Hitmares

by Shane1108

Chapter Eight: The Enemy Within

She couldn’t see much, just the snow. It was so cold. Her hoodie was doing her no good. Every night she stood her waiting for him and eventually every night he would come. Every night she would run up to him again and say his name. Every night he would turn and face her, and every night she would close her eyes and squeeze the trigger. The loud bang, the shaking in her magic, it was all the same, until she opened her eyes again. Then when she looked down to make sure he wasn’t getting up, it was Bonnie on the ground, choking on her own blood and kicking around. She knew the part that always came next but she couldn’t stop herself. She looked down at her beautiful wife choking in the snow and pulled the other trigger on the shotgun, and just like every night before, just as the blast went off she woke up.

Lyra sat up with a cold sweat dripping off of her. It had been four days since she killed Skag and every night she had the same dream. She had barely made contact with anyone since then and had kept to herself. Every day she would look at the necklace and know that she needed to move forward but she couldn’t actually force herself to do it, knowing what horrors would lay ahead for her. Today though she had decided that she had to continue, for Bonnie, and for her own sanity’s sake.

As if fate had heard her choice and reacted, the phone rang. She hobbled off of the couch that she had been sleeping on (she couldn’t bring herself to sleep in her and Bonnies bed since that night) and reached for the phone.

“Hello.” She answered groggily, the sleep still in her eyes and voice.

“Lyra? It’s Octavia. Where have you been the last few days? Is everything okay?” She heard Tavi’s voice but it didn’t quite sound like her. She was sounding more and more subdued than usual.

She faked a cough. “Sorry Tavi. I’ve been a little under the weather lately. I think I caught a cold standing outside that night. I’m feeling a bit better today though. Did you need something?”

Tavi continued in her monotony. “That’s good to hear, dear. I did actually. I have an opportunity for you to make some extra bits. I think there should be a good chunk of it if you are interested, and it would help me out a great deal.”

Lyra perked up at the mention of bits. While she hated working for them, the debt that Bonnie had accrued against the bakery wasn’t going to relieve itself. Plus it would give her a chance to get more footage for Earth Song. The closer she was to getting out of this, the better.

“Sounds great Tavi,” She said in a chipper voice.

“Wonderful to hear darling,” Octavia returned, sounding slightly less subdued. “Meet me at the club tonight and I can go over all the details with you.”

They said their goodbyes and hung up. Lyra looked down at her matted and greasy fur, she hadn’t even bothered to shower in the last four days since the shooting. She also could smell herself fully for the first time since then. She desperately needed a shower.

Across town Octavia had just hung up the phone and picked up her bow. It had been months since she had written any new music and she had planned on introducing a new solo piece at their symphony night next month. She had been up most of the morning trying to compose but nothing was coming to her. He mind was cloudy and her hoof was shaking.

She decided that it was the pills, so she took a day off of them. It had lasted for about four hours until she started shaking and threw up. Then she crushed three of them and snorted them as quickly as she could. Getting sober would have to wait. It was going to be a long and painful process, and one that she didn’t have time for now.

She tried to pick up the bow again and keep going but her frustration quickly turned to anger and she snapped the bow in half and threw it across the room. She reached for her bottle to take a few more and noticed that she only had four left. She didn’t have another prescription and didn’t want to look into a doctor who was run by the family for one. She didn’t want anyone knowing how deep she had gotten herself into the pills. Hopefully, she thought, the plan she had for Lyra and Sheen would pay off for her tonight.

Across the long hallway Vinyl heard the snapping and it woke her from her sleep. She shot up out of bed and felt a sharp pain in her chest. “Fuck.” She exclaimed, putting her hooves to her chest. Rose got up then and started to slowly rub Vinyl’s chest.

“Are you okay baby?” She asked, giving Vinyl a sweet look.

Vinyl sighed. “I think so. I don’t know sometimes though.”

She reached over to her nightstand and pulled a cigarette from her pack. “It’s been like two months and I still feel weak. In my line of work, you can’t be weak. All it takes is one mistake like this and it can be the end, or I can be cast out.”

Rose reached for the cigarette, pulling it out of Vinyl’s mouth and putting it in her own. “Quitting smoking is a good place to start, sweetie.” She said with a smile.

Vinyl smiled back. “You are probably right about that. I’ll try pretty much anything at this point.” She sighed again and looked down at the bed.

