//------------------------------//
// A Chance Encounter 
// Story: Gangs of Manehattan 
// by LoadingPleaseWait 
//------------------------------//


Chapter 1:



A Chance Encounter:


“Well, if it isn’t Rainbow Dash!” Called a clean, feminine voice from within the crowd of ponies who sat scrunched up along broken, wooden benches. The grey walls were cracked as webs hung in the corners and spiders eyed the Ponies below; bars lined the windows and a single metal door stood in front as Police guards peered on through. 

I looked up slowly at the voice that called my name, moving my blue hoofs back to my sides with a grimace as my shoulders popped and my back cracked, as my greasy hair dangled in front of my eyes, blocking my sight. Swiping a hoof across my hair, my eyes scanned across the many ponies that sat and stood, before looking upon a pair of golden eyes staring back at mine with their owner wearing a grin stretched across her face, walking towards me.

“Holy shit, if it isn’t Lightning Dust in the flesh. What the fuck are you doing here! Aren’t you supposed to be a Wonderbolt?” I asked in my raspy voice before moving forward, leaning of the wooden bench before pushing my hooves and landing on the cold, concrete floor, walking towards Lightning Dust with a half-smile present on my face. I haven’t seen this kid in years! 

I noted that as Lightning walked towards me, ponies in her way moved quickly with their heads dangling low as Lightning moved through them without a care. She must have gotten a reputation after I left. 

“Nah, ever since you got kicked out of that place it got pretty fucking boring and nopony gave me a challenge, so I just got up and quit.” Lightning said, casually.

“Just like that?” I asked in shock as we meet face to face in the middle of the cell, many ponies avoiding eyesight, pretending to mind their own business. But I could see their ears twitch as soon as Lightning spoke. 

“Just like that.” Lightning repeated. “You should have seen the look on Spitfire’s face, priceless! Mumbling over her words like a fucking 2nd grader, scrambling about trying to make me stay while I just laughed and flew off.” She said with a chuckle. 

I joined in. “I can’t believe it, walking out of a 60,000 bits a year job all because there was no challenge. Incredible.” I said with a sigh, shaking my head in bewilderment at the shit I just heard.

Years ago I would have killed to get into the Wonderbolts, but luckily enough I didn’t have to. I got in by winning the Wonderbolts entrance exams in the Cloudsdales north region, winning first every time, obviously. 

After getting in that’s when I first met Lightning Dust, she competed in the Eastern region of Cloudsdale so we never competed against each other, but if we did, it would have been awesome, legendary, spectacular. But I digress. 

After meeting her I found out we were made for each other. I had my pride and she was just downright cocky. Nothing could stop us. We were constantly pushing each other to the limit and beyond, never settling for second place, only first. We were the leading cadets in every camp, blowing away the competition with ease until…. until my stupid pride got in the way.

During a training exercise, me and this other cadet called Derpy got into a fight because I overtook her during a flight routine because she was going so damn slow. Back then I was quick to flare up, so guess what I did. That’s right, I punched that bitch right in the fucking mouth, thinking she would recover quick enough to get straight back up and punch me back, just like the wannabe-gangsters back in my neighborhood in Cloudsdale. 

Little did I know that I knocked her out, I found it pretty funny back then, too. Idiot.

Anyway, she fell down and landed on her wing, breaking every bone and pretty much breaking it forever. Spitfire grabbed me by the ear and dragged me all the way back to her office after getting Derpy to medical, asking me why I did it. After explaining what and why I did it, she asked me to go up to Derpy, apologies and I can keep my job, not knowing the full extent of the damage I had done. 

However, as the young, dumb, irrational kid I was, I said “No” with the biggest smug eating grin on my face, thinking I was some hot shit and that Spitfire would never fire me because I was such a profitable cadet with the highest potential there.

Well, after getting the biggest beating of my life, I was told to pack up and get the hell out, with Lightning Dust laughing about how scared I looked as Spitfire grilled me to near tears as she stood outside listening in. I later found out I essentially ended Derpy’s dreams of getting into the Wonderbolts, destroyed her wing beyond repair. Back then I found that news fairly comforting, but now I feel terrible, after founding out myself just how painful it is to lose your dream because of somepony else.

Laughing, Lightning flung her hoof around my neck and came up beside me. “You make it sound like I regret doing it. Nah, I’m in a much better place now then I would have been if I stayed, living the life with money and stallions lining up within half a mile!” She said casually, as she guided me over to a secluded spot along the bench near the bars, as ponies sat there quickly scurried away, trying to act like they didn’t care but you could see it in their eyes. 

They’re petrified. But why? 

