A Search for Something More

by HAKDurbin

Chapter 41: The Painful Interrogation

Rough Draft's P.O.V.

I groan as I slowly come to. I try to move my arms and legs, but I can't move. It takes a moment before I open my eyes and realize that I'm tied up to a chair. I gasp, fully awake as I lift my head to realize that I'm in an abandoned warehouse. Some of the lights are on, and the moonlight above the skylight shines above the rest of the room. I look around, seeing if anyone is here before I hear a voice coming from behind me.

"Well, look who decided to wake up."

I stay still in fear as I hear Adagio and Aria walk up to me from behind. They appear to be wearing their old clothes except for their black hoodies. Aria looks at me with an impatient look, and her arms crossed while Adagio looks at me with an amused grin.

"Hope you enjoyed your nap there, Mr. Draft," she says mockingly.

I try to keep my cool as I respond.

"Are you serious, Adagio?" I ask, trying to sound brave. "You two have been alive for a thousand years, and you can't think of something more cliché than a barely lit abandoned warehouse? Couldn't you kill me in a place more creative like, oh, I don't know, the edge of a cliff or something?"

Adagio chuckles and says, "Oh, we didn't bring you here to kill you, you silly nerd."

"Not yet, anyway," Aria mumbles nonchalantly.

"Yeah, that's what they all say," I say, still struggling not to show any fear. "I've watched enough movies and shows to know how this goes. You brought me here for something, and you intend to kill me once you get it."

"My, my, aren't we the smarty-pants?" Adagio says mockingly.

"Well, he's not wrong," Aria says impatiently.

"Shut it!" Adagio growls at Aria menacingly before she turns to me, her grin returning. "So, Rough Draft, if you're so smart, care to guess why we brought you here?"

I think about my next words carefully before I answer.

"You're after the Rainbooms," I say. "I'm guessing you somehow found out that I'm dating Sunset Shimmer, and since she was the main reason you lost your powers, you're using me to get to her. Either that or you want some petty revenge for chasing you after your trial and almost tasing you."

Adagio lets out an amused, maniacal laugh that echoes the entire room. Even Aria gives me a small smirk before her sister answers.

"Good guesses," she says. "But as much as we would love to settle the score between the Rainbooms and we do have plans for you, we're after a more special prize."

I take a moment to think of whatever else it could be before it hits me.

"You're still trying to go back to Equestria," I say.

"Well, look who's putting the pieces together," Aria says mockingly. "You think you're pretty smart, don't you?"

"Not really," I say bluntly. "I'll even admit I should have considered that to be a possibility."

"Heh, smart and honest," Aria says mockingly.

"Better than being someone who would abandon their sister," I say coldly.

Aria scoffs while Adagio sighs displeased.

"Is that really what Sonata still calls us? Sisters?" She asks in a disappointing tone. "I knew we should have forced her to grow up when we had the chance."

"What are you saying?" I ask, glaring at her.

"We're not sisters, you dweeb," Aria says impatiently. "We were creatures created to feed on negative energy. We weren't born, we had no parents, the only reason we put up with that twit was because we needed her to feed."

"Sonata is not a twit!" I bark.

"Ooooo, the boy's got fangs," Adagio says mockingly. "Well, I hate to break it to you, buddy boy, but she's right. We were only putting up with her because we needed her until she outlived her usefulness."

"Even if she dived in front of a taser to save you?" I growl.

Adagio chuckles in response.

"Yes, that certainly was a noble but idiotic last act of caring on her part, wasn't it?" she says, amused. "If we were going to let you live, I'd tell you to tell her I said thanks for giving me that chance to escape."

I grow angry at her heartless words for Sonata before she clears her throat.

"But I think we're getting off subject," she says. "Let's go back to you telling us where the portal is."

"And what makes you so sure I have even the slightest idea where the portal is?" I ask.

"Oh please, if Sunset Shimmer is half as crazy about you as she was when we were escaping, she'd tell you," Aria says.

"What?" I ask, confused.

"Oh yeah, after I gave that British guy the slip, I went back to our old warehouse to grab some stuff," Aria says. "I was in a good spot where I saw her and that Rainbow girl rush to your side, and she was hysterical over whether or not you were okay while you were worrying about your other girlfriend. Seriously, how in the world did you not catch that she wanted you? That gray girl could not have been so hot that you had to be so blind to Sunset Shimmer's feelings."

