A Vinyl Scratch Story, Pt. 10

Nothing could have been more satisfying to Twilight Sparkle and Pinkie Pie than to spring themselves from captivity. The prison break was made all the sweeter of an experience when Silverwind and Firehooves were there to be caught in the blast Twilight set off to destroy their bindings. The two ponynappers were knocked to the walls so hard that the cabin shuddered, and were knocked unconscious upon impact. Twilight considered dragging them back to Zecora's for interrogation, but let them be when Rainbow Dash convinced her otherwise.

"Just leave them here," she had said. "We need to let them go so that they can report the jailbreak to their employer."

Twilight and Pinkie had consumed a potion to return them to their normal appearance that Zecora had prepared, and they, along with Vinyl Scratch and Rainbow Dash, were on the train bound for Canterlot.

Twilight Sparkle silently prayed that it was not too late to warn the orange cowpony.

The train slowly ground to a halt, signaling that it had arrived at its destination, and the destination of the four ponies on board. As soon as they disembarked from the locomotive, Rainbow Dash realized something was amiss. Something important.

"Oh, haysticks!" she shouted. "We forgot Rarity!"

The others paled and their hearts sank as they imagined the drama queen's anger when she found out they had gone to Canterlot without her. She would scold them all to no end! But that was unimportant at the time. The current priority was finding Applejack.

"Okay, everypony, let's spread out and see if we can find Applejack!" shouted Vinyl.

A blue stallion at the counter in an expensive-looking suit perked up at the mention of the farm pony's name. "Excuse me, did you say Applejack? Why, I spoke with a mare by that name just yesterday."

"Orange coat, blonde mane?" inquired Rainbow Dash.

"Yes, that's the one!" replied the stranger in his posh accent. "If you need to find her, I believe she is staying at the hotel on Colt Street."

"Thank you so much for the info, sir." said Twilight.

"Not a problem, miss. Always happy to help a pony in need."

The four ponies tore off towards Colt Street with Twilight leading the way, for obvious reasons.

The party of ponies arrived at the hotel, and Twilight asked the receptionist about Applejack.

"Oh, her? She left some time ago, said she would be back later tonight."

"Thank you, ma'am. Have a nice day." said Twilight.

The foursome departed, deciding to search the streets together rather than split up. They had no luck in finding their friend, however, and as the night crept up on them, they elected to go back to the hotel and see if Applejack had checked back in.

When asked about her again, the receptionist had an interesting reaction.

"She came back in a few minutes ago carrying two passed-out stallions in black jumpsuits on her back like they were completely weightless! I've never seen such a strong mare!"

Rainbow smirked. "Yeah, that's our Applejack. But I wonder what's up with those other two she had with her?"

"Ma'am, can you tell us what room she's staying in?" asked Twilight.

"Oh, of course. Room 206, second floor, first door on the left as soon as you exit the staircase."

"Thanks so much. Have a good night!" thanked the purple Unicorn.

They arrived at Applejack's doorstep. Rainbow slammed her hoof on the door repeatedly. "Hey, AJ! It's us, open up!"

***Applejack***

Applejack had just fallen asleep when she was rudely awakened by a loud knock on her door. Actually, it was less like whoever it was was knocking, and more like they were committing door homicide. "Hey, AJ, it's us, open up!" came the unmistakable voice of Rainbow Dash. What was that pony doing here? Doesn't she know it's not safe for her to be in public, especially in a city like Canterlot? Applejack stepped off of her bed to go answer the door.

"What in the hay are y'all doin' here?" she demanded.

"No time! Let us in!" cried Pinkie.

Applejack stepped aside and allowed the four extra sets of hooves to enter her room. "Okay, you're all in mah room. Now tell me what's goin' on! Why are Twilight and Pinkie out of their shackles and why are Vinyl and Rainbow not keepin' themselves hidden?"

"Okay," began Twilight. "Fluttershy got word that another ponynapper was headed towards Sweet Apple Acres earlier today, but Big Mac took care of him. That got Rainbow and Vinyl wondering what they wanted with you as well as them. They were trying to think of something the three of you had in common, and the only thing they were able to come up with was that all three of you were all lesbian, meaning that whoever is behind this is a really rich anti-gay pony, so we came to warn you about being another of their targets. Although, from the looks of those two," twilight acknowledged to unconscious stallions hogtied to the chairs. "It looks like you figured it out the hard way."

"Yeah, one of 'em came at me with a baseball bat, but Ah taught 'em better than to mess with me. But that still don't explain why y'all left your posts. Ah thought we had a plan."

"Well, we found out that you had already left for Canterlot, and with you walking the streets practically begging to get ponynapped, we figured it would be best to make a statement about who these ponies are messing with. If we all stick together, they'll need more than a few scary-looking ponies in jumpsuits to get the better of us. With you as a target walking around Canterlot, there was no longer any point in being subtle."

"Ah guess Ah understand that. Ah was about to get some much-needed rest until y'all came a-knockin'. Tell ya what." Applejack opened a drawer and tossed Twilight a sack full of money. "Go downstairs and get yourselves a room. We'll talk more in the mornin', 'cause Ah'm plum tuckered out."

"Okay, AJ. We'll let you get some sleep."

"Much appreciated, Twi. Oh, and there's enough bits in thar for two rooms, so y'all don't gotta cramp four ponies into these tiny quarters. Good night, y'all."

"Good night, Applejack." said Twilight.

The ponies got room keys and went their separate ways, sleeping two to a room. Twilight and Pinkie shared one, while Rainbow and Vinyl got the other.

Rainbow Dash unlocked the door to her and Vinyl's room and immediately leapt onto the bed. "Ah, sweet relaxation. It feels so nice after a long day of dealing with this whole pile of hay."

"I know what you mean, sweetie." replied Vinyl. "I'm pretty tired myself."

"Well, come on, join me in the bed." invited the cyan Pegasus, patting the vacant spot on the bed.

Vinyl smiled in relief. Ever since this whole mess had come up, she barely got to spend any quality time with her beloved Rainbow Dash anymore. Their conversations usually concerned the investigation. She was starting to feel less like Rainbow's marefriend and more like her coworker, so it was nice to finally be able to act like real lovers again.

Vinyl laid down beside her dear Pegasus and leaned in for a kiss. It was only meant to last a moment, but the two got caught in that moment. They pressed their lips together with a renewed passion, wrapping their hooves around each other in a tight embrace. When at last they needed to breathe, their lips parted, but they stayed tightly hugged together.

"I love you so much, Vinyl Scratch. I can't wait until we find out who's doing this so things can go back to normal."

"I love you, too, Rainbow Dash. And believe me, I'm as anxious as you are to see the end of this stupid drama."

They kissed and cuddled for the next hour, telling each other how much they loved each other until exhaustion finally claimed them. The two lovers laid down on the bed, and Vinyl fell asleep in the comfort of Rainbow Dash's hooves, feeling like their relationship and their love for each other had finally been rekindled.