Rose put the cigarette out and wrapped her hooves around Vinyl. “No one is going to leave you Vinnie, least of all me.” She said, planting a kiss on the side of Vinyl’s head. She took a deep breath. “I love you, you know.”

Vinyl turned towards Rose. She had never felt like this before, and no one had ever told her that they loved her, not in this way anyways. She didn’t know what to think, she just said what came to mind. “I love you too. I really, really do.”

Rose grinned widely and planted a firm kiss on Vinyl, and then one more, and more and more as she moved down Vinyl’s chest. Vinyl decided that she meant exactly what she said to Rose and that she had never been happier in her entire life. Maybe the pains in her chest wouldn’t be much of an issue after all.

As the morning continued Sunset was sitting in her office, drinking some coffee with Berry Shake and going over some business plans. They had been at it for quite some time and were arranging a large deal to bring diamonds over from Saddle Arabia and distribute them to the nobility of the city.

“So how will we get them out?” Sunset asked Berry. “I mean, you and I both know the nobles, unless it comes from specific stores there is no way they won’t turn their noses up at them, no matter how high the quality.”

Berry took a sip of her coffee. “Well, what would it take to get our stones in one of those high name stores?” She asked.

Sunset thought on this. “Most likely more of a cut than it would be worth to bring them over in the first place.”

Berry took another sip. “There could be a way around that though. Why don’t we just find one of the suppliers from one of those stores and get in with them. If nothing else we could pose as them and sell the stones full stop to the stores themselves. By the time they find out we aren’t who we say we are they will have already given us the bits and it will be too late to do anything about it.”

Sunset thought on this. It was a pretty good idea, one that she would have to think on for sure. Before she could respond though, her intercom beeped. “Miss Shimmer, there is a pony here to see you. He says his name is Neon Lights.”

Sunset set her mug down. “Give me a minute and send him in.”

She reached into her desk and grabbed a pistol, putting it in her lap. She reached into another drawer and grabbed another one, tossing it to Berry. “Be ready for anything.” She said, giving her a serious look.

Berry just nodded, slipping the gun behind her back on the couch she was sitting on. Just then a knock at the door came and Neon walked in. He had on large aviators and looked disheveled. She pointed a hoof to the chair for him to sit down and he did.

She gave him a cold look. “What are you doing here?” She asked in a stern tone.

He just laughed. “I would have been here sooner. I’ve been dealing with Skag’s funeral for the last few days. His mother passed out when she had to identify the body you know. Do you mind if I smoke?” He asked, already lighting a cigarette.

She was staring bullets into him. “Go for it. I heard about what happened to your buddy. It’s a tragedy. It seems like we’ve both been having bad luck lately.” She lit a cigarette of her own. “Maybe it’s karma.” She said, giving him a small smirk.

He sighed. “Let’s cut the shit, Sunset. I know what happened to Skag. He was my best friend, you know. I cried for the entire first day after they found him.” He choked up a bit with his last words.

He took a deep breath and shook his head. “Business is business though, as they say, so I’ve got something for you.”

He pulled out a bag and tossed it on the table. Sunset motioned for Berry. She came over and picked up the bag and started counting the bits inside. Once she was done she looked at Sunset. “It’s about 7,000” She said.

Sunset looked at Neon. “That’s funny.” She started. “That’s about half of what was stolen from me a few months ago. If I remember correctly, that is.”

He chuckled. “Nothing gets past you, does it Sunny? Don’t worry. That’s all I have now, but I’ll find a way to make this right. I just want to make sure of one thing.”

“And what would that be?” She asked him, putting her cigarette out.

He stared her down through his glasses. “I just want to make sure that we are all good here. That I can walk around on my own territory without having to worry about catching a bullet. I want the same for my associates. Can you promise me that?”

She didn’t answer at fist. Then after a few seconds she said. “Okay, but you have to make sure that you remember everything that happened over the last few days. I know you wouldn’t want to see something like that ever happen again. So let’s make sure it doesn’t. If you can make sure that happens then I think we will be okay. Does that sit well with you Berry?”

Berry stared down Neon. “Sounds good to me boss. Does it sound good to you there buddy?”

Neon just nodded in agreement and stood up. As he walked towards the door he turned back to look at them one last time before bowing his head to them and walking out of the door. Berry stood up and locked the door behind him. She came over and sat down on the other side of the desk across from Sunset.

