The Black Hoof: A Mafia Story

by patridam

The Naughty Filly of Lily Lane

The naughty filly of Lily Lane has the town in a snare,
The naughty filly of Lily Lane,
Me-oh, my-oh, what a mare,
You should she how she steals the scene,
She's got admirers for sure.
Her comp'ny must be something else,
With how they crowd at her door.
She gives out alluring advances,
To every Mac, Buck, and Bo.
When offered a drink for thirst-quenchin'
The filly just can't seem to say "no"

Other mares keep to trying to pin to her,
Things that can't hold water; the truth.
For beneath the talcum and frilly things,
There beats a heart pure and couth.
If only someone would change her,
Why she'd be sweet as can be.
Should you be in the town stature,
Oh please do drop by and see,
The naughty filly of Lily Lane
What a pleasure to hold,
The naughty filly of Lily Lane
Quite the spectacle,
So respectable.

And she's but a week-old foal!

- The Amble Brothers

"Spike! I'm glad you came. This needs to be done tonight," said Twilight to him as he pushed through the door into the employee lounge of the casino. Spike wasn't sure why he'd been called in late again; this time by Twilight, and not Celestia.

"Sure. What's going on?" said Spike, curiously.

"Do you recall how Fluttershy expressed some ... difficulty, on the part of Cadence?" said Twilight.

"Uh.. vaguely."

"Well, let's just say she isn't listening to.. reason. I believe she's been threatened or otherwise coerced to drop her partnership with us. We've invested a great deal of money into Cadenza Records, and Miss Celestia has a personally vested interest in Fluttershy's career. So we are resorting to alternate methods to obtain her cooperation," said Twilight.

"Wait, do you want me to... what, kill her or something?" said Spike, taken aback.

"No, no, nothing as vulgar as that. You see, she has a prized greyhound she races at the city track, and I got to thinking: she'd be really angry if something were to happen to it. I say to myself 'Twilight, Fluttershy would not approve.' But then, I'm not doing this for Fluttershy, I'm doing this for Celestia, so I call up Hayseed and-" Twilight stopped, realizing she was rambling. "Ah, well, never mind; what I need you to do is deliver a package to Cadence this evening," said Twilight.

"Is that it?" asked Spike.

"Well, sort of. The package needs to be taken... directly to her. Tonight. While she's asleep. And opened for her. And put in her bed."

"Oh," said Spike, having a suspicion as to what the package contained.

"However, in the event we do not successfully convince Cadence, we'll want to make sure we have our hooves on the information she has on us; she threatened to blackmail Celestia if we didn't let her leave our arrangment, can you believe it? That's where Apple Bloom comes in," said Twilight.

"Who?" said Spike.

"Applejack's younger sister. Quite the locksmith, or so I'm told. You and she will need to sneak into Cadence's villa, deliver the package, steal the vital documents from the safe in her study... well, might as well empty the safe to be careful, and then leave," said Twilight.

"Is that all?" said Spike, making no effort to hide his sarcasm.

"Well, it is vital that you stay undetected whilst doing this. She's got some guards outside, but once inside you'll be in the clear: Shining tells me she takes hoof-fulls of barbiturates before bed" said Twilight, either not noticing or choosing to ignore his tone. "Apple Bloom should be arriving here in a little while. Drop by the racetrack to pick up the package, and uh... where was my notebook?" she said, fishing around in her jacket pocket. "Ah. Cadence's address is..." she said as she telekinetically flipped through the pages of a small leather-bound notebook. "1313 Lily Flower Lane. Good luck. Oh, and don't forget to see Applejack."

"Thanks," said Spike, then under his breath, "sort of."

"Well howdy Spike, what can I do ya for?" said Applejack as he strolled into the armory.

"Oh, uh, Twilight sent me. You know... the thing... at the place. She said she told you about it," said Spike.

