AUTHOR'S NOTE: yeah...some of you guys may want to change your OC's names. It's just, I have alot of "stars" in there. However, while some of your names may be used by other authors,like Solar Flare (which I've seen too often), I'll keep it that way. After seeing the new episode...Upsidepickle, do you really want your OC to have the same name as a "special"dragon? You guys might just not respond so if you dont say anything I'll keep the names. Without further ado...


"Death is the tyrant of imagination."

-Barry Cornwall


The Flock

Mister Moneybags

Time: 4:30 PM

Location: Ponyville, Town Square

Mister Moneybags had decided to take a leisurely stroll through town today. Just to inhale some fresh air, get some exercise. Occasionally, he would run into a fellow gang member on the street. His henchman would almost always wave to greet their godfather, which infuriated him. They were all supposed to refrain from interacting with one another outside of the Joke Shop. But for some reason they couldn't help themselves. Moneybags had hoped the last mission's failure would encourage his gang to sharpen their awareness of the rules.

Unfortunately, the herd loved acting like idiots.

Anarchy, Crackle, and Cloud Chaser were the devious trio. Constantly playing mischievous pranks on their poor, horribly unaware victims; they built a reputation.

Quantum was incessantly corralled by the local mares. Moneybags guessed that he had some kind of appleloosan charm or something. Whatever it was, it worked.

Firework had the same problem…Why? Why in Equestria do girls like the dark, reserved pony that ignores them? Is it alluring? What garbage.

As for Cryo, he's a freak. With that crazy grin…Everypony couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at the smiling sadist.

But the worst was Sol, Arkane, Axis and Dante. Trotting about in their chummy little clique; inseparable morons they were.

Mister Moneybags ceased his otiose walk; and proceeded to admire the stone statue of an earth pony rearing in a small basin of water.

The glorious statue had stood proudly within the town square for as long as anypony could remember.

Jeez, he thought with a huff. This stone mare, so confident and sure she seems…I wish I could lead like that. The boss was still grieving for Pyro, and how that job could have gone so much better if he had been a more capable godfather.

After the barn exploded everypony within the blast radius was knocked unconscious. Except for Doll Face; who hurriedly concealed everypony in the nearby bushes. If it wasn't for her, they'd all be rotting in prison.

The Apple Family woke up with severe amnesia, no doubt they will eventually remember what happened, but it was dark anyways so they'd never recall any of the herd's identities. Applejack's allies however, sealed Moneybags' fate. The volcanic fire had alerted the cowpony's friends, one of which was Twilight Sparkle. The lavender pony had swept away the devastating fire with her powerful magic, and with the combined effort of all of Applejack's friends; healed the decimated barn in a day.

The herd received nothing from Carrot Top.

Moneybags hated losing; he swore from that day forth every single mission would be successful no matter what the cost.

Hehe…what's wrong with me? Am I bored? The mobster peered into the crystal clear water of the pool, spotting his reflection. Yeah…I'm bored…but I suppose there's nothin' I can do about it. After all, it's not like some poor sap's just gonna fall out of the sky into this conveniently placed pool. Ha, wow, imagine if somepony actually did that just after I thought it. That would be so bucking ironic! I mean the chances of that happening are like, what? A million to one, no kidding, that would be so funny. I'm not even joking I would-"

A deafening explosion sounded off fromoverhead.

Amidst the panic of the town's residents a grey pegasus with a blonde mane was fired into the soaking installation from a cloud of coal-black smoke in the sky.

"Oh come on," The reluctant stallion dove into the water. He clenched the filly's mane in his teeth and vigorously threw her out. "Come on kid, wake up!"

The filly didn't respond.

The criminal crammed down her chest with his fore hooves. With no results, he prodded her neck in search of an obstruction, but to no avail. "You're gonna make me do it aren't you?" The chagrin gangster said aloud. He opened the girl's mouth and pressed his muzzle onto her mouth.

Mister Moneybags knew CPR, and because of that, he acted. Why would he purposefully draw attention to himself like that? He would not be able to live with himself if he didn't. A civilian's life was just as important as his own. That's the line between him, and the monsters. His crew had a moral code, a sense of right and wrong, and above all else; limits.

