Trust

by Wheller

Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Night had fallen as the group of nine had settled down into camp. They had a nice dinner of the apple theme, which had been prepared by Applejack. Vinyl Scratch had figured that Applejack had to be lugging at least five kilograms of them, maybe even more. And soon enough, everypony, (and baby dragon) had gone to bed with the exception of two.

The first of course, being Vinyl Scratch, the second was Whirlwind.

“Something on your mind Whirlwind?” Vinyl Scratch asked as she heard the Pegasus pony breathing next to her.

“Yes,” Whirlwind said, sitting down next to her on a fallen log. “I believe that the last time we spoke, you were about to offer me an explanation? I’m still waiting for it.”

“Oh... yeah, that, I’m sorry! I completely forgot!” Vinyl said. She began to recount for him tales of the Old World, of the war between Order and Chaos itself, she told the final battle between the forces gathered by Princess Luna and her siblings, and how they had all been snuffed out. She told him about Surprise, and how she had tried to murder her several times. She told him of the missile, and how upon setting it off, it had given them all a second chance at life.

Whirlwind sat quietly and listened intently, or, at least Vinyl hoped he was, she really had no way to be sure. She finished her tale, and waited for the inevitable reaction. Whirlwind likely thought she was insane.

“So... I’m an all powerful pony, who is actually a long lost brother to Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, hell bent on enslaving all of pony kind to live under my iron hoofed rule, and Doctor Nightly is my brother, and he’s actually three ponies who are my mortal enemies?” Whirlwind asked after a few moments of silence.

“I know... it sounds ridiculous...” Vinyl began.

“On the contrary,” Whirlwind interrupted. “I believe every word of it.”

“I... what?” Vinyl asked, she had thought the story sounded insane, and he was that quick to accept it?

“Your story was far too clear and consistent for you to have just made up on the spot, and you clearly believe that you are telling the truth,” Whirlwind said.

“What do you mean that I believe I’m telling the truth?” Vinyl said with a scowl.

Whirlwind chuckled. “You did say it yourself, it sounds ridiculous. So, I’m a despot, what do we do about it?”

“Well... you’re not really him, as far as I can tell, you’re just a reincarnation of him. You’re still your own pony... I think,” Vinyl Scratch said with a shrug.

“Good thing too, I’m far too lazy to enslave all of Equestria,” Whirlwind said with a chuckle. “Goodnight, Vinyl Scratch, try to get some rest soon, hm?”

“Goodnight Whirlwind, try not to get the desire to enslave me!” Vinyl said.

“I’ll try not to,” Whirlwind said as he ducked into his tent to go to sleep.

Vinyl Scratch sat around for a couple of hours, lost in her own thoughts; she heard a twig snap, and hoof steps approaching her. She cracked a small smile in the direction of the newcomer. “Hello Princess Luna, been following us long?”

“I wanted to see how you were doing,” Princess Luna said, taking a seat next to Vinyl Scratch. “I want you to be in peak physical condition for your impending exile to the sun.”

“Oh come on! My driving wasn’t that bad,” Vinyl Scratch said with a grin. “It didn’t help that you were screaming at the top of your lungs the entire way.”

“You nearly drove us off a cliff. Twice... off the same cliff,” Princess Luna said, she placed her hoof on Vinyl’s shoulders. “How are you, Vinyl?”

“Those pills you gave me have been a lifesaver, the last thing I want if for them to find out just how bad I really am,” Vinyl said.

“You haven’t told them? Have you told them about why you’re going where you are?”

“No,” Vinyl said simply, almost unwilling to give a further explanation.

“Don’t you think that you should... trust your friends?” Princess Luna asked. “They care about you.”

“They don’t remember me!” Vinyl said with a small ‘humph’. “I don’t want them to worry about me.”

Princess Luna sighed loudly. “I have to return to Canterlot, we won’t be seeing each other again for a while.”

“I won’t be seeing you period,” Vinyl said with a grin, giving the princess of the night a tight hug. “If... if this doesn’t work... if I don’t run into you again... I... thank you, for everything you’ve done.”

“You are welcome,” Princess Luna said, hugging the mare tightly in return. Their embrace broke, and Princess Luna spread her wings and leapt into the air.

Vinyl Scratch popped another anti-radiation sickness pill and turned in; knowing that tomorrow was going to be a long day.

...

The group of nine packed up camp shortly after dawn, though they were still slow to start. Some of them, like Applejack and Fluttershy were used to waking at dawn to start their days. Others, like Rarity and Rainbow Dash, were more used to sleeping until much later.