“So,” She started. “What are we going to do with him?”

Sunset sat back in her chair and smiled. “Nothing, for now at least. Let’s wait and see if he makes good on getting even with us. If not then we will move forward. If he does then I suppose I can let this whole thing go, at least until something else happens. Who knows, maybe this will work out for us.”

As the evening came, The Hop was having a big band night and the ponies were out in full dress and dancing. Lyra was cleaned up and wearing a jet-black hoodie with the hood down. She was looking and smelling a lot better than she did in the morning and was feeling better too. She knew she needed to keep her eyes on the prize and couldn’t let anything stand in her way. She had hardened her heart and was prepared to do whatever she had to, to make sure that Sunset got what was coming to her. With determination on her face and her necklace recording, she stepped into the club.

She noticed both Vinyl and Rose behind the bar, serving some ponies in fancy dress for another jazz night at the club. She didn’t stop to talk, just nodded towards them, which they returned to her. She made her way straight to the back office and opened the door to find Octavia and Silver Sheen sitting at her desk.

Tavi looked to her and smiled. “Lyra.” She started. “It’s good to see you. We haven’t heard much from you since the other night. Have you been feeling well dear?”

Lyra sat down at the desk next to Sheen. “I’m doing okay. I caught a bit of a bad cold from standing out in the snow that night. I’m feeling much better now though.” She finished with a smile.

“That’s good to see.” Sheen said to her with a smile of his own. “I have to say, I was a little worried about you after that night. You did well though for a first time. The first one is always the hardest.”

Lyra nodded to him. “Thanks. I knew it had to be done, it wasn’t an issue.”

Octavia looked to her. “That’s good to know, because I have a question for you. I know you told me that I you’ve been having some issues with bits lately after Bonnie left, so I have an opportunity for you, how would you like to hit a good payday?”

Lyra didn’t even have to think before responding. “Of course, Tavi, just tell me what I need to do.”

Sheen chuckled. “That’s the spirit kid. With an attitude like that you’ll do well here.”

Octavia put her hoof on Lyra’s shoulder. “I love your enthusiasm and I’m sure that you will do a great job. It’s nothing too difficult. I just need you to go to the eastern side of Sunset’s territory. There you will find a nondescript house on the corner of 31’st and Royal avenue. Inside that house you will find some ponies who have been selling something here that they shouldn’t be. I want you to go in, take their money and their supply, and make it clear to them that they aren’t to be selling on this side of town again.”

Lyra was nodding as Tavi was talking, taking it all in. “Do they need to be taken care of?” She asked when Tavi had finished.

Tavi shook her head. “No, no dear. There’s no need for that. They just need to know that their time in the drug business is over. How you decide to send that message is entirely up to you though. Consider it a test to see your effectiveness in taking care of little problems like these. Unfortunately they arise far more than they should and you will probably have to be dealing with them more often than you would like.”

Sheen looked to Lyra. “Tavi’s sure that there won’t be any problems but, just in case, she asked me to step in and help you out to make sure everything goes smoothly. Is that okay with you kid?” He asked.

Lyra smiled. “Sure. It seems like you have a lot of experience, I could probably learn a lot from you. When are we going to do this?”
A small smile built on Octavia’s lips. She would be getting exactly what she wanted. “Tonight, the later the better so they aren’t expecting it, it will take some time to get down there so you can go now if you like. Sheen’s car is outside.”

Lyra nodded to her and they both stood up and left the room. As they walked out Vinyl came in and shut the door behind her, locking it. Her limp was all but gone now and she was back to her usual swagger. She sat down at her desk and opened up the drawer, pulling out her pack of cigarettes and lighting one.

She turned her head to Octavia, who was looking over some papers on her desk. “It seems a little weird, right?” she asked.
Octavia turned to her, putting the papers down. “What seems weird dear?” She said trying to put a smile on her face. She was starting to come down and was on her last few pills. She could only hope that Lyra would be successful.

“Everything.” Vinyl started, taking a long drag. “Being back here after what happened. After all of the shit we’ve done before. I’ve never actually been that close to dying until then. It really can make a pony think about things, ya know. Take inventory or whatever.”
Tavi put her papers down and gave Vinyl her full attention. “I know how you feel Vinnie. Things haven’t been the same since the shooting. I hope things will be soon though, they seem to be looking up.”

