> Clusterbuck to City Hall
>  by Caddy Finz
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Chapter 1: All the Cool Ponies are Doing This
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	"Vinyl, I honestly can not believe I let you talk me into coming here!"  Octavia complained as she looked around the dance club that her best friends had dragged her to in attempt to show her a good time.  "This place really isn't my cup of tea."

"Aw c'mon, Tavie!"  The slightly buzzed party girl Vinyl Scratch replied.  "You gotta lighten up and quit bein' a buzzkill.  For once in your boring life, try to have some fun!"

"Okay Vinyl, answer me this.  Did you really for one second think that I wouldn't take offense to tha-did that pony just eat a powdered donut or is that what I think it is under her nose?"

"Uhh yup, that chick is totally coked out.  Looks like Pinkie knows how to have fun."

"Ugh, grody!  Vinyl, please tell me you would never get into that!"

"As if!  Tavie, chill out!  If somepony wants to snort some yeyo, that's their deal.  It's not for me, alright?"

"Can we please just go?  This place is making me very uncomfortable."

"Ok sweetheart, tell ya what.  let's try something out that will get us outta here faster but we'll both have some fun.  See that door we came in?"

"Um yeah, what about it?"

"The next stallion who walks through that door, we'll take back to our place and f-"

"Vinyl!"

"Okay okay, Jeez!  If you don't wanna share, then I'll help you get one of your own!"

"That's not what I meant and you know it, Vinyl!  I want my first time to mean more than jus-"

Octavia and Vinyl Scratch had been roommates for quite some time and best friends for even longer.  The two friends thought they knew everything about each other but Octavia had just dropped a bombshell on the fun loving DJ that would prove very difficult to comprehend.  Vinyl was in the process of inhaling a mixed drink most of which she had spat up at the surprising confession her quiet, mild mannered friend had just made.

"First time?!"  Vinyl exasperated.  "Did you really just say that?"

"Yes I did, Vinyl.  What's the big deal?"

"The big deal is that you're twenty four years old and you've never gotten a stallion to bend yo-"

"Shut up, Vinyl!  Just Shut up!  Before you embarrass the both of us any more than you already have, I'm leaving!  I'll see you back at the apartment when you're sober and hopefully without some guy you'll probably never see again!"

With that said, Octavia left a hurt and saddened Vinyl Scratch alone at the club and made her way out to the parking lot where she would return home from for the remainder of the night.  As she cranked the ignition on the 1985 Bovilet Curvature sedan that the two roommates shared, she was struck by a slight feeling of guilt.  She wondered if perhaps she was too harsh on Vinyl.  After all, despite their polar opposites, the two ponies had looked past their differences and have been best friends for half of their lives.  Octavia knew that her DJ friend had good intentions but also that the lifestyle that she was trying to introduce her to was just not for her.

"I'll apologize to her in the morning."  Octavia sighed as she shifted the late model land yacht into drive.

Ponyville was a small town with a population of 5,943 current residents so Octavia's trip home was less than ten minutes.  The  village being the size it was also helped Octavia feel better about leaving Vinyl at the club without the carriage as the trot back home would not be very long.  Upon her arrival to their modest apartment, Octavia shut the engine down and as she searched through her keys to open the door she noticed a package sitting on the doorstep.

"Tubular!  The book I ordered is here!"  Octavia exclaimed as she tore through the paper like an excited little filly on Hearths Warming morning.  ""Mobster Meets Equestria"!  Oh Caddy Finz, you never disappoint!  I know what I'll be doing tonight!"

Octavia then proceeded to relax on the living room sofa and began reading her favorite author's latest work.  This was more her pace.  Rather than going out to the clubs to get inebriated like most ponies were doing nowadays, Octavia was more than content with living life on the quiet side and simply relaxing with a good book.  If she was waiting for a new book order to arrive, she would often find herself occupied with her and Vinyl's newest video game console, the Marezendo Entertaining System.  Whenever she felt like taking a stroll down memory lane, she would even occasionally break out their old Coltari.

After a half hour of laughter and even a little bit of crying over the masterpiece of literature that her face was glued to, Octavia could hear the front door open ever so slowly.  She shifted her attention over to see Vinyl enter, her face drenched with her eye makeup indicating that she had been crying a good deal on her way home.  Octavia was quite surprised that Vinyl had come home so soon and even more surprising, she was sober and without a lucky stallion in tow.  Although she did say that she would rather Vinyl return that way, It did nothing but confirm her worries about having hurt her friend.

"Vinyl..."  Octavia began.  "I'm sor-"

"I'm sorry, Octie."  Vinyl cut in.

"I uh...you are?"

"Yeah."

"What for?  I'm the one who flew off the handle.  What are you sorry for?"

"For putting you on the spot like that.  I guess I got a little carried away with trying to shove partying down your throat."

"It's ok, Vinyl.  I know your heart was in the right place but I'm just not into that.  I'm sorry I hurt your feelings."

"We're cool, Tavie.  But really though, you yelling and...well pretty much implying that I'm a slut is the least of what bothers me."

"Really?  I already feel terrible about the whole thing.  What did I do to bother you more than that?"

"Octavia you just...*sigh* life is so short.  It really hurts seeing you getting up, going to work, coming back home and sitting down to just read all night.  Hey I mean don't get me wrong, I'll open a book up once in a while but dammit Tavie, you only live once!  We've been friends since we were fillies.  That time has gone by so fast and before you know it, we're both a hundred and on our deathbeds.  With the way I'm living my life, I think I could say that it was life well lived when that time comes.  I just want so badly for you to be able to say that too."

"Vinyl I-I never thought of it that way before.  That was...wow that was pretty deep.  I didn't know you felt that way about it."

"Octie, I really am sorry I tried to force it on you.  I won't do that anymore but I really hope you at least try to find some fun on your own time.  Hell, even Celestia herself parties like it's 1999!"

"Celestia?!  As in the Princess?!"

"Um yeah, she's the only one named Celestia that I know exists."

Octavia had a new found respect for her friend.  For the longest time, she though Vinyl lived the way she did just because she simply didn't care about anything.  Upon hearing how Vinyl's ways meant something deeper than she had ever realized, Octavia actually seriously considered taking her advice.

"Well"  Octavia began.  "Nopony says we can't have a...fun night in.  Do you still have that liquor stash?"

"Tavie, I swear you will not regret this!"  Vinyl replied as she galloped upstairs to retrieve the booze, her face lit up with joy.  "Hey While I'm looking through this stuff, turn the TV on to the news channel will ya?"

"Which channel is tha-wait, you watch the news?"

"Sure and it's the only news channel around, Tavie.  Then again, it does get confusing with all these seven channels we get so it's easy to lose track.  Ooh, I found the perfect stuff for you!"

Vinyl Scratch rejoined Octavia in the living room and began preparing two shot glasses with the weakest most beginner friendly drink she could find.  Before they could talk any further, Octavia found herself pleasantly surprised on how closely Vinyl was paying attention to the news on TV.

"Oh sorry Tavie, there's just this one quick little thing I wanna figure out here before we start.  Word is that the mayor isn't going to run again this coming election.  She bagged herself a Stallion and the two plan on getting hitched and starting a family or something."

"Aww, good for her...but since when do you care about politics?"

"Tavie, she's only like the best friggin' Mayor this town's ever had!  She legalized same sex marriages and decriminalized Everfree Happy Grass!  They might even legalize it because of her!"

"Hahahahahaha!  Vinyl, don't get me wrong, I believe in any couple's right to be happy but why do you care about same sex marriages so much?  Do you have something to tell me?"

"I go both ways and you know it.  Still though, I'm thrilled by all the progress you're making already.  You agreed to drink for once, you got a sense of humor all of a sudden and even managed to laugh.  There's hope for you after all!"

"Alright Vinyl, what am I about to poison myself with?"

"Cool it, I know you're a rookie so I'm going easy on you.  It's Dr.Macgallacoltie's.  It's not too strong and doesn't taste like you're gargling thumbtacks."

"Okay, that does make me feel a little better.  Why do they call those thumbtacks anyway?  I mean really though, what's a thumb?"

"Beats the shit outta me.  Hey maybe we could ask that Lyra chick next time she takes ecstasy.  She said she saw some pretty funky shit before."

"Baby steps, Vinyl.  Let's see how I handle this first."

"Alright Octie baby, 'cause I'm a more *ahem* seasoned drinker, I'll be doing two shots for every one you do just so neither of us feel left out."

"I can't believe I'm about to do this but I do want to see what all the hype is about."

"It's okay if you're nervous, Tavie.  Here, let's both just down these shots at the same time.  Ready?"

"Ready." 
> Chapter 2: Drinkin' For a Sinkin'
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	"So, Tavi..."  Vinyl Scratch began as she finished her eighth shot of the weak liqueur.  "How're ya feelin'?"

"Aw I'm gonna-er, oh right where was I?"  The now drunk Octavia replied.

"I asked you how you're holding up and you were gonna answer, Tavi."

"You know what, Record Album?  You were right, I'm feeling pretty radical right *urp* now."

Octavia rarely ever drank and when she did, she would be lucky to have finished a single glass of wine.  Now here she was with her best friend Vinyl, who had twice as much to drink but was acting as if the alcohol had no affect on her.  Octavia on the other hoof was already starting to forget names.

"Bwahahahahaha!"  Vinyl laughed hystarically as she pounded the table.  "Did you just call me 'Record Album'?"

"Now, Bass Note, you've been my best friend for like...a lot of time..."  Octavia began.  "But you aren't gonna call me a liar and get away with it!"

"You didn't even answer my question, Octi."

"Damn right you're not gonna vote for that Gorge Tush!  He's a dick!"

"What the fuck are you talking about?  Who's Gorge Tush?"

"He's running for some position just under Celestia or some stupid shit.  Pffffffft hahahahahaha!  A position 'under Celstia'!  Oh man, that sounded wrong!"

"Ha!  She could put that little dweeb in a wheelchair!"

"Oh yeah?  So it's true then?  She's been around?"

"Are you kidding me?  Sure she's an immortal being but she gets the urges too.  She's not the pure goodie four-horse shoes everypony likes to think she is."

"Do you have a bathroom?  I think I might pee sometime."

"Did you really just ask me that?  Damn Tavie, we've got some work to do.  If it takes only four shots of the weak stuff to get you smashed, then you've got a lot to catch up on."

"But I need to use your bathroom.  Pleeeaaase?"

"It's our bathroom, Tavi and in case you really forgot where it is, just go upstairs and follow the glow of that gnarly lava lamp."

Octavia then stumbled up the stairs in search of the restroom, leaving Vinyl to smile to herself about her best friend's first step towards having fun for once.  Most of the time, she would come home from a night of partying at the clubs and trotting from bar to bar and see the heartbreaking sight of Octavia sleeping or playing video games.  Now she was on her way to living life to the fullest.

I'd better catch up with her on the drink.  Vinyl thought to herself as she looked around for the bottle to realize that it was nowhere to be found.

"Well then, maybe I am caught up.  It's not like me to forget where I put my booze"

Crash!  Thud!

Vinyl was jarred out of her focus on finding her bottle by the sound of a window upstairs being smashed followed by a loud thud of something large hitting the ground outside.

"Tavi?!"  Vinyl yelled as she bolted up to the restroom to check on Octavia.

As Vinyl quickly made her way down the short hallway, she noticed the now empty bottle laying on the floor apparently having been finished off by Octavia as she went to use the facilities.  After just a few split seconds of which seemed like an eternity, the concerned friend entered the restroom to find the window smashed out and Octavia nowhere in sight.  Fearing the worst, Vinyl ran over to the window and saw that her nightmare had come true.

"Octavia!"  Vinyl screamed to her friend who just fell out of a two story window and was now lying on the ground.  "Oh shit, are you okay?!"

"Heyyy, Compact Disc!"  Octavia replied.  "Oh man, this is really gonna tickle in the morning!"

"Octavia, don't move!  I'll be right down!"

"I don't see what the big deal is, Cassette Tape.  I feel *hic* I feel just fine!"

Wasting no time, Vinyl began her sprint down the stairs in order to go outside and assess the damage to her longtime friend.  This however did not quite go according to plan as Vinyl soon found herself having tripped on an object and tumbled down, hitting each step on the way.  She lay at the bottom of the stair case in a daze for a moment until she shook herself out of it and looked at her right back hoof to see Octavia's cello bow clinging to her.

"Dude, what a bunch of horse shit!"  Vinyl yelled at me as she plucked the bow off her hoof and got back to her task.  "Octavia never leaves her stuff lying around!  Thanks a lot, dick!"

You're welcome!

"Smartass motherfucker!"

After her brief argument with the author regarding the inconvenient placement of objects on the stairs, Vinyl proceeded to burst out the front door and galloped to where she had seen Octavia fall out the window.  To her unpleasant surprise, her drunken comrade was no longer there, apparently having gotten up and wandered off.  Further observation revealed hoof prints in the yard leading away from where Octavia had fallen and into the general direction of the town.

"Gah, the one fuckin' time I get you drunk, Tavi!"  Vinyl yelled out of frustration as she returned to the apartment to use the phone to call for help.

Vinyl Scratch then dialed the one number she hated having to call the most.  Unfortunately for her, she had little choice but to call the Ponyville Police Department in order to track down her inebriated friend before she could injure or make a fool of herself any further.  The party girl that is Vinyl never liked the police as she was usually one to get on their bad side by having too much to drink and causing a ruckus.  Regardless, she swallowed her pride and waited for an answer on the other line.

"Hello, you have reached the village of Ponyville department of police."  The voice recording said, sending Vinyl into further frustration.  "We are currently unavailable to take calls as we are all attending the department's gala of which is funded by your tax bits.  Please leave a detailed message with your name and telephone number and we will attend to the issue when we get around to it.  Thanks"

"Shit!"  Vinyl shouted.  "Why can't there be a three digit, universal emergency number run by operators twenty-four seven?!  I guess I'll have to find Octavia myself!"

Without any help from the authorities available, the slightly buzzed DJ entered the large sedan that her and Octavia shared, cranked the engine over and began to back out of the driveway.  After accidentally taking out a neighbor's mailbox, she was now cruising down the street, her focus sweeping from side to side in order to spot the drunken Octavia.  

Over the course of an hour, the entire residential part of the town had been searched with no sign of the usually quiet, more responsible mare.  At this point, Vinyl was now completely sober and getting very, very, worried.  Having combed through the residential section, Vinyl knew she would have to start checking the more busy side of town.  Vinyl was stopped at a red light when she noticed a familiar pair of ponies standing at the corner, each of them enjoying a cigarette.  The usually calm and now nearly frantic Vinyl then decided that it was worth asking them if they had seen Octavia.

"Hey, Rainbow Dash!"  Vinyl called out the window of the sedan.

"Yo whassup, P3?"  Rainbow Dash replied.

"Hi Vinyl!"  Fluttershy greeted.  "Guess who had her first time yesterday?"

"Sweet!  Way to go, Flutterbaby!"  Vinyl replied.  "How was it?"

The normally quiet and shy pegasus then rose to her back legs and inhaled a deep breath, seeming as if she was about to yell as loud as she could before letting out a faint "Rad!"

"Cool.  Hey listen girls, I'm in a bit of a jam here.  I thought it would be a good idea to get Octavia drunk and now she's wandered off.  Have you seen her?

"No way!"  Rainbow Dash said in sudden realization.  "It was her!  I didn't think she was such a party animal so I thought I was trippin' when she went by!"

"You saw her then?  Where did she go?"

"She went straight through this light on to Kirby Hoofer Street.  She said something about trying to find her friend nam-"

Beep!  Beep!

"C'mon!  The light's green!"  Yelled an impatient motorist waiting behind Vinyl.  "Move it!"

Being in absolutely no mood to deal with a traffic dispute, Vinyl then turned her attention back to her two friends on the sidewalk.

"Excuse me for a sec, girls."  Vinyl said as she exited her carriage, nonchalantly trotted over to the other vehicle and delivered a firm punch to the mare's face through her open window.  After the assault, the now calm and collected Vinyl re-entered her sedan and started the conversation where they left off.

"Okay, where were we?"





"Fuck!"  Vinyl yelled as she raced in the direction where her other friends had pointed her into.  "If she's drunk enough to call me 'music note pony' then she's had way too much to drink!  I've gotta find her before she kills herself!"

Vinyl had driven down the entire block and with still no sign of Octavia.  She then stopped at the next intersection to think of where Octavia could have possibly gone.  She was reading each nearby street sign when she suddenly got an idea.

"Of course!"  Vinyl exclaimed.  "The Golden Oaks Library is on East Dorknerd Avenue!  They're open till midnight during the summer so she must have gone there!"

Before the light could turn green, Vinyl floored the pedal and made a quick right turn onto the other street.  The DJ pony took her eyes off of the speedometer for a mere split second and when she looked back down at the dashboard, she realized that she was going seventy miles per hour in a thirty-five zone.

"Shit, This thing's pretty swift for a big granny sedan!"  Vinyl said as she tapped the break to slow back down to forty.  "Damn it!  I passed the library already!  This boat's got some balls!  No wonder the cops used these!"

After whipping around to make the world's fastest U-turn, Vinyl then found herself pulling into the library's driveway.  She parked the vehicle, looked at the clock on the radio at which point, her heart sank.

"Crap, it's 12:06!"  Vinyl exclaimed.  "I hope Twilight's at least still he-oh wait, she lives here.  Heheh"

Vinyl knew that Twilight Sparkle was never hesitant when it came to helping friends with their problems so in turn she would not mind a knock on the door a mere few minutes after closing the library.  Just as she was making her way over to the front entrance, she would soon find out just how little of a problem Twilight would have with being interrupted.

"Okay Spike, you and Sweetie Belle have fun with your play date!"  The lavender unicorn said as she exited the front door before Vinyl Scratch reached it.  "I'm gonna check out that tubular new club that just opened on Debauchery Road!"

"Twilight!"  Vinyl Exclaimed.  "Thank Celestia I caught up with you!"

"Oh, hey Vinyl."  Twilight Greeted.  "Is everything alright?"

"I wish I could say it was, Twi.  Have you seen Octavia?"

"No I haven't.  Isn't she usually at home reading this time of night?"

"I was gonna ask you the same thing.  You go to clubs?"

"Of course!  I may be the towns's super book worm but that doesn't mean I don't go out and have fun.  So what's the deal with Octavia?"

"She finally agreed to have a few drinks, fell out of the window of our apartment and now I can't find her anywhere!"

"Yikes!  Well I'll help you find her.  I'm not about to let a friend of ours get hurt on my watch!"

"Oh Twilight, thank you thank you thank you!  I'm so sorry I ruined your plans for tonight but thank you!"

"It's no problem, Vinyl but you can stop kissing my hoof now.  It's not like I'm a princess or anything."





Vinyl and Twilight were now scanning each and every street in town in search of Octavia.  After over an hour of searching, their efforts seemed futile until they passed by the club that Twilight was planning on going to.  Vinyl suddenly noticed some red and blue lights flashing in the rear view mirror heading towards the bar.

"Hey Twi, looks like there's some funky shit going down back there."  Vinyl Said.

"Vinyl, just to be on the safe side, I think we should check it out."  Twilight replied.  "As crazy as this sounds, the cops could be going to find exactly what we're looking for.  It's worth a shot."

"Okay, I'll turn around and have a look.  Fuck, if only they could come around when you actually need them."

After Parking the carriage and leaving it with the engine running, Vinyl and Twilight made their way to the front entrance of the club.  They both then trotted past the parked black and white DisKord Tiara Victory sedan that was left there by the police.  Just as Twilight was about to enter the club, she noticed that Vinyl was no longer next to her.

"What th-Vinyl!"  Twilight called out.  "Where'd you go?"

"I'm over here!"  Vinyl replied as she waved her hoof from behind the cop coach.  "Gimme a sec."

"Are you crazy?  Don't screw with their cruiser!  If they see you, they'll bust your flank!"

"Chilax, Twi!  I've got this all figured out."

Upon entering the hip and happening club, it did not take long for Vinyl Scratch and Twilight to find that their hunch was correct.  With all the strobe lights and smoke making it difficult to get a clear look at a face, Vinyl knew the voice and silhouette of Octavia's hair anywhere.  The figure of their attention was running around the club causing a ruckus with the silhouettes of two larger ponies wearing police hats in pursuit right behind her.

"Catch me if you can, big boy!"  Octavia said to mock the officers, confirming that it was indeed Octavia who was being chased.  "C'mon, you gotta want this flank more than that!"

"Twilight, grab her with your magic after I get the bacon off her tail!"  Vinyl said.  "Let's get her outta here!"

With no hesitation, Vinyl put her plan into action.  She used her magic aura to levitate a glass off of the bar and throw it right into the path of the small town police stallions.  She knew that she had hit her mark when the cop just behind Octavia slipped on the glass, causing the second officer to run into him sending both of them crashing to the floor.

"I got her!"  Twilight yelled to Vinyl as she carried the wasted Octavia in her aura.  "Let's blow this joint!"

"Aw yeah!"  Vinyl replied.  "And when this is all over, we can blow some joints of our own!"

"Woohoo!  I'm flying!"  Octavia yelled out in her drunken stupor.

The pair of ponies with their completely sloshed friend in tow, made a dash to the waiting vehicle.  It did not take very long for the two officers to get back up to their hooves so Twilight and Vinyl had to get to the vehicle and get out of the area before the cops could get a look at their faces.

"Hey you, take a red!"  One of the now irate police stallions shouted at the trio.

Having no time to waste, Vinyl and Twilight jumped through the open windows into the sedan and tossed Octavia into the back seat.  Having left the engine running to buy some time, Vinyl shifted into drive and floored the pedal, leaving a thick cloud of dust and smoke behind from the screeching tires.  With nothing for the officers to see but the taillights of the powerful sedan fading away in the distance, they returned to their own V8 powered land yacht and began the chase.  Fearing that the police would get close enough to read the plate, Twilight turned her head back to assess the distance they had between them.  That distance was decreasing at a very quick pace, their flashing red and blue lights seeming to come up like rockets.

"Aw crap!"  Twilight yelled.  "They're gaining on us fast!  Even if we can outrun them, they'll get your plate number if they get much closer!"

"Give it a few seconds, Twi."  Vinyl calmly replied.  "I planned for this.  They'll be eating our dust in five, four, three, two-"

Bang!  Putt Putt Putt!  Pow!  Putt Putt Putt!  Hisssssssshhhhh!

"Hahaha!  There we go!  Remember when I was messin' with their squad coach?"

"No way!"  The flabbergasted Twilight said.  "Vinyl, you didn't!"

"Awww yeahhh!  I shoved some rocks in the tailpipe!  As soon as I get off this street and start driving like I'm sane, we're home free!"

"Oh sweet Celestia!  This is...totally fucking radical!  The rush!  This fucking rush!  Woohoo!"

"Tubular!  How ya feeling, Twi?"

"I have never felt so...so...Aw fuck, Vinyl we just ran from the cops!  Iv'e never felt so Alive!"

	
> Chapter 3: Smokin' for a Chokin'
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


"Owww, my head"  Octavia groaned as she woke up in her bed.  "What did I do last night?"

As Octavia's vision returned, she began looking around the bedroom that her and Octavia shared.  A few feet away, in Vinyl's bed, she noticed that Twilight Sparkle was starting to stir as well.  Octavia wondered to herself why the local librarian would be hanging out with Vinyl as she had always thought before that drinking and partying was not her idea of a good time.

"Twilight Sparkle?"  Octavia asked, confused.  "Um, what's going on?  What happened?"

"Huh?  Oh good morning, Octavia."  Twilight replied.  "It's a long story really.  Are you feeling okay?  I've got the bucket emptied out and ready if you need it again."

"W-what bucket?"

"Well let's just say that you got pretty damn wild and lost a few cookies last night."

"The only thing I really remember is having a few shots with Vinyl...and I may or may not have sneaked a few more when she wasn't looking...and breaking a window in our apartment...and there is a slight possibility that I could have given an officer of the law a small slap on the rump."

"You went so far as to shake your flank at them while they were chasing you, Octavia!  Oh man, last night was the most fun I've had in...well...ever."

"Wow, I really made a fool of myself then, huh?"

"I wouldn't look at it that way.  I wasn't there the entire time though.  Vinyl slept on the sofa last night.  She can explain it to you when you're ready to get up.  She was exhausted after we got home and I was wide awake after that rush so she asked me to keep and eye on you and make sure you'd be okay."

"Awww thanks, Twilight.  I'm sorry if I acted like an idiot last night."

"Oh don't you worry about a thing, Octavia.  I actually think I'll be hanging out with the two of you a lot more."

After a few more minutes of rubbing her eyes, Octavia was finally ready to trot downstairs with some help from Twilight.  As she kept a hoof on the railing and her other foreleg around Twilight's shoulder for balance, she heard what sounded like the news channel on the TV in the living room.

"Oh man, what a bunch of chumps!"  Vinyl laughed as she turned up the Volume to listen to a news report.

"In recent news...  The reporter began.  The Ponyville PD is still on the look out for a late model, black, two-door Sadillac Gazelle that was spotted fleeing from a disturbance at the Sloshed Screw Loose nightclub at around 1:30 am late last night.  The pursuing officers were unable to retrieve a plate number as the suspects were believed to have tampered with their patrol coach before the chase.  Several small stones were found lodged inside the tailpipe afterwards, leaving the police to believe that is what ultimately caused the extreme engine damage which rendered their sixty-two thousand bit patrol vehicle useless."

"Ha!  Joke's on them!  It's a four door, dark blue, Bovilet Curvature they should be looking for!  These guys can't even count!"

"On a political note, as Mayor Mare's fourth and according to her, her final term nears it's end, a new candidate already begins preparations for the next up-coming election.  Local bigshot, Filthy Rich stated, and I quote, that he will 'make Ponyville great and powerful enough to rival Canterlot.'"

"Aw, fuck him!  He ain't got shit on Mayor Mare!"

"Many citizens remain apprehensive, as Mayor Mare made it possible for the fastest economic growth and lowest taxes in the town's history and as of yet, few are convinced that anypony can do any better.  That's it for now so be sure to re-join us at five o'clock tonight where we will be broadcasting the mayor's farewell adress.  I'm Noteworthy, PFTW News.  Ponyville for the win!"

"This guy's a joke!"

"Wow Vinyl, I didn't know you cared that much about politics."  Octavia said as her and Twilight reached the bottom of the stairs.  "It's almost as if you could be a politician."

