//------------------------------// // Chapter Nine: Circumstances // Story: Hitmares // by Shane1108 //------------------------------// The night was indeed long. As Celestia rose the morning sun Lyra and Sheen were sitting on the couch in her apartment. They had skipped the drinks when they got back and had opted for coffee instead. They had managed to compile a list of everyone who had any real association to Sunset. After hours of work they had almost 80 names. Those were ponies who actually had connection to her, not just occasional associates. They started going through the list again from the top to try and start crossing off as many names as they could. They started from the top. Flash had said something about it being someone in her crew so she decided to start there. There was obviously no way that it would be Vinyl or Octavia. Octavia had a problem but there was no way that it had developed into anything like this. Fleur was so busy dealing with royalty and her own things that she wouldn’t even do well as an informant. Berry would have her throat cut out before she would ever even consider talking to anyone inside the royal guard, let alone CSIU and the same could be said for Sheen and then some. Then there was Lyra. She was desperate and in a bad state after the “disappearance” of her wife. She was young, impressionable and really didn’t have anything to lose. On the other hoof though, she had killed for the cause and that was something that she had always known to be a big no-no with CI’s. They were allowed to participate but never actually go further than minor crimes. Also she had seemed like the loyal type. She always had a fire in her eyes and an eagerness to do whatever needed to be done. Sunset had admired that quality in her. She actually had felt bad about what had to be done with her wife. If she had known Lyra better before then she wouldn’t have done anything that rash. Business was business though and Bon Bon had owed her hundreds of thousands of bits and had been dodging out for too long. Lyra was a good kid who could end up going places if she stuck with it, and it was probably because of the disappearance of her wife that got her fully invested in the life. She probably wasn’t the rat, but it was the best lead they had to go off of so far. “What do you think about the new girl?” She asked Sheen. Sheen thought it over for a few seconds. “Well.” He started, pausing to yawn. “I think that she would be the obvious answer, but I don’t actually think that it’s her. She seems really determined to make things work with us and she needs the bits. Also I can’t recall the last time I saw a rat put two slugs in anyone’s skull before. You never know though, there’s no harm in keeping a better eye on her for now at least until we can find out for sure.” Sunset nodded, yawning herself. “Then that’s what we’re going to do. We need to keep this just between us for now. I’ll fill Berry in as necessary but that’s it. I want you to stick around Lyra for a while and keep tabs on her. We don’t have much time to get this thing taken care of.” “I’m sure we’ll nip it in the bud soon, Sunny. These things never work out for CSIU.” Sheen said, taking a sip of his coffee. Sunset looked like she was miles away and she was quite for a minute. “If it doesn’t though, then there’s something that I need to do, and I’ve got to do it soon.” She turned her head to Sheen. “If things do end up going downhill then I’m going to need someone to take over for me. I’m not going to prison Sheen. I’ll either lam it or die if it comes down to it, but I won’t end up like my father.” Sheen shook his head. “Relax, Sunny. It’s not going to come to that.” She put her hoof over his and looked him in the eyes. “Neither of us know that Sheen. I need to know though, if it does, do you want the job? You’re the most senior member and I trust you more than anyone else in the world.” He stared in silence. He had never considered that he would ever be put in this position. “Honestly, boss, I don’t think it’s for me. I’m a good killer and maybe someone could say that I have a decent head on my shoulders but I’m not cut out to be a leader. And if I’m being completely honest, I wouldn’t want to be even if I was. It’s a dangerous job with a jot of exposure. I would rather just do my own thing in the background and take care of what needs to be done.” She nodded slowly. “Thanks for your honesty, if nothing else I guess. If you don’t want the job then I need you to do me a favor. I think Vinnie has what it takes, but she needs a little guidance. I’m going to give her a button and when I’m gone it’s going to be passed on to her. I need her to be ready for whatever will come at that point and she would have no better of an adviser than you.” Sheen smiled at her. “That sounds like something I can do boss. She’s a god kid, and if she can get her act together then I think she has the gumption to make a great boss. She needs to get her act together, that’s for sure. I think if we point her in the right direction though then she has a lot of