Hitmares

by Shane1108

First published 31st of August, 2014

The adventures of Vinyl and Octavia and a large cast of other characters as they try to make a life for themselves in the seedy Canterlot underworld

Some ponies only know about Vinyl and Octavia through their reputation as the owners of the fairly large downtown club "The Hop!". Others though know what they really do. They take care of ponies who become troublesome to Vinyl's aunt Sunset Shimmer as well as sell a bit more than alcohol to the ponies in their club. They don't mind though. Octavia likes the bits and Vinyl loves helping out family (and loves the power she gets from violence even more).

After a few years things have become routine for them. Until one contract from Sunset starts a chain reaction that threatens to destroy the lives of every pony involved with the operation.

Chapter One: A Day in the Life

It was mid December and another cold night in Canterlot. The car chugged along down the snow covered road, spitting exhaust out into the night air as it came down 31st street. A gray earth pony sat in the driver’s seat wearing a black suit and feeling exhausted. It had been another long day for her, and she knew that it was only going to get longer in a few minutes. Jobs like these usually hadn’t ever weighed on her mind, not in years anyways. After the first one it gets a lot easier. Sitting next to her was a cream colored earth pony with curly hair who, as chance would have it, shared the same name as her cutie mark. In the back seat behind the cream colored pony sat a white unicorn, sporting deep red eyes and a spiked mane that was two shades of blue, also wearing a black suit. They were talking amongst themselves as they drove down the road in the late night chill.

“I feel bad about not being able to pay Sunset again like I thought I would.” The cream colored passenger stated. “Times have been tough for Lyra and I lately, no one seems to be interested in my sweets anymore. Sometimes I wished we would have stayed in Ponyville and not gotten involved with Sunset. Not that I don’t appreciate everything that she has done for us, but I just don’t know if it’s all been worth it. Lyra doesn’t even know about all the loans that I got from her. She would never have allowed it but we needed to survive. These things take time, and I’m glad that if nothing else that you two have been there for us. Celestia knows that we need friends now more than ever. Thanks again for the ride by the way Tavi, It’s been forever since I’ve had someone to talk to about these things. I know that maybe it’s a bit of a conflict of interest though.”

The gray earth pony, Octavia (or Tavi to her friends) just nodded to her. “Don’t worry about it” She said in a slightly posh accent. “It’s the least we could do, right Vinyl?”

The unicorn in the back seat nodded. “Yep, it’s no problem Bonnie. Sunset is business, we’re friends. You can talk to us about anything.” Vinyl nodded toward Tavi and the car pulled off of the main road onto a small side street.

Bonnie looked around for a second, confused. “Are we taking a detour or something?” Tavi didn’t answer her.

Before she had a chance to follow up on her question Bonnie suddenly felt something tight wrap around her neck. She couldn’t breathe and started to panic, flailing her front hooves around and grabbing at her neck. Her eyes went wide from fear and realization at what was happening as she started thrashing around trying to break free. It wasn’t working though and things were starting to go dark. With her last moments of strength she turned her mind to her beloved Lyra, just hoping that she would be safe. Then the world slipped away from her, Lyra’s face in her mind the last thought that she ever had.

The car pulled from the side street into an alley and stopped. Vinyl slipped the garrote from her now lifeless former friend’s neck and placed it in one of her pockets. Tavi sighed, turning off the ignition and taking the keys out. “Help me get her into the trunk.” She said to Vinyl as she stepped out of the car. She walked around the back, unlocking and opening the trunk as Vinyl carried Bonnie around from the front seat in her magic, her lifeless eyes still bulging in shock from her final moments. Vinyl dropped her in the trunk with a thud and closed it with her magic.

“Think you can drop me off at the club and take care of her? I’ve gotta open up in like an hour and then head to Sunset’s to tell her that it’s done.” Vinyl said to Tavi as they got back into the car, their job now complete. Octavia wanted to say no. She was never big on getting rid of bodies and was tired from the day.

When she looked at Vinyl she was giving her the trademarked big pleading eyes that Octavia had always found hard to resist. She just sighed, “Fine. But you get to deal with Lyra tomorrow when she starts getting worried about Bonnie disappearing and I’m taking the night off and going to sleep.”

Vinyl just smiled to her, “Deal.” She said, shaking her head.

They drove off into the night towards the club that they ran, “The Hop!” ready to open for another night of ponies looking to drink and get a few other things that were more difficult to find. After dropping Vinyl off at the front Tavi set a course for a warehouse that Sunset owned on the other side of the city, ready to start the long process of disposing of her former friend. She had a long and messy night ahead of her, but it was nothing new. It was just another cold night in Canterlot, as cold as it gets, and she had a job to do.

Hitmares

By: Shane Hunter

Act One: The Bonnie Situation

Chapter One: A Day in the Life

As Celestia was preparing to raise the early morning sun, Octavia was just finishing up at the warehouse. Everything had been sprayed down and what was left of Bonnie had been sealed into barrels with an acidic compound. She had been tempted to not bother with putting the suit back on, she was ready to go home and pass out. She noticed though that some of the blood had missed the apron she was wearing and had stained a couple of places in her coat and decided that it was better to be on the safe side. As she pulled the car out of the main gate she stopped to slip a 100 bit note to the guard watching the front. That’s just how things worked. Enough bits could get you anything that you wanted in this world, and it does wonders in helping others somehow lose their memory for a few key hours if need be.

She had slipped into a sort of groove over the last few years working for Sunset. At first it was hard, things still upset her then. Those days were long gone now though, it was just another job to her. When she started the club with Vinyl after Sunset had put them both through the Canterlot Academy of Music she had hoped that things would slow down a bit, she was getting tired of it all. Things had slowed down in some respects but there was an unspoken agreement between them and Vinyl’s aunt that if ever she needed something taken care of, they would take care of it. It was a thank you for giving them an education and their own club to play their music out of.

The first time she had killed another pony it was actually an accident. It was years ago, before they had gone to music school. She was only 16 at the time. She had been running with Sunset’s crew for a couple of years already after being introduced to her by her niece Vinyl when they were still children. Octavia had moved with her family to Canterlot when she was still a filly, shortly after she had found her love of music and had earned her cutie mark. After her father’s death from a heart attack when she was only 12 her mother was struggling to provide for her and she became angry with the world. It was only her friendship with her neighbor Vinyl that kept her together; they shared their love of music together and found that they had quite a lot in common despite Octavia’s more snobbish parents and upbringing.

When she was 14 Vinyl introduced her to her aunt Sunset and told her that she may be able to help. Sunset saw her anger and fury and sent her to work with Vinyl collecting bits from ponies who owed her, sometimes roughing them up to get what they wanted. Octavia enjoyed it quite a bit, it was a way to get her rage out and provide for her mother. After a jewelry store that Sunset had owned was robbed they were sent to beat the information of what was stolen out of one of the thieves who Sunset had tracked down.

She beat him with everything that she had in her but he wouldn’t tell her anything. She kept getting angrier and angrier and when the stallion had spit in her face she saw red and began pounding him without stopping. Eventually Vinyl had pulled her off and she saw what she had done. His skull was completely caved in and he didn’t have much of a face left. When she realized what she had done she panicked. She had visions of being locked in the castle dungeon for the rest of her life and it took Vinyl wrapping her in a hug to calm her.

After they left she had been afraid to tell Sunset what had happened. When they finally spoke with her the next day, Sunset just placed a hoof on her shoulder and tried to comfort her, telling her that the robber had it coming and not to weep for him. After having some time to sit on it she became okay with what she had done. The more she thought about it, the more she realized that the only thing that she was ever concerned with was the possibility of the penalties that she could face. She didn’t care about the stallion or the fact that he had lost his life. He should have known better than stealing from one of the most powerful mares in the city.

Eventually Sunset had asked her if she thought that she was capable of it again. There had been an informant in her crew who was going to become a witness in a case that they were trying to build against her. She didn’t know who she could trust and the only ponies who she knew wouldn’t be in on it were Vinyl and Octavia. She felt so grateful to Sunset after everything that she had done for her that she took up the task with Vinyl.

They followed him to his home one night and broke in, just in time to see him packing his things and preparing to head into protective custody. She pulled her small snub nosed pistol from her pocket but she hesitated. The stallion then noticed them and reached down into his bag and pulled out his own gun. It was a split second decision and she raised her pistol and shot him just above his right eye. As she watched him slump lifelessly onto the bed she felt a relief. It was either him or her, and when put in that situation she decided right there and then that it would always be her. She never hesitated again after that day.

As the next two years went by it became more and more normal to her. Then on the eve of her and Vinyl’s 18th birthday Sunset offered to send them to music school. They would be able to leave the life for awhile (but occasionally still help out when something needed taken care of) and learn all about the craft that they both shared. Three years later they had degrees and, with money from Sunset, opened up The Hop! to rave reviews. Some nights it was for more laid back classical and jazz music that Tavi enjoyed and others it was for the more abrasive electronic music that Vinyl had become enraptured with. Of course all of that came with a price. The club was essentially a front for Sunsets drug running operations, but neither of them cared. They got to play music and they got a cut of the profits. The only thing they ever had to do was keep the club running and occasionally solve a problem or two for Sunset when she needed it.

Octavia considered it more than a fair trade and was happy to oblige at first. Now though things started to get tiring for her. Sunset’s recent operations had begun drawing heat from the royal guard and they were finding themselves with more and more ponies that needed to disappear. Then there was Bonnie, her friend from music school who had made the mistake of taking out hundreds of thousands of bits in various loans from Sunset and never paying them back. She had even tried to take out a loan from one of Sunset’s rivals, that was the last straw. Sunset had to show that this would not be taken lightly and make an example for anyone else looking to borrow from her so Bonnie had to be dealt with. Octavia wasn’t happy about the assignment at first but soon she started to see it as just another job that needed to be done. Someone was going to do it so it may as well be her, she could always use the extra bits after all.

She thought on all this as she drove home as the winter snow began to fall on the capital city. By the time she made it home the sun was high in the sky and she was ready to be done for the day. She unlocked the door to the large apartment that she and Vinyl shared (a graduation present from Sunset) and began taking her clothes off, letting them stay where they fell as she headed for her bedroom. She was out as soon as she hit the pillow, and had some of the best sleep she had in months.

On the other side of town in a small apartment above a bakery a mint green unicorn with a harp cutie mark was worried sick. Her wife hadn’t come home last night and hadn’t called. That was not like her at all, sometimes she would go out and end up having a bit too much to drink but she would always call when she wasn’t going to be home. She was starting to get desperate. She had called all of her wife’s friends and even her mother but no one had heard from her. She had heard that she was going out to The Hop to meet up with their friends from school, Vinyl and Octavia but she hadn’t been able to get either on the phone.

Finally making one last attempt and hoping to Celestia that someone would pick up she made another call to the club. As the phone continued to ring she was about to give up but there was finally an answer. “Yo.” The voice on the phone called out. There was only one pony she knew who would answer the phone like that, and it was exactly who she was trying to talk to.

“Vinyl is that you?” She asked with desperation in her voice.

“Yep, who is this?” Vinyl coolly answered.

“It’s Lyra, have you seen Bonnie? She said that she was going out last night and that she would be stopping in.”

“Hmm.” Vinyl said, seemingly thinking about it. “Nope. She called Tavi yesterday afternoon and said she would be coming out but she never showed up. Too bad too, I was looking forward to partying with her. You know how she gets when she starts drinking; she’s the life of the party. Is she not at the bakery already?”

Lyra took this in, her wife had been usually reserved but after a few drinks had certainly become quite a bit of fun, and now she was gone and no one knew where. She started to panic more. “No, she didn’t come home last night and she didn’t call either. You know she always calls. Please you have to help me find her. I’m worried sick right now and I’m starting to lose it. I don’t know what to do and…” Every word was coming out faster and faster as Lyra began to panic.

Vinyl was quick to step in though. “Calm down Ly, I’m sure everything’s fine. Why don’t you come over and I’ll make some calls. We’ll find her, I promise.” Lyra was filled with a bit of relief, although she had a feeling deep down inside her that something was horribly wrong. She dismissed it as just being worried and headed down to the club to continue her search.

At The Hop! Vinyl was hanging up the phone, giving a long sigh. She knew that it was going to be a long day and was beginning to regret telling Tavi that she would see to calming down Lyra. The whole thing didn’t really sit well with her in general. They had all been friends since music school and she liked them both. She understood that her aunt’s methods could be seen as…extreme by ponies who didn’t understand how the underworld worked but she knew that it had to be done. Sunset couldn’t appear weak and letting Bon Bon off the hook for so long wouldn’t stand, especially after she tried to get a loan from a competitor.

It still wasn’t fun having to kill one of her own friends. She could usually find fun in this job. She loved it for the most part. She got to take care of problems for her aunt (which she loved), she got to play music for the adoring masses of the capital city and she got to try out all the best drugs that came through town, because for the most part they were coming through her club. She had a pretty good life, and as a full member of one of the most powerful crews in the city she could do pretty much whatever she wanted. The hits were just a nice topping. She was very angry when she was younger and it was a good way to get out some rage, especially when the jobs required getting information before they were taken care of, those were her favorites.

She was always a little different when she was a filly. She loved her friends and family but everyone else was a little afraid of her. She would get into rages sometimes at the slightest provocation and would brutally fight anyone that got in her way. Her mother gave her music as an outlet in the form of a keyboard when she was younger and she loved it, eventually earning her cutie mark from it. Everything changed one day though when she was seven. Her aunt came to her one day crying and told her that something horrible had happened. Both of her parents had been found sitting in their car riddled with bullets on the outskirts of the city earlier that morning. She was devastated and took out her rage on any pony that would dare come around her.

She moved to Ponyville with her older brother Long Play and her grandmother for awhile but she constantly got in fights and even put one filly in the hospital after being picked on in school. After that she moved in with Sunset back in Canterlot with her brother staying behind. After seeing what she was capable of Sunset gave her an outlet for her anger and put her to work. At only 11 years old she was robbing stores for her and by 14 she was shaking other ponies down. Later that same year she got a chance to exact revenge on the pony that killed her parents.

Sunset had found all of the members of the crew that had killed her sister and her brother in law over the years and there was only one that still remained alive. She had him captured and offered Vinyl the chance to finish him. It wasn’t fast. She took her time and enjoyed every second of it. By the time it was over the stallion had begged her for death, which she happily obliged. She wasn’t fazed at all, it thrilled her like nothing else she had ever experienced, and she wanted more. At that time she had kept that life a bit of a secret from her younger best friend Octavia, the only pony who she never got angry at. After Octavia had fallen on hard times Vinyl introduced her to Sunset and they started working together. She even consoled her after her first accidental kill.

After graduating music school she was ready to go into the club business. She loved being a businessmare and making money and she loved being able to get ponies high and show them the wonders of the compositions that she put together. She wasn’t some cheap remixer like other DJ’s in town. Everything was her own down to the last detail and she was very protective of her music. She saw the opportunity to help out Sunset with hits as a bit of fun and a bit of pay back to her for taking her in and giving her everything that she had. She loved the life and everything that came with it and she even found out that she was going to possibly be made a full member soon, which she was overjoyed about. Everything was going very well as far as she was concerned.

It was days like these thought that she didn’t really like. She really liked Lyra and it felt wrong to lie to her like that, and even more wrong for what she was going to do later in the day when Lyra arrived. It was all okay though, she had to push through and get it over with. It was for her aunt so it was worth it. She would do anything to help Sunset and would do it with a smile on her face. As she was thinking of this she had her own little moment of panic. She had forgotten to call her aunt the night before and tell her that it was taken care of. She didn’t want her to be worried.

She picked up the phone once more and dialed Sunset, hoping that she wasn’t upset. She picked up quickly to Vinyl’s surprise. “Hey auntie it’s Vinnie. Sorry I forgot to call last night, things were crazy at the club. It’s all taken care of though.”

She heard her aunt give a little chuckle on the other side of the phone. “Good. Thank you, I’m sure it must have been tough but you understand why it had to be done right?”

Vinyl didn’t even take a moment to think before answering. “Of course I do, I’m sorry it had to come to that but she should have known what she was getting into when she went to Neon for bits. I just feel bad for having to lie to Lyra, she will think that Bonnie left her or something like that. She doesn’t really deserve that but at least it’s better than her finding out the truth I guess.”

Sunset replied with warmth. “Stay strong dear, I know you have it in you. I want to come see you tonight so we can talk about a few things, Octavia too. Do you have time?”

Vinyl smiled. She didn’t see too much of Sunset lately and had always loved spending time with her. “We’ve always got time for you auntie. Just let me know when you want to come in and I’ll be ready.” They said their goodbyes with Sunset planning on meeting her later. Vinyl’s potentially distressing day got a little brighter then at least. She hung up and got things ready for Lyra to arrive, popping a few pills and putting on her best consoling face. She had a job to do.

Just about three blocks from the club on the seventh floor of a large building was Sunset Shimmer, sitting in her office. After hanging up the phone with her niece she started planning her day and reminiscing a bit on just how well Vinyl and Octavia and turned out as well as her business in general. It was in her family for generations after all. They called themselves Il Cavallo Sconosciuto. Years ago after Luna’s rebellion most of Equestria was in chaos, especially Canterlot. An old unicorn clan called the Stonewalker’s then decided that it would be a good time to start taking over their piece of the city. It was all under the guise of keeping their neighborhoods under control, which was a perfect excuse to start Equestria’s first organized crime ring. Over the years they grew large and expanded to cities like Manehattan and Fillydelphia.

There were rules to joining of course. Anyone could be an associate as long as they knew someone, but to be a fully fledged member you had to meet certain criteria. Firstly you had to be a unicorn, there were no exceptions to this rule. There were plenty of well respected Earth Ponies in the organization but they never were full members. There were even a few Pegasi but they had their own groups of organized syndicates in the cloud cities so most of them were not trusted. Secondly you had to be from one of those three cities so they could trace your family lineage back to the old days.

To be made an official member came with privileges that many ponies would kill for. Anyone else in any crew can’t fuck around with you without fear of serious retribution and if anyone who is associated with the group in any way disrespects, robs or kills you it is a guaranteed death sentence for them. Most of the crews operated independently of each other with an elected leadership parliament in each of the cities, Sunset was the downtown representative and had control over the entire area.

She had been a part of it her entire life. Her family had been in it for generations and her father was the local boss. Her younger sister Tantarella had been in it with her as well. Her father was sentenced to prison for life when she was only 25 and she took over. He died from cancer on the inside a few years later. Her sister got out almost entirely after the birth of her first foal Long Play but apparently some ponies didn’t get the message. Years later when her younger daughter was still a filly she was gunned down with her husband and left on the outskirts of town. She was devastated and spent countless resources on finding those responsible.
In the meantime her niece Vinyl was having problems with their father’s mother in Ponyville so she was sent to live with Sunset.

Sunset saw the potential in her to be a future member so she started her working from a young age. She even gave her the chance to avenge her parents, and she was a natural. A few years later Vinyl had brought along her friend Octavia too, who Sunset was more than happy to help, she too turned out to be a natural. After devising a plan to start running drugs she sent the girls to music school. She was so proud when they walked down the aisle with their degrees in hoof. She set them up with a nice place and a club to play music in, also a convenient place for a front from her newly expanded drug empire.

Sunset had it all. She had money; she had power and most of all she had the respect and fear from all who knew her. She loved every second of it and always wanted more. She wasn’t greedy though per se, she just thought that she deserved it after almost 20 years in control of her crew. She didn’t like the killing as much. It was a bad way to do business. You can’t get repeat customers when they are all buried in the mountain or in a barrel somewhere. Regardless though sometimes it had to be done.

It was unfortunate about her niece's little friend Bon Bon. She had met the mare a few times in the past and her wife Lyra had even worked for Sunset a bit before and she liked both of them. She was even content to let the debts go until she found out that she tried to take a loan out from Neon. Business is business after all and she could not look weak or be crossed by anyone. She didn’t originally even want to give the job to Vinyl and Octavia but as the days went on they were the two that she trusted most with jobs like that. For most of her employees they were only that, employees. Those fillies though were family and she knew that they would do anything she asked.

She thought on this as she sipped her morning tea and looked out at the snow falling. She had a good feeling about today. Things had been going well lately, although there had been a bit more heat than she would have liked. That would all be dealt with in time though. Bits made the world spin and she had more than enough to pay off anyone who would try and mess with her operation. She had guards, judges, nobles and everyone in-between on her payroll and they almost always came through for her. On the off chance that they didn’t though she had her beloved niece and her best friend to take care of the situation for her first hoof. Life was good for Sunset, and she thought that it would go on forever. She had a busy day ahead though filled with planning for the next new expansion, things were looking up.

And so as Tavi slept, Lyra poured her worried heart out to the mare that killed her wife, and Sunset planned her eventual takeover of the city Canterlot kept moving with no one even knowing about any of it. To the average pony it was just another winter day in the capital filled with fun and frolicking, perhaps making a snow pony or two and sipping cocoa by the evening fire. They never knew about the world around them. They never wanted to know either. Their world was content without the knowledge of the grime that lay just beneath the gold and marble of the massive city where the princess’s lived. It was the perfect place for ponies like Sunset and her crew to hide in plain sight. A murder here, some extortion or a beating handed out there, everyone got by and the world kept turning. It was just another cold day in Canterlot.

Author's Notes:

This is my very first mlp fanfic so be gentle. Originally this idea was going to be in the form of a comic blog on Tumblr (which is still in production and will take quite a while) but I decided to do both and put the full story on here as well. I wrote up this chapter really late at night so I apologize in advance for any errors that are in there. I hope you guys like the story and I really appreciate any feedback. Thanks for reading! Look for the next chapter sometime within the next few days.

Chapter Two: Hitting the Big Time

Octavia awoke to the sound of her phone ringing. The sun was almost down now but she was still exhausted. As she shuffled out of her bed and to the phone she had hoped that it wasn’t a call for a job. She really wasn’t trying to do much today. She hobbled to the phone and slowly picked it up to answer. “Yes?”

“Why Octavia darling, what’s got you feeling so down today?” A friendly and familiar voice said on the other end. Octavia smiled a bit to herself, she hadn’t talked to her friend in quite some time. She had sometimes preferred the conversations that she would have with another pony with at least a modicum of class that she tried to reflect than those that she would share with Vinyl.

“My apologies Fleur, I just woke up about 30 seconds ago. How have you been?” She said, a smile forming on her lips.

“My my, you certainly slept in late today. It’s not good for you dear. The early bird gets the worm you know. I’ve been fine though either way. Sunset has kept me quite busy as of late, maybe you’ve seen my work in the papers.” Octavia had of course. It was all the tabloids could focus on as of late. They were filled with tales of the mysterious deaths of certain lower members of the noble class by a mysterious mare of the night, whom they were beginning to refer to as “The White Widow” in some articles.

“I have indeed.” She replied. “Though I think it’s best to maybe limit your exposure a bit. We wouldn’t want to have a full on panic on our hooves. You know how fast stories like these can travel.”

Fleur just chuckled. “Pleas dear, we both know that no one actually believes half of the things that they read in those papers. Still though it’s a bit of fun to see my work is at least appreciated on slow news days. That business aside though I was meaning catch up with you, are you busy this evening?”

Octavia thought it over. Her head was still foggy from just waking up and she was still tired from the business that she spent all the previous evening attending to. She didn’t even know what time it was. “I’m not sure what exactly I’m doing but I will most likely be at the club all night. Would you like to come in and have a glass of wine with me?”

Fleur laughed a little bit again. “Well that all depends dear, is it one of Vinyl’s dreadful rave nights tonight?”
This time Octavia laughed as well. She could find enjoyment in Vinyl’s brand of music. She had been hearing it for years after all. It wasn’t all noise once you got into it. There were very complex and enjoyable melodies and sometimes amazing vocal work as well. She knew however that to those of a somewhat more refined taste (or stuck up snobs as Vinyl referred to them as) the music may be a bit much.

“No, tonight we have a jazz trio that has come from Manehattan to play at a few places around the city. They are quite enjoyable from what I’ve heard from others. I think it will be more than fitting to a mare with tastes as refined as yours.” She replied, adding a bit of a joking tone in the last sentence.

“Mock if you like Octavia.” Fleur said in a fake pouting tone. “Just because I don’t exactly fit in with the stuffy upper class of my marks all the time, it doesn’t mean that through my work here that their fancies haven’t at least rubbed off on me a little bit. Either way though I would love to come, I’m not sure exactly when I’ll be able to make it down there but I’ll phone ahead before I head over. I still need to get ready for the evening and you know how that can be sometimes.”

“Sounds wonderful, I’ll see you then. We have some catching up to do. It’s been far too long since we’ve had a chance to share war stories as it were after all.” With that they said a few pleasant goodbyes and Octavia hung up. She moved slowly across the massive apartment, her mind finally starting to fully clear as she woke up. She shuffled into the kitchen and turned on the coffee maker. The day could never fully begin until she had a chance to get her coffee, no matter what time it was.

While she waited for magic caffeine elixir to brew she headed into her room to dress for the evening. She wasn’t feeling a full suit again. Maybe just a nice evening dress for tonight, something simple that still had a bit of class. If she knew Fleur as well as she thought that she did then she had no doubt that the elegant white unicorn would be dressed to impress. She figured it was the least she could do to try and at least compete a little bit with her posh friend.

Later as she sipped her coffee and felt truly awake for the first time since she hobbled out of bed for the phone it rang again. With a bit more pep in her step she reached across the marble island in her kitchen and grabbed it from its receiver. Before she could greet whoever it was on the other end the instantly recognizable voice of her roommate and best friend started speaking. “Yo Tavi, what’s up?”

Octavia smiled without realizing it, as she often did when talking to Vinyl. “Nothing much, just enjoying my morning coffee. I also just talked to Fleur as well, she’s stopping in tonight to catch up.”

Vinyl chuckled, “Morning coffee eh? Have you seen what time it is? And to think that ponies accuse me of being lazy.” Vinyl teased. “It’s going to be good to see little miss stuffy pants. I feel like it’s been forever since she has so kindly graced us with her presence.”

Octavia frowned a bit at this. “I don’t know why you have to be like that sometimes. You know she isn’t like the rest of them. It’s all a part of her cover. You act like she is some snobby noble or something.”

“Look,” Vinyl started. “It’s not that I don’t like her or anything like that. It’s just sometimes I feel like she looks down on us you know? Like spending all that time with those noble pricks has made her actually think that she’s one of them. I feel like she’s changed a lot from when we first met her.”

Octavia sighed. “Why Vinyl Scratch, of all the ponies to pass judgment on another I would hardly think that you would be one to do it so freely with all the fighting of prejudice that you constantly do with your music. Never mind all of that though, what’s up?”
Vinyl paused for a few seconds before continuing. “It’s about Bonnie. Lyra’s here and she says Bonnie never came home last night. We were wondering if you had seen her at all. We’ve been calling around all day and no one’s heard from her.”

Octavia smiled a bit to herself. Vinyl was taking care of it just like she said she would. She hoped everything had been going well with it so far. “No dear I can’t say that I have. The last I spoke with her was yesterday afternoon. Did she not show up at the club last night?”

“No,” Vinyl started and then saying as if she had moved her head away from the phone to someone in the background. “She said she hasn’t heard from her Ly, we’ll have to keep checking.” Then she was back. “Keep your eyes open either way, Lyra is getting worried. Oh also before I forget, Auntie is coming in tonight. She wants to talk to both of us, she says it’s important so you should hurry up and head down here. I’m not sure when she’s going to be here.”

Octavia wanted to sigh. When it came to talking with Sunset as of late “something important” usually meant another pony needed to be disposed of, and often with a deal of urgency and tact involved. They had already done what was requested of them the night before. Was it too much to ask for a night off after that? Fleur was coming in and she had made plans to visit with her. Although if it was something important she would most likely be able to help as well, so at least there was that.

She wasn’t ever really in much of a position to deny a request from Sunset, not that she would even if she could. She still felt that she owed Sunset a great deal and would help out whenever needed, despite being exhausted or worn out. “Okay. I’ll be down there as soon as I get dressed. I’ll see you in a little bit.” With that she hung up and with a small sigh took a sip of her coffee, hoping that she wasn’t in for another long night.

As Octavia was getting dressed for the evening downtown, on the upper east side of Canterlot a tall and beautiful white unicorn mare with a cutie mark that she shared her name with was doing the same. Fleur had originally planned on dressing to impress, something that she had become quite accustomed to over the last five years. Although after reminding herself that all of the pomp and circumstance was just another part of her disguise she decided to go with something simple. She was a downtown mare living an uptown life after all, and she still tried to hold on to her inner city roots whenever she was off duty as much as she could.

She was born with the name Grace Prose (which she always hated) and raised the same way as many others in the lower noble classes. Her family motto was essentially to always aspire to be greater but at the same time know your place within the ranks of society. She always hated it but went along with it for her uptight parent’s sake. As a teenager she would often sneak out at night and head downtown to go “slumming” as her so called friends used to refer to it. It was among the carefree common ponies that she felt like she truly belonged. They were nice, most of them anyways, and they never passed judgment on another pony based solely off of who their family was or how many bits they had.

Everything was going well until shortly after her 16th birthday when she had learned that what she thought was food poisoning ended up being morning sickness. Everything changed after that. Her parents were livid and demanded that she terminate the pregnancy immediately, claiming that it would damage her family’s social standing that they had worked for generations to get beyond repair. When she refused her parents cast her out. They still had her little sister to carry on in her stead and couldn’t be bothered with such an unruly older child and the scandal that would come with her foal.

At first she thought things would be okay. She had friends after all. She thought that despite their sometimes snobbishness they were still good ponies who cared about her. She was wrong. After being kicked out of her house she was a social pariah among the group that she grown up with. They wouldn’t even talk to her, raising their noses to the sky and not even stopping to address her when she saw them on the streets. She began to hate nobility even more after that. She moved away from the rich area of Canterlot after that, choosing to try and find a job downtown with ponies that she could actually stand to be around.

She then spent a few months as a model after being “discovered” by well known fashion photographer Photo Finish as she was walking down Main Street one morning. It was through that job that she met a noble stallion by the name of Fancy Pants. He was nice enough and could at least provide her with a stable life for her soon to be born foal. She even thought that one day she could grow to love him.

That wasn’t to be however as Grace eventually came to a realization that most of us come to when we spend enough time around a pony. She got to know who he really was behind all of his airs and social standing chivalry nonsense. He was a hurtful and abusive monster who was only interested in her as a trophy for his hoof to show off at parties, seen and not heard or else. Luckily for her she learned quickly how to use makeup to cover up her bruises and occasional cuts for social events.

One day though things went too far. He was drunk and in another one of his moods again and she was trying to avoid him as much as she could. It was not meant to be though as they eventually started fighting. She was sitting on the living room couch, minding her business, when he came staggering toward her with a bottle of whiskey held up shakily in his magic.

It started with just a passing statement. “You know once you have that thing you’re going to give it up right away. You’re lucky I happen to believe in the sanctity of life in all of Celestia’s ponies or this would have already been dealt with.” He said to her with venom dripping from each word.

She turned quickly to him, standing up. “That was never the deal. You said it could be ours and that you would help me take care of him. Why do you think I’m even here in the first place?!” She screamed at him.

He just laughed a dark and twisted laugh. “I changed my mind. Maybe one day if you are lucky you can bear my children and actually earn your keep around here. You are lucky that I even let you stay here. You should remember that before you start mouthing off.”

She got right in his face, she had taken just about enough abuse from him. “Fuck you.” She said simply, staring him right in the eyes.

He scowled. “How dare you! You worthless little whore! You seem to be forgetting your place. You will apologize this instant and then head into the bedroom for your punishment.” He got closer to her with each word, backing her into the edge of the couch and getting his face closer and closer to hers.

She wasn’t going to take it anymore, not tonight. She did the first thing that came to her mind without even thinking about it and spat in his face. He took a slight step back and let out a low growl. “You stupid bitch!” He shouted at her.

Then before she had a chance to react he hit her in the head with the bottle, breaking it and knocking her to the floor. She tried to move but he began kicking her over and over in the stomach. When he was finally tired out she was shaking and crying on the floor. He spat on her and then as he was walking away said “I’ll have one of the drivers take you to the hospital. Maybe this should be a lesson to you about learning your place. She didn’t hear it though, she had already passed out.

When she woke up she was sitting in a hospital bed. Her head was on fire and it hurt to breath. A nurse was staring down at her. “I’m not sure what happened to you miss but the driver who brought you here said you took quite a tumble. You are lucky to be alive.” She said with a sad smile. “I have some terrible news for you though. The damage was extensive and there were a few complications. We couldn’t save the foal. I’m so sorry.”

She couldn’t put it together at first. Her head was killing her and it took some time for the message the nurse had given her to connect. Once it did though she was broken. She couldn’t think, she couldn’t speak, and she never cried. Any sadness quickly turned to a deep hatred and rage inside her. All she could do was scream. The nurse tried to comfort her but she was pushed away and eventually left her to herself.

Later that night she managed to get up and check herself out of the hospital, despite the pony at the front desk warning her that it was too soon to go. She didn’t care. She had something that she had to do. She managed to walk all the way to Fancy Pants’ large estate from the hospital, it took almost two hours but she never noticed. Her mind was set on one thing only. The guards noticed who she was and let pass through the gate.

She walked inside and began her search. She found Fancy passed out with a bottle next to him on his bed. With a twisted smile she picked up the bottle in her magic and then in one swift motion slammed it down on his head with as much force as she had. As it shattered he began to stir. She didn’t stop there though, she took what was left of the neck of the bottle and started thrusting it into him as fast and as many times as she could, laughing to herself the entire time.

When the deed was done there wasn’t much left of him that was even recognizable. She slumped down from the bed onto the floor, leaving the bottle neck stuck into his chest. As she sat there soaked in his blood her mind started coming back to her and she began to realize the full extent of what she had just done. She had murdered a noble, and not just a lowborn. Her survival instincts then took over and she ran out of the back of the house and hopped the fence, running as fast as she could into the night.

She remembered hearing about a pony who could fix things from Fancy once. Someone had been extorting him and he called a mare named Sunset Shimmer to make it all go away. That pony was never heard from again. She went with him to meet with Sunset and remembered where the place was, so she made her way there as fast as she could.

As dawn arrived she finally reached Sunsets office. After explaining to Sunset what had happened in detail everything had finally caught up with her and she broke down in Sunset’s office, sobbing into the desk. Sunset came up to her and gave her a deep hug.
“I’m so sorry sweetie. I never knew how much of a monster he was. I promise I’ll take care of it. You won’t ever have to worry about it again.” She said as Grace buried her had into the shorter unicorns shoulder, crying heavily. “Dry your eyes honey, tears are for the weak. You are not weak, never forget that.”

The next morning just as Sunset promised, no guards came from her. Somehow the official guard report came out saying that Fancy Pants was found dead from an apparent suicide. It was a revelation that shocked the public with vigils being held for one of the kindest nobles in Canterlot as ponies openly wept, regretting the sudden and tragic loss of such a great and influential pony.
After she had healed she learned a spell from one of Sunset’s associates to change her coat color from the natural baby blue that she was born with to pure white and changed her name to that of her cutie mark (which she didn’t even remember getting, one day it was just there) and she started her life anew.

She then asked Sunset if there was anything that she could do to help her after everything that she had done for her. Sunset knew about her deep hatred for nobility and the brutality that she was capable of so she made Fleur an offer to get back at the nobles a bit for shunning her, and offer which she accepted without even thinking twice. She was sent in to gather information, use blackmail and even kill when needed.

It had been over five years since that day, and as much as she despised the high society persona that she had to adopt to do her job she loved every minute of her duties and did them with both pride and joy. With every noble mare or stallion that she made disappear (sometimes leaving them where she killed them, leading to her infamous tabloid moniker) she felt a little more alive inside. The bits were just an added benefit to the job. She truly thought that she was doing good work in ridding Equestria of its disgusting ruling class.

She had made quick friends with the slightly older Octavia and Vinyl. They all were broken ponies in one way or another and that bonded them together. They were her only real friends as far as she was concerned. She had many associates from her double life but they were nothing but cover for her and for the most part she couldn’t care less about them. When she was around Octavia, Vinyl and Sunset she could really be herself again, something that she didn’t get much of a chance to do often. She relished their meetings together, especially with Octavia and would try and arrange them whenever she had free time. She was especially looking forward to tonight, it had been weeks since they had a chance to catch up and she had some great stories to tell.

After dressing up in a basic black and purple dress, Octavia had made her way into the club just after the moon had risen. The place was empty except for the figure of two unicorns behind the shaded glass into the office. Lyra was nowhere to be found. As she opened the door to the office she was greeted by the sight of Vinyl sitting behind the desk as she put out a cigarette that was being held in her magic in an ashtray on the desk. She had a smile on her face and looked like she was in mid conversation with the other pony in the room, her surrogate aunt Sunset Shimmer.

Vinyl whistled at her. “Wow, look who’s all dressed up tonight. You got a date coming that I don’t know about or something there misses fancy? I thought you only had eyes for me? Maybe I’m losing my touch.”

Octavia had blushed a bit. It was true that she once had a large crush on Vinyl but never acted on it. Vinyl knew about it and would constantly poke fun at her for it, much to her displeasure. Before she had a chance to respond though Sunset spoke up.
“Oh you hush, I think she looks beautiful. Besides don’t you remember me telling you that there doesn’t have to be a reason to want to look good? Sometimes looking good can make you feel good and there is nothing wrong with any pony, mare or stallion, wanting to dress up a bit now and then.”

Octavia came up to her and gave her a hug before sitting down in the chair next to her across the desk from Vinyl. “Thank you Auntie. It’s not my fault that this ruffian has no taste outside of the clothes that I dress her in.” She looked over to Vinyl who was wearing a simple white silk button up with tight white pants. “Maybe someday you will thank me for it.”

Vinyl just smiled at her. “I doubt it. Besides I always look good no matter what I’m wearing. Although I’m sure you already know that don’t you. All that’s beside the point though, wait until you hear what Auntie has to say. Your day is about to get a whole lot better.”

The both turned to look at Sunset expectantly. She cleared her throat and began to speak up. “Thank you Vinyl, I’m glad that you are excited. Basically to make a long story short I’m so happy with the way that things have been going with the trade through here and so proud at how well you two have been doing that I’ve decided that it’s time to step things up a bit. I’ve got a new supplier in Fillydelphia who has a lot of product to move but no clients. I offered him our services, at a very large markup of course. Things are about to get very busy around here. The best part is though is that I want you and Vinyl to run the entire thing. We’ll split it evenly instead of the 10 percent that I have been giving you. That plus the regular income that you two make from this place should lead to quite a bit of wealth coming to both of you.”

Octavia processed everything that was being told to her and the more she put it together the larger the smile on her face became. This was finally it. It was time to start making some real bits. She had an idea of how much Sunset was making off of the 90 percent of the usual take from the drugs that they were running and it was no small sum. Getting half of that would make both her and Vinyl wealthier than they could have ever thought of. She couldn’t wait to get started.

She wrapped Sunset in a hug. “Thank you so much Auntie. I promise we won’t let you down. There aren’t words for how much we appreciate this.”

Sunset just smiled and returned the hug. “Of course you won’t let me down. I would have never given this to you two if I didn’t have the utmost trust in both of you. We are about to all become extremely wealthy and I know that you two can make me even more proud of you than I already am. I’ll still need you to take care of the occasional problem for me though of course if the need arises, I trust you both more than just about any pony else around and I know you can get the job done.”

The worry about taking another job was gone from Octavia’s mind. She could do anything for Sunset now knowing just how many bits she stood to make over the coming months. She would be ready to do anything that Sunset could ask of her and she would do it with a smile. Things were finally about to start happening for her and Vinyl. It’s what they had always dreamed of since they were fillies. They were about to finally make it.

Before more hugs and kind words could be exchanged there was a knock at the door from one of the security ponies. “Excuse me, but Miss Fleur is here to see you Octavia.” The bulky stallion said through the door.

Octavia cocked her head for a second and blinked. “Well that was much earlier than I thought. The band isn’t showing up for another half hour. Either way you’ll have to excuse me Auntie. Thank you again though.” She stood up and as she was walking to the door Sunset got up as well.

“I think I should be off anyway. I’ve got some business to attend to back at the office. You girls have a good night. We’ll get into more details about this tomorrow sometime.” She hugged Vinyl and gave her a kiss on the forehead and then walked out into the club with Octavia to see Fleur standing in a basic (for her usual attire) but beautiful white evening dress that had a few sparkles on it.

Sunset walked over to her and gave her a small peck on both cheeks. “Fleur my dear, it’s great to see you. You’ve been doing great work up there in high society. How have you been?”

Fleur returned the pecks and smiled at her savior. “I’ve been wonderful, although quite a bit busy as you know.” She chuckled a bit
at that, “I’m just here to catch up with Tavi over a few glasses of wine. It’s been far too long.”

Sunset smiled to them both. “Well girls don’t let me stop you. I was just heading out. I may have a new job for you here in a couple of weeks but I’m not sure yet. I’ll let you know. Until then have a wonderful evening. I’m sorry I’ve kept you so busy that you haven’t had much time to come in.” With that she made her exit. Tavi and Fleur then took a seat at one of the tables that had been quickly prepared by one of the clubs waiters, who was already bringing a bottle of red wine and two glasses.

