The Syndicate - 1: Awakening (dead)

EDIT: October
This series is being dumped. I hate the direction it went, but hey, it was my first story, so learn and move on. I have other ideas for this that I think are much better, so at some point I will likely re-write it. I will leave in some of the same characters and story elements, but the situation is going to change completely.
That being said, read on if you want, I probably won't be deleting these chapters, but just know that it won't be finished, and instead will be redone later on.

Chapter 1 of the Syndicate (last revised August 10, 9:50pm PST)
I need a good name for this story
FYI, this is in no way based off anything; movie, game, or otherwise.
This chapter is kinda slow, mostly introductory, telling Anon's situation shortly after arriving in Equestria, and a little incident that happens which leads to the Syndicate getting involved
Chapter 2 is more exciting, dramatic, and comical, and really introduces the Syndicate and their leader.

>You are awakened by an unusually ominous sound of thunder
>You slowly open your eyes and struggle to sit upright, taking in your surroundings
>There was still a raging thunderstorm above, shooting lightning in just about every direction, thunder echoing between the buildings almost nonstop
>You were sitting on a sidewalk, in the middle of what you thought was New York City
>Something was wrong though...
>You vageuly remember being surrounded by cops, guns drawn and ready to take you down, followed by something that shouldn't even be possible in such a location; getting struck by lightning

>There isn't a person in sight, and aside from the storm, the city was unusually quiet
>Off to the side, along another street, you spot a couple carriages being pulled by unusually small and colorful horses
>You figure your eyes are playing tricks on you, considering you still feel a bit drunk
>As the sights and sounds around you slowly start getting clearer, you begin hearing muffled music beats
>...Right, you were just tossed from a club
>You slowly get up on your feet and make your way to a nearby alleyway that seems to run behind the club
>As you step around the corner, arm against the wall to help keep you up, you spy a few more of those miniature colored horses, having a conversation by the looks of it
>One of these horses seems to have a horn sticking out of it's forehead
>As if the sight wasn't bad enough, apparently seeing a unicorn was too much
>Your vision begins to blur again, as your legs start to buckle and bring you down to your knees
>One of the creatures notices you, and the other two soon turn their gazes in your direction as well
>Seems like the perfect time to pass out
>Before you do however, you begin to get a decent look at the unicorn who's now trotting over in your direction, much to the dismay of it's two companions
>You weren't surprised that this uniorn was white, but at how much of a pure white it was
>Not to mention it's mane and tail, in multiple shades of blue
>Yep, you were definitely ready for this dream to be over...

----

>You are Anonymous, and you've been in Equestria for about a week
>By now you were obviously convinced this wasn't a dream, and you pretty much despised your past life anyway, so why not move forward?
>Really though, you could barely remember anything about your past life
>It was difficult to even remember what you yourself was like
>All you knew was that you weren't happy before, and you just wanted to move foward
>You figure a good way to start off your new life was by helping out Vinyl Scratch in any way you can, seeing as to how she took you in and all, not knowing who or what you were
>She's a famous DJ in this world, and typically shifts between a few of the bigger clubs in Manehatten
>You mostly just tag along with her here and there, helping her out with moving and setting up equipment and such
>Tonight you were hanging out in the DJ booth with her, as she unleashed her musical ecstacy upon the clubs' patrons
>Scanning the club from the raised platform, you happen to spot a few familiar ponies
>They seem to be at every club she is, every time she's there
>Maybe they just really like her music?
>There was only one that actually bothered you at all
>When Vinyl takes a break and hits up a VIP lounge to kick back for a few, you sit down with her and decide not to remain quiet about it any more