"Hey, Tavi.  Nah, as much as I get glued to the TV with this kinda stuff, that job ain't for me.  So, how ya feeling?"

"I'm feeling...quite good actually."

"Tavi I-I'm sorry I got you into that mess.  I guess that kinda life style just plain isn't for yo-"

"I had fun!"

"Y-y-you did?  Really?"

"Yes, Vinyl!  For the first time in my life, I actually lived!  Sure I did some stupid things and could have gotten in huge legal trouble or hurt very badly but I had a great time!"

As risky as Octavia's behavior was the previous night, she had just told Vinyl the best news she had heard in a very long time.  For years, the wild party girl had tried to get the bookworm cellist out on the town for a night of fun.  After countless attempts, she was finally able to pull it off.  What made Vinyl even happier was that Octavia had actually enjoyed herself and was potentially on her way to making it more her thing.  Not only that, but they now had a friend in the local librarian while before they were more just acquaintances. 

"Tavi, that's...just great!"  Vinyl said as she shed tears of joy.  "I'm so glad you had fun for once.  I'm definitely more glad that you're okay but this is a huge step for you!"

"I'm glad too, Vinyl."  Octavia replied.  "Let's just try not to overdo it next time.  Baby steps, okay?"

"She's got a good point, Vinyl."  Twilight said.  "As wild and crazy as that was, she shouldn't make a too fast of an approach to it.   We wouldn't want too much fecal matter coming in unwanted contact with the rotary blade of an electronic air circulating apparatus."

"Okay, you lost me after the 'fecal matter' part."  Vinyl replied, dumbfounded.

"We don't want shit hitting the fan quite as much."

"I couldn't agree more.  Why didn't you just say so?"

"Eheheheh.  Sorry, that was the nerd in me talk-"

"Luna's flank!"  Octavia gasped at sudden realization.  "It's 9:30 am!  I have to be at work by 10:00!"

"Whoa, chill out Tavi."  Vinyl said.  "It's only a ten minute drive away.  Just cool your shit, fix your hair a bit and you're good to go.  Really though, you oughtta take a vacation sometime soon.  I plan on starting mine next week so we can take it together."

After being calmed down by Vinyl and quickly making herself look professional, Octavia was heading out the door as Twilight was trotting down the street back to the library.  Just as Octavia reached for the door handle of the sedan, she froze on the spot after noticing that something was wrong.  Her face began to turn beet red before she suddenly snapped her head back into the direction of the apartment.

"You know that we're still making payments on this right, Vinyl?!"  Octavia scolded as she pulled a parking meter out from under the rear bumper.

"It was either drive a bit buzzed to find you or let you wake up in a gutter Celestia knows where, Tavi!"  Vinyl smugly replied after she exited the door of the apartment.  "Don't you have to go to wo-"

"And how the hell did you manage to get a fire hydrant stuck in strut springs?!"

"You don't wanna be late do you, Octi?"

"Fuck!"





As usual, Octavia worked yet another event-less shift at the Quills and Sofas furniture store where she worked as a commission paid sales pony.  She was very good at her job and did very well when it came to up-selling as she had exceptional pony skills.  Although the job helped pay rent and put food in the fridge, her true passion was playing the cello.  As much as she loved her instrument, she only played it part time whenever a gig opened for her nearby.  When Vinyl was not busy with the turntables at one of the many hopping night clubs, she spent most of the work week at the Disc-Connection record store where she worked as an hourly assistant manager.

Having worked an eight hour shift with a thirty minute lunch break in the middle, Octavia was back in the sedan and on her way back home.  Since it was now 6:30 pm, she ended up missing the mayor's farewell address which was not something she really wanted to happen.  Being that it was Vinyl's day off however, she knew that she would still be able to get the basics of how it went.  As Octavia parked the vehicle and entered the apartment, she was just about to find out exactly how much information she was about to get.

"Hey, Tavi!"  Vinyl greeted from the reclining chair in the living room.  "I decided to go see the mayor's farewell address live at the town hall!  You'll never guess who I invited to hang out with us!"

"I don't really feel like guessing right now, Vinyl."  Octavia replied as she trotted into the living room to join Vinyl and their guest.  "I really don't mean to be rude but I'm just dying to hear how the m-m-m-Miss Mayor?!"

"Why hello there, Miss Octavia!"  The now former mayor of Ponyville chimed.  "It's so nice to meet you!  Your friend Vinyl here so kindly invited me over.  I'm so glad the two of you enjoyed my administration."

"Oh it's no big deal really, it was only the best administration this town has ever seen!  Also, I think the natural pink color of your hair works for you.  Oh and congratulations on your engagement, by the way."

"Awww, why thank you!  Now, Vinyl here tells me that you even have an associate's degree in economics and government.  By the sound  other things she's told me, it sounds like you may even have potential to run in this next election."

"Heheheh, well as flattering as that is, that's a good one, you two!  Almost had me thinking you were serious for a minute there."

"We totally are, Tavi."  Vinyl corrected.  "If you ran for mayor and kept that Filthy Prick or whatever his name is from winning, you could keep this town as awesome as it is now!  Even if he's an asshole, it's pretty hard to lose if he's running unopposed."

"Oh don't be silly, Vinyl."  Octavia replied.  "I wouldn't stand a chance even if I did run.  The only thing that would prove is that it was a dumb idea.  Really though, Vinyl, what have you been smoking?"

"Oooh, speaking of smoking...Miss Mayor, would you like to take the first hit?"

"Vinyl, are you crazy?!  Don't pack your bong in front of the ma-"

"I'd be honored to, Vinyl."  Mare replied as she lit the bottom and pressed her lips on the top.

Octavia was speechless.  She was sitting on the sofa next to the recently former mayor of Ponyville who was inhaling a mass of smoke from Vinyl's bong packed with everfree happy grass.  As Octavia sat there with her jaw near the floor, Mare exhaled the thick intoxicating cloud before letting out a blissfully content sigh.

"Now this is why I had this stuff decriminalized."  Mare said softly as her eyes began droop slightly and turn bloodshot.  "Octavia, if you were to run for mayor and win, you could have this totally legalized by Hearths Warming Eve."

"Tubular."  Vinyl said.  "Hey pass that my way, will ya?"

While the bong and lighter levitated in Vinyl's aura, she did much of the same as Mare.  Octavia was stunned at how well both of them were handling the strong smoke without hacking a lung or even so much as emitting one tiny cough.  She had never tried it before and since she had been willing to try new things lately, she was tempted to have a hit of her own.

"So, Tavi."  Vinyl said.  "Think you'd wanna give it a try this time?"

"I-I don't know, Vinyl."  Octavia replied.  "Is it really that good?  How does it really make you feel?"

"It makes you feel like all of your stress just melts away, Tavi.  If you wanna try it, I promise you won't regret it.  No pressure though."

Octavia for the most part had always trusted Vinyl despite her usually being the one with the more questionable judgement.  Even though the two of them were nearly polar opposites when it came to their lifestyles, the unconditional trust they often had in each other proved the strength of their friendship time and time again.  Although Octavia was apprehensive at first, she knew in the back of her mind that Vinyl would never lead her into harm's way.  At least not intentionally.

"Okay Vinyl, give it here."  Octavia said as she mentally prepared herself for the unknown.

"Alright, Tavi."  Vinyl replied.  "Now usually you'd wanna hold it in for a few seconds to get the most out of it.  Since this is your first time though,  you'll wanna exhale as soon as you inhale.  Then after that, give it about ten minutes just to see how it makes you feel before taking any more hits.  We don't want a repeat of last night."

Octavia then motioned with her hoof for Vinyl to pass the bong over to her.  As she pressed her lips against the top of the hollow glass tube, she had Vinyl light the bottom and began to slowly inhale the smoke that rose out of the water.  Vinyl and Mare were very impressed at how much Octavia took in before finally gagging and going into a coughing fit.

"Okay Tavi, deep breaths now."  Vinyl said softly as she gently patted Octavia on the back.  "You'll be alright."

Finally, Octavia's coughing subsided giving Vinyl a chance e for her to inquire of Octavia's current thoughts about the affects.

"So how're ya feelin' Octi?"  Vinyl asked.

"Ummm...you know what, Vinyl?"  Octavia ever so slowly replied.  "This was...well...this actually wasn't so bad.  I feel like I haven't a care in the world.  Very hungry all of a sudden but pretty good over all."

"Yeah, you'll get the munchies sometimes.  Let's wait a little while before you have more though, okay?  Just to be on the safe side."

"Oh sure, right, right, right.  Ummm...would you two excuse me for a moment?  I'm just gonna step into the kitchen for a quick snack and maybe a glass of water while I'm at it."

"Alright, Tavi.  Let us know if you need anything or if you don't feel so good, Okay?"

Octavia then disappeared into the kitchen, blatantly ignoring what Vinyl had just said.  Thinking little of it, Vinyl and Mare continued their conversation between bong hits in the living room.  As some time went by with Octavia still in the kitchen, naturally their minds began to wander and their conversations drift from topic to topic.

"Aw that's great, Mare."  Vinyl said.  "I'm sooo happy for you.  He sounds like a really great guy."

"Hey thanks s'much, Vinyl."  Mare replied.  "He's the best thing that's ever happened to me.  My job always got in the way of other stuff and I never had time for a special somepony.  Now that I'm thirty-seven, my biological clock is really ticking.  I want so badly to have a foal and start a family with my widdle lovey dovey schmoopiedoo.  That's why I'm not running for a fifth term."

"Can't say I blame ya for doing what makes ya happy."

"Thanks.  Hey gimme a sec, I'm gonna go get a glass of water.  This cotton mouth's really starting to get to me."

"Oh shit, I think Octavia's still in the uh...the eating room.  Would you go check on her while you're at it?"

"Sure, I'll see how she's doing."

No sooner did Mare enter the kitchen did Vinyl get jolted out of her trance by her new found friend's frantic cry for help.

"Vinyl!"  Mare yelled from behind the kitchen door.  "I think there's something wrong with Octavia!"

Fearing that there was about to be as much if not more of a catastrophe than the previous night, Vinyl sprang up from the reclining chair and darted into the last room where they had seen Octavia enter over an hour ago.  She dashed through the door to see the kitchen floor littered with empty food boxes and snack wrappers.  The refrigerator in the back of the room was equally as empty revealing that the now bloated Octavia had eaten everything in the apartment.

"Tavi, what the fu-"





Weeeooo weeeooo weeeooo weeeooo weeeooo weeeooo!

The siren of the ambulance being driven by medic Fluttershy wailed as she raced to the hospital with Mare in the front seat with her and and Vinyl and Octavia in the back.  Motorists from several blocks ahead began pulling to the side to allow them room to pass through.  In less than five minutes, they arrived at Ponyville's Flat-line Memorial Hospital where doctor's where waiting to begin treatment.  As they wheeled the stretcher with the overstuffed Octavia down the hall towards the designated hospital room, the doctor galloped along side them to form a plan and ask necessary questions.

"Lemme guess."  The doctor said.  "First time with the everfweed?"

"First time with the everfweed."  Vinyl confirmed with a sigh.

"Nurse Redheart!  Get me a thirty gallon oil drum and one of those calendars, stat!"

"How's a calendar going to help?!"

"There's no time to explain!"

Soon after they reached the room, the nurse had returned with the two items the doctor requested.  These items were a large metal barrel on wheels and a black paper folder with the words "To be opened in emergencies only"  printed on the front.  The doctor then fitted both of his fore-hooves with rubber gloves as the nurse placed the drum next to the bed where Octavia lay.  She the proceeded to fit what looked like an oxygen mask with a clear tube attached to it to the patient's face and placed the other end into the barrel.  With the final preparations having been made, the procedure could commence.

"You three may wanna look away."  The doctor warned.  "This could get quite messy."

The doctor then peeled a tape seal off the folder and approached Octavia on the hospital bed.

"Miss Octavia, do me a favor?"  The doctor asked as he held the mysterious paper directly in front of the patient's face.  "Just take a good look at this for a moment."

Instantaneously, The oil drum began filling up with what Octavia ate recently and at the same time her stomach started shrinking very rapidly.  Finally, Octavia's belly was back to normal and the drum filled to the brim with vomit.

"Excellent!"  the doctor exclaimed as he tossed the folder into a bio-hazard trash can.  "The treatment was a complete success!  She'll be just fine after plenty of rest.  She may even be well enough to be discharged in the morning."

"Um, okay that's great."  Vinyl replied.  "But do you mind telling me how the fuck you did that?!  What was that about a calendar?"

"Simple.  I assume you know the Apple family?"

"Yeah.  What about them?"

"Their granny doesn't know when to quit modeling."
> Chapter 4: In Need of Convincing
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


"Tavi, I am so sorry!"  Vinyl Scratch said as she pushed Octavia's wheelchair out the front exit of the hospital.  "I swear I thought you were gonna pop!"

"It's okay, Vinyl."  Octavia replied.  "Even that wasn't the worst part.  Looking on the bright side, I can say it was actually kind of fun to feel goofy like that.  I'd do it again eventually."

Once again, Vinyl couldn't believe what she had just heard.  All of her life, Octavia had been the one to try to steer clear of anything risky even if it meant avoiding fun.  Vinyl was presented with a double dose of good news.  Her longtime best friend was (for the most part) unharmed and was really blossoming when it came to lightening up to enjoy life.

"Well, we'll have to be more careful next time for sure."  Vinyl began.  "but if that wasn't the worst part, then what was?"

"Th-that...that ghastly image!"  Octavia shuddered.  "Never in my life have I...My Celestia, why is modeling at her age legal?!"

"Dunno, Tavi but I gotta agree with ya that it shouldn't be.  I'm telling you though, you're qualified!  If you go down to city hall and sign up to run for mayor you could change that!"

"Vinyl, I'm flattered really but I've already got enough stress as it is."

"Aw c'mon!  Then why'd you get a degree in that government crap if you don't wanna do anything with it?"

"Because I do-um I...I've never thought of that before.  I don't know, Vinyl I guess it's what I thought I wanted to do at the time but I suppose I just lost interest."

"You're still working off those student loans to this day, Tavi."

"Ugh, Let's just go home now so I can sleep this off, Vinyl.  We'll talk more about this when my stomach doesn't feel like it's on fire."

Their friend Fluttershy then drove the two home in the outdated ambulance of which was converted out of a Sadillac station wagon in the early seventies.  Octavia wasted no time passing out on the sofa as soon as they entered their apartment.  Luckily for her, it was both her and Vinyl's day off so they could get their much needed rest without being reprimanded at work the next day.  Employers do not typically take kindly to their employees ditching a shift because they got high the night before.

With Octavia fast asleep on the sofa and Vinyl simply relaxing on the reclining chair in their living room, the apartment was quiet enough for one to hear the putty inside the lava lamp move around.  With the piece and quiet, Vinyl figured that this would be a great opportunity to actually think straight for a moment.  The previous couple of days had been extremely hectic and it was time to relax and catch a breather.

Vinyl began contemplating her vacation next week and was also glad to have gotten Octavia to agree to take hers the same time.  As the DJ's thoughts drifted from one thing to the other, she even started to really stop and think of what Ponyville would be like if Octavia could actually run for mayor and win.  Octavia was anything but interested in the idea but Vinyl was still determined to convince her friend that she could pull it off.

Although Vinyl Scratch was a big fan of Mayor Mare's administration, there were still many things the town desperately needed.  Mare was very successful in making the town the best she could but even the best can only do so much and their runner up would need to pick up where they left off.  For starters, Ponyville could use a more efficient way of dispatching its public servants to emergencies.  It certainly would have come in handy the previous two nights.  The police department was too busy partying and Vinyl had to waste time frantically tearing through the phone book to find the hospital's number.  Not only did it take what seemed forever to get Octavia the medical help she needed, the ambulance that their friend Fluttershy had to drive for her job was simply deplorable.  It was the newest most up-to-date ambulance the town had and it started it's service in 1971.  The rest of the fleet was even more pathetic and spent more time in the repair shop than on the road.  The condition of some of the roads themselves was unacceptable.  The pavement on the busier side of town was in decent shape but the residential section was in need of repairs.

Vinyl knew however, that there was hope.  She knew that the responsible and level headed Octavia could keep the quiet but still vibrant little town moving in the right direction.  The new candidate, Filthy Rich on the other hoof, was not going to be the one to do it.  She was not sure why or how but Vinyl just knew there was something about him that simply screamed "untrustworthy".  Though the crazy DJ was a wild party girl who took chances often, she was anything but dumb.  If Vinyl was gifted with anything useful, it was her superb intuition.  That and she never found it easy to trust anypony running in the Equblican party.

After napping for a few hours, it was now two O'clock in the afternoon and Octavia was prepared to wake up.  Vinyl would do her roommate the courtesy of waiting until she was fully awake before bugging her with more reasons to run for mayor.  She thought she should first approach the topic with a relaxing distraction and proceeded to flip through the game cartridges she kept under the television stand.  Had it not been raining outside, she would have offered a nice walk in the park so the games would have to do for now.

"Hey, Tavi"  Vinyl began.  "How about we break out the MES and go two player on Super Royal Sisters?  It's been a while since we played this."

"Sure Vinyl, sounds like a good day to me"  Octavia replied.  "I get to be Celestia this time though."

While the two friends enjoyed the game, Vinyl began thinking of a way to approach the matter delicately.  She would start out being subtle and then try to stress how bad it would be if this Filthy Rich were to win the election.  Vinyl scratch was not one to get nervous easily but even she could not help it.  She knew that Octavia could do anything she set her mind to but she would just need help realizing that. 

"So, Tavi."  Vinyl began.  "I just though of something.  I sure hope if this Filthy Prick or whatever his name wins the election, the town doesn't change too much."

"Oh I wouldn't lose sleep over it."  Octavia replied as she continued to tap the buttons on her game paddle.  "What's the worst he can do?"

"Well, I never really agreed with the Equblican trickle down bull shit.  I mean, by the time any capital gets down to us pony joes, I don't really wanna be trickled on if you know what I mean."

"Uh, that's true I guess.  I'm sure another candidate with the Equemocrat party will try to run agains-hey!  Vinyl, you killed me!"

"The hell I did!  If you were paying attention, you wouldn't have ran into that shroomba!"

"Well if you weren't distracting me I could have jumped on th-"

"Aw c'mon, Tavi!  Just 'cause you're pissed off that you suck doesn't give ya the green light to push my player into that pit!"

"Ha ha!  You get what you give, bitch!"

Video games had always made Octavia lighten up and not be afraid to have fun with casual insults between her and Vinyl.  The normally uptight pony she was seemed to completely disappear as the two friends called each other anything they could think of.  None of it came from the heart though as they only did so in good fun.

"Okay Tavi, in all seriousness, I think you and I shou-"

"Since when are you of all ponies one to be serious?"

"Hey, shut it!  Lemme finish ya chump!  As I was trying to say, we should go and see that Dirty Shit's publi-"

"His name is Filthy Rich, Vinyl.  Really though, what do you have against him?  For all you know he could be a very nice guy.  You've never even met him so why be so quick to judge?"

"Okay, okay whatever!  Anyway, how about we go to his first campaign speech tomorrow afternoon?  Sure, maybe I am being unreasonable.  If it turns out I am then I'll admit it.  C'mon Octie baby, start your vacation tomorrow and let's just go down to the City Hall and hear what he has to say."

"That's probably the best idea you've ever had, spunk breath!"

"Spunk breath?!  Oh it is so on!  Game over, nerd!"





The next day, Octavia and Vinyl took the short drive to the town office located in the middle of the village.  Upon their arrival, Octavia and Vinyl found a suitable parking spot and made their way to the building.

"Psst!  Yo Tavi, check it out."  Vinyl whispered.  "See that squad car parked over there?"

"Yeah, what about it?"  Octavia responded.  "And why do you need to whisper about it?"

"Because that's the one that chased after us the night you got smashed, you wild party animal you."

"What?  How can you tell?"

"That's the only DisKord Tiara Victory the local PD has.  They just got it for their fleet and they're switching to those.  The rest of the town's cars are Bovy Curvatures like ours.  Looks like they got it fixed pretty quick.  I heard that they had to replace the whole engine."

"Only you would know every little detail with that rap sheet of yours.  C'mon let's just go in and hear this speech.  Filthy Rich will be taking questions at the end of it."

The inside of the Town Office was nearly packed and it looked as if all of the seats were already taken.  After a moment of looking around, the two friends were each able to find an open seat.  They would not be able to sit together as they wear nearly on opposite sides of the room but they would have to make do with what they had.  The mayoral candidate, Filthy Rich then made his way up to the podium before the room full of citizens and greeted them with a genuine smile and cheerful tone.

"Good afternoon, everypony!"  Filthy chimed.  "I'd like to start out by saying It's an honor to be here today!  Yes, I know the election hasn't even started yet but just getting to know everypony in this totally rad little town is simply the beginning!  Even if somepony else ends up joining the race, I know that you will all make the right choice!  You all look like quite the smart crowd so I'm confident that you know what this town really needs and it it you who can make all the difference!"

Wow, this guy's such a flank kisser.  Octavia though to herself as she continued to listen to the stallion addressing the crowd.  Well, maybe he's just nervous.  I know I would be if I were the one doing that.  Everypony else actually seems to be buying this though.

Filthy continued to ramble on about how he planned to change the town for the better.  He spoke of everything ranging from strengthening the already growing economy to his plans to combat the recent spike in the crime rate.  The only thing that distracted Octavia for a moment was the brief ringing coming from a mobile phone of the mare sitting next to her.  To avoid annoying the rest of the ponies in the room, she pulled the gray brick out of her purse and got out of her seat to have her conversation outside.  Once again, Filthy Rich had Octavia's undivided attention and she barely noticed the other pony take the seat that the mare with the phone once occupied next to her.  The stallion that had seated himself next to her was just minding his own business for several minutes and drew no attention to himself whatsoever...until he quietly spoke to her.

"Excuse me, miss?"  The stallion said.  "I didn't catch your name."

Octavia then looked to her left to see a yellow Earth pony with a brown mane and tail looking directly at her.  He had three horse shoes as his cutie mark and was dressed very sharp, sporting a white collar and a green and purple striped tie.

"Uh, I'm sorry but I don't think we've met before."  Octavia politely replied.  "You must have me mistaken for somepony else."

"Oh of course, hehehe.  You were probably too drunk to remember much.  Wow, I still can't believe you smacked my flank.  The name's Caramel.  When I'm on duty, I'm Officer Caramel.  What's yours?"

"Oh crap." 



> Chapter 5: So We Meet Again...Again
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


"Alright sweetheart, I find that pretty hard to believe."  The off-duty police stallion said to Octavia who was still trying to mentally process who she was now talking to.  "Crap?  Really?  That's a grody name for a fine gal like you, don't ya think?"

"I-I-I-I, b-but you w-were at the club and you saw the th-the thing with me and the drunk an-"  Octavia stuttered before being cut off by Caramel gently putting his hoof over her out of control mouth.

"Listen Crap, if that really is your name, just chill out.  It's not like I'm gonna arrest you or anything.  Jeez, you're acting all whack over here."

Octavia was still trying to come to terms with what had just happened but due to the stallion's calm demeanor, she was also able to be more calm herself.  She was still not entirely sure of the severity of her actions the other night but she still couldn't help but wonder why this police officer wasn't taking her in or at least reporting her to his on-duty colleagues.

At this point, the stallion who had introduced himself as Caramel had turned his attention back up to the would-be politician at the podium and was now acting as if he had not even noticed Octavia.  This helped her calm down even more.  After a few more minutes, she even shifted her own attention to what she came to hear in the first place.  Still, she felt like she had to figure out why this Caramel would witness her causing a disturbance, then later confront her and not do anything about it.  As Filthy's speech appeared to be wrapping up, Octavia finally broke the awkward silence.

"My name is actually...Octavia."  She said quietly as to not interrupt the ponies in the crowd asking questions.

"See?  That wasn't such a chore now was it?"  Caramel replied.  "Sorry, it's just not every day that I get a slap on the rump when I'm on the job.  Well...actually off the job too.  Usually it's my cousin Big Mac who gets all the mar-"

"Yeah, I got a question, sonny."  An old, light green mare said as she raised her hoof.

"Yes ma'am, what's on your mind?"  Filthy Rich replied.

"Whatcha gone do about all them damn unicorns movi-"

"Next question, please!"

"Yeah, when are you going to spend any time with me?"  A little, light pink filly asked.

"I told you to wait in the car, Ruby Crown."

"It's Diamond Tiara, Dad!"

Just then, Octavia was overcome by a sudden realization that made her stomach turn and her face go as whit as Vinyl's.

"Oh sweet *urp* Celestia!"  Octavia Exclaimed as she nearly lost her lunch.  "It's that saggy old mare from the calendar!  I gotta go!"

"Damn it, Grannie!"  Caramel yelled.  "Your racism just embarrassed me in front of a cute girl...again!"


Meanwhile, Outside the Town Office


"Ugh, what have I done to deserve this?"  Octavia sobbed as she wiped her mouth off on some foliage from the garden after a painful episode of vomiting.  "I'm a good pony.  I've never wronged anypony.  I had life by the flank.  How is this my li-"

"Miss Octavia..."  Caramel quietly began to avoid startling the already stressed out mare.  "Just take some slow, deep breaths, ok?"

Octavia had been through a lot within the past few days and it was starting to affect her quite badly.  She had gotten inebriated, broken Celestia knows how many laws, smoked Everfree Happy Grass, nearly stuffed herself to death and was now dealing with a law enforcement officer who she had unwittingly harassed the other night.  She had begun to think that it was about to get even worse until Caramel was finally able to explain what was going on.

"Look, I think we got off on the wrong hoof."  Caramel said.  "I can see you're dealing with a lot right now so just take a chill pill, alright?"

"Okay, I'm calm now."  Octavia replied.  "But I why are you being so nice to me?  I got smashed and caused a ruckus and you're not going to arrest me?"

"Not to mention having something to do with damage to government property."

"You mean the patrol coach?  I swear I didn't have anything to d-"

"Relax.  We got it fixed.  The news blew the whole story outta whack, it's all fixed and sitting right over there."

"Okay, well that does make me feel a little better.  So what's the deal then?"

