Hitmares

by Shane1108

Chapter Thirteen: Dog Days

Chapter Thirteen: Dog Days

Octavia took a long drag off of her cigarette as she looked out over the city below her. She had been alone for a few months now after Vinyl and Rose had moved into Sheen’s old place. It had been an engagement gift from Sunset. Tavi didn’t mind being alone though, at least not most of the time. Since Vinyl had gone away she had a lot more time to think about her life.

Sometimes she would think back to how things used to be. Back when they had first moved in, the sky was the limit. She had just heard from Sunset that they were going to be starting their own club. It was her gift to them for graduating college. She could remember the first time that she had looked out of the 19th floor window over the city. She had finally felt like she made it in the world.

That was two and a half years ago. Since then she had been beaten, stabbed and shot at multiple times. She had taken multiple lives, of friends and enemies alike. She had become a raging drug addict, gotten clean and then relapsed again multiple times. That addiction was directly responsible for the death of one of her mentor’s and the surrogate father of the one who she loved. That same love would be, as of three months from now getting married to someone else, despite her best wishes and attempts to win her over. How the times had changed.

The future though, could still be bright. She was on the upswing again towards getting fully clean. This time she was on an almost three-week stretch of not using and she had decided that she could really beat it if she put her mind to it. As far as any of the others knew she had been clean for months, but what they didn’t know wouldn’t hurt them.

She had also been making more money than she knew what to do with since they absorbed Lyra’s old bakery and converted it to a jazz-only club with the flavor of an after-hours coffee shop called “The Night Cap”. It had been Tavi’s pet project since they had gotten the deed in the middle of the last summer. With her own club came a new customer base and a new supply of drugs.

The jazz crowd liked a little bit of a different flavor of high. Where the old club did nothing but sell uppers, she specialized in exactly the opposite. Her patrons (and her own, when she wasn’t taking one of her breaks) choice of drug was a fine tan powder that was made from a flower found in the plains of the south. They had all called it “Fade” because the cold and stiff edges of life faded away into a nice smooth curve after every hit. She didn’t know the actual name of the plant that it came from but she knew how it made her feel.

She also knew just how much money that she was making from it. She had cleared almost two million in the last year alone, and she was just getting started. If everything kept going as well as it had been, she would be able to fully retire and live any life that she wanted to by the time she was thirty.

Not that she wanted to leave, though. Even though she had lost some clout in Sunset’s eyes for her mistakes and she could never be made a full member, Sunset and the others were the only family that she had ever really had. There would be nowhere else for her to go. Sure, she wasn’t a huge fan of Rose and she would always love Vinyl, but she knew that she had to move on. The fade would see to any tough times that she was going through, if she really needed it to.

Tonight would be the last night looking out of that same window and she was honestly a little sad to see it go. She would be moving up, though, literally. She had just paid almost 750,000 bits down for a new three-bedroom place on the 41st floor of a building in the same development that Sunset had lived in. She took a risk in buying the place but she felt comfortable that the gravy train had left the station and there wouldn’t be any stops.

She wanted to distance herself from her memories as much as she could and that would be the best place to do it at. She still worked for Vinyl but essentially, she was on her own. She ran the club by herself and she lived by herself as well. It was too hard seeing Vinyl day in and day out for all that time after she had tossed Lyra’s body in the river. Vinyl was doubting herself and was bitter towards her for Sheen’s death. She had barely spoken to her for the first two weeks after that night and for the next month or two it had been in short and curt sentences at best.

After a few months they had managed to make things right with each other again after a few drinks had led to a long and sloppy conversation about their relationship. Tavi had broken down and told Vinyl exactly what had been on her mind since Rose had came into the picture and had discussed with her that maybe it would be better if they had spent some time apart.

Vinyl was sad, and didn’t fully understand but she had told Tavi that it was for the best. Since then their friendship had greatly improved. They hadn’t had any problems (that weren’t easily handled anyways) since the fallout had cleared after they had taken care of Lyra and the money was flowing. She had been getting on with Sunset well too, everything with Sheen had seemingly blown over and things were finally starting to fall into place ever since the new club had opened and started making them so much profit.

