//------------------------------// // Smuggling Ring (Part 1 of 3): Criminals // Story: Unnoticed Threats // by smirker //------------------------------// Doctor Whooves was walking through Ponyville and stopped when he saw Gogh standing with two royal guards that had a pony who looked just like him and a unicorn, "Is this them, Gogh?" one royal guard stallion asked, "Yes, this is them, my alternate self and Narcissus, the two that killed my bride." Gogh answered, "Alright, off to the Crystal Empire with you two, you two better hope Princess Cadance is feeling merciful today." the other royal guard said, and they carried them away while Alternate Gogh and Narcissus screamed and tried to break free. Doctor Whooves walked into his house and stopped in his tracks when he saw Inertia, Solute, and Data in his office, "Hi, Doctor Whooves." the three teenage fillies stated, "Great wickering stallions! Inertia! Data! I didn't think you two would ever join me." Doctor Whooves exclaimed, "Well, they had nothing to do, so I brought them with me." Solute explained, "Yeah, we heard about your sessions from Solute, so we thought we'd join because they sounded interesting." Inertia added, "So, how many patients do you have today?" Data asked, "By coincidence, three, they're coming in together, they're also all girls like you three as well, and by another coincidence, one's a unicorn, one's a Pegasus, and one's an earth pony." Doctor Whooves responded, "Um, Doctor Whooves, a group of three consisting of a unicorn, a Pegasus, and an earth pony is pretty common." Inertia stated, "I know, I'm just stating it's a coincidence my patients for today is a group of the three pony types and all girls just like you three." Doctor Whooves explained, "When do they arrive?" Data asked, "They should be here pretty soon." Doctor Whooves answered, "I hope what they encountered isn't like what we encountered." Solute remarked, "Me too, Solute, ever since you dealt with the machine pony from the future, I've been worried about you, considering you have bad grades in school and are bullied often." Doctor Whooves remarked, "Please don't remind me, Doctor Whooves, ever since my wing and leg got broken, I've been picked on more than before." Solute stated, "I'm sorry, Solute, I hope things get better for you after you graduate." Doctor Whooves stated, "I hope so, too." Solute responded, they heard footsteps outside and looked at the door. They saw three mares come in and they looked on with surprise. The unicorn had a light blue coat, long, wavy, dark yellow mane and tail with bangs across her forehead, and purple eyes, she was wearing a blue long-sleeve lace dress with flower patterns on it and a white long-sleeve dress under it, it was closed in front of her hind legs and went all the way down to her hoofs, and she had black high heel shoes on all four of her hoofs, she was the middle of the three mares in terms of height. The Pegasus had a bright green coat, long, straight, light sky blue mane and tail, and yellow eyes, she was wearing a black leather tricorne with one corner facing forward and the other two corners in the back, a black leather waist-length coat with three gold buttons and gold trimmings around the button holes that was open, a black vest with three black buttons, a white cravat that was tied to have three layers, a light brown leather belt with a gold buckle around her waist, white pants, and light brown mid-calf length leather boots on her hind legs, she was the shortest mare. The earth pony was tall and wearing a dull gray suit of armor that covered her entire body, there were small holes in the helmet for her to see but too small for others to see her eyes, she had a sword sheathed on her left side and a kite shield on her back, she was the tallest mare. The three mares walked forward and sat with the unicorn to the left, the Pegasus to the right, and the earth pony in the middle, "Are you three the patients?" Doctor Whooves asked, they nodded, "Can you take your helmet off please?" Doctor Whooves asked, and the earth pony did, she had a bright red coat, a long straight orange mane, pink eyes, and two scars on her left eye, "State your names and occupations." Doctor Whooves said, "Paladin, knight for life." the earth pony answered, "Arcana, mage for life." the unicorn responded, "Robin, ninja and assassin for life." the Pegasus replied, it became silent, "He meant as in the jobs you all do to earn money." Inertia explained, "It is what we do for a living." Paladin stated, "Yeah, Paladin fights in combat