"Hey Vinyl, sure you don't wanna take up my offer on being your personal bodyguard or something?"
>Vinyl chuckles at the question, rolling her eyes
>VS:"Wow man, are you still goin' on about that? You've been following me around for a week, has anything ever happened that makes you think I need a bodyguard?"
"Well, not yet, but-"
>VS:"Not yet? Dance clubs in your world must be pretty dangerous if you're this worried about it." she ends with another chuckle
"They certainly can be, but... there's this pony out there, by himself. He's been in the same place at each club every time I've been there with ya, as if he's keeping tabs on us or something."
>You begin to stand up and look out over a nearby balcony from the edge of this VIP lounge, hoping to get another look and see if he's still there
>VS:"...Anon, don't look around for him. Sit back down."
>She sounds serious
>You oblige, sitting right back down, as you notice a worried look on her face
"...Vinyl?"
>VS:"What's he wearing?"
"Seems like just an average robe, nothing special or unique about it that I can tell."
>VS:"What about the color? Any symbols or markings?"
"Black and red, mostly... And I think I spotted a star on the ho-"
>VS:"Syndicate..."
>Vinyl lets out a sigh and looks down in thought
"... Who, or what, is the syndicate?
>After a brief pause, she sits back up and turns to you
>VS:"I probably should have told ya sooner, but I didn't want you to get scared or anything... They're kinda like a big corporation, but they mostly dabble in all sorts of underground and illegal shit. They also own a ton of business in Manehatten, including most of the clubs. Not any I play at, of course, but I bet they're looking to fix that soon."
"Illegal huh? This isn't public knowledge, is it?"
>VS:"Nah, not really. Wouldn't matter if it was, they practically have the police here by the balls; bribing them probably, among other things."
"That figures... what about the royal army though, wouldn't they eventually do something about these guys?"
>VS:"Anon, the royal army is meant for protecting Canterlot and the princesses, or deal with threats to the world. The Syndicate doesn't do anything big enough to cause any real problems... Though with them it's probably only a matter of time."
>...Obviously, that was a dumb question, why did you even ask?
"Yeah, should've known... so what do you think they want with us then?"
>Vinyl looks back at you, raising an eyebrow
>VS:"I think they just want you, man. They seem to have a thing for,... mystical creatures."
>She puts on a bit of a grin after saying that last part
"A... thing? What's that supposed to mean?"
>VS:"I don't know for sure, but they seem to employ as many non-ponies as they can. We can only really guess as to why, but I believe their long-term goals involve something much bigger, sinistar even."
"Well, that's just fucking great... So, I'm thinking I should leave and, you know, not deal with these guys then."
>VS:"You don't wanna give anything away yet man, don't do anything that might make them think we're onto them. Let's just finish up the night like normal and head back to my place. We'll have the next couple days to lay low and figure things out. Besides, you'll get to meet one of my best friends tomorrow, so just look forward to that for now, kay?"
"Yeah, sure, that sounds fine."
>VS:"It's time for me to get back at the helm anyway, my ponies need me."
>You can't help but chuckle at that last comment
>VS:"Anon, why don't ya go hang out behind the bar, learn some more about the finest of Equestria's drinks!"
"Ha, sure Vinyl, the "finest" you say, huh? I hope you're just pulling my leg on that one."
>You've tried some of the drinks here
>Sure, there are some good ones, but you'd be kinda pissed if what they had here was some of the best around
>Vinyl heads out of the lounge back to the DJ booth, wearing her trademark smile
>You can't help but think for a moment as you watch her make her way across the dance floor, giving nods and greetings to just about every pony she sees
>Man, that pony has it made here, everybody seems to just love her
>Plus, she's famous for something you actually enjoy, and has a ton of money to boot
>Yeah, you're pretty lucky to have ended up meeting her first
>You ponder about it all a bit more...

