Old World Bluesby WhellerChaptersChapter 1Chapter 2Chapter 3Chapter 4Chapter 5Chapter 6Chapter 7EpilogueChapter 1Chronology notes: Stop! You are reading the tenth story in the Bonds of Eternity Series. The first story in the series is Family found here: http://www.fimfiction.net/story/1307/ The second story in the series is Nihil Novi Sub Sole found here: http://www.fimfiction.net/story/1444/ The third story in the series is Friends in High Places found here: http://www.fimfiction.net/story/1716/ The fourth story in the series is Trust found here: http://www.fimfiction.net/story/1973/ The fifth story in the series is Domino Effect found here: http://www.fimfiction.net/story/2151/ The sixth story in the series is To Whom It May Concern found here: http://www.fimfiction.net/story/2465/ The seventh story in the series is Bridge Over River Rijn found here: http://www.fimfiction.net/story/2726/ The eighth story in the series is The Way of the Maneaanite found here: http://www.fimfiction.net/story/2931/ The ninth story in the series is Diamond in the Rough found here: http://www.fimfiction.net/story/3062/ Old World Blues Chapter 1 ‘Darling, I thought you said that we weren’t meant to have what was behind these rocks?’ Rarity asked. ‘Maybe we’re not’, Vinyl Scratch said. ‘Well if the universe put down rocks to keep us out, the universe can tough it out’. Rarity, Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Vinyl Scratch, and Surprise were sitting in Whitetail Wood, near the collapsed cave. At least a tonne of rock blocking the path that they needed to head down, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy had gone back into town in order to fetch some of Pinkie Pie’s blasting supplies. It had become something of a surreal moment, because Pinkie Pie had dropped her bubbly personality at the first mention of the word dynamite in favour of a more serious outlook. For good reason, dynamite was dangerous, and much of the equipment was fragile. Pinkie Pie insisted on as few ponies on the trip as possible. Fluttershy had gone along with her because her natural grace made her ideal for carrying fragile things. ‘And what was it that you called this thing... a spritebot?’ Rarity asked. Levitating in front of her face was a large metal parasprite with a rather large hole in the face from where Vinyl Scratch had shot it. The night prior, on the mares return from departing the HMSIS Dash in Fillydelphia, they’d heard a strange noise and thinking that some wild animal was stalking them, Vinyl responded by trying to scare it. The attempt had the same effect, they knew what had been watching them, and it had been this. ‘Yeah... I’ve seen one before’, Vinyl said, and turned towards Surprise, who as the oldest of the group by a long shot, was bound to be more familiar with them. Surprise, however, was staring off blankly into space, and even Rainbow Dash waving a hoof in front of her face seemed to get her attention. ‘Is she okay?’ Rainbow Dash asked. Vinyl merely shrugged. ‘Dunno, she’s been acting strange since before we left Trotterdam... well, stranger than normal, at least’. Twilight glanced over to Surprise, and then back to Vinyl, and waved her over. Vinyl got up and trotted over. ‘About Surprise... are we sure it’s a good idea to be taking her down there?’ Twilight asked. ‘It’ll be fine’, Vinyl said. ‘She was around when all this stuff was brand new, if anypony is going to know about it, it’ll be her. Besides, have you been paying attention to her lately?’ Twilight cocked her head slightly, not entirely sure what Vinyl Scratch was getting at. ‘I have’, Vinyl said. ‘It’s really noticeable with Pinkie Pie, Surprise starts mimicking whoever she’s with. She’s with Pinkie Pie, she’s going to skip merrily down the street, she’s with me, she’ll go around grinning like an idiot, I bet if you let her follow you around she’d become a real know it all’, Vinyl said adding a grin. ‘I am not a know it all’, Twilight said with an air of annoyance in her voice. ‘Baaaa-lonie!’ Vinyl said grinning widely. ‘But anyway, then she gets with a group like this, she shuts down, doesn’t know what to do, and then, nothing’. ‘She wasn’t like that in the old world’, Twilight said. ‘She was hateful, spiteful, malicious... dangerous’. ‘She had direction in the old world’, Vinyl said simply. ‘She doesn’t have that anymore, she doesn’t know where she fits in... she’s just sort of... there. It’s kind of tragic really’. Twilight glanced over to the white Pegasus, staring blankly into space, she shook her head madly. ‘No! I am not about to start feeling sorry for Surprise, not after what she did to me’. ‘Technically speaking, she didn’t actually do it’, Vinyl said simply. ‘Do not get metaphysical on me’, Twilight snapped. Vinyl could only grin. It was about that time that Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy returned, Fluttershy was somewhat lagging behind, being slow and purposeful to not damage the goods that she was carrying. Pinkie Pie was out in front, and reached the group much quicker, while Fluttershy was still some forty metres back. Pinkie Pie gently set her saddlebags on the ground and walked over to the rest of the group. ‘Hey everypony!’ Pinkie Pie said cheerfully. ‘You’re in a good mood’, Twilight said with a smile. ‘That the dynamite over there in that bag?’ Twilight asked, point a hoof at it. ‘Ha! No! Are you kidding me? I’m way too jittery to have carried dynamite all this way!’ Pinkie Pie said. Twilight raised an eyebrow in response. ‘But if not you then... who...’ Twilight’s mouth stopped in its tracks as they all glanced over to Fluttershy. ‘Pinkie Pie...’ Twilight began. ‘Don’t worry Twilight! Fluttershy’s grace makes her the perfect pony to carry dynamite!’ Pinkie Pie said, quiet enough so that Fluttershy couldn’t hear her. ‘Pinkie Pie... does Fluttershy know what she’s carrying?’ Twilight asked. ‘Of course!’ Pinkie Pie said. Twilight stared at her. ‘Well... see... I implied...’ Pinkie Pie said. Twilight continued to stare. Pinkie Pie began to look nervous. ‘OKAY! No she doesn’t!’ Pinkie Pie said, she leaned in close, and began to speak softly through gritted teeth. ‘And I wouldn’t tell her either... not unless you want her to start panicking and explode EVERYWHERE!’ ‘What’s everywhere?’ Fluttershy asked as she approached the group, gently pulling the saddlebags off her. Everypony started to tense up. Fluttershy set the bags gently on the ground against the large pile of rocks and walked closer to her friends. Everypony let out a sigh of relief. Twilight looked to Pinkie Pie angrily. ‘Pinkie Pie... when this is done, you and I need to sit down and have a good long talk about... things’. Pinkie Pie chuckled nervously, she swallowed hard, they all moved back to a standing position about a dozen metres back from the collapsed entrance. ‘Okay Everypony!’ Pinkie Pie announced. ‘From now on nopony goes near the pile of rocks except me! Dynamite is really sensitive, if you even so much as TALK too loudly near it, it can go off! I don’t want one of you getting hurt from it!’ Everypony nodded, but were otherwise not paying attention to what was going on around them, except Rarity, who ducked her head around Pinkie Pie to get a look. ‘Pray tell, what is Surprise doing?’ Everypony turned, to their horror; Surprise had approached the bag of dynamite lying on the ground and had reached out with a hoof to touch it. ‘SURPRISE! NO!’ Vinyl Scratch called out. Too late, Surprise touched it and the bag full of dynamite exploded. ... Octavia sat quietly in her seat. The Manehattan Express to Greater Canterlot had just begun to move out of the station. She had the compartment all to herself and was skimming over a newspaper, The Times. The compartment door opened and Octavia looked up. ‘Beggin’ yer pardon, miss, everywhere else is full, would ya...?’ ‘No of course not’, Octavia said simply. She took a moment to look over the pony standing in the doorway. Large, red coated draught pony with a cutie mark of an apple half, followed by an orange earth pony mare with three apples for a cutie mark, and a stallion, his coat an amber yellow, and a large red apple for his cutie mark. This was the part of the show that Octavia liked to call, guess what these ponies like to do. She figured it had something to do with apples. ‘Thank ya kindly miss!’ the mare said. ‘Ah’m Applejack, that’s mah brother, Big McIntosh’, she said pointing to the red coated draught pony. ‘That’s mah cousin Braeburn’, she said pointing to the other stallion. ‘Octavia, charmed’, she said simply, and cleanly, and went back to reading her newspaper. ‘Ah’d bet, city slicker like yerself headin’ fer Canterlot?’ Applejack asked. ‘Not exactly, this train services all of Greater Canterlot, Greater Canterlot is a big place’, Octavia said, not particularly caring for Applejack’s attempt to make conversation with her. ‘We’re headin’ home ourselves, been away far too long’, Applejack said, clearly not picking up on Octavia’s desire to avoid conversation. ‘How ‘bout you?’ Octavia eyed Applejack over the top of her paper, glancing scornfully at her. ‘If you must know, I’m going to this little town in the middle of nowhere that I cannot for the life of me remember the name of to visit... a friend’. Much to Octavia’s dismay, Applejack remained blissfully unaware of the level of hostility as it rose in the compartment. This was going to be a long ride. Chapter 2Chapter 2 ‘SURPRISE!’ Vinyl Scratch screamed as she ran towards the pile of rocks, using her magic to pull them off. Twilight and Rarity ran after her and instinctively began pulling them off as well. The cave had been opened up and buried Surprise along with it. Within a minute, they had pulled all the rocks off. Revealing the horribly twisted, mangled body of Surprise, all of her legs were broken in multiple places, along with her neck and spine. Vinyl Scratch gasped in shock. Fluttershy couldn’t look, she buried her eyes into Rarity’s shoulder, and Pinkie Pie looked as if she was going to vomit. Rainbow Dash’s mouth was practically on the ground. ‘I didn’t even like her... but that’s a bad way to go’, Twilight said solemnly. ‘Give it time... she’ll be fine’, Vinyl said, unsure of herself, more hoping it to be true than anything else. ‘Vinyl... I don’t think she’s getting back up from that’, Twilight said, biting her lip. She hated Surprise, but nopony deserved to die like that. ‘Look!’ Vinyl said, pointing at the fallen mare. Surprise’s legs began to move, they twisted, contorted back into their proper shape, likewise, her neck and spine moved back into the proper alignment. Surprise’s eyes shot open and she gasped for air. Vinyl Scratch’s heart soared. ‘Surprise!’ Vinyl cried out ecstatically, she threw her forelegs around the mare and gave her a tight hug. ‘What the hell is wrong with you?! Why did you do that?’ ‘I saw a chance... I took it’, Surprise said quietly. Vinyl loosened her grip on Surprise, backing up and looking her in the eyes. ‘Surprise... I need you to promise me that you’re not going to do that again’. Surprise looked blankly at Vinyl Scratch and gave no response, other than a blink. Vinyl shook her a few times. ‘Damn it Surprise! I need you to pay attention to me right now!’ Surprise blinked a few times and nodded in affirmation. ‘I promise anything for you...’ Vinyl Scratch wasn’t too sure about that answer, she wondered if Surprise was making that promise to her, or to someone else. She hadn’t used a name, so she couldn’t be sure. Regardless, Vinyl helped Surprise to her hooves and turned back to the rest of the group. ‘All right everypony, here we go, we’re about to start exploring a world gone by, so keep an eye out... we don’t know what... or who, we’re going to find in here’, Vinyl Scratch said as she crawled into the opening. Everypony followed. Vinyl lit her horn, Twilight and Rarity did the same as they all wandered down the stone paths of the cave tunnels, descending ever so slightly with each passing step, they rounded multiple twists and turns until they found themselves at the pathway’s end. Before them, was a large, gear shaped metal door, with the letters ‘EPMB’ printed upon it in white bold typeface, with a control panel next to it. Vinyl Scratch went over to it, as she had several times before and threw the switch. Two hazard lights began to flash. A small buzzing alarm went off, and the air filled with the hiss of steam. Something from the inside pulled the metal gear back, creating a deafening screech as metal grinded against metal. The group covered their ears, and watched as the large metal door rolled to the left. They all removed their hooves from their ears and Vinyl Scratch turned and flashed a grin at her friends. ‘Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more’. And with that, the group stepped inside. After they were all inside the door rolled back to the right and was pushed shut as it always did, Fluttershy in particular jumped and tried to take off running, but Twilight and Rarity acted quickly, the last thing they wanted was for her to run off into the unknown. ‘Hey! Take it easy ‘Shy’; Rainbow Dash said smiling at her friend. ‘We’ll be fine’. Or, at least, Rainbow Dash hoped, she’d never been in here before, and her last experience with an old missile base was still costing her, Rainbow Dash’s wing was still healing from the time when Métis Retlsaf shot it. Fluttershy began to calm down at her friend’s words, and they slowly made their way out of the entrance hall and into the missile base proper. ‘THAT WILL BE FAR ENOUGH!’ a voice boomed over loudspeakers. Before them, appearing from literally nowhere were three spritebots, fluttering their wings and pointing attached submachine guns at them. ‘Invisibility spell’, Twilight Sparkle announced. ‘Has to be’. ‘Very good’, the voice said, this time from the lead spritebot. ‘Always knew that you were clever, Twilight Sparkle’. ‘You... you know who I am?’ Twilight asked in shock. ‘Yes, I know who all of you are. I’ve been watching you, all of you, for a very, very long time’, the spritebot said. ‘How long is a long time?’ Pinkie Pie asked suspiciously. ‘Let me put it this way... Pinkie Pie, have you ever felt like there was a time when you were by yourself, that you felt so incredibly alone? That you felt like the world was going to come crashing down around you? That you wanted to scream, but didn’t, because you knew nopony was around to hear you?’ Pinkie Pie looked at the spritebot nervously, like she had a secret that she didn’t want anypony to know about. ‘Y... yes’. ‘Well, to put it simply, you weren’t alone during that time, I was there. Watching, waiting, and making sure you were safe. That goes to all of you. There has never been a time, in any of your lives that you were ever truly alone’. ‘So you’ve been spying on us’, Vinyl Scratch said. ‘Why?’ ‘Because all of you are far too important to let anything bad happen to, besides, it’s not just you, others too’. ‘Who are you?’ Rainbow Dash asked. ‘Well, now that would be telling! I think it best if we continued this conversation in person. Follow the spritebots’. The spritebots turned and lead the way, against their better judgement, Vinyl Scratch & Co. followed them through the twists and turns of the missile base, and then they soon found themselves in the launch control room. However, unlike HVMB, there was not a launch console at the end of the room. In front of the glass windows looking out into the silo, which did have a missile resting comfortably in it, was an extremely large computer screen, green in colour, and displaying the image of a unicorn mare that bore a resemblance to Twilight Sparkle, except wearing glasses. Vinyl Scratch cocked her head slightly looking in confusion at the monitor, and they approached it cautiously. ‘Ah, yes, this is much better’, the same voice that they’d heard from the Spritebots said, only this time, it was coming from the large computer. ‘Well, come on now, don’t be shy. I am very pleased to finally make your acquaintance. I’m Doctor Emerald Sparkle, and we have a lot to discuss’. ... Octavia was so glad to finally be getting off the train. Applejack’s incessant questioning may have finally died down, in favour of speaking with her brother and cousin. The train had pulled into the station, Octavia grabbed her saddlebags and hopped off the train as quickly as she could, hoping to put as much distance between herself and the dumb hicks. Now she was looking at a map of the surrounding area, discovering the town where she needed to be at. ‘Ponyville’. Charming little town, Octavia thought to herself sarcastically. She exited the train station and started down along the road to Ponyville. ‘Hey! Miss Octavia!’ cried a voice from behind her. Octavia froze in place... that voice, she turned around and to her dismay, Applejack was galloping towards her. ‘Ya fergot yer newspaper!’ Applejack said as she approached her, taking the copy out of her saddlebag and handing it over. ‘Oh... thank you’, Octavia said unenthusiastically, taking the paper and placing it in her saddlebag. She had been done with it and hadn’t really cared. ‘If you’ll excuse me, I must be off. I seem to have a fair bit of a walk to Ponyville’. ‘Ponyville, shoot! That’s where we’re going!’ Applejack exclaimed. Of course it was. Octavia had stopped believing that the universe was fair and just long ago. Now it was just having fun with her. ‘Thanks universe’, Octavia said under her breath. ‘What was that?’ Applejack asked. ‘Oh... nothing’, Octavia asked, trying to think of a way that she could use to get away from the dumb hick, nothing came to her and she began to walk. Applejack and her family walked alongside her plying her with incessant chatter about nothing in particular. Octavia struggled to stay polite. She was a lady after all, and she intended to act like it. ‘So ya got a place ta stay in Ponyville? There ain’t anything in tha way o’ lodgings, but if ya need a place ta bunk, we got an extra room down on tha farm!’ Applejack said kindly. No. Never. Ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever EVER! ‘No, thank you, that will be quite all right, I only plan to be in town for the day, I... thank you for you offer, but I respectfully decline’, Octavia said. ‘Well all right, but if things change, Yer certainly welcome on Sweet Apple Acres!’ Applejack said with a smile. ‘I will... keep that in mind’, Octavia said, forcing a smile. She only hoped that her business would be finished quickly so she could get away from all this. Chapter 3Chapter 3 Vinyl Scratch eyed the computer terminal before them suspiciously for a moment before speaking. ‘You’re a computer...’ ‘I can see why you would think that, but I assure you that I am just as much flesh and blood as you are’, Emerald Sparkle said simply. ‘My body is just somewhere else at the moment’. ‘And where would that be?’ Vinyl Scratch asked. ‘You’ll forgive me if I’m hesitant to tell that information to the pony who brought my murderer into my home’, Emerald Sparkle said plainly. Vinyl Scratch looked over to Surprise and grimaced slightly, she had forgotten about that little titbit of information. Surprise, however did not respond, she sat several metres to Vinyl’s left and was staring off blankly into space. ‘Yes, I do remember, you are speaking to the creator of the both the Missile and the Artefact after all’, Emerald Sparkle said simply. It was rather disconcerting speaking with Emerald Sparkle, because even though the image on the screen remained static and unmoving. It felt as if she was constantly staring at each of them at all times. ‘I have a question’, Twilight asked stepping forward and looking up directly at the computer screen. ‘If you’ve been watching us the entire time, why didn’t we notice until recently?’ ‘The spritebots wings? They weren’t necessary until recently, I’m still a unicorn, and my magic is just as strong now as it was a thousand years ago, the spritebots are use a combination of arcane magic and technology, the invisibility spell to hide them from sight, and a mass cancelling spell to keep them aloft without needing their wings... until recently Ponyville has become saturated with the artefact’s radiation... and it interferes with the spell matrix, damn thing crashes, kicks over to wings automatically’, Emerald Sparkle said, her tone had shifted slightly, she was becoming annoyed at the questions coming her way. ‘Radiation? But... how?’ Twilight began but was quickly interrupted. ‘Listen’, Emerald Sparkle said. ‘I do not have the time, the energy, or the resources to answer all of your questions! You’re supposed to be clever, FIGURE IT OUT ON YOUR OWN, if I let you, you will be here for the next year, asking question upon question, I don’t have time to...! Damn it! The spell matrix crashed again; have to hide before Carrot Top notices’. Emerald Sparkle was silent for a moment and then returned to speaking. ‘I am not impressed with any of you, all of you are supposed to be special. So far, Rainbow Dash is the only one of you that came close; her first sonic rainboom was more of an annoyance than anything else. I can’t tell you how many spritebots I lost to that event... oh great, somepony’s noticed the hole you made in the cave entrance... hopefully he’ll fall for the old; it’s an Ursa’s den gag... another thing... that dynamite, I do declare, that had to have been the shoddiest workmanship possible when you made them Pinkie Pie... dynamite should be far more stable than that and...’ ‘HEY!’ cried a voice that they were not familiar with. Everypony in the room, even Surprise turned to look and discovered that Fluttershy was in the air, gritting her teeth and looking angrily. She floated towards Emerald Sparkle’s monitor and got up ‘in her face’, pressing her forehead against the glass monitor of the terminal and continued to speak. ‘I don’t care if you’re smart, but it DOES NOT give you the right to talk down to my friends like you’re better than they are, because you’re NOT. So how about you start being POLITE, you big, dumb MEANIE!’ Emerald Sparkle remained silent of a moment. It was impossible to determine her reaction to Fluttershy’s new found assertiveness, as the image on the screen did not change. ‘You’re right, I’m sorry... I... I don’t talk to ponies very often anymore, and sometimes I forget myself, please forgive me, things have been... stressful. I’ve been losing spritebots left and right, too many, too close together to be simple mechanical failure, someone, or something is destroying them, and I don’t have the resources to make more here... trying to tap into the network at the old Fillydelphia Ironworks has been unsuccessful, assuming it still exists...’ Emerald Sparkle said, her voice beginning to trail off. Fluttershy landed on the metal plating and began to clutch her head. ‘I don’t feel so good’, she said as she trotted back. The group was somewhat surprised at Fluttershy. Moments of bravery and assertiveness were rare from the meek, canary yellow Pegasus. Fluttershy stumbled around the missile control room haphazardly, prompting Rarity to go over and help her get it under control. ‘So... I guess now the question to ask is where do we go from here?’ Vinyl asked. Emerald Sparkle was quiet for a time, but then began to address the group. ‘Go home, all of you, and don’t come back here for a while, the last thing I need you doing is drawing attention to this place. A weekly spritebot to Canterlot is already pushing it... if Princess Celestia finds out this place; she will come down here, kill me, and personally rip EPMB to pieces’. ‘Weekly spritebot, huh?’ Vinyl Scratch asked. ‘So you’re how Princess Luna knows everything, huh?’ ‘Perceptive’, Emerald Sparkle said. ‘Princess Luna and I... have an arrangement, yes, I do supply her with information, though she has not returned the favour for anything useful as of late, something of a problem, I shall have to speak to her about it the next time I see her’. Vinyl opened her mouth for another question, but Emerald Sparkle beat her to it. ‘Go home, I will contact you when I need to’, she said plainly. With that, the image of Emerald Sparkle faded from the screen, replacing itself with the words ‘connection lost...’ Clearly, they would be getting nothing else out of the omnipresent pony. ... Octavia was at her wits end. If she had to put up with Applejack’s questioning any longer, she was going to get violent. No, that was not how a lady acted, she needed to remain calm and stay focused on the matter at hand. They had just crossed the south-eastern bridge into Ponyville proper. Calm, however, did not last for Octavia, for the reason that she had come out to this backwater burg in the middle of nowhere was not 10 metres in front of her, walking in the opposite direction towards her. ‘VINYL SCRATCH!’ Octavia screamed at the top of her lungs, not only getting the off-white unicorn mare’s attention, but the entire town’s as well, random ponies in the street had stopped what they were doing and turned to look at her. Octavia didn’t care. ‘Oh... hey! Octavia what’s...’ Vinyl Scratch began to say as Octavia approached her, she did not finish her sentence as Octavia backhoofed her across the face. ‘Hey! O... what are...?’ ‘You come to me’, Octavia seethed. ‘You tell me you’re sick, you tell me you’re DYING, you’ve got a month to live. I make love to you! I grieve, I make peace with myself, knowing that you’re going to be going to a better place, you never come back, I grieve some more! And then, two days ago, I’m in my flat, watching television, and who do I see on an international newsreel?! You! Not only are you alive and well, but you’ve also caused 4000 pounds of property damage in Trotterdam!’ Vinyl Scratch grinned widely. ‘That was a fun night,’ she said, prompting another smack across her face. Octavia’s scowl turned to a sadistic smile. ‘I am so happy that you’re alive... SO I CAN KILL YOU MYSELF!’ Octavia bit down hard on Vinyl’s tail, causing her to yelp in surprise as Octavia began to drag her away. ‘Somepony help me!’ Vinyl called out. Twilight and Co. glanced at each other momentarily, making their decision quickly. ‘Yeah we think we’re going to sit this one out, good luck Vinyl!’ Rainbow Dash proclaimed. Vinyl looked to each of them, bitting her lip as Octavia dragged her towards the Library. ‘Et tu Surprise?’ she asked, looking directly at the white Pegasus mare. ‘The mean bowtie lady is scary...’ Surprise said quietly. The door to the Library flung open and then quickly shut behind again, clearly, there would be no escape for Vinyl Scratch. The library door flung open again, Spike was running as fast as he could away from the tree and stopped just short of Twilight and the group. ‘Spike?’ Twilight asked. ‘Dude... I have no idea who that was... but she’s scary!’ Spike said, panting heavily. From the other end of the street, they heard a small coughing noise. Twilight looked up to see that Applejack was standing at the end of the street, with Big McIntosh and Braeburn. Applejack slowly approached the group, and swallowed heavily. ‘H... hi everypony. Listen, Ah wanted ta say Ah’m sorry fer the way Ah acted at tha bridge, Ah was big headed and stupid, and I hope ya’ll can forgive me fer the way Ah acted’. Twilight glanced to Rainbow Dash, Rainbow Dash glanced to Fluttershy, Fluttershy glanced to Rarity, Rarity glanced to Pinkie Pie, Pinkie Pie glanced to Surprise, and Surprise glanced at Pinkie Pie, leaning in and making silly noises, causing Pinkie Pie to start doing it as well. Twilight facehoofed at the two, causing Applejack to smile. Rainbow Dash trotted up to Applejack and put a foreleg around her for a hug. ‘We’re glad to have you back AJ’. ‘Indeed darling! We missed you terribly!’ Rarity said. ‘Ah’m glad ta be back!’ Applejack proclaimed with a bright smile. ‘Ya don’t actually think that Miss Octavia’s gonna hurt her do ya?’ Rainbow Dash smirked slightly. ‘Oh I think she will... and I think that Vinyl is going to actually enjoy it’. Chapter 4Chapter 4 Vinyl Scratch and Octavia lay together under the covers; Vinyl Scratch lay on her back, looking up at the ceiling, while Octavia curled up with her head lying on Vinyl’s chest. Vinyl grinned. ‘Let me tell you something O, you’ve certainly got quite the way of showing somepony you’re happy they’re alive’. ‘This changes nothing, I’m still angry with you’, Octavia said, rolling her head around to look at her. ‘You’re always angry with me O’, Vinyl Scratch said with a grin. ‘Because you always do something to make me angry!’ Octavia said, smiling and planting a kiss on Vinyl Scratch’s lips. ‘I know you do it on purpose!’ ‘What can I say? You’re sexy when you’re mad, since that’s all the time I don’t know how I can stand to be around you without getting turned on! Oh wait that’s right...’ Vinyl said grinning widely. ‘Stop that!’ Octavia said playfully, gently pushing Vinyl Scratch away from her. ‘No!’ Vinyl said with a grin, nuzzling her lover sweetly. That was when Octavia began to cry. ‘How could you do that to me, Vinyl?’ Vinyl Scratch frowned, it had been a terrible thing that she had done to Octavia. Forgetting to go back and tell her that she was okay was inexcusable. It was true, Vinyl Scratch could do nothing but hurt the ones she loved. ‘Something happened’, Vinyl said, pulling Octavia close to her. ‘Something happened that made my personal well being not matter... that doesn’t exactly excuse it, it doesn’t, I’m sorry I hurt you Octavia’. Octavia looked up into Vinyl’s eyes; she pushed the goggles off the mare’s head to discover that Vinyl had started to cry as well. She planted a kiss upon her lover’s lips and smiled. ‘How long have you been crying?’ Octavia asked. ‘Pretty much since we started’, Vinyl said with a small smile. She leaned back and laid her head back down upon the pillow. ‘Man... Twilight is going to be so pissed at me when she learns that we had sex in her bed’. ‘You should wash them for her’, Octavia suggested. ‘O, do you remember what happened the last time I did my own laundry?’ Vinyl Scratch asked. Octavia glanced at Vinyl for a moment and smirked slightly. ‘Oh yes... you’re doomed’. ‘Tell me something I don’t know’, Vinyl said with a grin. ... Princess Luna paced back and forth through her room. Something was wrong, she could feel it. The spritebot was late. The last thing she needed was for it to be seen, it would jeopardise everything she had worked for over the last eleven hundred years. There was a knock at her door, Luna turned to it, cleared her throat and spoke. ‘Enter’. The door pushed open and she discovered the slender, pristine white coated figure of her sister. Celestia smiled at her as she trotted into the room, closing the door behind her. ‘Good evening sister’, Luna said simply and continued with her pacing. ‘Good evening, is everything all right?’ Celestia asked as she took a seat on Luna’s bed. ‘You look worried about something, is there anything I can do to help?’ ‘I’m fine’, Luna said, purposely avoiding eye contact with her sister, she knew what she was doing, she was trying to probe for information, their natural telepathy made it easy gleam information from the minds of lesser ponies, though when it came to each other, a much more involved approach was necessary. Celestia was a stronger telepath than her, if Luna wasn’t careful, Celestia could burrow past her defences and learn what Luna was so on edge about. ‘Stop scanning me!’ Luna exclaimed, she could feel her sister nagging and pulling at the corners of her mind. Celestia frowned. ‘You won’t tell me what’s bothering you, Luna, I care, I want you to be happy’. ‘I am plenty happy sister’, Luna said. ‘If I chose to keep things from you, it is because they are private. I am not your vassal, you have not forgotten that we are equals during my exile have you? I am perfectly in my right to keep things from you, as you keep things from me’. ‘Luna... I keep nothing from you...’ Celestia began, but was quickly interrupted. ‘The Machine Cult, and Fillydelphia Iron Works?’ Luna asked. Celestia’s mouth opened and shut several times, but no words came out of it, eventually her mouth shut entirely, and she rose from the bed and began to walk towards the door. ‘I wish you would share your thoughts with me, sister, like we did so long ago...’ ‘Times change’, Luna said simply. Celestia frowned and exited from the room, within moments, she was away from the room and out of earshot. ‘Speaking of secrets... This ‘Machine Cult’, and the Fillydelphia Iron Works was something that I could have been told about’. Princess Luna turned and before her eyes was a spritebot, fluttering it’s wings rapidly to support itself in the air. ‘Hello Sadie!’ Luna said brightly, causing the spritebot to chirp and happily. ‘Hello, Doctor Sparkle, you’re late’, she added, somewhat less enthusiastically. ‘Not late’, Emerald Sparkle’s voice barked over the spritebot’s speakers. ‘Here the entire time, had to make sure that Sadie wasn’t discovered, the royal guards actually seem to be getting competent, I can’t afford to lose any more spritebots than I already have’. Princess Luna nodded simply. ‘Very well, what do you have?’ ‘Well, you will likely be interested in knowing that my descendant and her friends found me, they’ve also reminded me just how little I get out of our relationship, this was meant to be a partnership, after all, Princess, so, I’ve decided that our arrangement is hereby terminated. I am done spying for you. I’ve lost sixteen spritebots in the last four months alone. They are my eyes and ears, Princess Luna, and I cannot make more if they are destroyed, not without access to the Fillydelphia Iron Works... and since I don’t think you’ll be able to get that for me...’ Princess Luna raised an eyebrow at the spritebot before her. ‘The arrangement has worked for the last thousand years...’ ‘And you spent the entirety of it on the moon’, Emerald Sparkle interrupted. ‘Leaving me with nothing to gain, Goodbye Princess Luna. You’ll have to find your own spies to do your dirty work for you’. The spritebot beeped sadly and turned and flew out the window, disappearing, literally into the night sky. ... Carrot Top smiled as she rested her head against Caramel’s shoulder, the two were lying on top of the covers on Carrot Top’s bed, they were quiet, words were not necessary for this moment. Caramel had wrapped his forelegs around Carrot Top’s body and held her close, the two of them were more than content to continue to lie here indefinitely. Thoughts were racing through Carrot Top’s mind, almost all of them related to Caramel. The two officially were together now. Carrot Top couldn’t be happier, Caramel was sweet on her. She smirked slightly at the unintentional pun that her head had put together. Her other thoughts trailed back to her time at the University of Canterlot, It seemed like that was a long time ago, while she had obtained her bachelor with honours in Literature nearly two years before. Much could change in two years, much more than Carrot Top could realise. 999 had been a good year for Carrot Top. Her fourth year of university had been packed with excitement, and special memories that Carrot Top kept to herself, private memories for her own enjoyment. Carrot Top was a rather private pony. While she had lived for four years in Canterlot during her time in university, she left for the quiet, rustic, Ponyville the first chance she got. It wasn’t that Carrot Top was socially awkward or anything, it was just that she liked having time to herself. That was one of the big things that she liked about Caramel. Somehow, the colt knew exactly when she wanted him around and exactly when she wanted to be by herself. He wasn’t pushy, he wasn’t needy, he wasn’t brash, and he wasn’t arrogant. What he was, was kind, and gentle, and sensitive, and loving, all in his own way. Carrot Top smiled, she tilted her head back and planted an upside down kiss on the earth pony stallion’s lips. Carrot Top loved Caramel, Caramel loved Carrot Top, and maybe the best thing about the situation, they didn’t even need to say anything. They just knew. Chapter 5Chapter 5 Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash and Spike pushed the door to the library open slowly and gently, almost afraid of what they were going to find upon looking inside. To their surprise, they discovered Vinyl Scratch and Octavia sitting on the sofa, talking quietly with each other in a rather civil member. Rainbow Dash rubbed her eyes. ‘I’m seeing things right? Right?’ she asked. Vinyl Scratch turned and grinned madly at her. ‘The rumours of my death have clearly been exaggerated’, she said, causing Octavia to roll her eyes. ‘Please, Vinyl may be many things, but she is certainly not worth going to prison over’, Octavia said, smirking slightly. Vinyl could only grin at her. She got up from her seat and walked over to Twilight and Rainbow Dash, wrapping her forelegs around her friend for a group hug. ‘Hey, listen, I wanted to thank you guys for everything you’ve ever done for me’, Vinyl said, and then lowered her voice just enough so that Octavia wouldn’t hear. ‘In both worlds, old and new’, Vinyl grinned at her friends and then returned to a normal speaking voice. ‘This has been a long time coming; I’m going to be moving out. I’ve been mooching of you guys way too long. It’s time for me to get my own place’. ‘Vinyl you don’t have...’ Twilight said, however she was quickly interrupted by Vinyl. ‘Yeah I do. It’s not fair; you’re just too nice to say anything different. Plus it doesn’t help I’m such a likeable pony’, Vinyl said with a grin, she could just feel Octavia rolling her eyes. ‘Besides, you two are young lovers who deserve some privacy when you want to get intimate with each other; at first it was kind of funny when I could hear you two doing it. Now, it’s just more than a little awkward’. Twilight and Rainbow Dash grinned nervously at each other. Spike merely rolled his eyes, and having lost interest in the conversation crossed the room and into the kitchen for something to eat. ‘Besides, I’m not going far. That place down the street is still looking for a tenant. I’m going to sell off my place in Manehattan and make it my permanent residence! Besides, I haven’t paid the utility bills in months...’ Vinyl said, her voice beginning to trail off. ‘Anyway, I think I’m going to go for a walk, I’ll see you guys later’. ‘I’ll join you’, Octavia said. Rainbow Dash and Twilight nodded, Vinyl had made up her mind. They loved their friend dearly, though she could be quite thick in the head sometimes. Upon making a decision like this, it was impossible to sway her. Vinyl and Octavia trotted outside and began to stroll down the street. ‘This empty place you speak of... describe it a bit’, Octavia said. ‘Two bedroom flat, little more than I need, but you know, that’s never stopped me before!’ Vinyl said with a grin. ‘Why do you ask?’ ‘Well...’ Octavia said, her voice trailing off slightly. ‘Out with it!’ Vinyl said, playfully prodding the earth pony mare. ‘I’ve been sacked from the radio station’, Octavia sighed. Vinyl Scratch raised an eyebrow. Octavia’s day job had been as the manager of a radio station in Manehattan. It was a great job that had netted her a fancy flat on the floor below. Making Octavia the sole permanent inhabitant of the Imperial Tower, that job had been something that Vinyl had envied of Octavia for the entire time she had known her. ‘What? Why?’ Vinyl exclaimed in shock. ‘Probably for telling my boss to, and I quote “get stuffed, you bloody useless wanker”’, Octavia said. Vinyl Scratch’s mouth dropped open. Little miss proper actually saying that to somepony? Let alone her employer? Vinyl could hardly believe it. ‘Why would you do that O? You loved that job!’ Octavia rolled her eyes slightly. ‘Vinyl, I hated every minute of that job, the only reason I had that job was so I could be close by you. Figured it would come in handy for your eventual overdose where I’d need to come save you... I’m just glad it never came to that’. Vinyl Scratch frowned. ‘Yeah... me too... I really wasn’t good to you, was I Octavia?’ Octavia shook her head. ‘No, no you weren’t’, she said, however a small smile began to form on her face. ‘It’s okay though, I forgive you’. Vinyl smiled back at her, and the two mares continued onward down the street. ... Fluttershy felt a bit out of her league as she sat on the floor of her cottage, watching as her house guest lay on her sofa pretending to be asleep. Fluttershy knew from speaking to Vinyl Scratch that Surprise did not sleep. Fluttershy found it quite odd that the mare was bubbly and giggly while in the company of Pinkie Pie, but when Surprise was around Fluttershy, she was painfully shy and detached from the situation she found herself in. This was probably why she was pretending to sleep. Fluttershy had tried to talk to her, tried to get her to open up, but Fluttershy was at her end. Everything she had tried had failed. The thought had crossed Fluttershy’s mind that this was probably exactly how her friends felt about dealing with her. Fluttershy had done her best to be a loving and nurturing force to the Pegasus mare, but for the life of her, she couldn’t get Surprise to open up. Thoughts were racing through Fluttershy’s head, she had an idea that she thought might work, but she didn’t want to make Surprise feel uncomfortable. Maybe she should just leave her alone; maybe she’s perfectly fine and just doesn’t want to talk? Maybe... Fluttershy turned her head at the sound of foot tapping behind her. Angel Bunny was behind her, looking at her with disdain. He was silently communicating to Fluttershy that she needed to stop over thinking it and just do it. Fluttershy understood, and thanks to more prodding from the rabbit, Fluttershy eventually went over to the sofa and laid down on it next to Surprise. Much to her own shock, Fluttershy watched as Surprise’s forelegs wrapped around Fluttershy, and she began to smile. Surprise was definitely awake, though Fluttershy wondered if she was actually aware of the snuggling. Fluttershy couldn’t help but notice that Surprise’s body was somewhat warmer than it should be, and decided to check the mare’s temperature. That however was easier said than done. Fluttershy tried to get up from the sofa only for Surprise to begin holding her tighter. Fluttershy turned bright red in embarrassment and looked around for a way out, eventually discovering that there was none. She then noticed Angel Bunny hopping towards her with her thermometer in tow. ‘Oh! Thank you Angel’, Fluttershy said taking the end of the mercury thermometer in her teeth, taking care to be gentle with it in order to not break it. She gently slipped it into Surprise’s mouth and under her tongue, finding that there was oddly no resistance to the act. After a minute or so, Fluttershy checked the thermometer again and discovered much to her shock that Surprise’s body temperature was at forty degrees Celsius. ‘Oh my!’ Fluttershy exclaimed. That was feverish for ponies. Though, in the back of her mind, the idea dawned upon Fluttershy that Surprise was not a normal pony. What if this was normal for her? She supposed that it wasn’t all that unlikely. Pegasi, for example, usually held their bodies at higher temperatures than unicorns or earth ponies because it helped stave off cold weather, which was a necessary trait for their line of work. Fluttershy took the thermometer back from Surprise and did her best to clean it off and get it back into its case. And while it had been somewhat difficult considering Surprise was still cuddling her tightly, Fluttershy eventually got it back in, and passed the case off to Angel who went and put it back where it belonged. Fluttershy pretty much accepted at this point that she wasn’t going anywhere. Surprise may be awake, though she wasn’t responsive. She might not even be aware that she was snuggling Fluttershy at all. Fluttershy couldn’t help but think on how... nice it felt for Surprise to be doing this to her. Surprise was so warm, so peaceful, so... Fluttershy felt herself turning red. She was becoming aroused by Surprise. Thoughts of Fluttershy and Surprise together in bed ran through Fluttershy’s mind at the speed of light. No! It wasn’t right to think about Surprise like that. Fluttershy was not comfortable with sexuality, despite her encounter with Katrijn, the shop keeper from Trotterdam, to whom she had experienced her first romantic encounter with. That wasn’t to say she had not enjoyed it, and she wasn’t ashamed of it, but it had taken every gram of bravery in the Pegasus’ body to have done it. Even then it had been under the influence of a drink that Rarity had given her to help loosen her up. Fluttershy didn’t know if she could handle intimacy without it. It did not help, that in many ways, Surprise was like a child. Her general demeanour was incredibly childlike, making Fluttershy feel uncomfortable at the idea of being in bed with her. Surprise pulled Fluttershy closer, and began nuzzling her affectionately. The mare was definitely awake, and she was definitely aware at this point. Fluttershy didn’t know how, or why, but it began to put her mind at ease. She calmed herself down, and made herself content to continue to lay there with Surprise for just a little while longer. Chapter 6Chapter 6 Octavia and Vinyl continued their walk down the street; they stopped for a moment in front of the place Vinyl had been talking about. A ‘for rent’ sign continued to hang in the window for it. ‘It’s... nice’, Octavia said looking it over. ‘The architecture is a little different from what I’m used to... but it’s nice, quaint’. ‘I’m sorry, were you describing the flat, or me? I couldn’t tell’, Vinyl said, flashing a grin at her friend. Octavia said nothing, she merely rolled her eyes at Vinyl and the two continued on their way. They did not get far before commotion sprung on them. Rounding from around the corner was a grey coated stallion, an orange mane and tail, with eyes an equal orange. Though perhaps the most notable about him was the set of royal blue robes that he was wearing, the earth pony (or at least as so as they presumed, if he was a Pegasus, the robes were covering the spot where you’d find the wings) was being chased by two individuals that Vinyl Scratch recognised. ‘Stop! I order you to stop!’ Detective Sergeant Lucky shouted at the earth pony stallion that he was pursuing. His partner, Detective Constable Banana Crème was huffing and puffing not far behind him. As the robed stallion passed them, Octavia leapt quickly into action, she turned and planted her hind hooves into the robed stallion’s flank, sending him toppling to the ground in surprise. He attempted to get back to his hooves, but it had been just long enough for DS Lucky to close the gap, he pounced on the robed stallion and quickly slapped restraints on him. ‘I’m arresting you for the theft of a wireless receiver! You do not have to say anything, but it may harm your defence if you do not mention, when questioned, something that you may rely upon in court, anything you do say may be given in evidence’, Lucky grunted as DC Banana Crème caught up with him. Banana Crème picked the stallion up and walked off with him over towards a park bench where she sat him down and waited for her partner to come. Lucky turned to the two mares before him and smiled. ‘Nice save miss...?’ Lucky questioned. ‘Octavia Auditore’, Octavia said simply. Behind her, Vinyl Scratch began to giggle. Octavia turned to her and gave a deadly stare. ‘What?’ she asked coldly. ‘Auditore. Get it? Auditory? It’s funny, because you’re a musician’, Vinyl said, continuing to snicker. Octavia’s death stare continued, causing Vinyl to chuckle nervously. ‘Okay, I’m done! Shutting up now’. DS Lucky blinked a few times before nodding. ‘Anyway... Miss Auditore, thank you for your assistance’, he turned and began to trot towards Banana Crème. ‘Got anything out of the suspect yet?’ He asked. ‘Not much’, she responded. ‘Won’t give me anything but his name, Montana Ulan’. Vinyl Scratch’s head snapped up to attention, she glanced over at the stallion, she had thought he’d looked familiar, and there it was, plain as day. Montana Ulan himself was sitting, looking nervously at her as she watched. ‘You!’ Vinyl shouted as she trotted over at high speed. Octavia rolled her eyes; Vinyl was making a spectacle of herself again. ‘You have a lot to answer for!’ Vinyl continued. DS Lucky went forward and put himself between her and his suspect. ‘I’m sorry miss; I’m going to have to ask you to step back. You’re interfering with police business’, Lucky said. Octavia trotted up to Lucky and spoke aloud. ‘Actually, Detective Sergeant, it would be you that’s interfering’. Lucky raised an eyebrow. ‘What are you playing at Miss Auditore?’ he asked. Octavia whipped open her saddlebags and pulled out an ID booklet, she opened it and showed it to him. ‘That would be Detective Inspector Auditore, Greater Manehattan Police, Montana Ulan is wanted in connection with a technology smuggling ring, and I’m going to ask that you turn him over to me. Smuggling trumps petty theft’. Vinyl Scratch’s mouth dropped open in shock. ‘You didn’t mention this before’, Lucky said suspiciously. ‘I didn’t think it mattered to me before’, Octavia countered. ‘Now it does, now are you going to cooperate with me, or am I going to have to go to your DCI over it?’ Lucky grumbled, but eventually nodded to Banana Crème, and they released Monty Ulan to them. They continued to grumble as they rounded the corner and out of view. ‘You’re a copper!’ Vinyl Scratch exclaimed. ‘How could you not tell me that!?’ ‘I didn’t tell you, because I met you while on assignment’, Octavia said slipping her badge back into her bag. ‘So what, you were going after me, is that what?’ Vinyl harked at her. Octavia sighed and rolled her eyes. ‘Please, Vinyl, GMP never cared about you. They wanted Trigger. Just so happened the poor bastard choked to death before I was going to ask you to turn Princess’ Evidence against him, besides, it’s not like you never did anything to hurt me, I never lied to you, Vinyl Scratch, I just didn’t tell you the whole truth’. Vinyl Scratch swallowed hard, she hadn’t thought about Trigger in a long, long time. When Vinyl was younger, she’d been roped into dealing drugs for a seedy, greedy Gnoll, also known as a Diamond Dog, by the name of Tigger who loved nothing more than shiny bits. How fitting that his death had been caused by one. He swallowed a coin and choked to death on it. ‘So the cushy flat? The radio station manager?’ Vinyl asked. ‘Both belonged to my cousin, Giovanni, I lived with him. He got us kicked out when he got sacked for telling his boss to get stuffed’, Octavia reported. ‘How come I never met him?’ Vinyl asked. ‘Because we never went to my place, Vinyl, it was always yours’, Octavia said rolling her eyes. She was angry now. ‘Not that I’d expect you to remember, I don’t know how I can expect you to remember anything considering how much time you spent with your head in a bottle, your nose in the sand, and the rest of you in bed’. Vinyl Scratch was fuming in anger by this point. ‘Get the fuck out of my town, right now, before I do something I regret’, Vinyl said, unintentionally using her magic to open her saddlebags. Monty Ulan yawned loudly, causing both mares to look at him after completely forgetting about him. ‘This is entertaining at all, but I’ve got things to do, so hurry up and get me back to Manehattan’s CID so you can release me when the charges won’t stick’. ‘SHUT THE FUCK UP!’ Octavia and Vinyl screamed at him angrily, causing the earth pony to smirk. ‘Well, I’d like to say it’s been fun, Detective Inspector Auditore, but this pretty much killed the mood’, Vinyl snapped. ‘Well I can say the same to you, drug addled whore’, Octavia snapped back. She grabbed Monty Ulan and began dragging him away. ‘Where’s a police box when you need one!?’ ‘You might try looking in the same place as your stick! Up your arse!’ Vinyl called out in frustration, she turned and galloped back to the Library, where she flung open the door and scampered over to the stairs of the rarely used basement. Locking the door behind her she trotted down the stairs and flipped on the lights. She promptly collapsed onto the floor, ripping the goggles from her eyes and tossing them to the ground. She burst into tears, and began sobbing heavily into her hooves. It was at this moment that she was glad that Twilight and Rainbow Dash couldn’t hear her from here. She needed to be alone right now. The more Vinyl thought about it, the more Octavia being a copper made sense. Octavia would never talk about what she did during the daylight hours; she had no friends outside of Vinyl, and a select few members of the Manehattan Symphony Orchestra. Vinyl had to wonder if Octavia had been a detective the first time around, in the old world. Vinyl Scratch’s old world and new world lives had ended up being pretty much the same, but maybe things were different for the other ponies. Maybe Octavia had been her friend on the level the first time around. Maybe she was reliving the exact same lie. She had no way of knowing. Vinyl Scratch’s sobs began to slow, and she pulled her puffy eyes out from her hooves and nearly jumped in surprise when she discovered that a spritebot armed with a submachine gun was hovering, quite literally, two centimetres from her face. ‘Are you quite finished?’ the tinny voice of Emerald Sparkle barked over the spritebot’s speakers. ‘You’re upset, I get it, but you have more pressing concerns’. ‘Piss off’, Vinyl said. And she was supposed to be a witty one. ‘No’, Emerald Sparkle said. ‘I saw that little spectacle you and your... whatever you are pulled outside, I don’t care about that. I care about the one that was with you. Montana Ulan, I know those robes he was wearing. He’s a member of the Machine Cult’. ‘The what?’ Vinyl asked. ‘Exactly’, Emerald Sparkle said. ‘I don’t have time to explain it to you, Vinyl Scratch, you live in a Library, read a book, figure it out, see why it’s important’. With that, the spritebot turned itself invisible, and just like that, it was gone. Chapter 7Chapter 7 Having fallen asleep in each other’s grasp, Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash were suddenly awoken by the crashing sounds from the level below. Their eyes shot open and the two sat up and leapt out of bed, running down the stairs to see what was going on. They discovered Vinyl Scratch pulling books off their shelves and tossing them about haphazardly. ‘VINYL!’ Twilight called out to her. ‘What in the good name of Celestia are you doing!?’ ‘Given what we know about, I would argue that it’s far from good’, Vinyl said, without bothering to turn around, she didn’t even grin. ‘Where’s your friend?’ Rainbow Dash asked as she continued to make her way down the stairs towards the book covered floor the Ponyville public library. ‘Detective Inspector Auditore, and I are not friends, not any more’, Vinyl said in a huff. ‘Detective Inspector?’ Rainbow Dash asked, stepping over a book in the process. ‘I’ll explain later’, Vinyl said, she let out a growl of frustration and turned her head upwards. ‘Emerald! I get it, you want me to figure it out on my own, but please! Point me in the right direction!’ Both Twilight and Rainbow Dash continued to watch in confusion. Twilight opened her mouth to say something, but was interrupted by the sound of a book falling off the shelf and landing on the floor hard. Vinyl Scratch let out a grin and scampered over to it. ‘Thank you Emerald!’ she enveloped the book in her magic and brought it up to her face. She lifted the goggles off her eyes and took a closer look. Twilight and Rainbow Dash approached Vinyl, but she quickly snapped the book shut and walked over to where her saddlebags were laying on the ground, and placed them on her haunches. She pulled her revolver out of her saddlebags and opened the break, sliding six rounds into the cylinder and snapped it shut. She slipped the revolver and the book back into her bag. She trotted over to the door and opened it up. ‘Vinyl?’ Twilight asked. ‘Where are you going!? What are you doing?’ ‘Out’, Vinyl said, pulling her goggles back down over her eyes. ‘I got something I need to do, don’t follow me. This path on the long road is one I need to walk myself’. Vinyl Scratch pushed open the door and shut it tightly behind her. The mare made her way down the south eastern road, and soon enough, was out of Ponyville. Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle, however, continued to stare towards the door in confusion. ‘Should we go after her?’ Twilight asked. ‘Yes!’ Rainbow Dash said. She burst through the door, breaking her spellbound state and leapt into the air. She looked around for Vinyl Scratch, but the off-white coated mare was already nowhere to be found. It was already dark, and many of the town ponies had already gone to bed, Rainbow Dash wasn’t going to wake them by yelling for Vinyl Scratch when she knew that the mare wasn’t going to answer. That pony was stubborn, and she wasn’t going to announce herself when she was deliberately taking cover from her. Rainbow Dash scowled and landed back on the ground. ‘Did you see her?’ Twilight asked. Rainbow Dash shook her head in the negative, frowning at Twilight, the two went back into the Library, hoping that Vinyl would be okay. ... Octavia sat staring angrily out the window as the train rolled through the Canterlot province countryside in a private compartment in the back car of the train. She’d used her authority to clear it out, sitting across from her was Montana Ulan, whom she’d dragged from Ponyville just in time to make the evening express. Octavia was sure to keep a close eye on him. Montana Ulan was crafty, this she’d known already. He and several of his smuggler friends had been arrested several times in the past, but somehow managed to get off on either a technicality or a mysterious order from the top. ‘You’re wasting your time, you know’, Montana Ulan said simply. ‘I’ll bet you twenty bits that I’ll be out of your custody before we even get to midtown’. Octavia eyed the robed earth pony with annoyance. ‘As if I had twenty pounds on me to waste on you... but no, you’re not getting out of this, I don’t care if one of the princesses themselves comes down before me and orders me to release you, I’m still not going to do it’. ‘Oh, I think you would, care to test that theory?’ Montana said flashing a very Vinyl Scratch like grin, something that irked Octavia Auditore just more than a little. Octavia was fuming at the way Vinyl Scratch had acted; it wasn’t as if Vinyl was a saint or anything. Octavia might have met her because of the assignment, but she really had cared about her. GMP had thrown more than a few fits over Vinyl Scratch. After the Diamond Dog, Trigger, had choked to death, GMP had wanted to make an example of her, and Octavia had gotten into several altercations with her Detective Chief Inspector over it. She’d still been a Detective Sergeant at the time, and had argued that Vinyl Scratch was more useful to them out of custody than in it. Vinyl Scratch had spent much of the time of their friendship high, and in bed with a stranger from one of the clubs that they frequented. That stranger would usually end up being arrested in two to three days after that. The steady stream of arrests for the Drug Squad kept GMP off Vinyl’s haunches, but the constant conflict between Octavia and her superiors had pretty much guaranteed that she’d never make it past Detective Inspector. ‘I hate to interrupt what is clearly a stream of pleasant thoughts’, Montana Ulan said. ‘I need to use the washroom’. Octavia sighed, they had a few hours ride left, she couldn’t make him hold it, she ushered him up and over to the washroom at the front of the car. Octavia opened the door for him and he raised his forelegs in response, wanting her to un-cuff him. ‘I don’t think so’, Octavia said with a scowl. ‘All right, fine, it’s going to take me a while though, hard to get these robes on and off even when I have full movement of my legs’, Montana Ulan said. ‘We have time’, Octavia said displeasingly. The robe clad earth pony nodded and went into the washroom. Ten minutes passed, and Octavia was getting impatient. ‘You’ve had long enough! Out here! Now!’ She got no response. With that, Octavia forced the door open, only to discover that the washroom was empty. The window was open, a set of hoofcuffs lay on the floor, and there was a note taped to the door. That’ll be £20. She heard a knock behind her. Octavia poked her head out the door. Montana Ulan was on the gangway between the two cars waving at her. Octavia’s eyes widened as he pulled the hitch out and disconnected the rail cars. Montana Ulan continued to wave at her as the rest of the train rocketed away towards Manehattan, and the rear car and the caboose slowly slid to a halt. Octavia pounded on the door in frustration, he’d gotten away! Now, she had to walk back home... ... Fluttershy and Surprise trotted through town Fluttershy was humming a tune as she walked, and enjoyed the cool March day, not noticing that Surprise was keeping in step with her, and was humming the same tune. Fluttershy looked down the street to discover Twilight and Rainbow Dash at the end of the high street and turned to walk over towards them; Surprise didn’t miss a beat, and kept in step next to her. Surprise began looking around, figuring that Vinyl Scratch would be with them, but quickly discovered that she was not. ‘Hello Twilight, hello Rainbow Dash’, Fluttershy said sweetly. ‘Good morning to you!’ ‘Oh! Hey Fluttershy’, Twilight said, ignoring Surprise entirely. ‘Hey Fluttershy, hey Surprise’, Rainbow Dash said. ‘Where is Vinyl Scratch?’ Surprise asked. ‘I don’t know’, Rainbow Dash said with a shrug. ‘She took off late last night, storming around the Library tossing books everywhere, then she found one and stuffed it in her saddlebag, loaded her gun, and went out the door telling us not to follow her’. Surprise looked blankly at Rainbow Dash for a moment, then without moment, her wings popped open and scared Fluttershy senselessly. Surprise got low to the ground and kicked hard, bounding into the air and heading off in the south eastern direction. Twilight knelt down next to Fluttershy to comfort her, Rainbow Dash turned and watched as Surprise flew out of view. ‘What was that all about?’ Rainbow Dash asked. ‘I guess...’ Twilight said, helping Fluttershy up. ‘She’s going to look for Vinyl Scratch?’ ‘Well, at least she’s loyal’, Rainbow Dash said, she turned at Twilight and offered her a faint smile. ‘It’s too bad you don’t like her, because I do’. Twilight scowled at Rainbow Dash, that comment had just earned her a sleeping spot on the balcony. EpilogueEpilogue Vinyl Scratch had stopped running. Here she was marching down the southern road with only a vague notion of the direction she was going, she'd been walking all night and hadn't stopped since departing from Ponyville, leaving Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash in a world of confusion. To be perfectly honest, she was in something of a confusion herself. To be perfectly honest, Vinyl Scratch needed to be away for a little while, what had happened between her and Octavia... she needed to get away. Even if her idea of getting away was locating the Fillydelphia Iron Works and contending with the members of the Machine Cult that were undoubtedly going to be there. The book that Vinyl Scratch had taken from Twilight's Library was a book on the history of manufacturing in Fillydelphia from a thousand years ago. How this book had escaped the burnings that had come after she had taken power, Vinyl could only guess. Not to mention that Ponyville hadn't been built until year 899 of Celestia's reign. The book had likely been in Emerald Sparkle's care, and dropped by an invisible Spritebot when asked for it. Vinyl's ear twitched, she looked up and noticed a white blur was moving towards her, and fast. A second later it was on her. 'SURPRISE!' Surprise had tackled Vinyl Scratch to the ground and was grinning brightly. 'Found you!' Vinyl Scratch blinked, she should be mad, she didn't want anyone following her, though she had only told it to Twilight and Rainbow Dash, she couldn't get mad at Surprise for it. 'What are you doing?' Vinyl asked. 'Helping you!' Surprise said brightly, hopping off Vinyl and helping her up. 'Did you consider that I might not want help?' Vinyl asked. 'Nope!' Surprise said and grinned at her. Vinyl realised at this point that Surprise was emulating her. 'Okay, when I do it, it's adorable, when you do it? It's just plain creepy', Vinyl said. Surprise continued to grin. Vinyl Scratch smiled and let out a sigh. 'Okay, fine, let's go then'. Surprise smiled, and the two mares continued to walk down the road.