for bits, Arcana casts magic for bits, and I sneak around for bits, so long story short, we're mercenaries." Robin added, "Where are you three from?" Data asked, "Dreaming Paradise." Arcana answered, "Dreaming Paradise? I've never seen that place on the map." Solute commented, "It isn't, it's hidden by magic." Paladin stated, "Say, doctor, are these three your angels?" Robin asked, "No, they're my assistants, and usually, only one of them comes, it's that Pegasus there, she only brought her two friends with her today because they have nothing to do." Doctor Whooves explained, "Still, a unicorn, a Pegasus, and an earth pony, and all girls, just like us, what a coincidence." Robin remarked, "Can we start? I only have a limited time with each patient." Doctor Whooves said, "Of course, I'll go first." Paladin replied, and she began her tale. Paladin was a resident of Dreaming Paradise who lived in its center and in a fortress just like its other earth ponies, she was her generation's best fighter and helped train the other students while also acting as the personal bodyguard and last line of defense for Commander Lionheart, the place's earth pony ruler, he had a dark red coat, short white mane and tail, and orange eyes, he was wearing a dull gray and battered suit of armor that covered his entire body except his head, his helmet was behind him, a red cape, he had a sword sheathed on his left side and a shield on his back. The ponies of Dreaming Paradise were often contacted and hired around Equestria to act as mercenaries and bodyguards to others, the earth ponies were often hired to be fighters, the unicorns were hired for magic jobs, and the Pegasi were hired for infiltration jobs. Paladin was on break one day and exploring outside of Dreaming Paradise with Arcana and Robin, "Wow, a whole month and no contact from the outside world on hiring us." Robin commented, "Well, ever since Equestria has dealt with Cozy Glow, things have been quiet, I think the ponies are grateful to be at peace after the amount of destruction she caused." Arcana responded, "Even then, there are still smaller, minor threats throughout the world, some are outside Equestria, too." Paladin said, "Dreaming Paradise is relieved, too, and it really is nice to have a slower change of pace after that." Arcana added, "Well, I'm a little bored." Robin remarked, "Come on, you two, maybe we can find something interesting while exploring." Paladin stated, Arcana and Robin smiled and they walked together. They went to the Equestrian and Yakyakistani border and saw a suspicious looking Pegasus stallion flying into the country, he had a dark green coat and was bald, "Let's follow him." Paladin whispered, Arcana and Robin nodded and they did. They arrived into Yakyakistan and saw the Pegasus meet up with a unicorn stallion that had a light blue coat and was wearing a cop's short-sleeve shirt and hat, his cutie mark was a black nightstick, a dark blue aura appeared on his horn and he reached into the Pegasus' saddlebag, he took out vials filled with red liquid and brought them into Yakyakistan, the Pegasus flew away while the unicorn gave the vials of red liquid to five more unicorns in white lab coats, "This isn't looking good." Arcana whispered, the unicorns in lab coats teleported back into Yakyakistan and Arcana teleported herself and her friends around and they watched the unicorns in lab coats put the red liquid into syringes and injected the sick yaks with the red liquid, "Let's watch one and see what happens." Paladin whispered, Arcana and Robin nodded and they walked. They followed one yak who got injected, they watched him in his home through a window while Arcana made herself, Paladin, and Robin invisible, they watched the yak sleep peacefully until he suddenly sprung awake and roared loudly and charged outside and began attacking the other yaks and destroyed property, four more male yaks then charged around and destroyed more property, Arcana used her magic to restrain them while Paladin held back the yaks coming to her and Robin flew around to pick up and hold yaks to avoid them getting hit while grunting. Arcana cast a spell to make the yaks sleep while Paladin and Robin lifted debris to rescue trapped yaks, Paladin lifted the heavy debris while Robin lifted the light and medium debris. They gathered the yaks together and then looked at the five violent yaks that were unconscious, "Is everyone alright?" Paladin asked, the yaks nodded, "Yak attacks keep happening! But yaks not know cause." one male yak said, "I guess we'll