After hugs were exchanged across the table and the first sips of wine were had, Fleur was the first to speak. “So darling, how have you been? It’s been too long.”

Octavia smiled warmly, taking a long sip of her wine and enjoying the taste. It was an excellent vintage, something that Sunset had seen to personally when choosing the stock for the club. “To be honest I’ve had a long week but things are starting to pick up after meeting with Sunset, especially now that you are here too. How about yourself?”

Fleur returned the warm smile. “I’ve been pretty good. Busy as we discussed earlier but it’s been quite a bit of fun. You should have seen the last one who I just got finished with a few days ago. The look on his face when he realized that it was all over was too priceless. I guess bits can’t always buy everything.”

They laughed at that and continued sharing stories over multiple glasses of wine. After awhile the club opened and ponies started filling it. Eventually the band set up and began to play. They both were a little tipsy by that point but they both enjoyed the music and even had a few dances to different songs. All in all it was a good night at The Hop! for them and one that would serve as another happy memory in the dark days that were to follow.

Later that evening on the seventh floor of Sunsets office building she was sitting by herself holding a glass of scotch in her magic, looking out of her window towards the castle that rose up high into the sky at the edge of the city and waiting. Finally a knock came at her office door. “Come in darling. You’re quite late you know. You’re lucky I’m in such a good mood today.” She said as she used her magic to unlock the door.

An younger orange coated pegasus stallion stepped in, still wearing his royal guard armor. “Sorry,” he began. “They kept me later than usual tonight for some kind of ceremony. It was a boring waste of time. I got here as soon as could.”

She turned to face him. “Don’t worry about it Flash dear. Please have a seat. Would you like a drink?” The pegasus took off his helmet, shaking out his dark blue hair and sat in the large comfy chair at her desk, taking the glass that Sunset levitated towards him. She smiled at him. “Anything new to report?” She asked, looking intently at him.

He cleared his throat for a second, thinking about it. “No. Well, not really anyways. The situation we had with the disappearance of those two nobles you took care of last week has been chalked up to a simple vacation mishap of sorts. Also I was able to switch around guard rotations to make sure that when your new shipment comes in from Fillydelphia you have friends to see to it that it gets to where it needs to go. Everything is taken care of.”

She cracked a huge grin at this. “Wonderful, just wonderful. Things are about to start looking up my dear Flash. I’ve got big things coming and the more you help me the more you will be rewarded.” She stood up and walked around the desk, sauntering to the door and raising her tail a little bit to give him a tease. “Speaking of rewards,” She said as she shut the door and locked it. “I think you are about due for one now.” The smile on his face grew as a certain other body part of his started to as well.

As the night came to an end in the city of Canterlot, change was on the horizon. None of them knew it yet but soon their lives were all going to change forever. A chain reaction was brewing that would bring most of them untold wealth but along with it also untold heartache and pain. The snow began to fall on the city as the ponies that made up Sunset’s crew enjoyed one of the last few peaceful nights that they would all have in quite some time.

Author's Notes:

So here we are with chapter two. I had a lot of fun with this one and ended up greatly expanding on Fleur's back story much more than I originally had planned. As this is my first fic I always appreciate any feedback and if I made any mistakes let me know. I'm a full time teacher so I often write these late at night when I haven't slept so sometimes things slip in that aren't supposed to. Anyways look for chapter three "Help Wanted" soon and thanks for reading!

Chapter Three: Help Wanted

A little over a week had passed since Sunset had delivered the good news and already the wheels were in motion for their new plan. The shipments were on their way with the first one arriving that night and with that in mind Vinyl and Octavia made a decision that it was time to take on some new staff to take some of the workload off of themselves while they tried to manage their budding new drug empire. The only other employee outside of the three guards that they employed at the time was a light brown unicorn mare with purple and white hair named Velvet Melody who had started as an act for the club in its early days but wasn’t reaching the breakthrough success in music that she expected when she came to Canterlot from her home town of Vanhoover a little over a year ago (as many others who came to the capital to chase their dreams had similarly found out over the years).

She would usually tend to tables as well as occasionally performing on slow nights when there were no other acts booked. She was a nice mare who was friendly enough as far as Octavia and Vinyl were both concerned and she had even helped them get some new clients when they first started out in the drug trade. You could almost always count on musicians to either be into that sort of thing or at least know someone else who was and in Velvet’s case she was both.

The first official new hire came in the form of Vinyl’s older brother Long Play, whom she hadn’t actually seen since her graduation from music school. He showed up to inform her of the passing of their grandmother and decided to stick around at least until Hearths Warming to stay with her. The next day she offered him a job as a DJ on the club nights as well as doing odd jobs around the club when it got busy, which he happily accepted.

The third and final hire came from a pony who was as down on her luck as anyone else, especially for someone with luck in her name. Roseluck was an earth pony mare in her late 30’s with a light yellow coat and two shades of violet in her mane and a rose cutie mark that had left her old life as a flower shop owner in Ponyville behind to start fresh in the big city. Unfortunately her new flower shop had lasted only 8 months before a fire had destroyed it and with no insurance she was faced with two options. She could either pack it in and admit that the city had bested her and return home a failure to the mocking of her friends who co-owned her old shop or step up and try and raise money here to start over. She chose the latter.

After looking around for what felt like ages she stumbled on a help wanted ad for a rising club downtown looking for ponies willing to work for decent pay with a fairly relaxed schedule. Vinyl had interviewed her and despite making multiple inappropriate jokes and even overtly hitting on her they got along quite well and she was hired on the spot. This evening found her talking with Octavia and Vinyl an hour before opening about what she needed to do for her first night on the job.

“It’s pretty simple really.” Vinyl started. “Just look for ponies that need drinks and make them for them. When the drinks are empty then get them another one. Make sure that they are all taken care of and happy and you will be fine. They’ll even usually leave a good tip too, especially for a mare as cute as you.” She finished with a wink and a sly grin.

“I’m sure you will do fine Rose. Just put on a nice smile and do your best.” Tavi said, ignoring the blatant flirting that was taking place as she usually did when Vinyl got up to her antics. She knew it was only a matter of time before the friendly flirting would turn into propositioning and she wanted to curb it fast before things got out of hoof.

Vinyl was what some would call abusive when it came to intimacy. Sometimes so much that they had, on more than one occasion, ended up taking what was left of a mare of the night to Sunset’s warehouse in the wee hours of the morning. That was something Octavia was certainly not planning on doing again and had no intentions of losing the new employee that they desperately needed. She needed to keep Vinyl in check, at least for now.

Rose nodded her head and smiled at them. “Thanks again for the opportunity. I really appreciate it. I’ve been having a really bad time lately and I’m glad I’m finally getting the chance to start over.”

They both smiled back, with Octavia adding “It’s no problem at all dear. They say this is the city of second chances after all.Everyone deserves at least one.” With that Vinyl went off to prepare for the first shipment while Octavia began showing Rose around the club. After walking around to the back of the bar Octavia looked around to make sure no one else was around.She then leaned in close to Rose. “Just so you know dear. Vinyl may be a flirt but I can assure you that she is quite serious. I would be cautious around her if I were you. You may not be fully aware of what you could be getting into.”

Rose was a little taken aback by this. She had sensed that it may have been a bit more than flirting but what could that possibly hurt? She was single after all and it had been quite some time since anyone had really shown much interest in her, mare or stallion. She was open for a lot of things, especially in a big city where no one knew who she was and couldn’t judge her.

She gave a slight blush and a smile to Octavia. “Oh, you don’t have to worry about me. I’m sure everything will be okay. Besides, I don’t mind the extra attention. It’s been awhile since anyone has really said anything like that to me.” She ended it with an awkward chuckle, not knowing exactly how to deal with what Octavia was telling her.

Octavia just shrugged. “Whatever you say darling. Just remember that I tried to warn you. Anyways…” She went on describing to Rose how to make certain drinks that were house specials and the prices for each of them. Just as Rose’s head started to spin from all the new information coming at her at once she was saved by a knocking at the door. “Excuse me for a moment dear, my apologies.” Octavia said as she rushed over to the door.

Octavia pulled open the door just enough to stick her head out. “I’m sorry but you’ll have to come back later we aren’t open…” She paused when she realized who the pony was that had been knocking. It was a very disheveled Lyra. Looking like she hadn’t slept in quite some time with her fur sticking up in spots and matted in others and her mane spiked in strange directions. “Oh my, are you okay Lyra?” She asked, genuinely feeling for her old friend from school.

Lyra’s eyes began to twitch. “No!” She said, quite a bit louder than she had planned on. “Bonnie's still gone, I’ve called everyone I could think of dozens of times and still no one has seen her. Then yesterday I got a call from the bank that said that they were going to foreclose on the bakery soon if I didn’t make a payment. I thought she owned the bakery! I didn’t even know we had any debt. How could she not tell me about that kind of stuff?” She began speaking faster and faster with the twitch in her eye becoming more pronounced.

Octavia made a quick decision then to calm her down. She pulled her inside the club and wrapped her in a deep hug. Lyra began crying almost immediately, sobbing deeply into her friends shoulder. “Shh. Calm down, it’s going to be okay. Just take a few deep breaths.” Octavia whispered into her ear.

“I just don’t know why she left.” Lyra choked out between her sobs. “I love her so much. If she had these problems she should have just talked to me and not tried to run out on them. It’s not like her.”

Octavia ran her hoof through Lyra’s mane still whispering in her ear to soothe her. “I’m sure she’ll come back dear. Maybe she just needed to get away. Things must have just been too much for her. We both know how she can overreact under pressure sometimes. She just probably needs some time to figure things out. Who knows, maybe she’s out there somewhere trying to get some money to bring back.”

Lyra finally resolved herself to stop crying and after sucking up the rest of her tears she pulled her head from Octavia’s shoulders and looked her dead in the eyes. “I have to fix this. I can’t let the bakery go, especially if she comes back. I have to figure out a way to save it. I need to come back to work for Sunset. Do you think she would let me?”

Octavia reeled inside from the irony of the situation that was playing out in front of her. It was starting to look like Sunset would be getting paid back for the debts after all, in one way or another. Outside though Octavia just smiled at her, finally saying “I don’t think she would have a problem with that, you were always a good earner. She’s going to be here later tonight to drop some things off. Why don’t you stay until then and we can see if we can get things sorted.”

Lyra wrapped her in another hug at this and the tears started again, although only lightly this time. “Thank you so much Tavi. I don’t know where I would be without friends like you and Vinyl. I promise I’ll do whatever she needs done. I can’t let the bakery go.” Octavia just hugged her back, almost bemused at the absurdity of the situation in which she found herself. Life could be pretty funny in horrible ways sometimes. She was no stranger to that.

She just gave Lyra another pat on the shoulders. “It’s no problem, honestly. We would love to work with you again. It will be just like old times. She should be here in a few hours if you want to take a seat here I’ll have the new girl get you a drink. Also if you want to talk to Vinyl she’s in the back office. Just knock first, who knows what she could be getting into in there.” She finished with a smile that seemed to put Lyra at ease. It seemed like that was all that needed to be said as Lyra walked over to the bar and sat down. Octavia turned to Rose and motioned to Lyra with her head. Rose went straight to work and the two began talking.

Across town the Friendship Express was pulling into Canterlot station on a direct trip from Fillydelphia. For some reason unbeknownst to most ponies there was a detachment of the royal guard waiting for it at the station with a large truck marked with the guard insignia. Among the normal platoon of white and gray unicorns stood a Flash Sentry making sure that everything went according to plan with Sunsets shipment.

He took pride in what he did for her. He, like many others who found themselves in her employ, had a deep respect for her and what she had done for him in the past. He started life in a rundown orphanage on the riverfront near the outside edge of Canterlot. Growing up as the only pegasus in the orphanage had him marked as an easy target for bullying from a very young age. When he was younger he would try and hover above them to keep away from their punches and kicks but once they began to learn how to use magic he had to learn how to fight back. After fighting with the other foals just to defend himself for most of his life he finally had enough and decided that it was time to go on the offensive.

Shortly afterward he singled out one of the most abusive ponies that he had dealt with for most of his life and woke him up in the night, pulling him out of his bed and waking up the others and proceeded to beat him senseless as the others looked on in shock. Flash wasn’t going to be pushed around anymore. Of course the next day when they sent his former bully to the infirmary with many of them doubting that he would survive he was kicked out of the orphanage and left out on the street to figure out his next move.

He went on to do what most violent teenagers on the street at his age would do and became a petty criminal. This went on for about six months until he had made the mistake of trying to rob Sunset’s offices late at night. What he didn’t know was that she was still there. She was going to kill him, as she would anyone else who had made the same mistake until she saw how young he was. He was skinny and dirty and his coat was matted in places. She couldn’t help but feel bad for the poor colt and decided to give him a job.

She cooked up something special for him though. He was obedient and strong as well as quite loyal to her once she took him into her care. No one had ever treated him nicely before in his entire life until that point. He was only met with hostility due to his wings and lack of horn by everyone from the foals to even the adults in the orphanage. She decided that what he would be best at would be as her first full time undercover operative in the royal guard. So after getting him cleaned up and spending some time with her getting healthy she enrolled him just after his 17th birthday.

He loved it right away. Everyone was worthless in the eyes of the superiors. Throughout the grueling 14 weeks of training he did his best to stand out from all the unicorns that he was surrounded with and found that he was actually a pretty exceptional soldier. He loved the order and the schedule as well as being able to take out his anger in a positive way. He also loved the respect and occasional admiration that he got from his comrades. No longer was he just a lowly pegasus, unworthy to even share the same food with a unicorn. It wasn’t long before he made Lieutenant at the age of only 21.

Beneath it all though was his true allegiance. He would do anything for Sunset for helping him reach what he had become, anything. No matter what she had asked of him he would always find a way to get it taken care of. From giving information on potential informants to destroying evidence and even occasionally making ponies disappear that her usual squad didn’t have access to. At first he was a little conflicted about breaking the laws that he was sworn to uphold but the more he thought about it the more he knew that he had to repay Sunset for making his life untold amounts better than it would have been. Especially when after the drunken haze of a night that was his 25th birthday when she told him about how handsome he looked in his guard armor. One thing led to another and then by the time morning came he had even another reason to be loyal to Sunset.

Days like today always made him happy. He got to help out Sunset and knew that he would be rewarded for it, one way or another. After everything was loaded up he slipped some extra bits to each of the guards who helped him and took the truck himself to Sunsets office. Once he arrived he trotted up with his helmet in hoof and a smile on his face which grew even wider when as he saw Sunset waiting for him with a smile on hers as well.

“So,” She started, putting her hoof on his shoulder. “I trust it’s all taken care of then?” As she said it she started rubbing his shoulder, eliciting a sigh from the pegasus. It turns out moving crates while in full armor without the help of magic could really take a toll on you after doing training drills with new recruits for most of the morning.

“Yes ma’am. It’s all in the truck downstairs waiting for you.” He said as he moved into her impromptu massage with his eyes closed. “Do you want me to get someone to bring it up?” He asked as he turned his head to the side.

“No, don’t worry about that.” She started as she walked around him continuing his massage and sliding pieces of his armor off. I’m going to have it all shipped out tonight and take a chunk of it to the club myself later. The girls will be happy to see just what they’re working with, I think we’re going to make a lot of bits together.” She then stood him up to undo the underside of his chest piece and started to rub his stomach. “I think that can wait for a little bit though, don’t you?” He couldn’t speak though; he was already two steps ahead of her.

As night had just began to fall at the club a few hours later things were getting in full swing as a local indie rock trio was just getting into their set. The turnout that night was great, especially for a relatively unknown local band. Just about every table in the house was taken and there were even some ponies on the dance floor. Velvet was making her rounds from table to table with Long Play as Rose stood with Vinyl behind the bar learning the intricacies of mixing drinks and occasionally talking with Lyra.

Vinyl was doing her best to hit on Rose and Rose was doing her best to pretend to ignore it. Lyra had calmed down considerably after a few drinks and was actually beginning to enjoy herself a bit with the company of her old friend and a potential new one and music that she really enjoyed in the background. Octavia was eating dinner in the office upstairs and taking in the music coming from the club below and waiting for the call from Sunset. She ended up not having to wait long though when just as she started digging into her salad the phone rang and the news that she would be stopping by soon and to get Vinyl ready. She also had told her Sunset about Lyra’s need for employment and after they shared a laugh at the irony she agreed to consider it.

A few minutes later after barely pulling a slightly drunk Vinyl (someone had to taste Rose’s concoctions after all to make sure they came out okay) away from Rose and taking Lyra in as well Sunset came in the door with two large crates held in her magic and a huge smile on her face. “Well girls I told you this was finally going to pay off and here it is! Welcome to the future of our business together. This is only the beginning too. I want you to try and get these out sometime before the holiday and I’ve got more ready right away.”

She pulled open the crates and hidden inside an assortment of books were bags of shining clear crystal powder. All of the mares in the room eyes lit up at the possibilities. Octavia saw the bits, Vinyl saw the potential for fun and Lyra saw the opportunity to provide some assistance and save the bakery. It was at this point that Sunset looked to Lyra. She hadn’t even recognized her in the room. She was too excited at her big reveal to even notice her sitting there.

“Oh.” She started, losing her smile for only a fraction of a second. “I’m sorry Lyra I didn’t even see you there. Octavia told me about the unfortunate business of your dear Bon Bon leaving and that you may need some help getting back on your hooves with some debt. I think that we may be able to make that work. It can be just like the old days again. Although you should know that I fully expect you to not be afraid to get your hooves dirty. What do you say?”

Lyra’s smile grew massive and a tear came from her eye as she jumped up and wrapped Sunset in a tight hug. “Thank you so much Sunset. I promise I won’t let you down. Once I get everything paid off I know Bonnie will come back. I’ll do anything you want I swear. Just give me a chance and I’ll do it.” Sunset was caught off guard at first but eventually returned the hug, seeing her chance to test out the new girls resolve to the cause and her loyalty.

“As a matter of fact I do have a little something for you. I needed Vinyl and Octavia to go out on a little job for me later tonight but maybe one of them can go with you instead. I need someone to go and have a little chat with a former friend of mine who decided that he would be better on his own and doesn’t want to pay his dues. It’s nothing too heavy so I think it would be a good place to start. What do you say?”

As Sunset finished Lyra was already nodding her head in agreement. “I’m all for it. I won’t let you down.” She said sternly, looking Sunset right in the eyes. She would do whatever it took to get the bits she needed to bring Bonnie back. It’s not like she hadn’t been there before and although it took Bon Bon to bring her out of it and show her how bad it could be she had no issues getting right back in to bring back the mare she loved.

Octavia and Vinyl looked towards each other, silently deciding who would be the one to take Lyra out for the late night work. Vinyl was the first one to speak up. “I’ve gotta stay here to make sure the new girl keeps everything up. She’s doing okay so far but you never know. Also if we are going to be spreading this new shit out there we need someone to be the official tester and I will volunteer for it. I know it’s a rough gig but someone’s got to do it.”

Octavia just frowned. She knew that an argument wouldn’t work, eventually she would get the sad eyes from Vinyl and she wouldn’t be able to refuse. Also she wanted to see just how dedicated Lyra could be so she decided to bite the bullet and take one for a team. “Fine. Just don’t do anything stupid while I’m gone.” She said with a sigh.

Vinyl cracked a huge smile and levitated one of the bags out of the box and a knife from her hip. As she cut it open and spread a good sized line on the table she put her nose straight to the table and gave a huge sniff. Her eyes grew wide and she slammed both hooves down on the table, sitting her head up straight. “Holy shit. That’s what I’m talkin’ about!” She then quickly stood up and began speaking loud and fast. “Thanks Auntie, I gotta go work the club now. The new girl isn’t going to teach herself. Thanks again for covering for me Tavi, have fun with LyLy!” With that she had already exited the room and was heading down the stairs by the time they had realized exactly what she had said.

Octavia’s frowned deepened. Vinyl got to spend the night flirting (and probably more) with the new girl while being super high and she had to go out and bust someone’s head open to teach a lesson. At least if nothing else by the look on Vinyl’s face the new stuff would sell well and the ponies would be breaking down her door to get more. The image of her bank account rising steadily and the new house and cello that she would soon be buying turned her frown slowly into a smile.

“Tavi? Hello? Are you there?” She heard Lyra say from somewhere far away. She blinked as Lyra was moving her hoof in front of her face. She realized that she had been staring off into space as the thoughts of flowing bits entered her mind. She let out a small embarrassed cough and a bit of a blush started to show through her gray coat.

Sunset just smiled to her. “Thinking of the bits again dear? Don’t worry, it won’t be long now. I’m off though, I have a few more deliveries to make before the night is over.” She levitated over a piece of paper to Lyra. “Here are all the details for tonight’s job. I’m sure you’ll do fine. Good luck!” With that she was off and the others followed shortly after.

As they walked into the club the night was in full swing. The band was being very well received and the dance floor was crowded as well as the bar. Octavia looked over to it just as they made their way out of the front door to see Vinyl eagerly chatting up Rose. A small pang of something similar to jealousy struck her then. She knew Vinyl was just trying to get laid but sometimes she had wished it was her. Her crush was more than that, she was full on in love with her partner in crime during most of their friendship but didn’t think that Vinyl would ever be able to commit so she left it alone and locked her feelings away. She had always considered that one day after Vinyl had calmed down that they would have a chance to be together and it was that thought that made watching Vinyl get with any mare that she could bearable.

After she walked out Rose watched in awe as Vinyl went a mile a minute with her words. She couldn’t keep track of much of it after awhile but was still enraptured with her style and confidence. She had to admit that even though she seemed a little bit on the crazy side that she was certainly beautiful and had something about her that really turned her on, although she couldn’t quite put her hoof on it.

“Anyways.” Vinyl said, her tirade seemingly over. “I’m gonna be real with you right now. How about we go up to the office and get a little bit more acquainted. I promise I’ll go easy on you.” Rose was a little taken aback at first but after giving it only a few seconds of thought she decided that it was time to throw caution to the wind and do something unexpected and possibly very irresponsible. Her life up until then had been boring and predictable and she was ready for something new, she didn’t care what.

She leaned into Vinyl and planted a soft kiss on her lips. “Don’t worry about going easy. I think I can handle everything you’ve got.” She said, wrapping her tail around Vinyl’s back legs. That was all it took to set Vinyl off. The drugs were working their magic on her and she was already ready for action. She grabbed Rose by the hoof immediately and pulled her through the crowds up into the office, locking the door behind them.

As all this happened no one noticed a stallion who was sitting by himself in the corner. He was pale blue with three white stars adorning his flank and a spiked black mane. He was wearing a black button up shirt and a white tie as well as black aviators, even when inside. He had been watching quietly as his former boss brought in two crates and as his former friend just took one of the barmaids upstairs in a frantic rush. The wheels began turning in his head as he hatched a plan to himself about how to deal with the new competition that his business would surely be facing soon. It was time to put a stop to this new expansion before it even started.

Author's Notes:

And here we are with another chapter. Not a whole lot happens in this one I know but we are now just about done setting up most of the characters for the story of the first act. This story is already more popular than I would have ever imagined (it was originally just going to be the written out version of a comic blog that is still in progress but now I'm going full in on both versions) and I'm super happy about it. Thanks for everyone who has read, liked and fave'd it. This is still my first pony story so you'll have to excuse any strange things. I'm always looking for constructive criticism so if you have any I'd love to hear it. Thanks again for reading and look for chapter four: "The Hearthswarming Eve Massacre" soon. It's when the story really starts to kick off.

Chapter Four: The Hearth's Warming Eve Massacre

Octavia and Lyra chugged along the snowy streets of Canterlot headed for a lower east side apartment to have a “chat” with a unicorn named Starry Skies who, according to the information that Sunset had given them at the club, was deep purple with a light brown mane and a cutie mark of a fruit basket. Lyra thought to herself just what exactly that could mean as she read over the paper trying to remember exactly where his apartment building was. It had been quite some time since she had been to this part of the city and she liked to pretend that part of her life didn’t exist as much as she could.

She was born here in a small hospital that happened to only be a few blocks away from where they were now. She had a fairly normal childhood, as normal as a pony who’s family were always incredibly poor. She never had much but she was always happy as a foal. While her parents were busy ignoring her and spending the little bits that they made from odd jobs on various dubious substances she learned a way to provide for herself. When she was young she had discovered her love for music and eventually found an instrument that was easy and fun to play as well as quite portable in the lyre.

She was able to make enough bits from playing music on the street corner and even earned a lyre cutie mark. Eventually though it wasn’t enough to keep her stable and she had to adopt more dubious methods earning bits. After being spotted playing on the streets near downtown by Sunset she was offered a job. At first it was small things, helping clean some of her illegal money through shows around the area. Then occasionally someone would need roughing up to see things her way. Lyra discovered then that she had some pent up anger that she had repressed with music when she was younger

At first she was uneasy about it all. It never seemed right but she needed to survive and was willing to compromise her morals occasionally to make it happen. Eventually she put her feelings aside to try and make a better life for herself. Sunset had even made her a deal to send her to the music academy as long as she kept working for her when she needed it. It was there that things started to change for her.

On the first winter break from school she went to visit some family in Ponyville (mostly cousins as she hadn’t spoken to either of her parents since she started working with Sunset), she had never been before. On the first morning in town she was looking for something sweet to eat and walked into the local candy shop. That day her life changed forever.

She saw the most beautiful thing she had ever seen, a young and amazing earth pony mare by the name of Bon Bon who was a candy maker in training. Lyra had never been hit so hard in her life. She fell in love almost instantly. Every weekend for the next month she would make her way to Ponyville just to chat with Bon Bon, getting to know her little by little. Eventually she decided to ask her on a date and when she agreed Lyra had never been happier.

Things went fast after that. They were spending so much time together that Lyra started to skip out on classes and spend all of her time in Ponyville. When Bon Bon found out she wouldn’t let that happen. She loved Lyra’s music so much. It was one of the things that had made her fall in love with the mint green unicorn on their first date when Lyra had played her a song that she had written just for her. A compromise was made and they decided to move to Canterlot together with Bon Bon striking out on her own and opening a shop for herself to support the two while Lyra finished school.

Things were looking up. Bon Bon was making plenty of bits and they even had made friends with Vinyl and Octavia. The only thing that was asked of Bonnie was that Lyra leave Sunsets employ. She couldn’t stand the thought of her beautiful sweet marefriend assaulting other ponies and wouldn’t stand for it. Sunset had given her blessing and said that she wouldn’t get in the way of love. She would even continue to pay for her schooling, which Lyra was very happy to hear as she dreaded for weeks in advanced telling Sunset that she couldn’t work anymore.

Just before graduation Lyra proposed to Bonnie and soon after had their wedding. It was the happiest day in her entire life. Things were starting to look up for the couple. Bonnie’s business even seemed to be doing surprisingly well. Or at least that’s what she thought at the time. She now knew just how much debt that her wife was in and the reason behind her running out, she just couldn’t handle the stress anymore.

Lyra’s memories had been the only thing holding her together the past week but she would eventually start to crack when she got to the end of the story. She knew there must have been a good reason that Bonnie left and she figured that if she could take care of the debt then she would be able to come back home. That was the one thing that kept her sane when she started cracking like this. It was time to focus on the task at hand and get as many bits as she could as fast as she could. She didn’t mind doing this kind of work, especially if it meant getting the love of her life back.

With that in her mind she steeled her resolve. They were coming up the street that the apartment building was on and it was time to get into character. She wasn’t what most ponies would think of as intimidating in her everyday life. While Octavia had a really cold stare that could stop most ponies in their tracks and you could almost sense the crazy coming off of Vinyl from a mile away, Lyra didn’t really have anything like that. She was generally bubbly and happy in her everyday life and had to really work at being feared. Conjuring up thoughts of her parents usually did the trick back in the day but now she knew that just focusing on her goal of getting Bonnie back would be motivation enough to do whatever she needed to do.

As they pulled up to the building Octavia shut off the engine and looked to Lyra. “Are you ready?” She asked in a serious but still caring tone. She couldn’t afford Lyra losing her nerve or causing some kind of a scene when they got in there. Lyra just put on her best intimidating face and nodded her head. That was all she needed as convincing for now, she just hoped that things could go well.

They made their way out of the car and walked slowly into the large brown building around the back entrance. They decided to be as quiet as they could so they took the stairs. It was only three floors up so it didn’t take long. The building was pretty run down. They could see cockroaches scattering on the walls as Lyra’s horn lit their path. The walls were cracked and there wasn’t any heating. It seemed like a good place for a pony who didn’t want to be found to hide out. As they approached door 305 Lyra put out her light. Octavia gave her one last glance before they went in, asking her if she was ready with just a stare. Lyra nodded and

Octavia pulled the pistol from her coat pocket as Lyra went to check the door, it was unlocked,a huge mistake for the pony inside.In one fluid motion Lyra opened the door and they both stepped inside. It was a small place with the bed in the center of the room. Starry Skies was passed out on the bed with an empty bottle of whiskey on the floor next to his left hoof and a small silver pistol sitting on top of his right hoof. Octavia slowly crept around the passed out unicorn with her pistol still pointed at him as Lyra shut and locked the door behind them. She then walked over by Octavia and slowly picked his gun up with her magic, turning it around and aiming it at him.

They moved next to each other at the foot of the bed. Lyra turned her head to Octavia and whispered “So what’s our next move here?”

Octavia took a second to think about it. They needed to wake him up but couldn’t risk him reacting too fast and making too much noise. They had to make sure that they got all the information that they came for at least before things got out of hoof. They had to find a way to make sure he didn’t do anything crazy. She then had a quick idea strike her. He had been passed out on just the mattress. In the corner she noticed the crumpled heaps of the discarded sheets from the bed. She guessed the alcohol was all he needed to keep himself warm on this freezing winter night. Her mind went to work fast. “Can you use your magic to tie him to the bed post and cover his mouth with those sheets?” She said pointing to them. “It needs to be delicate so we don’t wake him until it’s done.”

Lyra nodded and slowly set down the gun and picked up the sheets as quietly as she could. While she may have not always been much of a fighter or a master mage she had grown quite adept at using magic delicately from all the time spent playing her lyre over the years. She was able to pick up the sheets and weave them into knots around the bedposts and his hooves with grace and expert precision (of course it probably helped that he was blackout drunk and wasn’t going to be responding to much).

Once he was fully tied she set to work on the extremely touchy procedure of tearing off a few strips from the remaining sheets and making something to keep him from talking. She multi-tasked the strips of fabric in the air with starting to gently lift his head off of the mattress when suddenly he opened his eyes. Out of reflex she dropped his head on the mattress and took a step back, grabbing the pistol off of the floor that she had discarded with her magic and pointing it directly at him.

He shook his head around for a second trying to focus on just what was going on. “What in tartarus is this? Who the fuck are you two?” He slurred out. He then looked at his hooves, noticing that he was very much incapacitated and started trying to
squirm.

Octavia stepped forward and pressed her snub nosed pistol to his forehead. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you dear. I’ve decided in the spirit of Hearth’s Warming I don’t want to have to use mister pistol here make a mess of your head. Don’t make me regret it and change my mind. As to who we are, that doesn’t really matter. What matters is who sent us. Do you know a mare named Sunset Shimmer?”

His eyes went wide with fear at the mention of Sunset’s name. “Look,” he started frantically. “Whatever it is that she thinks I did I swear I didn’t. Please just let me go. I didn’t do anything. I haven’t even spoken to her in months.” He started speaking faster and faster and was starting to get loud.

Octavia pressed the gun harder into his head. “Shh. If you start getting loud this conversation is going to end right now, and not in a good way for you. Just tell me where the briefcase is as well as the extra bits you owe in back pay and we can be on our way.”

He started to sputter and mumble. “I really don’t know what you’re talking about. I don’t know anything about any briefcase and I’ve paid my dues. I’ve been robbed twice in the last three months and she was nowhere to be seen. If she isn’t going to actually protect me then I’m going to pay someone else to do it.”

Lyra stepped forward at that. “Look buddy. We aren’t here to hear your little stories. Give us what we want and we’ll get out of here. We’ve got stuff to do tonight too you know. As cliché as it sounds we can do this the easy way or the hard way. If you want to do it the hard way it’s fine by us so it’s time to decide.”

Octavia was a little taken aback by Lyra’s forwardness at first. She had heard that Lyra worked for Sunset in the past but they had never worked together. Even though they knew each other through school they hadn’t actually found out that Lyra knew Sunset until her and Bon Bon’s wedding. She was getting a taste of just how far Lyra would go to get Bonnie back; something that she hoped would never come back against her.

Her train of thought was cut off by Starry speaking again. “I really don’t know what you’re talking about. I don’t have any briefcase and I don’t have any bits to give you. Look around, do you think I would be here if I had bits?”

Lyra just grunted in frustration. “Fine buddy, it’s obvious that you want to do this the hard way.” She then levitated the strip of sheet that she was going to use to gag him and began to press down on his throat with it as hard as she could. His eyes went wide and he started struggling against his bonds trying to cry out but nothing would come. After a few seconds she took it away. He began cough and she could see tears starting to fall from his eyes.

“Now,” Octavia started, pressing her gun to his head again. “Do we need to keep doing this until you finally can’t fight it anymore and die or are you going to tell us where it is?”

He was sobbing now, realizing the gravity of the situation that he was in. They weren’t going to leave without what they came for, there was no other way around it. He finally broke. “It’s… It’s under the bed. All of it. Just take it and go, please.”

Octavia motioned for Lyra to check while she kept the gun to his head. Lyra got down and of course it was there. She opened it up, amazed at what she saw inside of it. “Are we happy?” Octavia asked her. She didn’t respond, she just kept staring at the briefcase. “Lyra? Hello?” She finally snapped out of it and looked back at Octavia. She asked again, “Are we happy?”

Lyra looked bewildered and slowly closed the briefcase. “Yeah,” she started slowly. “We’re happy. Let’s just get out of here.”

Octavia nodded to her. “Go get the car started and pull it around. I need to have a little talk with our friend here so he makes sure to forget what we look like and that he understands what will happen to him if he does something like this again. Lyra turned quickly to the door with the briefcase held in her magic. As she made her way out Octavia turned to look at Starry, he was trying to make his way out of his binds.

“See.” She said walking over to him. “I told you it would be easy once you handed it over. I don’t know why you ponies always have to make it hard on yourselves.” As she said this to him she started walking around the edge of the bed, grabbing his pistol off of the ground as she reached it. “Now let’s have a little chat shall we?” She said with a smile cracking on her face.

Lyra had just reached the car and had placed the briefcase in the trunk. Celestia knows what would happen if they got pulled over and the guards found that in their possession. She couldn’t understand why some random pony had it or how he could have possibly gotten it from Sunset in the first place. On top of that, how did Sunset even get it? That she surely didn’t even want to know. As she snapped out of her thoughts she realized that Octavia was taking a really long time. She hoped everything had been okay. What if Starry tried to start something when she untied him?

Then she heard a muffled bang from the apartment. It sent a deep shiver down her spine. She immediately started looking around frantically. At first she wanted to hop out of the car and go check on Octavia, but if they needed to make a quick escape she wouldn’t be ready. She figured Tavi could most likely handle her own if she had to. She had never done anything with her before like this but just one look at her sometimes would let most ponies know that if they tried to mess with her they would regret it.

Now though, a pony was most likely dead up there. She She had always known somewhere in her heart that Sunset did more than just intimidate and extort other ponies but she would try not to think about it. She tried even now to put it out of her mind. What would Bonnie say if she knew that Lyra had in some way taken part in a murder, whether it was out of self defense or not? Lyra couldn’t think of that now though, Bonnie had to come home.

Still though, she had been told that there would be no heavy work on this job, and what was the deal with that briefcase? Sunset never said anything to her about a briefcase, especially nothing about one that was filled with….that. Her fur stood up just thinking about what she had seen. She needed the bits though, and fast. Now wasn’t the time to get picky about how she got it. As she was pondering this she heard Octavia hop into the passenger seat of the car. “Time to go now dear, quickly.” Lyra’s mind was pulled back into the moment and she put the car in gear and chugged down the street away from the building.

“So…” she started, looking over at Octavia briefly in between watching the road. “What happened up there?” At first Octavia didn’t answer. She just pulled a cigarette from her pack and lit it, rolling down her window and taking a slow drag.

She started slowly. “Our friend didn’t take to kindly to losing that package and all of his bits. He went for his gun as soon as I untied him and we got into a little tussle. Obviously I came out ahead. Don’t worry though, it’s taken care of.” She exhaled what seemed like a large cloud of smoke when it mixed with the fogging of her breath from the cold night air.

Lyra was having trouble processing it. She believed Octavia but couldn’t believe that she could be so calm about it. Had she done something like this before? She wouldn’t have put it past Vinyl but she just couldn’t picture Octavia doing something like that. Maybe she was just in shock and that’s why she didn’t have much of a reaction. Lyra had nothing else to go on so she assumed that must have been it. Anything else was too much to consider after how strange the night had been. So she just kept quiet and drove on.

About an hour later after making their way across town they sat parked out in front of the bakery. “Thanks for bringing me along tonight.” Lyra said, slowly at first. Octavia hadn’t said much since they left. She just figured that having to shoot Starry was weighing heavy on her mind. “I really appreciate the extra work and I’m always ready for more.”

Octavia took a few seconds but she finally turned to Lyra and smiled a little bit. “It’s no problem at all dear, it was nice having you around. As much as love working with Vinyl she can be a bit…heavy hooved sometimes when it comes to trying to get information. It’s a shame how it ended up but at least we got what we came for.”

She then tossed the bag of bits that they had collected from Starry. “This is for tonight and there will be plenty more in the future if you need work. Let’s keep the business about the briefcase just between us shall we? Let’s just say that what is in there is something very important to Sunset as you no doubt could have guessed and keep it at that eh?”

Lyra was confused but the bag was quite stuffed and she was definitely grateful for it. She had assumed by then that of course the briefcase is what they had actually came for and that Sunset for some reason didn’t want to tell her about it but decided it would be best not to press the issue. “Thank you.” She said with a large smile. “I’ll be back for more as soon as she has more to do. There aren’t really words for how much I appreciate this chance to save our bakery. I know that if there is one thing that can bring Bonny back it’s this.”

Octavia then put a hoof on Lyra’s shoulders, looking at her with a smile that mirrored her own. “Why don’t you stop by the club tomorrow evening. I can’t imagine how hard it has been for you with Bonny gone and no one deserves to spend Hearth’s Warming Eve alone. We are having a little party in celebration after the re-enactment. It should be quite fun and you will get to spend time with some friends if nothing else.”

A tear came to Lyra’s eyes at that. She hadn’t even been thinking about how hard it would be to spend the holiday alone. It was always one of her favorites, a time for giving and friendship and family. She couldn’t bear the thought of spending the night in her empty apartment thinking about where her wife had gone and what she could be doing. She grabbed Octavia’s hoof from her shoulders and wrapped her in an awkward hug over the car’s center console.

“Thank you so much Tavi.” She said with a sniffle, the tears beginning to flow. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.” They continued the hug for a few seconds then both got out of the car with Lyra bidding her goodnight with a wave as she went inside and Octavia hopping back in the driver’s seat, heading home for the evening.

As the early morning sun rose Octavia was already up and ready for the day. She was going to head into work soon and see how well they had done from the first nights take of their new supply and deliver the briefcase to Sunset as soon as she could. She didn’t want that thing in her possession any longer than she had to. She brought her evening dress along with her for the party that night. She didn’t want to be in it all day and risk getting it stained or dirty.

Across town in the back room behind the office of the club, Vinyl had just finally gotten to sleep when the club’s phone rang, shaking her back awake. Her head felt like someone had hit her horn with a hammer and her whole body was aching. Next to her, still very much passed out, was the bruised and scratched form of Rose. The memory of the night that they spent together came back to her and she cracked a sly smile. Rose was different from the others. She loved everything that Vinyl had to dish out and then some, and would always ask for more.

As she took another look at her sleeping form while she stumbled her way to the phone in the office she thought to herself that hiring Rose had been a pretty good idea. She was learning how to serve drinks fast and she had learned how to serve her even faster. She finally managed to stumble to the phone, cursing to herself about who would have the gall to call her at this hour.

“Yo.” She answered in a gruff tone, the phone shaking in her weakened magic.

“Why Vinnie sweetie is that any way to talk to your dear auntie?” The voice of Sunset said on the other end before breaking into a chuckle. “Did I wake you up dear?” She asked, her voice taking a mockingly concerned tone.

“Very funny Auntie.” Vinyl said flatly. “I just got to sleep probably like ten minutes ago or less. That shit you brought over last night was bomb. We already got rid of probably over a third of it and it wasn’t even on a rave night. I can’t wait until tonight, we’re going to be rich by morning. Hell we may even need another shipment to get ready for it.”

Sunset laughed again. “That’s great to hear. That’s actually why I was calling. I wanted to make sure everything was going well. Not that I had any doubts of course. I’d be more than happy to have some more sent over. I was going to personally attend but I’m needed in a bit of an upper-class soirée of course in the castle this evening. Sorry I can’t make it. I’m sure you will have plenty of fun though. I saw you flirting with the new girl when I left, how did that go?”

