Chapter Four:
The Elements of Disharmony
It was nearly 10:00 AM when Twilight was able to lift herself out of the filthy bed. She was instantly greeted by Spike, who had gone downstairs to fetch her some breakfast. With a groggy "morning, Twi," her handed her a stale blueberry muffin and a cup of lukewarm coffee. Twilight, grateful for his catering to her, managed to choke it all down. Spike wasn't kidding about the food there tasting like crap.
Shortly after finishing, Twilight told her assistant that she was going out for some fresh air. Spike, in spite of wanting to know what Celestia had wrote in her letter the night before, decided he could wait a little longer. He didn't want to pester her too much, knowing how on edge she was. He simply bade her goodbye and went back to reclining in his much too large bed. It was all he could do in that miserable inn. Twilight normally wouldn't leave such a young dragon all alone like this, but since the accident she felt he had really matured in many ways. She figured she could be a little more laid back in regards to keeping an eye on him. Besides, he had been just fine the night before.
Twilight stepped out of the dreary inn into the brightness of the day. In spite of how horrible the past few days had been, Ponyville didn't seem any less cheery than it normally did. The streets were still filled with happily smiling ponies who cheerfully greeted each other as they passed. Even Celestia's sun seemed to be smiling down on the gleeful mares and stallions. Twilight Sparkle had to seriously fight the urge rip every one of their fucking heads off. She managed to contain herself, but only just. She knew she had a job to do that day; she had to get her friends together and explain to them the crazy idea she had. She didn't care about what they would say or what they would think of her at that time, she just had to get it out into the open.
She couldn't tell them this lunatic plan just anywhere, though. She needed to take them somewhere private, where they wouldn't be overheard by others. As she thought, a light breeze caused her to hear the rustling of leaves in the nearby Everfree forest, and she decided right then and there that that place would be perfect. They wouldn't have to go too deep into it; just far enough that they were well out the way of any other pony. If they somehow came across Zecora by any chance, Twilight would just have to think of a polite way of telling her to fuck off. With a deep breath, Twilight began her search for her friends.
The first pony she came across was Applejack, oddly enough. She and Big Mac had been in town checking to see if there were any stores or businesses hiring. They needed some way to get some bits rolling, even if it meant working a crappy part time job as a cashier or something. Twilight was able to convince her that she had something of the utmost importance to tell her, and that the job hunt could wait. Together they took off for the next closest pony: Rarity.
The fashion unicorn was sitting in the fetal position on her bed when she heard the knock at her door. She was a bit surprised to find two of her closest friends on the other side of it. She had thought that they had all been doing the same thing she had been doing. Nevertheless, she heard Twilight out and decided to accompany her in finding the others.
The three then headed for Sugarcube Corner, where they found their crazy party pony friend banging her head against the outside of the shop chanting "Stupid Pinkie! Stupid Pinkie!" Over and over again, scaring away potential customers. Mr. Cake, who had been outside with her, explained to the others that Pinkie had been doing this consistently since the lawsuit. It was the only thing that supposedly made her feel better, and he couldn't stop it no matter how hard her tried. Twilight managed to forcefully pull Pinkie away from the wall and get it through her head that she had something important to tell her. Pinkie agreed to come with her, but not before smacking her head a few more times on the wall, the last almost being hard enough to leave a dent. Together, the four headed off to gather their pegasi friends.
They first went to Fluttershy's cottage and found her sitting outside in the beautiful daylight, snuggling a very sick looking Angel. She had been like that since she had returned from the pub the night before, just holding her little bunny close to her out in front of her house. The others approached her cautiously, not wanting to startle her for the risk that she might drop Angel and do more damage to him. Luckily, she heard their approaching hoofsteps and slowly gazed up at them. Twilight explained to her that they all needed to talk. Fluttershy was a bit hesitant at leaving her bunny alone at first for too long at first, but Twilight stressed that what she had to tell her couldn't have been more important, and that it may very well determine the fate of her Angel, and that was enough to win her over. Fluttershy first took Angel back inside and gently set him down in the newer more comfortable bed she had made for him. She kissed him on the head, told him she'd be back soon, and went out to join her friends. Now they just needed Rainbow Dash.
Instead of bothering with casting a cloud-walker spell and hauling out the balloon, Twilight just sent Fluttershy to go grab her. It seemed unlikely that meek little Fluttershy could convince bold and brash Rainbow Dash to join them, especially in the angry, violent state she was sure to be in, but Twilight just told Fluttershy to tell Dash the same thing she herself had just been told: that what Twilight had to say was of the utmost importance, and that it may be a possible solution to their problems. Shy nervously took to the sky, assuring herself that if worst came to worst she could always use her stare. She didn't want it to come to that, though.
Twilight and the others waited for about a half-hour before they finally saw the two pegasi approaching them. Twilight wanted to greet Dash as she came up to her, but she noticed that she looked a bit shaken and out of it. She turned to Fluttershy to ask what had happened, but the yellow pegasus just shook her head. She didn't want to talk about it.
Now that the gang was all there, Twilight was ready to take them into the Everfree forest. They were all a bit hesitant to go out there again, but Twilight made it clear to them that what she had to tell them had to be kept strictly between the six, and that she needed the most private place possible to ensure this. They all seemed to reluctantly understand, and together they stepped through the thick trees into the dark forest. Twilight led them about fifty yards in when she finally decided they had gone far enough. It would've been deathly silent if not for the hooting of a few nearby owls and the faint chirping of crickets. The heavy, thick air added to the already tense atmosphere. The overbearing trees completely blocked out the sun, making seem almost like night. Twilight could barely make out the faces of her friends in front of her. They all looked as depressed and distraught as ever, almost as if they were hoping that she was going to put them out of their misery or something. But there was now also a faint hint of intrigue in their eyes.