I give Aria a menacing glare that she ignores before Adagio grabs my chin and forces her to look at me with our faces only inches apart.

"Enough with your questions, Rough Draft," she says eagerly. "We're on the clock, so you may as well save us some time and tell us where the portal is."

"And why should I?" I ask. "You have no siren power over me or any other kind of magic to make me say anything simply because you say so."

Adagio grins and lets go of my chin as Aria walks behind me and cracks her knuckles.

"You know something, Mr. Draft? You are absolutely right," Adagio says. "We have other ways to get what we want."

Aria puts her hand on top of my head, and before I can say a word, jolts of electricity come out from her hand and pierce through me. I scream as volts flow through my body. When she lets go, I whimper as my entire body shrieks in pain.

"FYI, that's not even half the electricity I used to knock out that mall guard," Aria says proudly.

Tears start to fall from my face as I look up at Adagio and Aria in horror.

"You...you have magic again?" I manage to say. "H-how?"

"I'm sorry, Rough Draft, but our client told us to keep it all a secret," Adagio answers.

"C-c-client?" I stutter.

"But don't worry," Adagio says. "If magic is what you're interested in, we have other tricks we can show you."

Adagio takes out her hand and a ball of fire forms from her palm and floats above it. I stare in shock before Aria steps in front of me, holding a knife.

"Or perhaps you'd like a form of torture you humans are familiar with?" she says. "I've always wondered how painful it is to carve someone's face."

"And I've always wanted to shoot someone in the kneecap," Adagio says as she takes out a gun that she was hiding behind her back.

"What?" I ask. "If you two have magic, then why do you have a knife and a gun?"

"Oh, what can we say, nerd?" Aria asks with an uncaring shrug. "We're happy to have magic again, but if there's anything being banished for a thousand years has taught us, it's that we shouldn't always rely on magic."

She places the blade on my nose tauntingly, and I gulp in fear of her cutting my face. But then she puts the knife back in its sheath and says, "Then again, there's nothing wrong with letting out some tension."

As soon as she finished her sentence, she punches me hard in the face. Before my brain can acknowledge the pain, she hits me again and again and then starts punching me hard in the stomach, knocking the air out of me.

I cough violently as Adagio puts her gun back behind her back and walks over to me with an eager grin.

"You know something, Aria? You make a good point," she says as Aria backs away. "I don't think one punch was enough for almost tasing me."

With all of her anger, Adagio begins to beat me as hard as she can repeatedly. The pain of each punch on top of my entire body still sore from all the electricity makes me groan in agony by the time she's done. I can feel my left eye swelling up as Adagio grins at my suffering.

"Now why don't we try again with the location of the portal before things get messy," Adagio suggests.

I groan in misery and spit out some blood out of my mouth before looking at the two of them with all the bravery I can muster.

"I can do this all day."

Yup. If I'm going to be tortured and killed trying to keep these two out of Equestria, I'm gonna do it quoting Captain America. As they say it in Mad Max: Fury Road, witness me.

"Oh, now don't be like that, lover boy," Adagio says mockingly as she summons another fireball from her hand. "I know it would break Sunset Shimmer's heart if anything happened to your 'cute' face. I'm sure she would want them to find your corpse not burned to a crisp."

I wince at the thought of Sunset. I remember she wanted me to be safe and will be devastated if anything happens to me. If Aria and Adagio kill me, she will never forgive herself for causing all of this because she brought magic into this world. But if I tell them where the portal is, they'll kill me anyway and attack Equestria with their new power. I don't know how much the princesses can do, but even if they can handle Adagio and Aria, there's no telling what this 'client' who gave them their powers is capable of and what he or she can do if they make it to Equestria. I may only delay them from finding the portal eventually, but I can't let them or their 'client' find it while Sunset and the Rainbooms may have a chance to stop them. Maybe my sacrifice will give the Rainbooms the time they need to stop them before they hurt anyone else.

I sigh heavily and whisper, "Forgive me, sunshine," before I look up to face Adagio and Aria with a brave face.

"Do your worst," I say.