Vinyl took a long drag of her cigarette and blew the smoke out of her nose. “You know, Tavi, I never got a chance to really thank you for saving my life. I don’t think there are words for how much I appreciate it.” She started tearing up a bit.

Octavia walked over to her desk and put her hoof on Vinyl’s shoulder. “It’s okay Vinyl. I know you would do the same for me if you were in my position.”

Vinyl sniffled. “It’s more than that though.” She started. “Being in the hospital, it got me closer to Rose, I’ve never felt like this with anybody before. I think I really love her. I think she might be the one. I would have never found out how great she was if it wasn’t for you.”
Octavia took her hoof of of Vinyl’s shoulder. “Are you really that serious about her? You sure it’s not just another fling? We both know how you can get with these things.” She said.

Vinyl stared up at her. “Why wouldn’t I be sure? I know I may have fucked around a lot in the past but those days are over. I just want to settle down, you know. Maybe kick the drugs, just try and do what we need to do here to make as much money as we can so I can start a life with Rose.”

Octavia pulled the pill bottle from her coat pocket and popped the last three in her mouth, swallowing them quickly. “Don’t you think that’s being a little unrealistic?”

Vinyl frowned. “I don’t think it’s being unrealistic at all. I think that calming down is something we should both think about doing.” She said, motioning her head to the pill bottle still in Octavia’s hoof.

Octavia scoffed. “What exactly is that supposed to mean?” She said, cutting her eyes at Vinyl.

Vinyl shrugged. “Look, I’m not trying to tell you what to do. You’re an adult and you can handle yourself. I’m just saying that, well, we’re worried about you. You’re the brains of this operation, and someone around here has to be thinking straight. Just try and be careful, okay.”

“Don’t worry about me.” Tavi said as she tossed the pill bottle into the trashcan. “I’ve got everything under control.” She said as she walked out of the office, shutting the door behind her.

Around thirty minutes later, Sheen and Lyra were sitting in his car, heading towards their destination. Unlike the first time they went out, she had no problem talking to him this time. He seemed nice and she wanted to get as much information on the inner workings of Sunsets organization as she could, and she was finding out just how long he had been around for.

“You know,” She started. “When I was starting out, Sunsets old man Lucky Strike was still the boss.” He chuckled. “That was a stallion who knew how to get things done.”

Lyra turned her head to him. “What was he like?” She asked.

He gazed off into the distance. “He was strong, not just in his body, but in his mind and his spirit too. He could plot out moves ten steps ahead of the other guys, no one would ever know his next move, not even those closest to him.”

He laughed, and a slow smile crept across his face. “As soon as he walked in a room, everyone would look at him. He had this kind of glow about him, like he was radiant. He pulled me out of the gutter when Tantarella found me on the streets. I was only 14 then and he gave me a way to vent my rage and make some bits at the same time. I would have died for that stallion.”

Lyra looked ahead at the road, gripping her coat. Unfortunately the downside of having an older car like Sheen had was that the heater was broken. “What happened to him?” She started to ask before continuing, “If you don’t mind me asking that is.”

He lit a cigarette. “It’s not a problem. Someone in our crew got pinched. He was a junkie and he couldn’t take prison time so he flipped. Lucky took the rap for all of us. I was only 20 then, still just a kid. When he died a couple years later we were all devastated.”

He shook his head. “Of all the ways to go out, it was the fuckin’ big C that got him, who would have known. I guess that’s what happens when you smoke too many of these.” He finished, pointing towards his cigarette before tossing it out of the window.

“It sounds like you really cared for him.” Lyra said, staring at the road ahead of them.

“That’s one way to put it.” He started. “He was like a father to me, and Sunny and Tanterella were like my sisters. It’s a good thing he didn’t live to see what those greasy cocksuckers did to his baby girl and her husband.”

Lyra looked down at the floor. “Vinyl told me about that, years ago. It’s crazy to imagine losing your parents like that. I would never know how to deal with something like that.” She said, thinking of Bonnie for the first time in a few days. A small tear came to her eye but she didn’t let Sheen see it.

“Well, the ponies that were responsible got exactly what was coming to them.” He said with a blank stare, lighting another cigarette.

