Chapter 3:

With the flashing strobe lights, and the colored patterns dancing on the floor and walls, she had almost missed it. But there, standing by the bar counter masked in shadows stood a mare. Drink in hoof, the pony was stark still, her eyes locked on the booth. Locked on the two ponies sitting within its confines. More importantly, Vinyl noted a bit sourly, on Octavia.

She didn't like this one bit, even if she was unsure as to the reason. Vinyl could vaugly see the outline of wings folded at her sides, but her vision was obscured when the waitress returned with the drinks.

"Here ya go, girls. Three more shots of rum, another tequila sunrise, and a bottle of 98 proof Germane Vodka," she stated, levetating the drinks carefully onto the table. Vinyl sighed, losing her concentration as she was blocked from her thoughts by a stark realization.

"Um, we didn't order any vodka, Silver..." the white unicorn cautiously articulated, staring at the expensive bottle. A bottle of the high-grade vodka would cost 30 bits at the liqour store, let alone at the bar. And as much as Octavia said she would pay for the drinks, it wouldn't be right to take advantage of the pony who had just undoubtedly saved all of her worldly possessions.

A sly smile spread across the muzzle of the sleek grey waitress and she swished her tail a few times, trying to decide whether or not to tell the agitated white unicorn who had been a regular here for well into a year. Polished Silver had remembered the day the boistrous teenage mare had come in here, flaunting an obvious fake ID. But now was not the time for reminicing, she chided herself.

"Well, sweetie, I know that," She chuckled easily, her voice coming out as smooth as her name implyed. "A young mare wanted to give the 'happy couple', as she put it, a gift." She lowered her voice to a whisper that anypony would have to be sitting at the booth to hear.

"Also, she wanted me to ask about a drinking challenge...much like the one that got your adorable little flank access to the bar." She backed up a step and tapped her hoof on the dark mahogany floor, waiting for the aspiring DJ's quick reply.

Vinyl had trouble grasping the hushed statement at first, but within a few seconds, realization sparked in her eyes. Nopony would have seen it under her purple tinted lenses, but her smile betrayed at least some of what resided in those orbs.

"What the BUCK do you mean, 'happy couple'?!" the charcoal maned rearth pony quietly shouted-if that were even possible, but nonetheless, the high-class musician managed. Looking over at her companion, Vinyl's smile turned sheepish.

"Well, you see, Octy-"

"Don't call me Octy," the now sour-mooded mare huffed, no doubt thinking of the pet name being responsible for the misguided proclimation.

"Octavia, I don't think think this filly was onl-" Once again the white unicorn was interrupted, albeit from a completely foreign source.

"Messing with you? By that smile i'd think you were a lamb," she poked a hoof at Vinyl. "And your eyes would suggest that you found my humor to be outrageous. Am I correct?" the pony smiled at Octavia, her golden flecked eyes portraying that she found the reactions amusing.

She was the pegasus from the corner, Vinyl realized with a jolt. "Who the buck are you, fancy eyes?" she retorted, her smile altogether evaporating in the presense of the pony that had been causing her unease the entire night.

The ultramarine pony apraised her, then Tavi, and finally looked to Silver. She smiled languidly at the blue eyed waitress before returning her attention to the two sitting at the booth. "A friend," was the drawn out, low-pitched reply.

"Well, um...friend...I accept your challenge! So, what is it? who can drink the most before vomiting, who can knock back the most shots the fastest, what flavor of alco-" Well, it would appear that nopony is going to let me finish a bucking sentence!

"Oh no, Miss Vinyl Scratch. I did not come her to challenge you to a drinking challenge; I came here to go agaisnt that hot little filly you inched closer to just a moment ago," the blue pony grinned, flipping her copper colored mane out of her eyes.

"WHAT?! Why the buck aren't you challenging me? think you can't handle a DJ?" Vinyl ranted, slamming her hoof on the table and sending the pricey bottle of vodka flying towards Octavia. Her eyes went wide and her mind refused to allow the unicorn to get a hold of the bottle with her magic. Stupid shock!

However, just before the vodka inevitably hit the cowering pony, a voice rung out, stopping the flying bottle in its metaphorical tracks. "Be still!" it shouted, somehow being both ear shatteringly loud, and as quiet as the flutter of moth wings on a still night. It was only after a few seconds that anypony realized the only thing they were able to move were their eyes, and that even the drops of alcohol and the small floating dust particles were frozen in place.