She took one last look out of the window before tossing the cigarette out and heading to bed. Things were finally starting to look up, but she had a creeping suspicion that there was something dark coming on the horizon. The worst part was that she couldn’t pinpoint what exactly it could have been that would toss them up. Everything had just been going so well, maybe just a little bit too well. Somewhere in the back of her mind she just couldn’t help but get the feeling that it was all an illusion and that things would fall apart at any moment. She pushed the thoughts out of her mind as hard as she could, thinking about what the future would bring her with a smile on her face.

On the other side of town, The Hop was in full swing. Vinyl was in the backroom with Sunset. They were relaxing in the newly built office on the third floor. There were apartments up there before but as the business grew they decided to do a re-model. They turned the first floor into the bar and seating area and the entire second floor into one big dance-floor. The third floor had an office for Vinyl and a conference room built in for when she needed to bring everyone in for a meeting.

Vinyl had been running the show for Sunset for almost an entire year now and things had been going well. She hadn’t exactly enjoyed the extra responsibility at first, it was a lot of work and there was a lot riding on her shoulders. If she failed, it could end up with them all dead. If she wasn’t careful with every detail, they would all go to prison for life.

She took to leadership well though, especially when she got sober. Lyra’s death had done something to her, deep down. Her last few words were something that would stick with Vinyl for the rest of her life. If it was her, she would have done anything for her family, no matter the cost. She would tear down the princess herself if she stood between her and the safety of those that she loved. Even if it meant catching a bullet along the way, just like Lyra had.

The other thing that had stuck with her, through everything else on that went on during that whirlwind horror-show of her life, was one simple lesson that she had learned. Weakness can’t be tolerated at any cost. Every single time she let her guard down, someone died. It had been something that had been on her mind a lot since they put Lyra down.

First it was the ponies at her club when that rotten bitch Sweet Peach made a dirty deal with Neon. Not keeping her guard up left 33 dead at the scene and Sweet Peach herself face down on the cold pavement covered in the bits of her shattered window.

Then she let her guard down once again with Octavia. She knew that Tavi had been using and was getting out of control but she let it go because she refused to see the extent of the problem. Then the next thing she knew, Sheen was dead and they were slinging bullets down a crack-house hallway, dipping someone in acid and burning someone else alive.

Then there was the last time she let her guard down, Lyra. Just thinking of her name brought up such heavy and mixed emotions. They were friends, they had saved each others lives, and she was a rat the whole time. But at the same time that was all Vinyl’s fault, they killed her wife for Celestia’s sake. How could she not have seen that coming? She should have known it was Lyra from the second that Sunset told her there was a rat. Somehow she just couldn’t see it then. Hindsight was 20/20 after all, but that didn’t mean that she shouldn’t have known
better.

From here on out, she would always be looking out. She would never let her guard down again if she could help it. Tonight was going to be a good time to test that. Tonight was the night that she and Sunset were meeting with Knick Knack (or Knacky) as he liked to be called. He was one of the heads of the Sconoscutio families in Canterlot, and arguably the most powerful of them. He controlled the north side of the city. He was an actual noble (even if he was only in the lower houses) and was even the county treasurer for almost two decades. Vinyl had only met him on three or four occasions over the years so she had only really known what Sunset had told her about him.

She knew that he controlled the trucking industry in Canterlot and pretty much every imported good, legal or illegal, came through him. He also controlled the numbers racket for all of the major sporting events in the city, which was how he made his fortune in the first place when he was younger. She also knew that Neon was his nephew, which was already enough to put a strike against him in her book. Despite having cleared things up with Neon since the brutal days of the last winter, she still hated him and was honestly itching for him to make some kind of mistake so she could take him out. She never fully believed that what happened with Sheen wasn’t somehow planned by Neon and she was planning on making him pay for it someday.

That was actually one of the reasons why they were meeting with Knacky in the first place. Neon’s crew had been overstepping their bounds again lately and had been selling in Sunset’s territory. Instead of going straight to violence like they had done last time, she thought it better to play it smart and go straight to the source. Neon may have had his own crew but nothing got done without Knacky’s say, or at least that’s how it should have been. Sunset hadn’t trusted Knacky since she was a kid and after the incident with Neon and the club she trusted him even less, but there wasn’t anything to be done about that. He was pretty much untouchable unless they wanted to start a war.