"Oh. Sorry, I just, wasn't expecting - I mean, I figured it'd be... You never mind about that. I got what y'all will need right here," she said, sitting down in her wooden chair. She pulled out a baseball bat and a chrome-plated Neverfraidy flashlight and laid it them on table. "Twilight said she wanted this quiet, but I figured garrotes would be a little too personal," said Applejack, frowning. "Now, since you gonna have my little sister's life in them there... claws of yours, I'm going to lay this on you. I hope you won't be needing to use it." She opened a drawer and pulled out an enormous chrome-plated Foal Serpent pistol on the table. "If anything happens to my Apple Bloom, you're gonna wish it happened to you. Understand?"

Spike gulped. "Yes."

Applejack abruptly brightened. "Alright then. You best be on your way. Moonlight's a-burnin'."

"Bye," said Spike.

As he left, Applejack called out: "Any ponies give you trouble, use that there baseball bat to knock em' right outta their horseshoes, y'hear?"

"So, you're Apple Bloom?" said Spike to the youthful yellow and red mare standing by the door to the staff parking lot.

"The one and only. You Spike?" she retorted. He noticed she had a hammer and a key crossed over one another as her cutie mark.

"Yep," said Spike. "Car's this way."

He unlocked the door and they climbed into the black Hurricane Cyclone sedan he had rented. He couldn't make a claim on his Platinum - they would want to see the car, which was currently rotting in a police impound. So he had rented this from Hooftz for the time being until he bought something else. Money wasn't a problem, but he was having difficulty making up his mind now that a new Platinum wasn't an option.

He started the engine and pulled out of the lot. Apple Bloom was remaining quiet in the passenger seat. The car didn't have a clock - it didn't have anything that might've cost extra - but Spike figured it was a little after midnight. Apple Bloom spoke up about halfway to the racetrack.

"I like y'all's choice of car. I see a lot a' ... 'gangsters' ... in big ol' flashy cars that the police could spot miles away. I think this might be a bit too far, but I got a give ya' credit for the effort. Gives me confidence in ya', me being all in your hoove.... claws, and the like."

"Oh, this isn't really my car, it's just a rental. A zebra lit my old car on fire," said Spike.

"There goes my confidence," mumbled Apple Bloom.

Spike pulled to a stop in front of the dog track. A brown earth pony stallion was leaning against a nearby phone booth.

"Stay here, I just have to pick something up," said Spike.

"Not going anywhere," said Apple Bloom.

He walked up to the stallion.

"Are you Hayseed?" asked Spike.

"Indeedly-do."

"Uh, the package, please,"

"I'd say not to look inside, 'less you got yerself a strong stomach," said Hayseed, tossing a brown paper parcel to him.

"Uh, thanks for the heads up."

"Heh, real funny."

The engine wheezed as Spike drove the Hurricane up the hills surrounding Golden Grasses Golf Course. Cadence lived in one of the mane sprawling mansions encircling this oasis of transplanted grass, atop a hill with a splendid view of the neon lights of the city. As they turned onto Lily Flower Lane, Apple Bloom spoke up for the first time since she'd 'lost confidence'.

"Hey, look, I want you to know I ain't a thief," said Apple Bloom.

"Eh?" asked Spike.

"My sister asked me to do this, for Twilight. I figured I owed it to 'er, but I ain't got a habit of breaking into places and stealing' and all that," said Apple Bloom.

"Uh.. good for you, I guess?" said Spike, not really knowing how to answer.

"Not to put down y'all's ... profession, or anything; but I ain't that type a' mare. Which makes it a might' hard to have all a' my family in it, always offerin' me jobs like this. I guess what I'm tryin' to say is, I ain't gonna be the best a' company when we get in there."

"As long as you can be quiet, and you listen to me; we'll be fine," said Spike as the car drew to a stop.

The gate of Cadence's mansion drew long trapezoidal shadows from the Cyclone's headlights, casting an orange glow onto her driveway. No lights were on inside the house, but various lampposts strewn across her extensive gardens were visible. He'd seen it during the day, he'd even drove Cadence back to it once or twice when he was a chauffeur - it was a huge two-story marble edifice, complete with porte-cochere and garden maze. The grounds were ringed with a high boxwood hedge so Spike turned right onto a narrow golf cart path that followed it.

