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Chapter 4: Familiar Faces

Surrounded by four walls and alone at last, Vinyl Scratch finally had a moment to relax. She looked around her temporary abode and found it to be an interesting sight. Blue, pastel walls framed with faux white molding, accented by white curtains covering the windows gave 'room number twelve' a calming atmosphere. Despite the wholesome surface she viewed now however, Vinyl saw the emptiness of the room and began to feel the impersonal vibe it gave off.

Two beds a few feet from each other, a lone dresser with a lamp on top, a small bookshelf with donated literature lining its rows, a miniature refrigerator no doubt stocked with overpriced snacks and drinks, and a door leading to the bathroom. The door was locked, the light was on, and the punctuated sound of splashing set to running water filled the room with muffled sound that was almost hypnotic.

Reggie was taking a shower to remedy his less than pleasant odor that had been present since he'd gotten out of bed the previous night. Vinyl had to admit that for a pony with such a filthy sense of humor, he sure liked to keep clean. She laughed to herself when she realized that is was usually her fault he was dirty all the time. Vinyl had lost count of the number of times she'd dragged that pony into a mess that wasn't his.

Reggie would always complain and say he never asked for it, which was entirely true. Another truth was that each time she needed help, Reggie was right there when no one else was. That mantle used to be someone else's, but she's had enough to deal with lately without a trouble-making best friend causing added frustration.

It really was amazing how close those two ponies were. Vinyl had known Octavia for years, and was her best friend, despite all the problems Vinyl had caused for the mare. But that's friendship. If they don't want to kill you sometimes, it means they don't love you enough. Octavia's relationship with Aurora though was something else entirely.

Octavia always cleaned up Vinyl's messes, because she was the responsible one. She was strong, well kept, and knew how to handle herself flawlessly. According to her, that was thanks to the little pink pony she met as a filly. Aurora was the one to clean up her messes. The two were practically co-dependent on each other as kids, but Aurora was definitely the lead in their relationship.

That's why she took it so hard when she left...

The water in the bathroom cut off suddenly, filling the room with silence. Vinyl snapped out of her thoughts and looked over to the door. It opened, and out stepped Reggie, sopping wet and sans towel. Vinyl watched the unicorn as he shook himself off, sending small beads of water flying off himself and into the light.

The mare gazed at his glistening khaki coat, noting its bright sheen along his muscles. His shoulders and back were lean but strong, and his legs were exceptionally toned for a supposed shut-in. Reggie was actually very fit despite his sedentary habits. The khaki stallion flipped his black and grey mane from his face and looked over, fixing his deep magenta eyes on the white mare.

"Try all you want, I won't burst into flames with all this water on me." Reggie said with a cheeky smile.

"Huh?" Vinyl turned red as she realized she'd been staring. She stumbled over her words as she formulated a response. "Oh, sorry. I was just..."

"Just...trying to burn a hole through me?" Reggie asked obliviously.

"I just haven't seen you that clean before." Vinyl said, finally composing herself. "You're usually fresh out of bed or covered in grease."

"Yup, that's the price I pay for my tireless work ethic. Dirty and tired all the time."

"Ha, thanks. Your ridiculous jokes always brighten up my day, Reg." Vinyl said, wearing a small smile.

"Would it be alright to ask why your day needs brightening?" Reggie asked with some concern.

"I guess."

"Why does your day need brightening, Scratchie?" Reggie asked, smiling at the nickname Vinyl hated with a passion. "Something on your mind?"

"This whole thing with Aurora and Octavia..." Vinyl paused, gathering her thoughts. "She's been half the pony she was ever since Aurora came back into her life. She's been angry, and hurt, and I can't do a thing to help her."

"What do you mean?"

"It's just that Aurora feels too guilty for leaving to do anything, and Octavia is too mad at her to move past it. I want them to reconcile, but I'm not sure what to do." Vinyl said, her head sinking slightly.

