Chapter Sixteen:

The Family They Never Had

They didn't have to go far to find their shy pegasus friend; she was sitting at the edge of the dock that held the warehouse, sobbing freely, her ski mask laying by her side. It was late afternoon now. It had seemed like such a quick day with all the preparations they had undertaken. Heavy grey clouds covered the bustling city as far as the eye could see. It looked like quite the shower was just around the corner. If it ended up pouring rain tomorrow, Twilight couldn't help but wonder how it would affect the way the robbery played out. Hauling several hundred million bits worth of money through a downpour seemed like a pretty lousy way to go about things.

Twilight cast that thought aside; right now, her friend was more important. She, along with everypony else, slowly trotted up to the sobbing Fluttershy (Rainbow Dash still limping a bit). The sound of her crying was enough to break even the hardest of hearts. Rainbow Dash's deeply sorrowful expression was a testament to that. Of all the ponies involved in this whole thing, Fluttershy had to have been taking it the hardest. For such a peaceful and gentle soul to be thrust into this situation so abruptly, to lose her innocence in such a barbaric way... nopony could even begin to imagine how she was feeling.

And yet, she continued to stick it out with them. No matter how ugly things were getting, she hadn't shown any sign of wanting to quit and go home. Twilight had been sure she would've been the toughest to convince to go through with it, and she had ended up being the third one to volunteer. She had shared her troubled past with them. She had helped them dispose of those awful punks, even though it must've absolutely killed her to know she had taken a life. She had offered them invaluable information on what to expect when they break the bank. She had accompanied them into the dark reaches of Manehattens seedy underbelly. And just moments ago, she had shown just how intimidating she could be when properly pushed.

She was truly a valuable asset to this group. Without her, there was no way any of this would've been possible. And just moments ago... Rainbow Dash had hurt her more than she had ever hurt anypony before, and though the pegasus internally stood by the fact that she was just trying to toughen her up, she still felt utterly disgusted with herself over the way she had treated her friend.

"Hey, Fluttershy?" Dash said softly as she limped ahead of the others.

Futtershy made no indication that she had heard her friend. She continued to sob and whimper quietly as she stared out over the grey, dirty water. A cool breeze had picked up just moments ago, making it swirl and churn dangerously. It looked like a total death trap if anypony fell in. The bodies of the those colts must've been getting absolutely battered on the rocks at the bottom.

"Fluttershy, dear?" Rarity cooed gently as she stepped up next to Dash. She was stopped as the Dash held up a hoof and pushed her back gently.

"Let me handle this, alright?" She insisted calmly.

Rarity shot the pegasus a cold look, but backed off all the same. This was, after all, Dash's mess, and she should be the one to fix it up.

"Are you okay, Shy?" Dash asked with a tone of concern that she rarely used.

"I-I'm sorry," Fluttershy squeaked quietly, still facing away from the others. "I... didn't mean to hurt any of you. I... just..."

"No, Fluttershy," Dash placed her hoof gently on Fluttershy's shoulder and pulled her so she was facing her. "I'm the one who's sorry. What I did back there... that was really uncool of me. It was like... the exact opposite of awesome."

"I-It's okay," Fluttershy whimpered softly.

"No, it's not okay," Dash shook her head vehemently. "You're my friend. It's not right for friends to rip on each other like that. And I just want you to know that I didn't mean a word of what I said back there. You understand? Not a single word."

"B-but... you were right; I am a coward..."

"Fluttershy!" Twilight, who along with the others had remained out of the way of the two pegasi, had to step in at those cruel words. "You are not a coward!"

"She's right, sugarcube," Applejack came in. "Don't ever talk that way 'bout yerself."

""B-but I-" Fluttershy was trembling terribly at that point.

"But nothing!" Rarity joined in. "We've all seen first hoof just how brave you can be! Don't even try to deny it!"

"But I'm... I'm..."

"One of the bravest, toughest, most wonderfulest ponies who ever lived!" Pinkie Pie bounded up to pegasus and threw her forelegs around her from behind. She squeezed her friends tightly, lovingly.

"But... but..."