“That’s where I distinguished myself, you know.” He started, putting down his lighter. “When those bastards killed Tantarella I was ready for the war that was coming. I killed dozens of them and even put the last bullet in that worthless prick August Wind myself. That’s what happens when ponies get greedy, kid. They overreach and do something that there is no return from. That could be a good lesson to learn.”
She nodded. It was certainly a good lesson to learn, one that she was planning on personally teaching Sunset herself when the CSIU was ready to strike. She couldn’t help but imagine the look on her face when they gave her the life sentence, or better yet the rarely used death sentence. Thinking about it put a smile on her face, before Sheen could notice it though they had arrived at their destination.

Lyra pulled the hood on her sweatshirt over ears and put on the ski mask that Sheen had given her when they left the club while Sheen donned his as well. He popped the trunk and grabbed a pistol and a small shotgun. He passed the pistol to Lyra. “Keep this thing up the entire time we’re in there. We don’t need to go overboard here but we have to make sure that things don’t get out of hoof.”

She nodded and took the pistol. She tried to put on her best intimidating face as they walked up to the house. She had been working a bit on it and felt like it was much improved since the first time she went out with Octavia, in what felt now to be a lifetime ago. They didn’t bother knocking on the door, Sheen just kicked it in.

He motioned for her to keep behind him. The started going from room to room down a long hallway and, for the most part, all of the ponies inside (and one Griffon that Lyra spotted) were in various states of being high and passed out and didn’t seem to notice her and Sheen, or if they did, they didn’t seem to be bothered by it. They heard music coming from inside a room in the back corner of the house. When they reached the door it had a large deadbolt on it. Sheen turned his head to Lyra and gave her a small nod. She knew what the plan was and stepped away from the door.

He put the barrel of the shotgun against the lock and pulled the trigger. The blast rang out and he flung the door open with his magic, rushing inside. There were four ponies, two unicorns, a pegasi and an earth pony sitting around a table. The unicorns were counting money, the pegasi was taking pills from a large pile on the table and putting them into small bags and the earth pony was smashing some of the pills with a knife and snorting them. They all stopped what they were doing and turned to look at the door.

Sheen and Lyra both raised their guns at them. “Everyone on the fucking floor!” Sheen shouted. The earth pony and the pegasi got down immediately but neither of the unicorns moved. They just stared at Sheen and Lyra. They were clearly related. Both had silver coats and blonde manes. One was taller than the other though and looked to be at least a few years older and had a large scar running across his forehead where his fur hadn’t grown back.

Lyra put her pistol up and pointed it at the taller one. “Are you assholes deaf? Get on the fl..”

Before she could finish the younger unicorn interrupted her. “I don’t know who you think you are, but you are messing with the wrong ponies. Leave now and there we’ll ignore this whole thing.”

Sheen smiled and walked towards them. “We’re messing with the wrong ponies, eh?” he said with a small chuckle. Before either could answer he raised his shotgun up and brought the butt down as hard as he could on the younger ones head, sending it down into the table and knocking all of the money and pills off of it. He started moaning and rolling on the floor. The older one reached for the knife on the table but, before he could grab it, Sheen put the barrel of his shotgun in his face.

The older unicorn froze and dropped the knife. “You’ll regret that. I’ll make sure of that.” He said, sneering at Sheen.

Sheen just laughed at him. “Apparently,” He started as he slowly lowered the barrel towards the unicorns legs. “You don’t know exactly who you are messing with.” He pulled the trigger and the kneecap of the older unicorn exploded. He starting rolling around on the floor, screaming in pain.

“You motherfuckers!” The pegasus screamed at them. “We’re gonna get you for this!” Lyra walked over and smacked him in the face with the butt of her pistol. Blood starting pouring out of his nose and blending into his already deep red coat.

“Alright kid, that’s enough fun.” Sheen said, turning to her. “Grab the shit and let’s get out of here.”

Lyra didn’t waste any time. There was a large bag on the floor in the corner. She rushed over and picked it up and started stuffing all the money and the pills that she could hold into her magic in it while Sheen kept his gun aimed at the two others who weren’t rolling in pain. When everything was in the bag they ran out of the room. As soon as they left the room the pegasus got up and ran to the two unicorns on the ground.

“What should we do?” He asked, frantically.

The older one just screamed. “Get on the phone. Call Neon Lights, tell him what happened.”
A little over an hour later, Lyra and Sheen were in the office at the club, splitting up what was in the bag. Octavia watched with a smile on her face as they pulled out bag after bag of pills.

