//------------------------------// // Do or Die Part 2 // Story: Equestrian Gangster // by InvaderSplorch //------------------------------// "Vinyl, NOOO!" shouted AJ, but it was too late. A single shot echoed throughout the room. A small hole appeared through the ceiling, the brown circle smoking with cracked edges. Vinyl's tears fell softly on Octavia's face, the revolver pointing straight upwards. AJ fell onto the floor, her beating heart running rapidly. Octavia looked up at her marefriend, a tear starting to emerge from her. "D-Don't you start to cry, Tavi. Remember?" blubbered Vinyl. "Right, you're the crybaby and I'm the mother," she joked. "Tavi?" "Yes?" Vinyl threw her left hoof back and socked Octavia right in the jaw, Octavia's head turning sharply to the left. Octavia collapsed on the floor, coughing up a few droplets of blood. Licking her lips, she felt the split on the bottom half. "You always had a good left hook." "Don't...you...ever...LEAVE ME!" cried Vinyl, falling on top of Octavia. Vinyl sobbed heavily into Octavia's chest, her body rising and falling in exasperated breaths. Octavia just embraced and held her there, waiting for Vinyl to work it out. Octavia glanced to her right to see AJ just lying on the floor, her breathing calming down. Vinyl continued to bawl her eyes out for a few minutes before she started to dry heave. "All right, think you've cried enough. C'mon, stop the waterworks. Don't want your stomach pumped now do we?" smirked Octavia. "You're not my mom!" smiled Vinyl. "You're right, I'm your...." Octavia's smile disappeared instantly. "Hey, it's alright. When you're ready to say it, I'll be here. No need to rush. Besides, I'm the emotional one and you're the logical one. Can't have us switching roles now can we?" "Well, in certain situations," teased Octavia. The two of them started to laugh in each other's arms while AJ just continued to lie on the floor, still shocked at what had just occurred. She snorted loudly, working up the strength to sit straight up. She glanced over to see that their relationship was back to being somewhat normal, even though they never had a normal relationship to begin with in the first place. "Do you hate me?" asked Octavia. "No, Tavi... I thought you actually betrayed me. But thinking back on our history and on our little rendezvous, I realized you couldn't have possibly betrayed me. In the end, I was angry with myself. I was pissed off that I could fall for her deceit. But why didn't you rescue me?" "I was in a coma. I had a concussion." "Are you okay?" "Well, now yeah, but then, not so much. You see the same bitch that lied to you pistol whipped me in the head for answers. After I eventually spilled the beans, I was thrown into the ocean to die." "How did you get out?" "You remember our pirate friend, Dash? Yeah, she saved me. Luckily Captain Nautilus was nearby to put me on his boat. By the time we got back to the docks, Big Mac was there. I must have the worst timing because a deal was going on, and it quickly went sour from what I heard. I took a shower in the nearby Oranges' estate and put on new clothes. Big Mac guarded me until AJ showed up and she escorted me back to the ranch." "What info did you tell?" asked AJ, now walking over. "I told them how we transferred our product. The exact info I told you, I told them. Again I'm sorry, AJ, I didn't want them to hurt Vinyl. I guess even then I wasn't able to save her," Octavia trailed, lowering her head. "Don't worry, Tavi. You did what you thought was right. There's no need to apologize." "D-Did she just call you Tavi? HOLD UP!" "Looks like you let the cat out of the bag, AJ," smiled Octavia. "Seems like it. It's just not my forte to keep secrets. I'm an honest pony after all," she grinned. "What is going on? Explain!" demanded Vinyl. "Alright Vinyl, relax, we'll tell you. We'll let you know what's going on, but on one condition," explained AJ sternly. "What is it?" "You must devout yourself and your whole self to the Apple Family. If you betray at us at any time, the penalty is death." "I accept." "Vinyl?" asked Octavia, worry in her voice. "Tavi, that's the other reason I'm pissed. You didn't let me in on your life. You tried to shield me from what was happening and look where it got us. You were almost dead and I ended up as a sex slave for those disgusting bastards. Now, we can either let bygones be bygones or you can pretend that you can still protect everyone. I know that you protected me when I was young, but I'm an adult now. Let me return the favor, Tavi. Otherwise, your face is going to be disfigured," she chuckled. Octavia sighed before accepting her proposal, a wide grin emerging on her face. "Good, after we reach headquarters tomorrow, you'll be branded as one of us." "Branded? Where?" asked Vinyl. "You'll be branded behind the ear, which one doesn't matter. This way it's hard for rival gangs to notice, but the individual can walk free amongst the crowd. Now then, the real reason as to why we are on this mission of robbing banks. We're moving our headquarters