At the question Vinyl’s mind began to flashback to the frantic antics that had played out in her drug induced haze the night before, cracking a smile again. “I would say it went pretty well. She’s passed out on the bed right now. I think I’m going to have to keep this one, she’s a lot of fun.”

She could almost hear her aunt shaking her head over the phone. “Just be careful dear. We wouldn’t want to have anymore mishaps like what happened last time, would we?”

Vinyl grunted. “How many times do I have to tell you and Tavi that it was an accident?” she said in an angry whisper, trying to not wake up Rose in the other room. “I told her to let me know if she was having trouble breathing. It’s not my fault that she never said anything. Besides it’s not like anyone was going to miss her anyways. It won’t happen again, I promise.”

Sunset paused for a second. “Whatever you say darling, just be careful. Celestia knows I’m not judging you. We all make mistakes. It’s about learning from them that makes us better ponies. Anyways, I’m off to get ready for the day. I’ll have someone come down before you open up with enough to tide you over through the party tonight. I’ve got a few other major deliveries to make too, apparently it’s selling well all over the city. Have a good Hearth’s Warming Eve my little Vinnie. I love you.”

Vinyl didn’t hesitate to respond. “I love you too Auntie. Have a good Hearth’s Warming and I’ll call you sometime tomorrow so we can meet up and have lunch or something. I’m gonna go pass out for a couple more hours so I’m not a zombie tonight.” She then hung up and promptly did exactly what she said she was going too. Rose stirred a little bit but never woke up so she wrapped her hooves around her and finally went to sleep.

It didn’t last too long though as Octavia showed up less than an hour later. Vinyl didn’t have much more patience for disturbance and simply yelled out “Fuck off” to the knocking at the door. Octavia peeked in and saw her frame wrapped around a bruised but very satisfied looking Rose. She thought to herself that at least Vinyl hadn’t killed this one. They could use all the help that they could get tonight for the big party. Velvet and Long Play would be showing up soon to get busy prepping everything so she took some time to count the bits that they had pulled from last night.

She was amazed to say the least. They had taken in over 20,000 in profit in one night. Of course half of that was going to Sunset and the other half was going to be split between her and Vinyl with some left over to pay the employees. Still though, she would net around 4,000 or so which was pretty fantastic for a single night. They had even gone through quite a bit of their supply and with the party tonight she was sure that they would be swimming in bits by the time the sun came up on Hearth’s Warming Day.

So the day went on and after Velvet and Long Play had spent most of the day setting things up with Octavia, Rose and Vinyl finally woke up around the time it was getting dark and started getting ready themselves. Aside from New Year’s, Hearth’s Warming was their biggest night of the year. They had a huge party that started off with softer music and as the night got later eventually turned into a full on rave sometime after midnight. Hundreds of ponies would be in and out as the night went on and almost all of them, especially the rave crowd, were customers of their side business as well.

Rose was given the night off, despite her saying that she was fine, as to not give off the wrong vibe to customers who would have to stare at a battered bartender all night. Vinyl was given the task since it had been her fault for Rose’s appearance in the first place, which she happily agreed to. Nothing was more fun to her than pouring drinks on work nights. She got to talk with all the customers and even take a few shots herself when they offered (which thanks to her charisma they almost always did). It was pretty much a win-win for her as far as she was concerned.

As the night came closer to starting Octavia got ready by putting on the beautiful purple and red dress that Sunset had gotten her for her last birthday. It was custom made by an up and coming fashionista in Ponyville of all places. As she came down from the office the doors had already opened and ponies were filing in, with the first band preparing to start their set. She noticed Lyra coming in the door and walked up to her, offering her a table and ordering the first round of drinks. She hoped that Fleur would show up at some point as well but knew that during major holidays she was always somewhere nice as a part of her cover while researching for her newest job.

For then it was just them, eventually she had to take a few minutes to prepare Sunsets shipment and get samples ready for Velvet and Long Play to distribute to the ponies in need. As the night went on and she got slightly more intoxicated things seemed to be going really well. The last band was playing their set before the transition to the rave and she was having a fun conversation with Lyra about school memories.

“Then she actually tried to tell the professor that she tripped and landed on that mare and that’s why they were like that when he found them. Can you believe how ridiculous she used to be?” Lyra said before busting up with laughter. It had been a good night. She had even managed to not be intensely worried about what Bonnie was doing for the first time since she had left, something that surprised her.

Octavia laughed deeply as well before turning to look at Vinyl behind the bar chatting it up and doing shots with ponies dressed up as Chancelor Puddinghead and Private Pansy. She turned back to Lyra. “As if she’s any less ridiculous now.” She said, stifling a giggle. It had been a good night. Things with Lyra were going well, she was a little disappointed that Fluer didn’t show up but there was nothing that could be done about that. She hadn’t checked recently but if the occasional whisper from Velvet was any indication then they were making a mint in profits as the ponies poured in.

Then all at once things changed. A group of eight masked unicorns came bursting through the door holding up assault rifles and shotguns. One of them fired a shot in the air and began screaming. “Everybody hit the fucking floor! This is a robbery!” Ponies went into a panic, as they tend to do when someone comes into the room and starts shooting and tried to run for the other exits.

Immediately bullets started flying into the crowd. Vinyl dropped behind the bar to pick up the shotgun that was kept under it in her magic and Octavia grabbed Lyra and flipped the table that they were sitting at on its side, grabbing her pistol from her purse. She saw Velvet grabbing a mare who had been shot in the chest and was screaming and trying to pull her behind the stage into safety. Everything was moving so fast.

She heard one of them yell “Grab the shit and lets go. It should be in the office.” She knew that this was no random robbery, they knew what they were here for. She would rather be dead than lose what they had been working so hard for and were just getting started with. She immediately sat up and started firing in their direction, clipping one of the ones who was shooting at the crowd just above his right eye and dropping him, his gun still firing as it went wild out of his magical grip.

When they turned to shoot at the table they were hiding behind Vinyl raised the shotgun from behind the bar and fired two shots quickly at them, missing one entirely but hitting another one of them square in the chest with some of the rogue pellets taking out another one of the robbers back legs. He let out a scream as he hit the floor and as two made a break for the office two more began firing quickly at the bar. Vinyl made a quick break for it but the ponies who were dressed up as the founders who had hid with her weren’t as lucky as they were quickly torn to pieces from the barrage of bullets.

Lyra had set her sights on one and began using her magic to try and wrestle the gun from his grip. It went wild and started spraying everywhere eventually turning on him and hitting him with about 15 bullets in the upper body but not before it had hit at least five ponies in the crowd. The entire club was erupting in madness and the robbers knew that the situation wasn’t looking good so the four that remained made a break for the office and kept firing as they ran.

Vinyl tried to intercept them but she ended up catching a bullet in her chest and went down screaming in pain. Octavia saw this and panicked, running towards her and pulling her to safety behind the table. With the front doors now clear the remaining bar patrons began to rush out of them, nearly trampling the squirming thief who caught shells in the leg and full on trampling a couple of ponies with longer dresses who tripped.

She heard the window in the back office break and figured that they were going to climb out of the back window and make their escape down the fire escape, most likely with all of their powder and whatever bits they could stuff into the bags that they brought with them. There was no time to think of that though. Her brain went into full speed as she planned what needed to happen. She looked to Lyra who was holding Vinyl’s shoulder and slowly getting covered in her blood, looking shell shocked.

“Lyra!” She yelled at her. Lyra snapped to attention. “I think their gone. There is something we need to do and we have to do it fast. I need you to take that wounded robber into the back room and tie him up, put a gag on him and lock the door behind you when you come out. I need to call Sunset before the guards get here and get Vinyl to the hospital. This place is going to be a hotbed of guards soon and we need to be ready. Okay?”

Lyra vigorously nodded and hopped up quickly, stepping over the screaming downed ponies and rushing to the wounded robber, quickly scooping him up in her magic and running as quickly as she could towards the office. Vinyl was still screaming in pain herself as Octavia put pressure over the hole in her shoulder. “It’s going to be okay.” She said as calmly as she could. Then she heard something that she hadn’t expected.

“It’s funny Tavi.” Vinyl coughed out, blood starting to come out of her mouth. “I’ve never actually been shot before. It hurts like a bitch. I kinda feel bad for all the ponies I’ve done this too now.” She then started laughing a little bit more until she started coughing up blood onto the floor.

“Shh.” Octavia cooed to her. “Stop talking. You need to save your energy. I didn’t realize how bad this was, we need to get going now.” There was no time to wait, if she didn’t make a move Vinyl was going to die right there on the floor with all the others. She stood up quickly, picking up Vinyl and putting her on her back. “Velvet! Lyra! If anyone can hear me someone needs to call Sunset now. Her number is written by the phone in the back. Tell her what happened. I’ve gotta go to the hospital now!”

There was no time to say anything else. She just hoped someone had heard her over the screams and cries of the injured and dying ponies on the floor around her as she ran out to her car as fast as she could. She could see the trail of blood that Vinyl was leaving behind in the snow as she opened the back door and gently put her inside. She ripped a piece of her bloody dress with her teeth and handed it to Vinyl. “You need to try and keep pressure on it. I’m going to get us to the hospital, I promise.” Vinyl could only weakly nod as she held the dress over the gushing hole in her chest.

Octavia jumped in the front seat and turned it on as quickly as she could, peeling out in the snow and almost crashing right away before speeding down the street. The hospital was almost fifteen minutes away at normal speed. She figured she had five at the most before Vinyl faded out so she pushed the pedal to the floor and raced as fast as she could through the snowy streets.

“Tavi.” She heard Vinyl weakly cry out from the back. “I’m pretty sure I’m dying. This is so fucked up. How did this happen?”

She shook her head trying to focus on the road. “What did I tell you Vinnie? You need to save your energy. You are going to be fine. You’re not dying. Just stay awake okay?” Vinyl didn’t respond. “Vinyl!” she screamed, not wanting to take her eyes off of the road. She finally afforded a second to look behind her and saw that Vinyl’s eyes were closed. She panicked and started crying out Vinyl’s name. She couldn’t fail now, Vinyl couldn’t die like this.

She could see the hospital at the end of the street and didn’t let go of the brakes unfortunately when she did finally try to stop she forgot about the ice that was covering the road and she started sliding. The last thing she saw was the front end of her car about to smash into one of the large pillars that held up the roof over the bay where the ambulances came in to drop off patients. She heard the sound of the sound of smashing metal and rock and felt her head hitting the steering wheel. Then everything went black and her problems faded away into the night.

Author's Notes:

Here we are with our first real chapter of the first act in motion. Sorry for any errors, it's 3:30 AM right now and I'm super tired. If you catch any leave me a note in the comments and I'll fix them as I see them. Look for chapter five sometime in the next day or two. I have tomorrow off so I'm going to try and get it done. Thank you all again for reading, I appreciate it as well as any feedback.

Also on a side note, while I don't usually like references I couldn't help but reference the movie that helped serve as a big inspiration for this story, which I'm sure you will pick up on if you've seen it.

Chapter Five: Revenge and Recovery

It was loud, so Celestia-damned loud. Why? Who knew? Certainly not Octavia. The last thing she remembered was screaming Vinyl’s name as she lost control of the car. Even that was foggy. The last clear memory she had was the fight in the club. So much blood everywhere, so many ponies screaming and crying for help with their dying breaths. She was pretty sure she had killed at least one of them though, not that it mattered. Then Vinyl got shot. Wait. That’s right, Vinyl got shot.

Octavia opened her eyes in a flash and sat up frantically, looking around and trying to piece things together. She wasn’t dead, so that was a plus. Her head was on fire though and the bright light from the winter sun coming through her window wasn’t doing it any favors. Her shoulder felt like it had been hit with a sledgehammer too. She looked down at her body. She was covered in dried blood and scratches. Then more things started coming back to her. The blood wasn’t hers; at least it wasn’t all hers. Vinyl had drenched her when she was trying to put her in the backseat of the car. Vinyl. Was she dead? What had happened?

She tried to stand up, ripping the IV’s out with her teeth. The machine started beeping loudly and her headache began to get worse. She hopped off the bed but couldn’t put any weight on her front right hoof and fell face first onto the hard linoleum floor. Her headache instantly increased tenfold and she let out scream. Within what felt like only a second the door sprang open and two nurses shot in the room, helping her off of the floor and putting her back into the bed.

“Let me go!” she screamed at them. “I need to see Vinyl! Where the bloody hell is Vinyl?” She tried to move again but they held her down to the bed.

“Relax miss.” One of them said to her. “If you put too much weight on that shoulder you’re going to break it, you’re lucky you didn’t already.”

Break her shoulder? Who cared? Vinyl was hurt, maybe even dead as far as she knew and she wasn’t going to let something as trivial as a broken shoulder get in her way of finding her friend. She then started getting light headed as she felt warm liquid dripping down her face. She tried her hardest to resist and get up but eventually things started to go black and she was out once more.

The next time she woke up it was dark. The only sounds she could hear as she slowly opened her eyes were the faint beeps of the EKG machine that she was hooked up to. Her head didn’t hurt as much anymore but it was still foggy. She slowly scanned her eyes around the room until she caught a glimpse of a pony standing outside the room looking in from the large window. Immediately the figure turned away and began walking down the hall. She wanted to get up again but she was too weak. She figured it was probably because of the drugs that were making their way on a steady course through her veins.

Then as everything finally started coming back to her she remembered Vinyl again. She felt too heavy to move but was still in a panic. She started darting her eyes across the room for something to help. She finally came across a big red button on the edge of her bed. She tried as hard as she could to move, finally bringing her hoof up to it. She pressed down as hard as she could on it and then waited.

A minute that drug on for years later a nurse finally came through the door. It was one of the same ones that held her to the bed before. Or at least she thought she was, everything was still a bit foggy and she didn’t really remember. She was a short unicorn with tan fur and a deep red mane with two crossed crutches as a cutie mark. She looked like she was only a couple of years older than Octavia at best but had a look in her eyes that said she had seen more than most.

“Is everything okay Miss Octavia?” She said with a smile, cocking her head to one side.

“No.” Octavia started, trying hard to speak through the drugs influence. “I have no idea what happened and the last time I tried to find out I was forcibly restrained to this bed. I need you to tell me what happened to Vinyl, and I need you to tell me right now.”

“The pony who you came in with?” The nurse said while walking up to Octavia’s bedside. “I’m not exactly sure. She’s still in the ICU, they should be finishing surgery soon. She was hurt pretty bad as I’m sure you know.”

A small wave of relief washed over Octavia. She wasn’t dead. Incredibly hurt, sure, but at least there was some hope. “How long have I been here and what is wrong with me?” She asked, feeling a little bit better at least after hearing about Vinyl.

“You’ve been here a little under two days Miss Octavia. As for your wounds, you received quite a few cuts from the glass in your windshield breaking as well as a major concussion and a cut in your head that needed about seven stitches. You re-opened that one and added a few more bruises as well as a black eye this morning when you tried to get up. You completely dislocated your right shoulder in the crash and got a pretty deep cut down your left side which will leave a nasty scar unfortunately. Other than that though, you're doing pretty well, all things considered of course.”

Octavia processed all the information that was coming at her. Her mind went back to the shooting. “Something terrible happened at the club I ran. I need to know more about it. Was there any information on the news or something?”

The nurse then walked over to the other side of the room, picking up a newspaper in her magic and walked it back over to Octavia. “We’ve all heard Miss Octavia. The shooting is all that has been on the news the last two days. Here, take a look.” She then began levitating it in front of Octavia so she could read it. On the cover in large words were:

THE HEARTH’S WARMING EVE MASSACRE:
SIXTEEN DEAD AFTER A SHOOTING IN DOWNTOWN CLUB

Below that was a picture of the front of her club where body bags were being wheeled out into ambulances with guards circling around and placing police tape. It seemed unreal to see her club in that way. She hoped that her business would survive after publicity like this. Then she started reading the article.

A grisly scene unfolded this morning as details emerge about the vicious shooting that took place on the eve of one of our most sacred holidays at the downtown club “The Hop!”. Just after 11 PM witnesses reported that a gang of armed thugs in masks entered the building and began firing on the crowd. In an attempt to protect their club and guests the owners began to return fire shortly afterward, even managing to kill three of the armed ponies who entered.

“It was so horrible.” A survivor told us this morning. “One second we were having a nice dinner and enjoying some music and the next thing we knew it was chaos. I saw two people next to me drop and choke to death on their own blood. It’s something that will stay with me for the rest of my life. I just don’t know who could do something so terrible.”

Currently both of the owners have been reported to be in Canterlot General Hospital after a daring attempt by one of them to save the other after she had been shot resulted in a car accident and some minor damage to the outside of the hospital. Currently the death toll sits at sixteen but there are over forty ponies in the hospital with serious injuries and based off of information that we had received from an anonymous source at the hospital the number will most likely be quite a bit higher when everything has settled. The culprits are still at large but we were assured by the guard that they are following up on a few strong leads. No potential motive outside of a general robbery was given. We will keep you up to date on the story as it progresses.

Octavia’s frown turned into a deep scowl as she read on. Not only was it a big story that was making headlines but her accident and even their use of weapons had been announced. The more she read over it only one thought could pop into her mind. “I need you to get me a phone.” She said dryly. “I have a few calls to make.”

“Sure thing. I can’t imagine what you went through. You should also know that you are kind of a hero around here. When the story got out about you trying to protect the ponies in your club and trying to save your friends life, even going so far as to smash in the building, ponies around here were amazed at just how brave you were.” She gave Octavia a deep smile at that and started to walk towards the door.

“Oh yeah.” She said, turning back to face her. “I almost forgot. There is some pony here to see you. She wanted to be notified as soon as you woke up. She said she was family. Her name is Sunset Shimmer. Would you like to see her?”

Octavia was filled with both relief and dread. What would Sunset say about everything that was stolen? How could they handle the heat that would most likely be brought down on them? Most importantly though, how would she handle what had happened to Vinyl? She tried to calm herself. “That would be lovely, send her in as soon as possible please. You can forget about the phone as well. I won’t be needing it.”

The nurse just smiled and nodded to her as she exited the room. Octavia sat still, staring at the ceiling and trying to put everything that had happened together in her mind. Had Velvet and Long Play made it out of the club alive? Was Lyra able to cover everything up that was needed before the guard showed up? She didn’t know and started to play out the worst case scenario in her mind. For all she knew there were guard’s posted and waiting to take her in. She figured that she could handle interrogation if it came to it but seriously questioned the resolve of some of the others. Long Play wouldn’t say anything of course. He was family, even if he was a little distanced from the rest of them.

Lyra would most likely not talk, but she could never be sure. They were friends as far as Lyra was concerned and she had done quite a few illegal things for them already as well and could easily be implicated in some of the things that they did. However though if she thought that for some reason it could bring her wife back Octavia was sure that she would potentially take that option. She needed to talk with Lyra when she got a chance and make sure that nothing like that would happen.

As she continued to think she heard the door crack open and turned her head toward it. She then saw something she had never seen before. Sunset was standing at the door but she looked different. She had clearly been crying and her mane and coat were both a mess. Octavia had known her for well over a decade and had never once seen her look anything but the essence of cool before, even when things had gone wrong with the business to the point where someone had to die because of it. She never once lost her composure.

Once they made eye contact Sunset practically rushed over to her bedside. “Octy, sweetie, I’m so glad you’re awake.” She put a hoof on Octavia’s, looking over her wounds. Octavia saw a tear roll down her face and then could feel a few rolling down her own. She couldn’t even remember the last time she cried. At her mother’s funeral maybe? She didn’t know. It wasn’t something she had time for much in this business.

She was still stuck in a bit of a haze from the drugs and was struggling to talk. “I’m so glad to see you. What happened? Is everyone okay? Is Vinyl okay?”

Sunset sniffled a bit and hung her head low for a second. “We don’t know, not yet. She lost a lot of blood and is still in surgery.” She picked her head up and shook the stray strands of mane out of her face. “Everyone else is fine. LP and Velvet are here with that new girl you hired, waiting outside of Vinyl’s room. Velvet got her flank grazed by a stray bullet but she’s okay. Lyra is out taking care of something for me right now, she’s fine too. Shaken up for sure but otherwise she’s good.”

That was a relief at least. Most of her friends were fine, but not the one that she really cared about. She was also a little annoyed by the fact that it was Rose who was sitting out in that waiting room instead of her, but she pushed that out of her mind. There were more important things to be upset about for the time being. “What about the club?” She asked, trying to raise her head up off of the bed a little bit.

Sunset sighed. “They got just about everything. It doesn’t matter though really, that will all be settled soon.” Her eyes grew dark when she said that, Octavia knew exactly what she had meant. “I pulled some strings with the guard and no one is asking any questions. You were all the victims here and no one is looking to indict any of you for anything. It’s not illegal to keep weapons in a business and it was all out of self defense. You’ll have to give an official statement sometime soon but it’s nothing you can’t handle. Right now all that matters is making sure my little Vinnie is okay.”

She started sniffling again and Octavia saw a few fresh tears roll down her cheek. She couldn’t imagine how this must have affected her surrogate aunt and she really felt for her. They were the only family that she had known for a large part of her life and she couldn’t bear to see it fall apart now. She reached up her hoof and started slowly stroking Sunset’s.

“You know,” Sunset started, sniffling again. “When Tantarella died I didn’t know what to do with myself. She was always my best friend growing up and the best little sister anyone could ask for. I remember when I got the call. I was sitting in my office and looking over some numbers from some jewel operation I had going at the time when the phone rang. It was a short message, as things of that nature usually tend to be. I remember screaming so loud I was sure that all of downtown heard it. Then I threw my phone and
most of the things on my desk with it right out of the window down into the street.”

She shook her head, looking away from Octavia. “At the funeral I made a promise to her that I would keep her family safe, whatever the cost. When little Vinnie came to live with me I intended to make good on that promise and never let it happen to her. I didn’t even want her to work for me at first. She was just so angry though, nothing would calm her down. I knew that she would find a way to vent her anger eventually and I figured that it was better doing something that I could control instead of leaving her to her own devices. Now look where we are. This is my fault.”

She started to cry again and Octavia couldn’t take it. It was all just too much. She just kept rubbing Sunset’s hoof. “She’s going to be okay. I know she will be.” She said, trying to give Sunset her most convincing assured look. “We’re going to figure out who did this. I promise, I’ll make sure it happens.”

Sunset shook away the tears and then returned her gaze to Octavia. “I have no doubt in that my dear. Our friend who Lyra held there for us has been moved out to the warehouse. I will get the information out of him that we need. It’s just a question as to how long it takes.”

Octavia smiled for the first time since she had woken up. She forgot about him. “Who do you have doing it? I want in.”

Sunset just shook her head. “You are in absolutely no condition to be getting any information out of anyone right now. I have Fleur on it and Lyra will should be joining her soon. We should know soon just exactly what is going on. For now though I need you to just relax. You need to get better as soon as you can. I promise we will figure this out though. I need to go back to the ICU to check on Vinyl. I’ll let you know as soon as anything changes.”

Octavia’s smile had quickly turned into a frown. She should be the one doing this. Who cared if one shoulder was hurt? She had another perfectly fine one, as well as two strong back hooves that could no doubt free any information that she needed from anyone. She knew that there was nothing that could be done about it though and was certainly not going to argue with Sunset at a time like this. She just thanked her dear auntie and tried to go back to sleep. It wouldn’t come though. She couldn’t get rest knowing that Vinyl may not be alive when she woke up.

Across town outside of a cold warehouse Lyra was parking the car that Sunset had given her to take care of her daily business. She was getting paid far more than she could have imagined and was happy to do whatever she needed to help. She had heard from Sunset that Octavia had woken up earlier that morning and although she was a bit frantic, everything was fine now. She still hadn’t heard anything about Vinyl though, which worried her. She had never been to this warehouse before but had known exactly what she was looking to find inside from Sunset’s message to her earlier.

She opened the door quietly and shut it behind her with her magic as she stepped through towards the source of light in the middle of the large room. There were barrels and boxes lining it on all sides, some of them extending almost all the way to the ceiling. She didn’t know it, but she was closer then to her missing wife then she had been in the last week or ever would be again. They were all just barrels to her though, so she paid them no mind and kept walking.

Finally after tracing the sounds of some very muffled screams and the occasional chuckle she located Fleur. She was ragged and had a slightly crazed look in her eyes. She was wearing an apron that had enough blood on it that it’s once pearly white appearance had faded into a salmon pink. She looked over at the robber who she tied up in the back room of the club two days earlier. He was hanging from his forehooves, suspended on a meat hook in the air just high enough that his rear hooves were off of the floor. He had a deep brown coat and a short black mane. She couldn’t really make out his cutie mark. It had been shredded from the shotgun pellets and looked like a bloody smudge on his flanks. He had deep purple eyes that, in a better situation, she was sure would be very vibrant. Now though they were glazed over in pain and fear.

He had been cut most likely hundreds of times and all four of his legs were broken in some way or another. It also looked like he was missing part of one eye and most of his teeth were gone as well. As she stared at him she wasn’t paying attention to where she was walking and bumped into a table that had been wheeled in. Fleur jumped up and quickly picked up a knife in her telekinesis, turning to Lyra quicker than she could have imagined the lanky mare of moving.

When they made eye contact she relaxed, setting the knife back on the table. “Sweet Celestia Lyra, don’t sneak up on me like that. You could have been killed. You really need to learn to announce yourself when you enter somewhere darling.”

Lyra gave a sheepish grin, while reeling inside at the potential danger she had completely unknowingly put herself in. “Sorry, I guess I don’t really know the protocol for these kinds of situations. I’ll make sure I say something next time.”

Fleur walked over to her, giving her a quick hug and trying her best not to get any blood on Lyra. “It’s okay dear. I’m glad you are here. As you can see I’ve been working quite a bit with our friend here with no luck so far. He’s a pretty tough one, I’ll give him that. Now that you’re here though I think that will change quickly. I’ve got something that is pretty much a guaranteed way to get our buddy here talking.” She looked over to the gagged stallion. “I hope you’re ready.” She said, giving him a very menacing smile that sent chills down Lyra’s spine and caused him to begin to squirm against the chains that held him on the hook.

She turned to Lyra. “I would have done this much sooner but it’s a two pony job. There is a table on wheels just over behind him in the corner. Be a dear and roll it over here for me while I get him ready.” Lyra did exactly that. The table wasn’t exactly heavy and she wasn’t even sure what they would need it for until she saw what was attached to it at the top.

She wheeled it over and placed it right in front of the chained stallion. Fleur smiled again and pointed to the table. “Have you ever seen one of those before, darling? If you've ever built anything I have no doubt you are familiar with it. If not though, let me fill you in. This is device is what they call a vice grip. Usually it’s used to held things in place when they need to be fixed or assembled, and that is quite similar to what we will be using it for tonight.”

His eyes went wide with terror and he started fighting as much as he could against his bindings and began trying to scream through his gag. Fleur walked up to him, using her magic to wrap around the chains that held him on the hook. “Now now dear, there is no need for any of that. You are going in there one way or another. How easy the process of getting you in there is entirely up to you though. If you would have just told me what I needed to know earlier this wouldn’t even be happening so you have no one to thank for this but yourself.”

She lifted him up with her magic off of the hook and he started kicking his back legs wildly, blood splattering in every direction from his broken bones flailing around. Fleur turned to Lyra. “Grab his legs and help me get him on this thing.” She said, trying to keep him still.

Lyra had been completely still after bringing the table, thinking of what they were going to use the vice for and trying to suppress her horror at what she was about to be doing. As soon as she heard Fleur calling her though she sprang into action and rushed over to him. She wrapped his back legs in her magic but it was tough keeping him still. She focused as hard as she could as they slowly moved him over and put him on his back on the table.

He began kicking wildly as Fleur lowered his head down between the open clamps of the vice. Lyra quickly threw her hooves over his squirming lower body as well as using as much of her magical might as she could to hold him still as Fleur began tightening the vice until it rested on both of his temples with just enough force to keep him from getting up.

While Lyra was busy keeping him still Fleur stared at him dead in the eyes. “Now. Here is how this is going to work. I’m going to start asking you questions. Any time I get an answer that I don’t like or no response at all I’m going to make this thing a little bit tighter. I don’t think I have to tell you what happens if you get too many questions wrong. Let’s begin.”

With that she used her magic to pull the gag out of his mouth. “Who hired you to attack the club and what were the other attacker’s names?” she asked with a very strange amount of courtesy.

He looked at her for a few seconds before simply saying “Fuck you.”

Her only response was tweaking the lever on the vice. He started to scream and she placed the gag back in his mouth until his screams died out. “Let’s try this again.” She said with her hoof wrapped around the vice lever. “Who hired you to attack the club and what were the other attacker’s names?”

He stared her down again but instead of cursing her he simply spit a thick glob of blood right into her face. She stuffed the gag in his mouth and began tightening the grip. His screams were so loud that the gag barely did anything. Lyra had to fight the urge to be sick when she heard a low cracking sound coming from both sides of his head and she stared horrified as the partially destroyed eye she had seen earlier was now almost completely out of its socket and looking down at her.

Fleur took the gag off again. He was crying a little this time, with small sobs escaping out between low screams and ragged breaths. She looked down to him again. “I’m going to ask you this one last time. Who hired you to attack the club and what were the other attacker’s names?”

At first he didn’t say anything. Fleur started to tighten her grip on the lever when he finally broke. “Please.” He started through his sobs and ragged, pained breaths. “I don’t know who the others were. We hadn’t met before that morning. Sweet Peach brought us all together to do the job. We weren’t allowed to ask any questions. They just told us to go in shooting and grab whatever was in the back room. It’s the truth, I swear. Just kill me, please, just kill me.”

Fleur started chuckling and eventually it erupted into a full on laugh. “Sweet Peach? Sweet Peach?! You’ve had me out here all Celestia-damned day doing this, going so far as to making me pop your eye out of your filthy head just to protect that low life piece of trash? I hope it was worth it. I can assure you she wouldn’t have done the same for you.” She looked down to Lyra. “Do him a favor.” She said motioning to the knife on the other table. “I’ve gotta call Sunset and let her know the situation and get out of this disgusting apron.”

Lyra tried to object but Fleur was already walking away before she had a chance. Before she knew it she was alone with the knife and the almost dead stallion. She slowly picked it up in her magic and held it shakily above him. She tried to block out the thought of what she was about to do. He had tried to do the same thing to her after all. Well, not directly, but still he would have had no qualms in shooting her just like he did to Celestia-only-knows how many ponies in the club before he went down. That still wasn’t enough to make her want to do it.

She knew that there was no way out though. She couldn’t just let him live and go against Sunset’s orders. Who knew how volatile that decision could end up? Especially if Vinyl didn’t make it out of surgery alive. Her name would most likely go right down on the list with the others as far as she thought. Plus it wasn’t like he was going to live for much longer anyways. Even if she rushed him straight to a hospital he would probably not even survive the trip there. She was doing him a favor just like Fleur had said.

With that in mind she knew what had to be done. She looked at his large purple eyes. They were thick with fear but still pleading for release, even the one that was almost falling out of his skull. She took a deep breath. “I’m sorry.” She muttered out softly. She then ran the knife across his neck in a quick motion. It made a sickly slicing sound as it went clean though. In what seemed like only a split second blood began pouring out like a river all over his chest and the table below him.

As the blood began to flow freely from his neck she could hear him choking out his final breaths. Finally after what had felt like an eternity his one good eye rolled back in his head and his chest stopped rising. She wanted to turn away from the horrible scene that played out in front of her but couldn’t do it. She watched the life go out of his eyes as she felt fresh tears fall from hers. The last thing she thought as his breathing stopped and she started walking away was what Bonnie would say if she could see her now.

Back at the hospital Sunset was still waiting with the others in a set of chairs outside of the surgery room that Vinyl was in. The lanky figure of Long Play had his hoof wrapped around her shoulder with her head resting in his. Beside him was Velvet who had been asleep for over an hour. On the other side of her was Rose who had been there since she heard about the shooting and had spent most of the time crying to herself. She never had much that was nice in her life and she finally found someone who made her a little bit happy and then before she knew it, it was all ripped away from her.

No one had spoken in the hour since Sunset returned from visiting Octavia. They all sat in silence, waiting to find out the fate of the pony that tied them all together. The silence was broken finally by a nurse walking into the room. “Excuse me.” She said, looking at the group. “There is a call for you Miss Shimmer. They say that it’s urgent.”

Sunset untangled herself from her nephew and stood up without saying a word, following the nurse out of the room to the phones.When she was alone with the phone she finally spoke. “What’s the news?” She asked flatly.

While there was a bit of a problem with the reception by the sound of it, she heard the message from Fleur clearly. “We got a name. Sweet Peach hired them. What do you want to do now? I’m ready to roll over there as soon as you give the order.”

Sunset seethed to herself at the revelation. Sweet Peach. Of course it was someone like Sweet Peach. That mare would take any job opportunity from anyone she could, no matter who the target was. She was smart, not as smart as she thought that she was, but smart nonetheless. She was just a mercenary though. She had no real motive for this outside of bits. They needed to find out who was actually behind it, something that Sunset had every intention of doing.

“Don’t do anything yet. I’m going to make some calls and get surveillance on her as soon as I can. I want to see if she meets up with anyone. Nothing major is going to happen until I make sure Vinnie is okay. In the meantime you can go back uptown; I’ll have something ready for you in a few days if you like. Ask Lyra to head here before you leave, I need to talk with her about something. Thank you for doing this for me. I’ll make sure you have a nice bag of extra bits waiting for you when you get home.”

Fleur assured her that there was no need. They were family after all and an attack on one was an attack on all. Sunset thanked her but insisted that the bits would be there no matter what. She had earned them. After that they said their goodbyes and Sunset started walking back to the rest of the group. Sweet Peach had made a very bad move in going after her. Sunset was sure that she knew it too and would most likely be trying to leave town within the next few days if she hadn’t already. None of that was really important now though. She needed to make sure that Vinyl was okay before she got to dealing with Sweet Peach, she would be dealt with either way after all. It was just a matter of time.

She could hear a commotion from behind the door to the ICU and saw the tall frame of Long Play standing in the hallway. Her mind instantly expected the worst as she rushed through the swinging double doors, almost running directly into Velvet as they all stood around listening to the doctor that was speaking with them.

“Did something happen to Vinnie? Is she okay?” Sunset blurted out as she ran into the room.

The doctor gave her a stern glare, clearly not enjoying being interrupted and having to start whatever he was talking about over. “As I was telling the others here, Vinyl is okay, for now at least. Her recovery is going to be a long and difficult process though and she is very lucky to even be alive. She lost a lot of blood and almost broke her back in the crash. If her friend had been even a minute or two later there would have been nothing that we could have done. The worst is over now though and if Celestia is in our favor then she should be just fine within a few months or so.”

Sunset rushed the doctor and threw both of her hooves around him. “Thank you so much.” She said, crying tears of joy. “Anything you want, bits, a new car, a new house. Anything, just name it and it’s yours. You saved my little Vinnie.”

He slowly and gently freed himself from her tight grasp. “That won’t be necessary Miss. I’m just doing my job. I’ve got other patients to attend to but if you would like you can see her in a couple of hours after she gets some rest. I would recommend that you all do the same as well in the meantime.” With that he left. As the others were embracing and expressing how happy they were, Sunset walked at as fast of a pace as she could without running to Octavia’s room.

Octavia had fallen back asleep since Sunset had left earlier, despite her best attempts not to and was shocked awake as her door flew open. She saw Sunset’s face and had automatically assumed the worst. Before she could ask what was going on though she was wrapped in a deep hug. “She’s okay!” Sunset exclaimed loudly into her ear. She didn’t hear have anything to say back to her though the drugs had begun to fade away and her shoulder was now on fire from suddenly being embraced.

Sunset sensed it right away and jumped back. “Oh my, I’m so sorry sweetie!” Octavia winced in pain as she pushed down on the button that she had been informed was for extra drip of the sweet painkillers into her blood.

“It’s okay Auntie.” She said through a strained smile. It really was okay. Just knowing that Vinyl was alive had put all the pain aside. “How is she?”

Sunset smiled, wiping a tear from her eye. “They said that she has a long road of recovery ahead of her but she should be fine otherwise. You saved her life you know. The doctor said that if you were even a minute or two later that she would have been lost. There are no words for how proud and thankful I am right now Octavia. I don’t know how I can repay you but I promise that I’ll find a way.”

They had a light hug this time as Sunset cried a few more tears of joy into her shoulder. “Do we know what happened yet?” Octavia asked, whispering into her ear.

“Yes.” Sunset whispered back. “We got a name, but let’s not worry about that now.”

Octavia sat up a little bit as they separated from their hug. “I’m not worried. I just have a favor to ask. I know it will take a couple of weeks for me to heal up but I want to be the one who takes care of this.”

Sunset just nodded to her. “I knew that’s what you would say. I told the others to hold off for now, we’re keeping tabs to make sure she doesn’t go anywhere but nothing will happen until you are ready. I promise. For now though, I think it’s time we both got some rest.”

Sunset then hopped up onto the empty bed that was beside Octavia and stretched out on it. “The hard part is over now Tavi. Now we can rest. Thank you again. Thank you so much.” Octavia didn’t hear any of it though. The drugs had worked their magic and she was already fast asleep after hearing the good news. Sunset let out a deep contented sigh and followed Octavia into the night princess’s dreamland domain.

On the west side of the city in a moderately sized apartment on the 21’st floor of the newly renovated Canterlot Heights building a pink earth pony mare with a bright yellow mane and a smiling sun for a cutie mark sat in her favorite leather chair while chain smoking cigarettes and staring at the phone next to her silver pistol on the coffee table. Finally after what seemed like hours it began to ring. She dropped her cigarette into the ashtray and snatched to phone off of its receiver.

“What in tartarus took you so long to call back? I’ve been waiting for hours!” She said as soon as the phone was up to her face.

A smooth male voice was on the other end. “Don’t worry about it. I’m just trying to make sure everything is taken care of. I don’t think she knows anything about you.”

She began shaking her head. “You know I should kill you for this. Why didn’t you tell me it was Sunset’s club? Don’t you know what those Cavallo ponies do when things like this happen? I wouldn’t be surprised if there was someone watching my house from outside right now ready to put a bullet in my head.” She said frantically.

“Look Peachy, No one is waiting for you. It’s been three days already, if they knew about you they would have already showed up. If those guys were as good as you said then the one who they got must not have said anything, there is no way they kept him alive this long. I’ve got a Cavallo sponsor too so if worse came to worse she would have to have multiple meetings with the big bosses to even get at us. Also I just got word that Vinyl made it through surgery so if nothing else Sunset’s wrath won’t be as intense as it could have been. Besides would you have refused the job if I told you it was Sunset’s club?”

She picked up another cigarette in her free hoof as he was trying to soothe her and lit it. “Probably not, but I would have planned it with a lot more finesse and tact than this, and I would have covered my ass a lot better had I known the potential for repercussion.”

The smooth voice sighed on the other end of the phone. “Listen, none of that even matters now. It’s done. I don’t think that she’s going to find you but you need to be ready if she does. Start getting your affairs in order. I know it will take a week or two but it’s time to get ready to move on from Canterlot. I just need you to make sure you remember one thing.”

She took a deep drag from her cigarette before putting it out in the ashtray, reaching for another one. “I’m already working on getting out of here, thanks to you. I’ll be expecting a full payment from that delivery within 48 hours by the way. What is it that you need me to remember?”

The voice paused for a few seconds. “That wasn’t the deal. The deal was that you get your cut when it’s all sold. I don’t have the extra capital to give you right now.”

She slammed the cigarette into the ashtray, cracking it in the process. “The deal changed the second it became one of the biggest bosses in the city that I was hitting. You have 48 hours. I don’t want to have to do anything rash here so don’t make me. Now tell me what it is that you want me to remember, I need to try and get some sleep.”

There was another long pause before the voice spoke again. “I’ll try my best to get it to you but I can’t make any promises. All you need to remember is this, if she finds you and you mention my name then we are going to have serious problems. If she doesn’t kill you I’ll do things much worse than that if she finds out about me. Are we clear on that?”

She scoffed, slapping the ashtray and sent it rolling across the floor until it broke apart on the wall. “I don’t know who you think it is you're talking to Neon but it would be wise not to take that tone with me. I won’t say anything. Not out of some bullshit fear tactic nonsense that your trying to pull but because I’m not a rat, plain and simple. So take the thought out of your head. Don’t contact me again until you have the bits we agreed on. The clock is ticking.”

She didn’t give him a chance to respond before slamming the phone down. She then picked up her pistol from the table and walked over to the door to check (for the 15th time) that it was locked before walking over the window and staring outside. “I really fucked up on this one.” She said to herself as she looked out on the city around her. She could see off of the mountain from there and even all the way down to the lights coming off of the town of Ponyville in the distance. “I just hope I have enough time to get out.”

With that she walked with her pistol in hoof to her bedroom, locking that door and then sitting in her bed, staring at the ceiling. Sweet Peach wouldn’t be sleeping any time soon. Almost as if on cue a long black car that carried two stallions with guns and a pair of binoculars pulled up and parked across the street from the building, they wouldn’t be sleeping any time soon either.

Author's Notes:

And we're back again with another chapter. I've been super busy and haven't had much time to work on the story but I had some time last night so I wrote the whole chapter in one go. Sorry for any mistakes, let me know if you see any and I'll fix them. Thanks again for reading.