The pegasus Ditzy Doo (known widely as Derpy Hooves) instinctively coughed up a horrendous mix of puke and water. Like a phoenix's rebirth, her eyes flickered open; she awoke.


Derpy Hooves

Time: thirty minutes earlier.

Location: Ponyville's Clouds.

The klutzy mail-pony soared through the heavens with purpose. She was determined to prove her worth to her employer. She had delivered many packages to and from the same griffon before.

Her favorite regular lived on the outskirts of Cloudsdale in a large estate, and was always so nice to her. While "Derpy Hooves" had a track record for accidentally destroying parcels and packages in an absurd way, the griffon had prompted her to never give up and stay true to herself.

But he had his fair share of strange habits…for one, no matter how many times Derpy would ask; he refused to share his name. Not only that, his letters were only signed with a single letter, "A."

She never questioned as to why the mysterious foreigner did this, but he was kind, so she left it alone. Also, she was instructed to refrain from looking through the griffon's mail.

Ditzy Doo noticed she was fluttering past the town hall, which she had seriously crippled recently. At the side of that was the town statue…and a pony she had never seen before!

Ditzy gasped. A new pony! I have to make a good first impression. Maybe he'll be my friend! She veered toward the handsome stallion. Oh wow, he's so…so; the pariah saw his golden shades glisten in the sunlight. Amazing… Ditzy blushed. I, I have to get rid of this stuff; a mail-pony isn't really the hottest image in Equestria. The pegasus relieved herself of her uniform, as well as the small package she had been escorting, onto a small tuft of cloud before heading towards the handsome detour.

She realized her mistake too late.

Oh crap, my supplies can't float on clouds! She swerved back for her belongings. Then the bag disintegrated in gunpowder and flames…everything went black, and she was seized by sleep.

Ow…what happened? The filly was being brought back. Is somepony kissing me?


Mister Moneybags

Time: 12:30 P.M

Location: Ponyville, Joke Shop

The rest of Mister Moneybags' evening was spent nursing his klutzy patient back to health. He had neglected to call the authorities because, well, he was a criminal. He rejected the prospect of bringing her to the hospital, the boss wanted to know what that bomb was all about. Ditzy hadn't cooperated with him very well so far. Moneybags had hardly evoked a "thank you," from her.

Maybe she just needs some support.

He offered her the opportunity of meeting the herd.

Ditzy nodded intently at her savior.

Quantum had amassed the rest of the crew with one of his zany experiments. He was trying to animate…an apple.

"What is the point of this?" Arkane asked pessimistically.

"Shut up dude, I wanna see him do it!" Axis said while leaning over the appleusian.

"Would yawl stop breathin' down mah neck?" Quantum groaned, clearly irked by the crowd.

"Don't hurt it!" Sol pleaded as the scientist injected the fruit with a glowing serum.

"It's an APPLE!" Arkane reacted heatedly.

"Fruits have feelings too." Cloud Chaser squeaked.

"No it doesn't! It's FOOD!" The midnight black unicorn motioned his point further.

Quantum motioned a hoof to Dante, whom levitated a drill into his hoof offhandedly.

"Dante! Why?" Arkane catechized his comrade.

"In case you haven't noticed, death is kind of my thing. So tampering with the laws of nature…intrigues me."

"You're all INSANE!"

The apple began jerking on its own accord.

Quantum writhed violently, "it's alive…IT'S ALIVE! AHAHAHAHA! Ah am the master of both life and death!"

"It isn't doing anything!" Arkane objected.

"Listen. Ya' hear that? It's breathin'!"

"I'll give ten bits to the pony that eats it!" Anarchy proclaimed challengingly.

"Oh, Anarchy, this specimen is worth more than ten measly bits. Why, it's probably worth a million, or two million, the herd might never have to work another day!"

Crackle abruptly interrupted his boasting by swallowing the apple whole.

"How…could ya'?"