He pulled over to the side of the path when he spotted a wooden gate in the hedge wall. He shut the car off and motioned for Apple Bloom to follow him as he exited it and crossed to the gate, tossing the 'package' onto Apple Bloom's back so he could have his claws free.

He tried to pull it open, but that only elicited a minute movement and a slight rattle.

"Locked... " said Spike. "Hrm..... Apple Bloom, do you think you could unlock this?"

"Now what kind of question is that? Ponies is always underestimatin' me." she said, slipping out a small leather toolkit from her green denim coveralls. She didn't even bother to mess with the tumblers; she merely stuck a screwdriver into the lock and turned it. The cast iron lock clicked open, and the light breeze of the night swung the gate inwards.

"It's gonna take a whole lot more than that to stop me," said Apple Bloom, with a touch of bravado.

They both crouched and moved through the gate, Apple Bloom shutting it behind her. The nearest source of light was from a lantern in a white gazebo. Though it was dark, it was obvious to see that part of the hedge maze lie in front of them. Spike could also see the house in the distance, its back patio a beacon in the darkness thanks to outdoor lighting. Though there were doors into the dining room from it, the light would be bad for staying unnoticed.

"Hang back, I'm going to scout ahead," said Spike, not waiting for Apple Bloom to replay as he crept towards the gazebo, deciding to go around the maze rather than through it. As he approached he passed a marble statue of a draconequus, and an electrical box nestled amongst some bushes. He continued, and peered around the corner and immediately pulled his head back in. He had seen a brawny earth pony stallion in a cheap suit leaning up against a railing of the gazebo, presumably taking a cigarette break from security rounds.There was no easy way to sneak by other than going through the maze.

Or was there?

Spike backtracked to the electrical box, and opened it. What moonlight that was present did not provide enough light to see into the box, so he stuck a claw, grabbed a few wires, and pulled. Hard. A few sparks flew, but the lantern in the gazebo went out as well as a few other lampposts strewn about the maze and the rest of the property.

Then, naturally, he heard hoofsteps. He readied the baseball bat and hit behind the statue. The steps on the gravel grew louder, then stopped. Spike crept around to behind the stallion, who had flipped on a flashlight and was holding it in his mouth as he tried to understand what had happened to the box. Spike crept silently up behind him, lifted the bat up high, and swung it down onto the back of his head. He fell to the ground, the flashlight falling to the ground and shining right in his closed eyes.

Spike heard steps from behind him, and was ready to swing until Apple Bloom came into view. She looked down at the stallion and jumped back a little.

"Jumpin' Junebugs, Spike. You killed him!" she said, looking aghast.

"Uh.. Well, maybe not. He's just like, knocked out, you know?" said Spike.

"Spike, y'all just hit him over the head with a bat. He's deader than an Appaloosa salad bar. Don't you feel nothin' when you do something like that?" asked Apple Bloom.

"Now is not the time or place to talk about remorse, kid," said Spike. "We got a job to do. You ain't got no right to get all high-and-mighty with..." He caught himself before he began to yell. "Look, stay quiet. I'll try to sneak past anypony else, okay?"

"Uh... alright. I hope I ain't gonna be sick," said Apple Bloom.

Spike led them forward, past the dark gazebo and in the general direction of the still-lit patio. He felt along the side of the hedge to guide himself, but slowed down a little when the gravel path became concrete tile. Apple Bloom however, was following close and did not slow down. She bumped right into Spike, pushing him forward. He fell, and after a tremendous splash was gasping for air. He'd just fallen - or, more precisely, Apple Bloom had just pushed him - into Cadence's swimming pool. He splashed around, reaching for the side, instead encountering an outstretched hoof.

"Hold on, I'll pull ya' out," said Apple Bloom. She tugged and pulled Spike out of the deep end of the pool. He then grabbed her and pulled her into the nearest hiding place, one of the entrances to the hedge maze. He covered her mouth with his claw and they both stayed quiet as another set of hoofsteps drew near.