"Well, I just have this little unwritten rule that when a mare slaps my flank, I feel like I gotta figure out why.  I mean, you just ran off afterwards so I followed...until your friend Vinyl threw the glass I tripped over...then stuffed a bunch of rocks into the tailpipe of my cruiser and blew the engine all to Tartarus.  I'm just glad that thing was still under warranty.  Kinda getting off track here but you get the point."

"You knew who we were the whole time?!"

"Sure did.  Twilight, the librarian is a close friend of my cousin Applejack so I could never forget that voice."

"Then why didn't you or the Ponyville PD come after us the next day?"

"Well, remember that hoedown at my cousin's farm back in '84?"

"Yeah, they even screened that rad movie that came out that year on the side of the barn.  Haha, I ain't 'fraid of no ghost!  I don't think I'll ever look at your granny the same way again now but what does that have to do with me?"

"Heheh, I'm getting to that.  Do you also remember that super nerdy colt with the huge Croak bottle glasses and the braces?"

"Uhh, I think so."

"Well you were the only girl who would so much as talk to me there.  It took me a minute to figure out that it was you at the club the other night but after you were so nice to me a few years ago, I wanted to kinda return the favor."

"That was you?"

"Sure was.  While I was in the police academy, I got the braces removed and got a set of contacts.  Quite an improvement, no?"

"Oh of course.  Well, thanks for letting me off the hook.  I even just started my vacation today and the last thing I need is an arrest record."

Just then, Caramel's eyes lit right up upon learning of Octavia's time off from work.  He then took a deep breath to calm himself as to not let her know that he was getting (what he thought was) a brilliant idea.

"That so?"  Caramel replied.  I happen to be starting my vacation after my shift later tonight."

"This time of year we could all use a break, am I right?"  Octavia said.  "Oh, I'd better get back to my friend Vinyl and see what Mr. Rich has to say before it's over.  Thanks again, Caramel."

"Anytime.  Nice seeing you again, Octavia."

Octavia then reentered the town office building and took an empty seat to hear the remaining questions being answered by the next potential mayor.  Only a few ponies still had a hoof in the air and Filthy Rich was just finishing buttering them up as if they were  muffins fresh out of the oven.

"Now, as a small business owner"  Rarity, the owner of Carousel Boutique began.  "myself and others like me are concerned about the recent increase in larger corporate stores like Saltmart  being opened in small towns such as this.  What do you plan on doing to ensure that it doesn't happen in Ponyville and if it ever does, that it will have minimal affect on us?"

"Well, gorgeous"  Filthy Rich began as he lifted the microphone from the podium and slowly made his way towards Rarity.  "There once was a time that I was in your horseshoes.  You see, I became as successful as I am today because I started from the ground and worked my way up from there.  Like minded ponies like us know that in order to build up our own business, it helps to not have a corporate chain nearby to gain an unfair advantage.  In these changing times, it's getting a lot harder to grow your own business with an increasing amount of chains around."

Filthy rich was now at eye level with the blushing Rarity, his face only a few inches from hers as his devilishly handsome smile revealed his perfect and sparkling set of teeth.  The air conditioning in the room was not enough to keep the floozy fashionista from breaking into a sweat as Filthy Rich finished his very convincing speech.

"And sweetheart, rest assured that when I am mayor of this town, everypony will have the chance to go far.  The sky's the limit!"

After ending his unspecific answer to Rarity's question with a wink, everypony in the entire room erupted in chatter.  It was as if they were buying the whole thing and unable to pick up on the fact that he had not clearly answered any questions that were asked.  With one last look around the room to see no more hooves in the air, the would be politician trotted out of the room with his grumpy looking daughter in tow.  The ponies in the crowd then hastily filed out until the room was nearly empty and Octavia and Vinyl were finally able to find eachother, the latter looking anything but pleased.

"The guy's about as fake as they can get!"  Vinyl huffed as the two friends exited the building to make their way to their coach in the parking lot.  "Did you see how he danced around all those questions?!"

"Now I see where you're coming from Vinyl."  Octavia replied.  "Don't worry though.  It's still just the start of summer.  The election is not until the middle of Autumn.  We have months until it's all said and done and that's plenty of time for somepony better to challenge him."

"Uh, hello?  C'mon Tavi, I thought you were the smart one here!  According to Equestrian law, they give it three weeks for another pony to enter the 'race' and after that, they make him mayor if nopony jumps in!"

"Vinyl, when are you going to get it?  I'm not going to embarrass myself by ru-the fuck is going on over there?"

Octavia and Vinyl's attention was suddenly grabbed by the sight of a red, two door Bovilet Clovaro sports coupe on the other side of the parking lot with what looked like Filthy Rich's daughter impatiently pacing back and forth next to it.  The Vehicle was shaking around and the tinted windows prevented anypony from seeing what was actually going on in there.

"Dad, are you done yet?!"  The little filly, Diamond Tiara asked as Rarity and Filthy Rich exited the vehicle, their manes in a complete mess.

"Jeez kid, calm down."  Filthy retorted as he wiped lipstick off his face and fixed his collar.  With your mother gone, Daddy gets lonely and Miss Rarity here was just keeping me company.  Now let's get you to school so you can print some fliers out with your newspaper club, okay?"

As Rarity blew a kiss to which Filthy responded with another wink, The little filly joined her father in the car that then sped off leaving a cloud of dust behind.  As Vinyl watched the coupe fade away in the distance, she could feel her blood begin to boil.

"Gah, why the fuck do such assholes get action like that?"

To which Octavia responded by giving her unicorn friend a disapproving glance.

"What?  Don't look at me like that.  At least I make sure the stallions I get with are deserving and aren't jerks like him.  And, I make them actually work for it before I let 'em get to home base."

"Okay Vinyl, I get it."  Octavia began.  "But please just chillax, okay?  I worry about you when you get yourself worked up like that."

"Alright, well I need a cigarette if I'm gonna chillax but that parking ticket on our coach isn't really helping my mood right now."

"What?  Why would they give us a ticket?!  We aren't even parked illegally!  The car's legit!"

"Whatever.  Let's just go home.  The longer we stay here, the closer I get to having  damn heart attack."

"Uh, Vinyl?"

"Aw shit, what now?"

"Alright, calm your flank down!  This isn't a parking fine."

"Oh well that's a relief.  What is it then?"

"I think...Uh, I think it's a phone number."

	
> Chapter 6: Can You Say Awkward?
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


"So, Tavi..."  Vinyl said.  "Was he cute?"

"Well, yeah I guess you could say that.  It turns out that I actually hung out with him at the Nightmare Night party at Sweet apple acres a couple years ago.  He looked like a train wreck back then but now he's actually quite handsome."

"Sweet deal.  So you think he left that phone number, eh?"

"I don't know anypony else who would have, Vinyl."

"And you're totally sure it's not fake?"

"Well, It doesn't star with five-five-five or end with eight-six-seven-five-three-oh-nine so that's a good indication."

"Ugh, I hate that song even when I'm high.  So do you think you'll call him?  I think it would do you some good to start dating.  I know how you wanna find that 'special somepony' or whatever but nopony ever ends up settling down with their first date.  You gotta start somewhere."

"I guess you have a point there.  Well, here it goes."

Octavia then dialed the number that she found on her vehicle the previous day and waited for an answer on the other end.  After ringing five times, a familiar voice had finally broken the silence.

"Hey, you've reached Caramel.  I'm not around right now 'cause I'm probably busy saving the day as usual.  Heheh, leave me a message with the four-one-one and I might call you back if I feel like it."  Beep!

"Uh h-hey, Caramel."  Octavia nervously began as Vinyl coached her through leaving a message by whispering some advice to her.  "Um, this is Octavia.  So yeah, I uh got your phone number and called you back."

Vinyl then facehoofed out of frustration at her friend stating the most obvious and making a mess of what should have been a simple message.

"I thought maybe we could hang out or something."  Octavia continued.  "Like, I guess just call me back and we can set something up.  See ya."  Click

"Real smooth, Tavi."  Vinyl said.

"Oh you think so?"  Octavia replied.

"No.  In fact, his voice recording was more smooth than you.  I'm also really disappointed that you can't read lips.  I had all the perfect lines and you just decided to go your own crappy way."

"I knew very well what you were saying and I am not about to leave a message involving pelvic thrusts and saying I want him to mount my-"


Meanwhile, several bocks away... 


"She sounded kinda nervous there, cuz."  Big Mac said as he was giving Caramel pick-up advice.  "When a mare's nervous, That means she's interested."

"That so?"  Caramel replied as he wrote everything down in a small note pad.  "Okay so then I should call her back soon, right?"

"Ah think ya should give it a whole day before ya do that.  Nothin' gets a mare's skirt off faster than actin' like ya don't care."

"I'm not really in it just to get laid, Mac.  She's a nice girl, I don't wanna lead her on like that."

"Well, it still can't hurt to just play it cool.  I gotta get goin' now.  I got a date an' Ah don't wanna keep mah lil' Flutterpie waitn' too long.  See ya at the station next week, cuz."

"Okay see you around, Mac.  Thanks for the help."

Big Macintosh then left Caramel's apartment to be with his girlfriend.  Caramel now had the peace and quiet he needed to think things over on how he would go about returning Octavia's call and when he would do so.  He pondered his options over a Jab soda and decided that he would take his cousin's advice and call his crush tomorrow.  After flipping through his entire television package of nine channels with still nothing good on to watch, He would start off his vacation by just taking a leisurely stroll down the street.

Caramel lived on the West side of Ponyville which was the busier side of town.  Instead of a house converted into three separate apartments, it was a four story brick building with a total of sixteen apartments.  Despite the different arrangement, it was still a decent place to live.  Nothing overly fancy but certainly not a slum.  Being with the Ponyville Police Department paid his bills, filled his fridge and kept a 1984 Plottsmouth J Series in the tenant parking lot.  It was more on the compact side but it was a comfortable ride.

Caramel continued his already slow pace towards the park on the South side of Ponyville, stopping once in a while to smell flowers and even answered a payphone out of pure curiosity.  After politely declining a job offer that involved stealing vehicles, he trotted over to a park bench and took a seat to just admire the beautiful summer scenery the small town had to offer.

"Hmm...calling random payphones to offer mob jobs..."  Caramel said to himself as he pondered what just happened over a cigarette.  "Somepony should make a video game out of that.  I know I'd play it."

As the off duty police stallion enjoyed the first day if his vacation and partook in "pony watching" on the bench on which he sat, his time to relax quickly turned into something where his keen wits would be needed more than ever.

"I'm so glad we came here, Vinyl."  Octavia said to her best friend as they trotted behind Caramel, apparently not noticing that he was there.  "This walk is just what we needed after all this crap we've been dealing with the past few days."

"You can say that again, Tavi."  Vinyl replied.  "See this is why I'm glad we moved from Canterlot.  We're not constantly being pushed aside by bigshots but we're not in the sticks so much that everypony's related to eacho-"

Vinyl's sentence was cut short as the pair stopped directly behind Caramel who was nervously trying to blend in as to avoid being seen.  He had not mentally prepared himself enough for his next conversation with Octavia so avoiding an unexpected encounter at an inconvenient time was his best option.

"What's wrong, Vinyl?"  Octavia asked as the DJ sniffed at the air.

"Listen."  Vinyl whispered.  "Do you smell something?

"Other than the park's garden, I don't smell anything."

"I smell...bacon!"

Vinyl, being the borderline reckless partier she was, never liked the police and had a knack for picking even the most well disguised undercover officer out of a crowd.  This sixth sent of hers that she developed even went so far as to differentiate the unique odor that the blue dye from a police uniform gave off and could smell it on anypony who wore one within the last week.  

Caramel was now hiding behind a newspaper he had brought with him and was beginning to sweat as his nervousness got the better of him.  His own sixth sense started to kick in as he finally lowered the newspaper revealing the face of the crazy DJ a mere few inches away from his.  Vinyl's pupils had shrunk to the size of pins and she was snorting like a minotaur getting ready to charge.  Standing a few feet behind Vinyl was Octavia who now looked as nervous as caramel did.

"Vinyl..."  Octavia said, knowing she didn't have much time to stop her friend from starting trouble.  "This is Caramel, the nice charming guy I told you about."

Vinyl could not believe what she had just heard and turned around to face her long time friend.

"Tavi, we're gonna have some fucking problems, aren't we?"

	
	
> Chapter 7: Just Give it a Try
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	"Why the fuck didn't you tell me he was a cop?!"  Vinyl yelled at Octavia as she drove towards their apartment.  "You can never trust those guys!"

"Vinyl, I swear to Celestia if you've reached a new low, this is one of them!"  Octavia replied from the passenger seat.  "Why do you have such a problem with them anyway?"

"Uh hello?  Brain cell?  You're supposed to be the smart one here, Tavi!  I hate cops with a burning passion because I like to have fun once in a while.  Cops don't let me have fun.  They just waltz on over like they own the damn town and shut down parties just because some old fart feels like being a narc.  They wanna wave their di-"

"Oh bag your face!  I'll have you know that Caramel is very nice!  I think you'd get to like him too if you gave him a chance!  He's full of compliments too.  He even told me that he thinks I have what it takes to run for mayor so apparently you two are like minded pon-"

SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEACH!  VROOOOOOOOOOM!  SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEACH!

Before Octavia could finish her sentence, Vinyl whipped the sedan into a complete one hundred eighty degree turn and floored the pedal sending them careening back to the Ponyville Park.  It only took a mere few seconds for the vehicle to reach ninety miles per hour as they neared where they left Caramel with nothing but his thoughts.  With Octavia too frightened to speak, Vinyl sent the full sized coach screaming to a halt right in front of Caramel as he was thumping his head against a lamp post out of frustration.

"You two!"  Vinyl shouted as she shoved Octavia out of the passenger seat onto the sidewalk.  "Date!  Now!  And don't come back until you get to third base, Tavi!"

Before Caramel Or Octavia could say anything or even think of what to say, Vinyl laid rubber and disappeared down the street, a cloud of thick white smoke following her until the coach finally caught up with its own tires.  The two awestruck ponies were now left with nothing to do but get to know each other and see where it went from there.  After a few moments of awkward silence as they stared into the direction where the crazy DJ took off into, Caramel finally worked up the nerve to break the ice.

"What the hell is she on?!"  The bewildered Caramel asked.

"Believe it or not, she hasn't taken anything today."  Octavia replied.

"Wow.  Okay, so what made her change her mind like that?  You two weren't even gone for a minute."

"Ugh, me and my big mouth!  I mentioned you saying you think I should run for mayor.  She's been baggin' on me about it all week.

"Well, what's wrong with that?  I think you have potential."

"Vinyl has been my best friend since foalhood and I love her to death but at this point I'd consider it just to get her to shut up.  I just don't see it happening though.  Hey look, why don't we talk more over a pizza or something?  I don't know about you but I'm famished."

"Yeah, I could eat.  How about that gnarly new place on Griffon Avenue?  It's only a five minute trot from here and They have a sacman machine.  I've been there a couple times and it's great if you're into gaming."

"Are you kidding?  I love video games!  Lets's go, bohunk."





"Booya!  High score!"  Octavia cheered as she beat Caramel's highest score tenfold.  "What did I tell you?  I've put a bit or two into one of these before!"

"That's mega dank, Octavia!"  Caramel replied.  "I never thought my score would beaten, let alone crushed that bad!  I'm impressed!"

"Years of having an overly competitive roommate, Caramel.  That's where it's at."

"Tubular.  Oh hey, you know that Jega Boss System that came out last year?"

"Yeah!  I heard that it's graphics are completely out of this world.  I can't comprehend video games getting better than that."

"Heheheh.  I actually happened to pick one of those up last week.  I've gotta have you over sometime so we can play that.  The Jega version of Ghost Breakers is actually kinda good unlike the MES crap heap."

"I think you and I are going to get along very we-"

"Last call, everypony!"  The owner of the Manehatten Slice restaurant called out from behind the counter.  "We're closing in ten minutes!"

"Wow, it's almost nine o'clock already?"  Caramel said as he looked at his watch.

"Well, time does fly when you're having fun, right?"

"You're telling me.  Alrighty then, let's bounce.  Want me to walk you home?"

"I'd like that."





"I'm telling you though, I really think you should give it a try!"  Caramel said as him and Octavia neared the apartment she shared with Vinyl.  "You never know, you might be really good at it."

"Okay Caramel, I'll look into it.  I guess it couldn't hurt to just see where it goes.  It is hella whack that all of the ambulances in town are old as dirt and i don't remember Filthy saying anything about replacing them."

"Well the police department could stand to spare some of its surplus bits for that.  I'm not gonna lie, we have more funds than we need.  some of the roads could use some work too."

"I'll stop by the town office tomorrow and check it out then."

"Rad!  I'd like to hear about it when you're done."

After another ten minutes or so of trotting, the pair finally reached the street that Octavia and Vinyl lived on and shortly after came up to the driveway being occupied by their large, boxy sedan.  Caramel took a moment to admire Octavia's taste in vehicles before bidding his potential soon-to-be girlfriend good night.

"Well I had a hella good time with you Octavia.  Let's do this again soon."

"Of course.  You're really fun to spend time with."

"Thanks.  Since we're both on vacation, how about we hang out tomorrow after you talk to the town secretary.  I can't wait to hear how it goes.  What do you think about eight o'clock?"

"It's a date."

"Tubular.  I'll see you then.  Good night, Octavia."

"Oh wait, before you go..."

Before Caramel could question her intentions, Octavia leaned in closer to the now nervous and blushing yellow stallion and gave a soft peck on the cheek.  

"Good night, Caramel."  Octavia said as before she entered her apartment for the night.

After a moment of mentally processing what had just happened, the love struck stallion began skipping home with an excited ear to ear grin on his face and even emitted several foal-like squeals of delight.  Though he was indeed a very happy colt, he would not have wanted any of his colleagues at the station to see him squealing like a mare on a shopping spree so he calmed down slightly as he made his way home.





"Hey Tavi, how'd it go?"  Vinyl greeted as her roommate returned from her date only to be given a slightly off topic answer.

"You mind telling me what the hell that was about?"  Octavia replied.

"Okay yeah, I guess I did kinda kirk out back there and I'm sorry, Tavi.  It's just that you're making such kick ass progress on getting out and having fun and I just wanted to see you keep at it."

"Not to mention how badly you want me to run for mayor."

"Alright, I'm not gonna lie, that is kinda why I shoved you out of the car at this guy.  I'm sorry about that too."

"It's all kosher, Vinyl.  Anyways, I really had a great time with him.  We went out for pizza and played some arcade games.  Then on the way home we talked a lot and really got to know each other and...then I...kinda...kissed him on the cheek."

"Aww, that's great, Tavi.  See?  Isn't it great to try new things?"

"Sure is.  Oh and on that note, I've decided to go to the town hall tomorrow talk to the town secretary about running for mayor in the equemocrat par-"

Pfffffffffft!

Upon hearing the good news from Octavia, Vinyl violently spat out a mouth full of beer and had a coughing fit for a moment.  After finally catching her breath, she ran up to her somewhat startled roommate and stared into her eyes with her own bloodshot and tired eyes before giving her own input on the matter.

"Tavi?"  Vinyl Began.

"Y-yes Vinyl?"  Octavia replied.

"I...Fucking...Love you..."

	



	
	
> Chapter 8: Shoulda Kept Your Mouth Shut
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	After going through the front entrance, Octavia went down the hall of the Ponyville town office building towards the main lobby where she could be pointed in the right direction by the receptionist.  While trotting down this hall, she noticed dozens of framed photographs of every mayor the town has had throughout its history, which went back all the way to the year 1869.  These mayors came from all kinds of backgrounds and despite Ponyville being founded and populated mostly by Earth ponies, it has had it's fair share of unicorn and pegasi, mare and stallion alike.  A great majority of them represented the Equemocrat party as Ponyville has for the most part been a more liberal town.

Octavia took the time to look at each and every photo that was hung in chronological order. As she finally reached the end of the line-up, she noticed that next to a picture of the current mayor hung an empty frame where the photo of the next one was to go.  After a moment of imagining herself being the next face to fill that frame, the mild mannered cellist finally reached the lobby where at the front desk sat the town secretary.  She was a light green unicorn mare with a mane of an even lighter green and white mixed in with it and a cutie mark of a lyre.  Octavia knew this pony as Lyra Hearthstrings and was more of an acquaintance as they had only met a few times before and knew very little about each other.

"Hello Lyra," Octavia greeted.  "What's going down?"

"Oh hi!"  Lyra replied.  "Octavia, right?  What brings you here today?"

"Well, I was wondering who I should talk to about...oh how do I put this?...Joining the election?"

"You wanna run for mayor?  Holy cow, that's great!"

"Oh, well I'm not completely sure about that yet, Lyra.  You see, My friends have been trying to get me to do it but I really don't know if I'm actually going through with it.  I'm here to more just look into it and scope it out more than anything.  Then I'll make my final decision."

"Ah okay, that's cool.  I hope you do decide to give it a try though.  This town needs somepony hip and fresh in this office after Mayor Mare leaves.  I know I'd vote for you.  Just go all the way down that hall to your right and take the second left and talk to the Mayor herself."

"Thanks, Lyra.  Oh!  One more question though."

"Sure, lay it on me."

"Ok so like, my friend Vinyl wants to know what kinds of things you've seen."

"Pardon?"

"You know...like when you're taking the 'stuff' and seeing the 'things' with the whack 'appendages' and junk."

"Uhhh...I don't follow."

"Okay, I'll just say it.  What's the deal with those 'fingers' and 'thumbs' you claim to be seeing when you take exstacy"

As soon as Octavia finished her question, Lyra's cheerful demeanor took a complete one-eighty as she looked up at Octavia from her office chair with her eyes beginning to flood.  The look she gave her was comparable to that of a young colt who had just watched his mean older brother stomp his favorite video game cartridge to pieces.  Octavia knew that she had made a mistake by asking Lyra such a personal question as she quickly tried to backtrack and hopefully prevent any further waterworks.

"Th-that didn't come out right, I swear!"  Octavia stuttered as Lyra's sobbing suddenly turned into rage.  "I didn't mean it li-"

"Get the fuck outta my face you bitch!"  Lyra screamed.

Wasting no time, Octavia booked it down the hall to avoid any further confrontation and ultimately do what she came to do in the first place.  Just before She could take that second left, Lyra called out to her one last time, her bubbly tone coming back as quickly as it left.

"Maybe you, me and Vinyl can hang out so I can tell you about it sometime!"  Said Lyra as she waved to the confused Octavia.

That mare is not fucking right!  Octavia thought to herself.




After receiving no response from knocking on the door marked "Mayor's Office", Octavia looked around the hallway in hopes that her new friend from high places was nearby.  The building was quiet enough to hear a pin drop and with nopony else in sight, the slightly disappointed Octavia felt that it would be best to just come back later.  As she turned around to leave, she noticed the faint sound of two ponies conversing and it seemed like they were getting closer.  The closer the voices came to the corner of the hallway, the more familiar they were starting to sound.  One was a the voice of a stallion and the other a mare, the latter not sounding very pleased.  Moments later, Mayor Mare with an annoyed look on her face and none other than Filthy Rich came around the corner to where Octavia was waiting."

"Don't worry about a thing, Miss Mayor."  Filthy Rich said.  "I'll keep this town just the way you left it...and then some, so it'll actually be better."

"Uh-huh, I'm sure you will."  Mare deadpanned.

"Not that I'm saying you didn't do a swell job though, I'm just gonna spruce the place up a bi-"

"Are you going to keep schmoozing me all day or are you going to go spend the day with your filly like a good parent should?"

"What filly?"

"Your daughter!"

"Oh yeah, the little pink one.  Don't worry about her.  I dropped her off at school."

"It's Sunday..."

"She'll be alright mayb-"

"Octavia!  It's so good to see you again!  I'm so glad you're okay!"

"Thanks, Miss Mayor."  Octavia replied.  "So how are things with your coltfriend?"

"Ahem,"  Filthy Rich cleared his throat.  "I was still tal-"

"Couldn't be better!  We're actually planning on going out tonight.  I'd love it if you and Vinyl could join us."

"That sounds great."

"Tubular!  So what brings you here?"

"Well I've thought about it more and I've decided to look into signing up to run for office."

Upon Octavia's announcement, a hush suddenly fell over the three ponies in the room.  Octavia just stood opposite of the other two waiting for a response.  Filthy Rich looked more annoyed than anything while Mayor Mare looked over at him with a "told you so" smirk.  The awkward silence continued for a moment until Flithy Rich decided to start reading Octavia with his exceptional pony skills to get to the bottom of the ordeal.

"And who exactly are you, sweetheart?"  Filthy asked, attempting to turn on his charm.

"My name is Octavia, Mr. Rich.  Pleasure to make your acquaintance."  Octavia replied as politely and professionally as her mistrust for this stallion would allow.

"Likewise, young lady.  So, you would like to run against me for the town office then, am I correct?"

"Well, I've thought about it a lot and I'd like to se-"

"That won't be necessary, dear.  You see, this town needs somepony with a little more life experience.  How old are you if you don't mind me asking?"

"I'm twenty-four but I have a degr-"

"I have twenty-two years on you, hon.   Really, for you to join this race would just be a waste of time."

"Oh?  And why is that?  Just because of my age you think I don't know enough about how Equestrian government works?" 

Octavia was now getting very irritated by Filthy's incredibly rude and smug attitude.  As her anger towards the pompous stallion who stood before her grew, his demeanor became increasingly obnoxious, nearly costing him his perfect teeth.

"That's quite the bold talk coming from you, little lady.  You seem to...er-maybe you should just...Ugh!  I can't think with all these sirens!  Let's just wait until that ambulance goes by and I'll finish this conversation!"

Outside the large open window, the three ponies could see one of the town's rusty old Sadillac Ambulances approaching, its speed quickly decreasing until it soon sputtered to a halt right before them.  As Fluttershy exited the vehicle with tears in her eyes, the engine backfired, sending a thick cloud of black smoke out of the tailpipe followed by a loud thunderous bang before it finally died.  Fearing for her patient in the back, Fluttershy could not help but break down in tears as she just did not know what to do.

"Um...help?"  Sobbed Fluttershy as the left rear wheel fell off.  "Somepony?...Please?"

"Oooh, I'd hate to be the poor bastard in that back of that thing!"  Filthy chuckled as he watched the hysterical yellow pegasus desperately radio in for assistance.

To Octavia, that was simply the last straw.  As level headed of a pony she is, she had to use every last bit of restraint she could muster as to not pound this stallion's face in.  Her primal equine instincts nearly got the best of her as she snorted hot steam out  through her nostrils.

