Will To Survive

Chapter 4: Suspicions

A week has passed sense our unsuccessful attack on the warehouse. Since then I have learned a lot on making the drug. The intense concentration and knowledge that goes behind it is fascinating. Each part of the process must be done a certain way or one of two things will happen. Through most of the process if you mess up it just ruins the batch and you will have to start over. On the last part, which is the most time consuming, when the batch is slowing cooked over a small fire if you mess up, such as just moving the table, it will ignite making a large fireball. Matter of fact: In Sparky’s Den right above our heads in the kitchen is a big black scorch mark from that happening one time.

I also learned that the other rivals in the city all have different characteristics. The Vimont have a huge supply of explosives and high-class weaponry. The Unity has numbers and land, and there are two other groups. The Havenruns and the Diamond Havocs, both of which are quite small compared to the other three. Vimont has direct connections to us and Unity, but remain neutral. The other two fight each other like we fight Unity. The city is just one big bloodshed.

I have been staying in Sparky’s Den because I haven’t bought an apartment yet. I don’t mind Sparky’s place, she isn't there most of the time, but when she is it can be hard to stay. She must be on something because I have never met a pony so active and energetic at three in the morning singing tunes and skipping around. She has made several attempts to talk to me, but I can’t understand what she says. It’s just one large run-on sentence. When she isn’t there it’s peaceful, except when it’s windy out, like it has been recently. The whole place creaks when the wind pounds the building. It’s not scary in any way, just a nuisance when you try to sleep.

Recently Cosmic, Mercurial, and I have been just hanging out making the powder at Sparky’s. It’s actually entertaining to make it. It keeps you busy, it’s a neat learning process, and over all I have some interesting conversations with those two. However, when a conversation isn’t taking place we flick on the radio and listen to it. Cosmic usually picks the stations which always end up being dubstep. Sometimes we gamble by playing cards or make pointless bet. Mercurial and I bet on whether or not Princess Celestia would be in a room with a felon with no guards. I say she would, he said no. If only I could prove I was right to get myself a quick ten bits.

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Today was supposed to be like any other day. Wake, work, hang around, and sleep. On occasion we would take the goods and deliver them. Not today, we had to make some and tomorrow we would ship it.

Mercurial and I were just doing our normal business without Cosmic; she was taking a break today. We had a knock on the door, this wasn't uncommon. What threw us off was that it was not in the rhythm that you’re supposed to do it in. Mercurial grabs his pistol and walks over to the door. I wasn’t far behind him, although I was unarmed.

I really need to get a weapon of my own.

When Mercurial opened the door it revealed a rather older looking dark brown stallion. There were bags under his eyes and lines showing age all over his face. I have never seen him before, but Mercurial did. He lets him in without any question and takes a seat. The old pony sits across from him, and I just stand there. There was a silence in the room as the old pony looks around observing his surroundings, like he has never been here before.

“So what are you doing here for?” Mercurial said breaking the silence.

“Well,” He paused and cleared his throat. “I heard about your guys little attack on the warehouse.” his voice was deep, gravely, and a bit monotone.

“Yea, what about it, other than the fact we failed.”

“Oh, are you sure about that?”

Mercurial looked at him with a very confused look. “What do you mean ‘Are you sure about that’?”

He smiles, but it quickly fades away. “I don’t think Unity did the attack.”

Now he had Mercurial’s full attention, but I didn’t understand were he was going at with this.

“What do you mean?” I added to figure out what he meant.

“Well, Unity isn’t known for attacks like they did there. They're not good at responding fast. I believe it was a setup. Either that, or they were informed you guys were coming.”

“What?” Mercurial said with an unsatisfied tone.

“Just think about it Mercurial. Have you ever seen Unity reflect an attack like that before? It was all a setup; even the powder stolen was fake.”

He had point, so now he needs to skip to the chase.

“So what are you thinking?” I said cutting of Mercurial before he spoke up again.

“Well, you guys were in a part of the city that Vimont operates in. I think they have something to do with this.” Mercurial drops his eyes half down and leans back in his chair. It was obvious he was unconvinced. The old pony continued on anyway. “So we need to find something out, and I know just how to figure out if this is true or not.”

“How?” Mercurial said in his usual tone.

“Remember Genocide, from the strip mall shooting a year ago? He’s working with Unity as a negotiator for purchasing goods.”

“And he’s going to help us, why?”

“Black Mail informed me he’s meeting with somepony in a few weeks. I need you…”

“Nope.” Mercurial said cutting him off.