"But but but, is that all you can say?" Dash asked with a sharp laugh. She would've laughed more, but Twilight shot her an angry look. Suddenly Dash remembered they were supposed to be cheering their friend up, not making jokes at her expense. "S-sorry, Shy," she apologized quickly. "I didn't mean to make fun of you."

Fluttershy whimpered quietly and hung her head.

"I hurt you, Rainbow Dash," she whispered. "I hurt you badly. And I scared the others."

"Hey, no, you didn't hurt me that badly," Dash said. "I can take a little pain. No sweat! Besides, you were really impressive back there!"

"I... I was?" Fluttershy seemed to brighten up a bit. A very small bit.

"Are you kidding? You were so intense you actually had us begging you to stop! You're gonna be so awesome when the real thing comes around!"

Fluttershy sniffled. A small smile formed on her muzzle. A very small one.

"I... was really kind of dreading it all day," she said softly. "I thought I was going to be terrible. And... I guess I sort of was for a while."

"Aw, hon, we were all dreadin' that moment fer the same reasons you were," Applejack said soothingly, giving the pegasus a gentle nuzzle. "None o' us thought we'd be cut out fer this kinda work."

"I did," Rainbow Dash muttered with a bitter scowl, receiving a scathing look from her earth pony rival. "What? All I'm saying is I think I was born to do this! Hay, screw the Wonderbolts; I think I might just make this robbery thing my new career path."

Her friends all stared at her blankly. Even Fluttershy managed to stop crying for a moment, her eyebrow cocked in confusion.

"You're kidding, right?" Twilight asked with a hint of genuine concern in her voice.

"Mmmmmmaaaaaaaaybe..." Dash replied cryptically.

"Dash, seriously," Twilight snapped. "Please tell me you're joking."

Dash held a straight face for few seconds before a sly grin broke out across her features.

"Yeah yeah, I'm kidding," she chuckled. "Man, I really had you guys going, didn't I?"

"With you, Rainbow Dash, sometimes it's hard to tell when you're joking or being serious," Twilight said with a roll of her eyes.

"Heh, guess that explains why I'm so good at pranking."

Fluttershy's crying had subsided by that point. But the yellow pegasus still wore a small frown on her face.

"I... still feel guilty that I hurt you so badly, Rainbow Dash," she murmured.

"Hey, I already told you I'm alright," Dash said. "I've hurt worse. Believe me."

"But your wing," Fluttershy gave Dash's injured wing a gentle stroke. "I knew it was bothering you and I hurt it anyway," she suddenly looked close to crying again. "How bad is it?"

Rainbow Dash stretched her wing out and gave it a few quick flaps. She visibly winced in pain at each flap. The pegasus examined it a few minutes more, then just shrugged and folded it back into her side.

"Ya know what? It hurts, but I think I can manage to fly with it, at least for a short while."

"You're sure?" Twilight asked. "Remember, I need you to fly me up to the roof of the bank tomorrow."

"I'll tough it out," Dash said simply. "I'll just go easy on it for now and maybe it'll feel better in the morning."

"Waddya think happened to it anyway, Dashie?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"I honestly don't know, Pinks," Dash answered with a sigh. "I'm thinking maybe I worked it a little too hard when we were on our way up here. I was just getting so tired of walking, and I was so anxious to get into the air that... I dunno. I guess I overdid it somehow."

Fluttershy's eyes began to gloss over with tears again. Her lip quivered sporadically.

"Oh, Rainbow Dash, I'm so sorry I hurt you!"

"Shy, I already told you it was okay," Dash said firmly. "I was the one who pushed you. It was my own fault, and that's something I rarely say. And I just hope you know that I really was proud of the way you reacted. You were a real pro back there! Nopony's gonna do anything stupid when we take the bank, and it'll be because of you! You're gonna kick some serious flank tomorrow, I know it!"

The encouragement did little to improve Fluttershy's mood. The pegasus still looked deeply mortified by her behavior; her head hung low and her eyes closed resolutely. Dash sighed. She was going to have to try something a little... sappier if she wanted to help her friend. Sap was definitely not her thing most of the time, but for the ones she cared about, she could make an exception once in a while. She positioned herself in front of her friend and gently brought a hoof under Fluttershy's chin and lifted it.