"Miss Cadence, that you? Takin' a midnight swim?" said the voice of a stallion. "Anypony?"

The only sound that came in reply was that of the breeze, which only served to make Spike freezing in his drenched suit.

"Prolly' some stupid animal. Looks like rats ate through that wire again, too," the stallion mumbled to himself. "Mare I hate this job."

Spike waited for his hoofsteps to dissipate as the stallion walked away, and then pulled Apple Bloom along, quickly and quietly, to the back of the house, avoiding the lit patio. They hugged the wall, eventually finding a door on the side of the house. Locked again, but with some of Apple Blooms hooftywork, it wasn't a problem. It creaked open, a gaping maw into absolute darkness inside the house. They both went in, and Spike pulled it closed behind them.

When he flipped on the Neverfraidy flashlight it shone on rows of cider casks. They were in a cider cellar, replete with concrete floor and stone walls, and had to get upstairs.

"Creepy," noted Apple Bloom. "I wonder if it's haunted?"

"Hardly," mused Spike. "This house is only twenty years old, not much of a chance of that."

He walked along the rows, shining the light back and forth, looking for a door out, or at least a light switch. He spied a wooden door on the right. Not locked, thankfully. It opened to a staircase up to the main floor. Apple Bloom stayed right behind him - nearly stepping on his tail. At the top of the stairs, another door led to a hallway, where Spike decided to go to the left and opened up the door at the end.

They were in a sitting room, the flashlight reflecting off the metallic face of a grandfather clock. Windows looked out onto the mostly dark gardens, and the neon lights of the city in the distance. This was the only way into the room, so he turned back into the hallway.

"Stop," said Apple Bloom. Spike froze in his tracks. "Did you hear that?" she whispered.

Spike stayed quiet. "I can't hear anything," he said quietly.

"I could've sworn I heard whistling," she said, sighing.

Spike shrugged and continued on, taking an open doorway on the left. They found themselves in the dining room, so they hugged the left wall to stay away from the windows and french doors on the right, where light streamed in.

They went through the kitchen on the other side and then broke right to find a rear stair hall, a wide wooden staircase curving upwards to a second floor balcony. They climbed up them, and entered another hallway upstairs. The light shone on a door squarely at the end of the hallway, and they approached it, claw and hoof-steps muffled by a fine Donkey rug running the length of the hall. Spike opened it cautiously. It was a large room, with dark wood paneling and herringbone floor. Three tall windows overlooked the front lawn and garages beyond, replete with a fleet of various limousines and sports cars. Beyond that lie the dark ocean of the golf course broken only by the beacon of light from the country club building.

In the center of the room was a large desk, so this was presumably her study. However, while the walls were lined with bookcases and framed gold records, he didn't see a safe anywhere.

"Look around; her safe should be in here. Maybe it's hidden?" said Spike to Apple Bloom.

She nodded and started looking; opening up the large wardrobe on the near wall. Spike started knocking on walls, looking for a false panel, when he spotted an unusual book among the many on the shelves. He strode over to it. It stood out because it was red with elaborate gold filigree. He now saw that it stood in the middle of a full collection of the Daring Do series, but was not one of the adventure mare's serials. I was instead an old fairy tale, The Mare in the Moon'. He pulled on it.

Nothing happened.

"Well shit," he said, leaning onto Cadence's desk behind him.

Apple Bloom opened her mouth to say something but a panel slid open on one of the walls, revealing a secret compartment with a large blue safe. Spike looked under his claw, and saw a large wooden button hidden in the desk's carvings that he'd just accidentally pressed.

"Well, I'll be damned," said Spike.

Apple Bloom strode over and sat down in front of the safe. Spike pulled out Cadence's chair and, just as he sat on it and began to relax, he heard:

"Oh darn, this here's a Flange 9000. This'll take hours to crack!" exclaimed Apple Bloom.

Spike nearly snapped his neck with how quickly he turned around. "WHAT?" he said, altogether too loudly for their situation.

"I'm just kidding," said Apple Bloom, chucking and opening the safe and gracefully gesturing towards its contents like a game show mare.

