Lucky tried to resist against his restraints but they seemed to get tighter the more he struggled.
A big burly stallion with matted brown fur and a wild looking white mane looked down on him as they dragged him away from Sugar Cube corner. "You're not getting away from us this time, you still owe us from the last time we were sent to drag your sorry hide to the boss. Rib Cracker still has a twisted muzzle because of you."
The gag in Lucky Clovers mouth prevented him from saying anything but he shot daggers with his eyes anyway. He tried to twist so that he could walk with his own hooves, instead of being dragged on the rough cobblestone street. They led him through alleyways farther and farther away from his party at Sugar Cube corner. He looked mournfully at the glowing lights of the party getting dimmer and dimmer the farther he got. He thought he would have been safe in Ponyville, it was probably the most innocent town in Equestria. The Witness protection lawyers said that it was the best place for him to go, but they found him. They always did.
After a good half hour of dragging on the streets of Ponyville they ended up in a hidden doorway in an alley on the shadier side of Ponyville. If Ponyville had a shady side. Once they had entered the smell of cigars wafted into Lucky's nose. The room was dimly lit with only one lantern on the far side of the room. In the center was a pool table where several gruff stallions who were playing a game of cutthroat. At the head of the table sat a dark green stallion with an ice blue short cut mane. He had a scar running from his right ear to the corner of his mouth. His steely gray eyes found their way to Lucky. He gestured for the stallions to stop playing their game, which they didn't seem happy about. One of them with a muzzle that looked like a pressurized can that had pop then been turned to a 90 degree angle said: "Look who decides to show up, our old friend Lucky. You come back for one more beatin'?"
Lucky would have replied with a witty comeback about him being forced to attend this get together, but seeing as there was a dirty rag in his mouth he couldn't fulfill his wishes. "You know I kept the souvenir you gave me last time." Rib Cracker said gesturing to his muzzle. "Now you can bet your sorry ass, we're going to do a lot worse." The Stallion started to approach but a grunt from the head stallion stopped him.
"Now Rib Cracker we wouldn't want to be rude to our guest." The head stallion stood from his former sitting position, revealing a bubble, on his rump. Lucky gulped. This is not how he had planned his evening. The stallion approached him calmly his scar glinting in the dim lighting of the cavern."I'm glad you could make it on such short notice. Oh that's right there was no notice. I find it amusing how you thought you could hide from us. Equestria is only so big. Although we did have to make temporary quarters in this dump, it will all pay off in the end."
The stallion removed his gag letting it fall to the ground. "What do you want with me? Haven't I already played enough of your stupid little game. I told you I don't know anything about the shipment, I quite that line of work long ago."
The blue maned stallion looked at him. "Listen Clover, do you know how much money a shipment of this kind could bring in? I could out buy all the other rats trying to get a spot in the top. I know you were the last one to see it before it was shipped off to some other part of Equestria. Now I might spare your life if you tell me."
"Listen I was only a ship bound, an apprentice at best, my boss never let me look at the orders. I have no clue where the shipment was going or where it is now. And if you ask me, you should probably go into another line of work. Importing illegal magical bubbles is neither profitable or masculine. Maybe you could go into selling beauty supplies, I know from the look of your goons there in good demand."
"Listen you little shit, I didn't ask you what you thought of my magical bubble business. If I get this shipment I will have the monopoly over every enchanted soap mixture in all of Equestria!"
Lucky looked at this guy like he was crazy, which he was. "Why don't you ask my boss he's the one who handled all the shipments, I just prepared for the voyage. What's your name by the way? We've met so many times, I think it's time for a proper introduction. I'll begin, Hi I'm Lucky Clover, I was formerly a ship hand but now I bake. I currently reside in Ponyville, I have lived many places due to having to run away from a group of bubble smugglers. Now you go, tell me about yourself."
"The only thing you need to know about me," He sneered. "Is that I will cut your throat in a matter of seconds if you slip up. And my name is Bubble Blower, but you can call me Bone. As for your boss, he seemed to have no idea about the shipment. On a completely unrelated note, I heard he was found washed up on a beach somewhere, with three bullets in his head. Now if you don't tell me what you know, I'm afraid you won't be returning to your party."
Lucky heard a click behind his head. He turned to see the barrel of a shotgun, he felt it press against his temple. Since Lucky honestly didn't know anything, and if he did he would never turn it over to these bastards, he decided element of surprise is his only utility at the moment. He suddenly bucked with all his might, catching the two guards squarely in the chests.He then head butted Bone before he could decipher what was happening. The rest of the stallions advanced. Lucky used the restraints on his front hooves to wrap around the neck of one of the goons, then using the grip to fling him into the mob of stallions. He knocked several over but more were advancing he would soon be overwhelmed. He started bucking wildly keeping the below average intelligence, group of stallions at bay. He heard a bark from the floor. "Get him you fools!" Bone clambered up from the floor.
The stallions grabbed his shoulders. To keep his hind end subdued one of the stallions kicked his back leg inducing a sickening crunch. Lucky screamed out in pain as his ankle broke. He fell to the floor, dark spots dancing in his vision. The last thing he saw before he blacked out was Bone's scar looming over him, smiling."
