muscles and scars than actual ponies. Low-pulled hats and flipped up hoods seemed to be the fashion choice. Cigarette was the go-to scent, and barred doors and shaded windows were the visual appeal. 
Vinyl would have found the entire scene comical in its sheer story-time villain appearance if it wasn’t for the fact that every single pony was glaring at her. Some of them continued to sharpen knives or swords, occasionally drawing the blade across their throats when she stared back at them. Others were clearly sizing her up to see if she was worth the time to rob, especially the few Pegasi she saw above her. Others were giving her extremely inviting looks, while others wanted the same thing but clearly weren’t going to bother asking her permission. 
Vinyl did her best to look straight ahead as she walked through the neighborhood. Sometimes a pony would drag a sword across the side of a building as she passed and chuckle when she quivered from the noise. A group of ponies playing cards watched her approach and froze as she did, huddling down over their cards while she passed. 
“Hey sweet thing.” A mare stepped in front of Vinyl and blocked her path. Vinyl supposed she could be attractive with her dark emerald mane covering half her face and the…minimal leather clothing she was wearing, but when she leaned in close, Vinyl’s nostrils were flooded with countless odors. And she thought the stallions she had fought earlier smelled bad. 
“Er, no thanks,” the Unicorn said as she sidestepped the pony and continued walking. 
“Aw, where ya going?” the mare called after her. “I can show you some new tricks with that horn…”
Vinyl was wild, and yet she didn’t doubt for a second that the mare spoke the truth about the tricks. And Vinyl had no interest in learning any of them, but the mare had raised a very good point. 
Vinyl had no idea where she was going. She supposed she could just ask one of the many, many ponies that were looking at her, but she got the feeling that each one would ask for a steep price. Or just kill her. After all, the three stallions she had spoken to at the bar had tried just that, and that had been in a relatively safe part of the town, if its citizens were to be believed. 
Vinyl was still pretending like she knew what she was doing while she walked down the street when another Unicorn called out to her. “Hey! Hey, you!”
Vinyl stopped and looked across the street, and immediately realized her mistake.  Not a single other pony so much as glanced at the Unicorn who had been calling out, but she had stopped and looked right at her. No wonder she stuck out so badly in this town. 
“I know you,” the Unicorn said as she crossed the street. She had a muddy brown coat and wore the same tattered hood and cloak that so many other ponies around here favored. Her dirty yellow mane was cut short, shorter than even Vinyl’s, and she had a huge scar running across her forehead. 
“Uh, no, I don’t think so,” Vinyl said and she turned to leave, but the Unicorn reached out with her hoof and stopped her. 
“Psh, nice try,” she said and Vinyl noticed that she was surprisingly strong. “You’re famous.” The Unicorn spit on the street and then smiled. She was missing several teeth, but at least her breath wasn’t horrid. 
“Yeah, I’m getting that impression,” Vinyl said nervously. 
“The way you thrashed those three stallions back at the bar? Most excitement we’ve had around here in ages.” The Unicorn snuggled up next to Vinyl and put her foreleg around her neck. “The whole town’s talking about it. You’re a hero around here.”
“R-Really?” Vinyl asked as the hilt of the mare’s dagger dug into her ribcage. “I didn’t really do anything.”
“Nonsense!” the mare said and she hugged Vinyl, pulling her closer so that the hilt of her dagger jabbed even further into the D.J.’s ribs. “Come on, let me get you a drink! There are tons of ponies who want to meet you.”
“Um…no thanks,” Vinyl said, trying to slip out of the pony’s grasp. “I’m actually looking for somepony and really can’t—”
“Really? Why didn’t you say so? The best place to get a pulse on this backwater town is right this way.” 
Before Vinyl could protest, the mare was dragging her across the street. She decided it wasn’t all bad though. If this mare was telling the truth, then wherever they were heading was a good place for her to gather information. 
The mare finished pulling Vinyl across the street and then kicked open the door to a building. She looked at Vinyl and then pulled her inside. Vinyl was terrified that she had just walked into a trap and was, at best, about to be robbed blind, but then the mare holding her spoke up.
“Listen up you sick bastards,” she shouted. “And fine ladies too! This here is that Unicorn Outsider we’ve all been hearing about. She says she’s looking for somepony!”
“Well if she found you, Fang, I’d say she can’t do much better!” a pony called. The room erupted with laughter and Vinyl wanted to bury herself in the ground. Fang had dragged her into a bar, and if it was anything like the first bar she had visited in Hollow Shades, things could get out of hoof very quickly. 