Spike face-clawed and put the flashlight in his mouth as he walked over and then rifled through the safe. He started stuffing his jacket pockets with the paperwork that he figured Twilight would want. Most of it looked like sales reports and memos from her record company; but there were handwritten notes, betting slips, and even an account ledger that, even at a glance, looked less than legitimate. It would've been bad for Celestia and anyone working under her should Cadence have chosen to expose her relationship with the black hoof.

He was about to start on the less 'relevant' things in the safe - the jewelry and bits, namely - when he heard the distinct sound of hoof steps on stairs. He and Apple Bloom looked right at one another.

"Hide," said Spike.

Apple Bloom ducked under Cadence's desk while he ran to the open wardrobe. Only when he pulled the door closed, did he realize that he'd left the safe wide open. He heard the steps grow louder and gingerly peeked through the crack between the wardrobe door. He saw a brown mule mare in a maid outfit gently open the door into the room, flipping on the lights.

"Miss Cadence? Are you in here?" said the mule.

She looked around, walking further into the 'empty' room. Her blue eyes landed on the open safe. Her eyes shot back and forth, and then she closed the door behind her and drew the curtains on the three windows shut.

She walked up to the safe, and, biting her lip, emptied all the bits and valuables inside into her pockets. When the safe was empty, she shut it, and forcibly closed the false panel. She quickly flipped the lights off and left the room, audibly gulping before she closed the door behind her.

After her hoof steps faded away, Spike exited the wardrobe and said to Apple Bloom, who was trying to get unstuck from under the desk. "Well, that happened. Now we just have to find her bedroom."

"Little help, please?" said Apple Bloom, and Spike grabbed a hoof and tugged her out from under the desk.

Spike opened the study door, and shined the flashlight back down the hall. The door at the far end was the one they'd came through before; now there were two on the left and one on the right. He opened the first one on the left. It was a storeroom full of towels and other linens. Not the master bedroom. They tried the next one, a bathroom. Still no dice, but before he left the room he heard a noise from outside. He walked up to the window, which overlooked the driveway and the front gate. He saw a red Breezy drive down the drive and stop in front of the front gate. A brown mare - the mule from before, got out and pressed a button next to the gate on a metal post, and the gate slid back. She drove through and sped off, not bothering to close the gate behind her.

Spike headed back past a waiting Apple Bloom, opening the door on the right of the hall. It led onto a wide balcony overlooking a two story entrance foyer. A door lay at the other end, and one pair of double doors was on the left. A complex staircase led downstairs from both sides. He hugged the wall on the left, staying away from the moonlight streaming in from the two story windows on the front of the house.

He opened the double doors, and they revealed a huge bedroom with lavender walls and a large pink canopy bed in the center. The room was filled with the sound of a pony snoring. Spike waved Apple Bloom to him and made a zipping motion for her to be quiet. He took the package from her back, and snuck forward towards the bed. Cadence, a pink alicorn, lied on the other side of the bed, snoring loudly and wearing a silk sleep mask. He pulled the strings of the package open. He averted his eyes as he lifted up the quilted duvet and shoved the greyhound's head from the package under it next to the sleeping alicorn.

He took the wrapping of the package and tossed it in a nearby garbage can, and then grabbed Apple Bloom and quickly led her out of the room and down the stairs. They ducked beneath the windows overlooking the front lawn. Spike popped up and looked out the window for any guard stallions. None were visible, so he ran and Apple Bloom galloped out to the large carport on the far side of the front lawn. Spike tried the nearest car, a silver Trots-Truly limousine. He tried the door. Locked.

Apple Bloom pushed him out of the way and started on the lock. Spike looked around nervously, trying to spot the remaining guard stallion - or any that he hadn't seen already. Apple Bloom got the door open, and jumped into the passenger seat and unlocked the driver's side. Spike climbed in, and fumbled in his full pockets for his screwdriver.

"Here," said Apple Bloom, handing him a gold-plated key with the Trots-Truly logo. "I found it in the glove box."