"Shy, look at me," she said soothingly. Fluttershy opened her eyes slowly. They were red and puffy from crying, but still attentive. Dash stared back at her with soft expression of kindness that was rarely seen in those magenta eyes. "I love you, Shy. You're one of the best friends a pony could ever have. You're like a sister to me. In fact... you're probably the closest thing to a family that I've ever had." Dash then let her gaze fall over all her other friends. "All of you are, actually." She suddenly looked very close to tears.

One by one, the mares approached the two pegasi, tears beginning to form in their own eyes as well. They threw their forelegs around them in a tight embrace. From the middle of the group, a soft, squeaky voice sounded off.

"I... I love you too, Rainbow Dash. All of you. You... you're all like sisters to me too. You're my real family."

"Same goes for me!" Pinkie Pie cried, tears flowing rom her eyes like fountains.

"Well, Ah've still got mah brother, sister and granny..." Applejack said. "But... ya'll are just as important ta me as they are. Might as well consider ya mah family as well."

"I, too, must admit that you all have really come to mean a lot to me," Rarity sniffled. "Why, I've even forced little Sweetie Belle into the habit of calling you all her aunts. I mean, she's not my daughter, but... I just find it so utterly adorable."

"I think it's cute," Fluttershy said with a tiny, meek smile.

"So, when you say we all mean a lot to you," Rainbow Dash said to Rarity. "You're... including me in that category, right?"

Rarity gave the pegasus a perplexed look.

"Well, of course, Rainbow Dash. Why would you think otherwise?"

"Aw, c'mon, Rare," Dash said with a small chuckle. "You and I have never been that close. We don't exactly see eye to eye on a lot of things. I mean, I still consider you a friend and all, but..." she trailed off there.

"Rainbow, dear," Rarity said firmly. "You remember the Best Young Fliers Competition, do you not?"

"The one you and I were in? Yeah, I remember," Dash sounded a bit confused.

"Then you would also remember that you saved my life that day, would you not?"

An expression of understanding crossed Rainbow Dash's features.

"Oh, that's right, I did."

"Do you really think I would forget something as profound as that?" Rarity's tone almost sounded cold.

"I, uh..." Dash chuckled nervously. "I guess I'm just so used to saving ponies that I forget who I've saved sometimes."

Rarity's somewhat cold expression slowly melted to a much warmer one. She smiled kindly as she placed a comforting hoof on Dash's shoulder.

"You've always had a special place in my heart, dear. Never forget that."

Dash smiled warmly back at the unicorn. She placed her own hoof on top of Rarity's and gently stroked it.

"Thanks, Rare. That really means a lot to me," she pulled Rarity into a warm embrace. "I... really do care about you a lot, ya know. Even if I don't really show it sometimes."

"I am honored to call you my friend, Rainbow Dash," Rarity squeezed her friend tighter. "I apologize for any unpleasantness between us the past few days. I know I acted quite foalish at times."

"I'm sorry too, Rarity," Dash slowly let herself out of the embrace, patting Rarity on the back a few times as she did. "I love ya."

"I love you too, dear." Rarity gently patted Rainbow Dash back.

Twilight smiled warmly as she looked over her friends, all hugging and comforting each other. It was just another beautiful moment in an otherwise dark situation. Unable to control herself any further, the unicorn joined in on the affectionate display, wrapping her forelegs around whoever she could.

"You guys..." she said softly. "I don't know if I've said this yet, but... thank you all so much for sticking with me through this whole thing. I... I never thought we'd end up in a situation like this. Not in a million years. But then again, I guess life's just full of surprises. Hay, I always thought I would spend my whole life living in Canterlot, remaining socially isolated 'till the day I died. But coming to Ponyville, meeting you all, having crazy adventure after crazy adventure... I guess you just never know what will happen.