The old one seemed to respect Mercurial, but when he had said that, the veteran old pony looked at him with eyes filled with rage. As this moment Sparky jumps in from the kitchen, wait. She was here this whole time?

“I’ll do it!” She said with her usual oversized grin.

The old pony sat there for a second calming down, “Fine, whatever.” Waving his hoof in her direction.

Sparky was beginning to jump in place with pure joy. I just shake my head back and forth, if she needs to follow somepony she’ll be sighted quickly.

“And you, uh, Blue Sparks, go with her.”

I quickly look at him. “What?”

“You heard me, when the time comes I want you to go with her.”

Damn it. “Alright.” I sort of mumbled in hopes he would change his mind.

“Good,” and he begins to walk out the door without another word.

“Wait, who are you?”

“Just refer to me as your boss.” He nods his head and walks out.

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Ever sense Sparky and I were assigned to take the task to locate somepony of which we didn’t know anything about other than his name being Genocide, she has been staying at her place the whole time. It’s been about two weeks and I’m about to lose it. I haven’t seen her sleep at all this entire time. She’s either in the kitchen singing to tunes on the radio, dancing, or just standing there with a blank face staring off into space.

A vast number of things pop into mind when meeting her. Oh she's just hyperactive. Oh she's just random and likes to be funny. Once you live with her however, your brain can’t comprehend it. Her attitude, behavior, likes and dislikes, and just about anything else besides appearance changes rapidly. It’s like playing the slot machines; the combinations are always different, no matter how many times you pull that lever. Same goes for her; she’s never the same, no matter how often you see her.

I have retreated to the coffee shop upstairs. This abandoned old place has the feeling of loneliness. It looks as if a dust storm had passed through. A lowly glaze of dust lingers in the air, the windows shattered, the tables all tossed in one corner with the chairs tossed in another. There is broken glass on the ground and the walls have holes in them and are damaged to the extent the building looks like it was about to collapse. It reminds me so much of my old apartment.

There is a metal vent with a grate on top that comes from the basement were the heat seeps through. Using an old carpet rug, I placed it overtop to use it like a heated bed, it worked to. Although this coffee shop is long gone, the coffee makers still work surprising enough. Every morning I would make coffee that it now has become a habit, and it may become an addiction. It’s just so damn good!

After two weeks of waiting the old pony comes back with Black Mail as well. They came inside and called out for me and Sparky. I was in the kitchen with Cosmic, Sparky was doing, and whatever the hell she was doing in the living room. I kind of hesitate to call it a room for this whole basement could be legally deemed a closet with all the towers of boxes filled with junk.

When the two entered and called for us I walked in to the living room, but just stood there. I knew we would be heading out soon, so I saw no reason to sit down. Sparky, on the other side of things, flings over to the nearest seat and sit upright and perfect. And of course she is the first to speak up, and almost so fast it’s hard to understand.

“So whata we doing?!”

The Boss looks at Black Mail and nods his head. Black Mail steps forward and puts some pictures down on the table.

“So here’s who you two are going after.” The pictures showed a white stallion with a red and black mane. His left eye was pure white with a scar across it. “His real name is unknown, but his street name is Genocide.”

“Why?” I asked

“He was the cause of twenty deaths last year at a shootout in a strip mall. He’s wanted big time by the Royal Guard.” The old one said in his usual gravelly voice.

“So anyway, we need you two to follow him. He’s going to be meeting somepony today in about two hours at a club in downtown.”

“OH which club? Is it Neon? No wait is it Palmy Sp…” Spark was cut off by Black Mail.

“Neither of those two, it’s a special underground one near the Crystal Building. In order to get in you need a special card, of which I have two right here.” Black Mail goes to toss two red cards with fancy gold lacings on the table. “Once you’re in, find him and keep an eye on him. However, keep your distance. Figure out what they’re up to, and then report back here if you find something out.”

Sparky goes to salute as I just nod my head. We pick up the cards and begin to head out. I know the place their talking about. I was in there once when I worked for a friend who had access. It’s not all that great, but that was over five years ago, the place has probably changed a bit.

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I was right; this old place has changed VERY much since I was last here. What used to be an old speakeasy was now a full blown club. There was a new dance area; the entire room was a just one big screen, which would change between a multitude of colors and effects. Some were so intense that during the drop on some electronic songs the whole room looked as if it was warping; moving back and forth to the rhythm of the music being played. So often it seemed ponies would walk away swaying back and forth from being dizzy. There were multi-colored strobe lights that flickered at speeds so fast it was almost impossible to recognize they were flashing.