just have to wait for those five to awaken." Robin stated, "Well, let's rebuild while we wait." Arcana responded, and they did. They rebuilt the homes and the five male yaks groaned and regained consciousness, "Where is yak?" one yak asked, "Is yak dreaming?" another yak asked, "We got some questions for you five." Paladin responded while she stood in front of them with Arcana and Robin, "Who are three?" a third yak questioned, "We're just visitors from Equestria, and you five suddenly became violent and started destroying everything." Paladin responded, "Violent? Destroy? Yaks do no such things." a fourth yak rebuked, "Yak have ways of destruction, we artistic, not senseless!" a fifth yak added, "What do you call that behind us then?" Arcana asked, the five yaks saw the destroyed homes, "We did that?" the second yak asked, Paladin, Arcana, and Robin nodded, "We saw one of you yaks get injected with a red liquid when seeing a pony doctor before you all went on a rampage." Robin explained, "Which one of us?" the fourth yak questioned, Paladin, Arcana, and Robin pointed to the yak in the center, "Yak have no memory of being injected with red liquid." the first yak stated, "But do you remember seeing the pony doctor?" Arcana asked, "Yes." the first yak responded, Arcana cast a spell and the yaks looked on with shock at seeing her aura was red, blue, yellow, and green and four times bigger than an average aura. Arcana played the memory of the unicorn doctor injecting the yak with the red liquid, she then cast a spell on the other four yaks to see their memories, she saw them get injected with a red liquid as well while the yaks gasped, "Is yak being injected with evil energy?!" a female yak exclaimed, "I can't say yet, I'm going to need to get a hold of one of the syringes and examine its contents." Robin responded, "Well, looks like it's time for one of usual jobs, so, Robin, go ahead and gather info, Arcana and I will be waiting for you back at home." Paladin said, Robin nodded and Arcana teleported themselves back to Dreaming Paradise, she then cast a spell on Robin to turn her into a ghost and she left. Paladin and Arcana trained while waiting for Robin, Paladin trained in hoof-to-hoof combat and using her sword and shield along with a bow and arrows while Arcana meditated and focused her mind while fire, water, rocks, and wind floated around her. Robin appeared and Arcana changed her back to normal, "Okay, I got the info, here's what we encountered." Robin stated, and they gathered at a table, "What we encountered was a small part of a smuggling ring, the red liquid that made the yaks go berserk is being distributed to the changelings, griffons, dragons, seaponies, hippogriffs, kirins, and the Saddle Arabian ponies as well, from the info I gathered, the members of the smuggling ring are using this red liquid to make it look like the other non-Equestrian countries are dangerous and unfriendly when compared to Equestria so other creatures will move into Equestria to tighten relations and be willing to share their military weapons, armor, and strategies so the smuggling ring can use them to not only conquer the other countries, but know the weaknesses of them when used against them so they can exploit it." Robin explained, "What have you found out about the smuggling ring and its members?" Paladin asked, "It's a little big, the three pony types are all divided like a caste system, too, the unicorns seem to be the brains and leaders, the Pegasi are the scouts and delivery ponies, and the earth ponies are the muscle, also serving as delivery ponies if a Pegasus isn't available, the unicorns will move the liquid if neither pony type is available." Robin answered, "So, are we talking like a mafia or something?" Arcana questioned, "About that, this smuggling ring doesn't just have criminals in it, I've also noticed law abiding citizens and authority figures are members as well." Robin replied, Paladin's and Arcana's eyes' widened, "And Princess Celestia never noticed?" Arcana inquired, "It seems it's because this smuggling ring operates mostly outside of Equestria, the members that are citizens and authority figures don't seem to have committed any crimes either." Robin explained, "And the known criminal members?" Paladin asked, "Princess Celestia is aware of them, but it looks like she doesn't know about the red liquid they're distributing outside Equestria, so long story short, Princess Celestia is slightly aware of this group, but she doesn't realize it's bigger than she thinks and is unaware