Interlude: The (almost) Assassination of Vinyl Scratch by the Coward Sweet Peach

There was something different about whatever was going on. What exactly it was that was different, Vinyl didn’t know yet. She couldn’t move. That was certainly unsettling but not her chief concern. Her chief concern was that she was dead, or at least she figured that she was dead. That’s usually what happened to most ponies when they took a bullet to the chest. She had certainly seen it more than a few times herself. So as far as her logic was concerned, she was dead.

It was dark. That seemed to make sense to her. She didn’t buy into many of the afterlife theories that were around. Her dad had told her once when she was younger about a place called “The Infinite Plains” where all ponies that left this world went to rest. You could see all of your family again and there was no problems. She had always considered that idea a nice thought but nothing more, and if it were true she should have seen him and her mom by now.

She remembered once hearing from some pony who was yelling on the street corner about a place where all who did wrong went. “The Void” is what he called it. He said something about it being a place devoid of all of the wonderful goddess’ light where the evil mare in the moon would torture you for eternity or some such nonsense. Maybe that’s where she was. Although since the previous Summer Sun Celebration had let the world know that the mare in the moon was none other than the newly reformed Princess Luna that theory now had a few holes in it.

Then something changed, it wasn’t dark anymore. It was actually really bright, too bright in fact. As she looked around she saw a blur of ponies surrounding her. As their faces came into focus she realized that she was most likely not dead. Everyone who she cared about was there, even the new girl. She wasn’t dead, that was a plus at least. So if she wasn’t dead, she couldn’t move, and she was surrounded by the ponies that she cared about then there were only a limited number of places that she could be.

As everything came back she started hearing the beeping of the machines around her. She was in a hospital. That was probably a good thing. While she wasn’t a fan of hospitals she knew that if she was there then at least she was most likely being taken care of, so that was good. Now that she thought about it, everything was going pretty good right now. Maybe it was just the drugs, then again today could have just been a great day.

While things were working their way back into focus she noticed that most of the ponies around her were crying or at least had been crying recently, especially the new girl, which she thought was a little strange. They were all staring at her now. She figured she should probably say something. For some reason she was having a hard time thinking of something cool to fit the situation, let alone something that was even coherent. Her thoughts were still a bit fuzzy.

She decided to settle on an old standby. “Sup?” She said groggily as she tried to blink the sleep out of her eyes. That seemed to do the trick though because they were all still smiling, Sunset even more so. Things were really looking up, she wasn’t dead and she was making her friends smile. She decided it was time to try out some more words. “What happened?” That was an easy one that was always a good choice in situations like these.

They all stood still for a second and their smiles seemed to falter. That wasn’t a good sign. Here she was thinking this was all going so well and she had already managed to mess it up with just two words. Sunset took a step towards her. “It doesn’t matter now. All that matters is that you’re okay. We thought we were going to lose you.” Her voice cracked at the end and Vinyl winced. She had only seen her aunt anywhere near sad a few times since her parent’s funeral and always hated it. She was so strong that it seemed almost unreal to see her falter in any way. It was almost like watching Celestia break down and cry or something like that.

She wanted to put her hoof over her aunt but was finding it extremely difficult to move so she tried talking some more. “It’s okay Auntie. Really, I’m fine.” She expected some kind of witty quip from Octavia at that point. It was usually about then that something like that would always come and she had then down to a science. Nothing came though, which threw her off. Then she realized that Octavia wasn’t there.

Some ponies would spend countless amounts of time fretting to themselves about this sudden revelation, thinking so fast and so much to themselves that they would drive them crazy. Not Vinyl though, if there was something going on that she didn’t understand or was upset by she didn’t hesitate to let any and all around her general vicinity know about it.

“Where’s Tavi?” She asked as she continued to look around. Maybe she was hiding somewhere, waiting for the right moment to pop out and say something droll and witty. It wasn’t really something that she would have seen coming, but for reasons unknown to her she didn’t put it past her foalhood friend to do something like that. She was nowhere to be seen though.

Sunset moved forward and put her hoof around Vinyl’s and stared at her for a few seconds, seemingly contemplating what to say. Usually that was never a good sign. The last time Sunset had done something like this was just before she told her that favorite dog had been run over. A saga which ended in Vinyl stalking the pony who she had believed had done it and openly and loudly threatening their life in the middle of the street.

Relief came though. “She’s doing just fine Vinnie. She got you here just in time but had a little accident in the car. She saved your life.” Sunset said, giving her a warm smile. Another good sign, things were continuing to look up. Tavi was alive and she had saved her life, something that Vinyl would have to make up to her sometime. Maybe it was time to give her the roll in the hay that she had so desperately wanted but refused to actually acknowledge for so many years. Maybe the new girl could even join too, that would be pretty awesome.

She then realized that while she had been vividly imagining that scenario and how she could get it to work for her (everyone loves ponies who are hurt and have a hard time saying no, right?) the others were staring at her, no doubt expecting some kind of response. She had to think of something and fast. “Oh…Um” She started. “That’s great. Can I see her? I want to thank her.”

The nurse, who she hadn’t even really noticed until then, stepped in to answer her. “Not yet, I’m afraid. Currently you are both very much incapacitated. She has an injured shoulder and can’t walk right now and you can’t do anything at all for at least the next week. We wouldn’t want you to open up and stitches.”

Well that just wasn’t going to happen, she couldn’t just not walk, especially for a week. She had things to do. She was a busy mare, a drug kingpin (queenpin?) in the making and her up and coming empire wasn’t going to ruthlessly establish itself after all. Aside from that, what if Sunset had another problem that she needed handled? She couldn’t exactly carry out something like that from the confines of a wheelchair. Well, she probably could actually but it would certainly take a lot of the fun out of it.

“Sorry doc.” She said, turning her head slightly to focus on the nurse. “That doesn’t really work for me. I need to get out of here pronto. I’ve got things to do and all of that.”

The nurse just gave her a slightly annoyed look. “First of all,” She said after a deep sigh. “I’m a nurse, not a doctor. Secondly, your aunt wasn’t exaggerating, you are lucky to be alive. We had you in surgery off and on for two days and you still almost didn’t pull through. The bullet struck quite a few of your internal organs and if you start moving around and tear one of those stitches you will most likely die from sepsis before we even have a chance to do anything about it. So I apologize for any inconvenience being shot in the chest has caused you but you really can’t do anything for at least the next week and more likely for the next few months.”

Vinyl was annoyed. That was actually putting it lightly. She was angry. The day had been going so well too. Now she had just learned that not only could she essentially not move for at least the next week but that it would takes months to recover. She considered just attempting to get up and walk away then and there just to prove a point, but she decided that it maybe wouldn’t be the smartest thing that she had ever done.

She decided in the end to just let out a very annoyed grunt that would hopefully signify to the nurse that she understood but was certainly not happy about it. It was something that she had learned to mirror almost perfectly over spending years with Octavia, who was a master of it. It seemed to do the trick though as the nurse just nodded and excused herself shortly afterwards.

Then after a few soft hugs from her brother, who had most certainly been crying even if he didn’t want to show it, and the others they left her and Sunset with the room to themselves. “You really have no idea how close we were to losing you there Vinnie.” Sunset said softly as she embraced her dear niece. “You really need to thank Tavi when you get a chance to see her.”

Vinyl scoffed a little at that. Of course she would thank her, and then proceed to throw an off-color joke in there somewhere. What it would be yet she didn’t know, but she knew she had at least a week to think of something good. In the meantime though there was something that she needed to discuss with her auntie.

“So,” Sunset started after their embrace ended. “What exactly happened? Just tell me what you remember and we can go from there. I already talked to Tavi but she took a really bad hit on the head on the way in here and she was a bit fuzzy on the details.”

Vinyl thought back to the night in question and began to ramble off the events that unfolded. The last thing she remembered clearly before things got crazy was taking shots with that cute couple who just got out of the founders play and thinking about what she could convince them to do with her later that night after the alcohol had fully set in. The next thing she knew it was a madhouse. There was screaming and then the gunshots started. She remembered grabbing the shotgun from underneath the bar and shooting at them, and was pretty sure she had hit at least one of them.

Then she remembered hearing that her precious stash was the target and she knew that she had to protect it. She did what she had almost always done in serious and life threateningly deadly situations and decided to wing it. Most of the time it had worked out pretty well, that time not as much. Her general plan was to rush at them with guns blazing and lock the office down before they had a chance to get in. She then realized as she was barreling towards them that she wasn’t holding the gun anymore and then things went downhill. Before she really had a chance to react she felt a pressure on her chest and her legs fell out from under her.

She remembered remarking to Tavi about how much it had hurt and how she never fully realized that she had been doing that to other ponies. When she did it, it was usually quick. They maybe choked a little bit or struggled around but usually it was a pretty quick death, when she wanted it to be that is, but that’s another story.

Then the last thing she remembered was looking up at Lyra as she held her and thinking about how funny the whole situation with Lyra was. Not “ha ha” funny but more of a really fucked up and manipulative ironic version of funny. She enjoyed that type of funny and at least she thought that it was a good note to die on if there was any. Then she woke up and here they were.

Apparently according to Sunset, Octavia had drug her out into the car and had driven them here. She miscalculated how long it would take to stop on the ice and they crashed, which had also almost killed Octavia. Sunset had even mentioned that the doctors told her that if she had come a minute or two later she would have most likely bled out.

That was a trip for sure. She usually liked to make light of things like this, especially since she had dealt with enough violence and death on a daily basis that it wasn’t really a big deal to her. This time though it was different. She was literally one minute away from death, and Tavi had saved her. The roll in the hay was overdue indeed as far as she was concerned. She owed her longtime best friend a lot more than that but it was certainly a start.

Then before she knew it she was fantasizing again instead of paying attention to her conversation. It had been a major theme in her life, almost something out of that really terrible TV show that Lyra watched about doctors trying to be funny a few years ago. She would just sort of fade in and out of full conversations sometimes when she thought of something interesting. Her aunt once called it an “internal tangent episode” and would always give Vinyl a disapproving look when she was having one, much like she was doing right now.

She lightened her gaze though and smiled. “And here I was thinking that this experience would have somehow changed you.” She said with a chuckle. “I’m really glad you're okay Vinnie. I don’t know what any of us would do without you.”

Vinyl smiled, it was always nice to be told how awesome you were, even if it wasn’t in so many words. Then she started thinking about everything again and realized that it was time to be serious. As the potential severity of the situation set in she started unleashing a fury of questions. “What about all of the stuff in the office? Did they get it? Do you know who did it? What are we going to do?”

She was eventually silenced by her aunt lightly placing a hoof over her lips. “Don’t worry.” She said looking deep into Vinyl’s eyes. “They got most of it and most of the bits that were in there too. They didn’t get the briefcase, thank Celestia, but they took just about everything else. It doesn’t matter though, all of that is replaceable and will be fixed, you aren’t. We got a name though and as soon as you are all better we are going to follow up on it.”

The answer had seemed to calm her. Sunset hadn’t held them personally responsible in any way for what had happened and would be replacing whatever was lost, something that was relatively easy for a mare with her influence. They knew who did it too and she couldn’t wait until she could walk around again so she could personally take every single liter of blood that she had lost back from them. She still had one question though, for now at least. “How’s the club?” She asked, expecting the worst.

Sunset then passed her over a newspaper that had been sitting on the table with her club on the front page. She read it over and had even laughed a little bit. This was certainly one way to get your name out there if nothing else. “The Hearth’s Warming Eve Massacre?” She said, putting the paper down. “Seems a bit absurd to me, but whatever.”

Sunset chuckled. “The whole thing is pretty absurd, but at least we are all here to tell the story. I have to get back to the club though and start doing damage assessment stuff for insurance. I need LP and Velvet with me but Rose offered to stay behind and stay with you. Should I send her in?”

The new girl wanted to stay with her? That was something she didn’t expect. She must have really worked wonders over her the night before everything went down for her to want to stick around like that. She felt a certain sense of odd pride at that and then nodded slightly. They hugged and said their goodbyes and soon afterwards Rose came in.

They started talking about everything that had happened with Rose asserting more than once that she was just happy that Vinyl was alive and didn’t know what she would do without her, which seemed a little strange to Vinyl but she didn’t mind. Rose was there most of the days and even at night, it’s not like she had a job to go back to yet so she didn’t mind. As they talked more and more each day Vinyl found herself really enjoying her company and eventually they shared a kiss after talking about how she had almost died. It was a nice kiss, not normally the ones she preferred. She was more into rough and angry kisses that usually came with a slap or bite, but soft and sweet ones could be good too, she figured that she could get used to them.

As time went by the kisses became more and more frequent, which Vinyl didn’t mind at all. She had never really felt like this before. She had really come to like the new girl, not just for her body (which was pretty amazing according to Vinyl) but for her. She had known almost everything about Rose after the first few days and the more she knew the more she liked her. She had a dream and followed through and even though things didn’t work out she was willing to go out of her element and do whatever it took to make it a reality. It was something Vinyl really respected and admired.

That was the way things went for the next eight days. By the time it came to be released she had even heard that she could finally see Tavi. She couldn’t wait. She had to thank her for saving her life, although now with her new found affection towards Rose the roll in the hay may need to wait for a little bit, unless she could convince them all that it would be a good bonding experience for the three of them or something like that. She figured she could come up with something, but that wasn’t what they needed to talk about. It was time to get back at whoever had done this to them. They would regret ever setting foot in this city by the time they were done with them. They would be made into an example for anyone else who thought it was okay to fuck around with Sunset Shimmer and her friends, she would make sure of that, even if it killed her.

Author's Notes:

A small interlude chapter (of which there will be a few over the course of the story) before we make a time jump to a little bit into the future. It's National Day here so I have the week off of work (shout-out to the Chinese government for government mandated work holidays) and I'm going to leave the country for a few days, probably to Vietnam or something so I wanted to write a little something to tide everyone over until I get back. Enjoy for now until Chapter Six: The Ballad of Sweet Peach comes to a desktop screen near you sometime in the next week or so. Thanks again for reading and any feedback is greatly appreciated.

Chapter Six: The Ballad of Sweet Peach

Three days after getting out of the hospital Vinyl and Octavia sat in their apartment wrapped in blankets and enjoying some nice warm cocoa (with Vinyl’s having a little something extra in it) talking about everything that had been going on. They hadn’t really had much time to spend with just each other. Between being stuck in the hospital and doing interviews with the guards about what had happened, they didn’t have much time for anything. Today though they had planned on spending the day relaxing at home, the club was going to be opening up soon and they wanted to relax as much as they could before going back to work.

Their level of mobility was still very limited, especially Octavia’s. She had trouble walking and started to feel like she was becoming dependent on the pills she got from the hospital. That was an entirely different can of worms though that would have to wait for another day. For now she just needed to worry about getting her shoulder fixed and dealing with Sweet Peach. They had ponies watching her apartment for quite some time and she was still there as far as they knew, but was holed up with enough hired muscle that any attempt at a straight on attack would be another massacre that they couldn’t afford.

She knew Sweet Peach had always been a bit too greedy for her own good, at least that was the impression that she got from her every time that they interacted, but she didn’t think she could possibly have been that stupid. No one robbed Sunset Shimmer, no one that knew who she was anyways. It was just a given. Almost an unwritten law that everyone knew. Either she was just getting too big for her proverbial britches or she didn’t know what was going on. Octavia figured that it was most likely the latter, but she couldn’t know for sure until she had Sweet Peach by the collar and could ask her herself before she put her down.

The only other thing weighing on her mind was how they were going to recover the club. There were rumors about it being connected to Il Cavallo Sconoscutio and now things were just multiplied. Plus even if people didn’t know about the mob connection, who would want to go to a place where 22 ponies (at least that was what the total was up to now) were massacred just a month prior? The whole thing was bad for business.

Vinyl on the other hoof had less serious matters on her mind. She was just sick of not being able to walk anywhere and really sick of not being able to smoke. Every time she took a deep breath she felt like she was getting punched in the chest. She tried a cigarette once last week but she ended up coughing so hard that she almost popped her stitches out. To add to that, she was incredibly bored. She tried to compose a bit for a new song but she could barely use her magic without it turning into a headache after a few minutes. Mostly she just spent the days sighing and watching TV with Tavi and occasionally Rose when she had free time.

That was one thing that Vinyl was actually happy about. Things with Rose had only gotten better since she had been out of the hospital. She had stopped by almost every day and whenever she was there time seemed to actually not move at a snail’s pace. Fleur had been by a lot too and she and Rose had actually become good friends as well.

Tavi on the other hand didn’t quite see it that way. She was mostly just annoyed by Rose and wished that she wasn’t around as much. Fleur was even friendly with her now too, which was even more annoying. She blamed it on the pills though, they seemed to make everything around her annoying. She couldn’t help but feel a little jealous as well. After the crash and thinking that Vinyl was going to die, she realized how much she actually loved her best friend. If it wasn’t for her hurt shoulder she would have been the one waiting on Vinyl in her room instead of Rose and she would be in Rose’s place. She had convinced herself that it was nothing but a temporary setback though. Vinyl would grow tired of her eventually and then she would get her chance. She wouldn’t let it go this time though. All she had to do now was bide her time and the rest would follow.

And so things went like this for another week until she was able to walk around on her shoulder and Vinyl was able to limp around with crutches. It was time to get to work. There was a lot to be done and not much time to do it in. They had to find a way to get the club back in working order, find a time to get Sweet Peach away from her apartment and also find a way to get back their stolen goods from her. Without that money they would have to borrow from Sunset to get things back in order. She knew, of course, that Sunset would give them the bits without even a second thought but she didn’t want to have to ask that favor.

It was another bitter cold morning in early January when she decided that it was time to get things working again. She started her day with a list of names of all of those who owed her bits or favors and got to work on the phone. One way or another she would get back to where their temporary success was before it was cut short. Nothing would stand in her way, there would be bodies rotting all over the capital if there had to, one way or another they would have what was theirs.

Across town on the 21st floor, Sweet Peach was on the verge of making a decision. Between her first call with Neon she had found out that not only had Sunset managed to work out that it was her who was behind the robbery, but that she was almost certain that it was Neon himself who tipped them off to her. This presented her with a tough scenario.

Sunset had ponies all around the city that were no doubt looking for her. If she attempted to leave her house she would most likely be shot on sight or kidnapped and tortured for hours on end until they eventually disposed of her. She had used a large chunk of that money to take some of her ponies off of the streets and have them guarding her inside and outside of her home around the clock, but eventually the bits would run out and there would be no barrier between her and Sunset’s well known ability for bloody retribution.

There was pretty much no way to actually leave the city, not that she could think of anyways, so what choice did she have. As far as she saw it she had four options. Option one was to keep the guards around until her bits ran dry and hope that she could figure out something then. Not a great option by any means but still viable and would give her time to think, but that time wouldn’t last forever. A month or so at the most.

Then there was option two. Call up anyone who she knew for favors and start an all-out war with Sunset and hope to come out alive. Also not a great option. Even with everyone she knew at her disposal and that she could hire she would be outnumbered by Sunsets crew and her associates by at least three to one on a good day. If it came to it and she knew she was going to die one way or another she would go this way and at least try and take some of them with her.

Option three was the one that she personally detested the most but was probably the safest. She could get in contact with the royal guard and agree to become a witness in exchange for her protection. This would not only put her on everyone’s kill list for the rest of her life but it would be abandoning something her father taught her from a young age. Never go to the guard, if you can’t handle your problems yourself then you are worthless. Also who knew what political power Sunset held inside the guard? For all she know she could be mysteriously found dead via “suicide” in her cell before she could give any information to anyone.

Then there was option four. This was one that killed her pride but it seemed somehow the most sensible one, if only because it was absurd. She could call Sunset. Explain what happened. Offer to pay her back what she took (an amount she probably had but would most likely bankrupt her) and even give up Neon in exchange for her life. Sunset was a reasonable mare and an excellent businesspony. She would jump at the chance to have a legitimate reason to get rid of Neon. He was her only major competition that had contacts in Sconoscutio and she was most likely itching for a reason to have him taken out.

With all of this on her mind she sat staring at her phone and looking at Sunsets number on the notepad on the table next to her constantly filled ashtray. She knew that it would be her only real shot to get out of this situation alive, she had to take it. She slowly picked up the phone and started dialing.

When she heard the familiar voice of Sunset Shimmer on the other end of the phone she was scared stiff for a moment and was about to hang up and figure out a different way to do this, her courage came back to her though after a few seconds.

“Sunset Shimmer?” She asked warily, already knowing full well that was who she was speaking to.

“Yes.” Sunset answered with a slight hesitance. “Who is this?”

She took a deep breath, it was time for the moment of truth. “It’s Sweet Peach. We need to talk.”

There was no response for a few seconds and Sweet Peach started to panic again. Finally though, the silence was broken.
“Talk about what dear? Talk about what you did? We both know it, there isn’t really much to talk about anymore. Why should I talk to you at all?” Sunsets voice was as cold as ice coming through the phone and dripping with venom. A chill went down Sweet Peach’s spine.

She couldn’t lose her nerve now; she might not get another chance. “You have to believe me, I didn’t know it was your place or this never would have happened. I was hired to do a big money job and wasn’t given details, just an address. I can give you information that you will want on who did it, plus I can pay you back most of what I took from you. The rest I will give you later with interest. All I ask is that you let me get out of the city.” Her voice had started to break towards the end.

Another dead silence. The panic was rising in her every second until finally Sunset spoke again.

“Why should I believe you?” She asked coldly.

“I have proof. I swear it on my mother’s grave.” She spat out quickly. “Listen, just meet me at my apartment. Bring as many guard ponies as you like, just give me a chance to set this straight. I know you are a businesspony and you will want to hear what I have to say. If you still don’t believe it after that then you can just kill me.”

This time Sunset didn’t wait for a reply. “Okay. I’ll be there in forty-five minutes. If anything should happen to me there then I promise you will die slowly and screaming. Are we clear?”

Sweet Peach nodded. “Crystal. I’ll be waiting for you. I’m at 1204 East New Vision Street. Apartment 2104”

“Don’t worry” Sunset said with the same venomous tone she had before. “I know exactly where you are.”

With that she hung up the phone and lit another cigarette. This would either be the best or the worst decision that she had ever made, and could very well end up with her dead. There was nothing else that could be done though. Nothing else but to call all the guards in and wait.
Exactly forty-five minutes on the dot later she saw two black cars pull up in front of her building and thirteen ponies get out. Sunset was one of them and she among her crew she spotted the famed Fleur D’ Lis and some mint green unicorn who looked familiar too. She lit another cigarette in her non-stop chain and put a pistol beneath the cushion that she was on.

About a minute later the knock on the door came and she took a deep breath and motion for one of the guards to open it. In walked Sunset wearing a black business suit and aviator shades. Fleur and the mint green one where immediately behind her along with seven other henchponies that filled the room, each locking eyes with one of her own guards.

She waved Sunset over to the couch. “Sunset.” She said with a small courtesy of her head. “Fleur.” She said as she glanced at the lanky unicorn. “It’s been awhile.”

“Not long enough I’m afraid.” Fleur said as she sat on the chair facing the couch with the mint green one sitting beside her. They both had a look of hatred in her eyes and she could imagine why. For all she knew they could both have been there that night and had barely escaped with their lives.

Sunset then spoke up. “Listen Sweet Peach, I don’t have a lot of time so I’m going to give you exactly five minutes to say what you have to say. If at the end of those five minutes I’m not convinced in what you have to say then I’m going to have my associate Lyra here (she motioned to the mint green one) break this big window and toss you out of it into the street. Are we clear?”

Sweet Peach audibly gulped. Now was the time for her to set things right, it was now or never. She cleared her throat.

“If that’s the case I’m going to get straight to the point. Like I told you over the phone I had no idea who we were going to be hitting. All I got was an address and what was potentially inside and that it had to be done that night. I got a group together as fast as I could when I saw the potential take and sent them over there. They were instructed to not injure anyone unless they absolutely had to but from reading the papers I can see how that was obviously not what happened."

She continued. "If I would have known you were in any way related to this I would have never gone through with this, not only do I have no ill will towards you but I’m not a madmare with a death wish either. I actually have a lot of respect for you and your organization.”

Sunset stopped her there. “Cut the shit Sweet Peach and tell me what I want to know. Who gave the call and where is my fucking money?”

Sweet Peach almost lost her nerve at the stare that Sunset was giving her. There was no doubt that if she didn’t say the right thing now she wouldn’t even live long enough to regret it. She cleared her throat again and scanned the room.

“It was Neon Lights that gave the call. He told me if I gave him the package and the money he would split the profits with me evenly. As for where your money is, I told you before that I don’t have all of it, only most of it and it will literally be bankrupting me to give it to you, but I will do it. All I ask is that you leave me with enough to leave the city and as I said before I will give you the rest with interest as soon as I can.”
Sunset just stared at her for a minute and she could swear that this was the end. Any minute now she would be taking a twenty-one story plunge to the icy street below. She almost started to reach for the pistol when Sunset finally spoke up.

“Here’s what I’m going to do for you Sweet Peach.” She started slowly. “You get Neon Lights to admit to this somewhere where I can confirm it either through a recording or near one of my associates. After that you will give me all of your money and anything valuable in your possession, including the deed to this apartment. Then I will let you out of the city. You will have exactly three months to come up with the rest of my money or I will send someone after you. This time though there won’t be any talking and you will die slowly. Do you accept my terms?”

She froze. Getting Neon out in the open would be tricky, especially since he had most likely found out that Sunset knew about her. She had no other option though, it was either this or die. She wasn’t ready to die, not quite yet. She just nodded her head.

“That’s good to see. You have one day to get me that information. I will not wait any longer and I will have my people watching you at all times. Good luck.” With that Sunset stood up and they all filed out of the room.

Sweet Peach felt like a great weight had been lifted off of her shoulders and she took a deep breath in. She had to figure out a way to get this information. She figured the best way would be with a phone tap, but that would take some time to get a hold of. She sent a guard with instructions to a back alley merchant who could provide the service and started preparing what she would say.

Downstairs Lyra, Fleur and Sunset had just sat in the back of the long car that they came in and started driving away. “Do you believe her?” Lyra asked. “I mean, it just seems to easy doesn’t it?” She said looking at Sunset.

Sunset nodded. “I believe her. She has no reason to lie at this point and Neon had all the reason in the world to try and take me out of business. He failed though and now he is going to pay for it with his life. I can take whatever I get from Sweet Peach to the council and sanction a hit on him. With luck I’ll absorb his crew and we will double in size.”

Fleur scowled. “She did almost get Vinyl killed though. Can you just let her go after all that?”

Sunset didn’t say anything for a second; she grabbed a drink from the cars bar with her magic and took a sip. “For Sweet Peach it was just business. That I can forgive. For Neon though it was beyond personal and he will suffer for it.”

There was nothing else to be said between them as they continued towards the heart of the city back to the club to continue with reservations. Sunset dropped off Fleur and Lyra there and then headed back to her office to wait for the call.

As the day stretched on Tavi had exhausted all of the names on her list and was still having trouble getting any help. It’s funny, she thought, how ponies were your friend when they needed something but were quick to turn their backs as soon as it was time to return the favor. She wasn’t completely shut out though as she had managed to get around a thousand in back owed bits from various ponies and even the offer to help with extra protection at the club for free from some of her former associates. She considered it breaking even and was going to retire from the phone and relax when she got a call from Sunset.

Sunset explained everything that happened and the gravity of the situation began to hit Octavia. If what Sweet Peach had told Sunset was true, then they were going to be going to the mattresses for sure. There was a full-on war coming between groups and she was about to get thrust right into the middle of it. Of course she couldn’t tell Sunset no. She just agreed to be on call and to start gathering the rest of the troops in preparation.

She then went out to the living room to see Vinyl snuggled up on the couch with Rose. “Vinyl dear,” She started, trying to get her friends attention. “I need to speak to you in private please.”

Vinyl sighed and slowly got up, hobbling with Octavia into the kitchen slowly, almost to exaggerate her wounds and how sore they were. When they got back she closed the door behind them and Octavia filled her in on what she had heard from Sunset.

“That fucking cocksucker!” Vinyl exclaimed, slamming her hoof down on the countertop. “I knew we should have killed that worthless bastard years ago. He is barely in with the families, he’s not even fully made for Celestia’s sake. Now he has the balls to pull this kind of move on us? He’s out of his fucking mind and I’m going to blow his mind right out of his greasy-maned skull!”

Vinyl was fuming with rage and started to cough from the drastic movement she was making. Octavia put a hoof over her shoulder. “Let’s not get too carried away here Vinnie. If it comes to war we’ll go, but we’ve never actually done anything like this before. If Sunset really wants to go to the mattresses over this then we need to get ready soon. Call anyone who you know, especially ponies who need protection if things get messy and get them ready to come to Sunsets compound. I’ll start making calls around the city to find apartments for us and mattresses for everyone. This could very well be the real deal and we have to be ready to go at a moment’s notice.”

Vinyl was fuming but at least had calmed down enough to know what needed to be done, all while envisioning what she was going to do to Neon when they caught him. She had a lot of work to do, and somewhere in the back of her mind she was hoping Sunset gave the call. She was ready for blood, and she wasn’t going to stop until they were all dead.

As the day began to fade away and Luna rose the moon. Sweet Peach was getting ready to call Neon. She had everything set up and had let all but three of her guards go home. She had worked out exactly what to say and was ready to give it her best. She picked up the phone, staring out the large glass window in her living room down into the street below. Neon picked up on the other end.

“Neon.” She started and without waiting for a response, continued. “We need to talk. I need some extra cash from that job.”

He scoffed through the phone and she could almost picture the smug look on his face. “Why would I do that Sweety? You already got your cut last month.”

She stood up and started to pace about the room while holding the phone. “The situation has changed. I need to get out of the city and I’m almost certain that Sunset is on to me. These guards aren’t cheap and I need some extra cash. You owe me for not filling me in on what this Celestia-forsaken job was going to be in the first place.”

She heard him chuckle on the other end of the phone and her blood started to boil. “Sorry Sweety but I owe you exactly dick. You got your pay just like I did, no more and no less. Also you seem to have forgotten what I told you when this all first went down.”

She stopped still in her tracks. “What are you talking about?” She asked.

“I told you to never mention my name.” He said, with a deadly serious tone. “Don’t you remember what I said would happen if you mentioned my name?”

She started to shake. “What are you talking about? I never said shit! Don’t try and change the subject!”

He laughed again. “Sweety, Sweety, Sweety. Did you forget who found those guards for you in the first place? The only reason you are even still breathing is because I wanted to hear this happen to you.”

As each word came out she started to panic. Before she knew it all of her remaining guards were staring at her, looking ready to pounce. She went into action as fast as she could, hurling the phone at the closest one to her. He took a hit to the head and dropped but the other two lunged toward her immediately. One of them, a brown earth pony pulled a knife from his vest and came at her.

She managed to duck under his dive but his knife cut her all the way up the back. She wasn’t going to go down that easily though. Her father taught her how to fight and she was going to fight until the end. She picked up the temporarily stunned earth pony in her hooves by the mane and slammed his head down on her hard granite coffee table, smashing his jaw and breaking his neck immediately.

She didn’t have time to pause though as the unicorn who she had hit with the phone earlier was now up and the other dark blue earth pony was charging her at full speed. They connected and she went to the floor. They started wrestling and she could see the unicorn pulling out a pistol from his coat. She reacted as quickly as she could and flipped the earth pony on top of here as the unicorn started shooting. He took five bullets to the side. One came through though and hit her side as well.

She screamed in pain and then remembered that her own pistol was still tucked under the pillow. She reached for it but before she could get to it, the now empty pistol that the unicorn had came flying at her and hit her in the head, it bounced off of her and shattered her large living room window. She was dazed and started to lose consciousness, but she wasn’t going to give up yet.

She finally reached the gun and pulled it up just in time to fire one shot, hitting the charging unicorn on tip of his horn. He came crashing down into her, knocking the gun out of her hand. She was fading out now but she tried her best to keep fighting. She knew that she could succeed. She just had to push. She was Sweet Peach and she would be damned if it was going to end like this.

The Unicorn got on top of her and started punching her in the face. She blocked him as best as she could but she was losing strength. She had one last option. She reared up her back legs and bucked him off of her. As he was trying to get his breath back she turned and reached for the gun. The unicorn though, in a quick act of desperation grabbed a shard of glass from the broken window and plunged it into her back with all of his strength.

She couldn’t move. Her insides were on fire and she couldn’t breathe. She tried to buck him off again but he stabbed down even harder. She was fading fast and had no other option. If she was going, he was going with her. She took a second to think about how it had all come to this and how she wished she could have lived a different life, as most ponies do just before the end.

Then without any hesitation she used the last of her strength and rolled over onto her back. She wrapped her front hooves around his chest and used her back hooves to push off from of the coffee table with enough force to send them both rolling out of the window and down to the cold ground below. In the last seconds she had in Equestria on her way down she felt content. She went out on her own terms. That was what they would say about her in the end. She could be happy with that.

Then with a loud thud the collided in a mess of broken bones and blood with the ground below, putting an end to the short and unfinished life of Sweet Peach and the chance that Sunset had for getting any evidence to use against Neon.

Sunset was in her office when she got the call just minutes later. Her boys heard gunshots and then saw the bodies coming out of the window. She didn’t say anything, just slammed the phone down on the receiver enough to crack the plastic.

Flash was sitting on her office couch when she did and immediately stood up. “What happened?” he asked, clearly concerned.
She shook her head. “They got to her. I don’t know how, but they got to her first.” She said in a low voice. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “It doesn’t matter though. These things will work themselves out. They always do. It seems like all my problems end up going well for me in the end. Just look at how the whole situation turned out with Lyra.”

She stood up, walking towards him “We took care of her wife and somehow she ends up not only working for me but is one of my best new earners. I don’t care what it takes, we are going to nail that bastard down and put him in the ground. Call in any of our friends and try and get a tap on where he lives and where his main place of business is. Sometime he is going to slip up and I need to be ready when he does.”

Flash nodded and stood up. He had work to do just like that all did. As he exited the room he almost ran into a surprised looking Lyra just a few feet outside the door holding coffee in her magical grip. He reached out one of his wings and took a cup from her. “Thanks kid.” He said without giving her a second glance. She wouldn’t have noticed either way, she didn’t even see who he was. She was too busy trying to process the information she just heard through the door about Bonnie. She was just coming in to bring the coffee but stopped when she heard Sunset slam the phone. It was starting to look like a long night ahead for everyone.

Author's Notes:

And I'm back after almost a year. Why the long absence? Well to make a long story short. This website has been blocked in China for quite some time and now I just got a VPN so I can use it again. Also I've been working full time on my own business and am getting married soon so I haven't had time. I hope to start updating regularly for those who are still interested. The story is all mapped out, I just need to take the time to fill in the details and submit it. As always I'm always looking for feedback and welcome all of it. Thanks for reading and sorry for the wait!

Chapter Seven: Necessary Evil

Lyra was broken. After she heard what Sunset said she quickly left the room, ran downstairs and ran almost all the way to her home. As soon as she got home she locked to doors behind her and collapsed on the floor. Her world was crumbling around her and the walls were closing in fast.

Bonnie wasn’t gone, she was dead. The love of her life was dead. Just thinking of the word dead tore her heart into smaller and smaller pieces. Not only was Bonnie dead, she was murdered. Not just murdered, but murdered on the order of Sunset Shimmer. She had seen firsthoof what happened to those who Sunset gave an order to kill. Celestia only knew what horrors her beloved had experienced at the hooves of, most likely, one of her friends.

The horror began to set in. It was one of her friends who had killed her wife, and that good for nothing bitch Sunset Shimmer tried to placate her and “take her under her wing” after it was all over. This was unreal. She wanted to rage and cry and scream all at the same time. There was no other choice. Sunset had to die. There was no second option. She couldn’t continue to exist after what she had done to Bonnie.

Then Lyra started thinking. If she brought down Sunset, then another pony would take her place and the circle would just keep going. She had to take them all down. She couldn’t play how they played; she wasn’t good enough or strong enough. She had to do something else. Something that could end up getting her killed if she wasn’t lucky. She didn’t care though. Her life was forfeit without Bonnie in it. She would start in the morning, now she decided though it was time to cry herself to sleep and hope to dream some kind of escape from the horrible nightmare that she had found herself in.

Across town Octavia sat up at her apartment, smoking a cigarette on her balcony and looking down on the city below. She could never sleep anymore. The pills that she was on had seen to that. She also wasn’t ever hungry anymore either. Good for her figure if nothing else, she supposed. She had come to really appreciate the magic that opiates could bring. Maybe they made her a little more…irritable than before, but there was nothing especially wrong with that.

They were going to try and open up the club for the first time tomorrow night, and she was worried. Not just if anyone would come, but if something else had happened. She had heard from Sunset that Sweet Peach was dead and they didn’t have the proof that they needed that Neon was behind the shooting. She was sure that while at least now a full out war would be postponed, it was only a matter of time before these things happened. The killing of Vinyl’s parents had set off the last one and by the time it was over, dozens of ponies were killed, with Sunset coming out as the victor.

She was sure that if things came down to it and they had to hit the mattresses then there was no doubt that Sunset would emerge a winner again. She was the best at what she did and all of the other families knew it. Anyone who had dared to even consider hitting her operation since the last war was quickly reminded of that power. Until now no one inside Sconoscutio would have ever dared to strike out against her, unless they had some kind of hidden ace up their sleeves. That was what had her worried. Even though she was sure Sunset would come out ahead, that didn’t necessarily mean that she and Vinyl would.

Sunset had told her and Vinyl that they were to meet up with her tomorrow evening at the opening of the club to discuss their next move. She was ready for whatever Sunset had to say, she just hoped that they didn’t have to go to war. At least not until she had her affairs in order and could go on the lam if need be. They were just starting to make some real bits and she wasn’t going to give that up, not for anything in Equestria.

She turned and looked at Vinyl and Rose, cuddled up and sleeping on the couch with the TV still on. It was another thing that she wasn’t happy about that was glaring her in the face. She wasn’t worried yet though. She knew that in the end that Vinyl would be hers. That was on the back-burner for now though. Now there was business to do, and most likely bloody days on the horizon, at least for the foreseeable future.

She lit another cigarette and swallowed two more pills. She was up to the 80 milligram ones and they still barely had any effect. Another problem that would need solving soon, but that could wait. Instead she just sat back and let the cold and bitter wind blow through her fur. At least for now she could have some peace.

The sun came up on another cold winter morning in Canterlot. Sunset was already up, dressed in a thick black coat and walking towards the uptown location of Pony Joe’s Donuts. She had a very important meeting to attend and was going over exactly what she was going to say. She stepped through the door, giving a slight nod to the stallion behind the counter and continuing past the other customers into the back of the room.

In the back room there was an old unicorn who, although he started out as a light orange color, was now mostly grey. He had deep lines in his face and a long scar down his neck. Hit was sitting, eating a donut and smoking a cigar and reading the morning edition of Canterlot Today. He looked up and gave a slight smile to Sunset.

“Sunny.” He said in a deep and gruff voice, raising his cigar to her. “It’s good to see ya kid. It’s been too long. What’s the urgent business?”

She smiled back to him and took a seat at the small table across from him. “Sandy. It’s good to see you too. You haven’t aged a day since we last met.”

Sandy Shores gave out an equally gruff chuckle. “No need to flatter me anymore kid, you're one of the bosses now. What’s on your mind.”

Sunset sighed. “It’s Neon. I found out that he was the one behind the attack on my club. His people made off with most of my product and over ten thousand bits. Something has to be done about this.”

Sandy's smile had quickly turned into a frown. “Are you sure it was him?” He asked, his eyes focusing hard on her.

“100 percent sure.” She answered. “I was in the process of getting the proof from the dearly departed Sweet Peach. Unfortunately for me he was able to get to her before I could.”

He leaned forward and put both front hooves on the table. “So you don’t have any solid proof then?” he asked.

“If I did the kid would have been dead already.” She said, darting her eyes at him. “Listen.” She started. “I know he’s your brother’s godson but he is out of control. Aside from all that he stole from me, his men put Vinnie in the hospital and almost got her killed. His actions are inexcusable and I will not tolerate them.”

“Listen, Sunny.” Sandy started as he took a long puff from his cigar. “I believe you, but you have no proof. Like it or not he’s made just like us. You can’t just kill him without the council approving.”

She scoffed loudly. “You and I both know that the only reason he was ever made was because of who his father was. He’s a coward and I made my bones when he was still in diapers. He inherited his crew and can’t even earn on his own so he has to come after me. He crossed a line when he tried to fuck with me. One way or another Sandy, I’m going to put him in the ground.”

He sat up straight and extinguished his cigar with his magic. “You can’t do that without council approval and they won’t approve it without proof. Unless you want to go to war you need to think about what you are saying here.”

She shook her head. “That’s why I’m here Sandy. I need to know that if it comes down to it that you will be in my corner. You were my father’s right hoof and he gave you your family. I’ve known you since I was a foal for Celestia’s sake. I can’t do this fight without you.”

He sat for a few seconds without responding and took a drink of his coffee. “I’m sorry Sunny. If a war comes I can’t take your side without proof that he was behind it. This will most likely get us all killed. You know that I respect you and that I believe you, but I can’t take the chance.”