"Okay, Twi," Applejack began. "We're all here and we're all listening. Whaddya have ta tell us?"
Twilight thought for a moment. She had been going over how she was going to say what she had to tell them over and over in her head all morning. She still didn't feel like she was ready, but it was too late now. They were all here and waiting to hear what she had to say. She just had to do the best she could with what she had.
"Well, first off... how is everypony?" She asked sincerely.
Dash snorted loudly.
"Oh fuck that, Twilight! What the hay do you want?" She hissed.
"Rainbow Dash!" Rarity snapped. "Please, I-I'm not going to put up with this vulgarity today! I-I just... I can't do it!"
Dash just snorted again.
"Alright, you wanna know how I'm doing, Twi?" She began angrily. "Well, aside from the fact that I've lost my job, I'm no where closer to being in the Wonderbolts, I spent all of last night holding a butcher knife against my throat, and I'm literally seconds away from pumping semi-automatic rounds into anypony who so much as looks at me wrong... I guess I'm alright! You?"
Twilight supposed she deserved that. It was a stupid question. Why should she assume her friends would be any better today than they were yesterday? Shaking off her stupidity, she continued.
"Alright, first off... I need to know something from you all," she said. "Do you all trust me?"
Silence followed for a few moments. Nopony seemed to know what to say. They turned to each other, giving confused looks. Twilight felt she had to do a little prodding to get them to answer. She first turned to her fellow unicorn.
"Rarity?"
The fashionista stammered a bit at first.
"W-well... yes, of course I do," she managed to say, though she couldn't hide confusion.
"Applejack?" Twilight turned to the farmer pony.
"W-with mah life, Twi," she said.
"Rainbow Dash?"
Dash sighed heavily.
"Yeah, sure," she mumbled
"Fluttershy?"
'I-I guess," the pegasus squeaked.
That wasn't enough for Twilight.
"Yes or no, Shy?"
Fluttershy mouthed wordlessly for a moment, then answered in a whisper:
"Yes."
Finally, Twilight turned to sweet little Pinkie Pie, who now had a large bruise forming on her forehead that was barely visible in the dark. Twilight just looked at her, asking her wordlessly. Pinkie stared back at her, and for a brief moment, it appeared as though she was trying to smile again.
"You bet I do," she finally said quietly yet confidently.
Twilight, feeling a bit more at ease with Pinkie's slightly more exuberant answer, gave her friends another once over glance.
"So you all trust me?" she continued. "You all trust that I am a perfectly sane unicorn, completely capable of rational thought?"
Her friends all nodded, Applejack vocally saying "Yes."
"Alright then," Twilight said with a deep breath. "I didn't sleep too well last night. I imagine none of you did. I was... thinking a lot about our current problems, and I was thinking about how they're are all connected by one similarity: we all need bits. We are dealing with the possibility of losing farms, businesses, loved one, and the means to sustain ourselves. Now, there are a lot of options for dealing with this... but most of them will only help us temporarily," she paused. Now she was coming to the hard part. "Now, last night while I was laying awake in bed, I had... a different kind of idea. An idea that... I am frankly dead-set on seeing through. I wouldn't have even remotely considered this if there were any better option. But, I just... can't... think of anything else. Now, I can't force any of you to do anything you're not comfortable with, but-"
"Oh, sweet Celestia!" Rarity interrupted. "Please tell me you're not taking up prostitution!"
"What? No!" Twilight replied. "No, nothing like that! My idea is actually... a lot crazier than prostitution. I... I don't really no how to say it. I-it's just so..."
"Twi, maybe you should just come on out 'n say it," Applejack urged. "We all love ya, sugarcube, and we aint' gonna judge you for doing what you believe is right."
Twilight looked around, and her friends all nodded in agreement. She sighed again. Very well. If that was what they wanted...
"I want to visit the Bank of Equestria," she explained. "And... make a 'withdrawal' of sorts."
Her friends all gave her their most confused looks yet.
"Well, then you should go ahead and do that, darling," Rarity said. "I mean, if you have enough bits in your account then by all means make a withdrawal. I know that option won't work for me, though. I have very little in my savings account."
"I don't have much either," Fluttershy cooed.
"Same here," Applejack added.
"I don't even have an account," Pinkie explained. "Too many big words and weird bank mumbo-jumbo, it was all sooooo confusing! I kept all my bits in the piggy bank under my bed. That's the only kind of bank I understand!"
Rainbow Dash seemed to be the most irritated of all.
"Twi, I think we would've thought of something like that by now if we knew it would work!" She spat. "Is that why dragged us out here? To tell us to go to the bank? I oughta fuckin' beat your-"
"YOU GUYS!" Twilight roared, silencing the owls and crickets around them. "I'm talking about a different kind of withdrawal! One that's not... for lack of a better term... legal. I want to... I want to... ah fuck my life, I wanna rob the Bank of Equestria!"
The confused looks her friends gave her slowly faded to expressions of utmost horror. It would've been comical had the situation not been so serious. All of them seemed to be thinking that there was no way they could've heard her right. Twilight, sensing this, repeated herself.