They figured that they could at least meet with him in person this time to settle boundaries before things got out of hoof again. Sunset had originally asked the other two members of the council to come but Sandy was on a vacation in the Griffon Kingdom and Silk Streak was hosting a dinner party that evening. Sunset figured that it would be better for them to meet alone anyways, they could discuss things a little more frankly.

Before Knacky had arrived Sunset went over some of the ground rules with Vinyl.

“I want you to sit and listen, and try not to speak unless you are spoken to first. Someday you’ll be in my spot, but for now you’re just here to watch. Knacky is a little old fashioned and doesn’t take kindly to others talking out of turn. We need to keep cool so we can analyze this situation.”

Vinyl just nodded. Her dear aunt had been giving advice like this to her for a while now. She had always assumed that she would take over after Sunset was gone but it had seemed like Sunset was putting her on a fast track lately and she didn’t know whether to be happy or scared. She wasn’t sure she was ready for it all yet, but she knew that she was going to give it her best shot. Sunset had taught her a lot since she had been made. How to react to others, how to keep calm in tense situations and how to solve problems.

“The key.” Sunset had told her some months before. “Is never let anyone else know what it is that you are planning. Always play your cards as close to the vest as possible, even with your family and loved ones. And if you want someone dead, never do it yourself. You have grunts to do that for you now, you don’t ever want to implicate yourself if you don’t have to.”

Vinyl had taken that to heart and was planning on using that strategy should the time come. She had actually managed to go over an entire year without actually having to kill someone. She thought it must have been a personal record of hers because she couldn’t remember a time since she had worked for Sunset before when it didn’t happen at least once every few months. It must have truly been a sign that things were starting to look up for her.

While she was pondering that, Knacky walked into the room. He had a dark silver coat and a short, dark brown mane that looked like it was cut with a bowl to shape it. He wore a fancy suit and a small bowler hat on his head that almost made him look like a character out of one of those old silent films she had seen as a kid. He was old, probably late fifties or early sixties but except for some bags around his eyes he didn’t really show his age.

He sat down at the large table across from them. He took of his hat and adjusted his tie. He smiled at them before talking. “Sunset,” He said, his voice a high nasal whine. “It’s been quite some time. Something like five years or so if I remember correctly.”

Sunset nodded courteously. “Something like that. You’ve got quite a lot on your plate lately from what the papers say. How is the trial coming along?”

He chuckled. “Those grease-ball pricks down at the capital house are trying to burn me at the stake. I won’t go down without a fight though, that’s for sure. That’s actually one of the reasons that I agreed to speak with you today. I have some news, but feel free to go first.”

Sunset paused for a second before continuing. “Your nephew has been pushing his way into my territory again. Last time this happened it almost ended in a war, and I ended up losing one of my best friends from some of the ponies who your boy was protecting. We squashed the beef that we had, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t remember what he did. The only reason he wasn’t on a slab the minute he thought he could hit my club and get away with it is because of my respect for you. Frankly though, he won’t be getting a second chance.”

Knacky nodded slowly. “I see.” He said, pulling out a cigar from his coat pocket and lighting it.

“Neon has always been a wild one, I’ll give ya that.” He said as he took his first puff, before shaking off the match with his magic and tossing it into the ashtray. “The fact remains though that you have no actual proof that he had anything to do with the attack on you in the first place.”

“Fuck proof.” Vinyl said. “We all know exactly what happened back then. That prick almost got me killed.”

Knacky didn’t say anything at first, he just glared at Vinyl. “You would be wise to remember that you are at this meeting as a guest only. I agreed to have you here because Sunset told me she was training you in these matters, not because you deserve to be here. Keep that in mind. ”

Vinyl was fuming and about ready to pipe up when Sunset put a hoof over hers. She just shook her head and gave her a glare, but it was enough to keep Vinyl quiet.

“Regardless of the evidence,” Sunset said, turning her attention back to Knacky. “We all know that he’s guilty. He pretty much admitted it to me at Sheen’s funeral. Like I said, I’m not going to do anything about that, he repaid his debt. If he thinks that he can push my boundaries any further though he is going to find out the hard way how I deal with the thorns in my side, and nothing is going to stop me this time.”

“Alright.” Knacky said. “I’ll let him know how you feel and make sure that he stays on his side of the lines. But if something does happen you need to seek approval from the council before you make any move. Can we at least agree on that?”