Adagio frowns, disappointed with my answer before she shrugs.

"Suit yourself," she says as the fireball in her hand grows bigger and bigger. "Don't say we didn't try to do this the easy way."

I take deep breaths as I try to prepare for the inevitable outcome as the fire grows so big that I can feel the heat. I close my eyes as Adagio lets out a yell and throws the fireball straight at me.

"NO!"

My eyes snap open as someone suddenly steps right in front of me, holding something big with their left hand and holds it in front of themselves and me. The fireball explodes on contact but doesn't appear to affect the object the person is holding at all. I turn my head back from the impact before I turn to face the person in front of me, and I stare in shock as the person moves the large object they are holding away from us and gives Adagio and Aria a deadly glare.

"Get away from him, you hags!"

It's Octavia.

*********************************************************************************************

Third person P.O.V.

Adagio and Aria stare in surprise, unable to process who is standing before them. Octavia Melody stands in front of Rough Draft while she holds a cello-shaped shield and takes out a cello bow-shaped club from behind her back. If looks could kill, the whole world would be at the mercy of Octavia's menacing glare.

"You?!" Adagio yells in alarm. "How did you find us? How did you deflect my fireball? That should have burned your wooden instrument in seconds!"

"Oh, this isn't a real cello; this is a shield shaped like one made to deflect any magic, including your fireballs," Octavia says in a matter-of-factually tone before she takes a fighting stance and speaks venomously. "Now, if you want to leave this building unharmed, I suggest you surrender. And if you so much as lay a hand on him again, I will bash your faces anew."

The two ex-sirens stare at her for a moment before they start laughing loudly.

"Oh my goodness, this has to be the best thing I've seen in years!" Adagio says in mid-laughter.

"I know, I know," Aria says, holding her sides. "Who comes to an abandoned warehouse all alone just to play rescue with their ex-boyfriend?"

"Do you really think I came alone?" Octavia asks, smirking.

The two Dazzlings stop laughing and look at her in confusion before they hear a machine powering up a few feet from their left. They only have a moment to turn around before loud music plays, and the soundwaves make both of them scream as they are sent blasting into the air and crashing into the wall on the other side of the room. They groan in pain as the music dies down to reveal Vinyl Scratch entering with a repaired bass cannon. She grins proudly as she watches Aria and Adagio lying on the ground.

"Now that's what I'm talking about!" She shouts before she turns to the rebuilt machine and pets it. "Mama is very proud of you, B.C.2. Oh, yes, she is. Yes, she is, B.C.2."

Octavia rolls her eyes before she turns to Rough Draft, who stares at the two of them in surprise with his good eye. Her face turns to one of worry as she looks at his beaten and bruised face before she drops her weapons and rushes to his side.

"Rough Draft, are you alright?" she asks worriedly.

Rough Draft groans before he responds.

"Been better," he answers. "How did you manage to make your weapons?"

"Well, it's a long story that we'd rather not tell the boyfriend of one of the Rainbooms," Doc says, walking in holding a strange pen looking device. "But the short version is we figured out how to deflect and neutralize that special energy you Canterlot High folk have been raving about all school year."

"Doc?" Rough Draft says in surprise.

"Hello, Rough Draft," Doc says with a friendly smile. "It's good to see you again, ol' chap. Sure would have liked to have met again under better circumstances, though, am I right?"

"What?" Rough Draft asks in confusion before a fireball nearly misses Doc and Vinyl. Octavia quickly picks up her club and shield and takes a defensive stance as Aria and Adagio slowly get up.

"You have no idea how big of a mistake you three just made," Adagio growls, preparing another fireball.

"Who said there are only three of us?" Vinyl asks with a confident grin.

Aria and Adagio look at the three E.M.R. members confused when suddenly something zooms right past Adagio's face. She and Aria only have a moment to react when Aria suddenly screams in pain, clutching her right arm. She looks down and sees a dart sticking on her arm before Lyra and Bon Bon comes from opposite sides, holding guns painted in their respective colors and their personal marks stamped on each side.

"Nice shot there, bestie," Lyra compliments with her rifle aimed at Adagio.

"Thanks, bestie," Bon Bon says with her rifle aimed at Aria.

