Broken, but Still Standing

Note for ponies who have every intention of becoming the brave dashing hero. Rushing off to save the day is pretty badplot and all, but it's really embarrassing to gallop off, racing against time, passing other ponies, getting nasty looks as you pull off some pretty impressive, impromptu parkour moves, only to stand in line for ten minutes to get a ticket, and then wait for a half hour for the train to arrive.

And so, I waited, sitting there with dark thoughts of what Derpy could be going through right this moment. Sure, there might have been that little part of my brain telling me that I was over reacting, that I should breath before I give myself a heart attack before the train even got to the station, but I was way to bucking wound up.

“Yo, Vinyl?” I looked over to see Rainbow Dash. During the last few weeks, we'd become pretty tight, though she didn't know what was going on. It was nice to have a drinking buddy.

Yeah. I started drinking again after the second week of no Derpy. I'm not going to lie and say it was to 'keep cover' or any bullshit like that. No, it was because I didn't have my Derp. She keeps me strong, stronger than I think I am. Without her, I'm just a mother bucking plot stain on sociaty.

“You look up tight.” She commented, sitting down next to me. “Sup?”

I didn't know how to reply, so I just shrugged. “What can I say? Shits hitting the fan.”

RD gave me a pensive look, as if weighing something on her mind. She opened her mouth to speak, but closed it again to think for another moment, as if deciding if she really wanted to say what was coming to her mind.

“I stopped by your place a few minutes ago, to see if wanted to go for a few mugs of cider.” She  began. My heart started pounding. “Vinyl, what's going on? Your pad is thrashed, Octavia was on the ground ko'd and you're here getting on a train to Manehatten.”

“Did you leave her there?” I asked. For some reason, knowing if that traitorous mare was okay or not weighted heavy on me.

“What?” She looked at me in surprise. “Buck no! I got Big Mac to take her to Nurse Redheart while I searched for you. She's fine.”

Tension I didn't know I had built up let out. “Thank you.” Was all I could say.

We sat there, waiting for the train in silence, listening to the chatter of the ponies around us. The colorful noise wasn't unlike some of my music, different sounds and pitches building and falling, peeping in and shutting off to create something more than itself.

“What happened?” RD asked, interrupting my pondering. “You two were happy.”

“No we weren't.” I didn't look at her, but I knew that she turned to me. “It was all a lie.”

“I don't think so.” Rainbow got up, flapping her cyan wings slowly, her tail twitching. “Look, I've seen a lot of doomed relationships go down.” She gave a chuckle. “I've even been apart of a few myself. I can see when something is wrong, or if there's shit going on that they won't talk about.” The look she gave me was one of honest to Celestia truth. “Octavia loves you, filly. That is not a lie.”

I wanted to tell Rainbow to buck off, but I knew she was right about that. I shook my head, deciding it was time to come clean and tell my friend what I'd been hiding from the world. I doubted she'd understand, but then that was the risk of opening yourself up and spilling your guts to the world.

“She loves me.” I agreed. “But I loves some other pony.” The train finally pulled into the station. “Guess I'll see you later.”

“Oh no.” The pegasus fell in step with me. “You aren't getting away from me that easily. I have to got to Manehatten anyway.” She gave me a cocky smile. “There's going to be a Wounder Boltz show, and I've been waiting for moths to go.”

Great. Just great. Right when I want to be alone, to figure out a heroic plan, a friend, with ever good intention in the world, is now going to ride my tail like a soldier bucking a whore after six moths of deployment.

We sat in a private car. She just looked at me, waiting for me to spill it. After the train started to pull out of the station, I sighed.

“Well, you're here. I might as well tell you.” I relented.

The train ride was about eight hours, but the time seemed to melt as I told her about everything. I told her about my history, how I met Octavia, and how we were in love once upon a time, and then how I ran to lay low and met Derpy. I explained our plan to start a new life, and how Derpy never showed up. I showed the letter and how I knew that Diamond Bright had gotten to her and that I needed to go save her.

“Buck, filly.” Dash shook her head. “This sounds like something I'd read in a book.”

“Look.” I said, with a huff. “I don't give a buck if you believe me or not, but that's the truth.”

She held up both hooves in the air, “Whoa, whoa, never said I don't believe you.” She snorted. “Look, I get it. And I'd drop everything to help save one of my friends.” She looked out the window. We were about ten minutes from the Manehatten Station. “So,” She gave me a smirk. “What's the plan?”

We got off the train platform and made our way back to my old pad. RD looked around for anything useful as I tried to figure out where was the best place I could start with our rescue mission. Needless to say, both Rainbow's and my own efforts were fruitless.

“If only I knew how to contact my dad.” I seethed. “He'd know what to do.”

Some pony coughed. “E-Excues me?” Shit! I forgot that we left the front door wide open. “B-b-but are you V-vinyl Scra-a-tch?”

We both glanced over to see a scrawny unicorn of green with a lime mane and a drill for a cutie mark was standing at the door. He didn't look nervous at intruding. He walked in, looking around at the place, now thrashed from us looking for useful tools.

“Y-y-you should r-r-really cle-e-ean up t-t-this place.” He stuttered.

“Can we help you?” Rainbow Dash asked, one eyebrow raised.

The unicorn just simply looked at her, as if sizing her up. “Yes.” He replied simply. “F-f-follow m-m-me.” He turned and left.

“Trap.” RD voiced.

“I know.” I agreed, starting to follow him. “But what choice do we have?”

We followed the green unicorn, not knowing exactly where he was taking us. Knowing my dad most likely had army buddies still around, I wasn't sure if this scrawny colt was one of his friends or if he was connected to Bright. The drill on his flank didn't help me either. What was he? A dentist? I hate dentists.

“Where's he taking us?” Rainbow asked, her wings flapping nervously.

I shrugged. “No idea.” I admitted. “But I have a feeling that its where we need to go.”

“Need or want?” Rainbow wondered. “Those are two different things.”

“Does it matter?” I questioned. “We're here, following him and he knows something we don't.”

Dash socked me in the shoulder. “Stop being so damn philosophical!” She stomped onwards. “I bucking hate not knowing things.”

I couldn't help it. I laughed. Rainbow gave me a very annoyed look, but I didn't care. Here I was, risking Celestia knows what, with a friend who decides on the spot to save a pony she's never met, and we're following a pony without knowing if he was either a friend or foe just because he said follow me. My world was coming down around me as the one friend I thought I'd had was deceaving me, clearly knowing something I didn't and tried to beat me to keep me from getting this far. All my anger, sorrow and confusion just bubbled over as I snickered so hard, I started crying out tears of mirthless giggles.

“Feeling better now?” RD inquired unamused.

“Much.” I smiled. “We're most likely going to die horrible deaths, but hey. At least we're doing it for a good cause, am I right?”

Rainbow just gave a patient look. “You have thrill issues filly.”

The unicorn in front of us stopped outside of a massive wrote iron gate. With a touch of magic, he opened the large door and stood by, indicating that we were suppose to go first. With a glance, Rainbow Dash and I knew where we were.

“Well,” RD took in a shuddering breath. “At least he's polite enough to invite us in.”