"I want us to get together and pull off a bank heist! You heard me correctly!" She announced. "Now, like I said earlier: I can't force any of you into this. But whether I have all of you behind me or none of you, I am doing this! But I want you to know that without the support of my closest friends, it's likely I won't suceed. Now, I need to know what you all think of this. Please, share your thoughts."
Silence ensued Everypony was at a loss for words. But as Twilight continued to gage their reactions, she noticed something different about Rainbow Dash's. She definitely showed shock, but it wasn't fear that accompanied it. It was more like... excitement, and as it turned out, she was the first one to vocalize her opinion.
"Twilight, you are officially the single most badass pony in the history of Equestria!" She announced with vigor. "I- am- in!" She stepped forward, the others gazing at her in disbelief.
Twilight was had to admit that this was already going a lot better than she thought it would. She already had one of her friends on her side, and she didn't even have to go into too much detail over how she wanted to do it. She gave Dash a somewhat relieved smile and motioned the pegasus to come over closer to her. Dash did just that. Twilight leaned in close to her.
"R-really?" She said shakily. "Y-you want to do this, Dash?"
"Absolutely!" Dash replied. "I can't think of anything better! In fact, I've already thought of a good use for the bits I take: bribery! I know the Wonderbolts have a combined net worth of like sixty million bits, but everypony has a price. All I have to do is offer them an amount so insanely large that they'll have to take me in and boom! I'm set for life!"
"Alright then," Twilight said, feeling like she had just received a shot of adrenaline. "So, you want to-"
"WAIT JUST ONE APPLE BUCKIN' MINUTE!" Applejack roared, making all her friends jump at once. "Are you- what'r ya- do y'all have any idea how ridiculous this sounds? H-have ya lost yer mind, Twi?"
Twilight gave the earth pony a hardened glare.
"No, I haven't, AJ," she said. "I thought I made it clear to you all a moment ago that I am a still a perfectly sane and rationally thinking unicorn, and you all said you trusted me."
Well, yeah, but that was before you... you... you," Applejack stuttered.
"Honestly, darling, do you really think we are capable of such barbarism?" Rarity asked sounding utterly disgusted.
"Twilight, if this is a joke then it's not very funny," Pinkie Pie stepped in. "And I know a thing or two about what's funny."
Fluttershy managed to say everything she wanted with a rapid shake of her head and a weakly mumbled "No."
Now things were starting to go the way Twilight had expected them to. She supposed it was stupid of her to get her hopes up for simply getting one of them on her side so quickly. Rainbow Dash was now standing by her side, facing the other four.
"Are you guys serious?" Dash said to them. "Are you all just gonna give up? Just like that?"
"No I ain't," Applejack answered. "That farm was mah life, an' I ain't givin' up on it just like that! But I also ain't turning to somethin' as low as robbin' others! That just ain't right!"
"I agree wholeheartedly," Rarity chimed in. "I know it's been difficult for us recently, and that desperate times call for desperate measures, but there are certain acts that no matter how hard things get, I will not stoop to, and robbing a highly respected establishment is one of them. Honestly, I'm starting to wish it was prostitution that you were suggesting."
Rainbow Dash scoffed and shook her head in disbelief.
"You guys are dicks," she sneered. "I can't belive that you won't just swallow your damn pride for a second and at least think about this. We've spent the past couple days bitchin' and moanin' about how unfair life has been to us. Then, when Twilight finally pulls us together and says 'let's do something about this' you all wanna flake out like pussies? Un-fuckin-believable! You all-"
"Dash, please let me handle this," Twilight said resolutely. She turned back to her friends. "Do you all have any better suggestions? What other ideas do you have? What were you all planning on doing today to help solve your problems?"
Applejack was the only pony who answered
"Well, Mac 'n I were lookin for some part time work today," she said. "Ah... suppose it would help us out a little bit, but... Ah just... aw consarnit, Twi, Ah still can't believe what yer sayin'! Where did this idea of yer's come from?"
Twilight thought for a moment. She supposed there would be no harm in explaining to the where she thought of this whole crazy thing. They might roll their eyes, but whatever. Twilight honestly didn't care.
"Well, if you must know, I was reading a book last night," she began.
"Pfft, big shock there," Dash remarked.
Twilight silenced her with a look, then continued.
"It was about these two ponies, a stallion and a mare, they were two lovers who lived in this world that was falling apart. So they turned to robbing banks. It was the only way they could get by. Now, and this is the crazy part, instead of everypony thinking they were evil or lowlifes or something, they were respected and adored tremendously. It was like they knew that the world around them had been cruel and unfair, so they thought 'why shouldn't we be any better?' Don't you all see the parallels between their situation and ours? We've all been royally screwed over! We didn't do anything to deserve this! We've done nothing but give and give and give for this land, and now we're all stuck in a desperate financial situation that we may not be able to get out of in any legal way! Would the ponies of Equestria really think so poorly of us if we took a slightly less tasteful way of righting a series of wrongs that were forced upon us?"
That little speech of Twilights didn't seem to do much for the four opposing ponies. Applejack in particular appeared to be even more disgusted.
"If ya ask me, Twi, any book that'd make ya think like that oughta be banned," she said.
Twilight, being extremely anti-censorship, just about got right up in Applejacks face.
"It was a well written book, AJ! It dealt with issues of the failings of government and the will of the citizenship to not falter no matter how hard it gets! I would gladly testify to its redeeming social merit in any court in Equestria! But I guess in order for somepony like you to understand those kinds of feelings you would actually read at least one book in your lifetime!"