Aria growls as she yanks the dart of her arm and stretches it out to fire a jolt of electricity, but nothing happens. She and Adagio look in horror as Aria looks at her hand again and stretches it out, aiming at Bon Bon repeatedly to no effect.

"W-w-what happened to my magic?!" She shouts, horrified. "What did you do to my magic?!"

"Oh yes, I believe I should explain," Doc says, pleased. "You see what our dear friends, Ms. Heartstrings and Ms. Drops, are wielding are rifles of my design called Magic Neutralizing-Dart Guns or MN-DGs for short. It's a painless process apart from the darts penetrating your skin that freezes the special energy if you will from the victim so that they will be completely powerless. And before you ask, yes, you will find the effects to be quite permanent."

"That's right," Vinyl says, grinning. "So you better have a backup plan if you plan to stand a chance against -"

But before Vinyl can finish, Aria stretches out her other arm aiming at Vinyl, and a jolt of electricity comes out of the palm of her hand and hits Vinyl's bass cannon. The impact knocks Vinyl off her feet as the electricity fries the cannon into pieces.

"Oh right," Doc says sheepishly, scratching the side of his head. "I might have forgotten to mention that these are the prototype darts, so they can't nullify all the energy from the entire body in one shot if the victim isn't hit on the chest or head."

Adagio turns to Aria, surprised.

"How did you know that would work?" She asks.

"Lucky guess," Aria answers bluntly.

"B.C.2., NO!!!!!!" Vinyl cries out as she gathers the remains of her cannon and starts cradling it like a baby. She cries hysterically, too brokenhearted to notice that Aria is about to fire electricity at her again.

"Vinyl, look out!" Rough Draft cries out as Octavia races to protect her best friend with her cello-shaped shield just in the nick of time. Lyra takes the opportunity to fire her MN-DG again and hits Aria's outstretched arm and the top of her head for good measure. Aria screams in pain before she yanks both darts out, takes out her knife, and charges at Octavia while Adagio throws fireballs at Lyra and Bon Bon. The two hyper girls dodge the flames and shoot at the ex-siren only for Adagio to summon two shields of fire that disintegrate the darts. Octavia deflects Aria's knife attacks with her shield with ease.

"You can't hide behind that shield forever!" Aria exclaims.

"I don't have to," Octavia replies before she calls out, "Doc!"

"Ah yes, that's my cue," Doc says cheerfully before he takes out the pen-looking device and aims it right at Aria. He presses the button on top, and the tip glows blue, making a humming sound. Suddenly, Aria drops her knife and screams in pain while holding her head with both hands. The effect distracts her long enough for Octavia to swing her cello bow-shaped club at Aria's head and knock her out unconscious.

"Aria!" Adagio cries out while still defecting Lyra and Bon Bon's darts.

Rough Draft stares at Doc and Octavia in surprise as Doc makes sure Aria is down for the count.

"What did you do?" He asks.

"I just gave her a very nasty headache," Doc answers. "And the best part of this device is only people with the specific energy can get it if it's pointed at them. It's one of my more simple yet fantastic creations."

Adagio screams in anger as she throws a fireball at Doc, narrowly missing him before he quickly gets up and fires his pen at her. Adagio immediately summons another shield, protecting herself from the effects of the pen and Lyra and Bon Bon's darts.

"You're going to run out of darts sometime," Adagio says. "And I'm willing to bet your little pen can't last forever."

"How right you are," Doc sighs, grinning. "That's where our final member comes in. Derpy?"

Adagio looks up to see through her shields that Doc is looking past her. She turns around and throws a massive fireball from behind her only to discover that there's no one there. Her confusion keeps her distracted long enough to give Doc an opening between her shields to fire his pen at her head, making her scream in pain.

"Made you look, kiss a book, I wish you said Mrs. Snook," Doc sings tauntingly as Adagio's shields disappear, giving Lyra and Bon Bon the opening to decorate Adagio's sides with darts, leaving her to groan in pain as she falls to the floor.

"Wait, Derpy isn't here?" Rough Draft asks, surprised.

"Oh, she is," Octavia answers. "She's just our lookout outside."

"Indeed," Doc says before she blows on the tip of his pen like it's the end of a gun. "Did you think I would allow my girl to be in harm's way like that, ol' chap? Not all of us are as eager for a fight as you might think."