"Well first I just bit down real hard. Then-"

"That there formula correlated with only that apple. Its DNA matched the requirements perfect! Ah may never get another apple like that again!"

The passive yellow filly shrugged her shoulders.

"AHM GONNA KILL Y-hello…" Quantum's outburst was put on hold after he identified Ditzy Doo beside the godfather.

Sol ambled closer to the daunting earth stallion. "Boss, I tried to stop them, honestly, but they just wouldn't listen! I-I-I'm not even sure they…who's your girlfriend?" A heckling tone now dominated the colt's voice.

Moneybags hit his lieutenant's shoulder, "This is Ditzy, she-"

"Well hello Ditzy!" Axis jived.

"Hey Axis, What's black, white, and stupid all over?"

"OH I've heard this one before! It's me right?"

"Way to go champ."

"Aw yeah…I just got that." The brawler admitted.

Moneybags determined that the herd should know what her predicament was. He delved into the story, sharing what happened in great length. "You guys know I'm not the nicest stallion around…and that'd be right. We just got another gang screwin' around on our land."

"We got ourselves a turf war!" yelled Dante.

"That's right Burn, This is purely business. Here's the plan, we're gonna bait these suckers out. Once they've exposed themselves, it'll be like taking candy from a foal."

"How are we going to quote bait them, exactly?" Arkane bayed from a relaxed position on a chair.

"I was getting to that kid. We can't just trot on over to this griffon guy and commit a murder, it'd be too much trouble…tomorrow, they'll be on the lookout for Ditzy. What we're gonna do is give em' what they want. You guys have been to the local cafe around here right? We'll set up our soldiers all over the place. And when we weed em' out, it'll be like shootin' fish in a barrel."

"We're gonna need teams." Doll Face advised.

"That's right Doll. First, A team: Crackle, Quantum, and Firework. You guys will accompany our client on this very special date. Protect her."

Firework let a groan escape his throat.

Crackle gawked, "OH FEATHERS! We are gonna have so much bucking fun together! We'll have daisy sandwiches! And apple cider! And hay burgers! And-"

Moneybags proceeded on his lecture, "B team: Cloud, Axis, and Sol. You'll all work as undercover chefs in the establishment. I want you to give every customer a full cavity search! Pick them out."

"I can't cook for my wings!" Sol confessed; teary eyed.

"Hey lieutenant,"

"Yeah?"

"Shaddup."

"Okay."

Now that the lieutenant was shut-down, "Where was I? Oh right. C team: Cryo, Anarchy, Arkane, and Dante. When they reveal themselves, take em' out."

Anarchy sighed, "Oh great, I'm stuck with smiles…" She glanced at Cryo. "Is your name really Cryo?"

"Uh-huh." The blue unicorn replied.

"Did your parents hate you or something?" The thief drawled.

Cryo beamed even more in retaliation. "At least my name isn't Anarchy, sting!"

"…Ouch…touché," The filly settled.

Moneybags gently lifted his shades up, baring his brilliant golden eyes. "Ditzy," He softly smiled at the young pegasus. "We're gonna figure this out…trust me."

Ditzy swooned. "Please, Mister…I just don't know how to thank you…"

"I can think of a couple ways to thank him!" Axis shouted.

"Fillies and Gentlecolts," The boss shifted his head to glaze over every herd member. "Doll and I will not be attending."

Everypony triggered simultaneous whispers of confusion immediately after his statement.

"I don't need to explain my reasons. Please, just have faith in me." I'm sorry guys…but there's something about this griffon that really bothers me. I have to meditate on it.


Axis

Time: the next day, 6:00 PM

Location: Ponyville café

B team awaited the arrival of Ditzy. They had dressed into their disguises and were ready to go. Sol was freaking out for no reason at all.

"I don't know what to do! I've never made, baked or cooked anything before! Axis, can you?" The lieutenant begged.

The addressed pegasus held a spoon in his mouth. "Sol, I can hardly button my own jacket! Do you honestly think I know the first thing about cooking? What about you Cloud?"

"I know a bit, but nothing five-star worthy!" Cloud answered.