of this berserk liquid injected into non-Equestrian pony creatures." Robin answered, "Alright, I think that's enough info on the ring, Robin. How many members are there and what are their names and roles?" Arcana asked, "As for the criminals, I have found seven members, the one who moves most of the red liquid around is a Pegasus named Associate, he has an earth pony body guarding him, his name's Enforcer, the guy who scouts and tells them where to go is a Pegasus named Soldier, the one who oversees them is a unicorn called Caporegime, the third-in-command and advisor to them is a Pegasus named Consigliere, he's also the entire smuggling ring's lawyer, the second-in-command is an earth pony called Underboss, and the leader of the criminal group is a unicorn named Don." Robin responded, "And the other two?" Arcana questioned, "I started by tracking down those seven ponies we saw that were involved in moving the red liquid in Yakyakistan, that Pegasus we saw is named Deliverer, there are several delivery ponies like him distributing the red liquid into the countries, he's the one who delivers it to Yakyakistan, the one delivering it to the Changeling Hive is a Pegasus named Air Service, the Pegasus going to the Dragon Lands is Speedy Delivery, the Pegasus going to Griffonstone is Box Mover, the Pegasus going to Mount Aris is Peregrine Falcon, the Pegasus going to Kirin Grove is Wind Gust, and the Pegasus going to Saddle Arabia is Sound Barrier, I looked into their backgrounds and discovered every single one of them is a former Wonderbolt. I then looked into the five doctors we saw, they're Brain Surgeon, Medicine Pony, Red Cross, Scientist, and Experimenter, I have also found four unicorn doctors in the Dragon Lands injecting the red liquid into them, they're Fuel Injector, Liquid, Freezer, and Bio Med, one in the Changeling Hive, his name's Oral Cleaner, three in Griffonstone, their names are Avian Doctor, Ornithologist, and Beak Fixer, two in Mount Aris, their names are Bird Cleaner and Marine Biologist, he's injecting the liquid into the seaponies in Seaquestria, two in Kirin Grove, their names are Fire Starter and Serenity, and two in Saddle Arabia, their names are Magic Doctor and Witch Doctor. I watched them and discovered there are two traveling earth ponies using their businesses as a front to hide the fact they're making the red liquid in the back, the first guy is Tofu, he runs a traveling restaurant called Tofu Services that serves tofu in place of hay for food, the other is House Cleaner, he puts tents over dirty houses and they make the red liquid inside them. I watched and discovered their leader is a unicorn named Philanthropist, he's using his wealth to buy the materials needed to make the red liquid, his second-in-command is a Pegasus named All Seer, he works as a security guard, and his bodyguard is an earth pony named Body Sculptor, spends a lot of his time in the gym." Robin explained, "What have you found out on the authority figures?" Paladin asked, "That law enforcer we saw is Border Patrol, he checks the stuff going out of Equestria and into Yakyakistan, the one for the Changeling Hive is an earth pony named Law Enforcement, the one for the Dragon Lands is a Pegasus named Air Marshal, the one for Griffonstone is a Pegasus named Air Police, the one for Mount Aris is a Pegasus named Sky Police, the one for Seaquestria is a unicorn named Coast Guard, the one for Kirin Grove is a unicorn named Firefighter, and the one for Saddle Arabia is a unicorn named Desert Storm. I also looked into the world's train system and Equestria's banks, and surprisingly, there's no one in the train system who is a member, but no members in the banking company didn't surprise me, since hundreds to thousands of bits suddenly coming in and being brought in by the same ponies would draw suspicion, they are also operating independently and avoiding the train systems. I also checked Equestria's police and military services, there are no members in the military, but there are in the police, I have found four members, the third and final leader of the smuggling ring is a unicorn cop named Police Sergeant, his bodyguard is an earth pony named Police Corporal, and the two overseers of the ring's movement are two Pegasi named Police Officer and Police Constable. I looked farther into Equestria's police and was surprised to discover that the sergeant rank was highest ranking member within it, I'm guessing the smuggling ring is mostly trying to keep a low profile." Robin explained, "Is that every