“Damn right!” Fang shouted back. She turned and laid a wet kiss on Vinyl’s cheek, causing the Unicorn to flinch in shock and disgust. “Why don’t you come sit over here with me, sweet thing? We can talk about this pony you’re looking for.”
“Uh…” Vinyl said as she looked at everypony but the Unicorn next to her. The place was much livelier than the other bar she had visited, with ponies clanking drinks, counting bits, and in many cases making out on tables. In fact, judging by the way those two mares were rubbing together in a booth, Vinyl knew that some of them had gone past that point. 
“Great! We’re right over here.” Fang dragged her through the crowd, shoving any pony that got in her way to the floor. Finally she reached a booth and smiled at the two ponies and the griffon sitting there. “Hey everypony.”
“Griffon,” the griffon said as she swung her head sluggishly toward Vinyl and Fang.
“And Clair,” Fang said. “This here is…hey. What’s your name?”
“Vinyl,” Vinyl replied as she looked at the three figures sitting at the table. Clair was clearly well past drunk. Her eagle eye was tracking something that only she could apparently see, and she kept whistling to herself. The other two, a Pegasus and another Unicorn, were sitting comfortably together, with the Pegasus’ wing wrapped around both of them. 
“Nice to meet you,” the Unicorn said. “I’m Dusk and—ooooo…” Dusk shuddered with pleasure as the Pegasus’ wing twitched. She leaned in closer to the Pegasus and kissed her on the cheek. “And this is…mmm…”
“Hey! Bang each other later,” Fang said as she slid in and deliberately knocked into the couple. “Seriously, Feather, can’t you keep those wings out of Dusk for two minutes?”
“You’re just jealous they’re not in you,” Feather replied with a smirk. 
“Ha!” Clair laughed. 
Vinyl stared at the four beings before her. She had been told she didn’t belong in Hollow Shades since the moment she had arrived, but she hadn’t understood what that meant until now. She had often teased Octavia about these sorts of things, but even in her wildest moments, she would never go this far in front of others. 
Vinyl suddenly wanted to leave and go back to the safety of her apartment. Her quest wasn’t worth this. She’d just buy a new one and then do whatever she had to do in order for Celestia and Luna to make it again. 
Dusk’s hoof slid under the table and Feather’s wings stiffened for a moment, and then she melted into the seat. Dusk leaned over and slowly licked her face and then gently bit her ear. Vinyl’s heart ached as she watched and she knew she had to press on. If she ever wanted to experience that again, she had to.
Vinyl carefully sat down next to Clair. “You said this was a good place to get information?”
“Oh yeah,” Fang said. She nudged Feather and Dusk hard, snapping them out of their little world. “Stop it. You’re making our guest uncomfortable.” 
“Riiiight,” Feather said. She stretched her other pink wing out and tried to wrap it around Fang, but the Unicorn pushed her away. 
“I’m serious, Feather. You too, Dusk. Head in the game for a few minutes. Our friend here needs help.”
Dusk and Feather both sighed in annoyance and pulled away from each other. “Fine,” Dusk said as she rolled her eyes. “Feather, get us some drinks.”
“Right.” Feather’s wing whipped across her chest in a flash and she pulled out a knife. Vinyl’s heart jumped into her throat, but before she could say a word, Feather’s wing snapped out above Fang’s head and the knife went flying. Vinyl saw it sink into the wall on the other side of the room. The bartender looked at it, looked at Feather, and then nodded once. 
“So what information are you looking for, hot stuff?” Dusk asked as she batted her silky orange eyes at Vinyl. 
“I’m looking for a thief,” Vinyl replied, ignoring Dusk’s advances. “I was told that he might be here.”
“Told?” Dusk asked. “Or assumed?”
“Well, first I just assumed it, but then somepony suggested it too.”
“You want to talk to Left-Eye then,” Fang said. “I’ll get him for you.” The Unicorn’s horn glowed dark red for a moment and then she smiled. “Here he comes.”
Vinyl looked out into the crowded bar and saw a rather large dark blue stallion walking toward their table. He wore a tattered vest and was carrying a sword on his side that was bigger than Vinyl. She briefly wondered how he was able to swing something so massive, but judging by the sheer mass of muscles, she decided he probably didn’t have any problems. He had an eye-patch over his right eye and several burn scars surrounding it.