She was about to speak up when he continued. “However, if you are able to get some proof of him going against you and get it to me then I’m sure that the council would approve it without any trouble. No one there likes him, but he is a decent earner and, like it or not, he’s a member. Those rules have been around a lot longer than we have and will be when we are gone.”

She let out a deep sigh. “I really hoped you would get behind this with me Sunny, but I understand. I won’t do anything until I get proof. He knows that I’m on to him though so he might strike again. If that happens then we are going to the mattresses and it’s going to be an all-out war.”

She paused for a second before continuing. “With that said, I need you to know that I won’t forgive anyone who doesn’t side with me if that time comes. Anyone who stands between him and I will end up in the ground. I hope you choose wisely.”

Sandy chuckled again. “I don’t doubt it kid. Don’t worry. I’ll always be on your side. I just need to make sure our asses are covered before we go too deep. Also there is something you might be forgetting.” He finished, cracking a wry smile.

She sat up. “I’m listening.” She said.

“Well.” He started. “Just because Neon is made doesn’t mean that everyone in his outfit is protected. Really it’s only him. His crew hasn’t been around long enough for him to make anyone else official. Why don’t you just find one of his top guys and catch him with his pants down. That would send a message and at least get him to back off for a little bit. You just have to make sure that there is nothing linking it back to you.”

Sunset smiled. She loved the idea and couldn’t believe that she hadn’t thought of it herself first. She knew that his foalhood friend who they called “Skag” was his most trusted adviser. If she could take him out of the picture then she would either force him into his place or get him to strike out again, and then she could justify the hit on him.

“Thanks for the advice Sandy. I’ll certainly take it into consideration.” She said as she stood up and pushed in her chair.

He smiled to her, taking a sip of his coffee. “Just be careful kid. He’s as dangerous as he is stupid. If you don’t handle this delicately then we could all end up in the ground.”

She turned to him as she was walking out of the room. “Sandy, please.” She started with a smile. “Delicate is my middle name.”

This got an actual laugh out of the old stallion and he sputtered on his coffee. Sunset left him with that and started to plan her next move. She needed to put someone on Skag so they could follow him until the time was ready. She needed an expert hoof and someone who she knew wouldn’t get made as one of her crew. She knew exactly who to call.

That pony, as it turned out, was already out and about on that cold morning. She was heading towards the back end of the palace where the Equestrain Federal Royal Guard Command was located, intent on starting a grand plan of her own. She entered the door to find a guard in a black suit seemingly napping behind the front desk.

“Excuse me, sir.” She said, tapping his shoulder. He awoke and shuffled around, looking like he had been caught by his boss. When he finally came to attention he stared her down.

“Can I help you miss?” He said, using his magic to straighten out his suit.

“I sure hope so.” She said. “I need to report some information on organized crime in the city. I think I can be a great help to our city and put these ponies away for good.”

He chuckled. “Sounds like you have quite the story to tell miss. Just give me your name and I’ll have an agent out to see you as soon as we get a chance.”

She smiled in return. “No problem, My name is Lyra Heartstrings, and I do have quite the story to tell, and that’s only the beginning.”

As Lyra told her tale and Sunset plotted, Vinyl and Rose arrived at the club, meeting with LP and Velvet, to get ready for their grand re-opening. They had another shipment in that Sunset had fronted from her suppliers. They had a big night planned and they were expecting a full house. Whether it was from return customers or just ponies looking to check out the scene of the largest massacre in over a decade in Canterlot, they would be coming in droves.

She had felt better, well, mostly better that is. Her chest still hurt like hell when she would try and smoke or do any serious stretch, but her stitches had healed and she was fine. She was more than excited to get things back in business. As far as she was concerned, getting shot had actually worked out pretty well for her, all things considered. She got to relax for a bit, found a new relationship and love with a beautiful mare, and managed to get herself basically sober from drugs and alcohol in the past months, something that she was actually enjoying a bit.

It was the first time she had been to the club since the shooting and looking around from the front door she got a chill down her spine. There was no blood and the bullet holes had all been sealed and painted over, but something just seemed off about the place. It didn’t matter though, a job was a job and she had work to do. She gave Rose a peck on the cheek and headed into the office.

When she was alone again she scanned around, hoping that they hadn’t found her stash. She lifted a panel off of the side of her desk and found her small safe still in the place it was before. A huge smile crossed her lips. She put in the combination so fast that she got it wrong the first time. As soon as the door cracked open she pulled the large bag of white powder out and placed it on the desk. She grabbed the phone and called downstairs, calling LP and Velvet up to meet her.

They came in and closed the door behind them. She gave them both a big smile. “Big bro, Velvet. It’s good to be back. We’ve got a lot of work to do before tonight and I’ve got something here that should help us out.”

She motioned to the table where six lines were cut from the powder, two for each of them. They both lit up in return and joined her at the desk. She passed them each a straw and raised it into the air.

“Here’s to a good night and endless more to come. Let’s make some money and have some fun!” She said, moving the straw at them to accentuate her point.

“Here, here!” they both cheered, and bent their heads down to the table. Two quick sniffs later and they had all the energy that they needed to get things ready for the night and then some. They all left the room and quickly got to their respective tasks. It was going to be a big night and everything had to be on point.

Back at the Equestrain Federal Royal Guard Command it was starting to get dark. Lyra had been there almost all day. She was talking with the head of the Celestial Special Investigations Unit, a tan Pegasus named Earth Song. They were already hours into their conversation and it was finally coming to a close, with Lyra happy with the results.

“So here is how this is going to work Misses Heartstrings.” He started. He picked up a small gold chain that had a pendant in the shape of Bonnie's cutie mark on it. It had just been delivered from the lab only minutes ago.

He held up the chain and she grabbed it in her magic. “One of our guys is going to teach you a spell that will turn this on. As soon as the chain is activated it will record everything to a database that we have here in our office. Once you use the spell again it stops. It’s all pretty straightforward.”

She put the chain on. A tear came to her eye just seeing her beloved Bonnie's cutie mark but she was able to keep it together. She sniffled. “How long do I need to do this for exactly?" She asked.

Earth Song had pulled some paperwork from his desk and placed it in front of her. “That can be hard to say. Months, maybe years even. You are the closest thing to the inside to Il Cavallo Sconoscutio in decades. We need you to sew yourself into their inner circle and do whatever they ask. If one day you can get yourself made we can get information on their leaders and bring them all down. Is this something that you think you can do?”

She thought for a second. Years were a long time. Years that she would have to look Sunset in the face and smile. Years that she would have to continue in the business that got her wife killed. She put the thought away though. It would all be worth it, just to bring them all down.

She hardened her face. “Yes sir. I do have one question though.”

He smiled. “Go on.”

She started again. “What if I have to beat, or even kill other ponies? If I disobey Sunset there is no way I will get anywhere, aside from the fact that she wouldn’t trust me for long after that.”

His face turned cold. “Unfortunately that is what we in this department have deemed as a necessary evil. We will try and intervene if we have to later, especially if any serious damage is to be done. That being said though, at first you will have to go through with it to get into their inner circle. Is this something that you can do? You are the best chance we have of bringing these scum down for good.”

She thought long and hard on this. Ponies would have to die for her to get her revenge. Of course, they wouldn’t exactly be innocent ponies, and if she didn’t do the job, someone else would. She took the phrase necessary evil to heart and made her decision.
She took a deep breath. “Yes sir.”
Earth Song’s face brightened. “Thank you Misses Heartstings. You have no idea how much good you will be doing for your princess and your country. From now on you can’t be seen anywhere near this area and we will only contact you if it is absolutely necessary. We look forward to your reports. Good luck, you are doing Celestia’s work out there.”

She smiled in return and shook his hoof. She went out to the main hall and in a few minutes she had learned the simple spell to activate her necklace and was on her way. When she had gotten home she saw that she had fifteen missed calls and three messages on her answering machine. She was needed by Sunset for a big meeting tonight at The Hop. Everyone in the crew was coming and they were going to be some big announcements made. Then there would be no better time to test out her new gadget. She went off and brushed her mane and then headed for the club.

Just two hours later the sun was down and, just as they had hoped, the grand re-opening of The Hop was a massive success. The entire place was full and there was a line outside all the way to the end of the street. Lyra made her way past and walked straight in the front door, hearing some commotion from some of the ponies in line behind her.

The music was pumping, and the dance floor was packed from wall to wall as it always was when Vinyl’s friends were playing a set. Rose waved her over. They smiled and hugged across the bar. “Lyra! It’s good to see you!” Rose shouted over the blaring music.

“You too!” Lyra shouted back with an actual smile on her face. She knew Rose was innocent in all of this and had no ill will towards her.
“Where is everyone?” She asked.

Rose didn’t hear so she asked again louder. “Oh!” She said. “I was supposed to tell you. They are all upstairs, they have been waiting for you for something. Sunset and Fleur are here too and a couple other ponies who I didn’t recognize.”

“Okay.” Lyra shouted. “Thanks Rosie.” She said and made her way towards the back office.

First she headed to the bathroom and washed her face. “Okay Lyra.” She said to her reflection as she cast the spell to turn on the recording necklace. “It’s go time.” She gave herself the most determined look that she could muster and went back out and headed for the office.

When she opened the door she saw Vinyl and Tavi’s desks pushed together and the ponies all sitting around the table, with Sunset at the head. Along with her was Fleur, Vinyl, Octavia, a bright yellow mare with curly brown hair that she had met before but couldn’t remember and a tall and lanky deep red stallion with orange hair and a scowl on his face that she had never seen before.

“Sweet Celestia Lyra.” Vinyl called as soon as she opened the door. “Where in the ever-loving fuck have you been all day? I’ve been trying to call you.”

Lyra smiled sheepishly and took a seat at the empty space between Octavia and Fleur. “Sorry about that.” She said. “I was checking up on some ponies who thought they had Bonnie recently when they were in Ponyville.”

Sunset spoke up then. “It’s not a problem. How did it go dear?” She finished with a smile.

Lyra’s rage grew deep inside her but she did her best to keep it together and put on a disappointed face. “Unfortunately they were mistaken. They showed me some vacation photos and the mare in them had a different cutie mark. No worries though. I’m sure I’ll find her eventually, wherever she is.”

Sunset frowned. “That’s too bad dear. Well for now anyways we have business to attend to.” She motioned to the yellow mare. “I believe you have met my associate Berry Shake here. She runs my restaurant front on the east side of the city.”

Lyra shook her head in agreement. “Nice to see you again.” She said with a smile.

Sunset continued. “This handsome fellow is Silver Sheen. Let’s just say he takes care of my money handling and assets.”

Silver Sheen blushed slightly and nodded to Lyra. “It’s nice to meet you ma’am”

Lyra smiled back. “You as well.”

Sunset then faced the rest of the group. “Now that introductions are out of the way, we have some business to attend to.”

They all nodded and she started. “I’m sure by now all of you know what the situation is with Neon Lights. I’m also sure you know that the evidence that I tried to get the dearly departed Sweet Peach to gather didn’t exactly pan out. I went and met with the north-side family leader Sandy Shores today. I’m sure most of you are familiar with him, he is a dear family friend and was with my father during his tenure as leader of this crew.”

She pulled out a cigarette from her pack and lit it, taking a slow drag. “He informed me that without proof that Neon hit us, any attempt on his life would ultimately lead to war and we would be on our own against the other three families in the city. It would most likely end with all of our deaths.”

Vinyl put her hoof down on the table. “That’s bullshit auntie! That filthy little weasel doesn’t just get to walk away from this. He almost killed Tavi, Lyra and I! There has to be some way to get around this, and if there’s not then I say we hit the mattresses. Fuck them! We can’t be disrespected like this!”

Silver Sheen shook his head. “I agree with Vinyl fully. If we appear weak then it’s only a short time before any other crew thinks that they can get away with hitting us. Sanctioned or not, something must be done about this.”

Sunset spoke up. “If you would let me finish Vinnie, I was going to say that I have a solution.”

Vinyl blushed slightly. “Sorry auntie. You know how I get sometimes.”

Sunset smiled at her. “Don’t worry about it. Anyways as I was saying our friend Sandy gave me a good idea. Neon only got his badge recently, which means that he has no right to appoint anyone else as full members. An attack against them technically doesn’t violate the full rules, as long as no one can prove that it was us. We are going to play the game that he is playing.”

She had their full attention now. “Here is what we are going to do. I made some calls today and found out the location of the home of his second in command. An earth pony that they call Skag.”

Fleur chuckled. “Who in their right mind would want to be called something like skag?”

Vinyl looked over to her. “We can’t all control the nicknames people give us, can we White Widow?” She started laughing.

Fleur huffed. “Point taken I guess. You wouldn’t want to know the nicknames some ponies have for you.”

Before Vinyl could say anything back Sunset started again. “Stupid name or no, I know where he is. He is hiding out on the south-east side of town on Liberty Avenue in a small apartment complex. From the information I received he lives in 27B. We are going to get him, and we are going to do it tonight.”

They all stared at her. “So, what’s the plan then?” Tavi asked, lighting a cigarette of her own.

“The plan” Berry started, “is that one of us is going to go out there and wait for him to come out of his house. We have a pony on the inside who is going to call him from a payphone and ask to meet him. When he comes out we will have someone waiting across the street. They will then walk up behind him and gun him down with this.” She picked up a small sawed-off shotgun from under the table and set it down on it.

“That’s not all.” Sunset said. After the job is done, we are going to leave this on his body.” She levitated up a small microphone with wires coming out of it.

“What’s that?” Lyra asked.

“It’s a phone tap,” Sunset said, putting the microphone on the table next to the shotgun. “It’s similar to the one he knew we had Sweet Peach put in her phone to get to him. I’m sure he will get the message.”

“Then what?” Tavi asked, putting her cigarette out.

“Then.” Sunset started, doing the same with hers. “We wait. He will either get the picture and know that he needs to set things right and give us what he stole, or he will try to come at us again, but this time we will be ready and have proof to bring to the council. After that it’s only a matter of time before he is in the ground.”

“So who is going to be the one to do it?” Fleur asked, looking around the room.

“Well.” Sunset started. “It needs to be someone that Skag would never notice. Not only that but it needs to be someone that isn’t already much of a well-known associate of ours, that way we have deniability if anyone sees the shooter. So with that in mind, the job falls to you Lyra.”

Lyra’s heart sank. She desperately wanted to say no but in her mind she kept repeating the phrase “Necessary evil.” over and over like a mantra inside her head. She took a deep breath. “Okay.” She said, looking at Sunset.

“That’s my girl.” Sunset said. “I’m very proud of you Lyra. Bonnie would be proud too.” Lyra was sick to her stomach just hearing her say those words. She wanted to reach across the table at that moment and put the barrel of the shotgun in Sunset’s face, damn the consequences, but her logical side got the better of her and she just smiled back in return.

“Are you sure you can do this Lyra?” Octavia asked, giving her a concerned look.

“Of course I can. Those bastards almost killed me too. I want to see them in the ground as much as anyone else. I’m willing to do my part around here like the rest of you.”

Sunset smiled wide at her. “That’s what I love to hear. Don’t worry; I’ll make sure you are paid well for this. I won’t forget this favor either.” She slid a piece of paper across the table to Lyra. “Here’s the address. Put on a hoodie and wait for him outside. He will be getting the call in about an hour. As soon as he goes down, drop the wires on him and run to the next intersection. I’m going to send Silver with you to pick you up.”

Lyra grabbed the piece of paper with her magic and put it in her pocket, trying not to shake at the thought of the task ahead. “I won’t let you down, Sunset” She said as she stood up.

Sunset smiled once more to her. “I know you won’t. Call me when it’s done” She said sweetly.

She went to leave and Silver did too, putting the gun and wire in a briefcase and carrying it out of the door with them.

“One last thing dear.” She heard Sunset call out. She turned to the room to look at her. “I want you to tell him that Sunset Shimmer says hello just before you pull the trigger. I want his last thoughts to be of how much they had fucked up in messing with us.”

She nodded and they left. As they walked out she could hear the meeting continuing without them. She had no idea if she was going to be able to do this right, but she was going to try as best as she could. This was her way to get inside her inner circle and start getting the real information. She was ready.

They walked out of the club and down the snowy street to a black car parked in the alley. They got in and after a few attempts the car sputtered to life and took them out into the city. There was a hoodie in the backseat, Lyra took off her coat and scarf and put it on.
Just over forty minutes later they were at their destination. The street was pretty much empty and they were in the middle of quite a few apartment complexes. She got out of the car, carrying the briefcase with her and went down the street to wait out near his door. It was easy to spot so she got herself settled in and started waiting.

She didn’t talk much with Sheen on the way over. Mostly just pleasantries until he asked her if she had ever done something like this before. She told him that tonight would be her first and he reassured her that it was easy. All she had to do was take a deep breath before she pulled the trigger and make sure that when he went down that he wasn’t getting back up. It wasn’t the thought of that that disturbed her as much as what came next, when he told her that every time gets a little easier.

She didn’t want to be that pony, but she had no choice, she had to avenge Bonnie, and this was the best way she knew how. If some other scumbags had to die on the way then she didn’t care. At least that’s what she kept telling herself as the minutes passed by. The anticipation was the worst part, she just wanted to do it and get it over with. Her mind began to race at all the things that could go wrong but before she could focus on any one of them she saw his door open.

She took a deep breath. It was go time. She kept repeating her mantra nonstop in her head. “Necessary evil. Necessary evil. Necessary evil.” She pulled the hood of her hoodie up, opened the briefcase and grabbed the shotgun with her magic while stuffing the microphone wire in her hoodie’s pocket. She trotted up behind him as soon and as soon as he got out of the street lights she shakily raised the shotgun.

She froze. Her mantra wasn’t working anymore. She didn’t think she could do it. Suddenly she pictured Bonnie's face. She knew what had to be done. Nothing would stand in her way.

“Skag.” She called out, her voice shaking.

He turned towards her, staring her straight in the eyes. It was the moment of truth. She raised the barrel of the shotgun. “Sunset Shimmer says hello.” She said and she could see his eyes widen with the realization of what was about to happen. Then she took a deep breath, closed her eyes and pulled the trigger. The bang was massive and the gun shook in her magic as her ears started ringing.

She opened her eyes to see Skag convulsing on the ground with a good chunk of the left side of his face missing. He was choking on his own blood and trying to stand up, flailing his legs around. She put the barrel of the shotgun to his forehead almost instinctively and squeezed the other trigger.

What was left after his face after that was something horrible and unrecognizable. There would be no way he was getting up after that.
She sat stunned looking at the blood pouring from the snow until she snapped back to what was happening. She quickly dropped the wire on his corpse and started sprinting towards Sheen’s car. Slipping in the process and almost dropping the gun.

She turned the corner to see him already coming towards her. He stopped quickly and she hopped in the back seat. She threw the gun down and exhaled for what seemed like the first time since she shot Skag. "It's done" She said louder then she had realized, her ears were still ringing. Then they took off into the dark bitter night.

Half an hour later they were back at Bonnie’s bakery where Sheen dropped her off. She had been visibly shaken and silent the entire ride there. Only answering the one question Sheen had about how sure she was that he was dead. After she stepped out of the car Sheen rolled down his window and looked at her.

“You did a good job tonight kid.” He said. “Sunset will be proud. I'll let her know it's taken care of, you just get some rest.”

She thanked him without even realizing it and turned to unlock her door. As soon as she was safely inside her own house she quickly locked the door behind her. She did the spell to turn the recorder off and then sat down hard against the door, sliding down to the floor.

“Necessary evil. Necessary evil. Necessary evil.” She started saying to herself, no louder than a whisper. “Necessary evil. Necessary evil. Necessary...” She couldn’t continue. She broke down sobbing, thinking about what she had done. Picturing Skags final seconds alive and how it was her that did that to him.

She got up and ran to the kitchen, barely making it to the sink in time to throw up in it. She fell down to the floor again and continued to cry until she fell asleep, hoping that somewhere out there, Bonnie was looking down on her and understood that she was only doing what she had to.

Author's Notes:

And here we are with another installment. Two chapters in two days! Who knew? I'm going to try and get another one out tomorrow but the next one is a big one. I appreciate any feedback and would love to know what you think of the story. Thanks again for reading!

Oh, on a side note, someone asked me about the phrase "Going to the mattresses." It's an old mafia term that essentially meant going to war. They would buy a bunch of mattresses and set their foot soldiers up in cheap apartments all around the city to wait until the call came that it was time to take someone out.

Chapter Eight: The Enemy Within

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Hello.” She said in a flat voice.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Author's Notes:

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

Thanks again for reading and see you all next time!

Chapter Nine: Circumstances

The night was indeed long. As Celestia rose the morning sun Lyra and Sheen were sitting on the couch in her apartment. They had skipped the drinks when they got back and had opted for coffee instead. They had managed to compile a list of everyone who had any real association to Sunset. After hours of work they had almost 80 names. Those were ponies who actually had connection to her, not just occasional associates. They started going through the list again from the top to try and start crossing off as many names as they could. They started from the top.

Flash had said something about it being someone in her crew so she decided to start there. There was obviously no way that it would be Vinyl or Octavia. Octavia had a problem but there was no way that it had developed into anything like this. Fleur was so busy dealing with royalty and her own things that she wouldn’t even do well as an informant. Berry would have her throat cut out before she would ever even consider talking to anyone inside the royal guard, let alone CSIU and the same could be said for Sheen and then some.

Then there was Lyra. She was desperate and in a bad state after the “disappearance” of her wife. She was young, impressionable and really didn’t have anything to lose. On the other hoof though, she had killed for the cause and that was something that she had always known to be a big no-no with CI’s. They were allowed to participate but never actually go further than minor crimes. Also she had seemed like the loyal type. She always had a fire in her eyes and an eagerness to do whatever needed to be done. Sunset had admired that quality in her.

She actually had felt bad about what had to be done with her wife. If she had known Lyra better before then she wouldn’t have done anything that rash. Business was business though and Bon Bon had owed her hundreds of thousands of bits and had been dodging out for too long. Lyra was a good kid who could end up going places if she stuck with it, and it was probably because of the disappearance of her wife that got her fully invested in the life.

She probably wasn’t the rat, but it was the best lead they had to go off of so far. “What do you think about the new girl?” She asked Sheen.

Sheen thought it over for a few seconds. “Well.” He started, pausing to yawn. “I think that she would be the obvious answer, but I don’t actually think that it’s her. She seems really determined to make things work with us and she needs the bits. Also I can’t recall the last time I saw a rat put two slugs in anyone’s skull before. You never know though, there’s no harm in keeping a better eye on her for now at least until we can find out for sure.”

Sunset nodded, yawning herself. “Then that’s what we’re going to do. We need to keep this just between us for now. I’ll fill Berry in as necessary but that’s it. I want you to stick around Lyra for a while and keep tabs on her. We don’t have much time to get this thing taken care of.”

“I’m sure we’ll nip it in the bud soon, Sunny. These things never work out for CSIU.” Sheen said, taking a sip of his coffee.

Sunset looked like she was miles away and she was quite for a minute. “If it doesn’t though, then there’s something that I need to do, and I’ve got to do it soon.” She turned her head to Sheen. “If things do end up going downhill then I’m going to need someone to take over for me. I’m not going to prison Sheen. I’ll either lam it or die if it comes down to it, but I won’t end up like my father.”

Sheen shook his head. “Relax, Sunny. It’s not going to come to that.”

She put her hoof over his and looked him in the eyes. “Neither of us know that Sheen. I need to know though, if it does, do you want the job? You’re the most senior member and I trust you more than anyone else in the world.”

He stared in silence. He had never considered that he would ever be put in this position. “Honestly, boss, I don’t think it’s for me. I’m a good killer and maybe someone could say that I have a decent head on my shoulders but I’m not cut out to be a leader. And if I’m being completely honest, I wouldn’t want to be even if I was. It’s a dangerous job with a jot of exposure. I would rather just do my own thing in the background and take care of what needs to be done.”

She nodded slowly. “Thanks for your honesty, if nothing else I guess. If you don’t want the job then I need you to do me a favor. I think Vinnie has what it takes, but she needs a little guidance. I’m going to give her a button and when I’m gone it’s going to be passed on to her. I need her to be ready for whatever will come at that point and she would have no better of an adviser than you.”

Sheen smiled at her. “That sounds like something I can do boss. She’s a god kid, and if she can get her act together then I think she has the gumption to make a great boss. She needs to get her act together, that’s for sure. I think if we point her in the right direction though then she has a lot of potential.”

She returned the smile. “Then it’s settled. We need to get some rest. Feel free to take the spare bedroom. This afternoon I’m going to start the process of opening up the books. I’ll invite Vinyl and Octavia to dinner tonight and tell them then. When you get up I want you to give me a call and we’ll find out where Lyra is. Swing by and pick her up and take her on your rounds today. Try and get in a little closer to her and see if you can feel out the situation.”

“Sounds like a plan.” He replied with a deep yawn. They stood up and left the papers on the table, heading for the bedrooms in the back. Despite all of the coffee he had been drinking. He had fallen asleep almost as soon as his face hit the pillow. Sometimes he would have nightmares about the things he had done or seen. He was thankful for times like these when it was nothing but darkness. There was nothing quite as great as a nice, dark, dreamless sleep.

Across town an hour later when the sun was now bright in the cold morning sky, Vinyl was sitting with Rose at a small diner. Drinking coffee of their own and eating pancakes by the stack. It was her second day completely sober and she actually felt like she was feeling better.

“Ya know.” She said to Rose while still chewing on a pancake. Syrup was hanging out of the side of her mouth like drool. “I don’t think I’ve ever actually been awake this early in the morning without staying up the whole night before. It’s kind of like I’m seeing the morning through a new set of eyes.”

Rose smiled to her, slicing a piece off her pancake and putting it in her mouth. She had always envied how easy it was for unicorns to eat food. Although she did wonder sometimes if they could taste their own magic, that must have been pretty weird. “I’m glad to see you’re enjoying yourself. Maybe you’re starting to find that the lives normal ponies have aren’t too bad after all.”

Vinyl chuckled and stuffed her face again. “I’m not sure I would go that far, but I am definitely starting to see the advantage of it.”

Rose smile started to falter a bit. “Look, sweetie. There’s something I need to ask you about.”
Vinyl stopped eating, adapting her best serious face. “What’s up?” She asked. “Is everything okay?”
Rose paused, putting her fork down. “I’ve been thinking a lot about the things that you do. I need to know something. What is the extent of your business? I mean, I know about the drugs, and obviously I don’t care about that. I just need to know about the other side. I heard about how you reacted when those ponies came in and shot up the club. They said you were a natural and in your element. And I know what your Aunt does. I just need to know. Have you ever done things like that before?”

Vinyl didn’t know what to say. She had no idea that this question was coming, but really she figured that she shouldn’t be surprised. Rose wasn’t really in the life and had no clue about any of it before they had met. Vinyl spent so much time around others who were in the life that she didn’t realize just how insane the whole thing must be for someone who was outside of it.

This was a delicate situation. She loved Rose, and she didn’t want to say the wrong thing. In the stories that she read as a foal, love was always honest. This wasn’t a fantasy story. Sometimes the truth was a messy thing, and sometimes a lie was the better option. The idea of lying to her actually made her feel a little sick inside but there was no other choice.

Rose would run if she knew the truth about her. She was a killer. Not out of necessity or some call to duty, just out of pure rage and malice. She was a monster in a pony’s body. Worst of all though, she liked it that way. Being able to what she wanted, when she wanted and to who she wanted with almost no consequence was how she had always lived her life, and she had more than grown accustomed to it. She would never change, she couldn’t change. Rose was worth at least pretending that all of that wasn’t true though.

She put her hoof over Rose’s. “Never.” She said. “I swear it. Only in self-defense. I know there are a lot of rumors about what Sunset is involved in, but that’s not my life. I just run the club for her. Nothing else.”
Rose nodded slowly and her smile returned. “I knew it. I just…had to be sure is all.” She said slowly. “I’m sorry I doubted you, sweetie. I love you.” She finished with a kiss.

Vinyl felt a little bad, but it had all worked out. That was all that mattered. She leaned in for another kiss and left some syrup on Rose’s lips. She was happier than she had been since her parents were still alive and she honestly couldn’t still wrap her head around the fact that it was real. She was going to hold onto it though for as long as she could and nothing would take it away from her.

After they left, Rose went to the club to check up on some things. Vinyl had asked her to look over some of the books when Rose had told her that she used to run her own shop and over the last couple of weeks she had been trying to help Vinyl hide their excess money in any way that she could. There were little ways everywhere and she had been doing pretty well at it so far. She had been looking over inventory behind the bar when she saw LP and Velvet talking on the other side of the room. She didn’t want to eavesdrop but she couldn’t help but overhear what they were saying.

“It’s time, Play.” Velvet started. “We can’t keep doing this anymore. We’ve got the future to think about now. It’s not just us we’ve got to worry about anymore.”

“Relax, honey. I know that. If anything this is an opportunity for us to make more money when the baby comes.” Long Play said in a sweet tone.

She scowled. “What are you talking about exactly? Because if it’s what I think it is then you’d better not even suggest it.”

He sighed. “Sweet Celestia, V. Can we not even talk about this? There’s a chance to make a good life for us here. It would only be for a couple of years at the most and we could have enough bits to provide our foal with any life that he or she could possibly want.”

She dropped the washcloth on the table. “Are you out of your fucking mind? Look. I love your sister. She’s been a great friend to me and really helped us out here. But you and I both know that she’s a psychopath, and I’m sure that Octavia is too. Did you not see them when the shit went down in here? Your sister looked like a light switch turned on as soon as the shooting started. The look in her eyes scared me more than anything else that was happening around us. I swear that she was in her element then. That’s who your sister is and that’s not who you are going to be.”

Long Play looked stunned. “How could you say something like that? You have no idea what she’s been through.”

She stopped him right there. “What has she been through that you haven’t?”

He shook his head. “It’s not the same, Velvet. She can’t cope with things like normal ponies do. There is a rage that has building inside her for years and I know that she’s getting better. Rose has certainly seen to that.”

When she heard her name, Rose turned around and started looking under the shelves, but kept listening. “Maybe you’re right.” Velvet started again. “But that doesn’t change the fact that at any time another group of armed idiots could come busting in this place looking to take on your sister or your aunt for who knows what and we don’t get lucky like we did last time. Haven’t you even thought about that?”

“It’s not that serious anymore, Velvet. It was a one-time thing. Of course there will always be danger in this business but that’s what makes it worth the money.” He said as he picked up her rag and started wiping off the table they were standing next to.

She was fuming, but didn’t want Rose to hear them. “What good will bits be if our baby ends up an orphan like his father?” She whispered with venom in her voice. Before Long Play could even begin to say anything she walked away.

He looked over to see Rose purposefully trying to ignore the situation that was unfolding before her. “Sorry about that.” He said, she just blushed and nodded before turning away from him.

Velvet didn’t know what she was talking about, Rose thought to herself. Sure maybe Vinyl had some anger issues but she knew the real Vinyl. The real Vinyl was sweet, caring and compassionate. The real Vinyl was scared and lonely and angry deep down inside but all she needed was a little love and she could be wonderful.

Rose was starting to realize just how much she cared for Vinyl. Not the Vinyl that she had met when at the club or the cocky persona that she carried around with her to hide how sad she was deep down inside. She fell in love with the Vinyl who she woke up next to every morning. The one who she had just finished breakfast with. The one who she knew at the end of the day would be there for her. Aside from everything that she did, she would always love her.

With this realization another dawned on her. She was almost 30 years old and was getting to an age when she needed to be figuring things out. It was time for her to make a decision. She loved Vinyl, and she knew that Vinyl could provide anything that they needed. It was time to take things to the next level. She just hoped that Vinyl was ready for it.

As the day wore on, Octavia was sitting at their apartment and counting up some of the money that they club had taken in the last week. She was splitting up the bits and notes into different piles. One was hers, one would be going to Vinyl and the other to Sunset. There was another pile for business assets and a final one set aside as a pile to be put away for a rainy day fund. She had just about finished when the phone started ringing.

She lit a cigarette as she picked up. “Hello?” She answered with a brighter tone than usual. The take had been good and it had done wonders on making things around her seem a lot less annoying than they had been.

The voice on the other end was familiar but she couldn’t place it. “Sorry for the random call Miss Octavia but I’ve got some news for you. There has been some word that those ponies I tipped you off about selling on Sunset’s on the other side of town. It’s come to my attention that they didn’t get the message and are out again. I just thought that I would pass on the information to you.”

It was a pony who she had known simply as “Lucky”. He was an informant of hers who had worked around the outer edges of Sunset’s territory and let her know about good scores that would come in. “Thanks, I’ll handle it.” was all that she said before hanging up. She put her head in her hooves. That was all it took to ruin her good mood. Normally she wouldn’t really care all that much. They had no money and almost no pills left, and they weren’t much of an issue. When she set out to make an example though she had to make sure that the point stuck, especially if it was in the name of Sunset Shimmer.

She picked up the phone and called Lyra who was seemingly more than happy to help. She told her to wait for another call with instructions. Afterwards she called Sheen, who after finding out about their refusal to deliver the message fully was more than happy to help correct that mistake. He had even asked if Lyra would be joining him for the operation. He told her to swing by her house around dusk and pick her up. They were going on a stakeout to find out if the information was true. If it turned out to be so then they were to make sure that they never had a chance to make another mistake like this again.

After she was finally all finished she set back out to finish counting the bits when she got another call. “What could it possibly be this time.” She said aloud while she picked up the phone. “What.” She said, annoyed.

“Well that’s not much of a greeting.” Sunset’s chipper voice said from the other line.

Realizing who it was, Tavi tried to brighten her voice. “Sorry, Sunset. It’s been a long day. What’s up?”

Sunset didn’t waste any time. “I’ve got something important I want to tell you and Vinyl. I tried to call her first but she can be difficult to track down. I want you to find her and meet me at Berry’s place at around 7:30 tonight. Dress nice. It’s a special occasion.”

A smile came on her face. “And what might that be?” She asked, trying to sound chipper.

She heard Sunset chuckle. “That’s the big surprise. Just be there.” She agreed and they said their goodbyes and set off to find where Vinyl was at. As it turned out she was napping in her bedroom. Octavia didn’t know exactly how or when she came in. She never heard the door but she was busy with the money. She informed her of the news and they tried to find something at least a little suitable for Vinyl to wear.

As the day turned into night and the sun was starting to set Silver Sheen pulled up outside of the bakery. Lyra came out to meet him with a smile and hopped in the car. “What’s the word, Sheen?” She asked.

“Didn’t you get the memo?” He answered with a smirk. “Apparently those idiots from last night didn’t quite get the message. It’s time to find them and send a bit more of a permanent one. You up for it.”
She just nodded. “I’m up for anything. I’m surprised they didn’t learn the last time.”

He chuckled. “Don’t be, kid. Most ponies are a lot more stupid than you could possibly imagine. You’ll see in time, I’m sure. It’s something you’ve gotta learn how to deal with if you’re going to make it this business. You’ve gotta learn how to be a problem solver, no matter what.”

She nodded. “Sounds like you’ve got a lot to teach me.” She said.

As they continued on their lookout Vinyl and Tavi had shown up at Berry’s place. Sunset and Berry were already waiting for them at the table. Sunset was dressed up in a tight fitting red dress and Berry was wearing an equally tight fitting blue one. Octavia was wearing a long black dress herself and Vinyl had managed to come up with a decent looking suit that she hadn’t seen in months. It had some wrinkles but Vinyl neither had nor knew how to use an iron so she figured that it was good enough.

“Aren’t you two looking dapper this evening.” Octavia said as she sat down.

Berry smiled. “You two are looking pretty nice yourselves. Even you managed to dress up a bit, Vinyl. I never thought I would see the day.”

Vinyl laughed. “Go fuck yourself, Berry.”

Berry laughed too. “That’s more what I was expecting.” She motioned for the waiter. “Have whatever you want. It’s all on the house tonight. Let’s start with some drinks.” She turned to the well-dressed stallion “Let’s start with a bottle of red wine. The 57 Whinnying Wind, if I’m not mistaken it’s the best we have here.”

The stallion gave a well-rehearsed smile. “It is indeed Ma’am. I’ll have that right up for you.” He said in a clearly fake, pseudo-Trotingham accent.

“Wow.” Vinyl started. “I don’t know what that is but based on the name I can only assume it’s expensive. What’s the occasion?”

Sunset smiled. “We’ll get to that, Vinnie. Let’s just order first.”

Across town, Lyra and Sheen were just about reaching the neighborhood where they were headed for. “So,” Lyra started. “Do you ever wonder what things would be like if your life had turned out different? I mean if you had never left the so-called ‘straight and narrow’?”

Sheen chuckled, “Sometimes when things get bad, I do. When we first went to war when Tanterella died I had times when I was ready to just straight up kill myself to get out of it. I felt like I had fucked everything in my life up and I would be dead at any minute. I was worried every day. I was still young then.”

“I had this cousin.” He started as he took a drag of his cigarette. “We were on different paths throughout life. My parents were worthless junkies but his actually were pretty decent. Not much but not dead broke. He pulled himself up the legit way. Started working at a mechanic and made his way up to the boss. He’s a hard worker, just like I am. Now he owns the largest mechanic shop in the city and he did it all without going outside of the system. He’s got a wife and two daughters. They all seem to have happy lives, or at least that’s the impression I get on the rare chances I have to see him.”

The pulled up to a stoplight and Sheen threw his cigarette out of the window. “The point I’m making kid, is that I may have done things differently but I can’t now. The one thing that I can be proud of is that I know who I am and I know who I’m not. If there’s anything that you could actually learn from me it’s this. Know who you are and be true to it. Your life will be better for it, trust me.”

The light turned green but before they could go the car that was behind them suddenly pulled up along the driver’s side. Lyra looked through the window and spotted a familiar face. It was the red pegasus who she had hit with her pistol the night before. He had a black eye and a taped nose. Sheen quickly turned his head to her. “Get down!” he screamed.

She just barely had time to react as a hail of bullets started coming through the car. She quickly opened the passenger door and slid out onto the ground as the shots kept going. Her back and shoulder were grazed and felt like they were on fire and glass from the breaking windows was raining down on her and cutting her skin. She tried her best to shield her eyes.

It was over in seconds but it felt like forever. She could still hear the shells clinking off of the ground through the ringing in her ears as the car sped away. She managed to pull herself up and looked into the car. Sheen was slumped over the wheel with his eyes still open and his head facing her. He had been shot dozens of times and his blood covered the entire inside of the car. At least ten of the shots or more hit him in the head. He was probably dead before he had even hit the steering wheel.

She was in shock but finally snapped out of it as she heard the sounds of police sirens in the distance. She popped open the glove box and grabbed the small pistol out of it, stuffing it in her coat pocket. She tried to run away into the alley as quickly as she could but she almost tripped from the pain in her shoulder. She needed to get back deeper into Sunset’s territory and she needed to find a payphone as quickly as she could.

Back at the restaurant, They were all enjoying their premium soy and hay steaks. The new trend among rich ponies was eating like the nobles of Griffonia. But since ponies didn’t have the stomach for real meat the chefs made substitutes that supposedly tasted exactly like the real thing. Regardless of how accurate that statement was, they had all enjoyed them. They were fresh and very tender.

Sunset put down her fork and knife and used her magic to grab her napkin and wipe her face. “How’s the food?” She asked.

Vinyl was stuffing the last of her steak in her mouth. “It’s fuckin’ great.” She said before she had swallowed.

Everyone laughed a bit. “That’s wonderful, dear.” Sunset said. “Now it’s time to tell you why I brought you two out here, it’s a very special occasion.”

They all stopped eating to look at her. She started again. “I know things have been a little crazy over the last few months and I want you to know just how well I think both of you have handled things. You took a horrible situation and managed to come out on top, and I truly respect that.”

She took a breath. “I was thinking about all of that this morning, especially the shooting, and I decided that if you are going to be running more things and taking more responsibility then I need to make sure that you’re safe. There’s one way to make sure that you can stay safe. I’ve decided to give you your button.”

Vinyl gasped. “Are you serious, Auntie?”

“As a heart attack, kid.” Berry chimed in. “You’ve more than earned it too, it’s not just to keep you safe.”

Vinyl didn’t know what to say. She had always assumed that someday she would be made but she figured it would be years later. It was always her dream when she started working for her aunt. Ponies who were made had a free card to do pretty much whatever they wanted. No one could touch them without retribution from the council. It was the only reason that rat fuck Neon Lights was still breathing. She would be unstoppable and any life she had hoped to make with Rose would be hers for the taking.

“I don’t know what to say.” She said with a small tear in her eye.

Octavia put a hoof around her shoulder. “Just say thank you, dear. And maybe give your dear aunt a hug. We’re all so proud of you.”

Vinyl reached across the table and wrapped Sunset in a hug as the other two looked on with smiles on their faces. It was truly a happy night. With Vinyl being made it made her as close to invincible as an earth pony in this business would ever get. She would be protected from anyone who would want to get to them. Although she had supposed Skag probably had felt the same way right up until he lost his head. Maybe if nothing else she would have more of a target on her now. That didn’t matter though. No one in their right mind would dare go after Sunset Shimmer.