west, expanding if you will." "But why? I thought HQ was in Ponyville." "It was. That is until the info Octavia gave them was released. We had to seal off the tunnels and move the product. The location's whereabouts are only known by three ponies; Octavia is not one of them. Only blood related family knows of the whereabouts." "Does Big Mac know?" inquired Vinyl. "You shouldn't be asking those kind of questions, Vinyl." "Sorry, sorry AJ. I didn't know." "It's fine, but let that be a warning. Don' ask about operations and everything will go smoothly. As far as your question, no, he doesn't. Now, we moved the product before the cops showed up. They were pretty pissed off to find non-alcoholic cider, let me tell you. I've never seen that detective Twilight so flustered in all my life. But it wasn't her that I was chuckling about. Off in the distance two shadowy figures stood there, watching us." "I'm guessing the brothers." "More than likely. They left rather hastily when we weren't arrested. In a response to this, their operations picked up speed. We learned that their headquarters was based in Manehatten. We were lucky to leave there so easily. But it's not Manehatten that's got me worried. It's Baltimare. That's their production and distribution location. To make matters worse, it's also their main docking bay to export their product overseas. After the scandal that we may be involved in bootlegging was released, we had to sell our warehouses near the bay. Finding the product in there would cripple us. So, we had to come up with a plan. What was our next move? And thus, we decided to head west. But with the farm needing more repairs and the fact that we lost a main choke hold on the eastern coastline, we needed the extra cash to fund our operation in a hurry." "Thus the robbing of the banks." "That's the gist of it, Vinyl. We need these heists to go seamlessly and smoothly." "How are you transporting the money though? It seems we almost have like zero cash on us." "Vinylllll," warned AJ. "Sorry, continue." "That's the second one today Vinyl. Please, think before you ask questions. If you don't, that trap of yers will get us all killed. Anyway, we have our ways. Now, we leave at night. Sources say that they're arming themselves to the teeth with security. They even have snipers." "Fucking hell!" blurted Octavia. "It's fine, just a minor inconvenience. Vinyl, how about your sources?" "Well, thanks to your brother's help, I re-contacted one pony in particular. He's got something planned for the distraction tomorrow. I can't say what the plan pertains as it will blow his cover, but it'll give us enough time to get in and out within five minutes. That's our window. Now, as far as security goes. While I only have 8 on the inside, it's better than 0. All I have to do is play my melody when we arrive. It doesn't have to be on a loudspeaker, just a humming of the tune. Tavi knows what it is. Hey Tavi, it's the one where you and I were alone that one night and-" "I GOT IT!" shouted Octavia, her face shining a bright red. "Yeah, she remembers," teased Vinyl. "Anyway, when that tune is hummed inside the bank, it'll give them the signal. From there, the pony I mentioned earlier will create a distraction, giving us five minutes." "Just one small problem." "And that is?" "How in the hay are we going to just waltz inside of the bank? We'll be arrested on the spot!" retorted AJ. "That's where my good friend comes in. He has a really strong memory. He goes by the name of Noteworthy. We'll be meeting him tomorrow in the city. He'll be at Mo' Donuts at 0600 sharp. We have to be there. If not, it'll really throw a monkey wrench into our plans. Now, any other questions?" "Only one. Everypony ready to go in two hours?" asked AJ. "Well, seeing at how the truck is complete and our outfits are ready, only one more thing," replied Octavia. She walked over to the bedroom, grabbing her Thompson gun. She fed it bullets until it was stuffed. Twirling the chamber she said, "Are we locked and loaded?" Vinyl's face scrunched tightly before she burst into laughter. "Tavi, that is a terrible pun! Oh my, my sides hurt! Ahahahahah, they hurt! Stop! You're killing me!" she laughed, AJ joining in the fun. "It was pretty bad sugarcube," AJ chuckled in between breaths of air. Octavia grunted, her eyes rolling in anger. Twilight walked back into the tent, seeing only a table remaining inside. She sighed deeply, her eyes focused on the ground near her feet. She walked back to the car, opened the trunk, and brought out two sleeping bags. She carried the bags back inside the outpost, setting them up parallel to each other. She rolled them out and flopped on her own purple bag, staring up into the green ceiling. She rolled on her left side, trying to figure out why she did that earlier. She promised herself to not be involved in others' affairs as she has only been burnt in the past. Countless times she's been in a relationship where the other party only wanted her for one thing. Feeling broken again, she buried her face into the bag. She