potential.” She returned the smile. “Then it’s settled. We need to get some rest. Feel free to take the spare bedroom. This afternoon I’m going to start the process of opening up the books. I’ll invite Vinyl and Octavia to dinner tonight and tell them then. When you get up I want you to give me a call and we’ll find out where Lyra is. Swing by and pick her up and take her on your rounds today. Try and get in a little closer to her and see if you can feel out the situation.” “Sounds like a plan.” He replied with a deep yawn. They stood up and left the papers on the table, heading for the bedrooms in the back. Despite all of the coffee he had been drinking. He had fallen asleep almost as soon as his face hit the pillow. Sometimes he would have nightmares about the things he had done or seen. He was thankful for times like these when it was nothing but darkness. There was nothing quite as great as a nice, dark, dreamless sleep. Across town an hour later when the sun was now bright in the cold morning sky, Vinyl was sitting with Rose at a small diner. Drinking coffee of their own and eating pancakes by the stack. It was her second day completely sober and she actually felt like she was feeling better. “Ya know.” She said to Rose while still chewing on a pancake. Syrup was hanging out of the side of her mouth like drool. “I don’t think I’ve ever actually been awake this early in the morning without staying up the whole night before. It’s kind of like I’m seeing the morning through a new set of eyes.” Rose smiled to her, slicing a piece off her pancake and putting it in her mouth. She had always envied how easy it was for unicorns to eat food. Although she did wonder sometimes if they could taste their own magic, that must have been pretty weird. “I’m glad to see you’re enjoying yourself. Maybe you’re starting to find that the lives normal ponies have aren’t too bad after all.” Vinyl chuckled and stuffed her face again. “I’m not sure I would go that far, but I am definitely starting to see the advantage of it.” Rose smile started to falter a bit. “Look, sweetie. There’s something I need to ask you about.” Vinyl stopped eating, adapting her best serious face. “What’s up?” She asked. “Is everything okay?” Rose paused, putting her fork down. “I’ve been thinking a lot about the things that you do. I need to know something. What is the extent of your business? I mean, I know about the drugs, and obviously I don’t care about that. I just need to know about the other side. I heard about how you reacted when those ponies came in and shot up the club. They said you were a natural and in your element. And I know what your Aunt does. I just need to know. Have you ever done things like that before?” Vinyl didn’t know what to say. She had no idea that this question was coming, but really she figured that she shouldn’t be surprised. Rose wasn’t really in the life and had no clue about any of it before they had met. Vinyl spent so much time around others who were in the life that she didn’t realize just how insane the whole thing must be for someone who was outside of it. This was a delicate situation. She loved Rose, and she didn’t want to say the wrong thing. In the stories that she read as a foal, love was always honest. This wasn’t a fantasy story. Sometimes the truth was a messy thing, and sometimes a lie was the better option. The idea of lying to her actually made her feel a little sick inside but there was no other choice. Rose would run if she knew the truth about her. She was a killer. Not out of necessity or some call to duty, just out of pure rage and malice. She was a monster in a pony’s body. Worst of all though, she liked it that way. Being able to what she wanted, when she wanted and to who she wanted with almost no consequence was how she had always lived her life, and she had more than grown accustomed to it. She would never change, she couldn’t change. Rose was worth at least pretending that all of that wasn’t true though. She put her hoof over Rose’s. “Never.” She said. “I swear it. Only in self-defense. I know there are a lot of rumors about what Sunset is involved in, but that’s not my life. I just run the club for her. Nothing else.” Rose nodded slowly and her smile returned. “I knew it. I just…had to be sure is all.” She said slowly. “I’m sorry I doubted you, sweetie. I love you.” She finished with a kiss. Vinyl felt a little bad, but it had all worked out. That was all that mattered. She leaned in for another kiss and left some syrup on Rose’s lips. She was happier than she had been since her parents were still alive and she honestly couldn’t still wrap her head around the fact that it was real. She was going to hold onto it though for as long as she could and nothing would take it away from her. After they left, Rose went to the club to check up on some things. Vinyl had asked her to look over some of the books when Rose had told her that she used to run her own shop and over the last couple of weeks she had been trying to help Vinyl hide their excess money in any way that she could. There were little ways