“Sweet Celestia.” Lyra said as she was putting the notes into the bill counter on Vinyl’s desk. “There’s like almost ten thousand here just in notes alone, and there are a ton of 100 bit coins here too. I think we made out pretty well.”

Tavi turned to her. “That’s good to see, and just to show you how much I appreciate it, I want you and Sheen to split the bits, just leave me the pills.”

Lyra’s eyes lit up. Regardless of the situation she was in, she could use the bits to pay off the rest of the debt that Bonnie had owed and get the bakery back. She didn’t know if those CSIU guys would want the bits or not, maybe as evidence or something, but she wasn’t planning on giving them up. Necessary evil, that’s what Earth Song had told her. She was doing all of this for Bonnie anyways, and she couldn’t let the bakery go.

“Thanks Tavi.” She said, wrapping her in a hug. “I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it.”

Tavi chuckled. “It’s not a problem, I told you when Bonnie left that I would help you as best as I could and I meant it.”
Sheen cleared his throat. They looked to him. “Sorry to interrupt, but I’m gonna take off, got a lot to do still tonight. Thanks for the share of the bits, kid. Give me a call if you need anything else.”

They bid their goodbyes and Sheen left with Lyra and Tavi still talking, carrying his bits with him. He got out to his car and then made his way uptown to see a mare that he hadn’t spent enough time with lately. He knocked on Sunsets door and waited for her to answer. After a couple more knocks she opened, wearing a nightgown and looking like she had just woken up.

“Sheen?” she asked, pushing her hair out of her eyes with her magic.

He chuckled. “You really must be getting old Sunny. It’s not even midnight and you're already asleep?”

She shook her head. “Fuck yourself, Sheen. You gonna come in or what?” She opened the door and he stepped in after her.
She walked over to the dining room table and pulled out a bottle of whiskey and two glasses. “What’s the occasion Sheen?” She asked as she poured a drink for each of them.

Sheen sat down across the island from her and grabbed the glass from her. “It’s about Vinnie’s friend, Octavia. She had me help her out with something tonight and I wasn’t sure if you knew about it or not. She had us rob some drug dealers that were on your turf. I’ve seen that look in her eyes before. She’s starting to lose it a bit.”

Sunset frowned. “I had heard that she had been taking a lot of those pills lately, but I didn’t know it had gotten this bad. She never said anything to me about any move she was going to make. I suppose though it’s up to her to earn how she wants, and I’m sure she’ll kick up to me when she’s ready.”

Sheen took another drink. “You know we’ve seen this before though, right? We don’t want another Ratchet on our hooves here.”
Sunset set her glass down hard enough that it cracked a little on the bottom. “I don’t want to hear that worthless fuck’s name in my home again Sheen. Is that understood?”

Sheen didn’t say anything, he just gave her a knowing look. Sunset continued. “Tavi would never turn on us, I’ve known her since she was a foal, she’s better than that.”

Sheen nodded. “That’s true Sunny, but you know what drugs can do to ponies. They aren’t themselves and they’ll do things that you would never expect. We need to be careful here. It’s not just her flipping that could be an issue. These drugs can make ponies dangerous, not just to themselves but to those around them as well.”

Sunset stared at him. “I’m well aware of what drugs can do. It won’t come to that. If she doesn’t figure the shit out for herself soon I’ll have a talk with her and make her come to her senses, even if I have to give her an ultimatum. It will be handled though Sheen, there’s no need to worry.”

Sheen took another drink. “You’re the boss, Sunny.”

He laughed. “It’s still amazing to think about all that’s happened, isn’t it? I mean when T first brought me home off of the street, who knew we would be here?” He sniffled a little bit. “I still miss her ya know. I was telling the new girl about her today and it got me thinking, it’s been so long since she died that I haven’t even thought about her in fucking years. I still can’t believe that she’s gone sometimes.”

He put his head down a little bit and Sunset reached out over the bar and put her hoof around him. “Me too, Sheen.” She sighed. “Me too.”
He sniffled again and then put his head up. “It’s time I got going Sunny. It was nice seeing you but if I stay any longer I’m not gonna be able to stop drinking.”

She put her hoof around him again. “Don’t stop drinking then.” She said with a smile. “Let’s get drunk together and reminisce a bit, just like old times. It really has been too long.”