“Applejack... darling, the sun is barely up! How can you expect us to rise this early?” Rarity said complaining loudly.

“Hmphburge... what she said,” Rainbow Dash said groggily.

“Ah don’ ‘spect ya ta miss priss,” Applejack said. “But quit your whinin’ we gots lots o’ walkin’ ta do today!”

“Whining?!” Rarity exclaimed. “I am not whining, I am complaining!” Rarity cleared her throat and raised the pitch of her voice. “This is whining!”

Vinyl Scratch couldn’t help but grin. Those two were perfect for each other. “Are they always like that?” she asked of the pony who was sitting next to her, the identity of whom she had yet to determine.

“Um... pretty much, yes,” Fluttershy said.

Fluttershy, Vinyl had not really interacted much with Fluttershy, new world or old. To be perfectly honest, Fluttershy made her uneasy; Vinyl’s memories of the old world were still fresh, Fluttershy had violently murdered six people, mind you; she’d done it after prodding from the Siblings Nightmare... but Vinyl had to figure that for them to have brought it out. It had to have been in there somewhere to begin with.

Vinyl realised at that point that she was being incredibly unfair, Fluttershy deserved better than that. She couldn’t judge her for things that technically never happened... right? Vinyl gave Fluttershy a polite smile. “How are you Fluttershy? Sleep well?”

“Oh! Um... yes, I’m doing fine thank you...” Fluttershy said, squeaking adorably.

Okay, how had that become a violent murderer?

“How are you?” Fluttershy asked.

“I’m fantastic!” Vinyl said with a grin. “Are they still bickering? Or have they started making out yet?” she asked, referring to Applejack and Rarity.

“Oh! I... Um...” Fluttershy said with another squeak for an answer.

Vinyl couldn’t help but grin; she rose to her hooves and broke up the war of words between the simple farm pony and the fashionista. “Come on! We’re all friends here! We should get moving, Applejack’s right about one thing, we’ve got a lot of walking to do.”

...

Whitetail Wood went on for quite a distance if you stayed along the beaten path. Vinyl knew it was far faster to cut across open countryside that it was to stick to the road, but she wasn’t going to blindly lead her friends over a cliff, It was different with Princess Luna, she figured if the some thousand year old princess couldn’t survive a head on collision with a tree at a hundred and thirty kilometres an hour, then she didn’t have any business being princess at all. Vinyl couldn’t help but grin to herself at her joke.

In all seriousness, she really did care about her friends, all of them. She wanted them to be safe. That was why she couldn’t tell them what was wrong with her. They’d push themselves to get to the Hoofson Bay faster, in order to try and help her. It wasn’t something that Vinyl was willing to have happen. She knew what it was like to be marched past your point of exhaustion; she remembered carrying an unconscious Rainbow Dash fifty kilometres at the point of a gun, even if Rainbow herself did not.

Vinyl cared for each and every one of them. She was happy that her friends had come along with her. She couldn’t have made this trip alone, and she knew it, but when it came down to it, their safety was worth more than hers. She had to make sure that they wouldn’t suffer because of her.

Vinyl Scratch had already caused much suffering to others during her life, like Octavia and Benjamin Willoughby, she wouldn’t allow herself to add Twilight Sparkle, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Rarity, Spike, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, or Whirlwind to that list.

Not even if it meant the death of her.

Comments

[DreadedCandiru2]

And thus we see exactly why Vinyl does need some sort of less than completely horrific ending; she won't admit it but she's a good pony at heart.

[Apocalypse Pony]

There's being selfless and then there's just simply trying to kill yourself

[oblivion2k]

20224
Eh Vinyl wouldn't do that, not in this lifetime at least. Not unless it would definitely save a life of another.
Besides, Vinyl knows this route already, I'm sure they'll avoid most of the nasty stuff.

[Kamineigh]

WHOA WHOA WHOA WHOA! MASSIVE RETCON ALERT!

This chapter...
She began to recount for him tales of the Old World, of the war between Order and Chaos itself, she told the final battle between the forces gathered by Princess Luna and her siblings, and how they had all been snuffed out. She told him about Surprise, and how she had tried to murder her several times. She told him of the missile, and how upon setting it off, it had given them all a second chance at life.

Previously stated canon...

Whirlwind remained completely in the dark about his true identity for his entire life, and likely wouldn’t have cared even if he did. He continued to pursue his love for Rainbow Dash, even after Rainbow would leave Ponyville to follow her dreams. Whirlwind replaced Rainbow Dash as the leader of Ponyville’s weather team. Continuing the tradition of being able to clear the skies above Ponyville in ten seconds flat.