everywhere and she had been doing pretty well at it so far. She had been looking over inventory behind the bar when she saw LP and Velvet talking on the other side of the room. She didn’t want to eavesdrop but she couldn’t help but overhear what they were saying. “It’s time, Play.” Velvet started. “We can’t keep doing this anymore. We’ve got the future to think about now. It’s not just us we’ve got to worry about anymore.” “Relax, honey. I know that. If anything this is an opportunity for us to make more money when the baby comes.” Long Play said in a sweet tone. She scowled. “What are you talking about exactly? Because if it’s what I think it is then you’d better not even suggest it.” He sighed. “Sweet Celestia, V. Can we not even talk about this? There’s a chance to make a good life for us here. It would only be for a couple of years at the most and we could have enough bits to provide our foal with any life that he or she could possibly want.” She dropped the washcloth on the table. “Are you out of your fucking mind? Look. I love your sister. She’s been a great friend to me and really helped us out here. But you and I both know that she’s a psychopath, and I’m sure that Octavia is too. Did you not see them when the shit went down in here? Your sister looked like a light switch turned on as soon as the shooting started. The look in her eyes scared me more than anything else that was happening around us. I swear that she was in her element then. That’s who your sister is and that’s not who you are going to be.” Long Play looked stunned. “How could you say something like that? You have no idea what she’s been through.” She stopped him right there. “What has she been through that you haven’t?” He shook his head. “It’s not the same, Velvet. She can’t cope with things like normal ponies do. There is a rage that has building inside her for years and I know that she’s getting better. Rose has certainly seen to that.” When she heard her name, Rose turned around and started looking under the shelves, but kept listening. “Maybe you’re right.” Velvet started again. “But that doesn’t change the fact that at any time another group of armed idiots could come busting in this place looking to take on your sister or your aunt for who knows what and we don’t get lucky like we did last time. Haven’t you even thought about that?” “It’s not that serious anymore, Velvet. It was a one-time thing. Of course there will always be danger in this business but that’s what makes it worth the money.” He said as he picked up her rag and started wiping off the table they were standing next to. She was fuming, but didn’t want Rose to hear them. “What good will bits be if our baby ends up an orphan like his father?” She whispered with venom in her voice. Before Long Play could even begin to say anything she walked away. He looked over to see Rose purposefully trying to ignore the situation that was unfolding before her. “Sorry about that.” He said, she just blushed and nodded before turning away from him. Velvet didn’t know what she was talking about, Rose thought to herself. Sure maybe Vinyl had some anger issues but she knew the real Vinyl. The real Vinyl was sweet, caring and compassionate. The real Vinyl was scared and lonely and angry deep down inside but all she needed was a little love and she could be wonderful. Rose was starting to realize just how much she cared for Vinyl. Not the Vinyl that she had met when at the club or the cocky persona that she carried around with her to hide how sad she was deep down inside. She fell in love with the Vinyl who she woke up next to every morning. The one who she had just finished breakfast with. The one who she knew at the end of the day would be there for her. Aside from everything that she did, she would always love her. With this realization another dawned on her. She was almost 30 years old and was getting to an age when she needed to be figuring things out. It was time for her to make a decision. She loved Vinyl, and she knew that Vinyl could provide anything that they needed. It was time to take things to the next level. She just hoped that Vinyl was ready for it. As the day wore on, Octavia was sitting at their apartment and counting up some of the money that they club had taken in the last week. She was splitting up the bits and notes into different piles. One was hers, one would be going to Vinyl and the other to Sunset. There was another pile for business assets and a final one set aside as a pile to be put away for a rainy day fund. She had just about finished when the phone started ringing. She lit a cigarette as she picked up. “Hello?” She answered with a brighter tone than usual. The take had been good and it had done wonders on making things around her seem a lot less annoying than they had been. The voice on the other end was familiar but she couldn’t place it. “Sorry for the random call Miss Octavia but I’ve got some news for you. There has been some word that those ponies I tipped you off about selling on Sunset’s on the other side of town. It’s come to my attention that