The old dusty wooden bar had been completely removed and was now added to a more fancy style. The bar table was made out of a shiny marble in crested with gems. The floors in the bar were also screens that would change to the music playing as well, just not as loudly. The walls were aligned with different things from records to antique weaponry.

This place isn’t even close to the same as it was only five years ago.

Sparky and I walked in with ease and made our way to the bar. We sat down on the comfortable spinning bar chairs and searched for Genocide. We didn’t see him anywhere. For a while it didn’t even seem as if he was coming. Sparky and I sat there for about twenty minutes and there was still no sight of him. To help kill the time I talked to Sparky, and we managed to have a real conversation, but for a only a brief moment.

“So you said you’ve been here before?”

“Yeah, it used to be speakeasy, just a place for ponies to go to drink during the prohibition. It wasn’t this fancy place decked out with enough electronics to cause rolling blackouts.”

“Oh! That’s neat. So neat, like…”

I faded out of the conversation at this part. It becomes easy to fade away from listening when she begins to go on without a goal to end. I just sip the beverage in front of me still scanning the room for the one we’re after. Still no sight and I was beginning to get annoyed. Eventually, he walks in through the front, pauses for a second and heads into a corner booth. He sits down and begins talking to the two who were sitting there before him. There was a brown stallion with braided green hair, and a mare who was teal with red hair. I did know who the two he was talking with, so I had to ask Sparky.

“Hey,” I nudge her shoulder who then quickly looks at me. “Genocide is in the corner booth with two others, do you know who they are?” I said this to her while staring down at my drink which was almost empty.

She looks over my shoulder and looks at them for only a second before coming back. “Yeppers, the guy, that’s Evergreen, he’s the leader of Vimont. I don't know who the bitch is." When she said that last sentence it threw me off. She wasn't one for cursing, especially so open. "So, bossy boss boss was right. They are working together.”

I peer over again to see Genocide slip a bag filled with bits over to Evergreen; in return he gave him a folder with some papers inside. They all had a large smile and was slightly laughing, until Genocide takes a glance in my direction and sees me looking at him. He quickly turns his smile into a concerned look. He shakes Evergreens hoof and begins to walk out.

“Sparky, come on. We’re going.”

She quickly takes her new drink down and walks with me. We waited until he was out of sight and then we pick up our pace. Up the stairs out of this electronic den and into the night filled city. Genocide knew we were following him and he begins to run.

Sparky and I begin to run after him. Whatever papers he had it was something we needed. I charge after him head on, but Sparky had other plans. “Keep chasing him, I gots an idea!” Then runs off into a nearby alleyway.

“Sparky what are you..?” She continues on anyway, and I just chase Genocide without any thought. We flung through the crowded city streets. He was fast, but not much faster than me. The issue is he flung anypony or anything in his way at me. Jumping back and forth dodging his throws in his petty attempted to escape he runs into an alleyway. I followed him in; at the end of the long brick-walled alleyway there was a split to go either left or right. He stops right in the center trying to decipher which way he should go. He looks left to see a stone wall, and then glances to his right. At that moment, his eyes went wide as a bolt of electricity hit him flinging him twenty feet.

Sparky walks out with her body slightly glowing with a static sparks zapping around her body and through her spiked hair. She comes out laughing so hard she was nearly choking.

“HAHAHA! He went like, like, so far!!” She walks over to Genocide charging her horn again. Her attitude quickly changes as she points it at Genocide. “WHERE ARE THE DOCUMENTS!?!” The static begins again and rings of electricity were going all throughout her figure, and her eyes shrunk making them look pure white with small little black dots in the middle.

“Okay, just relax you psycho, here.” Genocide said in a deep voice giving Sparky the file. Sparky grabbed the files and threw them over to me.

“Okay Blue, let’s go.” Her horn discharged the bolt of lightning at the wall beside her shooting electricity in every direction, almost hitting Genocide a second time. We get up and begin walking away. It didn't take long for him to react as he gets up and begins to charge at me. However, Sparky is quicker. With little thought, she quickly recharged her horn and shot him a second time. He went flying back up against the wall, but didn’t move.

“There, now that’s one less problem to deal with. We did the Royal Guard a favor.” Sparky said with a serious attitude walking away. Very quickly after she begins to skip down the street with me all the way back to her place humming a harmonious tune.