“That works for me.” Sunset said after thinking it over for a few seconds. “Now what is it that you wanted to discuss with me?”

“Ah, right.” Knacky said, taking another long puff off of his cigar. “The trouble that these assholes have been causing me has been hitting me pretty hard over the last few months and it’s only going to get worse. Lawyers, as it turns out, aren’t cheap and I’ve been breaking the bank trying to get the best ones to help me beat this.”

He took a swig from his drink. “Which is why my distribution prices are going up by 35 percent, around the board.”

Sunset gaped at him. “Thirty-five percent? You’re kidding right? You own all the trucks that go through Canterlot. That’s going to be everything that I import! I thought you were rich?”

He laughed. “Who said I wasn’t? I’m not going to be spending all of my own money on this. Especially if I get fucked and do have to do some time, I’m going to need all the money I have to start doing repeals. Aside from that, my fortune is my retirement money. I didn’t bust my ass for 45 years day in and day out to be left with nothing to keep my through my golden years.”

Sunset was still agape. “Do you even know how badly you’re fucking me right now? I just spent a Celestia-damned fortune getting all of my licenses and fees rushed to get my new club up and running, let alone the massive remodel that we just undertook on this place. If you do this to me now I could lose potentially millions of bits.”

Knacky frowned. “We all have problems Sunny, but I’m sure you’ll persevere. You always were one of the most capable mares that I have ever met.”

He put his cigar out, stood up and tucked the butt into his coat pocket. “This new policy isn’t just for you, it’s for everyone. I just thought that since you were one of my biggest customers that it would only be fair for you to hear it from me personally. Not many others will be given that opportunity.”

Before she could say anything else he picked his hat up off of the table in his magic and placed it on his head. “I’ll give you a few weeks to adjust to the change but after that I’ll need the extra bits. Once the trial is over we can talk again and re-negotiate. Until then though, I hope you understand.”

She didn’t say anything else to him. She figured the next things that would come out of her mouth wouldn’t have been any good for anyone so she kept it shut. She just courteously nodded as she walked him out of the door. She shut it behind him and walked back to the table.
She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Her magic lit up and she grabbed the almost full glass of scotch that he had left behind on the table and took it down in one gulp.

Vinyl was almost in disbelief at what had happened. She could see Sunset fuming as she stared at the wall at the other end of the table.
She was about to say something when Sunset tossed her glass against the wall.

“That motherfucker!” she yelled. “Just who does he think he is? Coming in here and talking down to me about how ‘we all have problems’. What does that cocksucker know about problems? The only reason he’s in the shit is because he’s an arrogant idiot and got too greedy.”

“So fuck him then. What’s our next move?” Vinyl asked.

Sunset took a deep breath to calm herself down. “I need you to get Octavia on the phone. Things might about to get a little hairy and we need some new blood. Tell her to go through the neighborhood and see if she can round up some new blood.”

“How many?” Vinyl asked.

Sunset thought about it. “Three, maybe four. That should be enough for now.”

“What else do you need?” Vinyl asked, lighting a cigarette.

“I’m going to get to work on securing some other form of transportation into the city. Knacky has all the roads, so pretty much the only other option is going to the railroad. I have a few ponies that I can get in contact with to set things in motion.”

“Meanwhile.” She said. “I need you to head out to Filly sometime tomorrow when you have a chance. I can ask Longplay to look after the club for the next couple of days. I need you to go to our fade contact and cut a new deal with him.”

“What kind of deal?” Vinyl asked.

Sunset put her cigarette out. “If Knacky is going to start jacking up our prices then we need some protection. I want you to see if you can get some kind of exclusivity from him. Make it worth his while to sell only to us. Find out what he’ll need, then give me a call.”

Vinyl stood up. “Sounds like a plan. I’ll get the word out to Tavi and see what she can round up.”

Earlier the following morning Rose found herself at one of the premier boutiques in Canterlot, getting ready for the final fitting for her wedding dress. They had originally planned on getting married earlier but with the business taking precedence they decided to hold off until mid-spring. She had been excited before but now that the time was finally coming she almost couldn’t hold her anticipation in anymore. Along with her were her bridesmaids, Velvet, Fleur and Berry.