"Why are the pegasi doing this? Isn't this an earth pony thing?" Sol grumbled as he poured batter into a mortar of discombobulated rations.

"Look, they're here." Cloud pointed her hoof toward Team A sitting at the table center of the establishment.


Quantum

Time: 6:30 PM

Team A took their seats. Quantum roughly surveyed the area. He pinpointed squad C's members surrounding the perimeter and team A behind the counter.

A colossal griffon was walking to heir table. All of the thug's feathers moved backwards from his face. Talons scraping the floorboard harshly, leaving claw marks in his wake. What stood out the most, though? Was a large scar spanning over his right eye down to his beak.

"Th-th-that's him…" Ditzy panted.

"Calm down, we can take him." Firework confided in the frightened mare.

When the griffon sat down in one of the seats, Arkane could see he was monochromatic. One eye emerald green, the other was blood red. "Mind if I sit down?" His voice was akin to dragon claws against a chalkboard.

"Not at all," Crackle's usually exhilarated tone lowered an octave. "Who're you?"

"Let's stop pretending…you all know who I am."

Everypony widened their eyes.

"I am A. the griffon who attempted to kill the mail-pony."

Ditzy let out a whimper.

"Oh, Ditzy, it was going to be so quick. You wouldn't have felt a thing…now. Hehe, well now I'm gonna have to kill your friends. And once I do, I'm gonna tear your throat out. Here's what's gonna happen fellas… orange," He pointed a claw at Firework "you're first. I'm gonna put an arrow in ya' throat. Cowpony," he moved the claw to Quantum. "I'm going to stab your eyes, and you'll bleed to death. Filly," Finally the talon fell on Crackle. "I'm gonna have fun with you." A. concluded.

"We're not alone you know?" Firework whispered.

"Nor I. Now all of this can be avoided, and everything will be forgiven and forgot if you just give me the klutz without a fuss." A. offered darkly.

"Bullshit." Quantum refused; headstrong.

"I'm sorry to hear that." The griffon made a fist with his claw, and did as promised. An arrow pierced Firework's neck from behind.

"Wh-what?" was all the orange pegasus could stutter before passing away.

The perpetrator, a red pegasus with a crossbow.

"GO! GO! GO!" C team rushed the archer. As soon as they did, about twenty pegasi exploded from their table and engaged the herd.

A. expertly pinned Quantum to the table. "We are the flock!" He raised his claw.

"GET AWAY FROM HIM!" Moneybags shattered the nearby window and plummeted into A.

"We meet again." A. smiled uncontrollably.

"This'll be the last time we do."


Cloud

Time: 6:45 PM

Cloud Chaser had never conceived so much bloodshed. Blasts of ice, fireballs, and the like barely missed her five times now. Everypony was holding their own so far. Axis had instructed Cloud not to leave from the cover of the counter. She saw a pegasus aiming an arrow at Anarchy. I can do it…I can take him out. She exited the cover with her knife ready.

"There you are." Five of the flock took aim at Cloud. She froze.

Five arrows shot through the wind, coming straight at her. She closed her eyes.

For some reason, she heard the piercing of arrows…but felt nothing. She dared to unlock her eyes. "Axis…"

Axis stood, wings spread open. He had taken every arrow for her. Somehow, he was still alive. "What…did I tell you…squirt?"

The sky-blue filly could not reply. She was amazed. "…Why?" she sobbed.

"I don't know." Axis ignored the blood flowing from his mouth. "I guess…dying like this…is pretty good for an idiot like me."

"No…"

"Come on now…don't give up on me yet…RRRAAAHHH!" He went into beast mode. He shoved his knife through one pony's neck before throwing it into the skull of another. "AAAHHH!" He punched another through the wall.

"Bring that bucker down!" All of the flock that was left let their arrows fly into Axis.

He fell to his knees. "Damn…I thought I would last…longer." The stallion died a martyr.


Next time: What will become of the herd? Who is the mysterious A.? Also, more OC's,

Please review! Remember I'm always accepting more OC's, so for those of you that are new, go for it!