Chapter 1Chronology notes: Stop! You are reading the tenth story in the Bonds of Eternity Series. The first story in the series is Family found here: http://www.fimfiction.net/story/1307/ The second story in the series is Nihil Novi Sub Sole found here: http://www.fimfiction.net/story/1444/ The third story in the series is Friends in High Places found here: http://www.fimfiction.net/story/1716/ The fourth story in the series is Trust found here: http://www.fimfiction.net/story/1973/ The fifth story in the series is Domino Effect found here: http://www.fimfiction.net/story/2151/ The sixth story in the series is To Whom It May Concern found here: http://www.fimfiction.net/story/2465/ The seventh story in the series is Bridge Over River Rijn found here: http://www.fimfiction.net/story/2726/ The eighth story in the series is The Way of the Maneaanite found here: http://www.fimfiction.net/story/2931/ The ninth story in the series is Diamond in the Rough found here: http://www.fimfiction.net/story/3062/ Old World Blues Chapter 1 ‘Darling, I thought you said that we weren’t meant to have what was behind these rocks?’ Rarity asked. ‘Maybe we’re not’, Vinyl Scratch said. ‘Well if the universe put down rocks to keep us out, the universe can tough it out’. Rarity, Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Vinyl Scratch, and Surprise were sitting in Whitetail Wood, near the collapsed cave. At least a tonne of rock blocking the path that they needed to head down, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy had gone back into town in order to fetch some of Pinkie Pie’s blasting supplies. It had become something of a surreal moment, because Pinkie Pie had dropped her bubbly personality at the first mention of the word dynamite in favour of a more serious outlook. For good reason, dynamite was dangerous, and much of the equipment was fragile. Pinkie Pie insisted on as few ponies on the trip as possible. Fluttershy had gone along with her because her natural grace made her ideal for carrying fragile things. ‘And what was it that you called this thing... a spritebot?’ Rarity asked. Levitating in front of her face was a large metal parasprite with a rather large hole in the face from where Vinyl Scratch had shot it. The night prior, on the mares return from departing the HMSIS Dash in Fillydelphia, they’d heard a strange noise and thinking that some wild animal was stalking them, Vinyl responded by trying to scare it. The attempt had the same effect, they knew what had been watching them, and it had been this. ‘Yeah... I’ve seen one before’, Vinyl said, and turned towards Surprise, who as the oldest of the group by a long shot, was bound to be more familiar with them. Surprise, however, was staring off blankly into space, and even Rainbow Dash waving a hoof in front of her face seemed to get her attention. ‘Is she okay?’ Rainbow Dash asked. Vinyl merely shrugged. ‘Dunno, she’s been acting strange since before we left Trotterdam... well, stranger than normal, at least’. Twilight glanced over to Surprise, and then back to Vinyl, and waved her over. Vinyl got up and trotted over. ‘About Surprise... are we sure it’s a good idea to be taking her down there?’ Twilight asked. ‘It’ll be fine’, Vinyl said. ‘She was around when all this stuff was brand new, if anypony is going to know about it, it’ll be her. Besides, have you been paying attention to her lately?’ Twilight cocked her head slightly, not entirely sure what Vinyl Scratch was getting at. ‘I have’, Vinyl said. ‘It’s really noticeable with Pinkie Pie, Surprise starts mimicking whoever she’s with. She’s with Pinkie Pie, she’s going to skip merrily down the street, she’s with me, she’ll go around grinning like an idiot, I bet if you let her follow you around she’d become a real know it all’, Vinyl said adding a grin. ‘I am not a know it all’, Twilight said with an air of annoyance in her voice. ‘Baaaa-lonie!’ Vinyl said grinning widely. ‘But anyway, then she gets with a group like this, she shuts down, doesn’t know what to do, and then, nothing’. ‘She wasn’t like that in the old world’, Twilight said. ‘She was hateful, spiteful, malicious... dangerous’. ‘She had direction in the old world’, Vinyl said simply. ‘She doesn’t have that anymore, she doesn’t know where she fits in... she’s just sort of... there. It’s kind of tragic really’. Twilight glanced over to the white Pegasus, staring blankly into space, she shook her head madly. ‘No! I am not about to start feeling sorry for Surprise, not after what she did to me’. ‘Technically speaking, she didn’t actually do it’, Vinyl said simply. ‘Do not get metaphysical on me’, Twilight snapped. Vinyl could only grin. It was about that time that Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy returned, Fluttershy was somewhat lagging behind, being slow and purposeful to not damage the goods that she was carrying. Pinkie Pie was out in front, and reached the group much quicker, while Fluttershy was still some forty metres back. Pinkie Pie gently set her saddlebags on the ground and walked over to the rest of the group. ‘Hey everypony!’ Pinkie Pie said cheerfully. ‘You’re in a good mood’, Twilight said with a smile. ‘That the dynamite over there in that bag?’ Twilight asked, point a hoof at it. ‘Ha! No! Are you kidding me? I’m way too jittery to have carried dynamite all this way!’ Pinkie Pie said. Twilight raised an eyebrow in response. ‘But if not you then... who...’ Twilight’s mouth stopped in its tracks as they all glanced over to Fluttershy. ‘Pinkie Pie...’ Twilight began. ‘Don’t worry Twilight! Fluttershy’s grace makes her the perfect pony to carry dynamite!’ Pinkie Pie said, quiet enough so that Fluttershy couldn’t hear her. ‘Pinkie Pie... does Fluttershy know what she’s carrying?’ Twilight asked. ‘Of course!’ Pinkie Pie said. Twilight stared at her. ‘Well... see... I implied...’ Pinkie Pie said. Twilight continued to stare. Pinkie Pie began to look nervous. ‘OKAY! No she doesn’t!’ Pinkie Pie said, she leaned in close, and began to speak softly through gritted teeth. ‘And I wouldn’t tell her either... not unless you want her to start panicking and explode EVERYWHERE!’ ‘What’s everywhere?’ Fluttershy asked as she approached the group, gently pulling the saddlebags off her. Everypony started to tense up. Fluttershy set the bags gently on the ground against the large pile of rocks and walked closer to her friends. Everypony let out a sigh of relief. Twilight looked to Pinkie Pie angrily. ‘Pinkie Pie... when this is done, you and I need to sit down and have a good long talk about... things’. Pinkie Pie chuckled nervously, she swallowed hard, they all moved back to a standing position about a dozen metres back from the collapsed entrance. ‘Okay Everypony!’ Pinkie Pie announced. ‘From now on nopony goes near the pile of rocks except me! Dynamite is really sensitive, if you even so much as TALK too loudly near it, it can go off! I don’t want one of you getting hurt from it!’ Everypony nodded, but were otherwise not paying attention to what was going on around them, except Rarity, who ducked her head around Pinkie Pie to get a look. ‘Pray tell, what is Surprise doing?’ Everypony turned, to their horror; Surprise had approached the bag of dynamite lying on the ground and had reached out with a hoof to touch it. ‘SURPRISE! NO!’ Vinyl Scratch called out. Too late, Surprise touched it and the bag full of dynamite exploded. ... Octavia sat quietly in her seat. The Manehattan Express to Greater Canterlot had just begun to move out of the station. She had the compartment all to herself and was skimming over a newspaper, The Times. The compartment door opened and Octavia looked up. ‘Beggin’ yer pardon, miss, everywhere else is full, would ya...?’ ‘No of course not’, Octavia said simply. She took a moment to look over the pony standing in the doorway. Large, red coated draught pony with a cutie mark of an apple half, followed by an orange earth pony mare with three apples for a cutie mark, and a stallion, his coat an amber yellow, and a large red apple for his cutie mark. This was the part of the show that Octavia liked to call, guess what these ponies like to do. She figured it had something to do with apples. ‘Thank ya kindly miss!’ the mare said. ‘Ah’m Applejack, that’s mah brother, Big McIntosh’, she said pointing to the red coated draught pony. ‘That’s mah cousin Braeburn’, she said pointing to the other stallion. ‘Octavia, charmed’, she said simply, and cleanly, and went back to reading her newspaper. ‘Ah’d bet, city slicker like yerself headin’ fer Canterlot?’ Applejack asked. ‘Not exactly, this train services all of Greater Canterlot, Greater Canterlot is a big place’, Octavia said, not particularly caring for Applejack’s attempt to make conversation with her. ‘We’re headin’ home ourselves, been away far too long’, Applejack said, clearly not picking up on Octavia’s desire to avoid conversation. ‘How ‘bout you?’ Octavia eyed Applejack over the top of her paper, glancing scornfully at her. ‘If you must know, I’m going to this little town in the middle of nowhere that I cannot for the life of me remember the name of to visit... a friend’. Much to Octavia’s dismay, Applejack remained blissfully unaware of the level of hostility as it rose in the compartment. This was going to be a long ride.
Chapter 2Chapter 2 ‘SURPRISE!’ Vinyl Scratch screamed as she ran towards the pile of rocks, using her magic to pull them off. Twilight and Rarity ran after her and instinctively began pulling them off as well. The cave had been opened up and buried Surprise along with it. Within a minute, they had pulled all the rocks off. Revealing the horribly twisted, mangled body of Surprise, all of her legs were broken in multiple places, along with her neck and spine. Vinyl Scratch gasped in shock. Fluttershy couldn’t look, she buried her eyes into Rarity’s shoulder, and Pinkie Pie looked as if she was going to vomit. Rainbow Dash’s mouth was practically on the ground. ‘I didn’t even like her... but that’s a bad way to go’, Twilight said solemnly. ‘Give it time... she’ll be fine’, Vinyl said, unsure of herself, more hoping it to be true than anything else. ‘Vinyl... I don’t think she’s getting back up from that’, Twilight said, biting her lip. She hated Surprise, but nopony deserved to die like that. ‘Look!’ Vinyl said, pointing at the fallen mare. Surprise’s legs began to move, they twisted, contorted back into their proper shape, likewise, her neck and spine moved back into the proper alignment. Surprise’s eyes shot open and she gasped for air. Vinyl Scratch’s heart soared. ‘Surprise!’ Vinyl cried out ecstatically, she threw her forelegs around the mare and gave her a tight hug. ‘What the hell is wrong with you?! Why did you do that?’ ‘I saw a chance... I took it’, Surprise said quietly. Vinyl loosened her grip on Surprise, backing up and looking her in the eyes. ‘Surprise... I need you to promise me that you’re not going to do that again’. Surprise looked blankly at Vinyl Scratch and gave no response, other than a blink. Vinyl shook her a few times. ‘Damn it Surprise! I need you to pay attention to me right now!’ Surprise blinked a few times and nodded in affirmation. ‘I promise anything for you...’ Vinyl Scratch wasn’t too sure about that answer, she wondered if Surprise was making that promise to her, or to someone else. She hadn’t used a name, so she couldn’t be sure. Regardless, Vinyl helped Surprise to her hooves and turned back to the rest of the group. ‘All right everypony, here we go, we’re about to start exploring a world gone by, so keep an eye out... we don’t know what... or who, we’re going to find in here’, Vinyl Scratch said as she crawled into the opening. Everypony followed. Vinyl lit her horn, Twilight and Rarity did the same as they all wandered down the stone paths of the cave tunnels, descending ever so slightly with each passing step, they rounded multiple twists and turns until they found themselves at the pathway’s end. Before them, was a large, gear shaped metal door, with the letters ‘EPMB’ printed upon it in white bold typeface, with a control panel next to it. Vinyl Scratch went over to it, as she had several times before and threw the switch. Two hazard lights began to flash. A small buzzing alarm went off, and the air filled with the hiss of steam. Something from the inside pulled the metal gear back, creating a deafening screech as metal grinded against metal. The group covered their ears, and watched as the large metal door rolled to the left. They all removed their hooves from their ears and Vinyl Scratch turned and flashed a grin at her friends. ‘Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more’. And with that, the group stepped inside. After they were all inside the door rolled back to the right and was pushed shut as it always did, Fluttershy in particular jumped and tried to take off running, but Twilight and Rarity acted quickly, the last thing they wanted was for her to run off into the unknown. ‘Hey! Take it easy ‘Shy’; Rainbow Dash said smiling at her friend. ‘We’ll be fine’. Or, at least, Rainbow Dash hoped, she’d never been in here before, and her last experience with an old missile base was still costing her, Rainbow Dash’s wing was still healing from the time when Métis Retlsaf shot it. Fluttershy began to calm down at her friend’s words, and they slowly made their way out of the entrance hall and into the missile base proper. ‘THAT WILL BE FAR ENOUGH!’ a voice boomed over loudspeakers. Before them, appearing from literally nowhere were three spritebots, fluttering their wings and pointing attached submachine guns at them. ‘Invisibility spell’, Twilight Sparkle announced. ‘Has to be’. ‘Very good’, the voice said, this time from the lead spritebot. ‘Always knew that you were clever, Twilight Sparkle’. ‘You... you know who I am?’ Twilight asked in shock. ‘Yes, I know who all of you are. I’ve been watching you, all of you, for a very, very long time’, the spritebot said. ‘How long is a long time?’ Pinkie Pie asked suspiciously. ‘Let me put it this way... Pinkie Pie, have you ever felt like there was a time when you were by yourself, that you felt so incredibly alone? That you felt like the world was going to come crashing down around you? That you wanted to scream, but didn’t, because you knew nopony was around to hear you?’ Pinkie Pie looked at the spritebot nervously, like she had a secret that she didn’t want anypony to know about. ‘Y... yes’. ‘Well, to put it simply, you weren’t alone during that time, I was there. Watching, waiting, and making sure you were safe. That goes to all of you. There has never been a time, in any of your lives that you were ever truly alone’. ‘So you’ve been spying on us’, Vinyl Scratch said. ‘Why?’ ‘Because all of you are far too important to let anything bad happen to, besides, it’s not just you, others too’. ‘Who are you?’ Rainbow Dash asked. ‘Well, now that would be telling! I think it best if we continued this conversation in person. Follow the spritebots’. The spritebots turned and lead the way, against their better judgement, Vinyl Scratch & Co. followed them through the twists and turns of the missile base, and then they soon found themselves in the launch control room. However, unlike HVMB, there was not a launch console at the end of the room. In front of the glass windows looking out into the silo, which did have a missile resting comfortably in it, was an extremely large computer screen, green in colour, and displaying the image of a unicorn mare that bore a resemblance to Twilight Sparkle, except wearing glasses. Vinyl Scratch cocked her head slightly looking in confusion at the monitor, and they approached it cautiously. ‘Ah, yes, this is much better’, the same voice that they’d heard from the Spritebots said, only this time, it was coming from the large computer. ‘Well, come on now, don’t be shy. I am very pleased to finally make your acquaintance. I’m Doctor Emerald Sparkle, and we have a lot to discuss’. ... Octavia was so glad to finally be getting off the train. Applejack’s incessant questioning may have finally died down, in favour of speaking with her brother and cousin. The train had pulled into the station, Octavia grabbed her saddlebags and hopped off the train as quickly as she could, hoping to put as much distance between herself and the dumb hicks. Now she was looking at a map of the surrounding area, discovering the town where she needed to be at. ‘Ponyville’. Charming little town, Octavia thought to herself sarcastically. She exited the train station and started down along the road to Ponyville. ‘Hey! Miss Octavia!’ cried a voice from behind her. Octavia froze in place... that voice, she turned around and to her dismay, Applejack was galloping towards her. ‘Ya fergot yer newspaper!’ Applejack said as she approached her, taking the copy out of her saddlebag and handing it over. ‘Oh... thank you’, Octavia said unenthusiastically, taking the paper and placing it in her saddlebag. She had been done with it and hadn’t really cared. ‘If you’ll excuse me, I must be off. I seem to have a fair bit of a walk to Ponyville’. ‘Ponyville, shoot! That’s where we’re going!’ Applejack exclaimed. Of course it was. Octavia had stopped believing that the universe was fair and just long ago. Now it was just having fun with her. ‘Thanks universe’, Octavia said under her breath. ‘What was that?’ Applejack asked. ‘Oh... nothing’, Octavia asked, trying to think of a way that she could use to get away from the dumb hick, nothing came to her and she began to walk. Applejack and her family walked alongside her plying her with incessant chatter about nothing in particular. Octavia struggled to stay polite. She was a lady after all, and she intended to act like it. ‘So ya got a place ta stay in Ponyville? There ain’t anything in tha way o’ lodgings, but if ya need a place ta bunk, we got an extra room down on tha farm!’ Applejack said kindly. No. Never. Ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever EVER! ‘No, thank you, that will be quite all right, I only plan to be in town for the day, I... thank you for you offer, but I respectfully decline’, Octavia said. ‘Well all right, but if things change, Yer certainly welcome on Sweet Apple Acres!’ Applejack said with a smile. ‘I will... keep that in mind’, Octavia said, forcing a smile. She only hoped that her business would be finished quickly so she could get away from all this.