“H-Hey, Lefty!” Clair hiccupped as the stallion reached the table. She raised her glass with her talon, but then she fell face first onto the table. “S-Sorry. I blame it on the…al…al…al…”
“Alcohol?” Vinyl offered. 
“Psssh,” Clair spit as her beak pressed into the table. “You saying I’m drunk?”
“Good evening, ladies,” the stallion said. Without a word, he sat down next to Vinyl. “Fang, I see you have a new toy. Care to introduce me?”
“This is Vinyl, Lefty,” Fang said as she nodded toward Vinyl. “She’s looking for a thief. I figured that’s your territory.”
“Hm…you figured right, babe.” Lefty turned and his brown eyes gazed down at Vinyl from a long muzzle. “I run the thieves guild in this town. What are you looking for?”
“And how much you willing to pay to get it back?” Dusk giggled as she snuggled once again into Feather’s wing. 
“A bow,” Vinyl said, making a deliberate effort not to look at the Unicorn and Pegasus or at the massive sword that was just inches away from her. 
“You into archery or something?” Lefty asked. 
“Not that type of bow,” Vinyl replied, really wishing that Cliar wasn’t passed out drunk next to her so she could scoot away. “I mean a bow for a cello. One of a kind. It’s a family heirloom.”
“Hm…” Lefty stroked his chin and glanced over at the three mares. Vinyl noticed that all three of them were looking back at him. “As it happens, I know exactly what thief you’re looking for.”
Vinyl was grateful that she hadn’t been drinking anything because she would have spit it out in disbelief. “You do?”
“Yeah,” Lefty said. “The thief you’re looking for headed north, toward the Crystal Empire.”
Vinyl’s heart raced and for the first time in a long time she felt genuine happiness. She finally had a lead. If she could get that bow that, then everything could go back to normal. Octavia would forgive her and the cellist’s parents wouldn’t think she was the worst mare to ever exist. Her life could finally go back to the way it was, with Octavia at the center of it.
“Thanks a lot,” the D.J. said as she moved to leave. “I better hurry.”
“Yeah, he’s got a few days head start on you,” Lefty said, but he made no move to vacate his seat. “But how about a drink first?”
“Um, no thanks. I really should get going. Like you said, he’s got a pretty big head start.”
“Come on, one drink won’t kill you. Besides, they’re already here.” 
A Unicorn walked over to their table, levitating a tray with six glasses on it. He dropped it on the table, causing all of the drinks to spill over their rims a little, and then walked away without a word. Dusk, Feather, Fang, Lefty, and even Clair, who somehow seemed to be completely sober again, all instantly went for their drinks, leaving Vinyl’s sitting alone on the tray. 
“Well, I guess one won’t hurt…” Vinyl grabbed the glass with her magic and took a small sip. 
“That’s the spirit,” Lefty said.
Vinyl lowered her glass to say something, but the words wouldn’t come. She looked around the table and noticed that they were all grinning at her. She thought that was odd, but then her head started swimming and she realized she was in trouble. She tried to move, but her body felt like stone. Her vision blurred and then her head fell forward and slammed into the table.
“I better get my cut,” she heard Clair say. 
“Let’s go,” came Lefty’s voice just before Vinyl blacked out. 


*                                                  *                                                  *


Flint hated sentry duty. All he ever did was stand at the entrance and kick stones against a nearby tree. Nothing ever happened. No pony, not even the L.G.B., was going to mess with Left-Eye’s gang. He was just too big, too powerful, and too engrained in Hollow Shades. If those guards wanted to challenge him, then they would need to call in the Princesses themselves, and even then, Flint wasn’t sure if it would be enough. 
The Pegasus kicked another rock into the shadowy forest and laughed when he heard several creatures scamper away in fright. There had been some excitement a little bit ago, when Left-Eye, that whore Fang, Feather, Dusk, and Clair had come back to the hideout dragging a white Unicorn. Flint had asked what was going on, but the boss had told him to shut up and keep watch. The three mares had all given him mocking looks, but Clair had been nice enough to at least brush her tail gently under his chin as she passed him.
That had been the highlight of his night, and he really wanted his shift to be over so he could go find the griffon. Hopefully she would still be in the mood and not completely drunk. Then again, if she was drunk, it might make things easier…
The light grey Pegasus was dreaming about the things two winged creatures could do, so he didn’t notice the hooded pony walking toward him until she was practically standing in front of him. He shook himself out of his fantasy and grabbed his spear with his wing.