>...this feel...
>A feel you haven't felt since, ...
>...
>Well, you don't know because you remember next to nothing from before you arrived in Equestria
>Probably not a good time to think about it anyway
>Might as well get up and over to the bar to get your mind off of it all

>You hung out behind the bar for the next hour, chatting up the bartender stallion and observing his drink-making process
>You put up with a ton of ponies giving you strange looks, some having to ask what and who you are, why you're the only one of your kind, etc.
>Sure, it gets pretty annoying, but you try not to let it get to you
>There's nothing you can really do about it anyway
>One of the stallions you've kept spotting multiple nights walks up to the bar, his eyes fixed on you
<Oh, really, finally worked up some courage to come say something to me huh?> you think to yourself, anxious as to what's about to happen
>The stallion walks right up to the bar in front of you, placing both of his front hooves onto the bar itself, and gives you a rather mean look
>He pauses for a moment, looking you over up-close
>"...What the heck does she see in you?"
"Wha..Excuse me?"
>"What in Tartarus are you anyway?"
"I'm a human, now what in the hell do you want?"
>"I knew she had a thing for "mythical" creatures, but this is a bit ridiculous, I mean look at you!"
>...A thing for mythical creatures, huh?
>Sounds familiar...
>But how would this shmuck know such a thing?
>Whatever, you're starting to get a little pissed
>Time to start messing with him
"A thing for mythical creatures huh? Well what if she does? And what if I have a thing for ponies? There's all kinds of sentient creatures in this world, is it that bad for seperate species' to hook up?"
>Totally caught him off guard there
>"Uh... Well, it's kinda frowned upon, yeah. You should feel ashamed-"
"HA! Ashamed for what, FUCKING a pony!? And a Pony that you're apparently secretly in love with or some shit?"
>Okay, he's pissed now, and you can't help but chuckle at his ensuing rage

>As he begins to raise his voice and continues to speak his bullshit to you, you glance over at Vinyl
>Some unicorn stallion is trying to get up into her booth with her
>She's noticablly aggrivated, but seems to be doing a pretty good job fighting him off and running the turntables with her magic
>Unfortunately he has his own magic, and it looks as though he might be trying to jump in and... land some kisses on her...
>Pathetic...
>She hasn't fended him off yet though, and there doesn't seem to be any bouncer nearby paying any attention
>Seriously, what the fuck?
>I mean sure, she said she could take care of herself, but come on, you'd think there would still be some protection around here for someone as famous as her
>You begin to get a tad angry, seeing this stallion throwing his lips out trying to get some action from Vinyl
>This little shit-stain screaming at your face isn't helping either
>Vinyl told you not to get into fights or anything with anyp0ny
>You need to keep a non-hostile reputation after all, considering you're the only one of your kind around here
>It's becoming increasingly challenging, however, to hold it back
>Two separate stallions are really grinding your gears right now
>As you struggle to hold back the rage building inside of you, you can feel the ground begin to shake
>Drinks and bottles on and around the bar begin to rattle around
>More and more ponies stop what they're doing to try and figure out what's going on
>You don't seem to notice, your rage building even greater
>Shit-stain continues his argument, raising his voice even greater, when you snap
>You look him straight in the eye, and he stops immediately
>His face takes on a very shocked look
>As if looking into the eyes of a demon, he starts shaking and begins to slowly move back away from you
>You fail to notice anything else, as everything around you shakes more and more, glass now falling from tables and shattering on the ground
>The stallion in front of you begins to levitate, though you think nothing of it
>Your rage had taken over, and you only had one objective
>Your focus turns to Vinyl, still fending off her attacker, neither of them aware as to what's going on
>The stallion next to you, now shitting bricks, rockets through the air, over the dance floor, his head colliding with the head of Vinyl's attacker
>They're both knocked out cold

>Your rage begins to subside, the shaking around you calming down along with it
>You begin looking around, finally realizing just what had happened
>Did you just do that?
>Did you just cause an earthquake, and send some colt flying through the air with your mind?
>You're suddenly stricken with weakness
>You take a seat behind the bar and gather your thoughts
>You glance back up at Vinyl
>She had been staring at you ever since her attacker was knocked out by a pony-turned-javelin
>Some of the ponies had left, the rest were still looking around trying to figure out what just happened
>Vinyl queue's up a mix to hopefully return the mood back to normal, and hops down from the DJ booth, trotting over to you
>You scan around the room once more, and notice the Syndicate pony drop a few bits on his table and begin to walk out, as if he's been waiting for something like this

>Vinyl makes her way behind the bar and gets up next to you
>VS:"Dude, what the hell just happened?"
"I don't know, I think... I think I just turned somepony into a projectile with my mind... It was pretty awesome, but I feel really weak now..."
>VS:"Hmm, this isn't good. We should get home."
"Yeah, sure, but.. what about this place?"
>VS:"They'll be fine, not like much damage was caused. We'll worry about it later."