They all had happy words and had another drink before parting ways. Vinyl was bordering on tipsy at this point and she was having trouble walking straight when getting into the car. Around twenty minutes later they pulled into the parking lot of their apartment building. They got on the elevator all the way up to the 16th floor and were met, unexpectedly by Rose sitting at the end of the hallway outside of their door.

“Rosie?” Vinyl asked as she sloshed her way out of the elevator. “What are you doing here, baby?”
Rose smiled and rushed up to her, wrapping her in a huge hug and kissing her on the forehead. “Sorry for the abruptness. I couldn’t get ahold of you and I really needed to talk to you. I didn’t realize until I got here that I forgot the key that you gave me. I figured I would just wait for you.”

Vinyl cocked her head. “How long have you been here for? Is everything okay?”

Rose just smiled at her as Octavia unlocked the door and walked inside with the two following behind her. “I haven’t been here long and everything is okay. More than okay, in fact, things are great. Or at least I hope they will be.”

Vinyl put a hoof around her. “What’s going on Rosie?”

Rose took a deep breath and started to speak fast. “I realized today just how much I love you. I really, really love you and I want to be with you forever. I’m not getting any younger and I know now for sure that you are the one for me. I know it seems so soon but life is short and anything can happen all the time, but what I’m trying to ask you is, will you marry me?”

Vinyl and Octavia’s jaws both dropped. “Um…” Vinyl started. Marry Rose? It was an interesting idea. She had always imagined that someday she would be married, but never this soon. She did love her though, and she was probably the only pony who loved Vinyl for who she was. There wasn’t going to be another coming around any time soon, so maybe she should just do her usual thing and go with the flow.

“Yes.” She blurted out. Rose screamed and wrapped herself around Vinyl and started covering her in kisses.

Something cracked inside Octavia. Her plan was collapsing around her. Rose was supposed to be a flash in the pan. Something that was only temporary that Tavi could sweep in afterwards and let Vinyl know that she had loved her all along. This was far out of her control. A rage started to build deep down in her. It wasn’t fair. Vinyl was supposed to be hers.

She almost wanted to say something about it, right there and then. Suddenly though, the phone rang. Octavia walked across the hallway into the kitchen to grab it while Vinyl and Rose were still wrapped up in each other.

“Hello.” She said flatly, trying to control her anger.

“Tavi? Where have you been. I’ve been trying to get ahold of you for almost an hour.” She heard the voice say. It was Lyra and she sounded frantic.

“Lyra?” She asked. “What’s wrong? Did something happen?”

Lyra was breathing heavily as if she had been running. “I need you and Vinyl to come out to the corner of…” She paused. “87th and Firestone and I need you to come now. Bring guns and please hurry.”

Tavi never had a chance to ask any more questions before Lyra hung up. She started to panic. What could have possibly happened? Where was Sheen? What the fuck was going on. She reached into the kitchen counter and pulled out a pistol and slipped it in her handbag. She came out into the living room. Rose and Vinyl were sitting on the couch, snuggled up.

She looked around and saw the blank look on Tavi’s face. “What happened?” she asked with confusion in her voice.

“We need to go, and we need to go now. There’s some problem with Lyra and we need to help. I’m gonna get my coat and we need to head out. Rose you can stay here until we get back. Lock the door behind us.” Tavi said with a serious tone and stern face.

Vinyl got up quickly, springing into action. She couldn’t imagine what the problem could be but whatever it was, the tone in Tavi’s voice said that it was something serious. She turned to Rose, planting one more kiss on her lips. “I’ll be back soon, baby. I love you.”

Rose didn’t get a chance to say anything back before they rushed out of the door and slammed it behind them. She was left bewildered. Her emotions were mixed. She was immeasurably happy that Vinyl said yes, but now she was concerned about whatever it was that she may have just gotten herself into. It was a strange world to live in, but one that she had to get used to.

Author's Notes:

And here we are with another installment. A lot of major things going on in this chapter, both good and bad. I had toyed around with the idea of keeping Sheen around for longer but I ended up deciding that even though I liked him, he had to go to progress the story. Fun fact: He was originally a one off character created for the scene where Lyra kills Skag but I wanted to use both him and Berry as Sunset's more trusted advisers who were closer to her own age and had been in the business for longer than Tavi and Vinyl.

Anyways, thank you all for reading this. We are only three chapters away from the end of the first act and things are really about to start kicking off from here on out. I don't have time to read through a lot of these before I publish them so any notes from anyone are greatly appreciated. I hope to have another chapter out next week sometime. Thanks again for stopping by and I'll see you all next time.

Chapter Ten: Vital Signs

It wasn’t long before Vinyl and Octavia had managed to reach where Lyra had said she would be. Tavi drove and Vinyl had a sawn-off shotgun in hoof, ready for anything. They saw the mint green unicorn with her coat’s hood pulled up standing and waiting by the payphone. She quickly hopped in the backseat.

Vinyl got a good look at her. She was covered in blood and broken glass and looked like she was in a full on panic. “Sweet Celestia, Lyra. Are you okay?” Vinyl asked.

Lyra took a deep breath. She was safe now. It was all over. She wanted to cry but the tears wouldn’t come. “I’m hurt.” She started. “I got shot twice. But you don’t need to worry about me.”

“What in the moon’s name are you talking about?” Tavi asked as she started to drive away. “Where did you get shot? What happened? Where is Sheen?”

Sheen. Lyra pictured his cold and dead face staring at her from the steering wheel. His eyes bulged and blood running down in all directions across it. She sniffled. “He’s dead.”

“What the fuck did you just say?” Vinyl yelled in shock.

“Someone ambushed us when we were driving. They must have put a hundred bullets through the side of the car. He told me to get down at the last second but they shot him at least twenty times or more. He saved my life.”

Vinyl punched the wooden dashboard so hard that it cracked and then started to cry. “Fuck!” She screamed. “This can’t be happening!”

Octavia couldn’t believe it either. “Are you sure he’s dead? Could he have survived?”

Lyra just shook her head. “He was slumped over the steering wheel with his eyes open and staring at me when they left. They shot him at least five or more times in the head. There was no coming back from that.” She started to cry a bit too. “He saved my life.” She repeated again.

“Son of a fucking bitch!” Vinyl shouted, punching the dashboard again. “I’ve known him my whole life. He was like my uncle.” She started crying harder.

“Who would dare do something like this?” Octavia asked. “Did they not know who you were? There’s no way this was some random shooting.”

Lyra nodded. “It wasn’t random. I noticed one of the shooters. He was there last night when we roughed up those dealers.”

Tavi’s heart sank in her chest. It was her fault. She had sent Sheen off with Lyra on an errand that Sunset hadn’t even known about and now he was dead. Sunset might kill her too. She was starting to panic on the inside.

“We need to get to Sunset’s now.” Vinyl said through her tears.

“Are you sure that’s such a good…” Octavia started.

Vinyl cut her off. “Just fucking drive there!” she shouted.

Tavi didn’t say anything else, she just put her foot to the floor to get them over there as fast as they could. Within about fifteen minutes they were at her apartment building and going up the elevators to the penthouse.

Octavia knocked on the door once. No response. She knocked again, still nothing. She was hoping they could just give up but fate had a different idea. Within seconds the door opened. Sunset was inside, still in her evening dress. She could see Berry at the kitchen table. They looked like they were drinking more wine.

Sunset gasped at the sight of them. Tavi looked like a zombie, Vinyl was almost sobbing and Lyra was covered from head to hoof in blood.
“What the hell happened?” She asked slowly.

Vinyl ran up to hug her. “Sheen’s dead!” she screamed. “He’s dead, auntie!”

Sunset’s world collapsed in an instant. Sheen was dead? That was impossible. There was no way that could ever have happened. Vinyl must have been mistaken. “What are you talking about, Vinnie?” She asked, her voice breaking a little bit. Berry just sat at the counter with a stunned look on her face as Octavia closed and locked the door behind them.

Lyra spoke up. “We were driving around on the east side of your territory when a car pulled up beside us and fired into his window. He helped me get down but he didn’t make it. They got me a couple of times too but I managed to open the door and duck down. They shot Sheen probably at least twenty or more times though. I’m sorry Sunset but he’s gone.” She actually started to cry a little bit herself. Gangster or no, Sheen was a decent pony and had tried to help her out. And if it wasn’t for his quick thinking she would have been killed too.

“No.” Sunset whispered. “No, no, no.” She threw her wine glass against the wall. “No!” She screamed and started sobbing. Vinyl rushed over to her and so did Berry. They were all crying together.

Sunset stood up and detached herself from the others. She looked to Lyra, who had been standing with Tavi away from the group. “Did you see a face?” She said, seething with rage.

“Yes.” She stuttered, Sunset was intimidating on a good day but now she had outright feared for her life. “I recognized them from a job that Tavi had us do last night. He was there for sure. I broke his nose with my pistol.

Sunsets face showed pure rage. “You.” She said, turning her eyes to Tavi. “You stupid, fucking, junkie cunt!” she screamed at her before lunging at Tavi, knocking her down to the hard linoleum floor. She punched her once in the face. “You go off to score pills on your own and you don’t even tell me about it! You put my best friend’s life on the line and now he’s dead you worthless little bitch!” She finished the sentence with another punch to Octavia’s face. She spit blood, but she didn’t fight back. She didn’t want to do the wrong thing and get herself killed.

“Auntie what the fuck are you doing?” Vinyl shouted and jumped on Sunset’s back, pulling her off of Tavi.

“This is her fault!” Sunset screamed. “She’s a fucking junkie who was trying to get more pills so she had Sheen and Lyra rob some dealers last night. Did you not know about this?”

Vinyl looked at Tavi, clearly hurt. “No. I had no idea. I mean I saw them leaving the club together but I didn’t know what it was for. Is it true?” She asked.

Octavia didn’t say anything, she just stared at the floor in shame. Sunset got up and walked to the counter, pulling out a small sub machine gun from under the sink. Tavi reached for the gun in her own pocket but before she could Vinyl jumped between them.

“Auntie, please. There’s no way she could have known it would lead to this. Please don’t do something you’re going to regret!” She screamed.

Sunset pushed Vinyl aside and thrust the SMG in Tavi’s hooves. “You have two hours to bring them to me. I want all of them, dead or alive. If you’re not back here by then, don’t you dare let me see your face again.” She turned away and ran to her bedroom with Berry chasing after her. She slammed the door and they could hear sobbing coming from inside.

“How could this happen? Why would you do this?” Vinyl asked her.

“We needed the bits and I needed the pills. I kicked up to Sunset, she just never asked what it was for. How else am I supposed to earn?”
Tavi asked.

“Shut the fuck up and let’s go before I knock your teeth in. I’m supposed to be the stupid one here, not you.” She said as she pushed her aside, heading for the front door.

Tavi looked shocked. “You’re coming with me?”

Vinyl just sighed. “Of course I am. Those bastards are going to pay and I can’t let you do this alone, now let’s fucking go already.”

Lyra piped up. “I’m going with you. I’ve gotta get back at these pricks for Sheen. He deserved a lot better than this.”
“Good.” Vinyl said as she walked out of the door. “Because we aren’t going to spare any of them and we need as many hooves as we can get.”

The ride to the house was quiet. The only noise came from Vinyl’s occasional sniffles and muttering curses under her breath.
Lyra was looking at her wounds. The sharp pain of the grazes had turned into more of a dull ache as the night went on. The only things that still really hurt were all of the glass cuts. She had tried to shake out most of it but there was still quite a bit that needed to be plucked later when she had the chance. She figured after this was all over, if they had survived, then she would need to see a doctor to get her wounds looked at. She could deal with it all then.

“What is the inside of this place like? What are we going to be walking into?” Octavia asked her, snapping her out of her focus.

“Um.” She thought. “The place is basically one long hallway with five rooms. Two on each side and one at the end. That’s where the main guys were. There were mostly just a bunch of passed out junkies in the other rooms.”

“How many?” Vinyl asked.

“I’m not sure. Maybe ten or twelve of the junkies and four in the back room, but who knows how many they have there now though. As far as the guys who were calling the shots though, they should be easy. Sheen blasted off one of em’s kneecap and cracked the other’s skull so they shouldn’t be much of a problem.” She finished slowly taking a deep breath.

“That’s good.” Vinyl said, almost sounding distant. “So here’s how this is gonna go down. It’s pretty straightforward. We are going to kick the front door in and go from room to room until everyone’s dead except for whoever the leaders are. You said there were two, right?” She asked Lyra.

“Yep.” She said. “They’re brothers, I think. They look alike at least if nothing else.”

“Wonderful.” She said. “Those two we’re going to take alive and bring back to Sunset, or at least one of them. No matter what, that has to happen.”

They both nodded. “There is a shotgun and two pistols tucked away in the trunk. Which one do you want, Vinnie?” Octavia asked.

Vinyl lit a cigarette. “I’m taking the shotgun. Lyra you can take the pistols. I don’t think there are any extra clips so take both of them in with you.”

“Got it.” Lyra said. She looked out of the window. “It’s two blocks ahead. On the corner. We should park a little down the street in case they’re waiting for us.”

“Sounds like a plan.” Tavi said as she got up to the street. She could see the small house on the corner. There didn’t look like there had been any extra security around the place. They pulled the car over and got the guns from the trunk.

“Should we cover our faces?” Lyra asked as they started walking towards the house.

“Nope.” Vinyl said, almost nonchalantly. “I told you, we’re out here to kill them all. And if for some reason they do get a look at us then they will know exactly who they fucked with and they can spread stories about the errors of their ways.”

“Whatever you say.” Lyra said as they reached the door. She took a deep breath. “You ready?” She asked the others.

Vinyl gave her deadliest look and raised the shotgun in her magic. “I’ve never been readier.” Octavia just nodded, repeating the sentiment. Octavia put the handle of the SMG in her mouth and turned around and bucked the door down with all of her strength.

As soon as it came in Octavia and Vinyl started walking down the hallway. “Clear the rooms. We’ll take the big one in the back.” Octavia said, turning to Lyra. “Use your knife until you have to. We don’t want to alert anyone until the time is right.” Lyra nodded and opened the first door.

There were three ponies in various states of passing out on the floor. She slipped the knife she had kept with her from a strap under her boots and started cutting their throats one by one. Every time she raised the knife she could picture Sheen lying there in a shroud of glass and blood. They all had this coming, and they would all die.

She had cleared the second room already and killed four more without any resistance by the time Vinyl and Octavia were posted up at the end of the hallway. She moved to the third room, which was the only one that had a closed door. She opened it slowly and saw a familiar face. The red pegasus who had killed Sheen was sitting on the floor, holding a needle in his wings as he turned up to look at her.

“No fucking way.” He said as she pulled her gun. He quickly jumped up as she shot and hovered above her, wrestling the gun from her magical grip and tossing it to the floor. He then jumped down on her and started punching her while still trying to hover off of the ground. She started hitting back but he was moving around too fast and couldn’t get a good hit.

As soon as Lyra’s gone had gone off Vinyl and Tavi prepared to enter the main room but before they could a shotgun blast shattered the door and sent them scattering to the rooms on the each side of the hall. Vinyl levitated her shotgun into the hallway and fired into the room twice.

She heard a scream come from inside, followed by a voice. “Who the fuck are you and what do you want? You don’t know who you’re messing with here. Just leave now and no one has to die.”

Vinyl laughed loudly. “That’s not an option!” She yelled. “Everyone in here but us is going to die and they are going to die right now!”

Octavia poked her head up and fired a few shots into the room as well. Getting a sight of what was inside before ducking her head back in. There were two metal desks that were overturned that looked like they could take a bullet or two before giving in. They would need to get up close and personal to make sure they got them alive.

When the other shooting started the pegasus was distracted and Lyra managed to buck him off of her. She extended her magical grip towards the pistol on the other side of the room but the next thing she knew he was on top of her again and he stuck her with the needle filled with whatever he was shooting up with. She could feel her muscles going numb almost immediately and her legs started to tremble.
When she lost her balance he delivered two quick punches to her face and got her on her back. He used his strong wing bones and started pushing with all of his force down on her throat. The drugs mixed with this were making her world turn dark fast. She looked left and right and spotted a small saving grace. Her knife was on the floor and just within hoof’s reach. She used the last of her strength and grabbed it, plunging into his side.

He let out a deep and bloody scream as he stood up, staggering away from her. She was coughing and her muscles were still loose but she still had some control. He was thrashing around and trying to get the knife out when she finally was able to barely pick up the pistol in her magic. By the time he realized what was happening she squeezed the trigger as many times as she could. The first one clipped him in the shoulder and he tripped over. The next four all caught him in the head and neck and he was left as nothing more than a twitching and bloody mess on the floor.

She stumbled up to her feet and immediately threw up on the floor. Her head felt like it weighed a thousand pounds and she was having trouble keeping her eyes open She tried to stand up again but fell over against the wall, cracking the door frame.
Octavia looked back there. “You okay in there, Lyra?”

She barely heard it, it was like listening to someone talk through a tunnel. “I don’t know.” She yelled. “I got the one who shot Sheen but he shot me up with a needle of something. I think I’m gonna pass out.”

Tavi turned to Vinyl. “We’ve got to get her to a hospital. We don’t have much time. We need to wrap this up.”

Vinyl nodded. “Gotcha.” She said, lighting up her horn. The ponies in the room had stopped to reload and Vinyl used the time to grab the
two tables and throw them with all of her might. She wasn’t that adept at magic but her telekinesis was good enough. She saw the three ponies inside go flying across the room. She and Octavia both stepped into the hallway and started firing shots.

A dark green earth pony stood up to fire but Tavi sprayed him with her SMG until it looked like he was dancing before he flopped over. They heard someone yell from the room. “Fuck this. I’m sorry Light but I’m outta here. I’ll get help.”

They could see the window break and one of the ponies jumping out of it. They rushed into the room to find a silver unicorn with a cast on his leg crawling on the ground and reaching for his gun. “You little coward!” He yelled. “This isn’t how you treat blood! I’m going to get you for this!” Octavia ran up to him and put her barrel in the middle of his forehead.

“I’m guessing you run this little operation, then?” She asked. She didn’t give him a chance to respond though before hitting him with the butt of her gun.

“We gotta get the other one.” Vinyl said. They could hear sirens in the distance.

Tavi looked around. “There’s no time. Lyra said they’re related so I’m sure we can use one to find the other. The cops are coming and we need to get Lyra to a doctor, fast. I’ve got this one. Go get her.”

Vinyl sprang into action, running down the hallway and picking up Lyra, putting her on her back. She was passed out and covered with vomit. They didn’t have much time and she wasn’t planning on losing another friend today. Tavi had already picked up the unicorn on her shoulder and they ran out of the house as fast as they could, sprinting down the street to the car. Vinyl used her magic to put the keys in the trunk and open in while putting Lyra in the backseat and Tavi quickly tossed the unicorn in, slamming it as fast as she could and hopping into the driver’s seat before taking off into the night.

“Where is a doctor who’s friendly to Sunset in this neighborhood?” Tavi asked as she sped down the street.

Vinyl thought. “There’s one over on Meyer. It’s only a few minutes away from here. I just hope he’s home.”

Within five minutes they were there, their tires screeching into the driveway. They rushed out of the car with Lyra in tow and Octavia began pounding on the door. There was no response at first. “Get out here!” Vinyl yelled.

Finally the door opened. A weathered and old looking lanky stallion with a long gray beard stood before them. “Who in the bloody hell are you two and why are you banging on my door in the middle of the night?”

“Never mind who we are. All that matters is that we are associates of Sunset Shimmer and we need your help now.” Octavia said, staring him down.

“This is highly inappropriate. I know that I owe miss Shimmer but that doesn’t mean…” He started before Vinyl cut him off.

“We ain’t asking you, fuck face.” She put a pistol in his face. “We’re telling you. Our friend needs help and if she dies, you die. You got it?”

He stepped back a little bit. “Yes, of course. Come right in. What happened?”

Octavia stepped in. “Some junkie shot her up with a needle of something. We don’t know what but I think she is having an overdose.”
The old stallion just nodded. “I see. Well if that’s the case we need to wake her up as soon as possible if we are going to save her. Put her on the floor, I’ll be right back with something to take care of this.”

He went into the kitchen and they could hear what sounded like a refrigerator opening. He quickly came back with a long needle in his magic. “I need you to spread her out on the floor.” He said as he took the cap off of the needle.

“What is that?” Octavia asked.

“It’s adrenaline.” He said. “I need you to hold her hooves down, front and back and hold tight. I’ve got to stick her in the heart with this and it’s going to perk her right up.”

Tavi and Vinyl looked to each other then quickly held her down. Inside Lyra’s head she was having a wonderful dream. She was sitting with Bonnie on a bench. It looked like one that they used to sit on back on the outskirts of Ponyville. They hadn’t said anything to each other. They were just sitting and watching the sunset. Lyra was sitting straight up, something that Bonnie had always thought was weird but she had always felt that it was good on her back. She had her hoof wrapped around Bonnie’s leg, as she always did when they would sit together like this.

It was the happiest she had been in a long time, but there was something wrong. She couldn’t place it, but there was something that just wasn’t right. She looked over at Bonnie, who was smiling at her. Not a normal smile though, something was off about it. It seemed fake. Not just fake, but desperate. She tried to call out to her but the words wouldn’t come out of her lips. She wanted to ask where she had gone and what had happened. What had Sunset done to her? Were the Infinite Plains a real place? Was that where they were now? She tried to speak again but nothing would come. She looked over to the other side of the bench, which had suddenly gotten longer and saw Sheen staring at her with his cold dead eyes and blood running down his face.

The next thing she knew the light went out and she was lying wide awake on a cold floor, coughing and puking. She felt awake, wide awake and felt like she needed to run but she couldn’t move. Her body burned from top to bottom. She could feel every scrape from the glass, every punch that bastard hit her with and both of the bullets that had grazed her before. She was choking on her puke until her friends turned her on her belly. The colors of the world were finally starting to come back to her.

“Where am I?” She asked confusedly.

She saw Vinyl’s face. “You’re at a doctors house. He’s gonna take real good care of you.”

She sighed. That was a relief at least. “Did we get ‘em?” She asked.

“Pretty much. One got away but that’s only temporary.” Tavi said. “But you don’t need to worry about that now, dear. This stallion is going to take good care of you while we finish this business. You’ve been really hurt and he needs to look after you.” She turned her head up to the doctor. “Isn’t that right?” she asked.

He coughed. “Yes… Of course I will. We’ll have you better in a jiffy.” He reached for her front hooves with his. “Let’s get you up on the couch first and we can start patching you up.”

She only nodded. The adrenaline was wearing off and she was beginning to feel dizzy again. They all helped her onto the couch. After they had got her on the couch, Vinyl and Tavi turned to leave. Vinyl took one look back at the doctor. “Remember what I said to you, doc. If she dies, you die. I’ll hold you to that.”

The doctor only nodded nervously as they ran out of the door. They could hear some bumping around coming from their trunk as they hopped in the car and took off again down the street. Vinyl exhaled deeply. “What a fuckin’ rush, huh?” She said. Then she remembered why they had been doing what they did and started to tear up a bit.

Octavia sighed. “I’m so sorry Vinyl. I had no idea what I was thinking. I never meant for anything like this to happen.” She actually started to cry a bit herself. The full weight of what she had done was now setting on her shoulders.

Vinyl put a hoof on her shoulder. “I know you didn’t.” She said. “Sheen knew what he was getting into. He knew that something like this could happen at any time. I just wish you would have consulted someone about this before things got out of hoof.”
Octavia nodded. “I know I have a problem. I didn’t ever think it would get this far and I’m going to fix it. If Sunset doesn’t kill me first, that is.”

“Don’t worry about Sunset.” Vinyl said. “She’s devastated now, of course. She’s known Sheen since before either of us was born. He was like her brother. Those two and my mom were like best friends from what I had always heard. She’s going to need time to calm down and grieve. We all are. But she’s not going to kill you. She loves you like she loves me. Maybe she won’t trust you as much and maybe things will never be the same but she won’t kill you. I’ll see to that if I have to.”

Octavia sniffled. “I don’t know how I can thank you.” She said.

“Get sober.” Vinyl said coldly. “Drugs don’t suit you.”

After that the car was quite for the next twenty minutes except for a few times when the unicorn in the back would thrash around a little bit. Thankfully Octavia had the quick thinking to gag him before throwing him in the trunk or they would have had to worry about him running his mouth. They finally arrived at the warehouse. A place where all of Sunset’s unfinished business came to be wrapped up, and tonight would be no different. They pulled up alongside Sunset’s unit. Vinyl got out and unlocked the door.

“String him up with the chains. I’m gonna call Sunset and get her down here.” Vinyl said as she started walking toward the front gate.

Tavi sighed and unlocked the trunk. The unicorn looked up at her with a look of defiance that was barely concealing the deep fear in his eyes. “Alright buddy.” She started. “One way or another you are going inside this building. We can do it the easy way or the hard way. There is no third option, so which will it be?”

He just glared at her. “Really, dude?” She asked. “Why are idiots always so Celestia-damned stubborn?” She pulled her pistol out and cracked him on the head with it. Afterwards she picked him up and tossed him on her back. Within a few minutes, Vinyl was back and together they chained him up by his forehooves while they waited for Sunset.

Within a half an hour a car pulled up. Sunset and Berry both got out. She looked distraught but was no longer crying. Her face was pure rage. Even Octavia felt a little sorry for what Sunset would have in store for him. Tavi backed away as Sunset walked in.

Sunset approached her. “I’m sorry for how I treated you earlier, Octavia. I know what happened wasn’t your fault. Thank you for at least taking care of it. We’ll talk more about this later though.”

Octavia only nodded and gave her a quick thank you as Sunset walked past her and looked to the strung up unicorn. She looked over at Vinyl “Get the tools and a fresh barrel.” She said and Vinyl jumped to it with Octavia following along behind her.

Sunset used her magic to nudge the unicorn until he woke up. “So.” She started as she stared him dead in the eyes. “You’re the one who thought that it would be a good idea to fuck with me. Gotta say, I’m not impressed with what I’m seeing.”

Just as she had finished saying that, Vinyl and Tavi had returned with the cart of various tools (including knives, a saw, a screwdriver, a hammer and many other things that could make a pony wish they were never born) and the barrel which, after Tavi had opened it, the unicorn could see was filled with some kind of liquid that was steaming and smelled extremely bitter. His eyes went wide with fear and images flashed through his mind of the things that could be about to happen to him.

“Close the door, Berry.” Sunset said. “And someone take off the gag.”

Vinyl pulled it off with her magic and the unicorn began coughing and spit up a little blood. “Who are you? Why are you doing this?” He asked as he frantically looked around.

She gave a wicked smile. “So, you really don’t know who I am then?” she asked. He just shook his head wildly.

She started again. “Well then, I suppose you aren’t quite as stupid as I had first thought. Nevertheless, though, we find ourselves in this situation. My name is Sunset Shimmer and I am the most powerful mare who you’ve ever met or ever will. I don’t know who you think you are, but apparently you were selling things you weren’t supposed to be on my territory. Then when my friends, one of them whom I’ve known for over 20 years, tried to help you correct that mistake you tried to have them killed. And because of that, you’re here. Any questions?”

“If you’re so powerful, why haven’t I ever heard of you? And what exactly are you going to do to me?” He asked, apparently getting some of his courage back.

She smiled again. “Why you haven’t heard of me before is really not my problem. Maybe you aren’t as informed as you thought. As far as what to do with you, that part is simple. My friends told me that one of your buddies got out. And apparently they heard you say something about blood so I figured he was probably a family member of some sort. What’s going to happen now is you are going to tell me anywhere he would go and where we can find him. If you don’t do that I’m going to tear you apart, piece by piece and make you wish your mother had aborted you.”

He stared down at her. “And if I tell you?”

“Well.” She started. “Then I suppose my associates and I can go a bit easier on you. But that’s only if you tell me now. It’s your only chance. What’s it going to be?”

He was silent for a bit. Looking around at each of the ponies faces that were staring up at him he realized that there was no other option. He figured that there was no possible way to get out of this alive, but at least if nothing else he would make his last few minutes in Equestria a little less horrible then they could be. If this mare was as powerful as she said then it was only a matter of time before she would catch up with his brother. And that very same brother had just left him to die and didn’t deserve to live anymore anyways.

“Well.” He heard her say, interrupting his thoughts. “We’re waiting.”

He sighed. “Fine. You win.”

She frowned a little bit. “I was actually looking forward to taking the answer out of you by force, but I suppose I can save that for your partner. Now, what’s his name and where do you think he’ll be?”

He took a deep breath. “His name is White Lightning. He’s my brother, but for he’s more than dead to me now. As far as where you can find him though, I don’t know. Your little friends here killed pretty much everyone who know and destroyed our house. The only luck you might have is with our provider. Seeing as how you are such a powerful mare I’m sure you probably have heard of Neon Lights.”
Her smile instantly turned into a scowl. And he could see all of the other ponies in the room turning to look at her. She must have known exactly who he was talking about. He could see the anger behind her eyes.

“He ordered you to do this, then?” She asked, slowly and concisely.

He shook his head. “No. I barely even know the guy. He’s my brother’s friend or something. He just gave us the pills and said he could give us protection if we had any problems. My brother called him after your friends wrecked up the place last night and he told us that he would have our backs, but I don’t think my brother told him your name.”

She nodded slowly. “I see. So you don’t know where he might be now?”

“I have no idea.” He answered. “But he’s a fucking coward so I’m sure that he’s already gotten himself as far away from this city as possible. We’ve got some family out in Las Pegasus so maybe he’s going there. That’s all I know though, so that’s all you’re getting.” When he finished he hung his head down and stared at the floor.

Sunset stared for a minute. “Well. Thanks for that, I guess. You’ve made my job at least a little easier. And you can rest easy knowing that your brother is going to get exactly what’s coming to him and anyone who helped him will too.”
He looked back up to her. “So, what happens now? I can only assume that you won’t be letting me go. Where do we go from here, then?”

She chuckled. “That’s a good assumption. As far as what we’re going to do with you, you’ll find that out soon.” He could see her horn light up as she lifted one of the longer knives and held it up in front of his face.

He had hoped it would be just a quick swipe across his throat but he had a sinking feeling that it wasn’t going to be that easy. She started talking again. “You see that barrel over there?” She asked.

He nodded. “Do you know what’s in it?” She asked.

“Not a clue.” He said.

“That,” She continued. “Is where most of my problems usually end up. It’s an acidic compound that will turn any body into pretty much liquid maybe a few bones. And that is where you’re going.”

The fear of what was about to happen to him really started to set in. “I thought you said you would go easy on me.” He said with a quivering voice.

Her twisted smile returned. “This is going easy on you, dear. You wouldn’t want to see what things would have been like if it had been the other way. For you, this is as easy as it gets.”

She looked over to Vinyl and issued a quick command. “Open his mouth.”

Vinyl’s horn lit up and he could feel a deep pressure on mouth as it was being torn open. He tried to fight it but his magic was on the fritz after the earth pony had cracked his head. Once his mouth was open he could feel the magic grip around his tongue as it was being pulled out of his mouth and held out. He tried to shake his head but their magic was too strong and he couldn’t escape.

Before he knew the knife swiped quickly across it and through the hot and searing pain he could see his tongue now waggling and bloody in front of his eyes. He started screaming but all that was coming out was blood filled gurgles. He was thrashing his head around when he felt the chains start to unwrap around him.

Sunset motioned to Vinyl. “You hold his lower half and I’ve got his top half.” She then looked over to Berry. “When he gets in the barrel be ready to pop the lid on and hold on as tight as you can. We’ll all focus on it with you. Move the barrel over away from us so no one gets splashed.”

Berry lit up the barrel in her magic and gently pushed it about twenty feet away from them as Vinyl and Sunset began delicately lifting the flailing, gurgling mess of a stallion towards the barrel. Octavia got a smile on her face watching his eyes go wide with fear as they dipped his hind legs into it.

The pitch of his gurgles must have gone up at least three octaves in that moment and it took all of Vinyl and Sunsets might to keep him from thrashing out of their grip and tipping the acid over. The pitch got higher and higher as they finally lowered him down and Berry brought the lid down on top of it.

They all focused their magic on holding the barrel still and after a few small bumps around from the inside it finally stopped moving. Berry screwed on the lid the rest of the way with her magic as Vinyl and Sunset released theirs.

Sunset spit on the ground. “Well, now that’s over with. Let’s get the fuck out of here. I need to rest after this terrible night and I’m sure all of you do too. I’ll get someone on the Las Pegasus trail in the morning and we’ll start planning…”

She paused for a second. The next two words were some that she had never in the last 22 years hoped she would have to say. They came out though, “Sheen’s funeral.” She almost didn’t hear herself say it, like they were coming from someone else.

She took a deep breath and gave a sniffle. “Just relax for now. I’ll be in touch sometime in the next few days. I’m closing all business down tomorrow out of respect. After that though we need to go back to business as usual. Sheen would know it had to be done. I’m sorry things had to come to this, girls. But we’ll make sure that everything that breaths pays for this in the end.”

She didn’t say another word before walking off with Berry and hopping back into her car. Tavi and Vinyl didn’t have anything to say to each other either. Vinyl had at that point remembered that Rose was back at the apartment waiting for them and probably had worried herself sick by now that something terrible would have happened.

She looked down at her clothes. Her suit was had spatters of blood on them and would have to be tossed. She was sure that her coat probably had some on it too but she would have to worry about that later. She made a note in her head to make a quick stop at the club and having a shower before going home. She couldn’t believe that Sheen was gone, but she couldn’t think about that now. She just needed to get back to Rose. That would make everything all right.

That night both Sunset and Vinyl would end up crying themselves to sleep, one in the arms of a best friend and the other in the arms of her now fiancé. Lyra had fallen asleep almost immediately at the doctors house after he patched her wounds up and gave her a light sedative. Her sleep was entirely dreamless and black.

Octavia didn’t sleep until the moon was on its way down. She just kept thinking about what she had done to Sheen and how it had all been her fault. She thought on how close Sunset had been to killing her and how she would have been right to. She thought of how the mare who she had come to love had slipped through her hooves and was getting married and how she had no doubt driven her further away in letting this happen. She thought on all of this and considered jumping from the balcony before finally going inside and crushing two more pills in her hoof before snorting them down and finally passing out when the moon had crossed the horizon.
The only pony who never slept at all that night was White Lightning. He had managed to catch a ride with a late night taxi uptown and was now sitting at the gate of a fairly large compound on the upper-east side.

“Look, buddy.” The guard said to him from behind his glass booth. “I don’t really give a good fuck who you say you are but no one gets in here without an invitation from Mr. Neon himself. If you don’t have a meeting with him then you need to get lost now.”

“You look,” Lighting snapped back. “All of my friends and my brother are dead because of something that he told us so I don’t think I need any appointment. You can tell the big shot to get his ass out here now!” He screamed, beating on the glass.

“Again,” The guard said, keeping his cool. “He’s not even here and even if he was here I wouldn’t be letting you inside. So why don’t you just go home and chill out. I’m sure whatever problem you have can wait until morning.”

Lightning was an inch away from pulling the small pistol he had tucked in his coat and pointing it at the guard when a car pulled up the road
and into the driveway behind him. He turned and saw Neon behind the wheel and ran over to the car.

“Neon.” He yelled, beating on the window. Neon rolled it down slowly.

“Lightning?” He asked, confused. “What in Celestia are you doing here?”

“They came back for us.” Lightning started frantically. “Those ponies who hit us last night. We found one of them and shot up their car like you said but they came back. They killed everyone but me. They said they worked for someone called Sunset something, I don’t remember the name. All I know is that we fucked up big time and now I’m all that’s left. You gotta help me, man.”
Neon just started at him for a second. “Did they say Sunset Shimmer?” He asked, slowly.

“Yeah.” Lighting responded. “At least I think so. Why does that matter?”

He saw something in Neon’s eyes that he had never seen before. It was pure fear. “Get in the car, now.” Neon said to him quickly. He ran across to the other side door and hopped in as quickly as they could. Neon threw the car in reverse and started backing down the driveway.

“Where are we going?” Lighting asked.

“Shut the fuck up.” Neon said, coldly. “I’m taking you somewhere safe. You have no idea who you fucked with.”
He punched the steering wheel. “Why didn’t you tell me the name before you fucking moron?” He yelled.

“I… I don’t know.” He stuttered out. “I…just figured it was nothing. You are a made pony and no one can mess with you. I didn’t think a name would be important.”

Neon just shook his head. “Well, none of that matters now. I’m going to take you to a safe house I have in the mountains until we can get you out of town. If you killed someone in her crew they won’t rest until you are in more pieces than you can imagine. You’re lucky I owe you one from back in the day or I would put a bullet in you now and just be done with it. If she traces this back to me I am beyond dead, so consider yourself lucky that I’m a friend.”

Lighting didn’t really know how to process everything. It all had hit him at once. His life here was over, his budding empire, his friends and even his brother. He would never see any of them again. He might not even be lucky enough to leave the city alive. As they drove on into the night he tried to figure out just where he went wrong in his life and how he could have had such bad luck. At the same time, Neon was thinking the exact same thing.

Author's Notes:

Another new chapter and this time it's a big one. This was my favorite to write so far and I think it came out pretty well. We now only have two chapters left before the big ending to the first act. When I was writing this story I wanted to treat it like a TV Show with each chapter being an episode. Chapter twelve will be the big season finale and things are going to get pretty crazy between now and then. So if you like the story stick around for more. Again any advice, comments or anything is greatly appreciated and thank you all for reading. Until next time.

Chapter Eleven: Il Sono Eterno

The next few days passed in a haze. Octavia had been preparing a solemn song to play with some friends at the wake. Sheen had always had a love for classical music. It was one of the things that they bonded over when she was still young. He supported her when she told him that she and Vinyl would be attending music school. He told her that he knew that someday she would be the most famous musician in all of Canterlot. While she hadn’t gotten there yet, she still planned on getting there someday. She was having a lot of trouble coming up with something but she knew she couldn’t let Sheen down.

Vinyl, meanwhile, had been spending the days before the funeral trying to write a speech for the eulogy. Sunset was going to give one too but Vinyl wanted to say a few things too. He had always been there for her when she was a kid and he had taught her how to get information from ponies. He had taught her pretty much everything that she knew about Sunset’s operation and the life. She owed him so much, and she couldn’t actually believe that he was gone.

Sunset had mostly stayed away from everyone else except for Berry as they planned Sheen’s funeral. On the night before the funeral she and Berry were in Sheen’s apartment. She owned the place and was going to clean it out to renovate it. She had planned on giving the place to Vinyl when she was ready to move out of Ovtavia’s.

Thinking about Tavi made her blood boil a little bit. She knew that she never had meant for what happened to happen but she still couldn’t help but hold her responsible. She had known Tavi since she was barely more than a foal and she was Vinyl’s best friend. It was the only thing that had kept her alive after what had happened. She knew that Sheen would want her to forgive her but it would take time. Until then she would keep her distance and limit her interactions with Tavi to a minimum.

Now that Vinyl was made she would be taking direct control of Tavi, Lyra and to a lesser extent, Fleur. She would also be inclined to start getting some new blood into the crew as well. She had hoped that this tragedy would at least do some good in getting those two sobered up and get Vinyl to learn how to take control. The plan was still on to put Vinyl in control if the rat situation got out of hoof and she had to go away. This could be a test to see just how well she could handle herself. She had a good feeling about her little niece but she knew that the road ahead would be difficult and it would either make Vinyl or break her, that was the price that needed to be paid to be a leader though.

Sunset had earned her badge in blood from the war that stemmed from Tanterella’s death. She rose to the top by being more vicious than anyone else and willing to do whatever it took. Vinyl had the brutality streak in her that could put her on top of the pile if she needed to but what she had wanted for Vinyl was to make her way to the top by being smarter and having more cunning than the rest of them.

She knew that deep down Vinyl had it in her to do it but she would have to be tested, and this was the perfect way. There was no better way to test her wit then by putting Vinyl on the trail of the rat. If she could take care of the situation with as little noise as possible then Sunset would know that she was ready. She would tell her at the funeral and set things in motion.

She was looking around the apartment and she let out a deep sigh. It had been too long since the last time she had actually stopped by to visit him. She gave him this place more than ten years ago and it looked like it was barely lived in. Sheen was always a clean guy but she had never imagined it was like this.

The living room was almost empty. There was a small TV in the corner by the sofa but other than that there was nothing in the room. There were a couple of pictures on the walls, paintings of nature and one of the two royal sisters but if she had remembered right, those were all here when he moved in. The kitchen was clean and there was a leftover half of an oatburger in the fridge and a few beers but not much else.

She walked down the long l-curving hallway and into the bedroom. He had some clothes hanging on hangers against the mirror in the back and his bed was neatly made. There was an ashtray on the end table that was full of butts. Next to the ashtray she saw a picture. She looked down at it and immediately a tear came to her eye.

It was a picture of her, Sheena and Tantarella that her dad had taken when Tantarella had graduated from college. She had a copy of this one too but she had long since lost it. She didn’t like keeping pictures of the ponies that she had lost around, especially ones of her sister.
They just made her too sad.

She picked it up in her magic and brought it to her face. As she stared at it the tears flowed. Those were happier times, everyone was still together then. Only four months from then the trial would start against her father and within three years she would be dead and the worst times of her life would follow, well at least she thought they were the worst times, but it had seemed the last few months were starting to look like they could be a contender.