"Yeah," Vinyl says, having finished crying while still holding on to the remains of her bass cannon. "Derpy was happy to help just by looking out for us in case something else was amuck."

Rough Draft nods in understanding before he turns to the others and starts asking some more questions. The words he and the others say drown out of Vinyl's ears, however, as she looks at the tied up boy. Her mind goes back to how she caused the pain that both he and Octavia went through during the Anon-a-Miss incident, and how the two of them might still be together if it wasn't for her. Her mind begins to debate whether or not to say anything, but her heart feels heavy as she feels that now is the time to do something she should have done many months ago. She sighs before she drops the remains of her weapon and walks over to Rough Draft with a remorseful look.

"Hey, Rough Draft?" she begins, making Rough Draft, Octavia, Doc, Lyra, and Bon Bon turn to her. "There's something I need to tell you."

But before Vinyl can say anything else, the sound of a cocked gun echoes the room. Everyone turns to see Adagio on her knees and aiming her pistol at Doc. Without thinking, Lyra shoots her MN-DG, and a dart hits Adagio's wrist right as she fires.

The bullet barely misses Doc, flies by Octavia, and pierces through Rough Draft's right arm.

Rough Draft screams in pain as blood spills from two black holes appearing on both sides of his arm. Everyone in the E.M.R. looks at the wound in shock, but no one is as horrified as Octavia.

"ROUGH DRAFT!!!!" she screams at the top of her lungs.

"Heh, that'll teach him," Adagio mumbles with a grin.

Octavia turns to Adagio, infuriated. She drops her shield and runs to Adagio, holding her club like a baseball bat. Adagio only has a moment to realize what is happening and gasp before Octavia swings her cello-bow shaped club right at her face, breaking her nose. Adagio screams in pain before Octavia hits her in the head with her club, knocking her out.

"I told you what would happen if you harm him again," she says, coldly staring at Adagio's unconscious body before Rough Draft's cries of pain snap her out of her vengeful state.

Doc and Vinyl untie Rough Draft and lay him on the floor as Octavia drops her shield and races to his side.

"Rough Draft? Rough Draft, are you alright?" She cries out worryingly.

"He's losing blood," Doc says. "We need to cover those holes."

Without thinking about it, Octavia rips her purple vest off, sending the buttons flying as she wraps Rough Draft's arm around it and puts force on both sides of the wound.

"That's not gonna put enough pressure, Tavi," Vinyl says.

"Then, get something that will!" Octavia barks.

Vinyl and Doc stare at their friend's sudden demeanor before they leave to find something better to cover the wound. Lyra and Bon Bon watch in worry as Octavia continues to try to close the wounds with her vest and calls out to Rough Draft, who is hyperventilating in shock.

"Rough Draft. Rough Draft, darling, look at me," she says as Rough Draft keeps looking away in shock.

"Darling, please look at me," she begs only to see him still looking away and breathing rapidly.

She groans, impatiently before she commands, "Rough Muriel Draft, you used to stare at me all the time, so you will bother to look at me for as long as I want you to!"

Immediately, Rough Draft's green eyes meet Octavia's violet ones. His breathing becomes less rapid, and he begins to calm down at the sight of his ex-girlfriend.

"You...you came to save me," he manages to say with a small smile.

Octavia gives him a loving smile and says, "Of course, I came to save you. I would never forgive myself if I didn't even try. I only wish we came sooner."

"Hey, your entrance would not have been as cool without all that build-up, so I say your timing was solid," he says, trying to smile from the pain.

Octavia rolls her eyes and shakes her head, still smiling as she mumbles, "Still that loving dork."

"Rough Draft," Lyra says, walking over to Rough Draft's side. "I'm so, so sorry. I just tried to stop her from firing the gun and -"

"Hey, hey, don't worry about it," Rough Draft says calmly. "You did the best you could. If anything, it was my fault for not warning you guys that she had a gun. I just got so lost in the action that I completely forgot that she was hiding it behind her back. That was on me, Lyra."

Lyra gives Rough Draft a sad but appreciative smile that he returns to the best he can. But then his smile fades as he turns his head to where the wound is before Octavia forces him to face her again.