>No sign of the Syndicate pony after you step outside
>You and Vinyl make your way back to her penthouse
>Yeah, she lives in a penthouse, on the top of of a building
>It gets to you every time you walk back into this place
>You can hardly begin to comprehend how you ended up in another world
>Not to mention being discovered and taken in by a celebrity
>And, for now at least, you get to live with her in a fricken penthouse
>Unforunately you've still yet to travel outside of Manehatten, but even the city alone is much better than what you remember of New York
>Your memory of your past life before arriving in Equestria had become very clouded; you could only remember bits and pieces
>It certainly wasn't bothering you now though, you were fairly certain your past life sucked on ice
>... it did, by the way

>After stepping into Vinyl's penthouse, you plant yourself on the end of a long sectional couch in the center of the main living room, facing a large window overlooking a good part of the city
"Vinyl, we should talk..."
>VS:"Chill out for a few man, I'm gonna hit the shower. That pathetic stallion made me feel dirty..."
>You were still pretty exhausted from what had happened earlier, but you had to attempt to stay awake
>You were beginning to think Vinyl was hiding something from you, and you had to ask her some more questions
>From the sound of her voice moments ago, you could tell she was really tired too
>But this is really starting to bother you, especially the way that Syndicate pony just up and left when he did
>Something was up, and you didn't like it

>You eventually close your eyes
>Damn this couch was comfortable
>Moments later, Vinyl emerges from the bathroom
>The sounds of her hooves across the floor, getting louder, doesn't phase you from your relaxed state
>You can feel her slowly get up on the couch and sprawl out across most of it
>You finally decide to open your eyes and look over at her, ready to start your questions
>She was lying across most of the couch on her stomach, stretching her legs out
>Her mane and tail were still wet, and her goggles were resting on her head to uncover her eyes
>Even as much as you're around her, Vinyl has rarely taken her goggles off
>You've yet to ever get a decent look at her eyes
>Vinyl never seemed comfortable showing them to anybody, and you could never get a straight answer why
>You eventually gave up
>But here she was
>Lying right next to you, seemingly without a care in the world

>A couple minutes seem to pass, and you can't take your eyes off of her
>She was laying almost completely still, becoming totally relaxed
>And then, it happens
>She opens her eyes about half-way, and looks directly up at you
>You immediately lock your eyes with hers
>You thought you had seen the red in them before, but now you where certain
>They were definitely red. Very red.
>It seemed to finally complete her image
>You continue to stare into her eyes, spotting her still-wet mane and tail, as she lay sprawled across the couch
>She was majestic...