"Miss Mayor..."  Octavia growled.  "Get me the paperwork..."

Without hesitation, Mare produced a sheet of paper from the front pocket of her suit and hoofed a pen over to Octavia.  The paper in question was labeled "Candidates of the Ponyville Mayoral Election" and a few lines further down was Filthy's signature with a nearby space for another one to join it.  Filthy nervously eyed the paperwork before leering at the other two ponies.

"I wouldn't sign that if I were you, little missy."  Flithy deadpanned, his eyes narrowing.  "There's no way you're gonna-hey!  Don't you dare take that pen in your mouth!  You'd better put that dow-nuh-uh!  You lower that pen any closer to the paper and I'll make sure you don't go anywhere in politi-whoa!  I swear if you sign your name on that, so help m-Oooooooh, you did not just sign that!"

"Mr. Rich..."  Octavia said, the look in her eyes matching that of her rival.  "You're the most obnoxious stallion I've ever met.  I've met overachieving jocks in high school with more humility than you and with that lack of compassion I just saw from you, you're not fit and don't deserve this office!  I'd rather eat the contents of Granny Smith's wrinkles, barf them up, stuff it all into my ears, pick it out and then snort it through a straw than watch you become mayor of this town!"

It had begun.  Octavia had laid the foundation for what would be a true blue race for the office of Ponyvill's mayor.  After telling Filthy Rich off, she trotted out of the building with her nose held high in the air leaving the embarrassed stallion to think about what was just said to him. 




"You told him what?!"  Vinyl gasped.

"You heard me, Vinyl."  Octavia replied.  This guy has nothing to offer this community!  I don't know nor do I care what he's in this for but it's definitely not for the good of Ponyville!"

"Tavi, I'm so *sniff* fucking proud of you!  Not only are you standing up for yourself, but also the whole town!"

"Thanks, Vinyl.  This guy is without a doubt the biggest fake I have ever met but I just...have this feeling that this will be anything but easy.  I'm going to need all the help we can get."

"Well I call dibs on bein' your campaign manager.  What else should we do though?"

"Vinyl, we're going to need somepony with more smarts than me by our side.  Get Twilight on the phone."
	

	

	

	
> Chapter 9: This Guy's Alright
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


"Golden Oaks Library, this is Spike speaking."  A young male voice said on the other end of the phone line.

"Yeah hey Spike, my name's Vinyl.  Is Twilight around?"

"Nah sorry, she's got me runnin' the joint tonight.  I think she's out with her friends Pinkie and Rainbow Dash or something."

"Alright, no biggie.  Mind telling her I called when she gets back?"

"Can do!"

"Thanks, kiddo.  Just have her call this num-"

"And just who in the hell do you think you're calling 'kiddo'?"

"Jeez, take a chill pill dude, you just sound like you're eleven or something."

"Bitch, I'm twelve!  Get your sweet cheeks over here and I'll show you what a real stud's like!"

"Whoa, you've got some lip on you, little guy!"

"Come on over and these lips will be all over your-"

Click!

"Did you get ahold of her, Vinyl?"  Octavia called out from the shower as she prepared to go hang out with Mayor Mare and her coltfriend.

"Nope!  Left a message though!  Hurry up in there!  I gotta freshen up too!"

After a few more minutes of showering, Octavia exited the bathroom with a towel wrapped around her body and another around her wet mane.  Vinyl started taking a shower soon after, leaving Octavia to adjust her coiffure and select an outfit for their night out.  Having just informed her opponent of a place where he could firmly jam his attitude, she was feeling more laid back than usual.  She could almost describe it as a somewhat rebellious feeling.   Finally choosing her attire, she put on her shortest skirt along with a green low-cut shirt and checker patterned leggings.  This type of outfit was not normally Octavia's choice of attire but since they were in style at the time, she decided to give them a try just to fit in with the rest of the crowd.

As Vinyl was nearly finished with her own preparations, Octavia couldn't help but think that she was forgetting something, or rather somepony she recently began building a connection with.  The sudden realization hit her like a ton of bricks as she remembered a certain somepony she promised to call upon making her decision to run for Ponyville's office.  Octavia wasted no time dialing the number that was taped to her car the other day as she had very little time left before Vinyl was ready to hit the clubs herself.

After placing her shades atop her horn and giving her mane the final adjustments according to the current style, Vinyl trotted down the stairs as Octavia trotted past her upwards to use the bathroom mirror to adjust her own mane one last time.  As Vinyl waited for her roommate to finish up, she flipped through the myriad of seven television channels they paid a whopping three bits a month for.  A few minutes passed before the doorbell rang, peaking Vinyl's curiosity as she was not expecting another pony tagging along with them on their latest night on the town.

Vinyl opened the front door of the apartment to see standing before her the yellow colt who Octavia had went on a date with the previous day.  He was sporting a black polo shirt with the collar unfolded with sunglasses and enough styling gel in his mane to lubricate a firetruck axle.  With a bemused look on her face, Vinyl greeted Caramel the only way she could think of as she still mistrusted him for being a police officer.

"As glad as I am that you convinced Octavia to run for mayor," Vinyl began.  "You've outlived your usefulness.  Now beat it!"

Slam!

"Vinyl!"  Octavia yelled as she pushed her rude roommate aside to reopen the door.  "Caramel wait, she didn't mean that!"

"You're not thinking of taking him with us, are you?"  Vinyl asked.

Being in no mood to allow a good night of fun to be ruined by anypony, Octavia pushed Vinyl up against the wall and held her there with a forehoof before commencing to explain how things were going to go.

"I took the liberty of calling Caramel to invite him to hang out with us tonight."  Octavia growled through her teeth.  "He's going to come to the club with us and we are all going to have a great time and you are going to...be...fucking...nice!"

"Okay, okay Tavi cool it."  Vinyl nervously chuckled as Octavia released her.  "I don't know what's gotten into you but either way I like your new attitude."

"Thanks for the invite, Octavia."  Caramel happily chimed in.  "I can't wait to hear all about what went down at the town hall today."

"Of course."  Octavia replied.  "Well, we better get going now.  We're going to the Grinding Flanks Club and Vinyl is their DJ tonight so we can't wait around."

As the three ponies trotted towards Vinyl and Octavia's full sized sedan with Caramel's smaller J car parked next to it, the latter could not help but pause for a moment to admire it.  Caramel knew a lot about cars being in his line of work and was captivated by the monstrous size yet elegant lines of the rear wheel drive behemoth that they were about to take on their night on the town.  Wanting to make friends with Vinyl and further impress Octavia, he suddenly got an idea.

"Gnarly ride.  Mind if I drive?"  Caramel asked.

"Sure, if you want to.  We're not in a huge hurry."  Octavia answered before Vinyl could object.

"Yeah we are, Tavi."  Vinyl deadpanned.  "We've only got ten minutes before I gotta be there!  I'll bet this goody four horse shoes drives like a granny!"

"Aw don't fret, Vinyl."  Caramel said as they all climbed in and took their seats.  "I'll show you how we drive on the force."

"Yeah yeah, let's just go now, okay?"

"Here's a little move I like to call the switchblade.  Now sit back, hold on and don't yell!"

Screeeeeeeeeeeech!

While in reverse, Caramel floored the pedal backing the car out of the driveway and down the road in the direction of the club before spinning the wheel and shifting into drive at the right moment.  After spinning the coach around one hundred eighty degrees without slowing down, he proceeded to cut a ten minute drive in half by drifting around corners and taking shortcuts down alleyways.  In what seemed to be no time at all, they had arrived in style as they screeched into a parking spot with swift precision.  This type of driving usually was not Octavia's forte but since the events of earlier that day, she was feeling nearly bullet proof.

"Caramel, that was gnarly!"  Octavia said as the trio exited the vehicle.

"Okay, I take it back, guys."  Vinyl said as she stumbled out of the back seat in a daze as she had forgotten to use her seat belt.  "Caramel, you're alright...I guess.  I'll catch up with you two 'cause I gotta hit the turn tables now."




I made it throoouuugh the Everfreeeee!  Somehow I made it throoouuughwoohooo!  I didn't know how bad I sucked until I challenged youuu!

It was now eight o'clock at night and the club was just beginning to fill up as Vinyl put on one of the hottest new acts by Maredonna.  Octavia and Caramel had taken a seat at a booth to wait for the Mayor and her coltfriend to arrive.

You made me feel...yeah you made me feeheeeel like such a toooool!  Iike a newbie!  Owned for the sixty-ninth time!

It did not take much longer before The mayor had arrived with a clean and respectable looking blueish-gray stallion in tow.  The pony in question wore a flared out white collar, white cuffs on his fore-hooves and a pair of purple aviators.  Eager to finally meet the Mayor's coltfriend, Octavia waved a hoof in the air to catch their attention.

"Hey, Octavia!"  Mare greeted.  "Glad you could make it!"

"Same here!"  Octavia replied.  "For the first time in my life, I told a bigshot where he could stick his attitude so I'm not apposed to having a fun night out to celebrate.  And this must be your coltfriend you've told us so much about!"

"Hoity Toity, Miss."  The stallion said as he introduced himself.  "I must say dear, it took guts to stand up to Filthy and sign the candidate form right in front of his nose!  You certainly have potential to keep this town moving in the right direction!"

"Thank you, Hoity.  See, a few years ago, me and my roommate Vinyl moved from Canterlot because we wanted a little more of a quaint setting but not so remote where there's nothing to do and the locals actually have teeth in their heads.  Like in between Manehattan and Appleoossa sort of level.  Not so many sirens and horns honking but a big enough gene pool."

"Reminds me of most of my family, hehehe."  Caramel Chuckled.  "I love 'em to bits but I need to catch a break from them after spending so much time around Sweet Apple Acres."

"Oh, Officer Caramel!"  Mare exclaimed.  "I didn't see you there!  How's the PD's newest addition?"

"Heheh.  C'mon Miss Mayor, I've been with the department for a year now.  I'm not that new.  Doing fine though.  I get to work with my cousin Big Mac most of the time."

"Tubular!  Since when have you been seeing Octavia?"

Mare's sudden inquiry of Caramel and Octavia's relationship status was more than enough to cause the two would be love birds to blush.  After a few seconds of looking each other in the eye as if to ask the other what they thought of the whole thing, Octavia spoke for both of them.

"It's...more of a casual thing, Miss Mayor...I think.  Uh right, caramel?

"Yeah!"  Caramel nervously answered.  "What she said!  Right?"

Shake 'em down is all that we know, using blunt objects to get us our dough!  I'm heading out to cause tragedy, shades of red on the sidewalk we like to see!

"Of cour-Wait!  Caramel, this is my jam!"  Octavia exclaimed as Vinyl put on her favorite track by Haulin' Oats.

"I love this song!  C'mon let's get down on the dance floor!  It'll be fun!"

After even more blushing and a few seconds of hesitation, Octavia quickly agreed and joined Caramel to dance to the song they shared as their favorite.

Broken legs still recover from us, forget what you saw, there isn't a mafia!  We extort the soul 'cause soul matters much to me!  "We're out of touch!  You're out of time, to get your protection paid so we don't bury you in the mine!"

As Octavia and her coltfriend continued to dance their hearts out, Vinyl could see how much fun they were having from the stage she was on where she worked with the sound equipment.  For the first time in several years, her best friend was truly happy and having some of the best fun she ever had.  As the song neared its end, Vinyl, with watery eyes almost got too distracted to put on the next song at the right time.




It was now getting close to two o'clock in the morning and the club staff had issued a last call.  After hours of dancing and even having a few drinks, Octavia and Caramel waited out in the vehicle for Vinyl as she finished putting the sound system away for the night.  The two ponies were only slightly buzzed as Caramel took it upon himself to keep Octavia from drinking too much and ruining her week once again.  

"Hey, Octavia?"  Caramel said from the back seat.

"Yeah, bohunk?"

"I've been wondering som-wait, what?"

"That's a compliment, Caramel.  It's just another way of saying you're a hunk."

"Oh...well...heheheh, ok thanks sweetheart.  But um...well, what are we?"

"Heeheehee, we're Equus Ferus Caballus, silly...or just ponies, I guess."

"Ha!  You smart allec!  No, what I meant was like what are we as ponies in a relationship?  I was thinking about what Mare asked us.  Like, are we coltfriend and marefriend or just...friends?"

"Um, well I-I think we could b-er...well what do you think?"

"We've been hanging out quite a bit lately.  You even kissed me on the cheek last time we saw each other.  We have a lot in common and stuff.  But that kiss...that was...it just felt...it felt...right."

"Caramel, you don't need to be nervous about anything.  I was nervous too at first but I've gotten very comfortable being around you.  I...I really like you, Caramel."

"I really like you too, Octavia.  Everything about you.  You're smart, classy but funny, beautiful...just an all around sweethea-mmf!"

As the couple stared into each other's eyes, Octavia could not help but show Caramel how much she appreciated compliments as she suddenly jumped into the back seat and locked her lips with his.  He was very surprised at first but quickly got into it as the simple kiss turned into both ponies' first make out.  For several minutes that seemed like an eternity the two lovers continued to kiss and gradually get more tongue involved.  For the first time in both the young ponies' lives, they had found somepony they had developed a real connection with.  Just when it seemed like their "session" could not get more sloppy, a familiar voice suddenly broke the silence startling the two lovers.

"Yo Caramel, this your place?"  Vinyl asked as she stopped the car.

"What the f-Vinyl?!"  Octavia yelled.  "How long have you been there?!"

"Since I picked up my check from the club owner, got back into the car with you two swapping spit in the back, started the engine, put it in drive and drove about ten minutes to get here.  You really didn't notice me here?"

"No!  Why didn't you tell us?!"

"I didn't wanna interrupt.  I mean, you two were really going at it!"

"Well as awkward as the end was,"  Caramel began.  "I enjoyed every second of it.  I don't know about you but I'm pretty tired.  I'll trot over and get my J car tomorrow.  Vinyl, it was pretty rad hanging out with you, and Octavia, I can't wait to see you again."

With that, Caramel and Octavia shared one last quick kiss before bidding each other good night and left the love struck stallion to stumble up to his apartment while the two mares drove back to theirs.  The first few minutes of the drive were silent until Vinyl decided to break the ice.

"So Tavi."  Vinyl began.  "You really like this guy, huh?"

"I do, Vinyl."  Octavia replied.  "He's really sweet and charming and he really, truly respects me."

"Yeah, he's pretty rad, alright.  Which is why I'm going to apologize to him next time he's around."

"What for?"

"He treats you good, makes you happy and is a really awesome guy but...I misjudged him.  Just 'cause he's a cop, I though he'd be an asshole or even take advantage of you just because he could.  I guess I just let my past experience with cops get in the way of what was really going on between you two."

"Aww, thanks Vinyl.  I'm sure he's already forgiven you.  He said you were cool to hang out with so I'm sure he understands."

"Yeah, I guess.  Well, here we are.  I'm used to staying up this late but tonight, I'm just wiped the fuck out."

"I think I speak for the both of us when I say a bed sounds really gnarly right about now."

The two roommates entered their apartment and Vinyl wasted no time and headed straight to her bed While Octavia paused for a glass of water to help get the alcohol out of her system faster.  As she finished her water, a red number one blinking on the answering machine caught her eye.  Before going to bed, Octavia decided to play the message to see if it was anything important.

"Hey Vinyl and Octavia, this is Twilight!  I just got back from bar-trotting and spike here told me you called.  Soooooo yeah, like I'll be around all day tomorrow if you wanna call back or stop over!  See you two on the flip side okay?"

	
	


	

	


	
> Chapter 10: Preparations Galore
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	The next morning, Vinyl and Octavia made the brief drive to the North side of Ponyville where the Golden Oaks Library sat on East Dorknerd Avenue.  Hoping to get some advice or even a little help with the campaign from their new friend, the duo parked their Bovie in the driveway and trotted over to the door which had an "Open" sign hanging on it.  It was a building within a tree open to the public during it's normal hours of operation but still it was Twilight Sparkle's home so it only seemed that knocking before entering was the right thing to do.

"So did you know that Princess Celestia made Twilight her own personal protege?"  Octavia said to Vinyl.

"Ugh, you mean that crappy little compact shitbox that Rawzda makes?"  Vinyl replied.  "Those things are about as reliable as an EP oil pipe."

"No, you airhead.  I mean like she's so smart that Celestia actually began paying special attention to her and spent more time with her than any of her other students.  If there's anypony who we should be asking for advice, it's her."

"Ooh that's bombdiggedy!  Alright, let's see if she's her-"

"Well well well!"  A young male voice said as the door opened unexpectedly.  "I thought I recognized that voice!"

Octavia and Vinyl looked down to see the source of the voice.  Standing at the doorway was a small purple dragon sporting a Playcolt style smoking jacket.  In one claw, he held a martini and a lit cigarette in the other.  Tucked under his right arm was what appeared to be a rolled up Playcolt magazine.  With a sultry look in his eyes, it was clear that this young wannabe stud was attempting to turn his charm on the two baffled full grown mares.

"Look who crawled over begging to get spiked!"  The dragon continued.  "You're as hot as you sounded on the phone, baby.  Step into my mansion and I'll make this the best night of your life!"

Vinyl and Octavia just stood there not knowing what to say or if this was even actually happening.  Seeing a real live dragon was one thing but a young dragon dressed like Hugo Hoofner trying to seduce them was another.  The two continued to stare with shocked expressions on their faces until the dragon began to get even more raunchy.

"C'mon sweetheart, you know you wanna get spiked.  Bring your friend in here and I'll treat you two like princesses.  I've been in the mood for a little how you say...menage a tr-"

Slap!

"Ow!  What the fuck was that for, Twilight?!"

"For acting like a little sleaze and creeping out my friends!"  Twilight said sternly as she used her magic to pick spike up and toss him behind her.  "I'm sorry, girls.  He's at that age where he wants to seduce anything with a heartbeat."

"S'alright, Twi."  Vinyl assured.  "I just thought it was cool to actually see a real live dragon.  I'm sure he's a chill little guy when he's not feeling all fris-"

"You know you want me, baby!"  Spike called out as he ascended up the stairs.  "Let's go have us some alone time and I'll give it to you real good!"

"Shut up, Spike!"  Twilight shouted as she hurled a book at the little pervert, narrowly missing him as he ran upstairs, laughing.  "Okay, now that he's out of the way, how about you two come in?"

"Thank you, Twilight."  Octavia said as she and Vinyl stepped into the Library.

"No biggie.  So what did you two wanna talk about?"

"Well, did you hear that I've decided to run for mayor?"

"No way!  Octavia, that's like totally gnarly!"

"Thanks.  Now neither myself nor Vinyl want to see this Filthy Rich become mayor so we both agreed that we could use somepony like you by our side.  Somepony who's smart, level headed, organized and um...well I don't think connections to royalty would hurt either."

"You...you think I could help with this?  Wow girls, I don't know what to say."

"Just remember though, I already called dibs on campaign manager."  Vinyl interrupted.

"And just how do you think you're qualified for that, Vinyl?"  Octavia retorted.

Vinyl's horn suddenly started glowing and out from her front pocket came her record store name tag levitating in her aura.  Vinyl smugly held the badge that read "Store manager" just underneath her name, catching Octavia by surprise.

"What the hell?"  Octavia said.  "Vinyl, since when did you get promoted there?"

"Since my boss was caught snorting blow off the records...that and we're pretty sure he was the one who kept screwing the Skatin' Bird records too." 

"Okay look, we're getting a bit off topic here, Vinyl."

"My bad, Tavi."

"Girls, I'm really flattered that you'd ask me for help with this."  Twilight said.  "Here, let's have a seat and talk it over.  Oh, and I got some Jab sodas if you want any."

"Sure, I'll have one."  Vinyl said.

"I'd like one too."  Octavia said.  "Thanks, Twilight."

Twilight left her two guests in the reading area of the library as she went to the kitchen to retrieve some sodas to share with them.  After pausing for a moment to gather a few other necessary things, she returned to Vinyl And Octavia carrying a large shipping crate full of the pink metal cans along with several pens and three note pads.  She then took a seat of her own in one of the soft reclining chairs and levitated to Octavia and Vinyl each a can of soda, a pen and pad of their own.

"Okay, you two."  Twilight began.  "I'm not exactly sure on how we should start our planning but I'm willing to help out and give it my best shot."

"First and foremost."  Octavia started.  "Me and Vinyl owe you a big thanks for taking time out of your day for this.  That's very kind of you."

"Yeah Twilight, That's real tubular."  Vinyl confirmed.

"It's no trouble at all, girls."  Twilight replied as she opened her first can of Jab.  "So I guess we could start out by asking ourselves a few simple questions.  Like how can we really reach out to the community?  What does this town need?  You know, stuff like that."

"Well, have you seen the local ambulances?"  Octavia asked.  "The newest one the hospital has is from the early seventies!  Hell, the rest of them are old sixties clunkers and one of them I think is a '59 model!  They're worn out and always break down!  Yesterday I even saw Fluttershy driving one with an injured pony in the back just to have it conk out and spew motor oil all over the streets!"

"Oh, I heard about that!  She almost lost her patient too!  That's a good start, Octavia, I'll write this down!"

"Speaking of emergency services..."  Vinyl began.  "Here's a crazy idea.  Bear with me, okay?  What if we just take that closed down gas station on South Mane Street and make it into a special call center?"

"What do you mean by that, Vinyl?"  Twilight asked, intrigued.  "What kind of call center?"

"When Octavia had to go to the hospital the other week, I had to waste time flipping through the damn phone book looking for the hospital's number.  Then when I got through to them, they had to transfer me to the ambulance department.  What we need is a station with a three digit phone number that everypony can remember that can send a dispatch to whatever services you need all with one call to that one damn number!"

After finishing her short rant, Vinyl looked to Octavia and Twilight for their opinions on the idea.  The room was silent as they just stared intently at the blue maned DJ with looks of utter disbelief on their faces.  Receiving mixed signals from their reactions, Vinyl let out a disappointed sigh as she felt that maybe it wasn't such a good idea after all.  That is, until the other two finally tossed in their own two bits.

"Vinyl, th-that's...incredible!"  Octavia said.

"Ingenious!"  Twilight exclaimed.

"Vinyl, just by having that idea, you could have just changed everything about first response as we know it!"

"It could save countless lives!"

"It can create more jobs!" 

"And give a purpose to a vacant building!"

"I take it back Vinyl, you're going to be my CM!"

"Wow thanks, girls."  Vinyl said.  "I just think in this day and age, there should be a better way of operating this shit.  See, I've never really liked cops a whole lot but as much as I hate to admit it, we need them sometimes.  Or like, what if somepony had a heart attack or got hit by a truck?  Even a few seconds could mean the difference between life and death.  Or suppose a building caught fire?  Just dialing one phone number and saving time could mean a better chance of ponies being dragged out alive during the fire instead of charred crispy afterwards."

"Yes!  This is brilliant!"  Twilight exclaimed after finishing her tenth soda.  "I've got all of this written down!"

After several hours, a whole pack of cigarettes, dozens of cans of Jab and Celestia knows how many bathroom breaks for Twilight, The trio discussed many issues the town of Ponyville was facing that needed to be addressed.  From the rickety old ambulances to the uneven distribution of tax revenue, it was brought up, picked apart and jotted down in the notebook.  Even the smaller problems such as potholes that riddled certain parts of the town were not going unnoticed.

It was now nine o'clock in the evening and the caffeine from the soda was starting to wear off which would be causing their energy crashes any time now.  With a full notebook and a myriad of great new ideas, Octavia and Vinyl said their goodbyes and took their leave.  They could not wait too long before they made their way home as they were getting more and more exhausted by the minute.  Soon the car was parked in their driveway and Vinyl wasted no time plopping herself on the couch to flip through all their channels.  Octavia on the other hoof, decided to check their mailbox before she would relax in front of the television.

"Let's see..."  Octavia said to herself as she flipped through the small stack of envelopes.  "Electric bill...Ponies Magazine...car payment...Marezendo Power...Leggings are in weekly...Town Office?"

Octavia's attention was focused on a letter that was addressed to her sent by the town clerk.  After tearing the envelope open, she began reading the letter as she trotted back inside the apartment.



Dear Miss Octavia:

We are pleased to announce that our pre-campaign banquet at the Town Hall will be taking place next Friday from five pm until nine pm.  This has been a Ponyville tradition since 1915 as it is a great way to kickstart your campaign as well as that of your opponent.  Not only that but it is also one of the best ways to introduce yourself to your fellow neighbors and even discuss with them your plans for this wonderful town!  Feel free to prepare a speech as well.  Be there or be square!

PS:  Hey Octavia, this is Lyra!  Remember we should like totally hang out!  Bring Vinyl along and I'll tell you about those so called hands and fingers.  Just don't be a narc or I'll knock your fucking teeth out of your head and shove them up your and we'll all have a hella good time!  Like, see you there!


> Chapter 11: There's a First Time for Everything
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Octavia, this'll be great!"  Exclaimed Caramel as he drove his J-car with Octavia in the passenger seat and Vinyl in the back.  "I can't think of a more gnarly way to get your hoof in the door!"

"I'll bet."  Octavia replied.  "Thanks for coming with us, Caramel.  I'll be honest, I'm a bit nervous."

"Don't be, Tavi."  Vinyl reassured.  "You'll have this licked.  Just keep your eyes on the prize and you're gonna do just fine."

The three ponies soon entered the parking lot of the village office where the festivities mentioned in a letter to Octavia would be taking place.  Like a miniature version of the grand galloping gala, there were ponies sporting formal attire everywhere.  Citizens from all areas of the town, the incumbent Mayor Mare and even members of the press showed up, the latter's presence not being particularly helpful in calming Octavia's nerves.

Soon, a parking spot was found and Caramel shut the engine down, quickly got out, slid over the hood on his rump to the other side like the Derps of Hazy and opened the door for his marefriend.  Just like everypony in town, the trio was looking their best.  Caramel was wearing a white pressed shirt with the collar unfolded as per the current trend, and his favorite purple tie to compliment it.  Vinyl was sporting a stunning dark blue backless dress that matched her mane quite well while Octavia exited the vehicle with a similar light pink one that matched her eyes.

After shaking hooves with some news reporters and shooting the breeze with the soon to be former mayor, Octavia followed the latter into the town hall with her longtime best friend and coltfriend in tow.  They were soon seated on one side of a rectangular table nearest to the podiums with the mayor and none other than Filthy Rich and his daughter on the other.