Then, as if on cue, the strange pegasus stepped forward, picking up shot glasses and using them to catch the rum standing in the air, that had been knocked out ofthem by the force of a white hoof comming down on the table. once the rum was back in the glasses, she quickly scooped up the tequilla sunrise, and then started towards the bottle of vodka and the grey mare it was about to hit.

This was beyond Vinyl's level of comprehension, and as she saw the stranger grabbing Octavia, her mind went into a defensive mode. She began to charge up a spell to disable the mare's own seemingly impossible one as the world stood still. Vinyl wasn't sure why, but for some reason she was the only other pony who was able to move at all, and among further trial, she found that while extremely slow, she was able to move the rest of her muscles.

With grim determination, Vinyl began to cast a disabling web, her horn glowing with an opalescent blue light. The strange Mare's ear twitched and she turned her eyes towards the faint sound of magical buildup emanating from the horn of the white unicorn. With a shocked expression her eyes flashed realization and she quickly turned back towards the amethyst-eyed mare still frozen in the booth.

With a light shove, she moved octavia out of the way, and repositioned the ponies at the booth in a ducking position. with one last move she watched as the angered unicorn's horn began to fire off the spell, bringing the world crashing back as the pony shouted "DUCK!"

Suddenly the world started its vividly quick motions once more, and Vinyl stared as she realized that this stranger had just placed herself where less than a second ago her new roommate sat. She ducked under the tabletop just in time for the bottle to shatter against the pony's neck, severing the coroted artery. In a shower of blood glass and vodka, debris was flung directly into the space where moments before stood the suddenly confused unicorn.

"Oh sweet Celestia, what just happened?!" the familiar voice of Polished Silver rung out as she let her serving tray clatter to the ground. Vinyl nervously peeked her head over the table and nearly vomited when she saw the steady flow of blood pouring out of the mare's neck. Glass was stuck in her left eye and her jaw was hanging limply from its socket.

She turned and with her undamaged eye seemed to smile sheepishly at everypony. Putting a hoof to her rapidly draining neck, she positioned her artery and seemed to completely fix it, stopping most of her blood loss. The purple eyes of Octavia were still wide with terror, only this time she was focused on the blood-soaked pony.

The mare flinched against to sting of glass and alcohol as she took the brunt of the bottle, glass embedding itself wherever it could find purchase. The white pony had just managed to disable the web of frozen time she had hastily placed, somehow skipping over the young mare and allowing her to slip into the timeless pocket that was the teenager's web. She reprimanded herself against the sting, the mistake hurting worse than the injuries she sustained.

She had had just enough time to move herself in front of the line of fire, not being able to stop the oncoming motion. Better I than Miss Philharmonica she thought to herself as she let her eyes portray a sheepish smile, her mouth being incapable at the moment. Without much thought, she brought her hoof up and repostitioned her artery for easier reattachment.

Her eyes lingered painfully on the guilt-riddedn face of the young blue-maned musician. With a stuttering squeek, the unicorn began to apologise, but was cut short when Silver rushed over levetating a damp rag in the air, and began to wipe blood off of her coat.

"HOLY SHIT, SILVER! What is on that cloth, acid?!" her voice managed as she fixed her jaw. With every dab of the wet cloth, stabbing needles of pain raced through the battered nerves from her chest up, white hot and sharp, feeling as though her whole torso was being torn apart.

"Lyca, hold still! The less you squirm, the less this will hurt."

"There's glass stuck in me! at least let me expell it, and then you can kil;l me," she whined, trying to get away as Silver kept dabbing at the blood and glass on her coat.

"Fine, but make it quick, and then dont bother fixing the small stuff!"

Scratching the back of her neck in confusion, Vinyl raised her voice, the terror still evident, if lesser at this point. "Um, am I the only pony here who doesn't understand what the crap is going on here?" She looked to the impatiently waiting unicorn mare, who only gave Vinyl a glance before turning back to the stranger who caught her eye next. The pegasus looked over at her and opened her mouth to say something, but was interrupted as Silver dabbed the cloth at her neck once more, elicting a sharp yelp from the teenager.

Next, she turned her head in the direction of the grey earth pony mare, who had a look that said she was just about ready to gallop away and hide. upon seeing the scared purple eyes, Vinyl turned back to the strange blue pony who was now whispering something into Silver's ear, causing the mare to blush and set down the rag.

Near fuming with angry confusion, the unicorn reached out with her magic and tugged on a wing, bringing the now purple-faced pony's attention to her. "Okay, Missy, what the buck is going on, and who are you?!"