Sitting down, Lightning continued. “What brings you here, all the way back to the glorious city of Manehattan. Last time I heard, you were going to go to Las Pegasus to join up with the Blazers gang and join the underground racing scene. Make a name for yourself there?” She asked as she sat me down beside her.

“Well, the plan didn’t exactly go to plan…” I said with hesitation as I rubbed the back of my head, chuckling.

“What do you mean?” Lightning questioned as she shook my shoulder, urging me on to speak further.

“Well, you know Coco?” After lightning nodded her head, I continued. “She asked me for a favor-”

Before I could even blink, Lightning burst out laughing as she slapped her leg with her hoof. “No! Please tell me you didn’t agree?” She said with disbelieving eyes. 

I let out a chuckle myself. “I realize how dumb it was now....”

“I can’t believe you agreed to a drug deal with Coco’s crew!” She shouted with disbelief. “I know you’re not the smartest cookie there is but come on Rainbow!” She said as she hit my side.

“Fuck you.” I said, laughing. “How was I supposed to know the cops would show up?”

Lightning looked at me with amusement. “Oh, come on, Rainbow. You know Coco’s a dumbass when it comes to arranging places to deal with. I’m surprised she’s even still alive! it’s only because of her husband that’s she’s in that position.” Lightning said.

I chuckled again. “Well, it didn’t go as planned...” I continued.

Lightning leaned against the wall behind her. “Well tell me about.” She asked as she eyed me with curiosity. 

Leaning against the wall, I brought my hoofs up to my mouth and blew into them as a chill began creeping up my body. “Well, I started off like normal, until….


Flashback:


Rain poured down on the many metal containers around me as I continued walking with my partner, Amber, talking beside me.

“And remember, don’t do anything foolish. We just talk to Caramel, give him the drugs, get our money and get out.” She said as she looked at me, a briefcase secured tightly under her left-wing, while she held a 9MM hoofgun strapped under her right-wing (as did I), hidden from any prying eyes.

“I got it, I got it, Calm down already, rookie.” I said in a strained voice as I continued to stare in front of me, pulling my black hood down more as I rounded a corner as Amber did the same. We were both wearing black hoodies we bought for a cheap 15 bits at ‘Bargain’s bargain’, nothing special but they were necessary incase the deal went south.

In the distance, I saw Caramel round the corner, sided by two of his Earth pony lackeys dressed in black with hoofguns strapped around their barrels. Caramel was a fat fuck but a very dangerous stallion who held a lot of power in the lower parts of Las Pegasus. He had hookers, drugs, guns, anything you could think of, he had it and was willing to sell them. 

Only for the right dime of course.

Ponies that try to cross him are rarely ever heard of again. It reminds me of this mare called Aqua. She had a blue coat and mane with bright blue eyes. Pour girl, needed protection for her and her twelve-year-old daughter, who was doing things she shouldn’t be doing and getting themselves in debt because of it as she got too caught up into the life. 

Aqua thought she could play the game against Caramel, done favors for him in the past. What favors I don’t know. Thought she could get away with getting the gun for free. Pour girl, after Caramel got a heard of it, ponies swear they can still hear her screams today. She was never heard or seen of again, with the daughter having nowhere to go now and no protection, Celestia knows what’s happened to her. Rumor on the street was Caramel took an interest in her. 

One can only hope the rumor about him weren’t true either. And if they were, Celestia help that pour girl.

It reminded everypony of one thing and one thing only: Don’t fuck with Caramel. 

Period.

As we walked up to each other, we placed our briefcase on a wooden crate next to us as Caramel walked up to us before motioning for his goons to open it.

After screwing with the lock, Amber remembered it was locked with a number code and walked up beside them and began putting in the code.

Waiting, I could see Caramel fidgeting anxiously before looking over at me with a nervous glance as he noticed my weapon strapped around my side, barely seeable against the black hoodie I was wearing. He had better eyesight than I expected for such an aged stallion.

Finally hearing the case pop open, I could see Caramels face change into that of delight as he looked at what was inside, his double chin flapping between his face and chest as he giggled like a schoolgirl.

It made me chuckle. 

Pig.

“You got the money.” I asked forcefully as he looked at me with disinterest now that his goon’s attention was back on him.

“Don’t talk to me like I’m some commoner, little girl!” He sneered.

“I've heard you like little girls, Caramel.” I answered back in a cold voice as my partner beside me looked at me in shock, as did Caramels guards. Funny.

He looked at me in shock before shouting in anger. “I beg your pardon, bitch!” As he pulled out his own gun, hidden under his belly and pointed right at me. “I think you should take back what you said.” He said menacingly. 

I didn’t even flinch. He was trying to intimidate me, but I knew he wasn’t stupid enough to pull the trigger.