Chapter 3Chapter 3 Vinyl Scratch eyed the computer terminal before them suspiciously for a moment before speaking. ‘You’re a computer...’ ‘I can see why you would think that, but I assure you that I am just as much flesh and blood as you are’, Emerald Sparkle said simply. ‘My body is just somewhere else at the moment’. ‘And where would that be?’ Vinyl Scratch asked. ‘You’ll forgive me if I’m hesitant to tell that information to the pony who brought my murderer into my home’, Emerald Sparkle said plainly. Vinyl Scratch looked over to Surprise and grimaced slightly, she had forgotten about that little titbit of information. Surprise, however did not respond, she sat several metres to Vinyl’s left and was staring off blankly into space. ‘Yes, I do remember, you are speaking to the creator of the both the Missile and the Artefact after all’, Emerald Sparkle said simply. It was rather disconcerting speaking with Emerald Sparkle, because even though the image on the screen remained static and unmoving. It felt as if she was constantly staring at each of them at all times. ‘I have a question’, Twilight asked stepping forward and looking up directly at the computer screen. ‘If you’ve been watching us the entire time, why didn’t we notice until recently?’ ‘The spritebots wings? They weren’t necessary until recently, I’m still a unicorn, and my magic is just as strong now as it was a thousand years ago, the spritebots are use a combination of arcane magic and technology, the invisibility spell to hide them from sight, and a mass cancelling spell to keep them aloft without needing their wings... until recently Ponyville has become saturated with the artefact’s radiation... and it interferes with the spell matrix, damn thing crashes, kicks over to wings automatically’, Emerald Sparkle said, her tone had shifted slightly, she was becoming annoyed at the questions coming her way. ‘Radiation? But... how?’ Twilight began but was quickly interrupted. ‘Listen’, Emerald Sparkle said. ‘I do not have the time, the energy, or the resources to answer all of your questions! You’re supposed to be clever, FIGURE IT OUT ON YOUR OWN, if I let you, you will be here for the next year, asking question upon question, I don’t have time to...! Damn it! The spell matrix crashed again; have to hide before Carrot Top notices’. Emerald Sparkle was silent for a moment and then returned to speaking. ‘I am not impressed with any of you, all of you are supposed to be special. So far, Rainbow Dash is the only one of you that came close; her first sonic rainboom was more of an annoyance than anything else. I can’t tell you how many spritebots I lost to that event... oh great, somepony’s noticed the hole you made in the cave entrance... hopefully he’ll fall for the old; it’s an Ursa’s den gag... another thing... that dynamite, I do declare, that had to have been the shoddiest workmanship possible when you made them Pinkie Pie... dynamite should be far more stable than that and...’ ‘HEY!’ cried a voice that they were not familiar with. Everypony in the room, even Surprise turned to look and discovered that Fluttershy was in the air, gritting her teeth and looking angrily. She floated towards Emerald Sparkle’s monitor and got up ‘in her face’, pressing her forehead against the glass monitor of the terminal and continued to speak. ‘I don’t care if you’re smart, but it DOES NOT give you the right to talk down to my friends like you’re better than they are, because you’re NOT. So how about you start being POLITE, you big, dumb MEANIE!’ Emerald Sparkle remained silent of a moment. It was impossible to determine her reaction to Fluttershy’s new found assertiveness, as the image on the screen did not change. ‘You’re right, I’m sorry... I... I don’t talk to ponies very often anymore, and sometimes I forget myself, please forgive me, things have been... stressful. I’ve been losing spritebots left and right, too many, too close together to be simple mechanical failure, someone, or something is destroying them, and I don’t have the resources to make more here... trying to tap into the network at the old Fillydelphia Ironworks has been unsuccessful, assuming it still exists...’ Emerald Sparkle said, her voice beginning to trail off. Fluttershy landed on the metal plating and began to clutch her head. ‘I don’t feel so good’, she said as she trotted back. The group was somewhat surprised at Fluttershy. Moments of bravery and assertiveness were rare from the meek, canary yellow Pegasus. Fluttershy stumbled around the missile control room haphazardly, prompting Rarity to go over and help her get it under control. ‘So... I guess now the question to ask is where do we go from here?’ Vinyl asked. Emerald Sparkle was quiet for a time, but then began to address the group. ‘Go home, all of you, and don’t come back here for a while, the last thing I need you doing is drawing attention to this place. A weekly spritebot to Canterlot is already pushing it... if Princess Celestia finds out this place; she will come down here, kill me, and personally rip EPMB to pieces’. ‘Weekly spritebot, huh?’ Vinyl Scratch asked. ‘So you’re how Princess Luna knows everything, huh?’ ‘Perceptive’, Emerald Sparkle said. ‘Princess Luna and I... have an arrangement, yes, I do supply her with information, though she has not returned the favour for anything useful as of late, something of a problem, I shall have to speak to her about it the next time I see her’. Vinyl opened her mouth for another question, but Emerald Sparkle beat her to it. ‘Go home, I will contact you when I need to’, she said plainly. With that, the image of Emerald Sparkle faded from the screen, replacing itself with the words ‘connection lost...’ Clearly, they would be getting nothing else out of the omnipresent pony. ... Octavia was at her wits end. If she had to put up with Applejack’s questioning any longer, she was going to get violent. No, that was not how a lady acted, she needed to remain calm and stay focused on the matter at hand. They had just crossed the south-eastern bridge into Ponyville proper. Calm, however, did not last for Octavia, for the reason that she had come out to this backwater burg in the middle of nowhere was not 10 metres in front of her, walking in the opposite direction towards her. ‘VINYL SCRATCH!’ Octavia screamed at the top of her lungs, not only getting the off-white unicorn mare’s attention, but the entire town’s as well, random ponies in the street had stopped what they were doing and turned to look at her. Octavia didn’t care. ‘Oh... hey! Octavia what’s...’ Vinyl Scratch began to say as Octavia approached her, she did not finish her sentence as Octavia backhoofed her across the face. ‘Hey! O... what are...?’ ‘You come to me’, Octavia seethed. ‘You tell me you’re sick, you tell me you’re DYING, you’ve got a month to live. I make love to you! I grieve, I make peace with myself, knowing that you’re going to be going to a better place, you never come back, I grieve some more! And then, two days ago, I’m in my flat, watching television, and who do I see on an international newsreel?! You! Not only are you alive and well, but you’ve also caused 4000 pounds of property damage in Trotterdam!’ Vinyl Scratch grinned widely. ‘That was a fun night,’ she said, prompting another smack across her face. Octavia’s scowl turned to a sadistic smile. ‘I am so happy that you’re alive... SO I CAN KILL YOU MYSELF!’ Octavia bit down hard on Vinyl’s tail, causing her to yelp in surprise as Octavia began to drag her away. ‘Somepony help me!’ Vinyl called out. Twilight and Co. glanced at each other momentarily, making their decision quickly. ‘Yeah we think we’re going to sit this one out, good luck Vinyl!’ Rainbow Dash proclaimed. Vinyl looked to each of them, bitting her lip as Octavia dragged her towards the Library. ‘Et tu Surprise?’ she asked, looking directly at the white Pegasus mare. ‘The mean bowtie lady is scary...’ Surprise said quietly. The door to the Library flung open and then quickly shut behind again, clearly, there would be no escape for Vinyl Scratch. The library door flung open again, Spike was running as fast as he could away from the tree and stopped just short of Twilight and the group. ‘Spike?’ Twilight asked. ‘Dude... I have no idea who that was... but she’s scary!’ Spike said, panting heavily. From the other end of the street, they heard a small coughing noise. Twilight looked up to see that Applejack was standing at the end of the street, with Big McIntosh and Braeburn. Applejack slowly approached the group, and swallowed heavily. ‘H... hi everypony. Listen, Ah wanted ta say Ah’m sorry fer the way Ah acted at tha bridge, Ah was big headed and stupid, and I hope ya’ll can forgive me fer the way Ah acted’. Twilight glanced to Rainbow Dash, Rainbow Dash glanced to Fluttershy, Fluttershy glanced to Rarity, Rarity glanced to Pinkie Pie, Pinkie Pie glanced to Surprise, and Surprise glanced at Pinkie Pie, leaning in and making silly noises, causing Pinkie Pie to start doing it as well. Twilight facehoofed at the two, causing Applejack to smile. Rainbow Dash trotted up to Applejack and put a foreleg around her for a hug. ‘We’re glad to have you back AJ’. ‘Indeed darling! We missed you terribly!’ Rarity said. ‘Ah’m glad ta be back!’ Applejack proclaimed with a bright smile. ‘Ya don’t actually think that Miss Octavia’s gonna hurt her do ya?’ Rainbow Dash smirked slightly. ‘Oh I think she will... and I think that Vinyl is going to actually enjoy it’.
Chapter 4Chapter 4 Vinyl Scratch and Octavia lay together under the covers; Vinyl Scratch lay on her back, looking up at the ceiling, while Octavia curled up with her head lying on Vinyl’s chest. Vinyl grinned. ‘Let me tell you something O, you’ve certainly got quite the way of showing somepony you’re happy they’re alive’. ‘This changes nothing, I’m still angry with you’, Octavia said, rolling her head around to look at her. ‘You’re always angry with me O’, Vinyl Scratch said with a grin. ‘Because you always do something to make me angry!’ Octavia said, smiling and planting a kiss on Vinyl Scratch’s lips. ‘I know you do it on purpose!’ ‘What can I say? You’re sexy when you’re mad, since that’s all the time I don’t know how I can stand to be around you without getting turned on! Oh wait that’s right...’ Vinyl said grinning widely. ‘Stop that!’ Octavia said playfully, gently pushing Vinyl Scratch away from her. ‘No!’ Vinyl said with a grin, nuzzling her lover sweetly. That was when Octavia began to cry. ‘How could you do that to me, Vinyl?’ Vinyl Scratch frowned, it had been a terrible thing that she had done to Octavia. Forgetting to go back and tell her that she was okay was inexcusable. It was true, Vinyl Scratch could do nothing but hurt the ones she loved. ‘Something happened’, Vinyl said, pulling Octavia close to her. ‘Something happened that made my personal well being not matter... that doesn’t exactly excuse it, it doesn’t, I’m sorry I hurt you Octavia’. Octavia looked up into Vinyl’s eyes; she pushed the goggles off the mare’s head to discover that Vinyl had started to cry as well. She planted a kiss upon her lover’s lips and smiled. ‘How long have you been crying?’ Octavia asked. ‘Pretty much since we started’, Vinyl said with a small smile. She leaned back and laid her head back down upon the pillow. ‘Man... Twilight is going to be so pissed at me when she learns that we had sex in her bed’. ‘You should wash them for her’, Octavia suggested. ‘O, do you remember what happened the last time I did my own laundry?’ Vinyl Scratch asked. Octavia glanced at Vinyl for a moment and smirked slightly. ‘Oh yes... you’re doomed’. ‘Tell me something I don’t know’, Vinyl said with a grin. ... Princess Luna paced back and forth through her room. Something was wrong, she could feel it. The spritebot was late. The last thing she needed was for it to be seen, it would jeopardise everything she had worked for over the last eleven hundred years. There was a knock at her door, Luna turned to it, cleared her throat and spoke. ‘Enter’. The door pushed open and she discovered the slender, pristine white coated figure of her sister. Celestia smiled at her as she trotted into the room, closing the door behind her. ‘Good evening sister’, Luna said simply and continued with her pacing. ‘Good evening, is everything all right?’ Celestia asked as she took a seat on Luna’s bed. ‘You look worried about something, is there anything I can do to help?’ ‘I’m fine’, Luna said, purposely avoiding eye contact with her sister, she knew what she was doing, she was trying to probe for information, their natural telepathy made it easy gleam information from the minds of lesser ponies, though when it came to each other, a much more involved approach was necessary. Celestia was a stronger telepath than her, if Luna wasn’t careful, Celestia could burrow past her defences and learn what Luna was so on edge about. ‘Stop scanning me!’ Luna exclaimed, she could feel her sister nagging and pulling at the corners of her mind. Celestia frowned. ‘You won’t tell me what’s bothering you, Luna, I care, I want you to be happy’. ‘I am plenty happy sister’, Luna said. ‘If I chose to keep things from you, it is because they are private. I am not your vassal, you have not forgotten that we are equals during my exile have you? I am perfectly in my right to keep things from you, as you keep things from me’. ‘Luna... I keep nothing from you...’ Celestia began, but was quickly interrupted. ‘The Machine Cult, and Fillydelphia Iron Works?’ Luna asked. Celestia’s mouth opened and shut several times, but no words came out of it, eventually her mouth shut entirely, and she rose from the bed and began to walk towards the door. ‘I wish you would share your thoughts with me, sister, like we did so long ago...’ ‘Times change’, Luna said simply. Celestia frowned and exited from the room, within moments, she was away from the room and out of earshot. ‘Speaking of secrets... This ‘Machine Cult’, and the Fillydelphia Iron Works was something that I could have been told about’. Princess Luna turned and before her eyes was a spritebot, fluttering it’s wings rapidly to support itself in the air. ‘Hello Sadie!’ Luna said brightly, causing the spritebot to chirp and happily. ‘Hello, Doctor Sparkle, you’re late’, she added, somewhat less enthusiastically. ‘Not late’, Emerald Sparkle’s voice barked over the spritebot’s speakers. ‘Here the entire time, had to make sure that Sadie wasn’t discovered, the royal guards actually seem to be getting competent, I can’t afford to lose any more spritebots than I already have’. Princess Luna nodded simply. ‘Very well, what do you have?’ ‘Well, you will likely be interested in knowing that my descendant and her friends found me, they’ve also reminded me just how little I get out of our relationship, this was meant to be a partnership, after all, Princess, so, I’ve decided that our arrangement is hereby terminated. I am done spying for you. I’ve lost sixteen spritebots in the last four months alone. They are my eyes and ears, Princess Luna, and I cannot make more if they are destroyed, not without access to the Fillydelphia Iron Works... and since I don’t think you’ll be able to get that for me...’ Princess Luna raised an eyebrow at the spritebot before her. ‘The arrangement has worked for the last thousand years...’ ‘And you spent the entirety of it on the moon’, Emerald Sparkle interrupted. ‘Leaving me with nothing to gain, Goodbye Princess Luna. You’ll have to find your own spies to do your dirty work for you’. The spritebot beeped sadly and turned and flew out the window, disappearing, literally into the night sky. ... Carrot Top smiled as she rested her head against Caramel’s shoulder, the two were lying on top of the covers on Carrot Top’s bed, they were quiet, words were not necessary for this moment. Caramel had wrapped his forelegs around Carrot Top’s body and held her close, the two of them were more than content to continue to lie here indefinitely. Thoughts were racing through Carrot Top’s mind, almost all of them related to Caramel. The two officially were together now. Carrot Top couldn’t be happier, Caramel was sweet on her. She smirked slightly at the unintentional pun that her head had put together. Her other thoughts trailed back to her time at the University of Canterlot, It seemed like that was a long time ago, while she had obtained her bachelor with honours in Literature nearly two years before. Much could change in two years, much more than Carrot Top could realise. 999 had been a good year for Carrot Top. Her fourth year of university had been packed with excitement, and special memories that Carrot Top kept to herself, private memories for her own enjoyment. Carrot Top was a rather private pony. While she had lived for four years in Canterlot during her time in university, she left for the quiet, rustic, Ponyville the first chance she got. It wasn’t that Carrot Top was socially awkward or anything, it was just that she liked having time to herself. That was one of the big things that she liked about Caramel. Somehow, the colt knew exactly when she wanted him around and exactly when she wanted to be by herself. He wasn’t pushy, he wasn’t needy, he wasn’t brash, and he wasn’t arrogant. What he was, was kind, and gentle, and sensitive, and loving, all in his own way. Carrot Top smiled, she tilted her head back and planted an upside down kiss on the earth pony stallion’s lips. Carrot Top loved Caramel, Caramel loved Carrot Top, and maybe the best thing about the situation, they didn’t even need to say anything. They just knew.
