The Trotting Dead 2 : Neon Nights

Vinyl sat with her back hooves crossed at one end of a table which was clearly just an entire tree cut in half and prepared by magic. Neon sat with his front hooves on the table on the other side.

Silence permeated between the pair for a time. When it passed more than 5 minutes, Neon sighed and leaned back, folding his front hooves in disgust.

“It’s been so long Vinyl. Can’t we at least have small talk? Or have you become all business just like Shining?” Neon raised one eyebrow as Vinyl’s back hooves twitched at the name.

“You heard why I’m here Neon. If you want to talk, meet my terms first. Send Chip Mint out to Rarity and you get Film Reel back.” Vinyl twitched the mare in her magic, now enveloping all of her leather braces.

Neon squinted at Vinyl for a moment, but then swung his right front hoof back and wiggled it in his direction. Ambrosia came from the deck outside, Chip on her back.

“Chip son. I need you to go visit the ponies in the street. There’s one with a purple mane and a sword. Don’t worry. Dad won’t be long.” Neon toothily grinned at Neon, causing an even greater scowl on her.

Chip nodded and quickly galloped out of the room, causing Vinyl to hear the door slam open and then shut a few seconds later. A moment later, a purple snail erupted in the sky, signalling that Rarity had indeed taken Chip amongst their numbers. Vinyl easily undid the restraints and launched Film beside Ambrosia.

“NOW we talk Neon.” Vinyl removed her glasses entirely and placed them on the table.

Neon smiled and licked his lips, before turning to the two other mares still present.

“Ambrosia, take Film to see Redheart. I’ll be along.” Neon calmly spoke, though the mares immediately galloped away like Chip had.

“Film said you inspire respect. To me, it looks like you inspire fear more than anything.” Vinyl spoke up, taking care not to shift her stance at all.

“Me and Shining’s definition of respect always did differ. Seems you learned the mistake too.” Neon chortled, carefully uncrossing his hooves and clinking one on something metal below the table.

Vinyl closed her eyes in focus for a moment, then re-opened them as she took to all four hooves again.

“I was hoping that in our first few exchanges, I could see some of the old you in your answers, or that you would show remorse or something remotely like the normal pony you were before all this. But now I see this. And maybe this is what you always were Neon.” Vinyl coldly called out her old friend, causing him to raise himself on four hooves again too.

“And I was hoping for an offer of you and all those other fine mares you’re safeguarding to come here permanently. Seems you’re as prudish as most of those whore though. If that’s the case, we can only do one thing to settle today.” Neon spoke with a cold anger as his magic raised up a tube the same as everypony else present in Marevia had.

“See these? Cool huh? They’re a weapon called a Gun from the Griffon homeland. I raid a whole container of them in Baltimare. They were initially designed for talons, but some extra metal and magic makes em good for hooves too.” Neon twirled the gun about, while Vinyl kept it perfectly level in her sights.

“What are you suggesting Neon?” Vinyl carefully spread her hooves lightly, while Neon smiled like a madpony.

“I saw the spell you used on my Fortress. It’s about the power one of these packs. So you load up that spell, and I cock a shot. We fire at the same time, and the one who walks away is the one that’s right. Deal?” Neon asked as he already cocked a shot and wiped the grin from his muzzle.

Vinyl felt tears bead in her eyes as her horn began to pulsate the spell she was all too familiar with once again.

“Deal.” Vinyl gently whispered as tears blinded her vision and she sent the spell at Neon’s head.

A deafening sound rang forth from the tower as it swung on its foundation and light poured from every window and door. Promontory galloped forward and nodded to Rarity, who immediately galloped into the building, Ambrosia not far behind her.

***

“Damn… I guess you win…” Neon coughed as he gently cradled part of his brain stem and eyeball in a blue sphere around half his forehead.

Vinyl agonized through her breaths as she lay flush against the wall, a hole blown completely through her right shoulder, blood pouring out of the wound.