"I am truly sorry that things went so bad for us. I never wanted us to end up in a situation like this. Who would? No halfway decent pony deserves anything like this. But... I don't regret what we've done so far. And I don't regret what we're going to do. I don't think it's a good thing... but I think it's necessary. And... I just want to say that the fact that you all have stuck with me so far, that you haven't shown any signs of faltering, of giving up and going home, well..." her eyes began to glisten with tears. "I means more to me than you can ever know. I'm so lucky to have you all in my life. Thank you."

Twilight felt a couple of forelegs wrap themselves around her back, squeezing her tightly.

"We'd never abandon you, Twi," Rainbow Dash said in perhaps the kindest tone she had ever used. "Our little egghead."

"Oh, I never get tired of that name..." Twilight quipped sarcastically.

The group shared a small laugh and continued to embrace each other tightly. They remained that way for several minutes, just completely oblivious to the world around them. The unbearable tension of the past few days seemed to melt away entirely. For that brief moment, they were back to being the normal, carefree, kindhearted mares they used to be. Not the hardened, violent criminals they had become. One couldn't help but wonder if things would ever be the same after this whole adventure. Of course they were all perfectly clear that nopony would ever know about what they did, but just how well would they be able to keep that promise?

This wasn't just something they would forget the instant it was over and they were all back on their hooves, leading normal lives; what they did there in Manehatten would stay with them, haunt them, forever. Several instances in the past had shown them the dangers of keeping things bottled up for too long. At some point in the future, would it be necessary to tell, maybe just the ones closest to them, what they had done in Manehatten? They didn't need to go into detail of the more disturbing aspects of their journey (the incident with the punk need never be mentioned again), but they could at least give them an idea of how far they were willing to go to make things better not just for themselves, but for those they loved. And how even though it may not have been pretty, it made everything better in the end.

There was no telling what the reactions would be, even if it was decades from now, and the whole affair was nothing but a blurry memory; just a small black mark on an otherwise altruistic lifestyle. Maybe by that point they just wouldn't have it in them to be angry or upset. If life went as well for them as they all hoped it would, if the rest of their existence was nothing but smooth sailing, then what reason would their loved ones have to be upset over something that happened long ago? They could only hope things would be that simple, even though deep down they all knew that things were never as easy as they wanted them to be. With all the bad luck they had endured the past week, it was difficult to see any silver lining in the future.

Maybe it would be best to just stick with the original plan of never telling a soul about their endeavors in Manehatten. This could prove to be difficult. particularly for Applejack. If she was ever asked by her family about what she had done during her time away, could she really have it in her to lie to them, going against her Element (which even though they had made it seem like they had renounced those powerful little gems, parts of them couldn't help but still feel attached to them in some way)?

Plus there was the question of how they were going to explain where all the money came from when they got back. Just how exactly were they going to explain that?

They won the lotto?

Won on a game show?

Some crazy old aunt that none of them had heard of left them her fortune?

They found a map that led them to some unmarked grave that had millions of bits buried along with its deceased occupant?

...

Actually the idea of defiling a grave for money probably wouldn't go over well with most ponies. In fact, it almost sounded worse than robbing a bank.

Whatever the case, they had plenty of time to think of something. Chances were one of those stories would work. For now, they just had to focus on actually getting it done.

They had been holding each other for at least a half-hour, completely oblivious to the world around them. They were only vaguely aware of the ambient sounds of the city; the honking of horns, the whistling of the wind as it blew between the buildings, the occasional "Learn to drive, asshole!" from a passing motorist (Such a lovely city), and the soft lapping of water against the wooden poles supporting the pier.

What they hadn't heard was the clopping sound of hoofsteps from behind them. An old green stallion had walked out on the pier, carrying a newspaper in his mouth. He settled down on a wooden bench overlooking the river. Before setting his newspaper up to read it, he shot a nasty glare at the colorful group of fillies locked in a loving embrace.

Damn filly foolers...

As hard as he tried to focus on his paper, the affectionate display that he found so revolting was proving to be too much for him to bare. What right did these mares showing such a vulgar display of affection in what he considered to be his own little sanctuary? He had been coming out to this pier every afternoon for nearly twenty five years to read his paper and just enjoy the tranquility of the water... well out of the way of the bustling city. Sure, he would sometimes come across another pony out here, usually just staring out over the water and enjoying the peace and quiet, just like him. He had no issue with that; he didn't own this pier after all, and they always just kept to themselves.