***
The party was going great! The music was blaring, the cake tasted delicious, and Pinkie had a handsome stallion waiting for her in the back! She was about to go bring him a piece of their delicious cake but she was whisked away by Twilight who seemed overly excited. Sure it was great Lucky had a new job, but she didn't think Twilight would be this enthusiastic.
The purple mare was grinning from ear to ear. She could barely be heard over the music. "I think Jack's showing his toes!"
Pinkie looked at her quizzically. "Who's Jack? And what are toes?"
Twilight shook her head, yelling even louder this time. "I think Flash is going to propose!" Her eyes beamed pure happiness at her.
Pinkie could help but share her excitement. "That's great, what makes you think that?" She could feel her friends bubbliness starting to affect her too, she started grinning.
"He's been being super romantic lately, taking me out to dinner more often. He keep saying stuff like 'bringing our relationship to the next level' I don't know if it means he's going to propose or we are going to buy a dog or something. But I think we're finally getting to that stage in our relationship.
Pinkie smiled thinking of her own relationship. Her and Lucky had only been "Dating" for a week but she felt that the connection between them was strong. They had yet to go on an actual true date, yet they had kissed and had come quite close to doing other things that she felt the week they had spent together had been a life time. "I'm really super duper excited for you!"
"Thanks Pinkie, sorry I kinda stole you away but I had to tell someone." Twilight smiled.
"No problem Twi, I'm really excited for you." Pinkie slipped away from the bubbling mare to go find Lucky Clover. But before she could get to the back room she was stopped by streams of Rainbow and Fire. She looked up and saw Rainbow Dash running or rather flying away, giggling from a very determined stallion.
Pinkie smiled at them. Hoping they wouldn't knock down any of the decorations. Suddenly Dash made a U- turn landing right next to Pinkie Pie in a very controlled effort to slow down, which she barely managed. Fire Streak wasn't so lucky. In an attempt to follow Rainbows course he made the U- turn and tried landing right next to Dash. Unfortunately he had too much speed and knocked into her sending them sprawling in a fit of giggles. Pinkie walked up to the tangled ball of wings and hooves, looking down to make sure her friend was alright.
"Are you guys okay, looked like you hit pretty hard."
Rainbow looked up at her panting. "Yeah Pinkie were fine, just wanted to have a race to see who could----." Her sentence was cut short with more giggling because Fire Streak had started kissing her neck. Pinkie shook her head in happiness for her friend and walked away. I'm glad Rainbow found a stallion like him, I haven't seen her this happy in a long time. She thought as she once again tried to make her way to the back room. Lucky was probably wondering where she was. As she approached the door she saw a couple leaning against the door, kissing.
"Hello, I really don't want to ruin your lovely time but I really really need to get in the back so if you could just step aside and continue elsewhere that would be super duper fantastic." The couple broke apart. Revealing their lipstick stained faces.
"Fluttershy?!" The yellow mare blushed, like she was just now realizing that she had been making out in public... again.
"Sorry Pinkie Pie we'll get out of your way." She grabbed the stallions hoof.
"Wow, Flutters I didn't know you had it in you." Before Fluttershy could hide in her mane or try to hide in the crowd Pinkie shouted: "You go girl!" Fluttershy dragged the stallion away, which looked suspiciously like one of the wonderbolts.
Pinkie was about to go into the back room when she felt a dainty tap on her shoulder. Pinkie turned to see Rarity with a black stallion at her side. "This party is wonderful Pinkie, well done. Me and Thunderlane are enjoying it very much." Rarity's smile beamed at her. She gently leaned on Thunderlane, who in turn put his hoof around her pulling her closer.
Pinkie smiled back at them, wanting more than ever to go and kiss Lucky like he had never been kiss before. “I’m glad you’re enjoying the party, it’s my pleasure. I mean who wouldn’t want to celebrate a pony getting a new job?!?
“Yes well, the party is lovely. Me and Thunderlane were wondering where the bathroom is, I seemed to have misplaced it.” Rarity looked a little tipsy on her hooves. Pinkie realized she wasn’t leaning on Thunderlane to be affectionate she was leaning on him because she was drunk. Very unlike Rarity.
“It’s over in the corner.” She gestured to the far end of the room.
“Thank you so much, darling.” She sauntered off with Thunderlane right behind her.
As pinkie watched her friend try to find the bathroom, she noticed another one of her friends being very unlike herself. Applejack was draped across one of the tables, feeding a piece of chocolate cake to a beaming white stallion. She kept giggling like a school filly whenever she talked, she couldn’t seem to take her eyes off of the stallion. That might be a medical problem. Pinkie thought. She walked up to the adoring couple, waving her hoof in between their faces. Applejack seemed to snap out of it.
“Oh uh, hey sugarcube. The party’s going great, I’m sure having’ one heck of a time.”
Pinkie smirked. “Yup sure looks like it. Well keep enjoying the party. Oh by the way, congratulations on moving to Ponyville, Burning Love.” She gave him a wink and went the cake table. She grabbed a slice of fantastically delicious cake and push into the backroom. She looked to the spot where she had left him but he was gone.