"Miss Octavia!"  Filthy greeted, as fake as ever.  "So glad you could make it here, dear."

"I'm sure you are, Mr. Rich."  Octavia replied with a similar tone, the phony smile not leaving either of their faces.

"I trust you have a small speech prepared and perhaps plan on sharing some ideas with the town?"

"Of course."

"As do I.  Care to share them with me in advance?"

"Stuff it."

"Suck my-"

"Dad!"  Diamond Tiara yelled.  "Can't we just have a moment to talk to each other for once?  I even got my report card today.  It's all aces!"

"Not now, Emerald Hat!"  Filthy replied, once again forgetting his daughter's name.  "The grown-ups are talking!"

Without another word and with an idea of what kind of dirt she could shovel on Filthy if needed, Octavia, Vinyl and Caramel went around to mingle with ponies from the town.  Caramel stood by Octavia's side the whole time While Vinyl went to search for Twilight in the crowd.  There was also a large buffet table with things ranging from daisy sandwiches to anything and everything that is apple related as the local orchard owner Applejack was in charge of the catering.

The first hour of the banquet went by with nothing for Octavia to do but introduce herself to as many Ponyville citizens as she could before herself and her opponent would be asked to take the podium at the front of the large room.  Octavia was shaking hooves with local paramedic Fluttershy while Vinyl was being formally introduced to the rest of Twilight's friends until the mayor announced that it was time for the town to meet the candidates.

"Fillys and gentlecolts!"  Mare said over a microphone at the front of the room.  "At this time, I would like to call to the stage our two new mayoral candidates, one of which will be replacing me in a couple months.  Please stomp your hooves for Miss Ovtavia Melody and Mr. Filthy Rich!"

There was no going back.  Octavia and her rival each trotted up to one of the two podiums on stage to prepare to give their speeches.  Octavia knew that she had to make her first impression count as Filthy had the advantage by already having done so himself.  As the nervous young mare placed on the podium a small note pad containing thoughts and ideas, her preparation was interrupted and she needed to act now.

"Hey everypony, since you've already met me, why don't we let Miss Octavia here go first?"  Filthy said, attempting to appear modest.

"Ah, why thank you, Mr. Rich."  Octavia replied.  "Well, let me start out by saying how honored I am to be here, right now.  Ponyville has been my home for quite some time now and It really is a humbling experience to get the chance to give back to a community that has given me so much.  This truly is a great town but no town can ever be too great.  There are always improvements that can be made and in this case, it's safety."

Octavia paused for a moment to allow the citizens to mull that over.  As she observed the crowd before her, she noticed that she was getting a great many looks of intrigue from them.  Now that she had their undivided attention, she decided that now was the time to continue with her statement.

"How many of you know any other towns in Equestria that still use ambulances converted out of station wagons?"  Octavia asked, not a single hoof rising in the air.  "The fact that Ponyville still uses emergency response vehicles this out of date is a major problem, folks.  It's a problem that can cost lives if not taken care of promptly and nearly did last week when a local resident suffered a heart attack."

"It's true!"  Fluttershy shouted from the crowd.  "Those vehicles need to be replaced and put to pasture before it's too late!"

"And that's why I plan on doing just that!  Replace these outdated clunkers with reliable new vans that are much faster, safer and can carry more medical supplies!"

The crowd was getting excited as a lot of whispers could be heard among them along with much head nodding.  Seeing this, something happened to Octavia that she had never experienced in her life.  Her nervousness was suddenly replaced by a massive burst of confidence as she continued her speech with so mush passion, it could almost be seen radiating from her.

"And I'm not done there!  My dear friend Vinyl Scratch recently shared with me an idea that could revolutionize the process of emergency response!  How many of you ever needed help but had to waste so much precious time finding the right phone number and even had to have your call transferred once you got through?  Those days will come to an end, everypony!  I give you what myself and my friend have dubbed the 'four-one-one system'!  Just think, one call to one easy to remember number!  One dispatch from one call center to any emergency service you need!  All the while creating jobs and filling a vacant buil-"

"Sounds like a hella big tax increase to me."  Filthy interrupted.  "I'm not saying it's not a brilliant idea but is it a realistic one?  I say that'll bankrupt the town budget!"

The mood of the crowd quickly soured at the thought of higher taxes and was apparent by the talk among them sounding more uncertain and nodding being replaced by dissatisfied head shaking.  Just when it seemed like Filthy had swayed the opinions of the ponies in his favor, Octavia revealed one of the benefits of dating a local police stallion; Important information getting into the right hooves.

"And that's where the police department's surplus comes in."  Octavia began.  "Crime is on the downtrend, everypony.  The local PD has just hired several new recruits and have just replaced most of the older cars in their fleet.  A source of mine, and a very reliable source I may add, has informed me that the substantial surplus is more than enough for the rest of the town.  All that needs to be done is to level off the uneven distribution of tax revenue!  The ambulances can be replaced and this call center can be opened without any tax increase at all!"

Once again, the attitude of the crowd took a one-eighty and several ponies even showed their enthusiasm by cheering.  After a good ten minutes of explaining more of her plans and even more of Filthy's attempts to throw in his own two bits getting drowned out by the cheering getting louder and more passionate, the latter was finally given the floor.

"Just remember, Ponyville, I plan on turning this town into something great beyond your wildest dreams!"  Filthy began.  "I'll do the same thing she claims she'll do and then some!  Not only that but I have the experience to back that up!  I have been running corporations since Miss Octavia here learned two plus two!  Some may say experience doesn't matter but think of it this way.  Suppose I just up and decided I wanted to be a brain surgeon?  If experience makes no difference, then who'd like to be my first patient?"

Once again, cheer erupted from the crowd of ponies this time for Octavia's opponent.  Not nearly as loud and passionate as they did for the young mare but just enough for Filthy to still have some ponies on his side.  The campaign had just begun and already it had shown that it would not be easy for either candidate.  Whether either of them liked it or not, they had just crossed the point of no return.  It was on.




"Octavia baby, that was so totally radical!"  Caramel said as all the ponies began filing out at the end of the banquet.  

"Thanks, sweetie!"  Octavia replied.  "I think I made a pretty good start!  We have got to celebrate!  Where's Vinyl?"

"Right here, Tavi!"  Vinyl answered as she approached with Twilight and five other ponies in tow.  "I'm gonna have to sit this one out, guys.  Twilight and here friends here have volunteered to help us out.  Even Rarity here says if she looks in the right places, she might even be able to dig up any dirt on Filthy we might need later."

"Oh so she's not going to be helping Filthy then?"

"Um...I-It was his charm."  Rarity nervously stuttered as her face turned scarlet.  "I really couldn't help myself.  He's a hunk but I don't trust him as far as I could throw him."

"That...could be useful.  Okay Rarity you're hired.  Politics can be a filthy job but somepony's gotta do it."

"Gnarly!"  Vinyl said."  Okay Tavi, I'm gonna chill with these gals tonight.  See you two love-birds around!"

With that, The two friends parted ways for the night.  Vinyl went with Twilight's group to assign campaign rolls while Octavia and Caramel departed en route to his apartment to spend some time together and celebrate what they considered a first victory.

Shortly after leaving the town office building, Octavia and Caramel soon reached the complex where he resided.  Having never seen her coltfriend's apartment before the two trotted up the flights of stairs and entered his bachelor pad to be greeted with a completely spotless interior.  Octavia was always one for cleanliness and finding that her coltfriend shared that same value with her just reinforced her respect for him even further.

"Nice place, darling."  Octavia said.

"Thanks, babe."  Caramel replied.  So what do you wanna do?  Wanna try that new game I got?"

"Actually hon, I'm more than content with just sitting down and talking.  I just like...I-I like just hearing your voice and...seeing your face."

"Th-that sounds great, baby.  Oh!  I almost forgot!  I got something I've been saving for a time like this!  Just make yourself at home and I'll go get it."

The nervous young stallion then went to the kitchen and soon returned with a very fancy bottle of wine, two glasses and a pack of Manehattan Gold Cigarettes, both items on the more expensive side.  The two young lovers then talked over a couple glasses and a few cigarettes for nearly an hour.  Having taken their time with the drink, neither of them felt very tipsy and were still completely and fully aware of their surroundings.

At last the bottle was finished and the ashtray full of butts as Octavia and Caramel found themselves with nothing to do but stare into each other's eyes.  Soon, the blushing ponies could no longer contain themselves as they both lunged at each other firmly pressing their lips together for another make-out session much like before.  After a few minutes of this however, Caramel finally gathered the courage to make the move that changed everything.

As the two lovers continued to kiss, Caramel gently placed his hoof on Octavia's shoulder and very slowly pushed off one of the straps that held on her dress.  Despite the heated passion of their current activity, Octavia noticed but made no attempt to resist.  She was with a stallion that she was comfortable with.  A stallion that she trusted, respected and was growing to love and she knew the feeling was mutual.  Finally the two broke the kiss, their breathing becoming more and more heavy by the second.

"Octavia?"  Caramel said.

"Yes, Caramel?"  Octavia replied.

"Do you think you'd wanna...uh, t-t-take this s-somewhere more comfortable?  Like, say...m-my b-bedroom?"

"Lead the way, you big, strong, sexy beast."
> Chapter 12: Bullies Become Friends
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	
Octavia and Caramel awoke the next morning next to each other after what they felt was the best night of their young lives.  Just as Octavia had always wanted, her first time was with a stallion who cared deeply for her.  She even learned that it was Caramel's first time as well which just made it all the more special.

Still though, as comfortable the pair was sleeping next to each other, it was now getting close to ten o'clock in the morning and there was much work to be done.  The night prior also marked that last day of Caramel's paid vacation and he would need to prepare for his shift which would start that afternoon.  Octavia would also have a full day ahead of her.  The Quills and Sofas store agreed to give her as much time off as she needed as she was running for a political position but she still could not afford to burn much daylight.

"Good morning, Caramel."  Octavia chimed as her coltfriend finally opened his eyes.

"Hey, babe."  Caramel greeted.  "Last night was amazing."

"I know.  I loved every second of it too.  We should...w-we should do this again sometime.  Very soon."

"You know it.  I'll be behind you all the way with your campaign too.  I'll be getting back to work today but I'll be there whenever the PD doesn't have a choke hold on me."

"Heheh.  Tubular.  I'll need to be getting out and about myself but first I'll have to freshen up a bit.  After all, what we did last night didn't exactly do wonders for my mane.  I'll need to meet up with Vinyl and some others who want to help us out too."

"How about I give you a lift home then?"

"Oh you're just the sweetest, you know that?"

"Heheheh, I try."

After a quick cup of (actual) coffee, Caramel drove Octavia back to her apartment so she could get to work on her campaign.  After saying their their goodbyes, Octavia trotted up to her door before turning around to say one last thing before the two parted for the day.

"Love you."  Octavia said to her coltfriend as he shifted into reverse.

"Love you too, babe."  Caramel replied, beginning to lose his concentration causing him to back into a nearby mailbox.

"Not again!"  Local resident Berry Punch yelled.  "This is the fifth time this month!"

"If I make the mayor's office, I assure you that problem will come to a swift end!"  Octavia called over.

"Well then you've got my vote!"

Caramel then made his way to the police station in the center area of the town where he would put on his uniform and start his shift.  Octavia entered her apartment, her eyes half lidded as she focused her train of thought on the events of the previous night.  Being in a state of daydreaming, she failed to notice Vinyl with the phone hovering in her aura along with a clipboard and a large notebook.

"Oh hey Applejack, she just trotted in."  Vinyl said to the local farm pony on the other end.  "I'll get some details from her and I'll call you back, okay?  Heheheh, yeah she's taken a liking to that cute cousin of yours.  Caramel's a pretty rad guy and they've really hit it off.  Okay AJ, I'll catch ya later."  Click!  "Hey Tavi, how was your time with your coltfriend last night?"

Octavia did not respond as she was too preoccupied with pouring herself a glass of orange juice at the kitchen counter.  It was evident to Vinyl that Octavia's mind was elsewhere when she continued to pour the juice even when the glass over flowed.

"Uh, you do know that glass is full, right?"  Vinyl asked, confused as to what was making her friend act so strange.  "Yo, Octie!  I'm not gonna be the one cleaning that up just so you know!"

Still no response from the daydreaming Octavia.  Even as the carton had been completely emptied of it's contents, she continued to hold it over the glass.  Vinyl was not sure weather her friend had taken something that even she wouldn't take but she knew her all too well and knew of a trick to getting her attention even in her current state.

"Tavi, I burned your cello!"  Vinyl lied.

"I'll fucking kill you!"  Octavia screamed in response as she grabbed a nearby bottle, smashed it over the counter and proceeded to make stabbing motions while staring daggers at Vinyl.

"Ha!  You always fall for that one!"

"Pffft, hahahaha!  Vinyl, I can't believe you got me again!  It gets me every time!"

"Heheheh.  Well now that I got your attention, what gives with the whole zombie act there?  What did you do last night?  Your mane is a mess too."

"What did I do last night??"

"Yeah, Tavi.  What did you do at your coltfriend's place?"

Vinyl raised an eyebrow at Octavia as the latter smiled sheepishly and blushed as she looked down at the floor.  Vinyl knew that her friend was a terrible liar so getting the truth out of her would not be very difficult.

"Stuff."  Octavia replied.

"Oh?  What kind of stuff?"  Vinyl asked suspiciously to which Octavia responded by nervously giggling and fidgeting with her hooves on the floor.  Vinyl then placed her hoof on Octavia's chin and brought her face back up to the same level of her own.  "Did he wrap it up?"

"Yes Mom, he did."

"Did you feel like all woes as you know them ceased to exist instantaneously and the pleasure center of your brain would explode at the speed of light?"

"Well I wouldn't go that fa-er...yes, Vinyl.  It did feel like that.  It was like it was just meant to be.  I could even say it was a magical evening.  We were jus- wait Vinyl why are you crying?"

"Because, Tavi I *sniff* I've done a lot of thinking about what you said before.  My first *hic* time was a one night stand with some guy I barely knew.  I never saw him again after that.  It was just...it was meaningless.  That and every other time after.  All these stallions I've gotten with and none of them really cared..."

"Vinyl I...I never meant to make you feel bad.  All I meant by that was that I wanted my first time to be special.  I wasn't trying to put you down for what you do."

"I know Tavi, I know.  I just couldn't help but think about it a lot.  It actually makes sense!"

"Well...its never too late to 'start over'.  Just because you've done it before doesn't mean you can't start waiting for the mr. right."

"Does it even work like that?"

"It does if you say it can, Vinyl."

"You know what, Tavi?  You're right.  I'll do it.  I'll hold off on getting laid and wait for a guy I can fall in love with!"

"That's the spirit!"

"Thanks, Tavi!  I feel so much better!"

"Good, Vinyl.  You Know I never meant to hurt you.  I'm proud of you for making that decision too!"

"S'all good, Octavia.  As nice and sappy as this moment is right now though, I was just talking to Applejack on the phone."

"Oh, Caramel's cousin?  What'd she have to say?"

"They're doing a career day thing at the local school and Cheerilee said we could join in on it.  Filthy's gonna be there with his filly so she said it would be a good way to teach the foals about the different political parties.  Plus, Its a good way to get yourself out there into the public eye.  It's in just over an hour so we can't dawdle."

"Great!  Let's get going then!"

"And just where the hell do you think you're going looking like that?"

"Huh?"

"You're gonna wanna get yourself cleaned up, Tavi.  Trust me."

"Oh...right,  Eheheheh."


Meanwhile


It was now just past one o'clock in the afternoon and Caramel had just begun patrolling his route with his cousin Big Macintosh in the passenger seat of their squad coach.  As the large red stallion carefully sipped from a boiling hot cup of coffee, he noticed something off about Caramel's driving.  Knowing that he had just come back to work after taking his paid vacation, Macintosh wanted to ask about how it went anyway but the first order of business was to get his younger cousin to pay better attention to the road.

"Hey cuz, yah might wanna watch it."  Big Mac said.  "Yer goin' dang near fifty in a thir-the center line!  Yer takin' up half the other lane!  That light's red!  Watch the Celestia damn car!!"

"Huh?  Wha?"  Caramel said, finally snapping out of his daze.  "Oh fuck!"

Screeeech!

Caramel had noticed a motorist stopped at the light and slammed on the brakes just in time.  He saved the coach a second trip to the repair shop in it's only seven months on the road but at a cost as a new and very painful problem had arisen."

"Eeeyyyowww!"  Big Mac screamed as the panic stop cause him to spill the hot coffee all over his lap.  "Ah'm in Tartarus!  Why, Caramel why?!"




"Mac I swear, I can't begin to describe how sorry I am!"  Caramel said as him and his cousin sat at a park bench, where Mac held an ice pack on his scalded lap.

"Ah know cuz, Ah know."  Mac replied seeming to have calmed down.  "But what the fuck has gotten into you?!  Its like you were daydreamin' when you were supposed to be watchin' the damn road!"

"I'm sorry buddy.  Its just that...well, something kinda...happened last night."

"If yer on somethin' Ah'll see to it that yer kicked off the force."

"What?  Oh no no no no no, I swear I'm not, Mac!"

"Well then what?"

"Me and Octavia.  We...went all the way last night."

"Did ya now?  well that explains the drivin' like an airhead."

"Again Mac, I'm so sorry."

"It's alright, Caramel.  So how was it?"

"It was the best night of my life!  It was like nothing I ever felt before!  Like, we started making out, went to my bedroom and we just went at it for over an hour!  We couldn't stop ourselves until we just dropped!"

"Oh, on that note...Uh, 'scuse me fer a sec.  Ah gotta make a phone call."

Big Macintosh then painfully waddled over to a nearby pay phone with the ice pack still in hoof, inserted a bit and dialed the number.  After a moment of ringing, the pony on the other end answered.

"Hey, Flutterbaby?"  Mac said.  "Hey honey, we still on fer later tonight?...uh huh...well babe, we're gonna have to just cuddle tonight...eeyup...uh, spilled some coffee on me...the fellas are pretty burned up...eeyup, Ah'm okay...awe thanks, sugar...see ya tonight.  Love ya."

Click!

After hanging up the phone, Big Macintosh waddled back over to the bench to rejoin his cousin who was now feeling worse tenfold about the burn he had caused him to sustain.  The two stallions just sat and pony watched in silence for several minutes until Mac decided to continue the conversation and emphasize that Caramel just partook in an activity the night before that he will not be able to for at least a week.

"So what were ya sayin' about last night again?"




Nearly all the parents, older siblings and honorary family members of the foals had showed up for career day at the school.  Different ponies with all sorts of different jobs ranging from firefighters to would-be politicians were to give a small presentation of their career.  The teacher Miss Cheerilee had asked that Octavia and Filthy gave theirs at the same time, making for a difficult challenge.  The two rivals had no other choice than to work together professionally and pretend to be okay with it in order to avoid looking bad to any potential voters in the room.

"Thank you, Thunderlane."  Cheerilee said after the black stallion who worked as a meteorologist finished his presentation.  "That was very informative.  Okay, last but not least, we have Diamond Tiara's Father and Mr. Rich and his opponent Miss Octavia here to talk with us about politics!"

"Diamond, you never told me your teacher was a cute one!"  Filthy said, making Cheerilee blush and Diamond Tiara facehoof out of embarrassment.  "Anyways kids, as you may know, I'm running for mayor in the equblican party against Miss Octavia here who is running as an equemocrat.  Now, when the election happens and after I'm sworn in as mayor, there are so many things I'll be doing.  Like signing bills into law, managing the town budget, overseeing tax distributions and other such things.  Now let me tell you a few things about the equblican party.  As a member of it, I would help stimulate the economy by giving tax breaks to ponies who own businesses as an incentive to help them grow their company and even hire more workers thus meaning that the few leftover bits just might find their way down to the average pony joes.  This is called trickle down economics."

Suddenly, several of the fillies and colts in the class began to giggle at Filthy's description of economic theories, thinking that it literally meant rich ponies trickling money out of themselves all over the bottom ninety-nine percent.  Filthy, thinking nothing of the foalish giggling then politely gestured to Octavia indicating that he was finished and that she now had the floor.

Thank you, Mr. Rich."  Octavia said through her teeth as she plastered a big grin on her face with all the strength she could muster.

"Of course.  Anytime, miss."  Filthy replied, wearing a similar non genuine toothy grin.

"Right.  Now, as he said before, I am running in the equemocrat party.  The difference is that I'm more liberal meaning that I wish to keep society on track with the ever changing times rather than keeping it in one place or even reverting it back to ways of the past.  Not only that but our economic methods are the exact opposite.  We tend to financially help the lower and middle class majority.  That stimulates the economy by giving incentive to spend money on things they need which in turn, creates more business providing opportunities for more jobs to be created."

"That's very interesting, Octavia."  Cheerilee said as she glanced at the clock on the wall.  "We're running short on time now but if anypony has an questions for these two, feel free to raise your hoof in the air."

This was a classroom full of ponies who had barely reached age eleven so naturally they knew little to nothing about what the grown ups in the front of the room were talking about.  Because of this, none of them were interested in asking questions so not a single hoof went into the air.  Cheerilee then dismissed the class and Octavia and Filthy wasted no time galloping out and replacing their smiles with scowls as they made their way to their vehicles.

"Hey dad, can I ride home in the car with you today?"  Diamond Tiara asked her father.

"Awe gee, sorry sweetie."  Filthy replied.  "I got a lot of stops to make on the way home and I'll be a while.  Lots of boring places that you won't like.  How about you just take the bus?"

"B-b-but..."

Without another word, Filthy was out of sight as his sports coupe disappeared in a cloud of dust leaving his daughter all alone yet again.  Diamond Tiara had only one friend in Silver Spoon but even they had not been very close as of late.  Having just missed the bus, the little pink filly began the long trot home which would be on the complete opposite side of town.  She was prepared to trot alone and stay at home alone for several hours which had become the norm until a familiar voice broke the silence behind her.

"Diamond Tiara?"  The voice of another filly said.  "Ya feelin' alright?"

Diamond Tiara turned around to see three fillies she knew from school.  These fillies who called their little group the Cutie Mark Crusaders were often picked on by Diamond Tiara but recently begun to notice her depression and decided to reach out with their genuine concern.

"Oh, hey blank fla-er I mean Applebloom."  Diamond Tiara replied.  "I've had better days."

"Aw cheer up, Diamond."  The orange little pegasus Skootaloo said.  "I'm sure that if your dad becomes mayor, you two could spend lots of time together when he's at work.  I'm sure he'd take you with him."

"No.  I-I don't want him to win.  He can't win!  For my sanity's sake, he can't be mayor!"

Diamond Tiara was now on the verge of sobbing right in front of the three fillies that she had always tried to look tough in front of.  What they once thought was a rich snob of a heartless bully was reduced to a sad lonely little filly who needed a friend more than ever.  The Cutie Mark Crusaders could not bear to even see Diamond Tiara of all ponies in the emotional state she was in.

"Diamond?"  Sweetie Belle asked.  "Would you like it if we walked you home?"

	
> Chapter 13: A Visit From the Higher-Ups
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	"And then he just left her there, girls!"  Octavia said to Vinyl along with Twilight and four of friends.  "I'll bet that poor little filly barely even knows her own father!"

"And to think I let him get to home base..."  Rarity said, wistfully.  "I thought I was better than that."

"Hey, it's no big whoop, Rares."  Vinyl assured.  "We're gonna see if we can make something out of the trust he has for you.  You'll be our girl on the inside."

"In that case..."  Octavia began.  "It would be best if you weren't seen with us, Rarity.  Nothing personal.  We just can't let him know that we are working together if you're going to be helping us."

"You can wear this mustache!"  Pinkie pie said as she placed a fake mustache on Rarity's face.

"Pinkie, I don't think that'll work."  Twilight deadpanned.  "Anypony with a brain can tell that it's Rar-"

"Hey sorry I'm late, girls!"  Rainbow Dash said as she hastily entered the library.  "Some airhead decided to crash into a fire hydrant and take off.  I had to get like five trucks up there to block off the str-Hellooo, and who's this hunky stud?"

"You were saying?"  Pinkie said smugly as she turned back to Twilight.

"It's just me, Rainbow."  Rarity clarified.  "Is it really that convincing though?"

"W-what the f-Rarity?!"  Rainbow said.

"You're such a weirdo, you know that, Dash?"

"Whatever.  I'd still do you."

"What was that?"

"I said 'trains go choo choo.'"

"Ahem!  Anyway, ladies..."  Vinyl cleared her throat.  "Me and Twilight did some digging around and we think we've found a way we can get the word spread and get some support for our campaign."

The rest of the ponies' interest was peaked and they were began to listen intently to what Vinyl had to say.  It was of utmost importance that they knew every detail of the plan as it could be very helpful to their cause.

"Okay Twilight, care to explain?"  Vinyl asked as she gave Twilight the floor to speak.

"Thank you, Vinyl."  Twilight replied.  "So, we've made some calls and we have set up something pretty cool.  I've learned that none other than the royal sisters Princesses Celestia and Luna plan on visiting Ponyville next Friday."

"Oh, that's very nice."  Fluttershy said.  "What are they coming for?"

"Well, its more or less a casual visit but I've talked to them in advance and they've agreed to spend some time with us...out in the open."

"Hey, yeah!  That's a great idea!"  Pinkie said.  "So when ponies see them chillin' with us, they'll think Octavia's that much more groovy."

"Does anypony even say 'groovy' anymore?"  Rarity asked.  "That is so 1975."

"Not the word I'd use but yeah, that's pretty much what we're going for."  Vinyl confirmed.

"Tubular."  Octavia said.  "So, what exactly are we going to do?"

"Well Tavi, I really think on such short notice, we'll just have to go bar trotting with them.  We'll all have to just hang out with them and take it easy on the drinking.  Remember, we're trying to look good.  Got it?"

"Never thought I'd hear that come out of your mouth, Vinyl.  Are you feeling alright?"

"Aw c'mon Tavi, I can be as professional and responsible as you any day."

As the group waited for the following Friday, they passed the time by handing out fliers and Vinyl even searched for a small fleet of vans that could be used to further promote their campaign.  Despite the more important event being a whole week away, there was constant work to be done and there was no time to waste and every moment had to be spent doing something productive.  Be it fund raisers, visits with business owners or interviews with press, everypony's schedule was completely booked and Octavia was only able to see Caramel briefly for a few times.  Even though Vinyl was Octavia's head campaign manager, that still did not mean that she could take time off from her job at the record store and was now working there fifty hours a week on top of everything else.