A faint noise, however, caused my ears to twitch in its direction, followed shortly by my partner, then by the goon’s, then by Caramel himself as he twisted his heard to the direction of the sound.

As I concentrated on the sound, what I heard made my heart freeze. 

“Police sirens!” I shouted, hearing the screeching sound come closer every second as my heart began to beat rapidly.

“Money!” I shouted as Caramel motioned to his crew quickly as he ran to the drugs as one of his goons threw me a rucksack with the money in it.

Before I could realize, I felt Amber’s hoof pull me backwards as she shouted at me to run, quickly. 

“Why are they here!? Were we set up? There’s no way they would know we were here!” I shouted as I could feel my heart beat painfully against my chest as adrenaline coursed through my veins.

“Where were you?” Lightning asked as she interrupted my story.

Looking around me, I could see other Ponies in the cell were listening intently, others hiding it better than others. “In an abandoned industrial building. Once owned by the Flim and Flam brothers before they adventured into other businesses, stationed near the train station in east Las Pegasus.” I said as I turned my attention back on Lightning.

She shook her head. “Sounds like a good place to do a transaction. I forgot that place even existed, damn near before my time.” She chuckled. “I find it hard to see a reason behind the police randomly showing up there at that particular time. No workers, only the homeless, and they don’t snitch.” 

Before she could let me speak, she looked at me with the corner of her eye before a knowing smirk grew on her face. “You mentioned a mare named Amber, who is she?” She asked slowly.

I looked at her cautiously. “She’s was my partner, why?”

“Yes, I know she’s your partner.” She said angrily. “But how did you two meet?” She asked.

“How did we meet?” I repeated. “Erm… Well, now that I think about it, after being assigned to that deal, she volunteered to join me. Other than that, my interactions with her have been brief, if any actually.” I said and as I looked at Lightning’s grinning smile before realization dawned on me. 

Anger surged through my body as I slammed my hoof down angrily onto the bench, making it rattle loudly before being shouted at by one of the guards outside. “That bitch!” I shouted, ignoring the guard’s angry gaze.

Lightning laughed loudly beside me. “She played you!” She chuckled. “She played you good!” She said before shaking her head. 

She continued as I shook my head furiously. “It doesn’t take a genius to know you got caught.” I nod my head silently. “But if you got caught, what about her?” She asked as she looked at me with an eyebrow raised.

I sighed heavily before I leaned my back against the wall.

“Let me continue. We had just got out of the building and she suggested to take to the skies. I refused as I knew we would be caught easily. I’m fasting than any cop, but against the whole police force that appeared at our door step? No chance. Then she suggested the subway, which I thought was a great plan.”

“But little did you know.” Lightning said. 

I chuckled. “Little did I know that this bitch had thought this whole thing through. The Subway was close by, easy to get to from where we were. Just take a straight down Centre Street, then take a left at Circle Drive and keep going forward until you hit Lantern Lane, the stairs down to the subway are hard to miss. It was perfect. And that’s when things got strange…”

"Hurry the fuck up Amber!" I shouted furiously.

"I'm coming, just get to the East Exit through the service tunnels, I'm right behind you!" I heard her shout from behind me, her voice barely audible through the sound of my own pulsing heart in my ears and the shouting of the numerous police officers quickly gaining on us. 

The East Exit is the exit that quickly leads to the underground, a series of sewers, basements, drug dens, and gang hideouts, all easily accessible through windows, broken doors, and abandoned tunnels; the perfect place for a quick and easy get-away. 

If you knew where you were going. If not, you may never get out alive, lost to the eternal labyrinth. I’m exaggerating of course, but you’d be surprised at how long it takes for some dipstick Ponies to find their way out, or to find the door that leads to any of the shit I just mentioned.

"Almost there. Move! Get the fuck outta the way!" I screamed as I slammed Mares, Stallions, Zebras and Griffons out of my way, regardless of their shouts or complaints as the turn to the service tunnels was just seconds ahead of me, where it was home sweet home from there, money in hoof.

"Stop right there! Don't move!" The two guards shouted as they ran around the corner and held out their Standard Issue Tasers in my direction, as civilians quickly screamed at the sight of the weapons and got out of the way ahead of me, giving the guards the perfect line up to deliver a devastating shot to my wings.  

"Fuck you!" I shouted angrily as I spread my wings and lifted off the ground and into the cramped space above me, before twisting my wings left while pulling my hooves tightly to my body, followed quickly be my wings as I span in the air, feeling the skimming of the bolts fly past my back and into the crowd behind me, as the burn sizzled across my fur. 