But this... this was just wrong.

He couldn't focus... he just couldn't focus. It was too much. In his youth, ponies didn't stand for this kind of sickening display in public. And whenever one did, by some chance, come across anything of that sort, they were never shy about voicing their disapproval.

Times had certainly changed... ponies were too soft these days.

A few minutes had passed, and the group had shown no sign of parting anytime soon. The old stallion could take it no longer. While he was a rather non-confrontational buck (particularly when he just wanted to relax with his paper), he wasn't above dirty looks or muttering bitterly.

"Why don't you ladies get a room?" he muttered, somewhat louder than he had intended... which proved to be a little too loud.

Immediately, Twilight's, along with everypony else's ears perked up. They released each other and snapped their attention to the stallion on the bench, angry glares on each of their faces.

"WHAT WHAT WHAT?"

"WHAT WAS THAT, SIR?"

"EXCUSE ME?"

"BEG PARDON?"

"WHAT'D YOU SAY, YOU PUNK?"

"Um, was that rather rude comment directed at us, sir?"

Almost instantly, the old stallion regretted his bold (stupid) remark. Though he hadn't intended them to hear it, deep down he sorta wished they would. As luck would have it, they had, except now it probably wasn't so lucky after all.

The expressions of rage on the faces of those six mares terrified him in a way he had never felt before. He felt as though he was looking into the eyes of true psychopaths, the kind of psychopaths that had no limitations to the sick things they could do to others. And he had just incurred their wrath...

The only thing he could think to do was ignore them and just go back to his paper. As he attempted to read the first article he came across, he heard the pattering of several hoofsteps approaching him. His heart began to pound wildly. Though he tried to control it, his hooves were starting to shake.

Just ignore them, just ignore them, just ig-

At that instant, a cyan colored hoof slapped the paper out of his hooves and onto the ground.

"We're talking to you, idiot! What did you just say to us?" Rainbow Dash was hovering above him, just inches from his face.

The stallion quickly glanced around and realized with horror that he was surrounded on all sides by the enraged mares. He could try making a run for it, but he was not quite the stallion he used to be; these six mares could overpower him easily. The only thing he could think to do now was lie, though he couldn't help but feel that even if they believed him, it wouldn't change their intentions for him. These mares just seriously looked like they wanted to hurt somepony... and they didn't need an excuse.

"I... didn't say anything, miss," he said as politely as he could. "P-Perhaps it was just wind you heard."

The old buck shrieked as a pink colored hoof struck him sharply across his cheek.

"Oh really?" Pinkie Pie yelled at him. "So you're saying the wind told us to 'get a room?'"

Before the stallion could answer, another hoof, orange colored, struck him across his other cheek.

"Damn bigot!" Applejack spat. "Ain't ya ever seen two ponies o' the same sex givin' each other a harmless lil' hug?"

"I-I didn't mean- OOF!" A white hoof clocked him right under his chin, knocking a few teeth loose.

"Are you aware that you ruined a rather sentimental moment, my good sir?" Rarity asked in a chillingly calm voice. She was favoring the hoof she had struck him with. She wasn't exactly used to hitting that hard.

"Alright! Alright! Please stop!" The stallion begged, blood and teeth flying from his mouth. "I'm sorry! It was wrong of me to say that! I-It's just how I was raised! I don't really feel that way about filly foolers, I swear!"

THONK!

A burst of pain shot through his head as another hoof clonked him right on the top of the head... hard. His vision was blurred now, from both the tears forming in his eyes and the disorientation from taking such a viscous blow.

Behind him hovered Fluttershy, not looking even the least bit appalled by what she had done.

"We're not filly foolers, you... you... prick!" Fluttershy said, ignoring her choice of words. "You shouldn't make assumptions about ponies you don't know!"