It seemed that Octavia's campaign was off to a good start as many ponies around town were pleased with her promises and her plans for fixing the town.  Filthy Rich however, was no exception and he seemed to have just about as much support as his opponent.  Octavia was popular with mostly the younger more vibrant crowd whereas Filthy had the middle aged and older residents in his favor with a few of the more conservative twenty somethings and vice versa.  Still though, Vinyl and especially Twilight were confident that the visit from her royal mentor and her sister would be helpful in swaying the public towards their direction.

After much anticipation and a week that seemed like an eternity, the day finally came as Octavia, Vinyl, Twilight and all of her friends including a disguised rarity waited for the royal sisters at the train station platform.  Soon, the train arrived at the station just as it was scheduled to at five O'clock on the dot and it slowly came to a stop right before the group.  The sound of the door opening and closing could be heard through the cloud of smoke before the train left as soon as it arrived.

After a brief moment, the smoke cleared revealing Princesses Celestia and Luna and...

"Why the hell did you bring him?!"  Twilight yelled, taking note of the presence of none other than Discord, founder and ceo of DisKord Motor Company.

"Well, bombdigiddy seeing you too, Twilight."  Princess Celestia sarcastically replied.  "I mean, it's not like I was looking forward to seeing my only student I see as a daughter or anything."

"Yeah Twilight, like lighten up."  Princess Luna chuckled.  "He's actually pretty dank to chill with."

The two regal sisters and their draconiqus friend were not in Ponyville for business matters as their attire clearly showed.  Princess Celestia was wearing a checker pattern tank top, a short purple skirt, a green headband and matching leggings with here mane done up in a ponytail.  

Princess Luna sported a light blue tube top with the phrase "It's My Sister's Fault" in black letters on the front.  The rest of her outfit included a darker blue skirt with a pink headband, leggings of the same color and her mane in a ponytail more towards the left side of her head.  

Discord donned a neon orange pressed shirt with the collar unfolded, a pair of green tinted aviator sunglasses, tight bluejeans and red high-top shoes.  A pack of Manehatten Gold cigarettes could also be seen jutting out of the front pocket of his shirt.  Acting as if he was oblivious to Twilight being displeased by his presence, the crazy corporate big shot lit up a cigarette and greeted the irritated unicorn the only way he knew how.

"Oh, little Twiley!"  Discord exclaimed.  "It's been way too long, kiddo!  C'mere, Uncle Discord's got something for you!"

"I'm sooo excited."  Twilight deadpanned.  "Lemme guess.  Is it noo-"

"Noogies!"

Discord then proceeded to bring Twilight in for an uncomfortably tight hug, make a fist of his lion paw and rub the top of her head, messing up her mane and making her all the more irritated.  The sudden outburst of hard laughter from the royal sisters and the rest of her friends including even Octavia made Twilight feel immensely embarrassed and quite irate making her horn heat up to a cherry red glow.  She hoped that her horn becoming dangerous to touch would make discord stop but much to her dismay, he had come prepared and continued to rub her mane while now wearing an oven mit.

"Discord?..."

"Yes, Twilight dearest?"

"If you don't let go of me now, I will fucking end you."




"I'm so honored to have finally met you all."  Octavia said to the princesses and Discord.

"Gnarly, babe."  Celestia replied.  "So what's the four-one-one?  Got any hot clubs around here?"

"You just read my mind, Your Majesty."  Vinyl said.  "At this time of day, they start drawing the crowd in.  They're all over town nowadays so first I figured we'd try out The Slos-hey!  Where are you all going?!"

While Vinyl was explaining things, the two princesses and Discord all darted off into their own separate directions, leaving the group in their dust.  As the dust cleared, they all watched in awe as the three overly eager immortal beings disappeared into the distance.

"Shit!"  Pinkie pie said.  "If this is gonna be another search party like chapter two, I'm gonna be pissed!"

"What th- 'chapter two'?"  Octavia asked, confused.  "Pinkie, what are you tal-"

"Do not!..."  Twilight began as she frantically covered Octavia's mouth with her hoof.  "...question Pinkie's logic!  Ever!"

"Why not?"  Vinyl asked.

"Because it would be very bad!"

"I don't get it."  Octavia said.  "I'm not following on how that's such a bad thing."

"Try to imagine the dimensions of the fourth wall as we know them crumpling up before our very eyes and the entire universe exploding into a hypernova!"  Twilight answered.

"Okay that does sound bad.  Important safety tip.  Thanks, Twilight."

"Psst.  Hey, Pinkie."  Vinyl whispered as she nudged the crazy Earth pony with her elbow.  "You weren't even there.  how did you kno-"

"Hey!  Y'all heard the mare!"  Applejack yelled.  "Just let it go!"




"I can't believe they ran off on us!"  Octavia groaned as she, Vinyl and Fluttershy went after Princess Celestia.  "When we catch up with her, we'll have to try to re-group with the rest of the gang and go from there."

Twilight teamed up with Applejack and Rainbow Dash to chase down Discord while Rarity and Pinkie went to bring Princess Luna back.  It was turning out to be a frustrating turn of events having to find the trio of big shots on vacation but luckily, the night was very young and there was plenty of time as it was not even dark yet.

"I think she went this way."  Fluttershy said.  "Maybe she's here at Gay Pony's place."

"He's a pretty rad dude for being in his forties."  Vinyl answered.  "Okay, let's check it out."

Gay Pony's was a very upscale and exclusive club but since Vinyl was with them, the bouncer did not hesitate to step aside and let them in as she had often DJ'd there.  As they entered they soon found that sure enough, the sun princess had beaten them to the punch as she bumped and ground on the dance floor with every stallion and mare alike who worked up the nerve to get down with her.

Seeing this as good a time as any to put their plan into action, Octavia and Vinyl approached the dance floor and joined the princess who was now inhaling several mixed drinks she had hovering in her aura.  With a little encouragement from Vinyl, even the meek Fluttershy hopped onto the floor to show her surprisingly raw moves while Stallions Without Hats played throughout the building.  Fluttershy was always a very timid girl but with help from her friends over the years, especially from Rainbow Dash, she had gotten the better of many of her fears and was enjoying such activities more than she did in the past.

After a few minutes of dancing with royalty, it seemed as if their publicity stunt was starting to work as ponies in every corner of the building were now aware that Octavia was there with the princess.  Octavia was having a blast and bettering her campaign at the same time and the minor setback was proving to be just that.


Meanwhile, with Rarity and Pinkie Pie


"There she is!"  Rarity exclaimed after spotting the princess of the night life at the Pixels and Pizza arcade.

Princess Luna was playing an intense game of Mulekong against a little brown colt with a yellowish orange mane, the latter proving to quite the worthy adversary.  As the contest neared it's end with the scores neck and neck, the clever princess came up with an idea on how to sway the tide in her favor.

"Yo, Button!"  Luna said, addressing the young Earth colt.

"What is it Lulu?"  The colt answered.  "Can't this wait until I'm done making you my bitch?"

"What's your mom doing tonight?"

"And that's none of your damn business anyw-what?!  Hey no fair!  You distracted me!"

"Awe c'mon kiddo, you know it just wasn't going to happen this time!  You're getting better though!"

"Ohoho, this isn't over, Princess!  Just you wait, I'll take you down next time!  Good game, though!"

"As always, it was a pleasure making you look like a newbie."

"Heheheh.  Don't get cute, Lulu, you're undefeated title is as good as over next time!"

The crowd was going absolutely nuts as Luna and Button bumped hooves and the latter took his leave.  The princess then proceeded to spread her wings and hover above the room full of ponies in search of another challenger.

"Does anypony here have the guts to try and best me at gaming?!"  Luna shouted.  "Or are you all going to run home with your tails tucked between your legs and cower before my radicalness?!"

"Pinkie!  This is your chance!"  Rarity said as she adjusted her green wig and large thick framed glasses she used as a disguise.  "Get in there and mop the floor with her!"

"Well?  Anypony?"  Luna said as she continued to look for a pony with the nerve to challenge her.  "C'mon, I'll even let you pick the next game!"

"Sacman!"  Pinkie called out.

"Hahahahaha!  You do realize that's the game that I'm best at, right?  Not even my sister can best me at it!  I even beat her blindfolded!"

"I know, that's why I'm picking this one.  I want there to be some challenge in this.  It'll be boring if its too easy."

Luna then lowered herself back to the ground, folded her wings and proceeded to trot over to the nearest two player Sacman arcade machine.  Pinkie then immediately followed and took her position as Luna inserted the first bit into the refrigerator sized gaming machine.

"Get ready to get bitch slapped, pinkie baby!"  Luna mocked.

"Don't bet on it!"  Pinkie replied.


Ten Minutes Later...


"Hey everypony!"  Rarity shouted as she burst out the door of the pizza parlor.  "Check it out!  That pink chick who works with Octavia just creamed Princess freaking Luna at Sacman!"


Meanwhile, With Twilight, Rainbow Dash and Applejack


"Ah think ah saw him runnin' 'round here somewhere!"  Applejack said as they came to a stop in front of Berry's Bar.

"I'll bet he's in there!"  Said Rainbow Dash.

"Why so much emphasis on the word 'in'?"  Twilight asked.

"Uh...yeah I guess that wasn't really necessary was it?"

The trio entered the small but very nice tavern to see Discord at a table in the back hoof wrestling with another patron.  It was a white, heavily muscular pegasus stallion with poorly developed wings and a set of weights for a cutie mark.  Discord appeared to be having no trouble and made quick work of this stallion and to add insult to injury, he had done it with his thinner eagle claw arm.

"Discord!  Discord!  Discord!  Discord!  Discord!"

The small crowd that formed in the bar was chanting Discord's name as the defeated stallion went to drink his embarrassment away.  He then got up from his chair and started showing off even more by flexing his muscles, drawing the attention of several mares who started oggling over him like infatuated school fillies.

"Looks like a job for this 'ol farm girl."  Applejack said as she limbered up.  "Yo, Twig-boy!  How 'bout ya put yer bits where yer glass jaw is and git ready for a whoopin' Sweet Apple Acres style!"

"There's no way you'll be able to beat him, Applejack!"  Twilight said.  "Not after taking down that huge guy!"

"Just watch, Twi.  Ah've got an idea."

"Ha!  Well whatever it is, sweetheart, it won't make any difference."  Discord said smugly as he placed his claw into position on the table.

Applejack then placed her hoof in Discord's claw and waited for the bar owner's signal and quickly put her plan into action.  She put on a seductive pair of bedroom eyes that would make any Las Pegasus working mare proud and played it out at just the right time.

"Ya know, Discord, ah always thought ya were kinda cute."  Applejack said, catching Discord's attention.  "What say when we're done, we ditch this place and go to mah barn and find some fun of our own?"

"One, two, three, go!"  Berry Punch said, giving the signal for the two contestants to begin.

Thud!




"This doesn't have to get to the media, right?"  Discord nervously said as he walked with Applejack, Rainbow Dash and Twilight to regroup with the rest of the gang.

"Oh I don't think we'd have any control over that at this point, buddy."  Rainbow Dash replied.  "After all, a lot of ponies saw you get beaten after going all slack-jawed when you thought Applejack was hitting on you."

"Aw, don't feel bad, Discord."  Applejack reassured.  "If it makes ya feel any better, I meant what I said 'bout ya not bein' a half bad lookin' guy."

Everypony agreed to meet back at Gay Pony's and hang out there for the remainder of the night.  After all three immortal beings were back in the same building, the group continued to party and Octavia began looking better and better in the public eye with each passing minute.  It seemed that everything was now going according to plan until she looked over to where Princess Celestia was dancing and realized there was now a problem that could make the whole thing backfire.

On the dance floor, the tipsy princess was bumping and grinding up against none other than Filthy Rich himself who looked as if he was having the time of his life.  Octavia could not allow this entire day of her planned publicity stunt to go down the tubes and had no other choice but to quit while they were ahead.

"Vinyl!  Abort mission!  Abort Mission!"  Octavia called out as she pointed at the princess which prompted Vinyl to spit out her drink.

"Oh shit!"  Vinyl said.  "Girls!  Discord!  We're getting outta here!  Move it!"




"How was I supposed to *burp!* know that he was your opponent?"  Princess Celestia slurred as the group made their way back to Twilight's library for the night.

"It's okay, your highness."  Octavia reassured.  "I know more ponies saw you with us than with him anyway.  I'd say the whole thing was a success."

"Thanks, Octavia.  You know I wouldn't try to mess things up on purpose."

"And that's why I wear this top!"  Princess Luna exclaimed jokingly.  "Its always your fault weather you like it or not."

"Oh bag your face, Lulu."

	
> Chapter 14: Operation Infiltration
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	"In political news..." The news reporter said, as Vinyl and Octavia caught the latest poll reports.  "With still almost two months to go until a new mayor will be elected, it appears that both candidates are quite popular as the current reading of the polls shows that they are nearly neck and neck with Equemocrat candidate Octavia in the lead by a small amount.  Many local residents believe that the race will continue to be a close one unless one of the candidates comes up with something ground breaking and does so very quickly.  I'm Noteworthy, PFTW News."

It had been three weeks since Octavia and Vinyl had their outing with the royal sisters and it had proven to be a success as it had given Octavia the lead.  It was proving to be difficult for her and as sad as it was to admit, she was at a disadvantage due to her age which unfortunately could not be easily helped.

"Looks like we'll have to take a new approach to this, Tavi."  Vinyl stated bluntly.  "Got any ideas?"

"We'll think of something, Vinyl."  Octavia replied.

"Well, we could shovel some of that dirt we found on him."

"Dirt?  What dirt?"

"You know.  The fact that he's like the worst father in Equestria.  The guy even keeps forgetting his filly's name."

"I-I don't know, Vinyl.  I mean, that's kind of a big deal, trashing somepony's name like that.  For all we know, it could end up backfiring and do nothing but make us look bad."

"Do you wanna win the election or not, Tavi?"

"Of course I do!  Just not...not like that, Vinyl.  You and me, we have class.  We're better than tha-"

"No way!  Octavia, turn that up!"

After being startled by Vinyl's sudden outburst, she focused her attention back to the television and felt as if her heart had jumped up into her throat.  She then did as her friend asked and turned up the volume to listen to the following program.

"Hello, Ponyville.  I'm Filthy Rich and I'd like to take you to the top."  Filthy said on television.  "Remember how I promised great things for this town?  An ever growing economy?  Expanding businesses?  More funding for the schools and the local hospital?  Don't all of those things sound like, totally gnarly?  I think so.  Unfortunately, if I'm not mayor of this wonderful town full of untapped potential, I won't be able to do that.  Miss Octavia may promise you this but the big question is...will she be able to handle it?  You know, I was once a young twenty something myself and looking back, I'll admit that I think with my lack of experience at the time, it may have proven a bit overwhelming for me.  It takes a more mature pony in his forties for this job."

"I think you're forgetting that Mare started when she was twenty one!"  Vinyl said angrily.  "Try again, chump!"

"Sure she may promise these things but how sure can you be that she'll hold up her end of the bargain?  Ponyville, if you want what's best for you, you'll vote for me.  A guy who'll get things done, a guy who will deliver on the promises he's made and most importantly, a guy who knows how things work in the real world.  Sorry Tavi, but you're just not that pony.  I'm Filthy Rich and I approve this message."

"Nopony, and I mean no fucking pony calls you "Tavi" except me!"  Vinyl yelled as the commercial ended.

"A big spit wad in the face is what that was!"  Octavia agreed.  "Who does he think he is?  He thinks he can just tarnish my name like that?  Like I don't know how things work in the rea-"

"This just in."  News reporter Noteworthy began.  "The polls report a sudden change as Filthy Rich now leads with a hefty seventy-two percent while Octavia only with twenty-eight.  Commentary from several local residents show that they indeed prefer a more experienced pony as mayor.  Stay tuned for any new updates as they come in.  I'm Noteworthy, PFTW News."

"Vinyl?"  Octavia said through her teeth.

"Yeah, Tavi?"

"Get Rarity on the phone...Now!"




"Okay Darling, let's just recap so I make sure I have this all down."  Rarity said after Vinyl explained her task.  "You want me to call up Filthy, offer him a booty call, go over to his place and look for things that could make him look bad, am I on par?"

"We'll make this worth your while but yeah, that's pretty much it."

"I don't want any payment, ladies.  If it gives me a chance to bring Filthy down and redeem myself, then that in itself is good enough for me."

"That's the spirit!"  Octavia beamed.  "Also, if it makes you feel any better, you can just make up an excuse to leave at the last minute so you don't even need to sleep with him."

"That does help a little.  Okay girls, I'll call him right no-"

Beebeebeebeebeebeep!  Beebeebeebeebeebeep!  Beebeebeebeebeebeep!

The plan was suddenly interrupted buy the ringing of Rarity's mobile phone.  After answering, the fashionista ended up with quite the surprise on the other line

"Oh!  Why, Filthy darling I wasn't expecting a call from you.  How are you?"

"Well, speak of the devil."  Vinyl said as she looked at Octavia.

"Oh, well funny you should ask me that."  Rarity continued.  "Why, I was actually thinking of calling you myself and asking you the same thing.  I'd love to.  Seven O'clock?  Certainly, I'd enjoy your company as well.  Ta ta!"

"Okay, did that really just happen?"  Octavia asked after she finally processed the phone conversation she had just witnessed.

"Take it for what it is, Tavi."  Vinyl replied.  "He's pretty much doing our dirty work for us."

"I won't let you down, girls!"  Rarity said with a salute.  "A camera is too bulky to sneak into Filthy's place without him noticing so I know of a photography and video spell I can use.  Twilight taught me.  Basically, I can use my own eyes to take pictures and record video and print out the photos and transfer recordings into a tape with my horn.  I must be off now if I am to get this done.  Wish me luck, ladies."

It was Four O'clock in the afternoon so there was no time for Rarity to waste as she darted out the door and left in her Brewick Millennium luxury sedan.  As Vinyl and Octavia watched her tail lights fade away in the distance through their window, the former began thinking about her own magic abilities and made a mental note to try to sharpen them later.

"Tavi, I have got to start spending time with Twilight."


Three Hours Later


If there was a mare in town who was envied by the rest for her beauty and all around elegance, it was Rarity.  She was a mare who put a lot of time and effort into her appearance and she was now standing on Filthy Rich's doorstep giving her own meaning to the classic little black dress.  It hugged and contoured to every last curve of her body so perfectly one could swear that she had invented her own magic fabric.

Not long after she had rang the doorbell, her date for the evening answered.  His mane was slicked back a little more than usual and he wore a smoking jacket similar to what Hugo Hoofner the president of Playcolt Magazine would wear.  Rarity knew that she needed to keep her focus on her task of finding anything that could be incriminating for Filthy but the cologne he was wearing proved to make keeping on her guard difficult.

"Hey honey, I missed you."  Filthy greeted as he grinned, once again showing his pearly white teeth which were all perfectly aligned.  "Come on in.  I though it would be nice if we could celebrate my latest victory together."

"Thank you for inviting me over, darling."  Rarity replied.  "Yes, it's been a while hasn't it?"

Filthy Rich certainly lived up to his name as Rarity was just finding out.  His home was a full three story house on the outskirts of Ponyville with a lush garden of hedges and enough different kinds of flowers to give the royal garden at the regal sisters' palace a run for it's money.  It was a brick house with a front porch nearly the size of the entire bottom floor of Rarity's boutique and the roof above supported by Cloudsdale style columns.

The interior of the house did not disappoint as it was furnished with only the best somepony's bits could buy and it was Immaculately clean.  It was certainly an impressive sight to the classy unicorn and this being her taste in a home, she nearly forgot to activate her spell.  Having now done so, she began looking around at everything she could lay her eyes on in attempt to find any useful information that could aid her newest friend Octavia's cause.

"So, what do you think?"  Filthy asked, taking note of Rarity's darting eyes.

"Oh!  Uh, you have quite the impressive home, Filthy."  Rarity replied.

"Thank you, my dear.  So did you happen to see my commercial?  I'd simply love for you to see it."

"I believe I only caught the end of it, darling."

"Well it just so happens, I have my own copy on a cassette.  I really think you'd get a kick out of it."

"Oh my.  You mean you have a VCR?  How futuristic."

"Well the living room is this way, milady."

Filthy then lead Rarity into his large living room which was furnished with three luxurious sofas, two smaller love seats and two large and ever so expensive reclining chairs.  A large glass chandelier hung on a cord on the middle of the ceiling and an enormous fifty-five inch television sat on a stand the size of a refrigerator laid on it's side.

"Take a seat, Rarity."  Filthy said.  "Make yourself at home while I set this up."

Rarity did just that as she continued to scan the room for any clues using her magic to snap several photos she could go back to later.  As Filthy searched for the tape, an upright framed photograph siting on the end table next to the sofa caught the unicorn's eye.  The photo was of a slightly younger Filthy, probably from only a few years ago and with him was his little daughter and a mare about his age, all of them wearing genuinely happy smiles.  The mare was a pink Earth pony slightly darker than Diamond Tiara with a mane of a very light purple.  Rarity's curiosity got the best of her and she felt compelled to inquire of the photograph's origins.

"Aw, this looks like such a happy family, darling."  Rarity complimented.  "And who is that pretty mare in the picture with you?"

"Ah yes, that's my wife."  Filthy answered as he turned around, a small hint of somberness evident in his tone.

"Oh my.  You mean you're mar-"

"I was married."  Filthy quickly interrupted, startling Rarity.  "Oh, I'm sorry I snapped like that.  I just thought I should clarify that I am indeed single.  I'm not that kind of stallion and I was faithful to her until the day she died."

"Oh Filthy...I'm so sorry...I-I don't know what to say."

"Oh, don't be my dear.  I've moved on now.  Its what she would have wanted."

Rarity now felt nothing but sympathy for this poor stallion having just discovered that he was a widower.  He had lost his wife and had invited Rarity into his home to keep each other company.  Surely she could not sleep at night after having violated his trust after hearing such a sad back story.  However, it was a sudden turn of events that would change everything."

"Oh hi there, Miss Rarity."  The voice of a young filly said behind the sofa on which Rarity sat.  She then turned around to see Diamond Tiara with a small smile on her face as she trotted towards her.  "Hey Dad, whatcha doing?  Are we going to watch a movie together?"

"Diamond, I thought you were seeing your new friends today."  Filthy said sternly.

"Well...I was but they all had to go home because it was getting dark.  What are we watc-"

"Look sweetie, Daddy's a little busy right now so you'll just have to give me some time alone for now, okay?"

"B-but I...I just wanted t-"

"No buts.  Now go play in the garden or something."

As the hurt and saddened filly did as she was told and trotted back outside with her head hung low to the ground while she stifled a tear, Rarity's tone had changed suddenly.  The unicorn spy was now more determined than ever to do what she had come to do in the first place.  She was however no longer thinking of Octavia and had the poor lonely little filly on her mind instead.

"Oh, now where did I put that tape?"  Filthy said to himself, oblivious to the daggers that Rarity was staring at him behind his back.  "Maybe I left it in my room.  Excuse me for a moment, dear.  I'll be right back."

"Oh you go ahead and take all the time you need, darling."  Rarity replied.

The second Filthy darted up the nearest set of stairs, Rarity put the plan into action.  She had a good shot of the Filthy's neglectful parenthood but figured it was worth a shot to try and get more footage of anything else potentially useful for good measure.  While darting in all directions on the lower floor, she kept her ears open as to not get caught snooping once Filthy returned.  Sure enough, he soon found the tape he had been searching for and as he made his way back down the stairs, Rarity quickly returned to her spot the sofa.

"Found it!"  Filthy beamed as he reentered the room.  "Okay, let's pop this sucker in and wat-"

"You know what we could 'pop into' somewhere when we're done with that, dear?"  Rarity interrupted, catching Filthy off guard with her off color joke.

"Oh?"  Filthy said after regaining his composure.  "Well, I think I have an idea.  Yeah right after we check out this dank footage we can-mmphh!"

While Filthy was busy talking about the tape he simply would not shut up about, Rarity leaped of the sofa and attacked his lips with her own.  She had devised her own plan to teach the negligent father a lesson and decided to toy with him the way she knew best.  After a whole minute she finally broke the kiss.

"Uh, on second thought, why don't we have ourselves a little fun first?"  Filthy said as he put on his bedroom eyes.

"Yes, let's."  Rarity replied.

"You wait right here, sweetheart.  I'll be right back."

As quick as a flash, the excited stallion dashed to the first floor restroom in search of something he felt he would need for what was about to happen.  The sounds of pill bottles rattling could be heard throughout the house as he rooted though his medicine cabinet.  Soon the rattling stopped and Rarity could now here the sound of his excited hooves galloping back to where she was waiting.

"Oh, Filthy darling I'm ever so sorry, but I simply must go!"  Rarity lied as Filthy returned.

"You're kidding, right?"  Filthy replied.  "Please tell me this is just a joke.  Why on Earth would you need to-"

"I just got a phone call with terrible news!  My dear friend has had a car accident!  I must make sure she is okay!"

"Oh...okay then, dear.  You just go right ahead and see your friend...I'll just stay here and do...stuff...you know, on account that I've already taken that little blue pi-"

Before Filthy could finish his sentence, Rarity was already behind the wheel of her car with the incriminating footage that she came for.  A very disappointed Filthy Rich was left with nothing but his thoughts and the frustration of a spoiled night.  The irritated middle aged stallion then proceeded to lift up his jacket to get a peek at what he now had to deal with.

"Shit."  Filthy grumbled as he grabbed a box of tissues and made a beeline for the restroom.  "Looks like I gotta take care of this myself."

	
> Chapter 15: Tavi on the Telle
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	"So it's come to this..."  Octavia said as she, Vinyl, Twilight and the rest of her friends sat at a table in the library.

Rarity had successfully completed her task of finding proof of immoral behavior on Filthy Rich's part the previous day.  The findings were now transferred to a video cassette tape and several photographs and were all being carefully studied by the group.  The only piece of information that was really worth using was the footage of Filthy rudely dismissing his daughter from the room and a few photographs of the filly shedding several tears outside of the house while Rarity took her leave.

"I never thought I would be dragging somepony's reputation through the mud like this..."  Octavia said wistfully.  "I almost feel like I've lost my soul but...that poor little filly..."