Quickly flaring my wings, I flew above the stunned guards before pushing out my rear hooves and striking the back of their heads, knocking them out cold before landing cleanly on my hooves, turning into the service tunnel around the corner.

"Oh, the half barrel twist, smart move." lightning complimented.

I turned into the tunnels, flaring my wings again and taking flight into the open space around me, flying straight down the tunnel. 

"None of those fucks can get me now, once I'm in the air, nopony can stop me!" My ego pulsed as a smug smile grazed my lips. 

"There you are!" I said confidently, eyeing the East Exit as it quickly slid into view before smashing into the door and flying straight through, landing on my hooves and continuing in an exhausting sprint. Little did I know, that I was walking straight towards a trap that was just right around the corner. 


End of Flashback:


“And that’s that.” I finished. 

“Wow.” I heard Lightning say quietly. “And let me guess, Amber was nowhere near you, but still somehow managed to get out of their alive.” She said, chuckling as she shook her head. 

“Ye, I never would have thought she’d have the balls, she looked way to green, too scared to cross with a pony like me. Let alone stay in Coco’s gang after I got out after 5 years. You would have thought she would have left after I got out, in case I found out about her identity.” I finished, flabbergasted at my own gullibleness. 

I should send Coco a letter, and expose Amber as the rat she is. I’d love to know what would happen. 

“Don’t do what you’re thinking of doing.” I heard Lightning say beside me. 

“Huh? Why not! That bitch stole 5 years of my fucking life!” I shouted angrily, as the guard once again smashed his baton against the metal bars, his warning failing to reach my ears.

“The sooner Coco’s gang is off the street the better. She’s a dumbass who doesn’t know her left from her right. It's better she’s dealt with quickly before she goes and ruins another pony’s life like yours, because if she can’t see Amber as the clear rat she is, then she doesn’t deserve to be in charge of other ponies’ lives who’re just trying to earn a living.” Lightning said as she shook her head.

When the fuck did Lightning get so smart and reasonable. When I knew her, she’d fight a pony who just said her name. I can still remember grabbing her off this poor mare who made a snarky comment on her way past. I can still hear the cracking of her nose to this day. Brutal.

I heard her chuckle again. “Listen, I know what you’re thinking. The reason I got so smart was while you were locked up in prison for 5 years, I was out here on the street, making a name for myself. As you’ve probably noticed.” She gestured around herself. “I’ve been working my behind off and have finally gotten into a comfortable situation.” She leaned in closely. “Hey listen, Rainbow. I want the same for you.” 

Hold the phone. “What you talking about, Lightning?” I asked calmly. Heart chill the fuck out, stop beating so hard!

“Join me.” She announced suddenly as she leaned back against the wall. “You’ve heard of The Crimson Serpents, right?” She asked.

“The gang that controls the East part of Manehattan?” Who hasn’t heard of this gang, they’re known to be bloodthirsty and calculating, while controlling the major part of the drug trade within Manehattan, as well as numerous street gangs littered throughout the city, there to get the dirty work done. 

“Exactly!” She said energetically. “I want you in. You’re tough, determined and most importantly, you’re street smart. Heck, you taught me half the things I know!” She said happily. “If I give a good enough word to the boss, he’ll let you in on a heartbeat. He trusts me. That’s why I’m in the position I’m in.” She gestured around herself.

“What?” I look around. “In the police station behind bars?” 

She laughed loudly, the same boisterous laugh she’s used since the first time I met her, before grabbing me around the shoulders and pulling me in close. “You’re just as cocky as ever, Rainbow. I’m only in this holding cell with all these others rats because I got a bit too cocky with a Police Officer while drunk. Anyway, are you in or are you not? This place will change your life. For the better, Rainbow. Trust me.” She whispered before letting go of my shoulders, still staring at me with the intent for an answer. 

I chuckled. Lightning really wants me to say it out loud? She already knew the answer. 

“I’m in!” I said, putting on my confident smile once again. 

“Perfect.” She said, smiling as she looked at the clock outside the metal bars. “I’m almost out, so come to Ivy Street in New Neighington, and go to the Rose Deluxe bar at 8 PM tonight, you can’t miss it.” She said as she started messing with her hair. 

“You never know Rainbow, you might find some fun there as well. You’re looking pretty tense as it is.” She brought her hooves back to her sides and pushed off the bench, walking towards the metal exit as one of the guards opened the door to let her out. 

“Don’t make me wait Rainbow. It’s your future, not mine!” She shouted as she slid from view, the guards closely flanking her sides as they guided her to the exit. 

“I got you...” I whispered to myself, before laying back against the wall and staring at the slow ticking off the clock, letting my mind wander until it was my time to get out.

End of Chapter 1