"Oh... oh my gosh! I'm so sorry!" The stallion cried. He was shaking all over now. "I didn't mean to offend any of you, I swear! Wh-whatever your sexual orientations are, I approve whole-heartedly! You can all like whoever you want to like!"

"Oh, so we needed your approval?" Rainbow Dash sneered. She raised her hoof to strike him again, but stopped before actually bringing it down. Seeing him flinch was satisfying enough.

"P-Please..." he sounded close to tears now. "I-I'm a bigot and a coward, I know! J-Just let me leave! I'll let you lovely young mares get back to what you were doing!" He attempted to slide off the bench, but he forced back onto it by several pairs of hooves.

"Nope nope nope!" Pinkie Pie said almost cheerfully. "You leave when we say you leave!"

"Oh my sweet Celestia..." the stallion whimpered. He was at the mercy of complete psychopaths.

He looked up into the eyes of Twilight Sparkle, the only mare who hadn't struck him yet. She stared back down at him with an almost curious expression. It was as if she was thinking, "What are we going to do with you?" The old stallion gave her a pleading look. He prayed to Celestia that she was a more sensible pony than the others. Surely she believed that it wasn't worth killing him over a measly rude comment. They all had to believe that... didn't they?

"You know what I think girls?" Twilight said after a while. "I think this guy's going for a little swim!"

"Sounds good to me!" Rainbow Dash announced as she and Pinkie Pie yanked him off the bench and carried him over to the edge of the dock.

The old buck had calmed down significantly by this point. Was this all they were going to do to him? Just toss him in the river? Well... that wasn't so bad! He was expecting so much worse. But just throwing him in the river... he could walk away from that! Sure that water was filthy and freezing, but it was nothing a hot bath at home couldn't fix.

He didn't struggle; there was no point. He decided it was best to just take his punishment and let these horrible young mares go back to whatever it is they were doing. He could think hateful thoughts about them all he wanted when he got back home.

"Wait a minute!" Twilight said suddenly, right before Pinkie and Dash had brought him to the edge of the dock. His heart stopped. He turned his head to look at Twilight, and the expression on her face made his blood freeze. "Let's break his legs first, then we'll see how well he swims!"

"NO! NO! OH, SWEET CELESTIA NO! PLEASE DON'T!" The stallion cried, throwing all dignity aside.

With sadistic grins, Pinkie and Dash pinned the wildly thrashing stallion to the ground.

"Oh, act your age, darling," Rarity sneered as she telekinetically lifted one of his rear legs.

"HEEEEEELP ME!" He screamed. "SOMEPONY PLEASE HELP ME! PLEASE!"

"Scream all you want, buddy; this area has been sound-proofed with a spell. Nopony can hear you," Twilight explained light-heartedly.

The now badly hyperventilating stallion turned his head to look back towards the city. Even if they couldn't hear him, surely they could at least see what was happening down here, couldn't they? As it turned out, either they honestly didn't see him, or they saw him, but just didn't care. The citizens of Manehatten just went about with their daily lives, paying him absolutely no heed. And in all honesty... it didn't surprise him. In Manehatten, a pony violently convulsing in a gutter was a disturbingly common sight. Ponies were just so used to those kinds of sights that they just didn't care anymore.

As Twilight and Applejack moved into position to bring their hooves down on his leg, the crotchety old bigot threw away the last of his dignity and burst out in hysterical crying.

"D-Don't d-do this to me! I-I'm sorry! I know I'm a lousy excuse for a pony! I know! B-But I don't deserve this! I-I have little foal at home! I-I'm all she had in this world! I... I wanna go home to her! I wanna go home!"

As the old stallion cried and moaned pathetically, the six mares just stared down at him with dead-panned expressions. There was no hiding the sick satisfaction they were getting from this. All they had wanted was to share a sweet, friendly hug with their newfound sisters... and this pompous ass of a pony had to come along and ruin it with his a-hole comment. Under normal circumstances, he could've been ignored. But when a pony was under the kind of stress that the Mane Six were... stupid shit like that just did not fly.

About a minute had passed, and the stallions hysterical crying had subsided to a soft whimpering. His face was pressed flat into the wood of the dock. All he could do now was wait for the pain of broken limbs to overtake him...