"Well, I don't know either of them as well as you do, but it doesn't sound like this is something that can be solved so easily." Reggie said thoughtfully. "Octavia is the stubborn one, right?"

"They both are. In this case though, I'd say she holds that title." Vinyl replied flatly.

"Well if that's the case, maybe you should try getting the cooperative one to fix this. Aurora sounded pretty upset. She'd probably reconcile with Octavia herself if you push her in the right direction."

"That isn't a bad idea actually. Maybe I could get some of friends to help motivate her. I know Pinkie would wanna help." Vinyl replied.

"Couldn't hurt."

*Knock Knock*

"Weird timing. That's probably her now. She said she'd be coming by."

Unlike Vinyl who was lying lazily on the motel bed, Reggie was already standing. He took the initiative and walked over to the door to see who was there. By sheer force of habit, he took a look through the peephole and visibly recoiled with eagerness.

"There's no way!" Reggie said doubtfully. He quickly opened the door, revealing a white pegasus with a deep blue mane and golden eyes standing there attentively. "Son of a bitch, it is you!"

"Reggie!? What in the world!?" Thundervolt responded in shock.

Both ponies took a second to process the scene before reacting accordingly. The two collided in a magnificent display of brotherly love, each wrapping one hoof around the others shoulder, bumping hooves using the other. The coordinated embrace faded and Vinyl used the opening to speak up.

"Reggie, I'm going to wager that you know this colt."

"Oh I know him alright! Every time Thundervolt comes by, I wave goodbye to all my pent up boredom!" Reggie said excitedly.

"That's because you're the only pony I know that enjoys watching ponies fight." Thundervolt said with a reminiscent smile.

"What Keyes and I do is fighting. What you do is send ponies packing."

"What can I say? I've spent the better part of a decade getting good at it." Thundervolt said dismissively. "How is Limey doing?"

"He got promoted, actually."

"No kidding?"

"Yeah, he got Pace's old title." Reggie said, a hint of melancholy on his words.

"So now he's Sargent Limey?" Thundervolt asked, diffusing the mood into the air.

"Sargent Keyes Limestone, 1st Division of the Manehattan Police Department. He's spearheading the newly formed Criminal Activity Surveillance group. They just call it CAS." Reggie said proudly.

"I guess it's been longer than I remember." Thundervolt said, now sounding sad himself.

"Well you're here now, so time to make memories!" Reggie said enthusiastically. He suddenly frowned and looked at the pegasus thoughtfully. "Actually, why are you here? I was too excited to question the improbability of this encounter."

"Reggie, he knows Aurora." Vinyl spoke up, turning her eyes towards the pegasus. "Probably way better than either of us."

"You know that bundle of happy thoughts and violence?" Reggie asked in surprise.

"Remember that friend I wanted you to help out?" Thundervolt said with a grin.

"Oh man, like she needed any help!" Reggie laughed as he made the connection.

"She's good, not invincible." Thundervolt stated, moving his gaze towards Vinyl. "I'm here to escort you over to Twilight's. She's received word from her mentor about some important things, and I guess you're allowed into the war room on this one."

"Well that was nice of everyone. What conspiracy are we being dragged into this time?" Reggie asked almost seriously.

"The one that forced Aurora to leave you all behind, actually." Thundervolt said solemnly.

Vinyl and Reggie shot each other looks of concern. The white pegasus before them turned to leave, calling for the two unicorns to follow. They wordlessly exited the room and locked it before falling in behind their escort.


"Hey, can we come in? Whoops, already inside." Thundervolt said as he walked into the library, the two unicorns in tow behind him.

"You two are actually really similar. I'm kinda creeped out." Vinyl commented, looking over to Reggie.

"I get to be the handsome one!" Reggie said enthusiastically.

"That's fine, I'm up for a game of pretend." Thundervolt retorted with a smug grin.

"Awww." Reggie said with mock sadness.