She looked all around the kitchen but he didn’t seem to be there. Pinkies tail twitched and her right ear started flopping up and down, her whole body started shuttering. Pinkie felt an overwhelming sense of dread. “He’s gone.”
***
Lucky awoke in a dimly lit room filled with half empty boxes. When Lucky sat up he noticed the bars around him. He was in a cage. Surprisingly they didn’t kill him, Lucky didn’t know why, it definitely wasn’t out of the kindness of their hearts. When he tried to stand he yelped in pain and collapsed. His back leg was in a rough splint, definitely broken. Again, he wondered why they would help him at all. He looked more closely at the boxes. He could see bottles of bubbles with weird labeling. One said “Grow an extra pair of ears!” Another said, “Fall in love instantly with just a blow of the magic wand!” Lucky shook his head, wondering how his luck could be so bad. He wanted more than anything to go back to his party and wrap Pinkie Pie in a kiss. I’ll be lucky if I ever see her again.
His ears twitched as he heard the door open. Bone walked in looking optimistic. Lucky saw a knot on the top his head. He approached the cage with a smirk plastered on his face. “How does it feel to be behind bars? Not the best feeling is it?”
Lucky sneered at him. “What do you want? Why haven't you killed me already?”
Bone raised his eyebrow. “If that is what you prefer, than I can make arrangements, but I have something else planned.”
“Oh yeah? Like what?”
The green stallion smiled, making his scar shudder. “You got fight in ya kid. The way you took down half have my colts while tied at the hooves.” He said it like a question. “That’s impressive. And by talking to you I can tell you have your wits about you. I think you could be a valuable part of my team, you could be my right hand stallion.”
Lucky was filled with disgust. “Why would I ever help you? You have terrorized me since I was a colt!” He spit.
Bone looked at him sadly shaking his head. “I was really hoping you would take up my offer. Well I guess I’m going to have to kill you.” Lucky felt the dread weigh on him. He really wouldn’t ever see Pinkie ever again.
“Can I at least get something to eat? I’m starving.” Lucky asked feeling his stomach rumble, also wanting to postpone his death.
Bone looked at him. “I couldn’t possibly see how you could be hungry. you’ve only been in here a few hours.” A few hours. That could mean they have sent a lookout for him, but he doubted they would find him in time. Bone whistled and half a dozen stallions poured in, each carrying weapons. “Lucky has decided not to join in our business, you know what to do.”
Bone left the room. Obviously not stallion enough to watch his enemy be killed. One of the stallions open the door to his cage. Lucky lunged at them knocking the first stallion down, but the others quickly overwhelmed him holding him by his legs. One of the stallions approached him. His horn sparked a dark red, it was obviously a lethal spell. He braced himself for the spell closing his eyes. It would all be over in a moment. He then heard a muffled scream, the door slammed forcing Lucky to open his eyes. What he saw was nothing short of a miracle.
Pinkie led in a battered and bruised Bone, tied with ropes and gagged. A group came in through the door, he recognized all of Pinkie’s friends and obviously their colt friends. The stallions that were about to kill him were in too much shock to do anything. Then an orange stallion with a blue mane stood over Bone. “In the name of the royal guard, I put you under arrest for the illegal possession and distribution of magical bubbles and other soapy concoctions.”
Once the stallions came to their senses they started advancing on the group. That’s when twilight stepped up. Her horn glowed. A flash of magenta went through the room and Lucky blacked out.
He woke to gentle kisses on his neck. His eyes slowly cracked open. Looming over him was a pink on pink mare with an adorable worried expression. Once she saw him waking she wrapped her hooves around him.
“Thank god you’re okay! I was so worried.” Her words were muffled because her face was buried into Lucky’s chest.
“You’re cute when you’re worried.” Lucky smiled.
Pinkie lifted her face to look at him. “Now is not the time to be admiring my anxiety! I was worried sick about you!”
He wrapped his hooves around her pulling her on the bed with her. “What happened? Where did the stallions and Bone go?”
Pinkie grinned at him. “Once I discovered you weren't at the party I immediately told Twilight, who cast a tracking spell. The stallions that captured you weren't the brightest but they did manage to cast a distortion spell that made finding you tricky, that’s why it took so long. I’m just sad we didn’t get there sooner.”
Lucky wrapped her even closer hugging her to his chest. “Well I’m glad you got there when you did.”
“Me too. By the way, who were those guys?”
He sighed. “I used to be a ship hand near Las Pegasus. I was preparing a ship full of illegal magical bubbles. Of course I didn’t know what was in it at the time, but my boss did. Once we sent the ship on it’s way, a group of stallions came. They asked where their shipment was. We told them we had already shipped it. They were furious. I just learned that my old boss was killed. I've been on the run ever since.
“I’m so sorry Lucky, I had no idea. I was just so scared when you weren’t in the kitchen. My Pinkie sense was tingling so bad and---.” Lucky shushed her.
“Hey, it’s over now. Those guys are behind bars, no need to worry.”
Pinkie looked up at him and he saw fear in her eyes, not a very common emotion for Pinkie. “Will you have to leave again?”
He kissed her. “Never again.”