Fleur had pretty much gone independent in the last year, just doing contracts where she could and giving a cut up to Sunset. She loved Vinyl like a sister but wasn’t trying to take orders from anyone. Sunset didn’t mind as long as she was there if she was called on and she always kicked up a percentage of any of the jobs that she had taken.

She ended up breaking a hoof about eight months ago and she spent most of her time hanging around the club while she recovered. Since then she had spent a lot of time with Rose and had grown to like her quite a bit. She had such a cheery outlook on life, even when things seemed to be at their darkest. She supposed that Rose didn’t know much of what actually had gone when she had first met Vinyl but she never asked any questions and was always loyal to the end. Fleur was more than happy when Rose asked her to be a bridesmaid and was glad to call Rose her friend. She had been a major contact in helping get some of the planning for the wedding put together.

Velvet was just getting back to a regular schedule after dealing with the early days of motherhood. It was something that she loved and despised all at the same time. Longplay was a great father to their wonderful son Silver Lining (named so as Velvet thought that he was the only thing good to come out of her getting the job at the club where she almost lost her life). She loved the boy too but when foals are that young they could be quite a hoof-full, it was exhausting.

Since Longplay had moved up to managing the club they were making quite a bit more money. It was enough that she was able to stop working and take care of Silver full time. She also had used her spare time while he was napping to write music again. She had written a collection of songs during the last few months and just needed to put music to the lyrics. She had planned to play one for them at the
wedding. She was helping with the music and handling the entertainment in general for the reception.

She still didn’t really care for Vinyl all that much but she liked Rose. If anything she felt bad for Rose. She seemed so innocent and nice and she would most likely end up getting corrupted by Vinyl’s madness. Although she would admit that Vinyl had chilled out considerably in the last year, she knew that deep down she was the same mare that she always was and that meant that ponies were going to die at some point. She just prayed to Celestia that it wasn’t her or her family.

Berry had come more as someone to make the bridesmaids a trio. She didn’t really know Rose all that much but she seemed like a good kid. Her restaurant would also be handling the catering for the entire event, something that she was grateful for. Things had been taking a downturn over the last few months and she was finding it harder and harder to earn but with the promotion from the wedding she figured she would be flooded with new customers soon.

She hadn’t ever really been the same since Sheen died though. He was one of her best friends and it wasn’t something that she could really ever get over. He had helped her when she was at her lowest point and made her see something in herself that she had never seen before. He was the embodiment of a perfect friend. She had only wished that she could have cut that traitor rat Lyra’s throat herself for what she had done. She had no doubt in her mind that it was because of her that Sheen was dead and she wouldn’t let a rat penetrate their ranks again if she had anything to say about it.

Rose had put on her dress and was feeling, and looking fabulous. She came out of the dressing room and the girls all stomped their hooves in approval.

“You look marvelous, dear Rose.” Fleur said with a smile.

“She’s got that right.” Velvet said.

“Ya clean up nice kid.” Berry said with a chuckle.

Rose wrapped them all into a group hug. “I can’t thank you all enough for this. I know we’ve all been through some crazy things together and you have all helped Vinyl and I with so much.”

She started to tear up. “When I first met my Vinny I didn’t think that I would ever be here. She has come so far since we first met and she could never have done it without you girls. Just know that you’ll always have a friend in me.”

The all wrapped themselves into the hug. Things had been so bleak when they had all met each other and now they were, for the most part, looking up. Fleur took it as a sign of hope for the future. Velvet took it as a relief from the horror of the past, finally happy that a new chapter could open on her life. Berry though, had known better. She had been through more than most and had seen her fair share of blood and death along the way. The happy moments were just bookends of chapters filled with violence. She hoped that they were finally able to break out of the cycle, but deep in her heart she just couldn’t believe it.

Later that afternoon Vinyl and Tavi were at The Night Cap enjoying a fresh cup of coffee. Across the bar from them sat the three new recruits that Octavia had managed to round up in the morning. Two of them were unicorns who looked quite similar to each other, they both had light yellow coats and orange manes. The only noticeable difference between them were their heights. The third was a short, dark green earth pony who didn’t look a day older than 12. She was covered in scars and had a long one across her snout up to her right eye.

“Ya gonna introduce us, Tavi?” Vinyl asked.