>... that feel
>Oh god, that feel again

>Vinyl finally breaks the silence, putting a smile on her face and speaking to you in a softer-than-usual voice
>VS:"Hey, Equestria to Anon, you in there man?"
>You shake your head and break the lock your eyes had on hers, looking back out the window
"Ah, yeah, I'm here... sorry, I was, just..."
>Vinyl happens to notice something you don't; a bit of blush forming on your cheeks
>VS:"You must really dig my eyes, huh Anon? Gotta say I wasn't expecting that."
>The blushing,
>Oh god, the blushing!
>Why was she teasing you like this!?
>She was right though, you loved those red eyes
"Heh, yeah, I guess I do."
>You continue to look out the window
>VS:*chuckle* "Come on man, out with it. If you wanna say something, then say it, you don't need to hide anything from me Anon."
>Nope, definitely wasn't expecting that one
>You had been planning on telling her the same thing tonight, but it doesn't really seem appropriate yet
>Thinking of what to say next, you continue to gaze out the large wall-sized window overlooking the city
>You quickly realize the view out the window wasn't as good as the view of what was next to you on the couch
>...Fuck it, what's the worst that can happen?
>You look back to Vinyl, locking eyes with hers once again
"Vinyl, your eyes are stunning, they're unlike anything else I've seen in this world so far."
>Her eyes begin to open up more, giving you a better view, as she too starts blushing
>Even the least bit of blushing shows up way too well on her white face
"I never realized how beautiful you were until now Vinyl, I can't understand why you never want anybody to see those eyes."
>Congratulations, you just flipped a lightswitch controlling Vinyls's face, she's completely flush now
>She begins to sit up, trying not to look away in embarrasement
>VS:"Did you.. just, call me... beautiful?"
"Well, yeah..."
>You shift your gaze back out the window, giving her a smirk
"Granted, I've been stuck in a rather gloomy city my whole time here so far, but you're still by far the most beautiful sight I've layed my eyes on."
>As soon as you finish speaking, she sits up and scoots over next to you, leaning up against you as she rests her head on your shoulder
>VS:"Yeah, thanks for that." she says sarcastically
>You rest your head on hers and put an arm around her, bringing her in for a hug as you both enjoy the view of the city
"Hey now, it's not like I was making any of that up ya know."
>Vinyl lets out a quiet giggle, before giving you a response
>VS:"I know ya weren't Anon.. You're just the first stal- person, to ever call me beatiful.. Thanks for that, by the way. And for helping me out earlier, even though I would have had him eventually. You're a good friend Anon."
"So are you Vinyl. I'm very lucky to have ended up here with you when I landed in this world."
>VS:"Ya know, once you get out of the city and see some of the sights, and plenty of other ponies, I'm sure you'll find much better looking things than me." she says with a chuckle
"Haha, maybe. But you know, there's something about those eyes of yours that just draw me in. If eyes like those really are that uncommon, then you might not have to worry about moving from the top of my list."
>Vinyl giggles at the comment, likely not believing you
>You had no idea what the rest of Equestria looked like
>Manehatten was pretty gloomy, but still much better looking than New York
>If the rest of this world was anywhere near as colorful as most of the ponies you've seen, then you're in for a treat, and maybe she would be bumped from that top spot
>You're not convinced, but you do start to find it a bit ridiculous that you just called a pony that you've only known for a little over a week beautiful
>It was an honest statement though, not a love confession or anything, so hopefully she didn't take it the wrong way at all
>The two of you sit together for a few minutes, still leaning against one another, enjoying the view
>VS:"Hey, uh... wasn't there something you wanted to talk about?"
"Hmm, yeah there was. But I think it can wait until morning, I'm ready to pass out."
>VS:"Heh, yeah I hear that. Well, I won't keep ya."
>Vinyl hops down from the couch and walks off to her bedroom, yawning and hanging her head low on the way
>Part of her couch folds down into a makeshift bed; it's what you've been sleeping on every night
>You hit the lights and lay down for the night, covering up in a couple extra blankets she had given you

>You've been laying there for about fifteen minutes now
>For some reason, even with how exhausted you are, sleep isn't coming easy
>For the first time since arriving in Equestira, you started to feel empty
>... that feel from earlier is starting to come back again
>You hear a noise, and freeze up
>Listening closely, it's the sound of hooves walking along the floor, quietly approaching you
>You pretend to sleep, getting more and more nervous as the steps get closer
>Vinyl slowly crawls onto the foot of the couch-bed, snaking her way under your blankets to curl up next to you, her head resting right next to yours
>You move in a little closer, snuggle your head against hers, and wrap an arm around her
>You could feel her heart racing a bit at first, along with your own
>They soon calmed down, and before long you could tell she was sleeping soundly
>As if that emptiness you recently felt was long gone, sleep had come quickly to you as well...

----
End chapter 1