She noticed something below the picture when she had picked it up. It was an envelope that looked like it was old. It was folded but still well taken care of. She picked it up in her magic and pulled the letter out that was inside. She felt a little like she was violating Sheen’s privacy but her curiosity got the best of her. She unfolded it and started reading. She could instantly recognize her sisters writing. She had a unique style that she would notice anywhere.

“Sheeny-
I know that things have been hard for everyone since my pop passed away, especially too. You are pretty much family as far as we’re all concerned. It’s because of that that I need to tell you this. You know that I’ve always loved you, ever since we met. I also know though that after seeing what prison did to my father that I can’t continue this life any longer. Long Play is getting older and is almost out of diapers and I’m pregnant again. The thing is though, It’s not Wish’s. It’s yours.

You have no idea how hard that was to write. And it is nothing in comparison to how hard the next part of this letter will be to write. I can’t be a mother and be a gangster, after the baby is born Wish and I are going to move into Ponyville with his mother and start life over. I know it won’t be easy but I also know that it’s what has to be done. This life is where you belong and to take you away from it would be a mistake, that’s why I have to leave you behind.

I can never tell Wish about the baby and he or she will never know the truth either, but I at least wanted you to know. I’m postdating this letter so it should get to you sometime after we’re gone. I was too much of a coward to face you like this in person and I’m sorry.
I will always love you Sheeny. You’ll always be the scrappy colt who I met wallowing in the gutter. The one who always had my back around ponies who were bigger and stronger. The one who told me that he would always be there for me.

Unfortunately though, now is not the time to follow my heart, it’s the time to do what’s best for my family. I can’t have the kids growing up like Sunset and I did. It’s a cold and unforgiving world filled with death and destruction. You know that yourself all too well so I hope you will understand. Maybe someday we can be together again, I don’t know how or when but there’s always a chance. Until then though, this is how it has to be.
Forever yours, anywhere in Equestria.
-T”

She was shocked. She knew that her sister had an affair with Sheen. She knew everyone’s dirty little secrets. That’s how she stayed at the top of her game, by knowing everything that was going on at all times. She had suspected that he may be Vinyl’s real father, she certainly looked a lot more like Sheen than she did Starry Wish. But until then it was only just a hunch. Sheen knew the whole time and had kept the secret to his grave. It was something that she was determined to keep a secret too. It would only make things harder for Vinyl.

He really did love her. It was more than love though, something closer to infatuation. She had never known just how deep it had run in him. It was the only thing that he even kept in his apartment. It was why he was so gung-ho when T had died. She just sighed and shed a few more tears before folding the note up carefully and putting it back in the envelope and in her pocket. She kept looking around but didn’t find much else of any sentimental value aside from the picture. After that she took a small box of his things and left. Looking around the place one more time before closing and locking the door.

In the days since Lyra had been at the doctors house she had spent most of her time trying to heal inside her apartment above the bakery. She had been lucky to be alive and couldn’t stop thinking about how she had killed all of those junkies. She was torn between knowing that it was wrong and also feeling like it needed to be done. They would have all killed her if they could. She had also been thinking about Vinyl and Octavia.

They had saved her. She had been about to pass out. She was vomiting all over herself and had lost control of all of her legs. Then the next thing she knew she was waking up on the floor of a doctor’s house. Vinyl had told the guy that if she died that he would die too and she more than believed it. She knew that Sunset had to be stopped for what she had done to Bonnie, but she was honestly starting to question if it was worth the damage to all of her friends, especially since they had saved her life.

She thought hard about what Bonnie would say if she could see her now. How ashamed she must be of her. The only thing that Bonnie had asked of her when they got married is that she would leave that life behind her. Now she had done unspeakable things. She had murdered at least a dozen others at this point and would no doubt have to murder more if she was going to stop Sunset. She knew it had to be done, for Bonnie, and aside from that there was no way that she could get away from the CSIU now even if she wanted to. They had footage of her killing Skag and she had no doubt that they would use it against her.

She would have to push on, damn the consequences. Her friends had known what Sunset was capable of and they were more than capable of it themselves. She just wanted to avenge her wife. At first it seemed simple, and a noble goal. Now though the black and white world that she lived in was being contaminated by shades of gray. She would try and stay the course as best as she could, but she didn’t know how easy it was going to be.

She knew that they would be hounding her for more footage soon and she figured that the best place to do it would be at Sheens funeral. There was something that felt dirty about the whole thing though. Sheen was one of the good ones. Or at least she had though he was. The truth was that she was a good guy to him but to others he was another ruthless killer on Sunset’s payroll. He had told her himself about all of the ponies whose blood he had on his hooves when Vinyl’s mom had died. Maybe some of those could be considered justified, he had really cared for her. Maybe it was the same as what she was doing for Bonnie. Sheen had told her to always be herself and this was who she really was. She just hoped that he would understand.

The morning of the funeral found Vinyl standing in front of the mirror and trying on her new black suit that she had tailored for her specifically for the funeral. It had been a somber few days and she wanted to look her best one last time for the best mentor outside of her aunt that she had ever had.

Rose appeared behind her. She was in a flowing black dress with a veil over her head. She had felt a little strange about the entire thing. She knew of course that sometimes Sunsets business was dangerous but she didn’t expect something like this. She hadn’t known Sheen very well but according to all of the things that she had heard from Vinyl over the last few days he seemed like a pretty decent guy.

She had never seen Vinyl so devastated. She was crying at random times of the day and sleeping in late. And it was hot off of the heels of their engagement. She didn’t want to bring anything up though, it was best to just support Vinyl and let her greave her own way. She couldn’t help the nagging feeling in the back of her head though that someday she would dressed in black and wearing the veil while attending Vinyl’s funeral. She tried to push the thought down but it was still nagging at her.

What had been eating at her even more though was Vinyl’s disappearance the night that Sheen died. She left in a suit but came back without it. She had smelled like she had been freshly showered but Rose noticed a patch of what looked like blood still on her coat. She didn’t want to ask many questions, especially when Vinyl had told her about Sheen’s death. She had images of Vinyl holding her dying “uncle” in her hooves as he slipped away. She would never ask, but then she never really fully wanted to know what had happened.

They finished getting dressed and met Octavia in the car. She was wearing a black dress as well but didn’t have the veil. She had just managed to load her cello into the back seat when Vinyl and Rose came out of the building. They got in the car and she took off towards the funeral home uptown, stopping by the bakery to pick up Lyra.

When they got there they could already see cars lined up around the block. It was a large place that was owned by some family associates of Sandy Shores and the entire upper echelon of Sconoscutio in Canterlot was out for the occasion. Vinyl saw ponies she had only seen when she was still a filly, now looking grizzled with age and sick with sorrow. She noticed Sandy Shores himself, surrounded by his cronies as he went into the parlor. They parked the car just behind Sunset’s and went inside.

The place was packed. There must have been at least 300 or more ponies there and they were still almost an hour early. They had Sheen set up to view in another room towards the back and the ponies who were already there were forming a line to the back room to see him. Tavi could even see Fleur among the crowd too. Vinyl saw Sunset off in the corner talking with Sandy. Sunset noticed them walk in and quickly excused herself from the conversation she was in, walking over towards them.

Vinyl stepped forward and embraced her in a hug. She could see that Sunset had been crying. “How are you holding up?” Vinyl asked.

“Probably about as well as I look.” Sunset said with a small, forced laugh. “I’ve been here all damn morning trying to get everything set up.”

Sunset scanned the room “It’s funny to see some of these ponies here. They aren’t much more than parasites, looking to get a leg up within the organization. I can’t tell you how many of them here would love to see me in the same spot that Sheen is in. They didn’t even know who he was, or if they did they were probably all afraid of him.”

Vinyl nodded in agreement. “Have you seen him yet?” She asked.

Sunset shook her head. “Not yet. I’ve been trying to avoid it for as long as possible. I know it’s something I need to do but I don’t want my last memory of him to be him lying in that box. I’m going to go in once the crowd clears out a little bit. I want to spend some time alone with him before we start the whole thing.”

They shared another quick hug before splitting off. Lyra started walking around taking Rose with her, trying to get footage of as many ponies as she could and trying to pick up any errant conversations in her recordings and Octavia and Vinyl went to pay their respects to Sheen. Most of the crowd who was lined up cleared the way for them as they saw them approach.

They walked into the back room and as soon as Vinyl saw the casket she started bursting into tears. She almost hung off of Octavia as they walked towards the casket. She looked down in and saw him. He looked cold and pale. They had stitched up all of the wounds and made him look normal enough but there was something off about him. She just couldn’t imagine that she would ever be in this situation.

The tears flowed from both of them. “I’m sorry.” Octavia started saying over and over. I’m so sorry.” Vinyl wrapped a hug around her and they began to keep moving down the line. Vinyl couldn’t stand to look at him for more than a second. She just couldn’t process the fact that he was lying there and she didn’t want to face the truth.

Before long, Lyra had moved through as well. She looked down solemnly at him. She didn’t know what to say or how to act. She just muttered a quickly. “Thank you. I owe you everything.” And then she moved on. She shut her eyes as a tear started to flow down her cheek and pictured his face one last time before the bullets rained down into the car.

As Lyra was in the viewing room, Sunset was meeting with Sandy Shores in the back office. It was customary in funerals for made members that the boss was met in the back room with condolences from other high ranking members. This was more than the case with Sheen though as he had been around for so long. Pretty much everyone knew who he was and he was respected by most. He was one of the few remaining relics from the days before the last big war.

“It’s a Celestia-damned tragedy.” Sandy said as he took a long puff from his cigar. “Who could have done such a thing? And to Sheen of all ponies.” He shook his head with disgust.

“I wouldn’t worry too much about that.” Sunset started. “It was some nobodies who didn’t know who they were messing with. We got all of them but one and it’s only a matter of time.”

She let out a bitter laugh. “And after everything we made it though. The war, the violence and blood of the last few months too. All of it just to be shot down by some filthy punks.” She let out a few tears.

Sandy reached over the table and put a hoof over her shoulder. “Anything that my crew or any of our associates can do to help, you just let me know and it’s done.”

She nodded. “Thanks, Sandy.” She said.

Just then the door opened and a pony walked in that she never guessed would be there in a thousand years. It was Neon. She looked up at him and he could see a fire starting to burn in her eyes.

“What in the fuck are you doing here?” She asked through gritted teeth.

He sat down on the chair next to Sandy. “Relax, Sunny. I just wanted to pay my respects to Sheen. I’ve known the guy ever since I was a colt. He was a good friend to me then and something like this never should have happened.”

She stared daggers at him. “It’s funny you should say that.” She started. “Because one of the shooters told me, just before I put him into a barrel of acid, that you were somehow involved in all of this. That you had backed him and his brother up in their little operation. So the way I see it, you are just as much to blame as anyone unless you can convince me otherwise.”

Sandy got up and locked the office door, standing behind Neon and staring him down. He was visibly starting to get nervous but he started to speak.

“That’s why I’m here actually. Or rather why I wanted to meet up with you anyways. I needed to clear the air. While it’s true that I knew the ponies who did this it is absolutely not true that I had any hoof in this thing happening. I brought you something as a gift. Just let me get it from my pocket.” He finished with a bit of a stutter.

She nodded and he reached his hoof in, pulling out a folded piece of paper. He put it down slowly on the table and slid it over to her. She lifted the paper in her magic and unfolded it. There was an address on it. Somewhere outside of the city, up in the mountains.

She looked from the paper back to him. “What exactly is this?” She asked.

He got a small smile on his face. “It’s the location of the one who got away. After Vinyl and Tavi shot up the place they were in he came to me for help. He told me that you got his little brother and it would only be a matter of time before you came for him. He also told me that it was you who they hit. I had no idea before. I thought it was some small time punks giving them trouble and I told them that if they took care of it that I would back them up. There’s no way that I would have if I had known it was you. Especially after what happened over the last few months.”

She nodded. “So why come to me with this now? Why not hide the whole thing and just pretend you had nothing to do with anything?”

He coughed into his hoof. “Because, like I said, Sheen was a friend to me before and didn’t deserve this. Also I would like to think of this little gift as us getting even with the bits that I still owe you from before. Skag had a foal and I’ve been spending a lot of my extra money keeping him and his now single mother fed. I figured that this would be the next best thing.”

She once again nodded. “And if I send my associates there. They won’t meet any kind of resistance or a trap?”

He put his hoof to his chest “Sul mio onore” he said with a smile.

She shook her head. “You need to brush up on your old unicornian. The accent is way off. Also I’m not sure you have much honor left. But for now we’ll see how it works. If you’re lying to me though, you’re going to be the next one having a funeral. Do you understand me?”

He nodded. “Don’t worry. It'll be worth your while.” He said as he got up and walked out of the room.

Sandy shut the door behind him and was going to lock it before he was interrupted by a knock on it.
He looked out of the small window and then looked back to Sunset. “It’s some orange Pegasus. Should I let him in?”

Sunset sat up straight. “Yes, please do. I’ll need to speak with him in private. I’ll catch up with you later after I give the speech. Thanks again for coming. I’m sure Sheen would be happy to see you here.”

He nodded. Taking off his hat and tipping it to him. “I’m sorry that it had to come to this, Sunny. He was a good fella. One of the best.”
With that he walked out and Flash walked in, quickly shutting and locking the door behind him. He was wearing a long coat with wing holes and a cap that was pulled low over his head.

She gave him a stern look. “Are you out of your mind? Why would you come here? Do you have any idea what would happen if someone here recognized who you are?”

He just sat down and took off his cap. “I’m sorry Sunset but I couldn’t wait. I’ve got some news about our situation.”

“Well?” she said. “Don’t keep me waiting.”

He pulled out a file rolled op from his coat and put it on the table. “I got some information on what we’re dealing with here. It’s not much but it’s a place to start. From what I could gather it’s definitely someone either in your crew or very close to it. Also they have most likely been using some kind of recording device. Something on their body that can magically transmit video and audio to the CSUI database. It’s something new that they just started with and I’m sure that they’ll be using everything that they can against you.”

She nodded slowly while rubbing her hooves together. “So, what can we do about this?”

He sat up straight. “I’ve been thinking about that. I heard from a friend in the labs that since the tech got invented about a year ago they have been trying to work on some anti-bugging technology to make sure that it couldn’t be used against the princesses. They have a fully working version, but only one. I think that maybe I can get a hoof on one of the prototypes though. I can’t say that it will work with a hundred percent accuracy but it’s better than nothing.”

She lit a cigarette. “That’s great thinking, kid. It’s a good start if nothing else. Also we need to find out the name of the agent in charge of this thing. Any ideas on how to do that?”

Flash thought for a moment. “Maybe we should just do to them what they’re doing to us. I mean, if we hire some outsiders or something to follow your crew around eventually one of them is going to meet with this guy. I think that would solve the whole problem.”
Sunset thought it over. It was simple and yet genius. She couldn’t believe that she hadn’t thought of it herself. She would need to play this one as close to the chest as possible though.

“I’ll have to think about it.” She said. “It’s asking a lot. For now just try and get your hooves on that tech and get back to me when you do. Just be careful though. For all we know they might be expecting something like this. If you get caught we’ll all go down. For now though you need to get out of here. I gotta see Sheen before we get this thing underway.”

He nodded and stood up. “Don’t worry. I won’t get caught. I’ll let you know as soon as I have it.” He said before tipping his hat to her and leaving.

She waited a minute before leaving herself. When the ponies that were still in line to the viewing room saw her they all cleared out. She slowly walked into the back, finally bringing herself to look down at his cold and lifeless form sitting in the coffin. She knelt down and kissed him on the forehead.

She had been alive for almost forty-five years and she had been to many, many funerals before. She had seen her father, her beloved sister and two of her former lovers come through this very parlor and sit in a box in this very room. It was something that she had never gotten used to and she knew deep in her heart that she would surely be here at least once more before her life was over. Someday, she thought, she would probably be here herself with Vinyl or maybe Berry standing here and looking down on her.

It never got any easier. She looked down at her best friend in the whole world’s cold and lifeless body and the tears came again.
“I guess we knew that it would end up like this, huh Sheeny?” She said, chuckling through her tears, bitterly.

“I’m so sorry that this happened to you. We already got most of ‘em and the last one will be dealt with before the day is over. I owe you so much more than that, though. And I’ll never forget it.” She finished with another stream of tears.

She reached into her coat pocket and pulled out the letter she took from his home.

“Don’t worry about this.” She said, taking it out and tucking in his coat pocket.

“I can’t believe that you never told me about this. I’m sure you had your reasons, but it would have been nice of you to at least let me know about it.” She had a small smile on her face.

She sighed. “I think she would have accepted you, ya know. She would have felt like she had gained back one of the parents that she lost. Maybe it would have made her think a little bit differently of T though, I guess, but I still think she would have been happy.”

She gave a long look at his face. “I’ll make sure I keep the secret until I’m meeting you on the plains though. Maybe then we can have a laugh about it.” She chuckled again but began breaking down in tears.

“Oh, fuck.” She said, wiping her face. “I’m not sure that I can do this, Sheeny. I don’t think I can say goodbye. Not like this, not in front of all those faces out there.”

She fully broke down, trying her best to keep the sound down. She knew deep in her heart though that Sheen would want her to do this. She knew that he would tell her to face her fear and show them all just why she was the boss. She would tell her that she needed to know when to let go, no matter how hard it was. And he would be absolutely right.

She gave one last sniffle and composed herself. She walked back out into the hallway and stood up on the podium. She tapped the microphone to check if it was on. And on hearing the feedback all of the ponies turned to her and began to take their seats. Octavia, Vinyl, Fleur, Lyra, Rose and Berry sat in the front row and were surrounded by Sandy and the other heads of the Canterlot families.

She cleared her throat before starting. “This day is one that I had feared would never come. Although, we all know that it comes for us eventually. I had hoped that it wouldn’t come this soon but only Faust herself has control over time.”

She sighed. “I don’t even know where to start so I’m going to keep this short and sweet. Sheen always hated long speeches.”

A small laugh rumbled through the crowd. At this point there were probably well over 500 ponies in attendance. Most of which she recognized, some who she was sure she had never seen before.

She took a deep breath and continued. “Sheen was the best friend that I ever had. My sister found him living on the street when we were kids and from that point on we were all inseparable. For those of you who knew my father, you will probably remember Sheen when he was still a scrappy young colt who would do anything to get ahead. His loyalty to my family was unquestionable and his devotion unending.”

She paused for a second. “When my sister died, and we all gathered here, he was hit harder than anyone else. Because he was family. The things he did for us after that were above and beyond anything that anyone would have expected. From that day forward he was more than my brother. He was my confidant, my second in command, the only one I trusted for advice on how to handle the things that I knew were out of my grasp. He was truly the best of us. And I don’t think that there will ever be another like him.”

Another pause. She could see the tears on Vinyl. They were coming down like a river. She started up again. “My family has kept the old unicornian language alive since the old days before the unification of the tribes. I know many of you speak it as well. Sheen knew it too. When he was younger, my sister and I taught it to him so we could have our own little secret language that the other younger kids didn’t know.”

She sniffled again. “There is something we say in our culture when we lay one of our own to rest. I said it at my father’s funeral. I said it at my sister’s funeral and I’m going to say it now. For those who don’t understand, just know that it is a sign of respect and our hope that he is a better place.”

She thought back on her father’s funeral and her sister’s when she had uttered these very words and hoped that she would never have to repeat it. She took a deep breath and recited in the strongest voice that she could “Ora il nostro fratello va nel suo eterno riposo. Speriamo che le sorelle sempre veglierà su di lui. Ora sta camminando sulla pianura infinita. Ai perduti”

When she was finished she could hear the some of them in the crowd repeating “Ai perduti” with their arm crossed over their chests. With that she gave a quick bow and walked off of the stage. The tears were starting to come back and she didn’t want any of them to see her crying. After she had made her way back to her seat she could see Vinyl approaching the stage.

She couldn’t focus much during Vinyl’s speech. She just kept thinking about how proud she was of her dear little nephew and how sad it was that she was reading a eulogy for the father she never knew that she had. She would now have to double down on her efforts of getting Vinyl ready for more responsibility. She would have to make sure that nothing like this ever happened to her. She had to make sure that Vinyl would always be protected. And that meant letting her in on the situation that they were in.

When the rest of the speeches were over she was smoking and waiting for Vinyl in the back office. When she finally showed up and closed the door behind her Sunset could see that she was a wreck. She had been crying all day and the fur around her eyes was beginning to get tear stains. They shared a quick hug and Vinyl sat down across the desk, taking a cigarette from Sunset’s pack and lighting it.

“What a fuckin’ day.” She said as she took a long drag.

“One of the worst.” Sunset replied with a sad look on her face. “That’s why I wanted to talk to you. I think I’ve got some good news for you.”

“Yeah?” Vinyl asked. “I’ve actually got some for you too.”

Sunset was surprised. “Well then dear, you go ahead first.” She said with a small smile.

“Well.” Vinyl started. “I didn’t want to tell you this way but I figured that we could all use some happiness after the last few days. Rose asked me to marry her, and…. Well…. I said yes.”

Sunset’s face beaned. “That is absolutely wonderful news, dear!” she exclaimed with fresh tears coming to her eyes.

She stood up and walked around the table to wrap Vinyl in a deep hug. “I can’t believe this. I’m so happy for you!”

After the embrace ended Sunset sat down again and Vinyl asked her about what her good news was.

“Well.” Sunset started. “Not quite as happy as yours but still good nonetheless.”

She reached into her pocket and took out a paper, handing it to Vinyl. “Our friend Neon paid me a visit earlier and gave me this. It’s the address to where the other shooter is. It’s somewhere outside of town. He wants to use it to finish paying the debt that he owes me from the club. I want you to go out there tonight and finish the job. Take everyone with you, just in case.”

Vinyl looked the letter over. “Can we trust him?” She asked.

Sunset shrugged. “Probably, maybe not though. He does know what will happen to him if he doesn’t come through though so I think it should be on the level. Keep your guard up though just in case.”

Sunset sighed. “There was some other news that I wanted to share with you that wasn’t as good. It’s a pressing issue that needs to stay between you and me. Do you understand?”

Vinyl sat up, paying full attention. “Of course, What’s the problem?”

Sunset leaned in close to her. “The ship is leaking, and it’s someone close.”

Vinyl shook her head in disgust. “Son of a fucking bitch. When will it end? What can we do now?”

Sunset looked at her sternly. “I want you get in touch with that outsider, Trixie and her associates and start following everyone, Tavi included. Keep Rosie close and watch her too. I’m not trying to insinuate anything here but we need to make sure that everyone is cleared. I want you to ask her to put someone on the CSIU building and follow every single agent that comes out for as long as we need. Eventually whoever it is will try and get in touch with their handler. When that happens we make a move.”

Vinyl nodded with every point that Sunset said. “I’ll take care of it Auntie. I’m going to earn that badge that you gave me. You can be sure of that.”

Sunset put her hoof over Vinyl’s. “I know you will. For now though just get out there and finish the job on whoever did this. I want him to suffer, nothing easy. He needs to pay for every bullet that went into Sheen. I know you can see to that.”
Vinyl just nodded, folding the paper up and putting it in her coat before standing up to leave. “I’ll make sure he feels every ounce of pain we did. Down to his last breath.”

With that she left. The funeral parlor started to clear out and she pulled Rose, Tavi, Lyra, Berry and Fleur aside. She told Rose she had some urgent business to take care of and asked Fleur to take her home. Once they were gone she informed the rest of what they had to do. They were all eager and planned to meet up at the club after dark to head out.

By the time the sun was down, all of them had shown up at the club. Each had a weapon of some sort and were ready to move. The got in Tavi’s car and drove up into the mountains on the outside of town. The trip took a while and they chatted a little bit on the way. Mostly about Sheen, sharing their memories of him and building themselves up for what they needed to do. It had been a long day and they were all exhausted. At this point even Vinyl just wanted to grease this bastard and get it over with. But she still had a promise to keep, and she would do her best to make it happen.

They saw the house at the end of a dirt road, miles away from any others. It was more of a shack than anything, really. It was old and barely held together and only consisted of one room. There was a car parked in the small, dirt driveway and two armed guards standing outside. They parked the car and grabbed all of the guns from the trunk and walked slowly up to the house.

One of the door guards spotted them and pulled his gun. The other one walked over to him though and tapped him on the shoulder, whispering something in his ear. The guards approached them.

“You the ones Sunset sent?” One of them asked.

Vinyl only nodded.

The other one spoke up. “Alright. We’re gonna go for a walk down the road. You do what you gotta do and then we’ll clear the car out of here. We don’t wanna spook him. He’s got a gun with him in there but I think he’s been here long enough that he’s comfortable. If you need our help just shout.”

“Sounds good.” Octavia said as they walked past the guards to the front door.

“So,” Lyra asked. “How are we going to play this?”

Vinyl thought for a second. “Berry and I are going to go in. You two stand on either side of the front door and be ready for anything.”

She looked over to Berry. “You ready?” She asked.

Berry lifted her pistol in her magical grip. “As ready as ever. Let’s teach this prick a lesson.”

Vinyl nodded and with a swift motion pulled open the door. On the other side of it they found an almost spitting image (if slightly taller) of the pony they put in the barrel sitting on the bed and staring at them, shocked with a full needle in his magic and just being plunged into his foreleg.

“Goddamn traitor.” He shouted. He threw the needle at them and flipped over, reaching for the pistol that they saw on the table. Berry wasted no time and jumped on him, tackling him to the floor on his belly. His horn lit up but before he could use it she picked his head up and smacked it into the ground as hard as she could. The light around his horn went out and Vinyl came over. She kicked him twice in the ribs and then spit on him.

She looked over at the door. “Get in here girls. Let’s tie this bastard to the bed.”

Tavi and Lyra came in and between the four of them they tore the bed sheets and had him tied up in under a minute. After another minute had passed he opened his eyes and scanned around the room.

“What in Celestia’s name is happening here?” He asked. “Who in tartarus are you ponies?”

Vinyl cracked a smile. “The time for questions has passed. We already talked enough to your brother. You don’t have to worry about anything anymore. You’re mine now, that’s all that matters.”

Vinyl looked back to the others. “Why don’t you gals wait outside for a bit and let me do my thing. It shouldn’t be too long.”

They turned to walk out before Vinyl called to them. “Oh and Tavi, I’ve got a bag in the trunk with my tools. Can you bring those to me, please?”

Tavi smiled. “Sure thing. I’ll be right back.”

She shortly returned with an apron wrapped around various knives, a potato peeler, a rock hammer and a screwdriver. The other girls went outside and smoked a couple of cigarettes while having a chat with Neon’s guards. Even though Vinyl had put a gag in his mouth, over time the screams that escaped White Lightning were coming through louder and louder.

After about twenty minutes, Vinyl opened the door. She was looking manic and her apron was covered in blood. “Let’s wrap this up. There’s a gas canister in the trunk. Bring it to me.”

Lyra walked down the street towards the car to grab the gas and Tavi turned to Neon’s guards. “That will be all, then. You boys can clear out.” She said.

They both nodded and turned to leave. As the car had left the driveway, Lyra had come back with the gas. They all walked inside and looked the destroyed body of White Lightning on the bed. He was cut all over, his legs were broken in more than one spot and one of his eyes had been gouged out. He was still alive though and staring at them.

He coughed up some blood. “Is this it, then?” He asked. “Because I’m more than ready to be done with this.”

“Don’t worry.” Berry said. “It’s almost over.”

She took the can and started pouring the gas around the room. Dousing the drapes and the carpet.

“What are you doing? Can’t you just fucking kill me? Please.” He said, frantically.

“Put some on his legs too. I don’t want the smoke to get him before the fire.” Vinyl said while staring White in the eyes.

Berry didn’t break her focus as she lifted the can up and doused his back legs. He shouted from the sting and shook his head around.

“Please. I’m begging you. Just shoot me or something. Hasn’t all of this been enough already?” He said, his voice getting more desperate with every word

No one answered him. Once the gas can was empty. Vinyl unceremoniously lit a match and tossed it on the carpet. As they walked out the whole room was coming up and the fire had just started catching on White’s legs. He let out a high pitched howl as they closed the door and walked out to the car, with only Lyra looking behind at the burning shack.

Around two hours later they were back at the club. Vinyl had taken a shower and they were already seven rounds deep into a bottle of whiskey.

Vinyl raised a glass. “To Sheen!” She said, sloppily before pounding the shot and slamming the glass on the table.

“What a day, huh?” Berry said, her own voice starting to slur.

“Well at least that bastard got what was coming to him.” Lyra remarked while pouring another round of shots.

Vinyl then spouted up. “Ya know.” She said, her head bobbing around. “What happened to Sheen. It’s just so fucked up. I have this feeling that it’s going to happen to me too. One day, I’m gonna be the one in that box and you’re all gonna be sayin ‘Ai perduti’ to me. And my sweet little Rosie will be there with tears in her eyes, wonderin’ where it all went wrong.”

Berry put her hoof on Vinyl’s shoulder. “Don’t think about it that way kid. You’re gonna outlast us all if Sunset has anything to say about it. If getting a bullet to the chest and a car crash didn’t kill you then I’m not sure what could.”

Vinyl took another shot. “Whatever you say, B. I just know that it’s in…in…inevitable. At least there’s some good news though. Rose and I are getting married!”

Lyra and Berry both gasped. “That’s great news!” Lyra said, putting her hoof over Vinyl’s other shoulder.

She downed another shot. “None of it’s gonna matter though.” She said, sniffling, a few tears coming out of her eyes. “Because I’m gonna be in that fuckin’ box before too long. Or a jail cell. That would be the worst. Rose is gonna see just who I really am. It will break her heart.”

Tavi looked confused. “What are you talking about, dear? Why would you be in a jail cell? I don’t understand.”

Vinyl shot her head up. “Shit.” She spat. “I wasn’t supposed to say anything, but fuck it. I’m sure I can trust you. If you can’t trust your best friends, who can you trust? Sunset told… told me today that we’ve got a rat in the crew working for CSIU, and it’s someone close to us. If we don’t find out who they are soon then we’re all fucked.”

Gasps again, all around. Lyra’s mind froze. She could hear the others asking questions. How did Sunset know? How long had it been? What did they need to do about it? She couldn’t talk though. Her mind just started thinking about all of the torture that she had seen Sunset put others through and pictured her in that position. Deep down inside her, at her core, she started to panic. Things were about to cross the threshold that there was no coming back from, and if she didn’t play her cards just right, she would end up dead.

Author's Notes:

Here we are with the second to last installment of the first act. This one actually didn't take too long to write and I'm really proud of how it came out. For those of you who are native Italian speakers I apologize if there are any mistakes, it's not my first language.

With the big reveal now about the rat there is only one chapter left to go before we reach the end of the thrilling saga that is "The Bonnie Situation". Stay tuned in for the big finale "To Live and Die in Canterlot" coming as soon as I can.

Thank you all again for reading and any comments are more than welcome. See ya next time!

Chapter Twelve: To Live and Die in Canterlot

For Lyra, the next two weeks felt like they were going in overdrive. Every minute since she had left the club her heart had been racing and every night she would have the same dream. She would be in a place that looked like a bizarre version of Sunset’s office. They were discussing something or another; it was always different but never coherent enough for her to make out. All she could hear was her heartbeat in her head. It was so loud that it drowned out all the sound around her.

She was sitting in a chair opposite Sunset’s desk and was watching Sunset intently. She could feel the urge rising within her to strike out across the desk and start beating Sunset with every ounce of strength she had in her. That would have been a good dream for Lyra though, and these were always nightmares.

Before she could attack Sunset she would always look to her left and somehow, sitting right beside her would be Bonnie. Not the beautiful and elegant Bonnie that she tried so hard to remember as time went on since the last time she had seen her though. This Bonnie had dull grey eyes and looked like she had started to rot. Her tongue hung out of her mouth and her body was covered in cuts and bruises. Her once shining coat was dull and dirty and had countless bloodstains on it.

At this point in the dream things would always take a turn for the even more horrific. Bonnie would turn to her and open her mouth to speak. Before she could say anything though, Lyra would notice a large lump moving its way up Bonnie's throat. Lyra would try to cry out in horror but her voice never came to her. Then she saw them, the instantly recognizable, beady, red eyes of a rat popping its head out of Bonnie's mouth. The rat stared at her for a second and blinked a couple of times.

Then the rat began to speak to her in Bonnie’s voice. It always said the same thing every night. “We’ll be together again, my love. I’m waiting for you.”

Lyra had always snapped awake at this point in her dream and that time had been no different. She sat straight up in the bed, covered in sweat and looked around the room. Her eyes went to the locked front door (now equipped with a new dead-bolt, just in case) and then to the small pistol she kept just in hoof’s reach on the end table. When she realized that everything was alright she sat back on the couch and breathed a sigh of relief.

Her magic lit up and she grabbed the almost empty pack of cigarettes off of the table and brought one up to her lips. She had never really smoked much before but since the night at the club she had been going through a pack every day, sometimes more. She stood up and walked over to the fridge. She pulled out the remnants of a sandwich that she had made the night before. She took a bite but she didn’t feel hungry and put her cigarette out on it.

She knew that there was nothing that she could do anymore. It was time to face the facts. Living like this was driving her insane and she couldn’t keep up with this double life for much longer. They knew that someone was feeding CSIU information and it would only be a matter of time before they figured out it was her. She had seen enough of what Sunset had done to those who dared to cross her to know what would happen next. Aside from that she didn’t think that she could take another day of dealing with Sunset without wanting to kill her.

She had no other choice. She had to get out, and she had to do it now. She hadn’t met with Earth Song once since she had started and she didn’t want to call the number he gave her out of fear that someone might be listening. She would have to bite the bullet and get in contact with him as soon as possible and let him know that, one way or the other, she was out.

She felt deep down inside herself that she had a duty to stop Sunset but she also knew that one thing that Bonnie wouldn’t want her to do would be to get herself killed. She could go somewhere, maybe Vanhoover or Seaddle and start things over. She could change her name and open up another shop and keep all of the recipes that Bonny had worked her whole life to make going. She had enough saved up from what she had gotten from Sunset to keep herself stable for at least long enough to get set up. It could all work out, she just had to make sure she would be able to get out in time.

Across town, Vinyl was at the club, counting bits and taking inventory of what they needed to stock up for the night ahead. Since the night of the funeral she had been spending more time with her wife-to-be and a lot less time getting high. She would never have imagined being up at 9 in the morning almost every day, let alone doing anything other than drinking coffee and sitting in bed. She had already had breakfast and finished most of the account of the previous night’s take.

They were making money “hand over fist” as a griffin friend had once said to her, although she wasn’t entirely sure what it meant. What she did know though was that if they kept it up, she would be able to buy anything she had ever wanted for Rose and her to start their new lives together. After losing Sheen something had really clicked in her. She wanted to have a better life, not one that was full of as much violence and destruction that she had spent the last few months in.

She laughed a little bit to herself. She was actually starting to grow up. She pictured what the 18 year old version of herself would say if she could have seen what she would have become. She was almost certain that it would have ended in some kind of fight. She knew deep down though that it was all for the better. She wanted to be the pony that her wife thought that she was, which was honestly not an easy feat to accomplish.

She had done bad things, horrible things that most decent members of society would abhor the very notion of imagining them. And yet, she didn’t feel bad about it. She actually had enjoyed most of it. It wasn’t like she was some serial killer out prowling the streets. Pretty much everyone who she had put in the ground had deserved it, or at the very least knew that it was a possibility in their line of work.

She just knew that it was time to move on. If Rose had ever found out what she had done then there would be no chance for them. Rose was kind and decent, if a little clingy, but Vinyl actually enjoyed that aspect of her personality. It was nice to be wanted for something other than smashing, beating or killing for once. She knew that the urge to be violent would never fully leave her, but she was ready to at least put it as far on the back burner as she could though until she absolutely had to let it out.

As she was thinking about that she heard a knock on the office door and looked up to see a blue unicorn staring at her. It was the “Great and Powerful” Trixie as she liked to call herself. Although Vinyl, after having to deal with her for the last week would have rather called her the “Obnoxious and Absurd” Trixie. She had to admit though, as far as freelancers go, Trixie had absolutely gone above and beyond to help them take care of the situation that they had found themselves in.

Since she had Trixie and her crew come in from Manehattan, they had been pretty much working around the clock to track down the rat. Trixie had an entire crew watching the CSIU building and had someone assigned to follow around each of the agents as they went about their day.

She also had someone watching the club and Sunset’s office as well. She had considered having someone watching all of her crew too but after talking with Sunset they decided that it would be best if Trixie and Co. didn’t have anything extra on Sunset or her direct affiliates, just in case someone else wanted to use it against them later. They hadn’t turned up anything yet but it was only a matter of time at this point.

“Trixie needs more money.” She announced.

Vinyl didn’t look up from the books at her. “Why? What we gave you already should have been more than enough.”

“Trixie has to keep everyone under her employ happy. It’s been half a month already and these things don’t come cheap. The need food, apartments and equipment. Also, aside from the fact that Trixie has these ponies working non-stop, they are following government agents and if they get caught it could be disastrous for all of us. Trixie needs to keep them happy and keep them on point, and to do that Trixie needs more money.

Vinyl just shook her head. “How much, exactly?” she asked, finally looking up to Trixie.

“Another 20,000 should cover it, at least for now.” Trixie said as she came up to sit across from Vinyl on the desk.

Vinyl scoffed, giving an almost disgusted look. “Sweet fuckin’ Celestia. Do you think I’m made of bits?” She asked.

“Perhaps, not.” Trixie said with a sort of arrogant smile. “But Sunset is. Just get her to authorize it and everything will be taken care of.”

“This conversation is ridiculous.” Vinyl said as she lit a cigarette.

“I’ll tell you what.” She said as she blew some smoke at Trixie. “I know that you came highly recommended by our friends out in Manehattan and I’ll admit I’m pretty impressed with how much your crew can do and how dedicated they are. But, like you said, it’s been half a month now and we’ve still got nothing to go on. So If you can bring me something, anything at all by the end of the day, even just a hint to lead us in the right direction then I’ll give you the extra money and then some.”

The smug smirk was back on Trixie’s face. “Trixie’s prices are Trixie’s prices. You will pay her the extra by the end of the day or Trixie’s crew will pack up their gear and head back with her to Manehattan where we have plenty of other jobs waiting for us. The choice is yours, and Trixie will be waiting to hear back with your decision.”

Without saying another word Trixie stood up and walked out of the office, leaving Vinyl fuming behind her. Normally she wouldn’t take this kind of shit from anyone, let alone some random bitch who should have been showing her some respect. She took a deep breath and put her hooves on her head and counted down from ten. It was a new technique that Rose had taught her and it actually seemed to work, although she really felt like throwing he glass that she was drinking out of against the wall. She held herself together though and decided that she might as well just let it go and give Sunset a call.

As the sun rose up towards the center of the sky, Lyra had called Earth Song earlier in the morning from a payphone down the street from her house and told him that they had to meet as soon as possible. He had taken his car, a nondescript black sedan, into an alley behind a Neighponese restaurant where he waited for her. She was wearing a coat and a black hat that was pulled down low. She got in the car as quickly as he could and he could see just how disheveled she had looked.

“Dear Celestia.” He started. “Are you okay, kid?”

“No.” She blurted out. “I’m gonna make this quick because I don’t have a lot of time. Sunset knows that someone in her crew is a talking to CSIU and it’s only a matter of time until they find out that it’s me. They’ve been watching everyone and everywhere. For all I know they’ve got someone watching us right now.”

Earth Song just shook his head. “The case isn’t ready yet. We need more.” He said with an almost cold tone.

She looked shocked. “More?” She asked, her voice raising a pitch. “More! Are you fucking with me right now, dude? Did you not see any of those recordings that I sent you? Like the one where she straight up ordered me to put a bullet in Skag’s head? Or maybe you happened to catch the one where I got twenty solid minutes of her torturing someone before dipping them in a barrel of Celestia-damned acid! How could you possibly not have enough?” When she had finished she was almost screaming in his face.

“It’s not just Sunset.” He started. “We need to get all of them together in a meeting. Once we can tie her and all of the rest of them together we can take them all down.”

“That’s not going to happen.” Lyra said. “I don’t think you heard what I was saying to you. I’m not asking you for permission, I’m telling you that I’m out and I need your help if I’m going to make it out of here alive. There’s no time left and I can’t wait any longer. If she finds out about me then I’m going to end up chopped up in a dozen pieces and dipped in acid. That’s not going to happen to me!”

She was starting to freak out so he put a hoof on her shoulder. “Listen, kid. I can get you out but it’s going to take some time. I don’t know how long but I’ll get to work on it as soon as I can. I need to get you set up with a new identity and a place to go. It’s not just something that I can throw together but I’ll try as hard as I can. I just need you to keep your head down and don’t make any noise until I can get it dealt with.”

“It’s not good enough.” She said. “I’m having panic attacks multiple times a day and I haven’t slept for more than a few hours in almost two weeks and when I do it’s nothing but the same horrible nightmare. I can’t do this for another day. I’m going to give you until tonight to get it sorted. By the time Celestia brings up the sun tomorrow I’m going to be out of Canterlot, one way or the other.”