"And that's exactly why we need to broadcast this for the entire town to see."  Vinyl reassured.  "It's a dirty job but somepony's gotta do it."

"I feel even dirtier than I did before."  Rarity said with a clear feeling of guilt.  "But if it sheds light on these things, then I dare say some good has come from it."

"A'int no goin' back now."  Applejack replied.  "Twi and Vinyl already got a crew fer the picture show set up and ready ta shoot this here thing."

"Oh!  Applejack, I almost forgot!  I've a mechanical question for you."

"Sure thing, sugarcube.  Somethin' up with yer car?"

"Well, is it normal for the phrase 'mission complete' to appear on the dash board and my radio turn on out of the blue for about three seconds?  It happened as soon as I pulled out of Filthy's driveway."

"Nothin' ah've ever known a ride ta do but somepony oughtta make a video game like that."

"That's weird."  Pinkie said.  "My Geode Rural did the same thing last week!  Except it happened when I ran into a cop car...and it said 'mission failed, you attracted police attention' on the dash board."

"Pinkie, what's wrong with you?"  Octavia asked.  "The town knows you work with me."

"Yeah, like your own coltfriend would rat on you."

"Well, we're lucky it was him that you hit then...Celestia, I miss him.  We've all been so busy lately that him and I haven't been able to spend much time together."


Later That Day...


"How about that script, Tavi?"  Vinyl inquired as the lot prepared for filming their own campaign commercial.  "Think you've got it down?"

"I think so, Vinyl."  Octavia replied.  "So how do I look?"

"Like a real Joe pro!  Okay camera guy, let's do it to it!  Take your places everypony!  Here we go in three, two, one, action!"




"Good morning, my fellow Ponyvillians."  Octavia's commercial was now finished and publicly televised as her and Caramel had finally made time for each other and watch her latest success together.  "I understand that Some of you, including Mr. Filthy Rich are concerned about my abilities to run this town and steer it in the right direction.  Well my friends, I'm here to assure you that as a mare who cares so deeply for this community, I am up for the challenge.  Yes, I admit that I am a mere twenty-four years old but I would also like to remind you that Miss Mare who happens to be a good friend of mine began her career at age twenty-one.  As for Mr. Rich...I believe there is something else he should be spending his time doing."

"Ooh Caramel, it's getting to the good part!"  Octavia squeed out of excitement.

"'No butts.  Now go out and play in the garden or something.' The recording of Filthy neglecting his daughter, along with the footage and photographs of her crying tears of loneliness was now plastered on every television screen in town for everypony to see.  "Ponyville, if Filthy won't so much as spend a minute of quality time with his own foal..."  Octavia continued on her commercial.  "...then he obviously doesn't have the time to spend countless hours on this town.  Mr. Rich, for your daughter's sake, please get your priorities straight.  I'm Octavia and I approve this message."

"Octavia, that was so totally gnarly!"  Caramel exclaimed.  "Way to show that chump!"

"Thanks, bohunk."  Octavia replied.  "So how about that new attitude, huh?"

"Your new attitude?  You really wanna know how I feel about it?"

"But of course."

Without any forewarning, Caramel firmly pressed his lips against those of his marefriend, showing how he liked her new behavior as of late.  The two lovers had been doing their own separate things for far too long and could not bear to not be in each other's hooves for a moment longer.  Finally, after several minutes, they broke the kiss and parted as they gasped for breath in the heat of the moment.

"Octavia, baby?"  Caramel said as he stared longingly into his marefriend's eyes.

"Yes, my big, strong hunk of a stallion?"  Octavia replied with a sultry look in her eyes.

"Shall I take you to bed, milady?"




"Caramel, we have got to start doing this more often!"  Octavia said as the two lovers each lay next to each other, both enjoying a cigarette.

"Whew!  I'll say!"  Caramel agreed as he wiped a bead of sweat from his brow.

"Now I know why Vinyl liked doing this so much."

"Oh hey, about her.  She's been acting a bit...well...different lately.  Like she seems a bit stressed out and edgy.  Usually, she's all chill and laid back.  What gives?"

"Oh, well now that you mention it, she has been working very hard with my campaign and she still works full time at the record store.  So between the two I'd say she's...wait...that's not even...why, dear Celestia, she's been working over one hundred hours per week!"

"Yikes.  Octavia, I think she needs to take some time off.  she could burn herself right out if she isn't careful."

"Yes, I'll be sure to tell her that.  She's been especially edgy since she gave up sex.  It's been over a month now."

"She gave it up?  Wow, that's actually very...admirable.  That certainly commands respect.  But really though, what she needs more than anything is a day to relax.  Maybe she should go to the spa or something."

"That's a great idea!  Rarity is always raving about the one on Spark Avenue.  Alright then, I'll talk to her about that first thing in the morning.  Good night, dear."

"'Night, babe."




"Wow Vinyl, you're up quite early."  Octavia said as she returned to the apartment after spending the night with her coltfriend.

"I'm up still, Tavi."  Vinyl replied.  "I've been doing some digging and making some calls too.  I even had Pinkie and Rainbow Dash do some snooping and we think Filthy might be up to something real big."

Octavia was already slightly concerned for Vinyl as of late and the fact that she had stayed up the entire night, smoked Celestia knows how many cigarettes and drank enough coffee to wire up an entire hoofball team made her all the more worried.  The table in the living room was littered with papers, notebooks, pens, empty coffee mugs and an ashtray filled to the top with butts.

"Well Vinyl, there is actually something I wanted to talk to you about."  Octavia said.

"What's the four-one-one, Tavi?"  Vinyl replied.

"I'm not going to sugar coat this.  You're over working yourself, you're sleep deprived, you've gone up to nearly two packs a day and the amount of coffee you've been drinking lately just isn't healthy.  I'm worried about you, Vi-"

"And since when is that any of your Celestia damn business, anyway?!"

"What the fu- See?!  That's exactly what I'm talking about!  If you had gotten some sleep last night, you wouldn't be in a mood like that!"

"Hey!  I'm doing all of this for you, Octavia!"  Vinyl then rose from her chair and began aggressively poking Octavia in the chest, the look in her tired, bloodshot eyes showing that the ticking time bomb she was would soon go off.   "Here you are just going on tv and getting in on all these gigs that I'm doing all the work finding for you!  And to top that all off, I'm working fifty fucking hours at the record store and I haven't been laid in a month!  So you can just shut the fuck up and get off my Celestia damn case already!  You ungrateful fucking...bitch!"

"Vinyl...Please...this isn't you.  You're scaring me.  I know you don't mean that but I'm begging you Vinyl, please calm yourself before you end up keeling ov-"

"Calm Myself?!  Fucking calm myself?!  And just how in the fuck do you expect me to...*pant*...you know what, why don't you just...*gasp*...hnngg!  Ahh, my chest!  Gahhh!"

"Vinyl!  Oh Sweet Luna's flank, No!"




"Nearby units, come in."  Said a stallion on the cb radio in Fluttershy's Ambulance.  "Medical evacuation needed at 269 East Breezie Drive...victim is a twenty four year old unicorn female...complaints of severe chest pains and labored breathing...uhh, possible heart attack.  Units attending to code three, identify."

Knowing that it was Octavia and Vinyl's address, Fluttershy immediately picked up the microphone and began the race against time.  "Engine thirty-four responding!"  Fluttershy said as she switched on the siren.

"Roger that, thirty-four.  Update on that heart attack call...be advised, victim is unconscious!  Repeat!  The victim is now unconscious!"

"Hang in there, Vinyl!  I'm on my way!"
> Chapter 16: Spies and Speeders
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	The dark, gloomy weather was very unsettling for Octavia and her new friends.  The gray clouds and the torrential downpour outside the hospital did nothing to help calm the ponies' nerves as they had waited all night and all morning for an update on Vinyl Scratch's condition.  Nearly twenty-four hours had passed since the overly exhausted unicorn collapsed on the floor and was rushed to urgent care.  Every hour that went by without good news made Octavia and the rest of the group all the more restless and worried.

Around nine o'clock that morning, the doctor at long last came to the waiting room to retrieve Octavia and bring her to see her longtime best friend.  The look on the doctor's face was that of a mix between relief and a hint of worry at the same time.

"Miss Octavia?"  The Doctor said as he entered the waiting room.

"Yes, Doctor?"  Octavia answered.

"Vinyl is awake and ready to see you now.  Follow me."

Without a moment's hesitation, Octavia rose from her seat and made her way to the room where Vinyl was recovering.  With each and every step, the concerned friend became more anxious for answers.  After countless hours not knowing what was going to happen, she was desperate to finally know Vinyl's state of health and what had to be done from there.

"How is she, Doctor?"  Octavia asked as they neared the recovery room.

"She's going to be fine, Octavia."  The doctor replied.  "The bad news is that your worries before are confirmed and she did indeed suffer a heart attack.  The good news is that in her case, this can easily be prevented from happening to her again.  I'll explain that when we are in the room with her."

After only a minute that seemed like hours, they reached Vinyl's room and quietly entered.  There lay Vinyl on the hospital bed with a fluid iv in her right foreleg and a heart monitor to the right of the bed.  Vinyl was awake but she was not in good spirits as the stream of tears rolling down her cheeks made clearly obvious.

"Vinyl, you're alright!"  Octavia exclaimed as she quickly dashed over and embraced her ailing friend.

"Tavi!"  Vinyl sobbed as she returned the hug.  "I'm sorry, Octavia!  I'm so sorry!"

"Vinyl, you have nothing to be sorry for!  You've done nothing wrong!"

"Tavi, as long as we've been like sisters, I have never screamed at you the way I did!  That wasn't me and none of what I said was really how I feel!"

"It's okay, Vinyl, the important thing is that you are going to be fine.  I know you didn't mean any of that.  You would never me-*sniff* Vinyl I was so sca-*hic* Please don't..."

Octavia could no longer help it.  No matter how hard she tried to keep her wits, her emotions got the best of her.  The concerned friend of Vinyl hugged the ailing unicorn tight and sobbed like she never had before.  They had always loved each other like sisters but Octavia was cherishing Vinyl's existence now more than ever.

"Vinyl, I almost lost you!"  Octavia sobbed.  "You even got to a point where they had to use a defibrillator on you!  It made me sick to watch that!  If you had died, I don't know what I would do!"

"I lo-*sniff* I love you, Tavi!  Don't ev-*hic* ever think that I don't!"

"I love you too, Vinyl!"

"Now that *sniff* she's fully awake..."  The doctor began as he failed to hide tears of his own.  "I'll go get the rest of your friends.  There are *hic* a f-few things we n-need to go over."

The doctor then turned around and went to the waiting room to bring back Twilight and the rest of the ponies.  Caramel had also just arrived having just finished a long shift on patrol.  The doctor felt it was important that as many of Vinyl's friends as possible were present as it would be helpful if they were all aware of what needed to be done for her.  Soon, everypony was in the room to listen to what the doctor had to say regarding Vinyl's condition and the necessary steps for her full recovery and prevention of future problems.

"Okay first and foremost..."  The doctor began.  "In case any of you haven't been told yet, Miss Scratch here has been confirmed to have suffered a heart attack.  She has so graciously given me permission to share all of this with you in hopes that you can all work together to help her recover.  Her cholesterol levels are normal, blood sugar levels are good, she has no arterial blockage and she is of ideal weight.  The issue is that her blood pressure and resting heart rate are at rates difficult to measure by modern science and are considered critical."

"Luna's flank, that bad?"  Rainbow Dash said.

"Unfortunately so."  The doctor replied.  "However, because it was induced by severe stress and chronic sleep derivation, with plenty of rest and a quiet, soothing environment, her numbers can be brought back down.  Also, the sonogram results show no permanent damage.  Miss Scratch here is incredibly lucky.  Most ponies who have heart attacks induced by chronic stress have to deal with complications for the rest of their lives.  Anyway, I'd recommend making a few changes to some of her living arrangements once she is discharged."

"Whatever it takes, Doctor"  Octavia replied.

"Very good.  Now let me lay down some rules that will need to be followed to the letter.  First off, absolutely no more smoking."

"I can give that up, no problem."  Vinyl answered.

"Secondly, you must take time off from work and the campaign."

"I gotta sit the whole thing out?"

"You're in no condition to be doing anything that could cause any stress, Miss Scratch.  Your life may very well depend on it."

"Now that you put it that way..."

"Also, you must refrain from any sexual activities for at least three months."

"The lack of which that pretty much got me here in the first place.  Go figure.  Okay, what's next?"

"If you continue to improve at the rate you are now, we will be able to discharge you on Friday, five days from now.  From that day, you must be on twenty-four hour watch for at the very least a month.  You need to have a friend with you at all times in the event of another problem.  With as many friends and may I add such wonderful friends you have, you can all take shifts and keep a close watch on her.  Do not leave her by herself."

"She can count on us!"  Pinkie Pie replied.

"Excellent."  The doctor answered.  "Lastly, no alcohol or caffeine.  None whatsoever.  Oh, and take one of these blood pressure reducers once a day for thirty days.  Preferably at bedtime."

"Whatever I gotta do, doc."  Vinyl replied.

"Vinyl, I can't describe how happy we all are that you're alright."  Octavia said.  "We'll come back to visit you tomorrow but now, we have to find out what Rich is up to.  I read on one of your clip boards that he was repeatedly spotted leaving town and coming back late at night."

"Oh yeah, that.  Damn, I wish I could be there.  So whatcha gonna do?"

"We're going to tail him to wherever he keeps going and find out who he's been talking to."

"I bet by now he recognizes our cars so you can borrow our old unmarked cruiser and follow him with that."  Caramel suggested.  "It's black and has tinted windows so you should look pretty inconspicuous."

"Are you sure we can do that?"  Twilight asked.  "We're talking about unauthorized use of government property here."

"The chief has already given us the green light, Twi.  He's actually a pretty rad dude.  I'll be right there with you so it'll be fine"

"Hmm...In that case, that could be pretty useful.  I think I have an old base station cb radio sitting around in my basement somewhere.  I'll set that up in the Library."

"Gnarly!  we can keep in touch the whole time!"

"Okay well we need to get going and stake out his place if we want to follow him."  Octavia stated.  "I'll see you tomorrow as soon as I can get here, Vinyl."

"Just be careful, Tavi."  Vinyl replied.  "I've got a bad feeling about this.  watch your backs, okay?"

"We'll be alright, Vinyl.  Okay everypony, let's go digging!"




Caramel, Octavia, Rainbow Dash and Applejack were all piled into a 1981 Plottsmuth J car much like Caramel's personal vehicle except it was painted black and had all the fixtures that most police vehicles did.  It had recently had a new dash board camera installed, it had a shotgun hooked up to the center console, a small computer for looking up arrest warrants and a cb radio under the ash tray.  The windows were also tinted as to hide the identities of the occupants.  As for the last finishing touch to further add more secrecy, the coach lacked an external light bar and the lights it did have were hidden away in the front grille and under the front and rear windshields.

It was now five o'clock in the afternoon and the weather was starting to clear up, bringing everypony's spirits up along with it.  The group of four was parked a safe distance down the street from Filthy's estate as they waited for any signs of him leaving.  His red sports coupe was still parked in his driveway and they continued to wait patiently for Filthy to make a move.

After another half hour, Filthy Rich emerged from his house.  Rainbow Dash was looking through a pair of binoculars and observed that Diamond Tiara was clinging to her father's back leg much to his annoyance.  After prying her loose and shaking her off of him, he got into his coupe and backed out of his driveway.

"There he goes."  Rainbow Dash said.  "C'mon, let's tail him."

Caramel then cranked the engine over and began to follow Filthy while maintaining a safe distance as to not spook their target.  Filthy's vehicle made a left turn off of his street and cruised down Ponyville's main drag for several blocks until he slowed down, his left signal light blinking away.

"Hey, he's getting on the interstate."  Octavia said.  "It looks like he's heading south."

"I'm on it."  Caramel replied as he entered the on-ramp.  "Okay, I still see him.  I'll set it on cruise and we can keep him in our sight."

For another half hour, Filthy and Octavia and friends continued their drive at sixty miles per hour down the highway.  The speed limit was only fifty-five but they had to match their target's speed in order to keep up with him.  They had passed by several Equestrian state troopers waiting in place but going only five miles over the speed limit was not enough for them to waste time pulling somepony over.

"He's signaling to the right, guys."  Rainbow Dash said as she continued to spy through the binoculars.  "He's taking the Appaloosa exit."

"This is gonna be a tricky one."  Caramel answered.  "I gotta find the perfect balance between keeping far away enough so he doesn't spot us but not too far that I end up losing him."

"Ya hear that, twi?"  Applejack said over the radio.  "He's gettin' off the interstate in Appaloosa."

"Copy that, Applejack."  Twilight replied.  Let me know if anything else comes up.  I mean anything at all."

"Sure thing, sugarcube."

Ponyville was a small town but it still almost looked like Manehatten compared to Appaloosa which had only eighteen hundred residents to speak of.  In order to get lost or lose their target in a town this small, Caramel would have to be a complete airhead of which he was not.  After exiting the highway, it did not take very long for Filthy to find his destination.

A DisKord auto manufacturing plant had recently been opened in the little town and for some reason, Filthy was parking his coupe in the parking lot which was otherwise completely empty as the workday for the employees was over.  The team knew that joining him in the parking lot was a dead giveaway and would surely blow their cover so they needed to find a secluded spot to leave the unmarked cruiser and search for Filthy on hoof.

"Hey, Twilight."  Applejack said.  "He's parkin' at one of Discord's car factories."

"Are you serious?"  Twilight said, shocked.  "I swear on Starswirl's grave, if Discord is working with Filthy, I'll tear him limb from limb personally!"

"Whoa there, pardner.  Let's not go on jumpin' to conclusions.  Yer better than that, Twi."




"And here is all the paperwork you need to get started, my friend."  Filthy said as he hoofed a briefcase over to Discord himself.

"Ah, very good."  Discord replied.  "I trust that there is enough room at the community center for the new dealer lot?"

"Of course, and if there isn't, just level the town fountain to make more room."

"Are you getting this, Rainbow?"  Octavia whispered as the group hid behind a stack of shipping crates in the warehouse section of the factory.

"Oh you know it."  Rainbow Dash replied.  "This sucks though.  I was really starting to like Discord."

"Yeah, you think you know somepony."  Caramel agreed.

"So Mr. Rich, I heard that you have also spoken with some corporate officials regarding putting a Saltmart where the Ponyville Community Park currently is, correct?"  Discord asked.

"Damn straight!"  Filthy replied.  "Who needs a flat patch of grass with a bunch of stupid trees, three koi ponds and a bird observatory when you can have a huge store with dirt cheap stuff?"

"Hahahahaha!  Oh Filthy, you poor, misguided fool."

"I beg your pardon?  How am I the fool here?  And what's so Celestia damn funny?"

"You shall see soon enough my friend.  Pleasure doing business with you."

Poof!

Before anypony had the chance to wonder what Discord meant, the crazy draconiquis disappeared in a bright flash taking the mysterious briefcase with him.  After the bright flash subsided, Filthy frantically bolted out of the room, got into his coupe and tore out of the parking lot as fast as his V8 would allow.  Caramel, Octavia, Applejack and Rainbow Dash did not know what to think as theory after countless theory rushed through there minds.

"It looks more like Discord was pulling something over on Filthy."  Octavia said.

"Hey your guess is as good as mine, babe."  Caramel replied.  "All I know is that I'm as confused as the Ponyville mail mare was when she set off the fireworks at the county fair."

"Well, any way you slice it, we got what we need."  Rainbow Dash said.  "Let's get outta here before somepony sees us."




"But what do you think Discord meant when he called Filthy a fool?"  Rainbow Dash asked as her and the group sat at a diner in Appaloosa.

"I really couldn't begin to guess."  Octavia replied.

"I don't know about you girls, but I can't think on an empty stomach."  Caramel said.  I'm getting an eggplant burger and some hay fries."

"Sounds plum good ta me, cuz."  Applejack agreed.  "Matter o' fact, Imma make that a doub-"

"Oh my Celestia, I thought I recognized those voices!"  Said a cheerful, effeminate sounding stallion's voice.

All four ponies in the group turned around to see a yellow stallion with a blonde mane and tail, a stetson hat similar to Applajack's and a pink scarf around his neck.  Said stallion looked as if he had just found a long lost best friend as he trotted towards the group, his smile bringing as much light to the diner as Celestia's sun could."

"Cousin Braeburn!"  Caramel and Applejack beamed in unison.




"Well, he seemed like such a sweet guy."  Octavia said.

"Yeah, he's really the kinda guy who would do anything for anypony."  Caramel replied.  "Hey AJ, we really need to catch up with him, am I right?"

"Ah hear ya, cuz."  Applejack agreed.  "Dang he's such a happy go lucky guy aside from the shit he's been through in life."

"Really?"  Octavia said.  "What happened to him?"

"Well in case ya couldn't tell, he's a bit of a flamer and his parents and most of his siblings ain't been all that nice about it."

"Aww, that's so sad.  Somepony as nice as he is to have to go through all that."

"Hey sorry to interrupt this heartfelt conversation but..."  Rainbow Dash began.  "You do realize that you're going eighty-eight miles per hour right?"

"Oh shit!"  Caramel said as he quickly pressed the brake to slow down.

"Hey don't get  me wrong, I'm not a fan of low speeds myself but the last  thing we wanna do is draw..."

Whoop whooooooop whoop!

"...Attention to ourselves."  Rainbow Dash finished after being cut off by the familiar sound of a law enforcement vehicle signaling for them to pull over.  Green and purple lights flashed behind their car proving that they had slowed down too little, too late."

"Okay, no big deal, I'm sure."  Octavia said as Caramel stopped the coach on the side of the highway.  "I'm sure he'll send us on our way as soon as he realizes that it's you, Caramel."

"Easier said than done, baby."  Caramel said.  "That's not one of my Ponyville PD chums, that's a state trooper."

> Chapter 17: This Isn't a Race, It's a Clusterbuck!
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	"Do you have any Celesta damn idea...any conceivable fucking clue how fast you were going?"  The white unicorn trooper asked Caramel.

"Well s-sir, if I'm n-not mistaken..."  Caramel stuttered as the size and stern expression from the higher ranking stallion proved to be quite intimidating.  " I believe I was g-going close to nin-"

"License and registration...now."

Caramel then did as he was told and presented his driver's license, the registration card for the undercover car and his police badge that he kept in his wallet for good measure.  A closer observation of the trooper made it clear that he ranked very high within his barracks as his uniform was covered with nearly every kind of badge imaginable.  As he analysed Caramel's credentials, the stallion with a mane of blue and a cutie mark of a purple sheild, he appeared to be a lot less forgiving than Caramel would have hoped.

"You know, in your line of work, you should know better than to drive like that!"  The stallion shouted.  "You may think you're big in Ponyville but you drive by my rules on my highway!  And just what the hell are you doing driving a bunch of civilians around in a police vehicle when you're not even on duty?!"

Caramel could not find the courage to answer the large stallion who towered over him as much as his cousin Bic Mac and the only sounds that were able to escape his mouth were terrified whimpering.  Caramel was as though as he needed to be for his job as a police officer but for as long as he could remember, he still felt as if he were a pasty little runt.  That of which was partially true as his cousin Applejack could beat him at hoof wrestling any day.

"Guess what?"  The trooper captain said.  "I'm taking down your badge number and I'll be bringing you right back to your chief to have your ass shi-"

"Dude!  lighten up!"  Rainbow dash said as she lowered her window which made Caramel's heart sink even further down.

"Yeah, c'mon pardner!"  Applejack added.  "Yer actin' like he was messin' 'round with Cadence er somethin'!"

"Rainbow Dash?!  Applejack?!"  The trooper who apparently knew them said.

"BBBFF!"  Twilight exclaimed over the radio.

"Twiley?!"

"Pinkie Pie!"  The crazy party mare beamed as she popped out of the trunk.




"Well that was real bombdigiddy of your brother to give us free tickets to the grand galloping gala, Twilight!"  Caramel said to the librarian over the cb radio.

"Heheh, over the years, I've learned what pushes his buttons."  Twilight replied.


Five Minutes Earlier...


"No, wait Twiley!  Please don't tell Mom!"  Shining Armor pleaded.  "AJ and Rainbow didn't even say anything until I said what I said after he said that he was a cop but I didn't know that he knew you!  I mean, the windows were tinted and this isn't fair!  Here!  I'll even give your friends all free tickets to the gala!"


Now...


"Heheheh.  That big, silly oaf hasn't changed a bit.  I'll see you all soon and we can talk about the footage you got."

After another twenty minutes, Caramel, Octavia, Rainbow Dash, Applejack and the now discovered stow-away Pinkie were back at the library.  As soon as they arrived, Rainbow Dash went to work preparing the footage for review on the vcr.  While they were all confident that this was the last nail in the coffin for Filthy's campaign, Twilight still could not help but think about Discord whom certainly got on her nerves sometimes but still saw as a friend.  Though it was not entirely confirmed that he was really involved in any activities that were cause for concern, she still felt that perhaps he would simply never change.

At first glance, it did not seem as if Discord was working with Filthy but the footage that they had made little sense and it was difficult to prove or disprove any theories.  Discord had Filthy secretly meet him at his factory to discuss business agreements with him but called him a fool and disappeared with his briefcase full of Celestia knows what.

Ding dong!

"I'll get that."  Twilight said after the doorbell rang.  "Keep looking at that footage.  There's gotta be something that we can go by to-"

Twilight trailed off as she opened the front door to see Discord himself standing before her, a proud look on his face and a briefcase in his claw.  The lavender librarian had never been more confused in her entire life than she was now as she had no idea what the draconiquis was doing in the video, let alone on her doorstep.

"Oh goodie..."  Twilight deadpanned.  "We were just watching a movie starring you and Filthy."

"Ah yes, dirty business that."  Discord replied as he let himself in.  "On that note, Twilight dearest, I daresay I have something that you all may find quite useful for your cause."

Discord then walked into the room where everypony was sitting, laid the case on the table before them and opened it revealing a large stack of papers, photographs, blueprints and other such documents.  Everypony just stared in shock as Discord separated the papers into smaller stacks and laid them all out on the table for all to get a good look at.  There were even land contracts that were agreements to level public areas of Ponyville and make room for malls, factories, and auto dealer lots that especially caught their eyes.