“You lost?” he asked. Left-Eye’s hideout was outside of Hollow Shades, in a rundown building that Flint was pretty sure most ponies had forgotten about. The only ones who came this far out into the forest at night were either drunk, stupid, or stupidly brave. None of those options were good ones. 
“Is she here?” the hooded pony asked. She walked up to Flint and stopped in front of him as if she was just asking him for directions. What was wrong with her? Did she not see the weapon he was carrying? 
“Who?” he asked. “I mean, beat it, little lady. This ain’t no place for you.”
“The white Unicorn with a blue mane,” the mare replied. “Is she here?”
“Yeah, she’s here,” Flint replied with a grin. “The boss is probably having fun with her right now. Why? You want in? I could make it—” 
Flint grunted as a heavy sack hit him square in the chest. He was about to attack the hooded pony, until he looked down and saw what had spilled out of the bag. 
“Fifty bits,” the pony said quietly. “It is yours if you walk away right now.”
Flint stared at the gold coins in the moonlight. That was a lot more than the boss was paying him. “I can’t do that,” he said. “The boss would hunt me down.”
“Then take it and step aside,” the pony said. “Do not run away, and that way he will not be able to hunt you down.”
“What is your deal?” Flint asked. He folded his wing a little tighter over the spear, not as a show of force but out of fear. “What do you want?”
“Simply, to get inside. I would rather avoid conflict, but perhaps you need the proper motivation.” 
The mare moved in a flash and Flint’s spear was suddenly gone. He blinked in shock and heard a snap and then saw that his spear was on the ground, broken in two. He took several steps back, but the mare matched his pace until he was pressed up against the door. The mare drew closer, until her face was just inches away from his.
Purple eyes, he thought as his heart pounded in his chest. 
“Are you motivated now?” the mare asked in a dark whisper. “If I were you, I would take those bits and go turn myself in to the local authorities. After you have served your time, use them to start a new life far away from here. Maybe your griffon friend will come with you.”
“How did you—”
“Listen. In a few moments, Luna’s Royal Guard is going to come crashing down on this place. In fact, the only reason they have not is probably because they are interested to see what I am doing, but I doubt their patience will last, so I need to hurry. Which means you need to step, or even fly, aside, or I will open the door by smashing you through it. Decide.”
Flint gulped and looked up at the trees. He wasn’t sure, but he swore that he saw yellow eyes staring down at him. A lot of yellow eyes. 


*                                                  *                                                  *


Vinyl groaned as her mind swam back up from darkness. Her eyes fluttered open, but she immediately closed them again as the light stung them. He tried to raise her hoof to block the light, but she heard a rattling noise and her hoof refused to leave the ground. Confused, she slowly opened her eyes again looked down. 
“Wh…” Vinyl’s forelegs were in shackles. She immediately tried to turn to her head to see if her hind ones were too, but she instantly found out that the collar around her neck was chained to the floor. She panicked and jumped up, but the chains pulled her back down and laughter flooded the room.
“It seems our guest is awake,” came Lefty’s voice. Vinyl tried to stand again, slowly this time, and found that her chains allowed her to at least stand up. She looked around the room and her heart sank. 
She was apparently in the middle of a warehouse and dozens of ponies were standing or sitting around her in a circle. None of them looked very friendly, but her eyes stopped when she spied four familiar faces directly in front of her. 
“You know, when an Outsider comes to town, we tend to avoid them,” Lefty said as he stepped forward. Fang was standing next to him, while Dusk and Feather were sitting together on a bunch of stacked crates. “The Guard tends to keep an extra close watch on them. But you? Well, there’s dumb, and then there’s you.”
All the ponies in the room laughed and Vinyl felt her skin crawl. She was in way over her head now. “Um, listen, Lefty. I enjoy a good—”
Lefty walked up and slammed his hoof into Vinyl’s face, causing her to crash into the ground as the onlookers cheered. 
“I was paid a small fortune for helping you out,” he said. “This pony told me that if a pony came to Hollow Shades asking about a bow, I was to tell them to head to the Crystal Empire.”
“Wh…what?” Vinyl asked as she tried to pick herself up. The stallions at the bar had nothing on Lefty. 
“I was also told that, under no circumstances was I supposed to interfere with that pony.” Vinyl had managed to get her hooves under her when her ribs exploded as Lefty kicked her. She coughed in pain and collapsed back on the ground.