they didn’t get the message and are out again. I just thought that I would pass on the information to you.” It was a pony who she had known simply as “Lucky”. He was an informant of hers who had worked around the outer edges of Sunset’s territory and let her know about good scores that would come in. “Thanks, I’ll handle it.” was all that she said before hanging up. She put her head in her hooves. That was all it took to ruin her good mood. Normally she wouldn’t really care all that much. They had no money and almost no pills left, and they weren’t much of an issue. When she set out to make an example though she had to make sure that the point stuck, especially if it was in the name of Sunset Shimmer. She picked up the phone and called Lyra who was seemingly more than happy to help. She told her to wait for another call with instructions. Afterwards she called Sheen, who after finding out about their refusal to deliver the message fully was more than happy to help correct that mistake. He had even asked if Lyra would be joining him for the operation. He told her to swing by her house around dusk and pick her up. They were going on a stakeout to find out if the information was true. If it turned out to be so then they were to make sure that they never had a chance to make another mistake like this again. After she was finally all finished she set back out to finish counting the bits when she got another call. “What could it possibly be this time.” She said aloud while she picked up the phone. “What.” She said, annoyed. “Well that’s not much of a greeting.” Sunset’s chipper voice said from the other line. Realizing who it was, Tavi tried to brighten her voice. “Sorry, Sunset. It’s been a long day. What’s up?” Sunset didn’t waste any time. “I’ve got something important I want to tell you and Vinyl. I tried to call her first but she can be difficult to track down. I want you to find her and meet me at Berry’s place at around 7:30 tonight. Dress nice. It’s a special occasion.” A smile came on her face. “And what might that be?” She asked, trying to sound chipper. She heard Sunset chuckle. “That’s the big surprise. Just be there.” She agreed and they said their goodbyes and set off to find where Vinyl was at. As it turned out she was napping in her bedroom. Octavia didn’t know exactly how or when she came in. She never heard the door but she was busy with the money. She informed her of the news and they tried to find something at least a little suitable for Vinyl to wear. As the day turned into night and the sun was starting to set Silver Sheen pulled up outside of the bakery. Lyra came out to meet him with a smile and hopped in the car. “What’s the word, Sheen?” She asked. “Didn’t you get the memo?” He answered with a smirk. “Apparently those idiots from last night didn’t quite get the message. It’s time to find them and send a bit more of a permanent one. You up for it.” She just nodded. “I’m up for anything. I’m surprised they didn’t learn the last time.” He chuckled. “Don’t be, kid. Most ponies are a lot more stupid than you could possibly imagine. You’ll see in time, I’m sure. It’s something you’ve gotta learn how to deal with if you’re going to make it this business. You’ve gotta learn how to be a problem solver, no matter what.” She nodded. “Sounds like you’ve got a lot to teach me.” She said. As they continued on their lookout Vinyl and Tavi had shown up at Berry’s place. Sunset and Berry were already waiting for them at the table. Sunset was dressed up in a tight fitting red dress and Berry was wearing an equally tight fitting blue one. Octavia was wearing a long black dress herself and Vinyl had managed to come up with a decent looking suit that she hadn’t seen in months. It had some wrinkles but Vinyl neither had nor knew how to use an iron so she figured that it was good enough. “Aren’t you two looking dapper this evening.” Octavia said as she sat down. Berry smiled. “You two are looking pretty nice yourselves. Even you managed to dress up a bit, Vinyl. I never thought I would see the day.” Vinyl laughed. “Go fuck yourself, Berry.” Berry laughed too. “That’s more what I was expecting.” She motioned for the waiter. “Have whatever you want. It’s all on the house tonight. Let’s start with some drinks.” She turned to the well-dressed stallion “Let’s start with a bottle of red wine. The 57 Whinnying Wind, if I’m not mistaken it’s the best we have here.” The stallion gave a well-rehearsed smile. “It is indeed Ma’am. I’ll have that right up for you.” He said in a clearly fake, pseudo-Trotingham accent. “Wow.” Vinyl started. “I don’t know what that is but based on the name I can only assume it’s expensive. What’s the occasion?” Sunset smiled. “We’ll get to that, Vinnie. Let’s just order first.” Across town, Lyra and Sheen were just about reaching the neighborhood where they were headed for. “So,” Lyra started. “Do you ever wonder what things would be like if your life had turned out different? I mean if you had never left the so-called ‘straight and narrow’?” Sheen chuckled, “Sometimes when things get