member?" Paladin asked, "Yup, I also looked into seeing if there was one secret member who was the actual leader with Don, Philanthropist, and Police Sergeant acting as his second-in-commands, there isn't. Only the criminal members are known, the citizens and authority figures have gone under Equestria's radar." Robin stated, "Alright, so, what's the connection between Don, Philanthropist, and Police Sergeant?" Arcana asked, "It looks like the three grew up in a town in Equestria and they didn't like all of the non-Equestrian pony creatures coming in, so they decided to band together, found some more like-minded ponies later, and they all decided to make the red liquid after traveling to other countries and make them look violent, the other creatures move to Equestria for safety reasons, they do deals with the ponies to strengthen relations, and eventually, our polices and militaries start working together to maintain world peace and exchange weapons, armor, and strategies, and the smuggling ring gets their hooves on them and launch secret stealth attacks to wipe out all non-Equestrian pony creatures." Robin answered, "Hmm, I wonder why they want the Saddle Arabian ponies gone then." Arcana stated, "From what I've gathered, it's because they consider them defected ponies and have to be eradicated." Robin replied, "This smuggling ring could be a big problem in the future." Paladin stated, "I agree, we need to destroy it now." Arcana added, "I agree, too, so who wants to go after who?" Robin asked, "I'll deal with the criminals, Arcana, you go after the citizens, Robin, you deal with the authority figures." Paladin answered, "Alright then, I'll go ahead and give you two pictures of your targets then." Robin said, and she did. Paladin looked at the pictures of Associate, Enforcer, Soldier, Caporegime, Consigliere, Underboss, and Don. Associate had a gray coat, long white mane and tail, gray eyes, and his cutie mark was a light brown clipboard. Enforcer had a bright red coat, short red mane and tail, red eyes, and his cutie mark was a yellow muscular arm flexing. Soldier had a light green coat, short yellow mane and tail, light purple eyes, and his cutie mark was a green peaked cap with a black visor. Caporegime had a dark yellow coat, short sky blue mane and tail, light pink eyes, and his cutie mark was three bit coins. Consigliere had a light purple coat, long dark red mane and tail, yellow eyes, and his cutie mark was a set of pink lips. Underboss had a bright blue coat, short dark blue mane and tail, blue eyes, and his cutie mark was a gray syringe. Don had a dark purple coat, short dark red mane and tail, red eyes, and his cutie mark was a black tome. Paladin put the pictures in her scabbard's strap on her hind left leg and stretched, "A few more questions, Robin. Do they have anybody helping them that are not members of the smuggling ring, whether they know it or not?" Arcana asked, "Nope, only the official members are involved." Robin replied, "Okay, what about families, do they have any parents, siblings, spouses, or children?" Arcana questioned, "Nope, I followed each one to their homes, I was very surprised to see not a single one of them had a family, I'm guessing they chose not to start a family so they wouldn't have to deal with things raising kids, helping them with school, and so on, so they focus on their smuggling ring full-time, their parents, aunts, and uncles likely already passed away, too." Robin responded, "Okay, one more thing, I've noticed every single member is a stallion, you think you could've missed some?" Arcana asked, "No, I looked into that, too, there's not a single female within the smuggling ring, everyone is an Equestrian pony and male, there are no kids involved either." Robin responded, "Well, it's settled, let's put a stop to them." Paladin declared, "Alright, and Paladin, the criminals are known in Equestria for being thieves and bringing in lots of money, I'm assuming some of the lower ranking members could be loan sharks." Robin said, "Well, whatever the reason, I'll put a stop to it, let's go." Paladin stated, and they went their separate ways. Paladin got on the train and asked the passengers on Associate, Enforcer, Soldier, and Caporegime, the ponies shook their heads while some told her she should not get involved with them, she asked more passengers on their whereabouts and several reported seeing Associate, Enforcer, and Soldier walking around in a town close to the north of Equestria, she was given the nearest stop to it and one unicorn stallion