Chapter 5Chapter 5 Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash and Spike pushed the door to the library open slowly and gently, almost afraid of what they were going to find upon looking inside. To their surprise, they discovered Vinyl Scratch and Octavia sitting on the sofa, talking quietly with each other in a rather civil member. Rainbow Dash rubbed her eyes. ‘I’m seeing things right? Right?’ she asked. Vinyl Scratch turned and grinned madly at her. ‘The rumours of my death have clearly been exaggerated’, she said, causing Octavia to roll her eyes. ‘Please, Vinyl may be many things, but she is certainly not worth going to prison over’, Octavia said, smirking slightly. Vinyl could only grin at her. She got up from her seat and walked over to Twilight and Rainbow Dash, wrapping her forelegs around her friend for a group hug. ‘Hey, listen, I wanted to thank you guys for everything you’ve ever done for me’, Vinyl said, and then lowered her voice just enough so that Octavia wouldn’t hear. ‘In both worlds, old and new’, Vinyl grinned at her friends and then returned to a normal speaking voice. ‘This has been a long time coming; I’m going to be moving out. I’ve been mooching of you guys way too long. It’s time for me to get my own place’. ‘Vinyl you don’t have...’ Twilight said, however she was quickly interrupted by Vinyl. ‘Yeah I do. It’s not fair; you’re just too nice to say anything different. Plus it doesn’t help I’m such a likeable pony’, Vinyl said with a grin, she could just feel Octavia rolling her eyes. ‘Besides, you two are young lovers who deserve some privacy when you want to get intimate with each other; at first it was kind of funny when I could hear you two doing it. Now, it’s just more than a little awkward’. Twilight and Rainbow Dash grinned nervously at each other. Spike merely rolled his eyes, and having lost interest in the conversation crossed the room and into the kitchen for something to eat. ‘Besides, I’m not going far. That place down the street is still looking for a tenant. I’m going to sell off my place in Manehattan and make it my permanent residence! Besides, I haven’t paid the utility bills in months...’ Vinyl said, her voice beginning to trail off. ‘Anyway, I think I’m going to go for a walk, I’ll see you guys later’. ‘I’ll join you’, Octavia said. Rainbow Dash and Twilight nodded, Vinyl had made up her mind. They loved their friend dearly, though she could be quite thick in the head sometimes. Upon making a decision like this, it was impossible to sway her. Vinyl and Octavia trotted outside and began to stroll down the street. ‘This empty place you speak of... describe it a bit’, Octavia said. ‘Two bedroom flat, little more than I need, but you know, that’s never stopped me before!’ Vinyl said with a grin. ‘Why do you ask?’ ‘Well...’ Octavia said, her voice trailing off slightly. ‘Out with it!’ Vinyl said, playfully prodding the earth pony mare. ‘I’ve been sacked from the radio station’, Octavia sighed. Vinyl Scratch raised an eyebrow. Octavia’s day job had been as the manager of a radio station in Manehattan. It was a great job that had netted her a fancy flat on the floor below. Making Octavia the sole permanent inhabitant of the Imperial Tower, that job had been something that Vinyl had envied of Octavia for the entire time she had known her. ‘What? Why?’ Vinyl exclaimed in shock. ‘Probably for telling my boss to, and I quote “get stuffed, you bloody useless wanker”’, Octavia said. Vinyl Scratch’s mouth dropped open. Little miss proper actually saying that to somepony? Let alone her employer? Vinyl could hardly believe it. ‘Why would you do that O? You loved that job!’ Octavia rolled her eyes slightly. ‘Vinyl, I hated every minute of that job, the only reason I had that job was so I could be close by you. Figured it would come in handy for your eventual overdose where I’d need to come save you... I’m just glad it never came to that’. Vinyl Scratch frowned. ‘Yeah... me too... I really wasn’t good to you, was I Octavia?’ Octavia shook her head. ‘No, no you weren’t’, she said, however a small smile began to form on her face. ‘It’s okay though, I forgive you’. Vinyl smiled back at her, and the two mares continued onward down the street. ... Fluttershy felt a bit out of her league as she sat on the floor of her cottage, watching as her house guest lay on her sofa pretending to be asleep. Fluttershy knew from speaking to Vinyl Scratch that Surprise did not sleep. Fluttershy found it quite odd that the mare was bubbly and giggly while in the company of Pinkie Pie, but when Surprise was around Fluttershy, she was painfully shy and detached from the situation she found herself in. This was probably why she was pretending to sleep. Fluttershy had tried to talk to her, tried to get her to open up, but Fluttershy was at her end. Everything she had tried had failed. The thought had crossed Fluttershy’s mind that this was probably exactly how her friends felt about dealing with her. Fluttershy had done her best to be a loving and nurturing force to the Pegasus mare, but for the life of her, she couldn’t get Surprise to open up. Thoughts were racing through Fluttershy’s head, she had an idea that she thought might work, but she didn’t want to make Surprise feel uncomfortable. Maybe she should just leave her alone; maybe she’s perfectly fine and just doesn’t want to talk? Maybe... Fluttershy turned her head at the sound of foot tapping behind her. Angel Bunny was behind her, looking at her with disdain. He was silently communicating to Fluttershy that she needed to stop over thinking it and just do it. Fluttershy understood, and thanks to more prodding from the rabbit, Fluttershy eventually went over to the sofa and laid down on it next to Surprise. Much to her own shock, Fluttershy watched as Surprise’s forelegs wrapped around Fluttershy, and she began to smile. Surprise was definitely awake, though Fluttershy wondered if she was actually aware of the snuggling. Fluttershy couldn’t help but notice that Surprise’s body was somewhat warmer than it should be, and decided to check the mare’s temperature. That however was easier said than done. Fluttershy tried to get up from the sofa only for Surprise to begin holding her tighter. Fluttershy turned bright red in embarrassment and looked around for a way out, eventually discovering that there was none. She then noticed Angel Bunny hopping towards her with her thermometer in tow. ‘Oh! Thank you Angel’, Fluttershy said taking the end of the mercury thermometer in her teeth, taking care to be gentle with it in order to not break it. She gently slipped it into Surprise’s mouth and under her tongue, finding that there was oddly no resistance to the act. After a minute or so, Fluttershy checked the thermometer again and discovered much to her shock that Surprise’s body temperature was at forty degrees Celsius. ‘Oh my!’ Fluttershy exclaimed. That was feverish for ponies. Though, in the back of her mind, the idea dawned upon Fluttershy that Surprise was not a normal pony. What if this was normal for her? She supposed that it wasn’t all that unlikely. Pegasi, for example, usually held their bodies at higher temperatures than unicorns or earth ponies because it helped stave off cold weather, which was a necessary trait for their line of work. Fluttershy took the thermometer back from Surprise and did her best to clean it off and get it back into its case. And while it had been somewhat difficult considering Surprise was still cuddling her tightly, Fluttershy eventually got it back in, and passed the case off to Angel who went and put it back where it belonged. Fluttershy pretty much accepted at this point that she wasn’t going anywhere. Surprise may be awake, though she wasn’t responsive. She might not even be aware that she was snuggling Fluttershy at all. Fluttershy couldn’t help but think on how... nice it felt for Surprise to be doing this to her. Surprise was so warm, so peaceful, so... Fluttershy felt herself turning red. She was becoming aroused by Surprise. Thoughts of Fluttershy and Surprise together in bed ran through Fluttershy’s mind at the speed of light. No! It wasn’t right to think about Surprise like that. Fluttershy was not comfortable with sexuality, despite her encounter with Katrijn, the shop keeper from Trotterdam, to whom she had experienced her first romantic encounter with. That wasn’t to say she had not enjoyed it, and she wasn’t ashamed of it, but it had taken every gram of bravery in the Pegasus’ body to have done it. Even then it had been under the influence of a drink that Rarity had given her to help loosen her up. Fluttershy didn’t know if she could handle intimacy without it. It did not help, that in many ways, Surprise was like a child. Her general demeanour was incredibly childlike, making Fluttershy feel uncomfortable at the idea of being in bed with her. Surprise pulled Fluttershy closer, and began nuzzling her affectionately. The mare was definitely awake, and she was definitely aware at this point. Fluttershy didn’t know how, or why, but it began to put her mind at ease. She calmed herself down, and made herself content to continue to lay there with Surprise for just a little while longer.