bad, I do. When we first went to war when Tanterella died I had times when I was ready to just straight up kill myself to get out of it. I felt like I had fucked everything in my life up and I would be dead at any minute. I was worried every day. I was still young then.” “I had this cousin.” He started as he took a drag of his cigarette. “We were on different paths throughout life. My parents were worthless junkies but his actually were pretty decent. Not much but not dead broke. He pulled himself up the legit way. Started working at a mechanic and made his way up to the boss. He’s a hard worker, just like I am. Now he owns the largest mechanic shop in the city and he did it all without going outside of the system. He’s got a wife and two daughters. They all seem to have happy lives, or at least that’s the impression I get on the rare chances I have to see him.” The pulled up to a stoplight and Sheen threw his cigarette out of the window. “The point I’m making kid, is that I may have done things differently but I can’t now. The one thing that I can be proud of is that I know who I am and I know who I’m not. If there’s anything that you could actually learn from me it’s this. Know who you are and be true to it. Your life will be better for it, trust me.” The light turned green but before they could go the car that was behind them suddenly pulled up along the driver’s side. Lyra looked through the window and spotted a familiar face. It was the red pegasus who she had hit with her pistol the night before. He had a black eye and a taped nose. Sheen quickly turned his head to her. “Get down!” he screamed. She just barely had time to react as a hail of bullets started coming through the car. She quickly opened the passenger door and slid out onto the ground as the shots kept going. Her back and shoulder were grazed and felt like they were on fire and glass from the breaking windows was raining down on her and cutting her skin. She tried her best to shield her eyes. It was over in seconds but it felt like forever. She could still hear the shells clinking off of the ground through the ringing in her ears as the car sped away. She managed to pull herself up and looked into the car. Sheen was slumped over the wheel with his eyes still open and his head facing her. He had been shot dozens of times and his blood covered the entire inside of the car. At least ten of the shots or more hit him in the head. He was probably dead before he had even hit the steering wheel. She was in shock but finally snapped out of it as she heard the sounds of police sirens in the distance. She popped open the glove box and grabbed the small pistol out of it, stuffing it in her coat pocket. She tried to run away into the alley as quickly as she could but she almost tripped from the pain in her shoulder. She needed to get back deeper into Sunset’s territory and she needed to find a payphone as quickly as she could. Back at the restaurant, They were all enjoying their premium soy and hay steaks. The new trend among rich ponies was eating like the nobles of Griffonia. But since ponies didn’t have the stomach for real meat the chefs made substitutes that supposedly tasted exactly like the real thing. Regardless of how accurate that statement was, they had all enjoyed them. They were fresh and very tender. Sunset put down her fork and knife and used her magic to grab her napkin and wipe her face. “How’s the food?” She asked. Vinyl was stuffing the last of her steak in her mouth. “It’s fuckin’ great.” She said before she had swallowed. Everyone laughed a bit. “That’s wonderful, dear.” Sunset said. “Now it’s time to tell you why I brought you two out here, it’s a very special occasion.” They all stopped eating to look at her. She started again. “I know things have been a little crazy over the last few months and I want you to know just how well I think both of you have handled things. You took a horrible situation and managed to come out on top, and I truly respect that.” She took a breath. “I was thinking about all of that this morning, especially the shooting, and I decided that if you are going to be running more things and taking more responsibility then I need to make sure that you’re safe. There’s one way to make sure that you can stay safe. I’ve decided to give you your button.” Vinyl gasped. “Are you serious, Auntie?” “As a heart attack, kid.” Berry chimed in. “You’ve more than earned it too, it’s not just to keep you safe.” Vinyl didn’t know what to say. She had always assumed that someday she would be made but she figured it would be years later. It was always her dream when she started working for her aunt. Ponies who were made had a free card to do pretty much whatever they wanted. No one could touch them without retribution from the council. It was the only reason that rat fuck Neon Lights was still breathing. She would be unstoppable and any life she had hoped to make with Rose would be hers for the taking. “I don’t know what to say.” She said with a small tear in her eye. Octavia put a hoof around her shoulder. “Just say thank