“W-Well, you’re not…doing a very good…job on that second part,” she said as pain flowed through her body.
“Here’s the thing,” Lefty said as he bent down and put his mouth next to Vinyl’s ear. “The pony I was supposed to pass the information on to doesn’t match your description.”
Vinyl was about to ask what he was talking about, but instead she just screamed as Lefty bit down on her ear and yanked her to her hooves. He let go and she tried to collapse again in pain, but he caught her chin with his hoof and held her up. As she stared into his one good eye, she could feel the blood trickling down the side of her head.
“That fight you got into was pretty impressive. Most Outsiders can’t hold their own like that. Under other circumstances, I might have even tried to recruit you. But thanks to you, three of my best boys are now rotting away in a cell. Which means I have to spend precious time and effort busting them out. Time that I could have spent doing something more productive.”
“S-Sorry,” Vinyl whispered. She expected Lefty to hit her again, but instead he just pulled his hoof away and let her head fall.
“So I had to get my revenge, you see,” Lefty said as he walked away. “No pony challenges Left-Eye and gets away with it. Not even the L.R.G. Those bats know full well to stay away from me and my crew, and let me tell you, that reputation wasn’t easy to build. And it’s something I have to maintain at all costs, otherwise any young upstart might start trying to muscle in on my turf.”
“I…I told you,” Vinyl said as she struggled to stay on her hooves. Her face was burning and her stomach was in agony. “I’m…just trying…to find a thief.”
“So I put a bounty out on you,” Lefty continued, ignoring Vinyl’s words. “I knew it would only be a matter of time before somepony got greedy and turned you in to me. But then, wouldn’t you know it? You were dumb enough to come to my girls. I only had to pay that griffon a fraction of the bounty, because these fine ladies all work for me. I mean, the only way it could have been better was if you had had a bow on your head.”
All the ponies laughed and the noise stung Vinyl’s ears. “Listen, I’m sorry—”
“Oh, you’re going to be sorry all right,” Lefty said and Vinyl’s eyes drifted toward the massive sword he was carrying. “Believe you me.”
“Hey!” Fang said as she stepped in front of Lefty. “I get her first. You promised.”
Lefty looked down at the Unicorn in front of him and then up at Vinyl. The smile that crossed his lips made her want to throw up. “You’re right. Give us a good show.”
Fang turned around and Vinyl’s stomach fell out. If Lefty’s smile had made her sick, then Fang’s smile made her heart stop. The Unicorn walked up to her and stopped just a hair’s breath away from Vinyl’s nose. She licked her lips and then kissed Vinyl on the mouth. Vinyl recoiled in horror, but Fang’s hoof came up and slapped her across the face. All the ponies roared.
“This is going to be fun,” Fang whispered as she walked behind Vinyl. Vinyl suddenly felt her tail being lifted up and all the ponies in the room started whistling and cheering. “Mm…I’m going to enjoy that.”
“Yeah!”
“Go Fang!”
“Room for one more?”
The cheers and shouts kept coming and Vinyl began to cry. She wanted to go home. She hadn’t meant for any of this to happen. She just wanted things to go back to the way they were. She just wanted Octavia to love her again and fall asleep wrapped around—
There was a loud crash, followed by a groan and a thud, and then several gasps. 
“Who the buck are—” Fang’s question was cut short as Vinyl heard another thumping noise. She felt the magic on her tail disappear and Fang staggered back in front of her. She had her hoof on her nose and blood was streaming from her nostrils. 
“Well, that’s one way to make an entrance,” Lefty said. “Can I help you with something, dear? You’re kind of interrupting what was promising to be a very good show.”
“I think that bitch broke my nose,” Fang said. She pulled her hoof away. It was covered in blood and Vinyl couldn’t help but smile at the sight.
“I apologize,” a voice said from behind Vinyl. Vinyl’s ears perked up immediately. She knew that voice! But…it couldn’t be. Her mind had to be playing tricks on her in some desperate attempt to escape the horrors around her. 
Carefully, the D.J. turned her head as far as she could to look behind herself.
Clair was lying on the floor, covered in the remains of what had once been the room’s door. She groaned and tried to get up, but couldn’t. A rather large piece of the door was resting by Vinyl’s back legs and she saw that it had blood on it. She guessed that was what had hit Fang in the face. 