Before he could say anything the phone rang. “Ugh.” Sunset groaned. “When it rains it fuckin’ pours huh?” she said as she picked up the phone.

“Hello.” She said in a flat voice.

“Sunset?” She heard a frantic and familiar voice on the other line. “It’s Flash. We need to talk.”

She hadn’t ever heard him like this before, something must have been up. “So talk.” She said.

“No.” he answered quickly. “I can’t talk to you over the phone. Meet me in the parking lot of the warehouse in twenty minutes.” He didn’t say anything else before he hung up abruptly.

Sunset was stunned. She couldn’t picture what it was that could be wrong. Was she being set up? She had no way to know, but if it was important she had to meet flash. She put the phone on the receiver and started walking towards her bedroom. “Do you have a piece in your car?” She asked Sheen as she opened her bedroom door.

He stood up from the table, any time she actually looked worried gave him cause to feel worried too. “I’ve got two. Why? What’s going on?” He asked.

“I’m not sure.” She said as she walked out of the bedroom with her coat now on. “I need you to take me down to the warehouse. I’ve gotta meet someone there, he says it’s important and I’m not sure if it is some kind of set up or what. I just need to be make sure I’m protected.”

Sheen put on his coat as well. “Let’s do it then. I’ve got your back.”

They went down to the car. Sheen was driving and Sunset sat in the back. She had Sheen’s pistol tucked in her coat pocket. She was ready for anything. “Listen Sheen.” She started. “This pony that I’m meeting with, he’s in the royal guard. So if this is some kind of set up, we’re going to need to get out of here quick and leave no witnesses.”

Sheen just nodded. He didn’t know what she could have gotten herself into this time but he knew that whatever happened, he would do her best to get her out of it. They pulled into the warehouse where there was another car already waiting for them. The car had the engine on but the lights were off. Sheen pulled the shotgun from in-between the seats and put it on his lap.

The car door opened and Flash walked over and got in the back seat of Sheens car. He looked frantic, his mane was disheveled and he looked like he hadn’t taken a shower that day.

He looked at Sheen. “Who’s this?” he asked.

Sunset glared at him. “I don’t see how that’s any of your business Flash. Why the fuck did you bring me out here this late? What’s the emergency?”

Flash was still staring at Sheen, but then snapped out of it. “I was talking to one of my friends who has a cousin in CSIU. He told him that they have an informant in Sconoscutio, and that it’s someone in your crew. They’ve been building a case Sunny, they’ve got real evidence. They’re coming for you, for all of us.”

Sunset didn’t say anything at first. She just muttered “cocksuckers” under her breath and stared at the floor. She finally turned to him. “You need to find out who it is, and you need to find out as soon as you can. We need to stomp this problem out now or it’s going to be your ass and mine, are we understood?”

Flash shook his head. “It’s not that easy Sunset. These CSIU guys are tight with their info. The head guy is the one running the snitches and most ponies outside of the department don’t even know his fucking name.”

Sunset glared at him. “Listen to me Flash. I’m not asking you. I’m fucking telling you. You have one week to find out who the snitch is and bring them to me or I’m going to assume that you aren’t doing what I pay you to do, and if you’re not doing what I pay you to do any more than you don’t have any more use for me. Do you understand what I’m saying to you?”

He was visibly shaken. “Yes ma’am.” He muttered. “I’ll get it done.”

She gave him a fake smile. “That’s good to hear. Now get the fuck out of my car and do your job. I’ll call you in a week.”

Flash got out as quickly as he could and almost tripped while jogging back to his car. Sunset shook her head. “Sweet fucking Celestia’s gilded cunt!” She yelled as she hit her head against the back of the passenger’s seat. “We gotta put a stop to this Sheen, and we’ve got to do it now. Let’s get back to the house. It’s time to do some inventory. We’ve got a by night ahead of us.”

Sheen started up the car and they took off into the cold winter night. As they drove, Sunset couldn’t help think of how just as everything seemed as if it was getting back to normal, the dirty whore of fate had to rear her head up and fuck her over again. She just had to make sure that it she nipped it in the bud before she had to do something that she might regret.

Author's Note:

Here we are with another chapter. We're officially on our way to the beginning of the end of the first act and things are going to really start picking up. As always, any feedback is really appreciated and I really appreciate everyone who reads this.

Thanks again for reading and see you all next time!

Comments

[mexmistli]

HOOOLY YES!!!!!