Chapter 6Chapter 6 Octavia and Vinyl continued their walk down the street; they stopped for a moment in front of the place Vinyl had been talking about. A ‘for rent’ sign continued to hang in the window for it. ‘It’s... nice’, Octavia said looking it over. ‘The architecture is a little different from what I’m used to... but it’s nice, quaint’. ‘I’m sorry, were you describing the flat, or me? I couldn’t tell’, Vinyl said, flashing a grin at her friend. Octavia said nothing, she merely rolled her eyes at Vinyl and the two continued on their way. They did not get far before commotion sprung on them. Rounding from around the corner was a grey coated stallion, an orange mane and tail, with eyes an equal orange. Though perhaps the most notable about him was the set of royal blue robes that he was wearing, the earth pony (or at least as so as they presumed, if he was a Pegasus, the robes were covering the spot where you’d find the wings) was being chased by two individuals that Vinyl Scratch recognised. ‘Stop! I order you to stop!’ Detective Sergeant Lucky shouted at the earth pony stallion that he was pursuing. His partner, Detective Constable Banana Crème was huffing and puffing not far behind him. As the robed stallion passed them, Octavia leapt quickly into action, she turned and planted her hind hooves into the robed stallion’s flank, sending him toppling to the ground in surprise. He attempted to get back to his hooves, but it had been just long enough for DS Lucky to close the gap, he pounced on the robed stallion and quickly slapped restraints on him. ‘I’m arresting you for the theft of a wireless receiver! You do not have to say anything, but it may harm your defence if you do not mention, when questioned, something that you may rely upon in court, anything you do say may be given in evidence’, Lucky grunted as DC Banana Crème caught up with him. Banana Crème picked the stallion up and walked off with him over towards a park bench where she sat him down and waited for her partner to come. Lucky turned to the two mares before him and smiled. ‘Nice save miss...?’ Lucky questioned. ‘Octavia Auditore’, Octavia said simply. Behind her, Vinyl Scratch began to giggle. Octavia turned to her and gave a deadly stare. ‘What?’ she asked coldly. ‘Auditore. Get it? Auditory? It’s funny, because you’re a musician’, Vinyl said, continuing to snicker. Octavia’s death stare continued, causing Vinyl to chuckle nervously. ‘Okay, I’m done! Shutting up now’. DS Lucky blinked a few times before nodding. ‘Anyway... Miss Auditore, thank you for your assistance’, he turned and began to trot towards Banana Crème. ‘Got anything out of the suspect yet?’ He asked. ‘Not much’, she responded. ‘Won’t give me anything but his name, Montana Ulan’. Vinyl Scratch’s head snapped up to attention, she glanced over at the stallion, she had thought he’d looked familiar, and there it was, plain as day. Montana Ulan himself was sitting, looking nervously at her as she watched. ‘You!’ Vinyl shouted as she trotted over at high speed. Octavia rolled her eyes; Vinyl was making a spectacle of herself again. ‘You have a lot to answer for!’ Vinyl continued. DS Lucky went forward and put himself between her and his suspect. ‘I’m sorry miss; I’m going to have to ask you to step back. You’re interfering with police business’, Lucky said. Octavia trotted up to Lucky and spoke aloud. ‘Actually, Detective Sergeant, it would be you that’s interfering’. Lucky raised an eyebrow. ‘What are you playing at Miss Auditore?’ he asked. Octavia whipped open her saddlebags and pulled out an ID booklet, she opened it and showed it to him. ‘That would be Detective Inspector Auditore, Greater Manehattan Police, Montana Ulan is wanted in connection with a technology smuggling ring, and I’m going to ask that you turn him over to me. Smuggling trumps petty theft’. Vinyl Scratch’s mouth dropped open in shock. ‘You didn’t mention this before’, Lucky said suspiciously. ‘I didn’t think it mattered to me before’, Octavia countered. ‘Now it does, now are you going to cooperate with me, or am I going to have to go to your DCI over it?’ Lucky grumbled, but eventually nodded to Banana Crème, and they released Monty Ulan to them. They continued to grumble as they rounded the corner and out of view. ‘You’re a copper!’ Vinyl Scratch exclaimed. ‘How could you not tell me that!?’ ‘I didn’t tell you, because I met you while on assignment’, Octavia said slipping her badge back into her bag. ‘So what, you were going after me, is that what?’ Vinyl harked at her. Octavia sighed and rolled her eyes. ‘Please, Vinyl, GMP never cared about you. They wanted Trigger. Just so happened the poor bastard choked to death before I was going to ask you to turn Princess’ Evidence against him, besides, it’s not like you never did anything to hurt me, I never lied to you, Vinyl Scratch, I just didn’t tell you the whole truth’. Vinyl Scratch swallowed hard, she hadn’t thought about Trigger in a long, long time. When Vinyl was younger, she’d been roped into dealing drugs for a seedy, greedy Gnoll, also known as a Diamond Dog, by the name of Tigger who loved nothing more than shiny bits. How fitting that his death had been caused by one. He swallowed a coin and choked to death on it. ‘So the cushy flat? The radio station manager?’ Vinyl asked. ‘Both belonged to my cousin, Giovanni, I lived with him. He got us kicked out when he got sacked for telling his boss to get stuffed’, Octavia reported. ‘How come I never met him?’ Vinyl asked. ‘Because we never went to my place, Vinyl, it was always yours’, Octavia said rolling her eyes. She was angry now. ‘Not that I’d expect you to remember, I don’t know how I can expect you to remember anything considering how much time you spent with your head in a bottle, your nose in the sand, and the rest of you in bed’. Vinyl Scratch was fuming in anger by this point. ‘Get the fuck out of my town, right now, before I do something I regret’, Vinyl said, unintentionally using her magic to open her saddlebags. Monty Ulan yawned loudly, causing both mares to look at him after completely forgetting about him. ‘This is entertaining at all, but I’ve got things to do, so hurry up and get me back to Manehattan’s CID so you can release me when the charges won’t stick’. ‘SHUT THE FUCK UP!’ Octavia and Vinyl screamed at him angrily, causing the earth pony to smirk. ‘Well, I’d like to say it’s been fun, Detective Inspector Auditore, but this pretty much killed the mood’, Vinyl snapped. ‘Well I can say the same to you, drug addled whore’, Octavia snapped back. She grabbed Monty Ulan and began dragging him away. ‘Where’s a police box when you need one!?’ ‘You might try looking in the same place as your stick! Up your arse!’ Vinyl called out in frustration, she turned and galloped back to the Library, where she flung open the door and scampered over to the stairs of the rarely used basement. Locking the door behind her she trotted down the stairs and flipped on the lights. She promptly collapsed onto the floor, ripping the goggles from her eyes and tossing them to the ground. She burst into tears, and began sobbing heavily into her hooves. It was at this moment that she was glad that Twilight and Rainbow Dash couldn’t hear her from here. She needed to be alone right now. The more Vinyl thought about it, the more Octavia being a copper made sense. Octavia would never talk about what she did during the daylight hours; she had no friends outside of Vinyl, and a select few members of the Manehattan Symphony Orchestra. Vinyl had to wonder if Octavia had been a detective the first time around, in the old world. Vinyl Scratch’s old world and new world lives had ended up being pretty much the same, but maybe things were different for the other ponies. Maybe Octavia had been her friend on the level the first time around. Maybe she was reliving the exact same lie. She had no way of knowing. Vinyl Scratch’s sobs began to slow, and she pulled her puffy eyes out from her hooves and nearly jumped in surprise when she discovered that a spritebot armed with a submachine gun was hovering, quite literally, two centimetres from her face. ‘Are you quite finished?’ the tinny voice of Emerald Sparkle barked over the spritebot’s speakers. ‘You’re upset, I get it, but you have more pressing concerns’. ‘Piss off’, Vinyl said. And she was supposed to be a witty one. ‘No’, Emerald Sparkle said. ‘I saw that little spectacle you and your... whatever you are pulled outside, I don’t care about that. I care about the one that was with you. Montana Ulan, I know those robes he was wearing. He’s a member of the Machine Cult’. ‘The what?’ Vinyl asked. ‘Exactly’, Emerald Sparkle said. ‘I don’t have time to explain it to you, Vinyl Scratch, you live in a Library, read a book, figure it out, see why it’s important’. With that, the spritebot turned itself invisible, and just like that, it was gone.
Chapter 7Chapter 7 Having fallen asleep in each other’s grasp, Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash were suddenly awoken by the crashing sounds from the level below. Their eyes shot open and the two sat up and leapt out of bed, running down the stairs to see what was going on. They discovered Vinyl Scratch pulling books off their shelves and tossing them about haphazardly. ‘VINYL!’ Twilight called out to her. ‘What in the good name of Celestia are you doing!?’ ‘Given what we know about, I would argue that it’s far from good’, Vinyl said, without bothering to turn around, she didn’t even grin. ‘Where’s your friend?’ Rainbow Dash asked as she continued to make her way down the stairs towards the book covered floor the Ponyville public library. ‘Detective Inspector Auditore, and I are not friends, not any more’, Vinyl said in a huff. ‘Detective Inspector?’ Rainbow Dash asked, stepping over a book in the process. ‘I’ll explain later’, Vinyl said, she let out a growl of frustration and turned her head upwards. ‘Emerald! I get it, you want me to figure it out on my own, but please! Point me in the right direction!’ Both Twilight and Rainbow Dash continued to watch in confusion. Twilight opened her mouth to say something, but was interrupted by the sound of a book falling off the shelf and landing on the floor hard. Vinyl Scratch let out a grin and scampered over to it. ‘Thank you Emerald!’ she enveloped the book in her magic and brought it up to her face. She lifted the goggles off her eyes and took a closer look. Twilight and Rainbow Dash approached Vinyl, but she quickly snapped the book shut and walked over to where her saddlebags were laying on the ground, and placed them on her haunches. She pulled her revolver out of her saddlebags and opened the break, sliding six rounds into the cylinder and snapped it shut. She slipped the revolver and the book back into her bag. She trotted over to the door and opened it up. ‘Vinyl?’ Twilight asked. ‘Where are you going!? What are you doing?’ ‘Out’, Vinyl said, pulling her goggles back down over her eyes. ‘I got something I need to do, don’t follow me. This path on the long road is one I need to walk myself’. Vinyl Scratch pushed open the door and shut it tightly behind her. The mare made her way down the south eastern road, and soon enough, was out of Ponyville. Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle, however, continued to stare towards the door in confusion. ‘Should we go after her?’ Twilight asked. ‘Yes!’ Rainbow Dash said. She burst through the door, breaking her spellbound state and leapt into the air. She looked around for Vinyl Scratch, but the off-white coated mare was already nowhere to be found. It was already dark, and many of the town ponies had already gone to bed, Rainbow Dash wasn’t going to wake them by yelling for Vinyl Scratch when she knew that the mare wasn’t going to answer. That pony was stubborn, and she wasn’t going to announce herself when she was deliberately taking cover from her. Rainbow Dash scowled and landed back on the ground. ‘Did you see her?’ Twilight asked. Rainbow Dash shook her head in the negative, frowning at Twilight, the two went back into the Library, hoping that Vinyl would be okay. ... Octavia sat staring angrily out the window as the train rolled through the Canterlot province countryside in a private compartment in the back car of the train. She’d used her authority to clear it out, sitting across from her was Montana Ulan, whom she’d dragged from Ponyville just in time to make the evening express. Octavia was sure to keep a close eye on him. Montana Ulan was crafty, this she’d known already. He and several of his smuggler friends had been arrested several times in the past, but somehow managed to get off on either a technicality or a mysterious order from the top. ‘You’re wasting your time, you know’, Montana Ulan said simply. ‘I’ll bet you twenty bits that I’ll be out of your custody before we even get to midtown’. Octavia eyed the robed earth pony with annoyance. ‘As if I had twenty pounds on me to waste on you... but no, you’re not getting out of this, I don’t care if one of the princesses themselves comes down before me and orders me to release you, I’m still not going to do it’. ‘Oh, I think you would, care to test that theory?’ Montana said flashing a very Vinyl Scratch like grin, something that irked Octavia Auditore just more than a little. Octavia was fuming at the way Vinyl Scratch had acted; it wasn’t as if Vinyl was a saint or anything. Octavia might have met her because of the assignment, but she really had cared about her. GMP had thrown more than a few fits over Vinyl Scratch. After the Diamond Dog, Trigger, had choked to death, GMP had wanted to make an example of her, and Octavia had gotten into several altercations with her Detective Chief Inspector over it. She’d still been a Detective Sergeant at the time, and had argued that Vinyl Scratch was more useful to them out of custody than in it. Vinyl Scratch had spent much of the time of their friendship high, and in bed with a stranger from one of the clubs that they frequented. That stranger would usually end up being arrested in two to three days after that. The steady stream of arrests for the Drug Squad kept GMP off Vinyl’s haunches, but the constant conflict between Octavia and her superiors had pretty much guaranteed that she’d never make it past Detective Inspector. ‘I hate to interrupt what is clearly a stream of pleasant thoughts’, Montana Ulan said. ‘I need to use the washroom’. Octavia sighed, they had a few hours ride left, she couldn’t make him hold it, she ushered him up and over to the washroom at the front of the car. Octavia opened the door for him and he raised his forelegs in response, wanting her to un-cuff him. ‘I don’t think so’, Octavia said with a scowl. ‘All right, fine, it’s going to take me a while though, hard to get these robes on and off even when I have full movement of my legs’, Montana Ulan said. ‘We have time’, Octavia said displeasingly. The robe clad earth pony nodded and went into the washroom. Ten minutes passed, and Octavia was getting impatient. ‘You’ve had long enough! Out here! Now!’ She got no response. With that, Octavia forced the door open, only to discover that the washroom was empty. The window was open, a set of hoofcuffs lay on the floor, and there was a note taped to the door. That’ll be £20. She heard a knock behind her. Octavia poked her head out the door. Montana Ulan was on the gangway between the two cars waving at her. Octavia’s eyes widened as he pulled the hitch out and disconnected the rail cars. Montana Ulan continued to wave at her as the rest of the train rocketed away towards Manehattan, and the rear car and the caboose slowly slid to a halt. Octavia pounded on the door in frustration, he’d gotten away! Now, she had to walk back home... ... Fluttershy and Surprise trotted through town Fluttershy was humming a tune as she walked, and enjoyed the cool March day, not noticing that Surprise was keeping in step with her, and was humming the same tune. Fluttershy looked down the street to discover Twilight and Rainbow Dash at the end of the high street and turned to walk over towards them; Surprise didn’t miss a beat, and kept in step next to her. Surprise began looking around, figuring that Vinyl Scratch would be with them, but quickly discovered that she was not. ‘Hello Twilight, hello Rainbow Dash’, Fluttershy said sweetly. ‘Good morning to you!’ ‘Oh! Hey Fluttershy’, Twilight said, ignoring Surprise entirely. ‘Hey Fluttershy, hey Surprise’, Rainbow Dash said. ‘Where is Vinyl Scratch?’ Surprise asked. ‘I don’t know’, Rainbow Dash said with a shrug. ‘She took off late last night, storming around the Library tossing books everywhere, then she found one and stuffed it in her saddlebag, loaded her gun, and went out the door telling us not to follow her’. Surprise looked blankly at Rainbow Dash for a moment, then without moment, her wings popped open and scared Fluttershy senselessly. Surprise got low to the ground and kicked hard, bounding into the air and heading off in the south eastern direction. Twilight knelt down next to Fluttershy to comfort her, Rainbow Dash turned and watched as Surprise flew out of view. ‘What was that all about?’ Rainbow Dash asked. ‘I guess...’ Twilight said, helping Fluttershy up. ‘She’s going to look for Vinyl Scratch?’ ‘Well, at least she’s loyal’, Rainbow Dash said, she turned at Twilight and offered her a faint smile. ‘It’s too bad you don’t like her, because I do’. Twilight scowled at Rainbow Dash, that comment had just earned her a sleeping spot on the balcony.
EpilogueEpilogue Vinyl Scratch had stopped running. Here she was marching down the southern road with only a vague notion of the direction she was going, she'd been walking all night and hadn't stopped since departing from Ponyville, leaving Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash in a world of confusion. To be perfectly honest, she was in something of a confusion herself. To be perfectly honest, Vinyl Scratch needed to be away for a little while, what had happened between her and Octavia... she needed to get away. Even if her idea of getting away was locating the Fillydelphia Iron Works and contending with the members of the Machine Cult that were undoubtedly going to be there. The book that Vinyl Scratch had taken from Twilight's Library was a book on the history of manufacturing in Fillydelphia from a thousand years ago. How this book had escaped the burnings that had come after she had taken power, Vinyl could only guess. Not to mention that Ponyville hadn't been built until year 899 of Celestia's reign. The book had likely been in Emerald Sparkle's care, and dropped by an invisible Spritebot when asked for it. Vinyl's ear twitched, she looked up and noticed a white blur was moving towards her, and fast. A second later it was on her. 'SURPRISE!' Surprise had tackled Vinyl Scratch to the ground and was grinning brightly. 'Found you!' Vinyl Scratch blinked, she should be mad, she didn't want anyone following her, though she had only told it to Twilight and Rainbow Dash, she couldn't get mad at Surprise for it. 'What are you doing?' Vinyl asked. 'Helping you!' Surprise said brightly, hopping off Vinyl and helping her up. 'Did you consider that I might not want help?' Vinyl asked. 'Nope!' Surprise said and grinned at her. Vinyl realised at this point that Surprise was emulating her. 'Okay, when I do it, it's adorable, when you do it? It's just plain creepy', Vinyl said. Surprise continued to grin. Vinyl Scratch smiled and let out a sigh. 'Okay, fine, let's go then'. Surprise smiled, and the two mares continued to walk down the road.