It took all of Applejacks inner strength to keep from bucking Twilight right through a damn tree.
"Them's fightin' words with me, Twi!" She yelled.
Before it could get any uglier, Fluttershy intervened by stepping between the two.
"Please stop, both of you," she begged, close to a sob. "Please, I can't take anymore hatred between us! Please just stop, please!"
The sight of one of the kindest ponies in the land breaking down like this was enough to cool Twilight and Applejack down a bit. They breathed it off for moment, then slowly stepped back to their respective sides. Rainbow Dash and Twilight both stared back at their four other friends. Even though she had told them she wasn't going to force them into any situation that they weren't comfortable with, she didn't want to give up until they were all on her side. She just couldn't even begin to imagine attempting something as insane as this without the aid of all five of her closest friends.
"I'm sorry, AJ," she started up again. "That was really low of me to take that shot, and I apologize. I don't want any of you to think I'm standing against you, and I don't want any of you standing against me."
Rainbow Dash leaned it towards Twilight at that point.
"Twi, as the Element of Loyalty, I want you to know that you have my complete and unyielding support. Whatever it is you want to do, I'll back you up," she said profoundly.
"Rainbow Dash," Rarity snapped irritably. "Being the Element of Loyalty doesn't mean that you are to be specifically loyal only to Twilight! It means you are to be loyal to all of us! And not just us, but your fans and admirers as well! Think of young Scootaloo, for Celestia's sake!"
Dash looked confused.
"What about her?" She asked.
"The little ragamuffin worships you!" Rarity replied.
"Heh heh, I know she does," Dash said with a smirk.
"Well, what would she have to say if she knew her idol was involved with a bank robbery? She'd probably assume that kind of lifestyle choice is okay! She'd throw away a perfectly good life in exchange for a life of crime, and you'd be the one to blame!"
"Well, who say's she has to know about this?" Dash snapped back. "Who say's anypony has to know about this? We're gonna be disguised aren't we? That's how robberies are done, right? Bunch of ponies run in with ski masks or masks of Princess Celestia, waving semi-automatics around until everypony does what they say? We can totally do this, guys! I know we can! And nopony will be the wiser!"
"NO!" Applejack roared. "Ah've had just 'bout enough of this, Twi!"
"Why not, AJ?" Twilight stepped in. "Why won't you at least consider it?"
"Why not?" Applejack repeated in shock. "Because... because... it's wrong! It's dishonest! It ain't right! There ain't nothin' kind, generous, honest, funny, loyal, or magical about it! And in case you may've fergotten, Twi... WE ARE THE ELEMENTS OF HARMONY! HAR-MO-NY! IS THERE ANYTHING HARMONOUS ABOUT DOIN' WHAT YER SUGGESTING? NO THERE AIN'T!" A brief silence followed, Applejack being completely oblivious to the fact that Twilight was about to explode on them. "Now Ah made mah livin' through good, honest hard work, 'cause that's the Element Ah represent. Now, Ah-"
"WELL WAS THERE ANYTHING HONEST ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU, APPLEJACK?" Twilight screamed louder than she ever had before in her life, terrifying the hay out of her friends. She rounded on Rarity next. "IS THERE ANYTHING GENEROUS ABOUT YOUR CLIENTS TURNING YOU DOWN IN YOUR MOMENT OF NEED JUST BECAUSE YOU FAIL TO DELIVER ONE MEASLY TIME?" She faced a badly shaking Fluttershy next. "IS IT AT ALL KIND TO PUT SUCH A HIGH PRICE ON THE LIFE OF A LOVED ONE?" And finally, Pinkie Pie. "IS THERE ANYTHING FUNNY ABOUT DRIVING AN ENTIRE BUSINESS INTO THE GROUND OVER A SIMPLE CASE OF FOOD POISONING?" Twilight's purple face was starting to go red. "ELEMENTS OF HARMONY, MY ASS! TRUE HARMONY PROBABLY DOESN'T EXIST! RAINBOW DASH IS THE ONLY ONE HERE WHO SEEMS TO GET IT! SHE'S THE ONLY ONE WHO SEEMS TO REALIZE HOW MEANINGLESS THAT TITLE IS!" Dash tried to look proud, even though she couldn't hide the buckling of her legs. "NOW MAYBE THERE ARE OTHER SOLUTIONS TO OUR PROBLEMS, AND MAYBE THEY WOULD WORK OUT WELL ENOUGH IN TIME, BUT THAT'S THE CATCH ISN'T IT? 'IN TIME' EVERYTHING WILL WORK OUT 'IN TIME!' WELL I DON'T HAVE TIME! ROBBING THE BANK OF EQUESTRIA IS THE FASTEST SOLUTION I COULD COME UP WITH, AND THOUGH YOU ALL MAY DENY IT, IT'S FASTEST SOLUTION FOR YOU ALL TOO! I HAVE NEITHER THE TIME NOR INCLINATION TO WORK SOME SHITTY PART TIME JOB FOR TEN BITS AN HOUR IN THE HOPES OF ONE DAY HAVING ENOUGH FOR A NEW HOME! I'M DOING THIS ROBBERY BECAUSE I KNOW IT'S THE BEST SOLUTION! MAYBE NOT THE PRETTIEST, BUT THE BEST! AFTER ALL, I HAVE A BABY DRAGON TO THINK ABOUT!" She paused there for a minute, catching her breath. "IF YOU ALL HAVE ANY SHRED OF LOVE FOR THE OTHERS WHO HAVE BEEN AFFECTED BY THESE RECENT HORRORS, YOU'LL TAKE MY IDEA INTO ACCOUNT!"