heard the tent being opened, footsteps walking next to the table. She pretended to be asleep, her left eye being partially open and peering out through the side. Big Mac had reappeared, setting two new chairs next to the table. "Ms. Sparkle, you awake?" he asked. Twilight didn't respond, hoping he would take the bait. "Well, even if you're asleep, or not, what you did wasn't wrong. I know that there is something between us, but we're partners first, and that's not going to change. Even while we may have had a lapse in judgement, I don't blame you. You did what you felt was right, and in the end, only you know what you felt is real. I know what i felt... I also know that you felt it too when we were embraced with each other. However," Big Mac trailed off, his grip tightening on the back of the chair, "We can't be together. We're working together and you know as well as I that we can't be romantically involved. It'll just throw everything off. Well, Ms. Sparkle, if you are sleeping, I'll let you continue. If not, take my words into consideration. You know what must happen between us." Big Mac walked back out of the tent, the outside being zipped up. Twilight continued to lie motionless, unsure of what to make of his words. She grunted quietly, her eyes shut tight. Her breathing was shallow, her head starting to hurt from all the confusion that she was enduring. She continued to lie there, analyzing each and every word he spoke. She eventually opened her eyes and sat up, her elbows resting atop her knees. What Big Mac had said was absolutely true. She came to a conclusion: We're partners first and that's it. Anything that develops after the case is purely coincidental. There is no other path than the path of justice . She started to chuckle maniacally, tears starting to form at the corners of her eyes. She shook her hard harshly, grunting in the process. Her grin was wavering between happy and despairing, her pupils dilating into two small purple circles. She climbed inside her sleeping bag and began to doze off, ready to catch those criminals. Big Mac walked to town, surveying the area. He walked to the bank where he met up with one of the guards. "Did you call them?" "Yeah, I got in touch. You ready for tomorrow?" "Yeah, all ready. Did you knock her out?" "More or less. When we had dinner, I slipped something in her drink. She won't be awake in time for the show," grinned Big Mac. "Did you see her drink it?" "She only took a small sip, but it'll be enough time for us to enact our plan. By my calculations, she won't be awake until it's all too late." "You're that confident?" "I am. Are you that confident that humming a damn tune will give the rest of the guards the signal?" "Hey, easy there. I am the one and only Noteworthy. I know how to hum a damn tune. That's the easy part. The hard part is doing it loud enough that the rest will hear, but quiet enough that the other guards won't suspect me. Trickery is very sly, you know?" "But do you think it's wise to talk with me now about this outside the bank?" "Look, night patrol only has four guards doing rotations. This lasts until the bank opens at 0700, which means we have six hours to finalize the plan before the operation is a go." "What did my sister offer you?" "Not your sister, but Vinyl." "What did she offer you, drugs, cash?" asked Big Mac. "Not even in the slightest. I haven't even touched the stuff, and I don't want her money. It's a favor she called on, that's all," replied Noteworthy. "Care to indulge?" "Got a smoke?" "Yeah, here you go," chuckled Big Mac. "Thanks," said Noteworthy, the end of the cigarette burning crimson. The small light illuminated Noteworthy's face, a scar appearing on the right side of his cheekbone, just below the eye. "It happened when I found those girls. I was playing in the woods near our house when I stumbled across a makeshift fort. Still being a dumb colt, I ventured inside, declaring it my pirate cove," he trailed, his eyes staring up at the night sky. "I was looking for booty when they came back to their home. I demanded payment for entry, and Octavia accepted, handing me a bit. My eyes shone brightly as I accepted them inside. I made some arrangements to the structure, just reinforcing it with sturdier branches and covering the roof with leaves and wet mud. I made the fort into a little adobe, complete with pine needle flooring. We started talking and I found out that they ran away from home. They didn't tell me what home, mind you. After some prying, I learned that they had escaped from the orphanage. Apparently, the workers there would occasionally beat the children, their mindless anger being unleashed upon them. Y'know, I never could understand that. Why did innocent fillies and colts get beaten for no reason? It just makes you sick, right?" "Yeah, that's fucked up," said Big Mac. "Glad you agree," uttered Noteworthy. He took one last drag of the cigarette, the butt of it falling underneath his hoof. He ground it into the concrete, the embers being extinguished. "Well, I guess I could understand them in