pointed her to it, she thanked him and went to the town. She walked around and heard a thud and a stallion whimpering, she ran as fast as she could while her armor hindered her, "You didn't meet your monthly payment again, guess that means I'm going to have to give you another beating." a deep male voice threatened, "Please, I still have to pay my bills and feed my family, give me more time to make more money." the stallion begged, "You should've thought about that before you married and had children." another male voice stated, Paladin saw Associate, Enforcer, and Soldier walk into her view, "If you don't make your next payment, you won't have a family to have to take care of." Soldier threatened, "No, please, don't hurt my wife and kids!" the stallion begged, "Then give us our money! The boss is losing his patience with you." Associate said, "Just give us what you have now." Enforcer demanded, "I'm broke right now." the stallion said, Enforcer and Soldier walked forward and began beating him while he screamed. Paladin ran to them while her armor clanged loudly and they heard her coming, "Slowpoke's not gonna get to us, let's get his money." Soldier ordered, and he, Associate, and Enforcer took the stallion's saddlebag and ripped its bottom open, "No!" the stallion hollered, Associate, Enforcer, and Soldier began to walk away and Paladin grunted while she punched Associate with her front right hoof, he screamed as he flew several yards away and knocked a house over, "Give back his money!" Paladin ordered, "Oh, look who we got here, someone who wants to play hero." Enforcer snarked, Associate got back up and flew to them, "Get out of here, I'll deal with these loan sharks." Paladin said, the stallion nodded and ran away, Associate flew to her and bucked her but he exhaled sharply due to her heavy armor protecting her, Enforcer and Soldier looked at each other and Enforcer ran forward to fight her. He tried to ram her but she picked him up and held him above herself while he exclaimed, "Where is the red liquid?" Paladin questioned, "Red liquid? What are you talking about?" Enforcer asked, "Don't play dumb with me, what is the money for and where is the red liquid?" Paladin inquired, Associate let out a battle cry and hit her on her back with a wooden chair, it broke on impact and had no effect on her, she threw Enforcer onto the ground and created a crater and then smashed Associate's head into the ground. Soldier looked on with shock, "Quick! Let's get the money to the boss before he gets mad." a male voice from above ordered, Soldier ran to a brown wagon and Caporegime flew down with his magic and they carried it away. Paladin looked at Associate and Enforcer and they groaned, "I'm going to have a word with you two." Paladin commented, and she picked them up carried them away. Paladin went back to Dreaming Paradise and tied Associate and Enforcer to a wall, she began punching them and they screamed from the pain and strength of her attacks, "What is the money for?" Paladin inquired, "You'll tire yourself out eventually." Enforcer remarked, Paladin punched him in his jaw with her front right hoof and he grunted loudly while a cracking sound was heard, "I can do this all day." Paladin remarked, and she punched them in their abdomens and Associate and Enforcer grunted, "What is the money for?" Paladin asked, Associate and Enforcer snickered and she punched them again and they began panting heavily, Associate and Enforcer did not respond and she punched them again, "Answer me!" Paladin ordered, Associate and Enforcer began wheezing and Paladin got ready to punch them again, "Paladin." a stallion's voice called out from behind, she looked back and saw Commander Lionheart, "Archmage Astral Plane, Master Nocturne, and I have heard what you, Arcana, and Robin saw, your way of interrogation isn't going to work, it's clear they're not going to break, no matter how much you beat them." Commander Lionheart stated, Associate and Enforcer snickered, "What am I supposed to do then?" Paladin asked, "Don and his criminal organization are already well known in Equestria for being loan sharks and extortionists, and you already have two of them who flew away, you need to go back to where you originally were and ask around for where the other two went." Commander Lionheart explained, "And these two?" Paladin asked, Enforcer flexed and stretched his legs and broke his restraints while Associate wiggled out of his. They ran to Paladin and proceeded to attack her, Associate tried punching her with his front legs