Twilights forelegs collapsed under her as she began to breathe heavily. Nopony spoke. They were all stunned to silence. Twilight wasn't even able to see their reactions due to her face being practically buried into the earth. Minutes passed. Twilights breathing was soon brought under control, and it was at that moment that she heard hoofsteps approaching her. She slowly gazed up to see Fluttershy standing above her. She was looking down at Twilight with a single tear sliding down her cheek. Twilight stared up at her intently, having no idea what the pegasus was going to say. Eventually, Shy's mouth slowly opened and she uttered two words:
"I'm in."
"Fluttershy!" Applejack cried out in shock.
The shy young pony had already taken her place next to Twilight. She stared back intensely at the other three.
"I'm not gonna lose my Angel," she stated with a air of finality. "Those pills I've been giving him will keep him going for a couple more weeks at most; after that he's living on borrowed time. I can't wait any longer. I'm won't wait any longer. I don't care what I have to do, I'm not losing him!"
Twilight wrapped a foreleg around Shy's shoulder and gave her a gentle squeeze.
"We're gonna save him, Fluttershy," she said reassuringly, her voice a little raspy. "You can count on it."
Now it was three on three. Two pegasi and a unicorn against two earth ponies and another unicorn. Twilight first turned to the very nervous looking Pinkie Pie.
"Pinkie, I've had food poisoning before," she began. "It was long before I met you all. I don't know exactly what it was that caused it, maybe some bad hay, but I won't lie to you: it was pretty bad. Believe me when I say that toilet was ground zero when I was finished with it." For the first time in a while, Pinkie managed a smile. "But you know what I was doing when it finally passed? I was laughing over it! I wasn't traumatized or looking to sue everypony responsible! I moved on very quickly! Now, why couldn't some rich big shot do that? Just laugh about it and move on? Sure, it may have spoiled a marriage -that probably would've ended in divorce knowing those rich types- but was that any reason for them to ruin you and the two ponies who have been more like a mother and father to you than your actual parents -and I'm sorry, I know you don't like to talk about them- but I'm trying to make a point here."
"Pinkie, please don't get caught up in this," Applejack pleaded, only to be hushed by the pink party pony so Twilight could continue.
"These rich types," Twilight said. "They trot all over ponies of lesser means because they think being richer makes them better. Now, do you know that a majority of the money in these banks belongs to those rich types? Don't you want to make them pay? Don't you want to be the one to have the last laugh? Don't you want to make it up to Mr. and Mrs. Cake?" She paused, then leaned in closer. "Think of this as just another party."
And those words seemed to do it. After all, Pinkie had told herself that she would do anything to make things right again, and a bank robbery definitely was something. And, well... maybe this would be like another party. Anything could be a party to Pinkie Pie, after all. She slowly stepped over to join Twilight, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy.
"Okie-dokie-lokie," she said with the faintest hint of chipper in her voice and the ghost of a smile on her face.
Applejack stared at them all with reproach. She knew she was losing now. She turned to look at Rarity, and even she was starting to look a little eager.
"Not you, Rare," she pleaded. "C'mon, not you too."
"Rarity," Twilight prodded. "If not for us, then do it for your sister."
The fashon unicorns thoughts drifted to Sweetie Belle, her dear sister, whom she loved more than anything. Horrifying thoughts of her being taken away filled Rarity's head. Thoughts of her being sent to some foster home where the parents were sick, abusive psycho's who had put on a respectable face to the public but would secretly molest and beat her any chance they could. Those thoughts were too much for Rarity's fragile heart to handle. To Applejack's horror, she slowly stepped forward.
"I'm doing this for Sweetie Belle," she said resolutely. "No other reason would drive me to this aside from her safety and well-being."
Now... there were five, and Applejack was starting to look defeated. Twilight knew now that the farmer was close to breaking. All it would take now was the proper encouragement.
"AJ," Rainbow Dash started. "C'mon. Come join your friends."
"We hafta stick together, Applejack," Pinkie persuaded.
"Think of how much easier it'll be to rebuild your farm with all the bits we can get from this," Fluttershy said encouragingly.
"It may not be pretty, but I think that it may do us a world of good in the long run," Rarity added.
"You have a family to think of, AJ," Twilight stepped in. "They need you now more than ever. Do this for them, AJ. Give them their lives back."
And at long last, Applejack appeared to have been reached. She always was a stubborn one, but even she had a point where she had to break down admit defeat, and right now, she was just about there. Twilight was absolutely right. Her family was depending on her. But there was one more thing she wanted to know before she gave herself over to Twilight.
"How did that book o' yers end, Twi?" She asked. "What happened ta them two ponies?"
Twilight cringed a bit as she recalled the rather grisly end that Bonnie and Clydesdale met.
"Well, they got... careless, you see, and they... they weren't thinking properly... and..." Twilight stammered a bit before gathering herself again. "Look, that's not going to happen with us, alright? We're gonna be smart about this; we're not gonna get reckless; we're not gonna burst into every bank, shop and liquor store in Equestria firing guns blindly into the air with 'Born to be Wild' tattoos on our chests. All we need is one good score... that's all. We'll plan this out thoroughly; we'll go over every last detail with a fine-toothed comb... and we're gonna pull this off. Together, we can do this."