some way. My father was an officer, you see. And after seeing the shit he went through, he changed. He started to drink more. During his drunken escapades, he would assault my mother. She took the brunt of his beatings so I didn't have to. But one day, that all changed. My father came home, his breath smelling of whiskey. I knew what was in store. My mother just smiled and brought dinner to the table. My father didn't like the way I was eating so loudly, so he started to yell at me. My mother tried to console him, but that just set him off. He was waiting for somepony to open their mouth. This time it was my mother's. He lashed out at her, pinning her to the wall. I tried to intervene, but he threw me aside, my face catching the side of the table. The knife we were using for our food was resting on the same side. It sliced my face open pretty damn well, red liquid pooling onto the floor." Noteworthy scratched the back of his head, his rifle dangling in his grip. His eyes looked at the gun from barrel to stock, observing its simplicity. His grip tightened, his eyes glaring at the ground. "If I had this back then, I would've done it myself. But I was weak, too weak," he mumbled. "I ran out of the house and towards the adobe in the woods. Octavia saw me first, alerted by my crying. She asked what had happened, and I told her." Noteworthy paused briefly before continuing. "I swear, that girl frightens me. Vinyl came out of the adobe next, consoling me while Octavia started to walk towards the house. Vinyl and I stayed behind her, unsure of what was going to happen. When we arrived at the house, my mother was turning blue in the face. Her right eye was swelled shut, her face a disarray of punches." Noteworthy began to chuckle, a small grin appearing on his face. "And that's when the fun really began. Octavia grabbed the knife of the table and sliced the back of my father's ankle, his body tumbling to the ground. My mother was freed, but she was still in bad shape. She was coughing, gagging for breath. I stood there helpless, shaking at the scene unfolding before me. My father was still pretty coherent as he grabbed Octavia by the throat, slamming her to the floor. I tried to kick him in the face, but I missed, kicking him in the shoulder. With his other arm free, he grabbed me by the throat and slammed me to the ground as well. What a scene, Big Mac," he chuckled. "Holy...." muttered Big Mac. "There we were, Octavia and I on the floor, both of our windpipes being crushed by the stallion who raised me. Well, that's where the favor comes in. Vinyl's expression changed from one of fear to one of anger. She kicked him sharply in the ribs and plunged both of her hooves into his eyes. We were free from his grip, but I wanted that son of a bitch to suffer. I pinned his arms to the ground, his wails growing louder. Octavia pulled the both of us off him, telling us that 'We should go.' Vinyl and I nodded, but not before I took some provisions with us. I ran up to my room, grabbed my suitcase, and stuffed it full of clothes and food from the kitchen. My mother had dialed the police and was holding my father, his hooves over his eyes, dark red liquid staining his shirt. I didn't care anymore. My father and my mother were both dead to me. I went into my parent's bedroom and flipped over the mattress. I took whatever money they had and ran out the back door. To my surprise, Vinyl and Octavia weren't there. I headed back to the adobe, where I found them, packing their things. After they were set, we took off into the city, looking for food and maybe a job. No one really hires children, so we did some shady stuff to live. We robbed others, stole, committing petty crimes to get by. We did this until we were teenagers where I found a local bar looking for musical talent. I auditioned and got a spot singing songs to the customers. This helped find lodging for us. I worked there for some time, eventually convincing the manager to hire two more musical talents. Octavia played the violin on stage while Vinyl played the piano. Thanks to their beauty, the bar received more patrons, and in turn, they received better time slots. The better the time slot, the better the pay. We lived together for a few years before you guys showed up." "Where we hired Octavia, yes?" asked Big Mac. "Yeah, where you hired Octavia. Vinyl lived with me while Octavia lived her double life. Eventually it caught up to us though, and we were forced to move. Not wanting to involve us, Octavia wanted to go it alone. Vinyl wouldn't have it and they had a fight. Eventually, I bid my farewell and the two of them drifted off somewhere." "So how did she contact you?" "We've been friends a long time. A bond like that isn't easily forgotten. She has her ways," snorted Noteworthy. "You should get some rest. You'll need it for tomorrow." "Yeah, you're right. See you at the donut shop at 6," said Big Mac. "Yep! See you then." Noteworthy waited until Big Mac's frame was out of the light. "See you again old friend," he mumbled, a small smile emerging upon his face.