“Right, then.” Tavi started, taking a sip of her coffee. “These two are the brother and sister duo of Pitter or ‘Pit’ and Patter or ‘Pat’ as they liked to be called.”

Pit, the mare, bowed her head. “Thanks for taking the time to meet with us, Ma’am. It’s an honor to finally meet you. We’ve heard a lot about you and your aunt.”

“Yeah.” Pat said. “It’s kinda like meeting a celebrity or something. Your aunt is like a hero to kids growing up in our neighborhood. You’re pretty legendary too”

Vinyl laughed. “Thanks, guys. I’ve never thought of myself as a celebrity before. But enough with the flattery. What is it that you think that you can bring to my organization?”

“We’ve got the street smarts and the drive to pull off whatever you need.” Pit said.

“And we’re not afraid of getting dirty.” Pat finished.

“I asked around the neighborhood.” Tavi piped in. “They were the best con artists in this part of the city. They’ll swipe all of your jewels and everything else in your pockets and be halfway down the block before you know what hit you.”

“Sounds good.” Vinyl said. “Welcome aboard.”

She turned to the dark green earth pony. “What’s your story there, kid? Shouldn’t you be in school or something right now?”

“Mah name is Cricket, least that’s what everyone always called me back home. And Ah ain’t never been to no school.” The young mare said in a thick southern accent. “Too busy tryin’ ta survive. The streets are all the school that I need.”

“Just how old are you?” Vinyl asked, pouring herself another cup of coffee.

“Ah’m old enough ta know how to take care of myself. And Ah’m old enough to know a good opportunity when Ah see one. Ah’ve been livin’ on my own for as long as Ah could remember. Ah thought leavin’ mah little town in the desert and bustin mah hump up to Canterlot woulda given me some kind a opportunity but it turns out all the places in this country are the same.”

“You didn’t answer my question.” Vinyl said. “But at least it looks like you’re motivated. Plus I think your accent is cute, so I suppose you can stay on. Do you have any skills that would come in handy?”

She took a second to think. “Ah can sneak in and out of just about anywhere without bein seen. It’s something Ah’ve been practicing for mah whole life and Ah’m pretty much an expert at this point, I suppose. And just so we start out on tha right hoof, Ah’m fifteen, almost sixteen. Ya don’t have to worry though, ain’t no one gonna come lookin fer me. Mah ma died when Ah was six and Ah never met my pa.”

“Well I’m sure you’ll find your family here with us.” Vinyl said. “As long as you’re willing to work for it.”

“Ah won’t let ya down.” Cricket said with a deadly serious look on her face.

Vinyl chuckled. “I’m sure you won’t kid.”

She turned to the other two. “Later today I’m gonna be going out of town for a few days on business and I want you all to stay here and do whatever Octavia needs you to do. I run a tough but fair outfit and I treat my friends like my family. That being said, I also don’t tolerate idiots or any kind of snitch whatsoever. If you end up being either one of those things you will most likely end up on the wrong end of the barrel of a gun. Everyone good with that?”

They all nodded so she continued. “Just so you aren’t completely in the dark as to what’s going on, I’ll fill you in a little bit. There’s a rival of Sunset’s named Neon Lights. Maybe you’ve heard of him, maybe not. It doesn’t really matter. The short story is that we’ve had some run-ins with him in the past that ended up with more than a few ponies dead, and though we thought our problems with him were over, it appears that isn’t the case.”

Vinyl pulled out her pack and lit a cigarette. “I don’t want to have any more bloodshed, at least not much for now. I’m getting married soon and I don’t want those kinds of bad vibes spoiling my big day. So for now we are going to try and resolve this little problem peacefully. Pit and Pat, I want you to head over to the eastern section of Sunset’s territory and look for anyone who is selling fade. If you see them, don’t do anything, just watch and get some information then report it back to me when I get back.”

She looked at Octavia. “Tavi, I want you to take Cricket and head over to the western edge of the territory, that’s where one of Neon’s top guys was spotted a few days ago pushing fade. He’s a bright orange unicorn named Willow Hall or something like that. He knows for sure that it isn’t his territory so if you see him I want you to follow him away from the crowd, capture him and find out exactly what he knows. He’s sewn pretty high up in Neon’s inner circle from what I’ve heard so I’m sure he has some kind of information regarding Neon and his plans.”

“And after we get that information?” Tavi asked.