Spike stuck the key in the ignition on the turned wooden dash, and turned it. The straight eight fired and then settled to a gentle purr; which would've been quiet enough for nopony to hear. Unfortunately, Cadence (she was a record executive, after all) had the radio set on PBBL at an extreme volume. The voices of the Amble Brothers were undoubtedly audible to anypony nearby, so Spike made a split-second decision.

"Duck," he told Apple Bloom.

He slammed on the gas, the rear tires spitting gravel against the back wall of the carport. He sped down the driveway, headlights blazing the path, nearly hitting a stallion who was galloping towards the noise. As Spike passed the pony raised his shotgun, firing at the rear of the car, putting holes in the trunk and the back window. Another stallion fired a few rounds into the side of the car - the heavy hoof-made bodywork of the car stopped them, thankfully - with a Foal 1912. He made it past the gates and accelerated down the road, the big car disappearing from the stallions' view.

The two of them kept firing futilely into the darkness, but eventually gave up. They were both breathing heavily from a combination of exercise and adrenaline.

"I'll tell you.... what." said the bulkier gray stallion, "I'm... not going to be.... the one... that tells Cadence."

"Me.... neither," said the other, a thin beige unicorn buck.

"Maybe we let the... day guys handle it?" suggested the gray earth pony.

"Fine by me," said the unicorn. He held a hoof to his chin and narrowed his eyes, asking "Hey, have you seen Lou?"

"Thanks," said Spike as he dropped Apple Bloom off in front of the Horseshoe casino.

"Well, at least it was excitin', right?" said Apple Bloom, eliciting a small chuckle. "I am never-ever-never doing that again, though."

"Agreed," said Spike.

"Hey, what're you gonna do with that there fancy-mobile?" said Apple Bloom

"I know a guy," said Spike.

It was approaching dawn when Spike pulled the Trots up to Rich's dealership - or, at least, where it used to be. In the place of the old white-tiled building was a circular modernist building with floor to ceiling glass windows all around, save for a small concrete center core that held the roof up. Some cubicles were organized around the center, but the rest of the marble floor was full of enormous new Starswirls sedans, coupes, and convertibles. The building itself was brightly lit with a plethora of fluorescent lights inside, reflecting off the shiny cars and the polished marble floor. The whole building was like a beacon in the night, even next to the gaudy neon of the other dealerships on Honesty street.

Spike weaved the big silver limousine through the rows of cars, finally parking it haphazardly in the customer lot close to the building. He exited the car and strode up to the huge glass doors, pulling one upon with considerable effort. Once inside, he couldn't see anypony around. He called out: "Hello-ooo?"

A brown earth pony stallion with greased back graying hair - Filthy Rich himself - popped up from a cubicle, looking like he just woke up. His eyes lit up with recognition.

"Spiiiiike! Long time no see! What brings you here at..." - he glanced to a clock mounted high on the building's circular core - "4 AM? Lookin' to buy? I would be happy to help you!"

"Hi Rich. Uh, no, I was actually looking to sell," said Spike.

"Oh," he said, frowning,"That, I may be less help with. Come on over a take a load off, just the same."

Spike walked over and sat in an obscenely comfortable leather chair in front of Rich's desk. "I was kind of hoping to get rid of a... 'hot' car. I mean, I can just leave it by the side of the road somewhere, but..."

"Ah? Is that the problem?" said Rich, "Well I probably can't help; I've got far, far more inventory than I can sell. But I do know a mare who can."

"Is that so?" said Spike.

"Oh, yes; nobody wants to buy the new models - I mean, okay, yes they're a little homely, and perhaps a wee bit too big, but they're powerful and I'm offering such big re...." Rich looked to Spike. "Oh, not that, the other thing. Yes, some mare that exports luxury cars to Saddle Arabia. Looky-loo, or Scootapoo, or something. I've got her number somewhere in my Ergodex; she might even have some more 'acquisition' work for you - that is, if you're still doing that."

"I'll keep it in mind," said Spike.