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We headed in through the front door around eleven at night. When walking in it was completely dark except for a light illuminating from the kitchen, a light instrumental jazz music playing softly on the radio, the smell of cigars being burned and sounds of a conversation in the kitchen. Sparky and I walk in with the folder we got from Genocide. They both looked at us with small smiles on their faces. Black Mail had a cigar in his mouth; he goes and pulls it out to talk to us.

“So what did you two figure out?”

I place the folder on the table to which the documents inside spilled out. He goes forward to grab them to have a look.

“Wow, just, wow. This is amazing, how did you get these?”

We tell him the story to which he as well as The Boss was quite pleased. He skims through the papers loaded with key information. Few of the papers had plans and idea, few of them were receipts on recently purchased weapons, others were pictures of our own hotspots with ideas on how to attack stapled to them. What was the biggest surprise was three photos of ponies. One showed Black Mail with a sniper rifle crosshair on it. The second did the same thing, but this one had Cosmic Joy. The last one was the same as the other two, but the pony I didn't know. She was a slight tan color with light red and purple hair.

The dimly lit room with a hazy atmosphere of a smoke cloud wafting over our heads made the moment more intense than it already was. We waited there in the silence eagerly waiting for Black Mail to give us a response as he skimmed over all the pages.

“Alright,” He gets up and puts out his cigar, “I’m taking these back to my place. Warn the other places about what we have found out on these two’s little alliance.” He waves his hoof in our direction. “Well, do that tomorrow that is.”

We gave slight nods as I walked upstairs into the dusty coffee shop to sleep on my makeshift bed. Out of the cracks the light shined through with the cigar smoke leaking out with it. I curl into it and did one thing I haven’t done in a long time. I slowly drifted into a uncomfortable sleep, because I’m unaware to what will come forth over this alliance of our biggest rivals.

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The next morning my eyes open to the light hitting my face. The sun shined through the shops broken and boarded up windows while hitting the dust in the air.

Struggling to get up, I stretched and headed downstairs. Sparky wasn’t there, but Mercurial and Cosmic were. They were talking and enjoying the breakfast. What shocked me was when entering this usually grimy room, it was cleaned. Well, it was a little, enough so that you can walk around without bumping into something. The counter-tops had been cleaned off with the dishes cleaned and put away.

“What the hell happened here?”

Cosmic and Mercurial began to laugh. “We don’t know either; we walked into it like this. We’re guessing Sparky did it.” Cosmic said still giggling.

I just sit down shaking my head back and forth. “So have you guys heard yet, about Vimont and Unity?”

They both not at the same time, “Sparky told us last night.” Mercurial added, “I was asleep at home when she busted through my front door yelling.” He begins to laugh. “Then she told me and headed out. So random, it’s impossible to understand with her.”

We all chuckle in agreement.

“So what’s going down?” I asked trying to figure out today’s objective.

“Our normal routine I guess, unless something comes up. But now that we have their documents I doubt there going to do much now.” Cosmic said taking a bit of her toast with a fried egg on top.

“Hopefully this thing will blow over. I’m not scared of Unity, it’s Vimont I’m nervous about,” He takes a drink of his soda. “and with good reason too.”

“Yeah, ever since that attack they did on that casino about a year or so ago.” Cosmic added in while actually getting up to put the dish in the sink, shocker.

I know about the attack she’s mentioning.

It was more about ten months ago really. Unity owned a casino called Lucky Horseshoes near the beach. It was a huge fancy building, standing proud twenty stories in the air with enough ascetics around it to make florists have a heart attack. This huge building was in an area that was like Applewood. Rich and famous ponies lived there. The oceanic view from just about any area you were made it an ideal location.

Vimont had snuck into the casino one night and had charged the entire building with high explosives. The next morning while all was calm and peaceful, Vimont set off the explosives. The top ten floors went up in a flaming mushroom cloud as the building began to give in. Luckily, the fire department managed to get there quickly and put the fire out and recuse the rest inside.

The casino was totaled the next day with controlled explosives. This little event sparked up a nationwide scare. Radio talk show hosts reported on it nonstop. Newspapers were riddled with pictures and documents. Once word got out that Vimont cause the attack, the Royal Guard became involved to strike back, there was no success on their end.

After Cosmic, Mercurial, and I were finished talking, we went on with our daily routine. We, as well as the rest of everypony else in our group, were waiting eagerly to hear about what’s ahead for us.

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