The three ponies walked towards the center of the library's lobby, looking around for the group that had previously been assembled there. Nopony seemed to be around any longer; however an audible bouncing sound could be heard drawing closer. No sooner had they begun to hear it, Pinkie Pie came bounding around the corner with an excited look on her face.

She hopped over to the group of ponies and continued hopping in place once she reached them. Pinkie Pie reached her hoof out, and moved Thundervolt to the side without effort. The white pegasus wasn't sure how to respond to the forced relocation, and so he turned to watch the pink pony work her magic.

Pinkie Pie produced a party blower from thin air, put in her mouth, and blew as loud as she could, shaking the very foundations of the building. She flung her hooves into the air, and a storm of confetti erupted onto Vinyl and Reggie. Both ponies said nothing, but wore genuine looks of appreciation. It was Vinyl that spoke up for the group.

"I'm guessing your budget was low this time around?"

"No, Silly! Twilight just said we don't have time for a real welcoming party, so I decided to go for really loud confetti!" Pinkie said happily.

"Much appreciated. You know how much I love confetti." Reggie said with a grin.

"So where is everypony Pinkie Pie?" Thundervolt asked, getting back on track. "Twilight said she had news."

"Everypony's in the main room! C'mon, let's go!" Pinkie said, hurriedly bouncing from the room.

Thundervolt, Vinyl, and Reggie followed her and found everypony gathered around in a semi-circle, ready for what looked like an official meeting with Twilight at the reins. The lavender pony was reading what looked to be an official document very carefully, with Spike to her side like a scribe. She tore her eyes from the page as they walked in, and greeted the newcomers accordingly.

"Hello, my name is Twilight Sparkle! Welcome to Ponyville, more specifically the Ponyville Library!"

"Even more specifically, our home. Good to meet you, I'm Spike by the way." The baby dragon said, adding a small and polite bow.

"Hi, I'm Vinyl Scratch! This is Reggie." Vinyl said, gesturing towards the khaki unicorn.

"You have a baby dragon butler!?" Reggie asked enthusiastically, staring intently at the scaled creature before him.

"I'm not her butler! I'm Twilight's #1 Assistant!" Spike said, putting a fist to his chest proudly. "I help her maintain the library, I requisition supplies for her studies, and I correspond with Princess Celestia to deliver important messages to her!"

"No offense, but that does sound kinda like a butler." Vinyl said offhandedly, looking at the dragon awkwardly.

"Nobody gives me any respect." Spike grumbled as he walked away with an irritated look on his face.

"Hey, you were the DJ at my brother Shining Armor's wedding, weren't you?" Twilight asked, a look of recognition forming on her face.

"The very same. Your friend Rarity remembered me for that too." Vinyl replied with a polite smile.

"Well of course. You played some of the best music I've heard in ages! I usually don't like the sounds of the club, but you made it work. And for a wedding no less!" Twilight praised the unicorn, causing her to scratch her mane modestly.

"Shucks, I just do my best to fit the music to the occasion. I learned that piece of advice from a friend."

"That sounds like something she'd try to impart." Aurora spoke up from across the room, barely turning her gaze towards the unicorn.

"Well you know her as well as I do. She likes to make a good impression."

"That she does, and she does it well."

"Who are we talking about?" Thundervolt asked, arching his eyebrow at Aurora suspiciously.

"Aurora is still thinking about my sister, aren't you Rory?" Pinkie teased, spinning her head around as she fixed her teal eyes on the petite pony.

"I never stopped." Aurora replied flatly, halting the hyperactive pony's jesting

"So Twilight, what's the big news?" Thundervolt asked, changing the subject. "The Princess has to have finished her deliberation, right?"

"I'll explain everything once everypony's here. We're just waiting on"—

"WHOA NELLY! LOOK OUT!"

Everypony looked up to see a tan earth pony flying in through the library's open window, being carried by an equally fast moving cyan pegasus. The two were moving extraordinarily fast, disturbing numerous bookshelves as they passed. Rainbow Dash flew down towards the floor and deposited her cargo directly next to Rarity, leaving Applejack in her care.