And walking through the middle of the destruction was a mare in a cloak. She had the hood up to hide her face, but Vinyl recognized that walk instantly. It was really her. 
Octavia had come to her rescue. 
“I apologize to your trophy girl,” Octavia said as she walked past Vinyl. Vinyl wanted to say something, but the cellist didn’t even look at her as she passed. She stopped just in front of Vinyl and kept her gaze front. “However, I am in a bit of a hurry, and I did not have time to wait for her to satisfy her…basic desires. No matter how quick that might take.”
“Why you!” Fang hissed, spraying blood on the floor. Vinyl heard several quick breaths from the other ponies and even a few short laughs. 
“Well, perhaps we can help you be on your way,” Lefty said as he walked forward. “You applying for a position in my gang?”
“Hardly,” Octavia said. “I already have a profession.”
“And what’s that?” Lefty asked with a smirk. “If you’re a call girl, your rates must be pretty high to pay for the damages you cause.”
“Bounty hunter.” Vinyl’s mouth fell open. “And I have come to collect the bounty on this Unicorn.”
Vinyl’s mouth fell open even further. 
“You must be new at this,” Lefty said as he stepped forward. “You don’t get to collect the bounty after the target’s already been turned in.”
“I am not talking about your offer,” Octavia said. She reached into her cloak and Vinyl saw her pull out a piece of paper with her mouth and show it to Lefty.
“You’re joking, right?” Lefty asked as he started laughing. The other ponies started laughing too, all except Fang, who was still nursing her nose. 
“I assure you, I am quite serious,” Octavia replied after she put the piece of paper away.”
“Okay, sweetheart,” Vinyl’s skin burned when Lefty called Octavia that, “I’ll play your little game. What in Equestria makes you think I’m about to let you walk out of here with the very pony I just put a bounty on myself? She cost me a pretty high price.”
“This.” Octavia tossed her head and Vinyl heard the sound of something falling onto the floor. “There are enough bits and gems there to double the asking price of your original bounty. Which, by the way, I know you only paid a fraction of to that griffon back there.”
“A thousand bits…” Lefty said. Vinyl did her best to scoot to the side and crane her neck so she could see past Octavia. Sure enough, there was a bag filled with riches resting in front of Lefty. Where in Equestria had Octavia gotten that kind of scratch? 
“It is all yours, if you simply allow me to leave with my prize. No trouble.”
“Feather!” Lefty called over his shoulder. The Pegasus flew down from the box she and Dusk had been cuddling on and looked at the bag. She brushed a few of the gems with her wings and then looked up at Lefty and nodded.
“I don’t think this mare understands how the bounty hunting game works, boss,” she said. “You make money when you catch a mark, not spend more trying to catch one.” Again, all the ponies in the room chuckled. 
“A tempting offer, babe,” Lefty said as Feather scooped up the bag and took it back up to Dusk.
“I take it you accept?” Octavia asked, but Vinyl was still fuming over Lefty calling her babe. No pony called Octavia that except her!
“No, you see, I’ve got a better offer,” Lefty said. Vinyl’s blood ran cold at the tone in his voice. 
“Octy, get out of her,” she whispered. “I’ll be fine. I promise.” Vinyl knew full well she wouldn’t be, but she couldn’t stand to see her cellist get hurt.
Octavia’s tail whipped up and slapped Vinyl on the nose. “You, be quiet,” she said without turning around. “What is your offer?”
“Any pony that carries around that type of money has to be pretty important. Perhaps the daughter of a diplomat? Or even related to one of the Princesses maybe? I bet whoever it is would be willing to pay a pretty sum for your safe return. Am I right?”
Vinyl looked around the room and saw that all the ponies were grinning now and slowly closing the circle around her and Octavia. She swallowed and tugged on her chains, but they wouldn’t budge. 
“This is your last chance,” Octavia said calmly as Lefty drew closer. Vinyl saw that Fang was right behind him, and the look in her eyes was not one of taking prisoners. “I will still allow you to take the money and let me leave with this Unicorn.”
Lefty turned his head and pulled the massive sword out with his mouth. He growled with it in his teeth as he dragged it across the floor and started laughing. “Babe, I don’t know if you’re brave or just incredibly stupid,” he said.
Octavia flipped her hood down and Vinyl’s heart jumped at the sight of that beautiful onyx hair and lush grey neck, but the feeling quickly passed as Fang used her magic to draw her dagger as well. 
Octavia shook her head once. “So be it.”