Vinyl smiled. “That’s up to your discretion there Tavi old pal. If you can, convince him to work for us against Neon. If not, do what you need to do, just make it look like an accident or that no one ever finds the body. We don't want anyone to know what we are doing quite yet. Sound like something everyone can take care of?”

The new recruits nodded in unison. “Sounds great then. For now just hang out around the club. I need to talk to Tavi for a bit, then she can set you out on your assignments. Welcome to the team kids. Work hard and keep your heads up and I’ll make you all rich. Fail and you’ll probably end up dead or in prison. Rat on me and I’ll put you through more pain than you can possibly imagine and have you begging me for death before I'm done. Good luck.”

Pit and Pat walked over to the pool table and starting playing a game while Cricket just moved to the other side of the room and sat down in one of the booths.

“Where did you pick that one up?” Vinyl asked Tavi as they walked around to the back office.

Tavi closed the door behind them. “I found her on the street after I met up with Pit and Pat. When I saw her I just couldn’t help it. She’s got a fire in her eyes, just like we used to have. And she looked like she could use some cleaning up. It’s too bad to see a kid that young having such a tough time. I wanted to help her.”

“Aww.” Vinyl said with a laugh. “Bless your bleeding heart. I never knew you could be so sensitive.”

“Fuck yourself” Tavi said with a deadpan look on her face.

“That’s more like it.” Vinyl said as she sat down on the office couch.

Tavi sat beside her. “So are you sure about this whole thing in Filly? I mean, it sounds like this whole business with Knacky is going to really fuck us over. What if Sunny’s contact out there doesn’t go for it?

“I don’t even want to think about it.” Vinyl said with a sigh as she leaned back on the couch. “Best case, we bite the bullet and make less money. Worst case, and more likely is that we’re going to have to fight for what’s ours and we’ll end up in war. I hope it doesn’t come to that though. Just make sure things go well when I’m gone and hope for the best I guess.”

Tavi agreed and they shared a drink. After they were done, Tavi got to work with Cricket and Pit and Pat went on their way to do Vinyl’s bidding. Vinyl spent the rest of the afternoon getting things together for her trip and getting her bags packed. At the end of the day she sat in bed with Rose cuddled up next to her. Rose was reading the newspaper and Vinyl was trying to keep her eyes open.

“How long are you gonna be gone for, baby?” Rose asked, putting the paper down.

“Shouldn’t be long, sweety.” Vinyl replied, wrapping a hoof around Rose’s shoulder. “A few days at most. I don’t want to spend any extra time away from you than I have to.”

“It’s almost time.” Rose said. “It’s so exciting, isn’t it? I mean, I can’t believe we are finally getting married. I love you so much, you know. I feel like I’ve been waiting my whole life for this. I don’t know if I can wait much longer.”

Vinyl laughed. “I know how you feel. I never thought I would actually be this happy. I’ve done a lot of bad shit, ya know. For a long time I didn’t think that I deserved to even be happy, or that I could be. I don’t know what I did to deserve you, but I don’t plan on ever letting you go.”

They wrapped their arms around each other and snuggled up until they fell asleep. All was right with Equestria, as far as Vinyl was concerned. Sure things had gotten a little off the rails with Knacky, but that could be handled. She was going to charm the shit out of whoever it was that she would be meeting the next day and make sure that she could provide a stable life for her wife, and Celestia willing, their future children. She knew that if she worked hard and was determined then nothing could stop her. Unfortunately, though, the one thing she didn’t know is the hard lesson that Berry had learned from years of experience. Not every cloud actually does have a silver lining. Sometimes it just looks silver, but it’s actually just more rain that’s coming right down on you. Vinyl didn’t know it yet, but this was going to be one of those times.

Author's Note:

And act two has officially begun. Sorry it took so long, I hope it won't happen too often in the future but I can't say for sure. Thank you all again for reading and I can't wait to show you all what I have planned for the second act. Also as a side note, in case anyone was wondering, Knacky is based off of Enoch Thompson in Boardwalk Empire so feel free to picture him with the same voice.

I love feedback, positive or negative so if you have anything to say, please feel free to do so in the comments. I'll see you all again soon with Chapter 14: It's Always Sunny in Fillydelphia, coming soon to a computer/phone screen near you!