She didn’t give him much time to react before opening the door and starting to step out. “Call me when you figure it out, but it has to be tonight.”

She pulled her cap down tight again as she stood up and began to walk out of the alley. She noticed something though, just out of the corner of her eye. She thought she might have just been mistaken at first but she was sure she saw someone sitting across the street behind a group of dumpsters a little ways away towards the corner. It looked like whoever it was had a small camera and was taking pictures of them.

She kept walking for a few seconds and checked behind her as slightly as she could and she saw him again. He was a younger stallion, probably a little older than she was and sporting a dark purple coat with a button up shirt on hover it. He was trying to be inconspicuous but he wasn’t doing a very good job of it. Or maybe she was just so paranoid that he had no chance of not being seen.

She wanted to panic and run but she knew that it wouldn’t be an option. She had to keep a cool head and think things through rationally. If Sunset got those pictures she would be dead before nightfall. That couldn’t happen, and there was only one sure-fire way to make sure that it didn’t happen. She would have to get her hooves on that camera. She took a deep breath and formulated the best on the fly plan that she could come up with in the moment.

She started walking away from him, pulling her hat down further and crossing the busy street. He seemed to be done with his photo taking and was walking the opposite direction away from her down the street. He didn’t seem to notice her looking at him as he made his way down the street. She crossed over back to his side and sunk into the alleyway behind where he was walking. She would peak her head out each block to make sure that she was still on his trail.

After about four blocks of staying behind him he finally turned into the alley that she was on. She quickly hid behind a parked car and watched him go up the steps into a second floor apartment. As soon as she saw him go into the building she sneaked as quickly as she could towards the door behind him. He walked down the hallway and up a second set of steps.
When he unlocked the door and went inside, Lyra sneaked up behind him and quickly shut the door. When he turned to face her she had reached for the closest blunt object that she could from the table next to the door. It was a small desk lamp with a heavy brass bottom. She brought it up and swung down as hard as she could but the stallion jumped backwards out of the way.

“I hope you’re ready to die, you stupid bitch.” He shouted at her as his magic lit up, producing a blade from his pocket and holding it up in front of her face. He jumped forward at her but she managed to dip left around him in the narrow hallway that lead to the apartment’s tiny living room. She swung the lamp again but he backed up out of the way just in time.

While she was still reeling from her attempt he jumped forward at her and swung the knife. She managed to bring the lamp down again on his back but as he fell under her he cut her all the way down her left hind leg. She shouted in pain as she hit the floor. The lamp she was holding fell out of her grasp and before she could reach for it again in her magic, she saw that the stallion was about to drop the knife he was holding down on her with full force.
She rolled away just as his hooves came down, leaving him to crash on the floor face-first.

She quickly jumped on his back and started punching him as hard as she could in the back of the head. She reached for the strap of the camera that was still around his neck and twisted it around while punching him with the other hoof. He tried to buck her off but every time he would move she would hit him again.

With the camera now facing her she used her magic to pull on it as hard as she could until the strap started to strangle the stallion. His eyes went wide and he started to buck wildly and reach for his throat. Lyra wouldn’t let up though and just pulled harder every time he would try and move his body.

Just when she was sure it was over for him the force of her magic tore the strap and sent the camera up into her chin. She tasted blood in her mouth as she bit down hard on her tongue. The stallion was now gasping for air and using the rest of the energy that he had left in him to try and flail as hard as he could to get her off of him.

It wasn’t working though and Lyra concocted a new plan on the fly. She lifted the camera up with her hooves and started smashing it as hard as she could against the back of his head. She figured it would be the best way to kill two birds with one stone. She would get rid of her would-be photographer and his evidence at the same time.

After a few hits, the stallion was moving around less and less and finally Lyra brought the camera down one last time, as hard as she could on his head. The clear, wet thud of a skull being cracked rang out in her ears and blood splashed into her face, something that before the events of the last few months, would have led to her most likely vomiting or running away in disgust but now only lead to her letting out a long and satisfied sigh as she rolled off of the stallion to the floor.

She took a few deep breaths as the adrenaline that had kicked in the second she started the fight started to wear off. As the last of it was going she started to feel the searing pain that cut had left down her leg and the sharp sensation of her tongue beginning to swell up in her mouth. She moved it around in her mouth and noticed that two of her front teeth were seriously chipped, with one of them being almost completely knocked out.

She spit a mouthful of blood on the ground and stood up slowly. She limped her way into the bathroom where she was hoping to find a first aid kit. What she found instead was a darkroom of sorts set up. There were dozens of pictures hung up and drying. They were of all manner of things from the CSIU headquarters to various pictures of Earth Song doing various things. She didn’t have time to look too deeply into it though, there was a dead stallion in the living room and their fight must have caused quite a ruckus. She grabbed the lone towel that hung on the rack and wrapped her leg with it before limping her way out of the house and back into the alley with the camera tucked in her coat.

The sun was on its downward arc in the sky a few hours later as Sunset and Berry were sitting in Sunset’s office drinking their evening tea and discussing the situation that they were being faced with in finding the rat before he or she was able to testify against them.

“We’re getting nowhere.” Sunset said with a frown.

“Don’t worry.” Berry started. “I’ve heard a lot of good things about Trixie. She knows how to track ponies down and getting what’s needed out of them.”

Sunset frowned. “That damned Trixie might just be the most ridiculous mare that I’ve ever met. I’ve met some pretty strange ponies in my day but her over the top arrogance and always talking in the third person really take the cake. Did you hear how much more money she’s asking for?”

Berry just nodded. “I know she can be a bit…..unorthodox but she comes highly recommended. They say she worked in Celestia’s secret service before getting involved with our way of life. Supposedly she learned all types of different spying and interrogation techniques in there. That’s why they pay her as much as they do.”

Before Sunset could respond, her phone rang. She put down her teacup slowly before picking up the phone.

“Talk to me.” She said in a flat tone.

“It is I, the Great and Powerful Trixie!” The mare on the other line almost shouted.

Sunset made a disgusted face and pushed the phone away from her ear while Trixie finished shouting her name.

“What’s up?” Sunset asked. “If you’re calling about the money then I don’t have an answer for you yet. I haven’t decided whether we’ll be retaining your services or not.”

Trixie laughed heartily which caused Sunset to frown again. “You may want to hold off on that until you hear what Trixie has to say. She has some news for you.”

Sunset sat up and quickly motioned for Berry to close her office door. She did and when it was closed she put Trixie on speaker phone.

“What news do you have?” She asked.

“Trixie knows how we can find the rat, and she knows how we can do it tonight. I just need you to get your contact in the royal guard as well as someone else who you trust and pick Trixie up in a limo of some kind as quickly as you can.” Sunset could almost hear the arrogance dripping from Trixie’s voice as she spoke.

“What?” She said. “That doesn’t make sense. Why can’t you just tell me what you have now and then we can meet up to discuss it afterwards?”

Trixie scoffed. “Because if there is one thing that The Great and Powerful Trixie has learned in her time in this business is that there is nothing quite as fun as adding some showmareship into things. It makes everything much more exciting. Just do what Trixie said and Trixie will see you at your club in 45 minutes. Don’t be late.”

Before Sunset could say anything else, Trixie hung up. She looked to Berry. “Do you believe this idiot?” She asked.

“A sense of showmareship makes things more exciting.” Sunset said in a tone mockingly imitating Trixie’s voice. “Just who in tartarus does she think she is?”

Berry just shook her head. “She’s a unique one, that’s for sure. So are we going or not?”

Sunset had no objections and got on the phone with Flash as quickly as she could, instructing him to meet her at the club in half an hour. When she got off of the phone she reached into her desk and produced a small pistol.

“I don’t know what we might be walking into in there and I don’t trust that blue egomaniac as far as I can throw her, so let’s just be on the safe side.” She said as she checked the clip to make sure it was loaded.

Berry just nodded. “Agreed.” She said. “Now let’s get a move on.”

As the sun was beginning to set, Earth Song was sitting at his desk, looking over all of the notes in the case that he had been spending almost all of his time building on Sunset Shimmer and her associates. He couldn’t believe that Lyra had wanted out so badly, especially considering the circumstances that brought her into the program in the first place. He had a wife of his own and couldn’t imagine what he would do if something like that had happened to her. Maybe her instinct to survive was overcoming her desire for revenge. He had poured through the video that was sent to him and he had seen enough to know that Sunset Shimmer was not a mare to be trifled with or taken lightly. He still got shivers remembering some of the things that he had seen.

It wasn’t enough though. He had enough to put her away of course but someone else would just pop up in her stead. Even with her whole crew gone there were plenty of other ponies waiting to come out of the woodwork and take her spot. He needed the whole ball of wax. He needed all the heads of the five families together in one room conversing and talking about their plans. Then he could bring them all down.

He couldn’t just let Lyra walk away from all of this. The video evidence wouldn’t be enough without her sworn testimony in court and he needed her around to get closer to the inside of the group. She was a bright, young and ruthless unicorn and that was all it took to make it inside the Sconoscutio ranks. She just needed to hang in there. He had no doubt based off of her appearance though that she would most likely try to run off but he figured if he could talk to her again then he could calm her down. If nothing else he could arrange for her to get out of the city until things calmed down and then bring her back. Give her some story to tell about going off to find her missing wife or something while she laid low. He just didn’t know how fast he would be able to put something like that together in.

For now though it was time to eat dinner. He put away all the files on his desk and locked them up. He tossed the key in his pocket and put his coat on before heading out of the door. As he started walking down the street towards the diner he loved to frequent he noticed a car following behind him. As soon as he turned the corner away from his office it pulled up beside him and stopped. It was a long, black limousine. The back window rolled down and he spotted the face of the mare who he had spent countless hours looking at in photos and videos. It was Sunset Shimmer herself and in the flesh.

“Get in the car.” She said coldly.

“Excuse me?” He replied confusedly. “Do I know you?”

She scoffed. “Cut the shit and get in. If I wanted to kill you, you would have already been dead. Trust me, you’ll regret it if you listen to what I have to say to you.

He nodded slowly and checked his pocket with a brush of his wing to make sure his sidearm was still there before opening the door and getting in. As he sat down he noticed Sunset moving across to sit facing him. With her was the pony who she had recognized from the videos as Berry Shake and a pegasus stallion that he had seen before but couldn’t place where along with a blue unicorn mare that also looked familiar.

“What’s all this about?” He asked. “Are you hear to offer me a bribe or something because that’s not…”

Sunset held up a hoof and stared him dead in the eyes. “This isn’t the part where you talk. This is the part where you listen. Don’t say a word until I’m finished.”

The intensity in her eyes would be enough to burn right through the Crystal Mountains themselves. He felt fear rising in his heart and sat back in silence.

“Good.” Sunset said. “That’s what I thought.”

She cleared her throat. “You may have heard that earlier today there was a murder just down the road from here. A stallion was found brutally beaten to death in his apartment sometime this afternoon. Did you know about this?”

He shook his head. He hadn’t heard anything about it and wasn’t sure where she would be going with this.

She continued. “That certain stallion was an associate of my blue friend here.” She pointed at Trixie.

“The details of his death aren’t really all that relevant. What is relevant though is why he died. He died because he had taken some pictures of someone that he shouldn’t have and whoever that was made him and took him out. I know that you know who that was and what I’m talking about so I’m going to make this really simple for you. Give me a name and we can end this conversation without any unpleasantness.”

He processed everything that he was taking in. He must have been watched when he had met up with Lyra in the afternoon and she must have found out and killed whoever was watching them. How they had any idea about his role in it though he still didn’t know and thought that maybe they could just have been bluffing.

He straightened up in his seat. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He said. “I would have heard of a murder so close to here and I have been in my office all day since sun-up.”

Sunset chuckled. “Okay. So you want to do this the hard way then? That’s fine by me.” She motioned to the blue mare who handed her a closed manila folder with his name written on it.

“The reason you didn’t hear about the murder.” She started. “Is because my associate here paid good money to cover it up. Not only that but she paid good money to recover what else was in that apartment. There’s no use in being coy with you at this point so I’m going to just lay it all out on the table. I’ve been following you and all of your CSIU buddies nonstop for the almost three weeks now, every hour of every day. I hadn’t received a report from my agent in the field on you yet and had he not been beaten to death this afternoon I’m sure he would have had some great information for me.”

She passed the folder to him. “Go ahead, open it up.” She said with a devious smirk.
He already knew what was coming but prayed with everything that he had in him to Celestia that it wouldn’t be what he thought it was. As soon as he started sliding the pictures out of the packet though, his worst fears were realized.

They were all of him, going in and out of a seedy looking building and some of the inside as well. He knew what this was leading up to but couldn’t bring himself to look through all of the pictures.

Sunset caught onto this and smiled. “I know the owner of that place, you know. She pays one of my affiliates for the pleasure of operating a brother in this part of town. I’m sure you already had an idea about that though, since you seemed to be so frequent of a visitor there.”

He pulled more of the photos out until he saw the damning one that he knew was coming.
Sunset’s smile grew wider. “Of course then, you must also have known that the specialty of that specific brothel is something that even some of the most deviant of the deviants won’t touch, but it looks like it’s exactly what pulled you in.”

He looked at the photo in horror. He couldn’t believe that he was looking at himself doing it and he could feel the shame and disgust rising in his chest.

“How old is that filly?” Berry asked. “Twelve? Thirteen maybe? Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. You would have thought that someone with a job like yours would know how to cover their tracks a little better.”

A tear fell from his eye onto his face. If this were to ever get out his life would be over. He would go to prison. He would lose his wife and his kids. He would lose everything and then some.

He gave a dejected look. “What exactly do you want from me?” He asked.

Sunset looked at him dead in the eyes. “Two things. First of all you are going to tell me who the rat is. Secondly you are going to take all of that footage that you have stored of whatever we have been up to over the last couple of months and you are going to erase it all and leave none of it behind.”

“I can’t do that.” He said, flatly. “Please, you don’t understand. I’ll lose my career and Celestia only knows what you’ll do to the pony who has been working with us.”

She shook her head. “Maybe this isn’t settling in with you fully yet, if you don’t do that then these pictures go out everywhere. We’ll have copies sent to your wife and kids, to your office and to the royal guard. We’ll send it to every local paper and news source and everywhere in between. This is your only chance to stop that from happening. So what’s it going to be?”

He thought long and hard about it. Either way his life would be ruined. If he gave the information it would be to a lesser degree but everything that he had been working towards would be gone and Lyra would most likely suffer a horrible fate once Sunset got her hooves on her. Then again though, if the pictures got out he would be wanted by everyone in the kingdom, and he knew what they would do to someone like him in prison. He took a deep breath and slowly moved his head up from the pictures to look Sunset in the eye.

A few minutes later he was dropped off in front of his office. He had a dejected look on his face and tears streaming down out of his eyes as he went inside. He ducked away from all of his coworkers and quickly went back to his office, closing the blinds and locking the door. He reached for his phone and picked it up with his wing.

Back at the bakery, the place was in shambles. There was blood staining the hardwood floors all over the place, especially in the kitchen where Lyra had managed to clean and close her wound. There were also clothes and items thrown around in disarray. Clothes and trinkets were stuffed haphazardly into a large suitcase and Lyra was currently trying to stuff as much money into the bag as possible as well but was having trouble. She wanted to take a few things of Bonnie's that were special to her but she had limited space and was starting to lose her mind about all the things that she would have to leave behind.

She was interrupted by the phone ringing. She stopped dead in her tracks and rushed over to it. She picked it up but didn’t say anything, she only listened.

“Lyra? Hello?” The familiar voice of Earth Song came through the phone.

“I need you to listen to me and listen carefully.” He said.

She stayed silent.

“Sunset knows about you and she’s coming for you.” He said quietly.

The words sounded like a bomb dropping to her as her heart fell through her chest.

“H..h…how?” She asked, barely able to speak.

“It doesn’t matter” he replied quickly. “What matters is that we need to get you out of the city and we need to do it tonight. If you can find a way to meet me on the west side of the castle grounds then I can get you out of here tonight. I’ve made an arrangement with some members of the royal guard to take you to the outskirts of the city where you’ll meet up with some agents who can take you to Vanhoover. If you want to go though you need to leave right now and get here as quickly as you can.”

Her heart was racing at a thousand miles a minute. “Why should I go with you? Why can’t I just go by myself?” She asked.

“Because I can get you set up with a new identity.” He said quickly. “Do whatever you want, but they know about you and they’ll be coming for you soon. I’m going to get things prepped for this transfer. It’s going to take a lot of pull but I know I can get it done. The only stipulation is that, when the time comes, I need you to come back to town and testify against her.”
Lyra thought it over. It seemed like a good enough plan, but what if they couldn’t protect her? She probably had enough money to buy a new identity if she needed to and she could run as far away as the Crystal Kingdom if she wanted to. She did think that it would be the right thing to do to testify against Sunset though. She needed to be stopped and that might be the only way to do it.

“Look kid.” Earth chimed in, breaking her chain of thought. “I can understand if you don’t want to do it this way but you need to do it one way or the other and you need to do it now. I’m going to the castle now to get things ready. If you aren’t there in 90 minutes I’ll assume that you chose option B. Either way you need to make sure no one sees you get over here. If you are going to go my way just take the basic essentials and some cash and I can have the rest brought to you later. Either way though it’s time to go. Hopefully I’ll be seeing you soon.”

She paused, still unsure what to do but chimed up the only thing she could think to say. “Thanks for the heads up. I’ll probably see you soon. If not, I’m sorry that you won’t get my testimony but I know that there will be some way, some day to put her where she belongs.”

She didn’t wait for a response before hanging up the phone and running to the table where her pistol sat. She quickly started taking clothes out of the suitcase and began stuffing them into her saddlebags along with all of the money that would fit. She pulled out the small necklace that Bonnie had given them for their last anniversary and put it around her neck, kissing it for good luck before pulling a black hoodie over her head and tightening the strings. She was ready and it was now or never.

She sneaked out the back door and down into the alley. She walked between the alleyways as quickly as she could without breaking into a full on sprint. When she was safely away from her now former home she gave it one last look before hailing a cab. She sat down and closed the door. The driver had asked her where she wanted to go. She didn’t realize how long it was taking her to answer before she finally piped up.

“I need to go the castle. Near the west gate entrance.” She said. And with that they were off.
A little less than an hour later they were there. Lyra offered the driver a heavy tip and got out of the cab. She walked down towards the end of the parking lot where she saw Earth Song’s car and a van waiting. She saw him smoking a cigarette and sporting a nervous look. A thought passed through her mind at that moment. Maybe meeting up with him was a bad idea. He never told her how they knew that she was the rat. Maybe he was working with him. If ever there was a chance to cut and run this would be it.

She thought about it but eventually decided that she needed to finish at least something of what she started with Sunset if Bonnie was ever going to get any kind of justice. She sealed her resolve by placing a soft magic grip around the pistol in her hoodie’s pocket before approaching the cars.

Earth Song noticed her and put out his cigarette before walking up to her. “I honestly didn’t think you were going to show, but I’m glad you did.” He said with a genuine, if exhausted looking, smile.

“I wasn’t sure either.” She responded. “I just know that I have to do something right by Bonnie or all of that necessary evil would have been for nothing.”

He nodded while lighting a cigarette. “I’m glad you feel that way and I’m sorry that you were put in this position in the first place.”

She gave him an acknowledging nod before asking. “What’s the plan here?”

“Oh.” He said. “The plan is pretty much like I told you on the phone. There’s a guard in that van waiting to take you to the edge of the town. I have a contact waiting for you there to talk you into Ponyville for the night before heading out to Vanhoover tomorrow. From there I’m not really sure what will happen but I’ll find a way to keep in touch with you to let you know when it’s safe to come back for the trial.”

She looked over to the van. “Is he ready to go now?” She asked.

He nodded and she walked up to him, giving him a hug. “Thank you.” She said. “For trying to give my wife at least some justice. I won’t forget this and I promise when the time comes I’ll be back.”

As the hug finished and she walked over to the van to get inside she could see what looked like tears on Earth Song’s face but she couldn’t make it out all the way. She hopped into the back and tried to get comfortable on the seat.

“Ready to go, Miss?” a stallions voice called out to her. The driver was a pegasus who looked familiar but she couldn’t place where she had seen him before. She just figured that he was someone who she had seen at the CSIU offices at some point or another. She didn’t give an answer, only nodding her head as he started up the van and backed up out of the parking lot.

She had started to feel relaxed for the first time in what felt like forever on the long ride to the outskirts of town. She just stared out of the window and watched the city that she had spent most of her life in, the city that she and her wife had come to conquer, go by for what would most likely be the last time in a long time. She wasn’t sad though. All she could think about was the beatings and the murders that she had witnessed or taken part in right on those streets and longed for the time when she would be able to put them all behind her.
She had begun to doze off when the van finally came to a stop, which shuffled her out of her daze.

“This is it.” The driver said. “Let me get out first and make sure it’s safe, then I’ll have you follow behind me.”

She nodded and watched him walk out. The car waiting for them was black and looked like it had seen better days. He motioned for her to come out as he started heading back to open the doors for her. When the door opened and she looked to the car she saw something that made her heart drop. It was Vinyl and Octavia, getting out of the car with machine guns drawn on her.

She started to panic and lit up her magic to reach for the gun but before she could grab it the driver hit her on the horn with a baton. Her vision went fuzzy and she saw a chip of her horn fall in a spray of blood into the dirt before she fell over and things went black.

The next thing she knew, she was sitting on a bus and watching Canterlot go by. She had realized that leaving Earth Song behind was the best choice and that doing things on her own was the only safe way to get out of the city. She sat back and relaxed in the bus seat. Her troubles would be over soon and she would be starting a new life. She looked to her right to see that a cream colored hoof was on top of her own. She followed the hoof up and there, sitting right beside her, was Bonnie.

Before she could react her eyes shot open. She was awake and was tied to a chair. Her vision was still fuzzy and her head was on fire. She tried to move but her magic had failed her. As her eyes adjusted she could see a large pool of water that went off to the massive waterfall that went down Canterlot Mountain. She knew then that there would be no way she would ever be leaving that spot alive.

“Look who’s up.” She heard Vinyl say. Her eyes were able to focus on the mare in front of her and if she turned her head she could see Tavi standing off in the distance. The guard from before was nowhere to be found and neither was the van. They had moved to the falls after she had been knocked out.

“So it was you all this time, huh?” Vinyl asked.

Lyra didn’t say anything so Vinyl punched her hard in the stomach. Lyra started coughing and almost threw up on herself from the pain. She resolved her mind. If she was going to die then it would be on her terms.

“WE WERE SUPPOSED TO BE FRIENDS YOU LITTLE TRAITOR BITCH!” Vinyl screamed in her ear before punching her in the ribs.

“I CARRIED YOU OUT OF THAT DRUG DEN AND BUSTED YOUR ASS TO A DOCTOR ALL FOR THIS? SHEEN FUCKING DIED FOR YOU, YOU WORTHLESS PIECE OF SHIT” Vinyl continued, landing blows on Lyra with every few words that she spit out into her face.

Lyra coughed and finally had mustered up the will to talk.

“Did you know?” She asked, weakly.

“What?” Vinyl said. Her rage momentarily broken.

“Did you know?” She asked again. “Did you know that monster aunt of yours had my wife killed? My sweet and beautiful Bonnie. Your awful bitch aunt had her killed and then tried to use me to pay back her debts.” She was crying now.

“Did you know what she did to my darling wife? My only real friend in the world? Did you know?!” she screamed out at the end.

Vinyl didn’t answer, she only stared at the ground.

It all clicked in her mind then. They both knew. They had both known the entire time. From the moment that first morning when Bonnie hadn’t come home, her supposed two best friends had known that the light of her life was already dead. The tears flowed freely as everything fell into place.

“Who did it?” She asked through her tears.

Vinyl still didn’t answer.

Lyra shook her head through her sobs. “It was you, wasn’t it? You’re a monster! How could you be so heartless? We were your friends for Celestia’s sake!” At the end her sobs were so loud that some of her words were almost unintelligible.

“I’m sorry for what happened.” Vinyl said, the rage now gone from her. “It was just business and I regret it every day.”

Octavia looked at her, stunned. As if she couldn’t believe the words that were coming out of her mouth.

Lyra continued to cry like she hadn’t since the first few days after hearing Sunset in her office confirming her greatest fear.

“I know it was wrong.” Vinyl continued. “But you should have known once you got mixed up in all of this that it couldn’t have ended any other way. It would have always lead to this no matter what.”

Lyra sniffled. “What if it was Rose?” She asked. “Wouldn’t you have done the same thing?”

Vinyl stopped dead in her tracks and sat down. Octavia stared at her, trying to read the emotions that were passing over face at a rapid pace.

“Answer me.” Lyra piped up through her tears. Her voice had steadied.

“Yes.” Vinyl whispered.

“What?” Lyra said. “I can’t hear you, you broke most of my fucking face, in case you forgot.”

“I SAID YES!” Vinyl shouted as she stood up again. “If it was Rose I would have killed whoever was in my path, no matter who it was.”

Lyra began to cough up blood. “Then just let me go, please. You see now why I did what I did. Just let me go on and live my life. I just want to live on in her memory to make her name and her recipes worth something. Can’t you just give me that.”

Vinyl didn’t say anything at first and Octavia gave he a cold stare.

“Maybe you’re right.” She finally said.

Octavia looked shocked and walked over to them. “You can’t be serious right now, can you?” She asked.

She stepped closer to Vinyl. “I know that this is unfortunate that things had to end this way and yes maybe you would have done the same in her spot but that doesn’t change the facts. She’s a rat and if we let her go Sunset will most likely kill us both.”

“You can tell Sunset that I’m dead.” Lyra piped in. “It’s not like she could verify it one way or the other anyways, right? Just let me go and you’ll never see or hear from me again, I swear it!”

Octavia smacked Lyra. “Shut your mouth.” She said with an ice cold tone before turning back to Vinyl. “You aren’t actually going to take a risk like that are you? Are you high right now?”

Vinyl scoffed. “You’re one to talk about that. Besides, Sunset would never kill me or you for that matter. I’m made now, remember? And she’s my aunt.”

Tavi laughed bitterly. “What exactly do you think being made means? Being made means dealing with exactly these types of situations. If someone, anyone were to find out about this they would kill both of us for sure and maybe even Sunset if they thought she knew about it. Lyra is a rat, Vinyl. You know the rules and you took the oath. She has to go. If you can’t do it, then I will.”

Octavia pulled out her pistol and began to point it at Lyra. Lyra’s heart started beating faster and faster as she closed her eyes, trying to picture her wife’s face one last time.

“Stop!” Vinyl said, causing Tavi to put the gun down and turn to her. “She may be a rat but she is still right and I know that I would have done the same in her place. What we did was horrible and I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to forgive myself, but I know that I can at least make it a little bit better by letting her go.”

Lyra opened her eyes. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

“Don’t be a fool, Vinyl.” Tavi said, her anger rising. “If you let her go you’ll kill us both. Is your conscience feeling a little better worth your life? Think about something for once before you do it!”

Vinyl’s eyes pierced into Tavi. “I’m the made one here, so I make the shots and I’m telling you that I’m letting her go and we are going to tell Sunset that we put her in the water and that is final.”

Tavi scoffed. “You are absolutely unbelievable, do you know that? I hope she’s worth it.”

“Let me worry about who is worth what.” Vinyl said as she walked over to Lyra and began to untie her ropes while Octavia walked back towards the car in disgust.

Lyra felt her arms becoming free and she knew that this would be her one chance. As much as she wanted to sprint away from here as fast as she could she knew in that moment that destiny had other plans. Her wife’s killer was right here within her grasp and she couldn’t let her go. She had to get her revenge for Bonnie, even if it meant never leaving the mountain alive. She knew that she had no other choice.

As soon as her arms were free she wrapped them around Vinyl and reached for the gun that was tucked under her pants. Vinyl made a small shout and tried to back up, but before she knew it there was a loud bang and her ears were ringing.

She looked up to see Lyra staring at her, but she wasn’t moving. She had stopped her attack and was now perfectly still. She then say a trail of blood coming out of her ears and then a small one down her eye as she collapsed into Vinyl in a heap.

Vinyl rolled her off of her and stood up, looking down at the fresh new hole that her mint green friend had acquired in the back of her skull. She rolled her over to look at her one last time.

Lyra’s vision was fading fast and she couldn’t feel anything anymore. She looked up to see Vinyl staring down at her with an almost perplexed look on her face. Her thoughts were disjointed and becoming less coherent by the second. She just remembered thinking that she failed and how sorry she was.

Then though, something amazing happened. As the edges of her vision turned to white around her she could see Vinyl fade away and the beautiful visage of her wife staring back at her. She was as pristine and heavenly as the day that they met and was giving Lyra her warmest smile. It was the smile that always picked her up on even her darkest days.

“It’s time to come home, my love.” Bonnie said to her. The last thing that she ever felt was a tear roll down her eye and the faint and fleeting feeling of a smile coming to her face before the fading edges took hold and the white faded to black. Her troubles were finally over.

Vinyl looked down at her former friend. Staring as her chest rose and fell one last time before reaching up a hoof to her face and wiping the blood that had splattered from the wound off of it. She looked back to Octavia who still had the pistol in hood.

Octavia just shook her head. “I’m sorry it had to end this way, but like I said, there was no other choice.”

Vinyl took one last look down at Lyra before walking back to the car. She looked at Octavia as she passed. “Shut the fuck up and deal with that.” She motioned towards Lyra’s body as she reached for the passenger door of the car.

Octavia sighed and put the pistol back into her coat pocket. She walked over and wrapped one hoof each on one of Lyra’s back legs and drug her over to the edge of the shore before taking one last look at her and rolling her body into the river. “Bon Voyage” She said in a cold tone before going back to grab the chair that was left behind to throw in too.

She lit a cigarette and watched Lyra’s corpse bob in the water until it eventually went over the falls. It was sad that things had to end this way for her. They were good friends and the thing that happened with Bonnie should have never gone down, but it wasn’t her place to make that call. She was an outsider living by the unicorn’s rules and if she wanted to make money and survive she would have to make sure she played by them, no matter the cost.

She was starting to shiver. The winter had yet to be wrapped up all of the way and it was still almost frigid outside. She thought that maybe it was going through light withdrawls from being off of the pills for the last few days. She just pulled her coat tighter to her chest and tossed the cigarette butt into the river as well. It was just another cold night in Canterlot. As cold as it gets.

Author's Notes:

So here we are, after a three month break, the grand finale of the first act. What took so long? You may ask. The short version is my computer's motherboard got fried and I had to buy a new one. I lost almost all of my documents including all of my outlines for this chapter and the whole second act. Also I probably re-wrote the final showdown between the three of them about 10 times before settling on this one.

Time for some fun facts. Lyra was always going to die. Right from the very beginning planning stages of this story (almost 2 years ago now) she would have never made it out of being a rat alive. I actually considered letting her go as I wrote this chapter because she came to be my favorite character throughout the course of writing the all of this but her death had to happen for the story to continue on the path that I had planned it to.

Anyways, thank you all for reading and giving feedback on the story so far. We have a short interlude to tie up about 6 months of time in the story before act two starts that should be up next week some time and then we'll be right back into it. As always any feedback, comments, etc. are more than appreciated and thanks again for taking the time to read my epic (200 pages on the word document) tale of ponies and gangsters.

Interlude: Breaking News!

Interlude: Breaking News!

ROYAL INQUIRY INTO CRIMINAL ENTERPRISES TO OFFICIALLY BEGIN

An announcement made by the head of the official sub-committee of organized criminal activity announced that there will be an official royal inquiry into the rampant criminality that the city has faced in the last year. There have been rumors for decades of an underground cabal of ponies inside the city who have been in control of most illegal activity that happens here as well as in the other major metropolitan areas of our great nation.

The committee says that they are looking to prove a connection between seemingly random crimes throughout the city and tie them into a citywide conspiracy of corruption and control. Just last year alone there were over 350 murders inside Canterlot’s city limits. Most of these were either drug or robbery related and, until now, thought to be the work of either lone criminals or possibly at worst a small time operation of ponies together.

The murder rate has doubled over the last two years in the city and has seen a steady rise in both Manehattan and Fillydelphia as well. Public outcry for the princess and her royal guard to make a statement regarding these heinous crimes has steadily risen since a shooting at a nightclub last year, dubbed at the time as “The Hearthswarming Eve Massacre” took the lives of over 30 innocents.

The announcement also specifically points a hoof at some lower ranking nobles, including former Cantelot city treasurer Knick Knack, who had been in office for almost twenty years and has won five consecutive elections by a landslide. We reached out to his office for a statement but none was received.

Time will tell what the future will hold for the sub-committee and if their belief that the murder and mayhem that has been happening is all connected. We will keep our readers informed of any breaking information as it occurs….

LOCAL GOVERNMENT AGENT FOUND DEAD

The body of long-time CSIU agent and former Lieutenant in Celestia’s royal guard, a 37-year-old pegasus named Earth Song, was found in his car yesterday evening by members of the city guard. While the official cause of death has been noted as a self-inflicted gunshot wound, the guard said that they would be investigating for any signs of foul play. A statement by the Royal Guard and signed by Celestia herself was released after the body was found on Friday morning.

In it, they expressed their condolences to his wife and two children. The statement said that Earth Song was “the pride of his platoon” and “a shining example of loyalty and integrity in the royal guard”. They went on to say that, pending further investigation into his death, if there were any signs of a homicide that all those involved would be found and swiftly brought to justice.

Some ponies have speculated that his death may have been related to criminal activities. An undisclosed source within the CSIU has told us that he was under an internal investigation for evidence tampering in a case that they had been building against an unknown gang affiliate. We approached the CSIU for an official comment but our attempts were unsuccessful.

This hasn’t been the first time that a member of the royal guard has taken their own lives. Just four months ago we ran a piece on the rising suicide rates among members of her majesty’s royal protectors…..

FIRST INDICTMENTS HANDED OUT IN QUICKLY EXPANDING CORRUPTION CASE

Lower members of the royal houses were called into court the day after Canterlot’s yearly Running of the Leaves festival yesterday afternoon to face corruption charges, in one of the first major cases of corruption in over 20 years. Various ponies were called to account for discrepancies in bank accounting and reports. It’s alleged that members of the Holden, Vanhoofington and Knack families have been misappropriating funds given to them in the form of taxes on their land holdings as well as both offering and accepting bribes and even, in the case of Knick Knack from the Knack family, election rigging.

While no one from the Holden or Vanhoofington families were willing to offer a statement, we were able to get a statement from Knick Knack himself. Our resident field reporter, Cool Breeze, caught up with him outside of the county courthouse earlier yesterday morning where he made an official statement to various reporters.

“All of the allegations against me are bold-faced lies perpetrated by other houses that are trying to bring mine down. Unlike them, I’m not going to throw out any names, but I will say that they know what they are doing and they won’t get away from it. They also know that I can play this game just as well as they can, and I’ll win. There are plenty of old-money families who have been around for centuries. They are nothing but puff-shirts who sit in their ivory towers and look down on others from above.”

He continued. "They hate me because I made my fortune and my success on my own. My father was a toaster-salespony who didn’t have two bits to rub together. I made my own way in the world and every piece of land, business or title that I have I earned for myself legitimately. I didn’t ride off of the backs of my ancestors and I wasn’t born into a world of lace and gold. I fought for every single bit that I have earned and I will continue to fight for it. This charges hold no water and once they are dismissed I plan on using everything I have at my disposal to take this right back to those who conspired against me.”

Someone had then asked what he had thought about the allegations that the special subcommittee that was set up earlier in the year had about him being a part of a city-wide conspiracy that included both murder and racketeering. He responded only with a scoff, calling it “Just more mudslinging by those who would like to see me lose my power, no matter how much mud they have to drag my family’s name through to achieve it.”

While this isn’t the first time that officials in positions of relative power have been indicted, it is the first time in recent memory of an incident of this scale and proportion. If evidence does point to an actual conspiracy of murderers and thieves being in-cahoots with those in power it will be an unprecedented event in Equestrian political history. We will keep our devoted readers updated on the trial as it progresses.

THE HEARTHSWARMING EVE MASSACRE: ONE YEAR LATER

It’s hard to believe that an entire year has passed since one of the most brutal and deadly non-military attacks in the city’s history occurred at a nightclub in the heart of downtown. The ruthless and bloody massacre that occurred last Hearthswarming even had an official death toll of 36 and over 200 injuries. It has been the subject of both swarms of controversy (for Canterlot’s seemingly lax weapon policy) and morbid fascination (a book entitled “The Night I’ll Never Forget” written by a survivor was published last month and has become a smash success) by ponies from all over Equestria and it’s not hard to imagine why.

Such an act of brutality upon innocent civilians had been considered unthinkable until then, especially considering the holiday that it fell on. What was considered our holiest of days, when our three tribes came together as one to found a new nation, was marred by wanton acts of bloodshed.

Just after midnight at “The Hop!” an (at the time) fledgling put popular night club, a group of masked robbers burst through the doors with automatic weapons and opened fire on the crowd. The shooting itself only lasted for about four minutes but over five-hundred rounds were fired in that time. When the dust settled all that was left were the screams and cries of the victims as they called out for help while bleeding out on the dance floors and under tables.

Our reporter caught up with the owners of the establishment, Vinyl Scratch and Octavia Melody, who were also somewhat considered local heroes by some after defending the club and saving the lives of quite a few of the occupants before a high speed race to the hospital on ice almost ended in disaster for both of them. We wanted to see their take on what had happened and see how the place was holding together towards the one-year anniversary.

Vinyl, a white unicorn mare with electric blue hair, did most of the talking at first, and she had quite a lot to say. (The following contains some offensive language and disturbing imagery, but out of respect for what they did to save their patrons we present it to you completely un-edited.)

“I was chatting up a nice couple at the bar who had come straight from the founders play when the shit all started going down.” Vinyl told our reporter as she lit a cigarette.

“They just came in and started shooting. I’ve never been in the military or nothin’ like that but I grew up in the streets and I’ve always had an instinct when it came to protecting myself. I grabbed the shotgun that we kept below the bar and started firing back at them as quickly as I could to try and save as many of our customers as possible.”

Our reporter then asked her if she was afraid. She didn’t respond with words, she simply shook her head. Her partner Octavia, a grey earth pony, cut in then.

“I was certainly scared. I had never seen madness and chaos at that level before in my entire life. I grabbed my friend and flipped over a table for protection. She had a small handgun in her purse, which we used to fire back at the attackers. When Vinyl was shot though, I went into an instinctual mode as well.”

Vinyl then picked the story back up.

“I could never have how much being shot would hurt.” She said with a chuckle.

She pointed to a patch of missing fur just above her barrel. “They got me right here.” She said.

“Bastards almost killed me.” She continued, putting her cigarette out. She then put her hoof over her friend’s shoulder.

“If it wasn’t for Tavi here I would have bled right out on the floor with the rest of them. She saved my life that night for sure, as well as the lives of multiple others when took out two of those creeps. She scooped me up off of the floor and drove me on the ice all the way to the hospital. She even crashed into the damn building just to get me their faster.”

Octavia flashed a barely noticeable blush and gave a light chuckle before saying. “I couldn’t just let you die like that, we had a lot of work to do still and I wasn’t going to do it without you.”

When asked how their business had been recovering since the shooting they both responded positively.

“Ponies never stopped coming once we got back up and running.” Octavia told us. “Whether it was out of morbid curiosity or just a genuine like of our club and the way we do things here I can’t say. I can say however that we’ve done so well since then that we’re going to be opening a new location starting at the beginning of the new year if everything goes according to plan.”

At that point the evening had come and ponies were starting to file in so the reporter bid them farewell. However, before he left they took him to the bar and showed him the plaque that was made to honor the victims that would be placed above the bar. It was gold and had a picture of the three founders engraved on it with the text “To those who passed on the eve of our most treasured holiday here, you will never be forgotten” followed by a list of all of the names of the victims.

The club had an odd charm despite being the location for such horrible violence and the reporter found the owners to be quite charming themselves, if a little reserved. He fully understood why though. Most ponies never see so many awful things in their lifetimes, let alone all at once, and live to tell about it. He salutes them for carrying on in the name of the victims of the tragedy and wishes them well in their future ventures and the opening of their second club. Read back again tomorrow when we interview five survivors of the incident and try to piece together the exact events of what happened on that fateful night through their shared experiences….

Author's Notes:

As it turns out, I'm not dead. I've just been super busy. I am the teacher manager at the training center that I work at now and it hasn't given me much time to write. I did manage to outline every chapter for the second act though and about half of them for the final act so It's time to start filling in the blanks. Here's a little something to hold everyone over for a bit while I get the chapters pumping out again.

Mainly this interlude was to introduce some new characters and to show the passage of time. The second act will pick up about a year after the last act ended with winter just being wrapped up. So be on the look out for Chapter Thirteen: Dog Days coming to a computer (or phone) screen near you soon.

Thanks everyone again for reading and I hope you all love the direction that this story is going to go into now that we are getting right into the middle of it.

Chapter Thirteen: Dog Days

Chapter Thirteen: Dog Days

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“How many?” Vinyl asked.

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

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

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

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

“What kind of deal?” Vinyl asked.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“She’s got that right.” Velvet said.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Author's Notes:

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

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