"I can't believe it..."  Octavia said.  "Discord, you were...y-you got these from Filthy to hoof over to us?"

"Why yes."  Discord replied.  "Yes I did."

"Why?"  Twilight asked.  "Why are you helping us?"

"Because Twilight, I know you've never really trusted me.  Everypony else came to trust me but you stood out from the rest and still didn't budge.  Let's just say this was an attempt to finally earn your trust."

"Discord, you're like totally rad!  Do you know what this means?!"

"That I'm totally rad and you need to lighten up?"

"N-well that and with all this evidence, we have the election!  With only a few weeks left, there's no way the town will side with Filthy now!"

"This day has turned out great!"  Octavia beamed.  "Now we have all this stuff that will surely put Rich to shame and Vinyl is getting out of the hospital tomorrow!"

"Tubular!"  Caramel added.  "Hey you know, I think it would be best if we broadcast this stuff like the night before election day.  It will make it so Filthy will have no time to come up with a counter attack."

"Fine by me, bohunk."

The next two weeks went by with thick tension in the air.  The whole summer- long ordeal was finally coming down to the wire and even though things seemed to be going well, the tension radiated through the air like a record heat wave.  Vinyl was out of the hospital and had a relaxing day at the spa, Twilight was able to acquire a van with a speaker on top and Caramel was holding on to the case full of evidence for safe keeping.  They had not seen or heard anything from Filthy since they spied on him at the auto factory and Octavia seemingly had the mayor's office secured for herself.

With just under a week to go until a mayor would be chosen and Vinyl improving more by the day, Octavia decided that the two would spend the day together driving the van around town.   Doing so, they would further promote Octavia and make the town aware that they would soon learn the truth about Filthy Rich.

"CMC, huh?"  Octavia said out or curiosity of the nameplate on the unfamiliar vehicle before her.  "I've never heard of that brand before."


Meanwhile, in a Barn at Sweet Apple Acres...


"Cutie mark crusader motor coach manufacturers!  Yay!"  Three little fillies exclaimed in unison.




"Okay Vinyl, let's head over to the residential district first and then we'll do the business side."  Octavia said as she and her best friend climbed into the van, Vinyl in the driver's seat.

"You got it, Tavi."  Vinyl replied.  "So what kind of propaganda are we gonna be blaring out to the public?"

"I have a few things written down.  Have the mic ready for when we get there."

After a few blocks, Octavia and Vinyl neared the area where they would be spreading the good word.  Not without a hitch however as Vinyl began swerving the vehicle and weaving in and out of traffic.  She had her shades on and since she recently had medical issues, this was cause for extreme concern for Octavia.

"Um, Vinyl?"  Octavia said.  "Are you feeling alright?"

"Wha?"  Vinyl answered.  "Aw helllllllll yeah, Tavi.  Never felt uhhh...what's that word I'm looking for?"

"Better perhaps?"

"Awww yeahhh!"

"I'm not buying that, Vinyl.  What's wrong?"

"Well pardon me for following the doctor's orders and taking my meds like he said I should."

"Uh huh, do you happen to have your pill bottle with you?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Hoof it over."

Vinyl obliged to Octavia's request and presented the bottle to her so she could read the label and possibly get to the bottom of the unicorn's odd behavior.



Phucitol-to be used as a blood pressure reducer.  Side affects may include dizziness and/or drowsyness.  Do not drive or operate machinery while taking this medication.  Also, we find it quite sad that it has come to this and we really should not have to but we are required by law to remind the public that this medication must be taken by mouth as in the hole on your face.



"Vinyl, pull over and let me drive."  Octavia demanded.

"Tavi..."  Vinyl said as she pulled her shades off revealing her dopey, bloodshot eyes.  "I though we agreed that I was a big girl and I could deliver these muffins myself."

"Oh sweet Celestia Vinyl, you're high as fuck!"

"Hey, when this is all done with, we should go cow tipping!  Ohhh, speaking of cows...Hey everypony!  Filthy Rich likes to get filthy with bovines!  Gahahahahaaaaa!"

"Vinyl!  Pull over now!  If you blare that silly crap on the PA system, that will make us look uber unprofessional!"

"No way!  Everypony knows that cows are gross.  Hey, wanna see how far I can fit my tongue up my nose?"

"Celestia damn it Vinyl, you'll get us both killed!"

"They hell I am!  This is a free country, I can say what I want without somepony coming up an-"

Slam!

"Take that back you bitch!"  Filthy shouted as he rammed the side of Vinyl and Octavia's van with his red sports coupe.

"Make me!"  Vinyl retorted, returning a firm smack to the side of Filthy's car, leaving a sizable dent behind.

"Caramel!  Darling you've got to help me!"  Octavia frantically yelled as she called her coltfriend with the van's built in phone.  "Vinyl is fucked up on her medications and Filthy is ramming into us!  We're going West on Bro-ham street!"

"Hold tight, baby!"  Caramel replied.  "I'm just around the corner!"

"Hey, Tavi."  Vinyl slurred.  "Tell him about the time our toaster talked to me.  He told me the vacuum was being a jerk."

"Oh sure he did, Vinyl.  Just like the time you saw the radio beating up the desk lamp."

"Hey he was asking for it!  Shoulda left that poor electric blanket alone!  Oooh, somepony should make a movie outta that!"

"Just stop that damn van!"

As the two out of control vehicles careened past the next intersection, Caramel was already waiting to give chase.  The second they came into view, he flipped the switch activating the lights and siren on his police car and floored the pedal.  Caramel made quick work of the distance between him and Filthy as he closed in and made it clear who he was after.

"Pull over, Rich!"  Caramel shouted over the police car's PA.  "Do it now or I'll ram you right off the road!"

Knowing that it was either pull over or risk further damage to his brand new sports carriage, Filthy made the wiser choice and stopped on the side of the road.  Caramel was hot on his hooves and sprung out of his patrol coach to do what he had wanted to do all summer.

"Get out of the coach, Rich!"  Caramel shouted.  "You're under arrest for vehicular assault!"

"And just what in the hell do you think you're doing, punk!"  Filthy retorted as he exited his vehicle.  "Do you have any idea what you're getting yourself into?!"

"I'm getting your lowlife ass off the street and my marefriend into the mayor's office you prick!  Spread 'em!"

"Oh look, you've got company."

"Huh?"

Filthy pointed behind Caramel at a black Sadillac sedan that had just pulled over behind the patrol coach.  Two much larger stallions with black jackets and dark shades exited and slowly made their way towards Caramel.  This could be trouble and the young officer knew very well that he was outnumbered and needed to act quickly.

"Hold it!"  Caramel ordered the two newcomers, his pistol now drawn.  "You two get down now!  This is police business and I'll fire if you come any closer!"

"You can just trot away now, little buddy."  Filthy said, bringing Caramel's attention back onto him.  "If you forget what you saw, you can trot away five thousand bits richer.  I don't have a beef with you and it's not too late to keep it that way."

"Fuck you, you rat bastard!  You screw with my marefriend, you screw with me!  Now lay down on the ground, 'cause I'm taking your ass in!"

"Oh?  Well that dart stuck in the side of your neck seems to think otherwise."

"Wha?  This thi-you...you sunuva...fucking...bitch..."

Thud!


> Chapter 18: A Different Kind of Pledge
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	"Caramel, I'm worried.  You still haven't called me back."  Octavia said as she left a message on her coltfriend's answering machine.  "I need to know what became of Filthy hitting our van...and...It's just not like you to ignore me.  Please call me."

"Something's not right, Tavi."  Vinyl stated.  "The guy loves you.  Something must have happened yesterday after he pulled Filthy over.  He wouldn't ditch you."

"I know that, Vinyl.  Either way, I've got a bad feeling about this."




"You're gonna regret the day you heard the name Caramel Apple when I get out of here, Rich!"  Caramel shouted while tied to a chair in Filthy's basement.  "Vehicular assault, assault on an officer, ponyknapping...you'll be a tired old stallion when you get out!"

"Empty threats."  Filthy replied as he shrugged off Caramel's words.  "Nothing more.  I told you, you could have gotten off easy but you just had to butt in, didn't you?"

"If it's my job, then I'm going to do it."

"Then I'm sure you understand that I have a job to do as well, which is why I'm very glad you hoof delivered all this evidence to me.  All these tapes, photos and documents could have really done me in big time, you know."

"You're doing nothing but digging yourself a deeper hole with every word that comes out of your mouth, pal.  I'll see to it that you go away for life."

"Oh hush up, you won't be singing that tune when I pack you up in a crate and ship you off to be examined by top stal-what's this?"

As he sifted through the incriminating items, a tape labeled "Stoplight surveillance footage" caught Filthy's eye.  Caramel was trying to get rid of this tape that he found and now that his marefiriend's sworn enemy had it in his clutch, his heart sank to a new low.

"I don't remember any stoplight cameras catching me."  Filthy said as he turned on his television and fired up the vcr to play the tape.

"Th-that's nothing important, I swear!"  Caramel frantically shouted.  "A waste of time!  Just smash it with the rest of the stuff!"

It was too late.  Filthy's curiosity was peaked and before Caramel could shake the chair he was tied to, the tape was playing.  Filthy had found something he would use against Octavia that he could contort and twist into something to secure the election for himself.  If Caramel was ever scared out of his mind, this topped everything he ever had happen to him before tenfold.

"This...this is perfect!"  Filthy yelled.  "Ahahahaha!  The mayor's office is mine!"


The Next Day...


"So you haven't seen him?"  Octavia asked as she talked with Big Macintosh on the phone.  "Okay, please let me know if anypony finds him.  Thank you."

Click!

"Tavi!"  Vinyl shouted.  "We have a problem!"

Octavia quickly joined Vinyl in the living room not knowing what to expect.  Vinyl was on the edge of the sofa turning up the volume on the television.  What the two ponies saw on the screen was something they never thought would have surfaced and as the scene played out before them, they both wished that they could just crawl into a hole and stay there.

"Heyyyy, I'm *burp* looking for my friend 'Music note pony'."  The commercial on the television was footage of Octavia's first time being heavily intoxicated a few months prior.  The embarrassing video was recorded by a camera that sat atop a traffic light as Octavia stumbled through the intersection making a complete fool of herself.

"Holy princess fucking plot!"  Octavia screamed.  "It's that night I got drunk and wandered around town!"

"How the fuck did that get on TV?!"  Vinyl yelled.

"Filthy had to get a hold of it somehow!  I can't even begin to guess how that happened!"

"Is that Octavia?"  Rainbow Dash who was a bystander said in the video.  "Wow, I didn't know she was a party animal.  You go, girl!"

"Is this really the pony we want in the mayor's office?"  Filthy's voice said on the commercial.  "Would you ask a timber wolf to look after your chicken coop?  That's what you'd be doing if you elect Octavia as mayor.  I'm Filthy Rich and I approve this message.  Footage courtesy of Officer Caramel Apple of the Ponyville Police Department."

"No...this just can't be."  Octavia sobbed.  "Caramel wouldn't...not after all we've been through...not after...w-we were each other's first."

"No, Tavi..."  Vinyl said as she embraced her friend in effort to comfort her.  "You're right.  He wouldn't.  I've seen the look in his eyes when he's around you.  He wouldn't double cross you like that.  There's more to this...I know it."

"V-*hic*Vinyl...hold me..."

"Shhh, it's ok Tavi.  You've always been there for me and I'm here for you, okay?"

"We l-lost th*sniff* the election didn't we?"

"No.  Not yet.  The ballets get marked tomorrow.  Who knows?  Maybe Ponyville will appreciate that they could have a crazy party girl as their mayor.  It's a long shot but there's no sense in beating yourself up over something that's out of your control."

"I hope you're right, Vinyl.  Otherwise Ponyville is as good as sold out."




The following evening of the next day was one that Octavia, Vinyl and their campaign help would have liked to get over with as quickly as possible.  Anxiety, and tension with the consistency of peanut butter stunk up the air of the library as they all waited for the call.  The one phone call that would prove to be the most important one in Octavia's young life.  For once, twilight's library was actually quiet enough to hear everypony's heart's beat.

Riiiiiiiiiing!  Riiiiiiiiiing!

"This is it.  It's all down to this."  Twilight said as she picked up the phone.  "Lyra?  Yeah, what's the verdict?"

The town clerk had given Twilight a short, sweet and straight to the point answer.  As soon as the news was bore upon her, her head hung low and her eyes closed as she struggled to keep her emotions in order.  "Okay, th-thanks Lyra.  *sniff* No, we'll be alright.  Thanks."

Everypony's hopes were not high at all as Twilight's reaction to what she was just told on the phone was a good indication that something may not have worked out.  The group including Octavia and Vinyl were gathered around Twilight anxiously waiting to hear the details.

"It was a landslide..."  Twilight said quietly as tears streamed down her face.  "Seventy nine percent voted for Filthy Rich...only twenty one percent for Octavia.  I'm so sorry, everypony."

This was truly a sad day for Octavia, Vinyl and all of their closest friends.  The election had ended and the worst part is that Octavia lost by a landslide.  The saddened Octavia had never been more depressed in her entire life and to make matters worse, she was becoming less and less sure with each passing hour that her coltfriend had not betrayed her.  Caramel, the only stallion Octavia had ever fallen in love with was now seeming to have been in on her downfall the whole time.  The more she thought about it, the sicker she felt as she had even gone so far as to give Caramel her virginity and even take his in the process.

Everypony in the room shared Octavia's sorrow and all joined together in a tear filled group hug with Octavia and Vinyl in the center.  As sad as they all were, It was those two who had been dealt the hardest blows.  Both of them would need the moral support from good friends now more than ever and with Octavia dealing with what seamed like a knife in her heart from somepony she loved, they all knew it could take years for the wounds to fully heal.




The next day was a somber one to say the least as it was the day Filthy Rich would be sworn into office much to Octavia and her friends' dismay.  Filthy paraded around his large house with the shittiest of shit eating grins as he prepared for the ceremony.  Caramel was still being held in the basement and was soon to be sent off in a shipping crate heading Celestia knows where.

"Say, do you think I should wear my black tie or my usual red one with the bit sign on it?"  Filthy mockingly asked the tied up Caramel.

"Eat my spunk, you scumbag."  Caramel replied.

"Humph.  No matter.  You're as good as lost soon anyways.  I'll bet that marefriend of yours really thinks that you helped me out too.  Now if you'll excuse me, I've got an office to be sworn into and a town to capitalize on.  Sayonara, sucker!"

Filthy Rich slammed the door of the basement and left Caramel all by himself.  Caramel was not the toughest, strongest stallion by any means but at a time where he needed to be more than ever, he felt helpless.  The thought that he had failed Octavia weighed on his mind and made him feel sick to his stomach.  Not only that but the thought of Octavia thinking that he had betrayed her was the worst feeling and he could not begin to imagine how hurt she must be feeling right now.  Hurt by something that was not even true.

"Octavia..."  Caramel said to himself as he began to break down.  "My darling, I'm so sorry.  I've failed you...I'm not half the stallion you deserve.  I'm nothing but a little fucking runt.  A runt who got ponyknapped just to have a little filly unt-What th-Diamond Tiara?"

Caramel looked down at the little filly who was busy pulling the binds of rope from Caramel's hooves.  Filthy's own daughter was trying to set free the only pony that could stand in her father's way and Caramel was about to find out why.  After Caramel was freed from the lasts of the binds, the sad, lonely little filly stood before Caramel as he arose from the chair, the glossiness in her eyes making it well known that it was a call for help.

"Please...you've got to stop my dad, Officer."  Diamond Tiara sobbed.  "I thought he was crazy before but now he's *hic* gone off the deep end.  He was never the same after my mom died.  He wasn't always like this.  He was kind and caring and would have done anything for his family.  Now, I don't even know him.  He became greedy and and wasn't satisfied with anything anymore.  He always had to try to go further and further with his companies even if he had to step on everypony else to get there."

"Diamond, I will do everything in my power to stop him.  He's done a lot of terrible things that could land him prison for a very long time though.  It's really sad that you...*snivel* this must be the hardest thing you've ever had to do, kid."

"After all the crimes he's committed, all the ponys lives he's ruined...I just can't get myself to hate him...After all the neglect and him never spending any time with me I just can't hate my father...please, I'm begging you, Officer!  There's got to be something you can do!  I know he's screwed up bad but if he goes to prison, I have nothing!  I've already lost my mother, I can't live without my dad too!"

"Diamond, you are the bravest little filly I've ever met.  I me*sniff* mean that.  I promise you, I'm going to do whatever it takes to help you.  I'll take this case to the royal sisters if I have to!"

"Th-there's not much time.  you've got to hurry.  He's at the town hall."

Caramel was at a loss for words at the sad little foal who touched his heart with a huge impact as he gathered his police belt, uniform and cap and made his way up to the first level floor of Filthy's home.  He did not have a vehicle available so he searched for a phone and made a call for backup with much hast.

"Big Mac!  It's Caramel!"  He exclaimed, relieving his older cousin that he was safe and sound.  "I need you to come get me at Rich's place and dispatch the entire force to the town hall!  I'll explain it all on the way!  Oh and cuz...I'm gonna need to talk to somepony with a lot of pull.  I need somepony to contact the princesses.  There's a misguided fool who's going to need a pardon that only they can give!"




"I don't even see the point in being here, Vinyl."  Octavia sighed as she and her best friend sat in the audience at the town hall.  "I don't think I can bear to hear that stallion's voice right now."

"I know, Tavi, I know."  Vinyl reassured as she softly patted Octavia on the shoulder.  "Just a few more minutes of this, okay?  It'll let everypony know that you're a good sport."

"At this point, the way I'm feeling, I don't care what the public thinks of me.  That's why I made some calls to look for a new place.  When we get back to the apartment, we're going to start packing...we're *sniff* moving back to Canterlot, Vinyl."

"What?  Why?  Octavia, when we moved here, we were looking for a place that was more quiet than the huge city.  We both agreed that this place was perfect!  Not so big where you could never see the same pony twice but big enough where nopony is inbred!  Tavi, Ponyville is our home!"

"Not anymore, Vinyl...not anymore."

"Fillies and gentlecolts..."  Mayor Mare said as she addressed the crowd with as much false enthusiasm as she could muster.  "The ballets have been tallied and our new mayor will now be sworn in now so let's get this over with so I don't have to look at this piece of sh-"

"Stoooop!!"  A voice screamed from the back of the room causing every head to turn back in alarm.  The presence of the voice's source made nearly made Filthy jump out of his suit as he saw Caramel pointing at him.

"Caramel!!"  Octavia and Vinyl beamed in unison.  The fact that he was now staring Filthy down as the latter stood on the stage was enough proof Octavia needed that her coltfriend was her true hero.

"That stallion's under arrest!"  Caramel shouted much to the confusion of everypony else in the room.

Filthy just stood there dumbfounded, his heart racing faster with each passing second.  More Ponyville police officers and even some help from the state troopers entered the room and blocked off every possible exit.  Filthy was now sweating profusely as he blurted out the first thing that came to his mind.

"How the fuck did you escape?!"  Filthy shouted.

"I didn't!"  Caramel yelled back.  "I was let out!"

"By who?!  Shit, I knew I shouldn't have trusted those big thugs I hired!  If I get a hold of them I'll rip their f-"

"It was me, dad!"  Diamond Tiara shouted as she trotted into the large room.

Filthy did not know what to say, how to react or even how to think as he was just let in on the biggest shock if his life.  His own daughter had ratted him out and ruined his plans.

"Diamond!  Why?!"  Filthy screamed, as Trooper Captain Shining Armor slapped a set of hoofcuffs onto him.  "I'm your father!  Your own father!  How could you?!"

Finally, Filthy was exposed and the town knew that he was nothing but a fraud, a crook, a scam artist and most of all not mayoral material.  As the police lead him down the center isle of the room, Diamond Tiara stopped in front of him to do what she had been waiting so long for.  Now that she could have a moment of her father's undivided attention, she could pour her heart out to him like had wanted to all along.

"Dad, I love you so much but you've gone crazy.  You've become a backstabbing, lying, greedy bastard who puts your own gain before the morals you once had.  You're not the guy mom fell in love with and you're not the hero I once looked up to.  Ever since mom died, you've changed.  How do you think she'd feel if she saw what you've become?  You weren't always like this."

Filthy continued to stare into the sad, glossy eyes of his daughter and with every second, every word that came out of her mouth, the further his heart of stone sank.  For the longest time, he had put his own personal gain and money before the one thing he had in his life that could truly make him happy if he had just paid attention.

"I need you in my life, Dad!  For years, I wanted a relationship with you so badly but now, who knows how long it will be before I can see you again!  I barely even know you anymore, Daddy!  What happened to you?!  What happened to us?!  I just wish you would *snivel* I just want *hic* I-I...I want my dad baaack!!!"

The brave little filly that Diamond Tiara truly was could no longer keep her emotions from showing as she broke down and galloped out of the building, sobbing uncontrollably the entire way.  For the first time in years, Filthy had looked his daughter in the eye and listened to what she had to say, every word cutting through him like a knife.  The hardened stallion was made to think, really honestly think about where his actions were about to lead him and now most importantly what would become of his precious daughter he had emotionally neglected.

"Diamond!  Honey, wait!"  Filthy called out as the police dragged him out of the building.  "Guys, please just let me talk to my daughter!  Diamond Tiara!  Come back!  Please!  Diamond!  I'm sorry!"





The crimes that Filthy knew he was going to be charged with were all serious felonies that according to equestrian law would normally call for a minimum of a ten year sentence.  As the middle aged stallion laid on the jail cell cot, new thoughts of the possibly ruined future rushed though his head.

"You're not the guy mom fell in love with love with love with"

The cold, hard truth echoed through Filthy's head as he experienced an epiphany of sorts during his utterly sleepless night.

"You're not the hero I once looked uo to up to up to"

The hardened tycoon that is Filthy Rich had not cried as hard before in his entire life as he had in that jail cell at the Ponyville town lock-up.  The thoughts of a possibility of spending several years in prison were soon replaced by the anguish of missing his only daughter growing up more than he already had.

"I want my dad baaaaack dad baaaaack dad baaack"

"Dear Celestia in Canterlot, what have I done?!  What have I done?!"

The next three days that passed by were agonizing for the remorseful stallion.  The way his court hearing ended was a good indication of how grim the next several years could be as the judge could barely look at his face.  His lawyer advised him to simply plead guilty to his charges as taking the case to trial would be pointless.  If one would ask him, he may have even said they were the worst in his life.  The once proud husband and father and all around former family stallion was now reduced to nothing but a dirtbag sitting in a jail cell as he awaited his fate.  The entire time, he could not take his mind off his daughter.

"How could I have been so blind?"  Filthy thought to himself.  "So stupid, so selfish...oh my little girl...I've failed my poor little girl..."

"Mr. Rich."  Caramel said as he and his cousin Big Mac approached his cell.  "Come with us.  We've spoken to Princess Celestia herself and she has decided your punishment."

As the cell door opened, Filthy stepped and presented his fore hooves which Caramel then fitted with cuffs.  The two police stallions then lead the miserable stallion out of the police station and into the back of their waiting patrol car.  With Caramel now in the driver's seat, they made their way down the road to who knows where.  Several minutes went by before Caramel finally broke the awkward silence.

"I hope you've thought a lot about what you've done, Mr. Rich."  Caramel stated.

"I have..."  Filthy quietly replied.

"Come again?"

"Yessir, I have thought about it.  I'd give anything to be able to go back and fix things with my daughter.  I've failed her as a father...now because of me, she has to grow up without either of her parents.  I'm the scum of Equestria and let me tell you, Officer...It doesn't feel too hot."

"Well then in that case, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised by what the princess has set up for you.  We're here."

"What?  Already?  But we're still in Pon-er...this is my house...What's going on here?"

"Step out, Mr. Rich."  Caramel instructed as he exited the driver's seat and opened the door to let Filthy out.  "So here's how things are gonna be.  Big mac, if you would please."

"Eeyup."  The big red stallion replied as he knelt down by Filthy and fitted a bracelet firmly around his rear left hoof.  The bracelet in question had a small black box attached to it with a little green light blinking on it.

"Vehicular assault, assault on an officer of the law..."  Caramel began listing the many crimes that Filthy had committed as Big Macintosh removed the cuffs much to Filthy's confusion.  "...ponyknapping, unlawful imprisonment and possession of an illegal tranquilizer that you had some big dumb muscle head shoot at me...five years of house arrest and you will be picked up at eight o'clock every morning Monday through Friday for eight hours of community service for the entire duration of the sentence.  When your five years of house arrest is up, you will be put on an additional five years of strict probation.  Any questions?"

"B-b-but h-how did you even-what did you...how is this possible?!"  The dumbfounded Filthy stuttered.  "I don't understand!"

"A few days ago, I made a promise to a certain little pink filly."

"Dad?"  Diamond Tiara said as she trotted out the front door of the large house.

"Diamond?"  Filthy replied with tear soaked eyes as he turned to face his daughter who was standing on the front porch.

"Your foal needs you, Mr. Rich."  Caramel stated.  "Go to her.  We'll keep in touch."

Without another word, Caramel and Big Macintosh reentered their patrol coach and drove away leaving an awestruck and eternally grateful Filthy Rich behind to make up for lost time.  When the black and white coach was out of sight, he turned back to his filly and did what he was meant to do all along.

"Diamond!  My baby!"  Filthy beamed as he made a full gallop to her.

"Daddy!"  Diamond Tiara exclaimed as she galloped over, meeting him in the middle of their front yard.

The father and daughter embraced after years of drifting apart.  There was not a dry eye on the entire block as ponies passing by witnessed the end of an unpleasant clusterfuck and the beginning of a mended relationship between single father and his daughter.  As Filthy Rich and Diamond Tiara held each other close and drenched one another with endless tears, he vowed that he would never again neglect his precious filly and work hard to fix everything that was broken.

"Tavi...Oh my gosh..."  Vinyl said as she and Octavia observed the heartwarming scene before them from their car across the street.  "This has to be the most beautiful thing I've ever laid eyes on."

"I couldn't agree more, Vinyl."  Octavia replied.  "As stressful and fucked up as the past few months have been, I'd say a lot of good has actually come from it."

"Yeah.  I think I speak for everypony when I wish those two the best.  Now come on.  You've got a new office to decorate, Miss Mayor."

"And a wonderful, amazing stallion in my life!  Woohoo, what a clusterfuck this summer was!"


THE END