Applejack thought about it a moment longer. Twilight sounded so sure, and she had never steered them wrong before. The encouraging looks of her friends were almost luring her in like a sirens song. Finally, AJ could bear it no longer. This would be for her family.
"May Celestia have mercy on me," she muttered, and stepped over to join her friends.
WIthout warning, Twilight threw her forelegs around the farmer pony and held her tight. She buried her face into her mane and nuzzled it gently. She just wanted her to know that there was no shame in what she was doing; that they were all in the same boat, and that no matter what happened they would stick together, to the death if it came to that.
It was a few moments before Twilight felt AJ's forelegs fasten themselves around her and squeeze her tightly. Moments later they felt another set of forelegs around them. Twilight turned to see that Pinkie Pie had joined the hug. She moved back a little to let her squeeze in better. Soon Rarity had moved in on them, then Fluttershy. Finally, and with a slight roll of her eyes, Rainbow Dash got in as well.
The six ponies just held each other in the profound silence of the Everfree forest. None of them dared speak; none of them dared ruin this beautiful moment in an otherwise dim situation. They held each other tightly, just wanting each other to know how much they were loved by their friends, and no matter what, they were in this together 'til the very end.
When they finally broke apart, they all formed a small circle, some of them wobbling a bit from leaning on each other for so long. Twilight looked them all over, breathing shakily.
"So," she began. "Now that we're all in this, do we agree to no backing out?" They all nodded. "Do we all swear to keep this strictly between us six?" They nodded again. "Pinkie-Pie Swear?" They all did the little chant. "Alright, now as I said earlier, this is going to take a lot of planning. Believe it or not, Dash, but robbing a bank is much more than just running in wearing a mask and waving a gun around. It requires skill, cunning, intimidation, and -I can't stress this enough- lots and lots of planning. We're gonna have to take our time figuring out what we're gonna do and how we're gonna do it, and if we play our proverbial cards right we should be able to avoid resorting to doing anything unthinkable like killing or maiming anypony. Do you all understand?" They nodded.
"So, when exactly do you want to hit the bank, Twi? Rainbow Dash asked.
Twilight thought for a moment, then sighed heavily.
"Well, here's the thing, guys," she said. "I don't think it would be wise of us to attempt a robbery on the bank here in Ponyville. We're too well known here; we have too many friends and family here. No disguise would be able to would fool anypony around here." She paused in thought for a moment. "I'm afraid we'll have to take a trip to another city."
Twilight had been dreading having to tell her friends that, and indeed they did look a bit irked, but not as much as she thought they would. In fact, they seemed to be thinking of other cities they could try.
"How about Cloudsdale?" Fluttershy suggested. "It's not too far, and we know it fairly well."
"Shy, no offense, but that's a pretty stupid idea," Dash interjected. "Maybe you guy's aren't too well known there, but I... kinda am." She suddenly seemed a bit embarrassed. "You see after my recent little fuck up with the Wonderbolts, I... kiiiinda raged through the city and, you know... freaked a lot of ponies out. Believe me, if anypony is seen running down the streets firing an AK 47 like psycho, I'm the first pony they're gonna suspect."
The others all rolled their eyes. Typical Dash.
"Okay, we'll scratch off Cloudsdale," Twilight said irritably. "Any other ideas."
"Perhaps Las Pegasus?" Rarity chimed in. "I've always wanted to see that city."
Dash suddenly seemed excited.
Yeah! Maybe we could rob a casino instead! I'll bet they carry some heavy bits!" She said.
Twilight looked skeptical.
"I don't think that's a good idea," she explained. "Casino robberies seem a lot more complicated. Besides, half of the casinos and banks there are like mob owned or something. We wouldn't want them to come after us. They're some sick ponies from what I hear. They'd give us all slow, painful deaths for sure."
The others all seemed to agree. They thought some more. Then Pinkie Pie chimed in with what Twilight would consider the worst idea of them all.
"Canterlot!" She squealed. "That would probably be a good place! We all know it well enough!"
"No way, Pinkie!" Twilight cried aghast. "That's too close to Celestia and Luna! The last thing we'd want is to bring them down on us! They'd be worse than the mob! We'd be finished in a heartbeat!"
"Well, hang on Twi. Pinkie's on to something here," Dash interjected. "It's true that we know the city well enough, and would Celestia really expect something like this to happen right under her nose? It seems pretty clever to hit the city she'd least suspect."
"Dash, she's not stupid," Twilight replied. "Celestia and Luna don't mess around when it comes to protecting their city. If either of them were come across a group of ponies in ski masks holding up a bank, they'd rip 'em apart in a flash! If not them, then the royal guard! I just... I don't want to risk it."
Dash groaned.
"Alright, fearless leader, whatever you say," She said with another roll of her eyes.
Twilight then noticed that Pinkie appeared to be a bit embarrassed by her suggestion.
"Pinkie, I'm sorry," she apologized, giving her friend a gentle pat on the back of her neck. "I know you're just trying to help, but we have to be careful about this. This is probably the most dangerous thing we've ever undertaken, and we have to think it though thoroughly. Canterlot is simply out of the question."
Pinkie seemed to understand well enough now, and she gave Twilight a pat of her own. There was no animosity between them.
"Alrighty then," Applejack started. "What other cities are there? Fillydelphia? Baltimare? Manehatten?"
Twilight raised her hoof there to stop her.
"Manehatten..." she said thoughtfully. "You've spent some time there, havent you, AJ?"
Applejack thought for a moment.