It never came.

Twilight and Applejack looked to each other after a while, the latter looking a tad confused.

"Are we really gonna...?" she asked in a hushed tone.

Twilight shook her head and mouthed the word "No". She glanced over the others, and they all seemed to understand; there was no reason to kill this stallion. He just wasn't worth the effort. He was just an angry, bitter, cowardly excuse for a pony. It was unfortunate he had to be the way he had to be... but he didn't deserve to die. Really, all Twilight wanted was to scare the piss out of him, and judging from the yellowish puddle that had formed underneath him, they had succeeded.

The stallion was so paralyzed with fear that it took him a moment to realize his leg was no longer being lifted. Slowly, he turned his gaze upwards, trembling terribly. He saw the six mares casually trotting away from him, heading towards the abandoned warehouse. He let out a long sigh of relief, thanking Celestia profusely in his mind. Though part of him was screaming that it had to be a trick of some kind, that these mares had something truly horrible planned for him, he just didn't want to believe it; he was simply too relieved that he would get to go back home... home to that non-existent foal he made up. He would-

"YAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" A loud battle cry drew his attention forward. He looked up just in time to see Pinkie Pie charging towards him, looking about as insane as a pony could possibly look.

The old buck screamed at the top of his lungs, only to be cut off swiftly by the pink pony grabbing him in her forelegs, spinning him around wildly, then flinging him off the edge of the pier. He went flying a good fifteen to twenty yards before splashing into the freezing water. He shrieked and flailed about wildly as he struggled to stay afloat. The water was so cold he could barely comprehend his surroundings.

Pinkie Pie watched him struggle with a satisfied smirk on her face; he had it commin'. Once she saw he was able to start making his way to the shore, she returned to her friends and together they started towards the warehouse.

"That was so satisfying," Rainbow Dash said proudly.

"Nice to put somepony like that in there place," Rarity smirked.

"It... was kind of fun actually," Fluttershy said softly.

"Heh, I can't believe you actually called him a prick, Shy," Dash laughed. "That was so awesome! I knew ya had it in you!"

Fluttershy actually managed to smile at that. For the first time in her life, she didn't regret being a meany.

"So what now, girls? Huh huh huh?" Pinkie Pie asked, hoping up and down excitedly.

"I think now would be a good time to try out those weapons of ours, see how good we are with them," Twilight suggested. "I know I said we may not have to fire a shot if everything goes according to plan, but it never hurts to be prepared for the worst."

"Aw, this is gonna be fun!" Dash announced jovially.

"Ya know, Ah've kinda been achin' to see how Ah handle the kick on that shottie o' mine," Applejack said.

As they approached the warehouse door, a small gust of wind blew the newspaper that the stallion had left behind off the bench and towards the mares. By chance, it landed directly at Rarity's hooves. The fashionista stopped for a second, the other continuing onward, and gave the front page a quick glance.

The headline made her heart stop. She stared at it blankly, not wanting to comprehend it, but unable to deny it. Whatever satisfaction she was feeling earlier was completely gone, replaced by almost utter despair.

"Rarity?" Twilights voice snapped her back to attention. "Something wrong?"

"Uh, no dear," Rarity lied hastily. "Everything's fine. I just... it's nothing." She stepped over the newspaper and trotted after the others.

Twilight gave her a concerned look, but quickly shrugged it off as Rarity passed her. Together they headed back into their hideout.

The paper remained where it was on the wooden floor of the dock, facing blankly up into the cloudy sky. It's headline read:

Fire Ravages Manehatten Planning Department

Two dead, several others wounded

Heh heh, I gotta admit something. The whole thing with the old stallion was something I made up on the spot. I hadn't planned on it at first. Originally they were just going to hug and go back inside. And I figured I needed to add something else. So I thought: 'Maybe it'd be good throw in something intense and disturbing to offset the sweet tenderness a moment ago.' I figured it would make the chapter a little more memorable.

Anyway, thanks for reading, reviewing, favoriting, and whatnot. More soon!