The western pony's Stetson hat had flown off in the flight and landed on the white unicorns head, frazzling her stylized purple mane. Applejack's green eyes were spinning, and she looked as though she was going to be sick. Rarity put her hoof around her in an attempt to steady the dizzy earth pony. Her blonde mane was wrought with tangles and knots, no doubt thanks to the high speed flight it had been through.

The cyan blur touched down next to Twilight, nodding towards her in a professional fashion. Forgoing the concern for Rainbow Dash's newest victim of severe turbulence, she addressed the crowd.

"Alright, it looks like everypony's here. Thank you all for taking the time to gather here. I know you all probably have better things to be doing."

"The only one of us doing anything today was Applejack." Rainbow Dash cut in, sending an impatient look towards the jet-lagged pony. "That's why we took so long getting here."

"Ugh… Just 'cause Ah got a job to do, don't mean y'all have to act so darn pushy!" Applejack replied, albeit with a bit of queasiness still lingering on her words.

"Well wouldn't it have made sense to tend to that side of the orchard before it got infested with fruit bats?"

"Ah don't recall hearin' any of that was yer business Rainbow Dash." Applejack replied tersely. She looked over to Rarity and smiled appreciatively before removing her Stetson from her head and placing it atop her own. "An' besides, we could've just…Ah don't know, walked here on our own four hooves?"

"Flying's faster. Enough said." Rainbow Dash said, merely shrugging at the irritated earth pony. "Go on Twi, tell 'em the news!"

The lavender unicorn merely rolled her eyes at the confrontation before continuing. "Anyway, I've received word from Princess Celestia in regards to recent events."

"What did she say?" Aurora asked. Twilight unfurled the scroll she was levitating off to the side and began to read.

To my most faithful student, Twilight,

It is with my deepest regrets that I write you about matters so grave and displeasing. In light of recent events, it is more than apparent that the situation we find ourselves in must be put right before it can blossom into something more hurtful than helpful. It is not wise to discuss sensitive issues through mail, which is why I ask that you, the rest of the Elements, and your new associates make haste to Canterlot. Princess Luna and I would like to extend our apologies to you all, and discuss the future of a certain wing of the castle.

Sincerely, Princess Celestia

Twilight looked up once she was finished to gauge the reactions of everypony in the room. Thundervolt and Aurora looked completely stoic. They'd most likely been expecting something along the lines of a vague request. Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash seemed concerned, but didn't show any signs of panic. As for the rest of the ponies present, they seemed a bit lost.

"Does anypony have any questions?" Twilight asked, looking around the room uneasily.

"Uh yeah, what's going on here?" Vinyl Scratch asked uncomfortably, feeling as though she was intruding.

"That problem I mentioned, Vinyl?" Aurora said, walking over towards her concerned ruby red eyes. "It was a very bad stallion working within the inner reaches of the Royal Castle in Canterlot. Thundervolt and I? We were basically kidnapped by him as kids, and we worked for him for years. Just recently, we solved the problem."

"How'd you manage that?" Reggie asked with concern.

"We killed him." Thundervolt interjected coldly. Silence spread throughout the room as the serious theme weighed upon those present for the discussion.

"Point being, it sounds like the Princesses are running clean-up. They're most likely at their wits end trying to sort through all of Nova's old work, trying to figure out what they could use and what should be burned out of shame." Aurora said, advancing the topic.

"That makes sense, I suppose." Twilight said, mulling it over in her head for a second. "I guess that means we should be heading out to Canterlot as soon as possible then."

"We don't want to keep you guys from getting this done, so if you need to go, Reggie and I will stay in town for a bit." Vinyl said. "I'm sure whatever they want won't take that long."

"Well, you can say I'm being presumptuous, but I was hoping you two would join us." Aurora said uneasily. "Something tells me we'll need all the ponies we can get to attest to our innocence in the matter."