"Yeah, Ah lived there with some relatives in mah youth," she explained. "Was a while back, though, and Ah ain't been there since. Ah imagine it's changed some since then."
"Um, I've visited Manehatten quite frequently myself, for fashion expos and such," Rarity came in.
The others all turned to her.
"What can you tell us about it?" Twilight asked.
"Well," Rarity began. "It is quite massive, and it's certainly a more technologically advanced city than our little Ponyville. They have taken a significantly more pervasive use of electricity than most other cities. This would most definitely include security measures for banks and such. Also, they have these modes of transportation there that most of us haven't really seen around here. They're called... cars I believe."
"Oh yeah," Rainbow Dash interrupted. "I've heard of those things. They're supposed to be this new way of helping earth ponies travel long distances in much shorter times. I hear that they're being introduced to more and more cities in Equestria. They're expected to replace carriages within the next few years or so."
"Indeed," Rarity continued. "Anyways, there are many other technological marvels in Manehatten that I can't even begin to list. We'd be here all night if I tried to."
Twilight though about this for a moment. As different as Manehatten sounded, it seemed like best option thus far.
"Well, I'll tell you, guys," she said. "Manehatten is sounding like a pretty safe bet to me. Rarity seems familiar enough with it; it's well out of Celestia's way... I say we go for it there."
"Are you sure, Twilight?" Fluttershy asked. "It sounds like a very confusing place. I don't really like those kinds of cities. And, well um, if the bank there has security measures we've never heard of before..."
"Shy, I know a thing or two about electricity," Twilight replied. "There are ever spells I know that can manipulate electrical current and scramble circuits and whatnot. And, as I've said a few times now: we're going to plan this out before we do anything too crazy. We're not gonna storm the bank until we know what we're dealing with and how we're going to deal with it. Alright?"
"Oh-okay," Fluttershy squeaked. "If you say so, Twilight. I trust you."
Twilight nodded. She then turned to her other friends to get their opinions. They had to agree unanimously on everything. It was only fair.
"Dash?" She asked.
"Sounds good to me," the pegasus answered. "I've flown over Manehatten a few time. Doesn't look like anything I can't handle."
"Pinkie?"
"Okie-dokie-pokie," Pinkie said sounding more chipper than she had in a long while.
"Rarity?"
"I suppose," she said with a sigh.
"Applejack?"
"Might as well," she shrugged.
"Alright then," Twilight announced. "It's official: we're hitting the Manehatten branch. Now, our next predicament is: how do we get there? As far as I know, no trains run through Manehattan. I haven't mastered teleportation yet, particularily not for long distances, and even if I had I can't teleport somewhere I've never been, so... suggestions?"
Once again, they all took some time to think.
"Dash could possibly fly us all there one by one," Rarity suggested.
"Are you kidding, Rare," Dash sneered. "That'd tire me out too quickly. It'd probably take a few days also. Hauling heavy weight around slows me down significantly -no offense, guys- and on top of that it would be uncomfortable for you guys. I know that for a fact. And you'd have to wait for me to get everypony there before we could like... start exploring the city and junk, so... yeeeeeaaaah, not gonna work. And I don't think Fluttershy's up to it either."
Fluttershy nodded in agreement.
"I'm not very strong," she cooed.
"Okay, we'll cross that idea off," Twilight said.
"How 'bout one o' them charter carriages that leaves Ponyville ev'ry other day. It'd be somethin' like a day trip ah believe," Applejack said hopefully.
"No way," Dash shot the idea down. "Those things cost like fifty bits a pony. I'm not shelling out that much to ride on one of those over-crowded, smelly crap traps. Besides, nothin' but total creepers on those things anyway."
"Ugh, I know what you mean," Rarity said. "My cousin took one of them back from Fillydelphia a while back and she was constantly being watched by this old perverted stallion as she puts it. When she got off her followed her around for nearly an hour before she lost him."
"Oooohh, creepy-weepy," Pinkie Pie said with a shiver.
"Tell me about it," Rarity mumbled.
"Okay," Twilight began. "So... it sounds to me like the only option we're leaving ourselves is walking. The only question is how long that will take us. Any ideas?"
"Ah'd say maybe three days at the most," Applejack answered. "Maybe two 'n a half if we hurry. It don't seem like too hard of walk. A few ups and downs here 'n there, but ah don't think it's anything we can't handle. Can't be worse than Dragon Rock Mountain. "
Rarity grimaced.
"Oh, darling, you realize were going to be completely miserable at the end of it, don't you?" She moaned. "We'll be tired and dirty and sweaty and... oh, even a full day at the spa won't be enough!"
"Sugarcube, Ah've been haulin' carts full o' apples inta Ponyville damn near ev'ry day fer past several years. Ah can handle a walk ta Manehatten with mah eyes shut."
"We don't seem to have any other option, Rarity," Twilight added. "If we bring enough supplies with us: food, water, something soft to for each of us to sleep on, we should be fine. There should be a few general stores scattered along the way; we can pick up some food and supplies there if need be. I don't think we'll be able to afford any hotels though, so we'll probably just have to set up a camp or something on the side of the road at night. Are we all okay with this?"
It took significantly longer for her friends to nod this time. Rarity in particular looked as though she had just been issued a death sentence. Eventually though, they did all nod, and that was that.