"Excellent, I'll get her the car, and tell her you are interested. Perhaps, with those bits... you might find enough discretionary funds for... I don't know, a new car perhaps," said Rich.

"Well, my Platinum did.... meet it's maker, per se. I suppose I could... uh, consider the cars you guys have. They're a little big, though, and kind of remind me of a wha..."

"Believe me - I've heard it all," said Rich with a wave of the hoof. "I can give you the whole spiel later... though I confess I'm just a tiny bit exhausted at the moment, and I wouldn't want to mis-represent the fine... uh, what was that slogan again..." he coughed and adopted the melodramatic voice of a TV announcer, "The fine tradition of craftsmanship and outstanding performance that comes with the name 'Starswirl'."

"Ask the mare who owns one." said Spike, also quoting ad material.

"Exactly," said Rich, clapping his hooves together.

"I did mean to ask: why are you the one here at 5 AM? You're the boss - don't you have flunkies for this sort of stuff?" said Spike.

"Excellent question my boy," said Rich. He clapped his hooves together and seemingly changed the subject: "Have you met my wife?"

"Uh, no. I think I met your daughter a few times, though," said Spike, wondering where this was going.

"Well, close enough. Suri is like Diamond Tiara, but worse. Don't get me wrong - I love them both, but they are not easy to get along with much of the time. I got Suri a job as a receptionist just so she'd stop sitting around watching soaps all day - but her favorite hobby is still nagging me. Sometimes it's nice to get a night at the office, alone."

"Well, why isn't anypony else here?" asked Spike.

"Ah, well, nopony usually buys a luxury car in the middle of the night. We just have somepony here to keep the lights on and and make sure nopony goes and vandalizes or steals the merchandise."

"I see," said Spike.

"Oh look, the sun's rising," said Rich, striding over to the glass. The red glow of the sun shined past the high rises of the city, darkening them into silhouettes and tinting the sky orange. "You know, sometimes I really question this place - city, full of criminals, sitting in the middle of the desert, my role in all of it - it's more than a little stupid. But, then I see the beauty of something like a sunrise, and I think everything is right with the world."
Spike sighed. "I don't know if I can say the same."

An ear splitting scream - the kind that comes from a mare who just discovered the neatly severed head of her prized greyhound in her bed beside her - caused early morning golfers and commuting maids to pause for a moment. The world of the wealthy stood still, if just for a moment, but then everything continued, just as it was, save for the life of one pink alicorn.

....that's right, the new Everfree is more powerful, more comfortable, and more stylish than ever. 'Oh Everfree's the stallion's car, it's Equestria's shining star!'... This is Octavia for PBBL Las Pallas, and it's time for the morning news. In national news, early polls for the upcoming president election point to two standouts amongst the candidates: Vice President Jet Set, as well as relative newcomer, Canterlot Senator Fancy Pants. This station host personally favors Jet Set; as does a slight majority of Equestria, but anything can happen in the upcoming race. In more local news, the construction of the Sultan Casino was finished after several delays. It is expected to open to the public in a few weeks, with a grand opening extravaganza including...

Comments

[patridam]

5525184 Well, this one's about as long as I think I can justify with this format.

[Sir spikelicious]

5554458 And I loved almost every second of it but I think applebloom was a little whiny during the break in.
Edit: I'm saying this because she's related to people who work for the BH I would think she would be used to it. You know what I mean?

[patridam]

5555474 Yeah, I see your point; however I was trying to imply that she worked fairly hard to stay out of the 'family business', and thus was less than enthused about being so directly involved with the nitty-gritty. It's one thing to hear about a murder, secondhand (heh, secondhoof) but quite another to see one happen in front of you.

[11111111]

Ready for the next chapter. Putting slight typos aside, this was a great read.

[ArreClonClipo]

This story is all kinds of awesome. Why doesn't it have more views?! I hope you don't mind, but I'm gonna add it to more groups. Seriously, people need to know about it!

[patridam]

5595512 Please, do anything you can to increase awareness. I have submitted it to a few groups and to Equestria Daily, but its still relatively unknown.