"Princess Celestia didn't say anything about accusing you two of anything in her letter; where did that come from?" Twilight sounded offended.

"She didn't say anything about not blaming us for anything though." Aurora replied with an edge of paranoia. "Associates…I mean, really?"

"What I think she's trying to say is that we aren't totally on board with the 'trust royalty' initiative." Thundervolt said seriously. "We're just not keen on what they were letting go on. I'm sure that they want to make amends for that though. Right, Aurora?"

"Right…The offer still stands. I'd hate to have you two come into town and be left without anything to do." Aurora said, looking towards Vinyl and Reggie.

"So we just got off a day long train ride, and you're asking us to go with you on another day-long train ride?" Reggie asked, disappointment evident in his voice.

"Basically, yes. I know it isn't ideal, but I wouldn't feel right leaving you two here."

"Especially considering we all know exactly what they'd use that motel room for." Rarity whispered quietly to Applejack, who couldn't help but stifle a laugh.

"If you insist, we'll stay right beside you." Vinyl said with an edge to her words. She looked directly at Rarity and narrowed her eyes. "I'd like to spend some time with all your new friends, especially the unicorn that didn't get the memo about my famously excellent hearing."

"Rarity, is there something you'd like to share with the class?" Rainbow Dash said with a mocking laugh.

"Oh no, nothing at all! You all must be mistaken, I, uh…help me out, Applejack." Rarity said, turning red as she stumbled around her retort.

"Don't you look at me like that. You made yer bed, now sleep in it!" The tan earth pony said, chuckling to herself.

"Don't worry; I'm not one to hold a grudge." Vinyl said to the mare, visibly calming her down. "But I do insist on repaying the favor…eventually."

The cryptic comment sent Rarity spiraling into a world of paranoid imagination, leaving the dramatic unicorn to sit and wonder what Vinyl could mean by that. With the shenanigans concluded, it was back to business.

"So I'll send the Princess a reply and let her know that we're all set to arrive shortly. I'll make our travel arrangements and let you all know when we're heading out. Just be ready to leave soon. I don't think we'll be waiting long." Twilight said, looking around the room to acknowledge everypony's nods of acceptance.

"Could we get an estimate?" Thundervolt said, sending a suspicious glance towards Aurora. "Just want to be sure we're ready on time."

"Well, Train Tickets usually take some advance notice, but with the Princess's help I'm sure we'll be able to leave around six o'clock." Twilight said.

"If it takes any of you more than seven hours to get ready, we're leaving you behind." Rainbow Dash said semi-seriously.

"That means you, Reggie." Vinyl said, nudging him in the shoulder.

"Please, when have I ever missed an important deadline?" The khaki stallion asked, sounding rather proud of himself.

Thundervolt laughed audibly at his statement, causing Vinyl Scratch to chuckle to herself as well. Aurora smiled and nodded to Thundervolt, who nodded back. The two moved towards the library's exit and the white pegasus turned to rest of the ponies in the room.

"Aurora and I have a quick errand to take care of, so we'll meet you all back here at five or so." Thundervolt said. He looked over towards Fluttershy and smiled, adding a quick wink before exiting.

"See you all soon." Aurora said briefly as she turned to follow Thundervolt out the door. The two ponies took a few steps away from the library before continuing their own conversation. "So, are we on the same page here?"

"Pretty much. I don't know how much I really trust the royalty either at this point." Thundervolt said thoughtfully. "I know you said Princess Luna seemed alright, but I don't think we should be taking any chances."

"Agreed." Aurora responded blankly. "So, what's this errand you have us running?"

"We're going to be taking mission inventory as per usual." Thundervolt said in a cold and calculating manner very familiar to the pink pony. "We'll be extending our olive branches with daggers in our bags, just in case."

Aurora looked at the pegasus with a warm and almost nostalgic smile. "I wouldn't have it any other way."