"Alright," Twilight continued. "So, we know where we're going and how we're gonna get there. We estimate a three day journey to Manehatten, and I would give us at least a week or so to plan and prepare, maybe less depending on how quickly we pick it up. I'd say this whole thing could take us maybe twelve to thirteen days. Now, I think it's best we head out as soon as possible. I want to get this over with quickly, so... maybe tomorrow morning?"
surprisingly nopony seemed to have a problem with this. Why should they? They had nothing else going on.
"Okay then," Twilight said. "We should take what time we have left today get our affairs in order with our families and loved ones. Oh, and we absolutely canNOT tell them where we're going. We need to avoid as much suspicion as possible. That's another reason why the charter carriage would be a bad idea: it goes right through the middle town on it's way out. Anypony who would see us on there would know where we were going. Can't risk that. So, here's what we'll tell them: we're taking a road trip to help clear our thoughts. We're not going anywhere in particular, we just need to get away for a while. Can we all stick to that story?"
The group nodded.
"Good," Twilight was starting to look tired. "Now, I can send Spike up to Canterlot for the time. Celestia can look after him, and she should believe my story just fine. She trusts me after all. What about the rest of you?"
"Mr. and Mrs. Cake probably won't care that I need to go away for a while," Pinkie said. "They always let me do whatever I want. They're so nice."
"I got nothin' to worry about," Dash said a bit braggingly. "Nopony will probably even know I'm gone. I can let Tank out into the wild until I get back. He oughta be fine."
"I'll need somepony to look after Sweetie Belle while I'm gone," Rarity said. "I'm certainly not sending her off to mother and fathers for reasons I'd rather not go into right now, so..." she trailed off there.
"She'd be more 'n welcome at the farm," Applejack offered. "Ah'm sure Applebloom'd be happy ta have her."
Rarity appeared grateful, though also a bit concerned.
"Are you sure, dear?" She asked.
"Absolutely," AJ replied. "Mac's a tough stallion; he can handle thing's on his own, Ah'm sure. Apple Bloom's been learnin' a thing 'r two about helpin' out around the farm. They should be fine without me fer a while. 'Sides, it's fer the best... ah s'pose."
"Well," Fluttershy came in. "I need somepony to keep my animals fed and watered, and to make sure that Angel takes his pills and is comfortable."
"Ah think Mac can help us out there again," Applejack said. "Winona had somthin' like bloat a while back. We caught it early, though, and we we're able ta stop it 'fore it got bad enough to require surgery. He knows a think 'r two about it. If ah put in a word with 'im, he oughta be more'n happy ta stop by and check up on lil' Angel once in a while."
Fluttershy looked close to tears.
"Oh, what a dear he is," she said. "We'll have to find a proper way to thank him for this."
"Hey," Dash stepped in. "We're gonna be bringing home a whoppin' pile of bits. That oughta be more than enough thanks." She paused in thought for a moment. "Just how many bits are we hoping to come away with anyway?"
"We'll worry about that later, Dash," Twilight said. "We''ll worry about what we're going to do, how we're going to do it, and how we're going to explain to everypony why we suddenly have such a massive quantity of bits when we come home... when we come to those issues. For now, there's just one more thing we need to get out of the way before we head back: where we're gonna stay when we get there. We can't afford any hotels, so we're probably gonna have to hide out somewhere; an abandoned factory or tenement perhaps."
"There oughta be a few places down on the docks by the river that ain't in use," Applejack said. "We could try there."
"Sounds like a definite possibility," Twilight replied. I guess we'll just have to see what happens when we get there."
Rarity once again looked disappointed. Maybe she was hoping that they would get chance to stay at one of Manehatten's luxurious hotels. But she knew better; they were barely scraping by as it was.
"So I guess that's it?" Dash said after a prolonged silence.
"Is for now," Twilight answered. "Let's all go back home and explain our situation to everypony. Remember the story we agreed to and just stick with it no matter what. Pack lightly; just some food and blankets should be enough. We'll meet up at Sweet Apple Acres since it's on the outskirts of Ponyville and we'll take off from there. I want to be on the road by at least 9:30. That okay with everypony?"
And for the final time that day, the ponies all nodded. They felt no need at all to question Twilight. Deep down, they did indeed all trust her with their lives. It was all set now. They were ready to follow her right off the edge of the cliffs of sanity.
"We're really doing this, aren't we?" Fluttershy whispered. "I can't believe it."
"The Elements of Harmony are about to become the Elements of Disharmony," Rainbow Dash said profoundly, with a slight sense of pride.
Nopony spoke after that. They all just silently took in their new unofficial title. It had a disturbingly nice ring to it. After a moment, they all turned away without a word and left the Everfree forest. They sky above them was now starting to turn orange, signifying that it was late afternoon. They must've been hugging for longer than they had thought. Time had seemed to stand still during that moment.
They began to separate as they made their way towards their individual homes, each one bidding goodnight to the others before breaking off. Eventually Twilight found herself alone again. She hoped with all her might that her friends would all have success with their cover stories. She went over and over in her head what she would say to Celestia in her letter explaining that Spike was being sent to her for a while because she needed some alone time to think things over. There was no reason for her to be suspicious was there? She knew Twilight would never lie to her didn't she? Sure she did, she always trusted Twilight, and that thought almost made young unicorn feel ashamed of herself that she was about to betray that trust. The key word there being 'almost.'
"Elements of Disharmony," Twilight said quietly to herself as she came up to the Ponyville inn.
She had to admit she was starting to like the sound of that name.
Well, that chapter wiped me the hell out! Hope it was good enough for ya'll! Thanks again for all the nice words! Leave more reviews please! I really appreciate them! More soon!