“It never had to be like this Neon… You just had to be the pony I knew…” Vinyl heaved as she vomited seconds later.

“Nah.. I was always this Vinyl… And just like before, you were better…” Neon paused as his magic faltered for a second.

Rarity and Ambrosia galloped upstairs at that moment and fell silent at the horror before them.

“If I really am gonna die… even with this spell I bucking copied from Shining Armor… then you need to know something Vinyl…” Neon coughed, his magic fading ever more

Vinyl silently stared at her once friend and business partner as he lay dying in front of her, like so many others had, those his death felt different.

“I’m not the worst there is… I’m the best of the worst… There are work camps… ponibals… and those that lye with the dead… I kept deals with them to keep everypony safe from them… With me and Marevia gone, they’ll be gunning for you… And you won’t trot away from that Vinyl..-“ Neon gently smiled as his eyes slid shut, and his sphere dissipated, leaving his brain chunks to splatter the wall and floor accordingly.

Vinyl slowly stood up with the support of Rarity, and Ambrosia slowly trotted beside them, a look of immense fear on her muzzle.

***

“So that’s that… You can come with us, or stay to meet the ponies he mentioned, or take your chances, but we’re offering you a chance to join us… Please… This is the real way ponies like us survive…” Vinyl panted as Flitter wrapped her shoulder in ever more gauze to help her gunshot wound.

Promontory carried Chip on his back as the colt had passed out when Neon’s memory spell disappeared on his death. Millie stood with him, smiling at Promontory almost as much as he did at her.

Hayseed was carrying a triple joined cart of guns and supplies out of the infirmary and weaponry tent, Nurse Redheart trotting beside him and Rarity pulling another two carts behind them.

Ginger was counting off and learning the names of everypony who was joining them and bringing all the supplies they could from their shelters. As the 26th pony joined them and she surveyed who was left, she nodded at Vinyl.

“We’ll have to move slow with this many ponies, so if anypony changes their mind, just follow our tracks and you’ll catch up. But in 3 hours, Rarity will remove them with magic to protect us from anypony else following us, so make your choices fast. Come on everypony. Let’s get Ace and get back to Crease Farm.” Vinyl called out and started trotting along with the convoy, Flitter helping to keep her upright.

****

“My my… this is truly heartbreaking…” A calm voice slowly spoke as it surveyed the carnage that remained of Marevia.

A Pegasus flew back to the owner of the voice, a salute on his hooves before he even landed.

“A count surveys 16 dead Princes-“ Cloud Chaser began, only to have a cold stare stop him.

“I told you that title is dead. It died with my sister. I am the Governess now Cloud Chaser.” Luna spoke with such authority that Cloud Chaser shivered in fear.

“I’m sorry Governess. Even if our count is correct, two-thirds or more of the Marevia ponies are gone. Much of the supplies are missing too, yet there are no tracks or indication that anypony was here at all.” Cloud Chaser added.

“Unicorns then. We must discover what transpired here.” The Governess spoke up, just as a sound of galloping hooves came up behind her.

Cheese Sandwich skidded to a stop and saluted the Governess as well.

“I found evidence of a struggle at a nearby building Governess. No ponies, but there are hints of two different tracks, one far more evident than the other.” Cheese Sandwich spoke, fear in his eyes.

“What evidence of a struggle do you offer that Marevia can no longer provide Cheese Sandwich?” The Governess directly questioned as Cheese Removed a hastily bundled pack from his haunches.

“This…” Cheese said as he undid the last fold of his bindle to reveal a graying severed hoof.

Cloud Chaser nearly vomited, while the Governess merely narrowed her eyes.

“We will find this mutilated pony, and something tells me that this mare or stallion will be all we need to find the other ponies who did this.” Luna smirked as she took to the air, Cloud Chaser behind her and Cheese Sandwich galloping behind on foot, leaving the hoof where it lay.