"Eyes. On. Me," she commands.

"I wanna see the wound," he says in a weak, pleading tone.

"Not a chance," she says. "You're going to keep on looking at me, and you're going to stay awake until we get help."

"I don't know how long I can keep on doing that," he says honestly. "I'm feeling a little tired."

"No, you're going to stay awake," Octavia orders. "And I don't want to hear another word about it. Do you hear?"

But instead of a response, Rough Draft's good eye slowly looks away from Octavia and closes. Her commanding face turns into one of horror as she watches her ex-boyfriend lose consciousness.

"Rough Draft? Rough Draft, look at me," she pleads. "Darling, open your eyes!"

Rough Draft doesn't move an inch. Lyra and Bon Bon watch in horror as Octavia starts crying and shaking his body as she screams her beloved ex's name.

"ROUGH DRAFT!!! ROUGH DRAFT!!!!! ROUGH DRAFT!!!!!!!!"

Suddenly, Doc and Vinyl come back in the room, bringing pieces of cloth they found. Doc runs over to carefully remove Octavia's vest from the bullet wound and wrap the fabric around it while Vinyl drags Octavia away from Rough Draft's side.

"NO! NO!" She screams at the top of her lungs, trying to break free. "HE'S ALIVE! HE'S ALIVE! HE'S NOT DEAD; HE'S ALIVE!!!"

"Alright, Tavi, alright!" Vinyl shouts, trying to calm her down. "I believe you. He's alive! But we need to close that wound and get him some real help, or he won't be for long!"

"Doc! Vinyl!" Derpy calls out as she enters the room. "The police are coming, and according to the radar, one of the unknown signals is there with them!"

"The cops? Aw great," Vinyl says. "Lyra, Bon Bon, help me hide our stuff. Tavi, make sure they know to bring an ambulance or something for Rough Draft."

Octavia doesn't get a chance to respond before Lyra, Bon Bon, and Vinyl start grabbing their weapons and used darts and leave the room to find a place to hide them as fast as they can. Sirens are slowly heard as the E.M.R. wait eagerly for the police to arrive. By the time they hear footsteps coming their way, Octavia is unable to wait any longer.

"Help!" She calls out with tears still falling down from her face. "We need help, please! We're over here!"

"Tavi?" They hear a familiar squeaky voice say from a distance.

"Sonata, we're over here!" Octavia calls out.

"Oh well, what do you know?" Doc says as he continues to try to put pressure on the wound. "Guess the tenth signal is Sonny, after all."

Within seconds, Sonata comes bursting in with Detective Stewart and Detective Sentry following her with their guns raised.

"Tavi? Doc? Derpy?" Sonata asks in surprise. "What are you guys doing here? Wait, is that Adagio and Ari -"

Sonata's voice dies in her throat when she and the detectives see Rough Draft's unconscious body. The ex-siren and Detective Stewart rush to his side while Detective Sentry runs to the other side of the room and checks on Adagio and Aria.

"Oh my gosh, Rough Draft!" Sonata cries out with tears already coming out of her eyes as she stares at all the blood spilled from her buddy.

"What happened here?" Detective Stewart demands.

"Uh, it's a long story," Doc says, trying to brainstorm an explanation. "But the short answer is we found their hideout, took them down before they could kill him, and Adagio shot him with a pistol before we knocked her out. The wound is small, but the bullet pierced both sides of his arm, and he's lost a lot of blood."

"Understood," Detective Stewart says before she takes out her walkie-talkie and calls for an ambulance. Vinyl, Lyra and Bon Bon return just as Detective Sentry finishes making sure the two ex-sirens are down.

"What were you three doing over there?" Detective Sentry demands suspiciously.

"We were looking for first aid for the wound," Vinyl lied quickly.

Detective Sentry frowns at Vinyl's answer and says, "Okay, all of you have a lot of explaining to do."

Comments

[CSC]

Oh.......fuck.

[Guy With No Name]

It's all over for Rough Draft..... or soon will be, at any rate.

[Xenvic]

He Was shot in the arm if he gets to the hospital quick enough and gets treated he'll live

[supershadow]

8617703
how are they still in highschool

[HAKDurbin]

8618038
She explained that in chapter 25, remember?

(Thank you! )