you, dear. And maybe give your dear aunt a hug. We’re all so proud of you.” Vinyl reached across the table and wrapped Sunset in a hug as the other two looked on with smiles on their faces. It was truly a happy night. With Vinyl being made it made her as close to invincible as an earth pony in this business would ever get. She would be protected from anyone who would want to get to them. Although she had supposed Skag probably had felt the same way right up until he lost his head. Maybe if nothing else she would have more of a target on her now. That didn’t matter though. No one in their right mind would dare go after Sunset Shimmer. They all had happy words and had another drink before parting ways. Vinyl was bordering on tipsy at this point and she was having trouble walking straight when getting into the car. Around twenty minutes later they pulled into the parking lot of their apartment building. They got on the elevator all the way up to the 16th floor and were met, unexpectedly by Rose sitting at the end of the hallway outside of their door. “Rosie?” Vinyl asked as she sloshed her way out of the elevator. “What are you doing here, baby?” Rose smiled and rushed up to her, wrapping her in a huge hug and kissing her on the forehead. “Sorry for the abruptness. I couldn’t get ahold of you and I really needed to talk to you. I didn’t realize until I got here that I forgot the key that you gave me. I figured I would just wait for you.” Vinyl cocked her head. “How long have you been here for? Is everything okay?” Rose just smiled at her as Octavia unlocked the door and walked inside with the two following behind her. “I haven’t been here long and everything is okay. More than okay, in fact, things are great. Or at least I hope they will be.” Vinyl put a hoof around her. “What’s going on Rosie?” Rose took a deep breath and started to speak fast. “I realized today just how much I love you. I really, really love you and I want to be with you forever. I’m not getting any younger and I know now for sure that you are the one for me. I know it seems so soon but life is short and anything can happen all the time, but what I’m trying to ask you is, will you marry me?” Vinyl and Octavia’s jaws both dropped. “Um…” Vinyl started. Marry Rose? It was an interesting idea. She had always imagined that someday she would be married, but never this soon. She did love her though, and she was probably the only pony who loved Vinyl for who she was. There wasn’t going to be another coming around any time soon, so maybe she should just do her usual thing and go with the flow. “Yes.” She blurted out. Rose screamed and wrapped herself around Vinyl and started covering her in kisses. Something cracked inside Octavia. Her plan was collapsing around her. Rose was supposed to be a flash in the pan. Something that was only temporary that Tavi could sweep in afterwards and let Vinyl know that she had loved her all along. This was far out of her control. A rage started to build deep down in her. It wasn’t fair. Vinyl was supposed to be hers. She almost wanted to say something about it, right there and then. Suddenly though, the phone rang. Octavia walked across the hallway into the kitchen to grab it while Vinyl and Rose were still wrapped up in each other. “Hello.” She said flatly, trying to control her anger. “Tavi? Where have you been. I’ve been trying to get ahold of you for almost an hour.” She heard the voice say. It was Lyra and she sounded frantic. “Lyra?” She asked. “What’s wrong? Did something happen?” Lyra was breathing heavily as if she had been running. “I need you and Vinyl to come out to the corner of…” She paused. “87th and Firestone and I need you to come now. Bring guns and please hurry.” Tavi never had a chance to ask any more questions before Lyra hung up. She started to panic. What could have possibly happened? Where was Sheen? What the fuck was going on. She reached into the kitchen counter and pulled out a pistol and slipped it in her handbag. She came out into the living room. Rose and Vinyl were sitting on the couch, snuggled up. She looked around and saw the blank look on Tavi’s face. “What happened?” she asked with confusion in her voice. “We need to go, and we need to go now. There’s some problem with Lyra and we need to help. I’m gonna get my coat and we need to head out. Rose you can stay here until we get back. Lock the door behind us.” Tavi said with a serious tone and stern face. Vinyl got up quickly, springing into action. She couldn’t imagine what the problem could be but whatever it was, the tone in Tavi’s voice said that it was something serious. She turned to Rose, planting one more kiss on her lips. “I’ll be back soon, baby. I love you.” Rose didn’t get a chance to say anything back before they rushed out of the door and slammed it behind them. She was left bewildered. Her emotions were mixed. She was immeasurably happy that Vinyl said yes, but now she was concerned about whatever it was that she may have just gotten herself into. It was a strange world to live in, but one that she had to get used to.