and wings but her armor was too hard and he did no harm, he then turned around and bucked her helmet with his hind legs, Associate clattered his teeth together while intense pain ran through his hind legs, Paladin punched him away with her front right hoof and he screamed while he flew back to the wall and hit it and fell onto the floor. Enforcer ran forward and began punching her, Paladin did staggered a little since Enforcer's attacks were stronger, he bucked her and pushed her back a little, she punched him and he grunted, he did a backflip and landed on the wall with his hind legs, he did a somersault and tried to kick Paladin with his hind legs, she ducked and dodged him. Enforcer landed on the floor and did a backflip and tried to land on the back of Paladin's head, she jumped back and took her shield out, she put it on her front left leg while Enforcer landed on the floor. He ran to her and was about to punch her with his front right hoof, Paladin bashed the left side of his face with her shield and sent him flying, he hit the wall behind her and grunted, he then fell on top of Associate. Paladin looked at the two and brushed her armor with her front hoofs, "Go ahead and go after the other five, Paladin, plus, the criminal organization is well known, so tracking them down shouldn't be too hard, I'll go ahead and bury these two." Commander Lionheart, and she left while he did. Paladin went back to the town and asked where Soldier and Caporegime went, the ponies pointed the directions to her and she soon went out of town, she then asked any pony around about the two while showing pictures of them, "Why do you wanna go after them for?" a purple earth pony mare asked, "They're targeting innocent people, it's about time someone put a stop to Don and his lackeys." Paladin replied, "Don's headquarters is to the north of here in Fillydelphia, he lives in a big mansion with many floors, can't miss it." the mare stated, "Thank you." Paladin responded, and she headed there. Paladin walked into the woods and came out to a small and weak water stream, she stopped when she saw about forty earth ponies made of gray stone waiting for her, "Golems, huh, must be Don's magic." Paladin said, she heard magic being cast in the sky and saw Caporegime casting telekinesis on himself with a white aura around himself and his horn, he held his front right leg out and the golems ran forward. Paladin punched and kicked the golems away but they reformed and continued attacking her, she grunted while she got staggered from the golems combining their bucks together, she punched four golems in front of her with her front right hoof while grunting and sent them flying away in pieces. She took her shield out while the golems swarmed her and she bashed them with her shield, they broke into more pieces and flew farther away, they reformed and ran to her. She looked up and noticed Caporegime was not casting any spells to control the golems, the golems swarmed her again and she stood up and threw them off while grunting loudly, she saw Soldier and Caporegime watching her while smiling smugly. She took her bow off of her back and held it in her front left hoof while also using her leg to swat some of the golems away, they fixed themselves and got back up and ran to her. Paladin punched all the golems away and bashed them with her shield, she realized the golems took longer to regenerate if they were broken into more pieces, she bashed and smashed them with her shield and then aimed an arrow with her bow. She shot an arrow at Soldier and he flew to dodge it, he laughed at her and Paladin then shot another arrow at him, it hit him in the center of his collarbone and he screamed while falling onto the ground. Soldier stood up while shaking his head and pulled the arrow out, he flew to her while Caporegime cast a spell and gave Soldier armor made of rocks, he flew to Paladin while Caporegime used his magic to put short and pointed rocks on the front and back of Soldier's hoofs to act as spikes. The golems ran and surrounded Paladin and restrained her, Soldier flew to her and began punching her in her jaw while the pointed rocks cut her armor, she grunted while throwing the golems at Soldier and he caught them, he spun around and threw them back at her and Paladin swatted them away with her front forelegs, she saw Soldier coming and she punched him in his face with her front right hoof and pushed him back a little, she saw no cracks or damage on Soldier's armor and realized it was made of stronger material than the stone the golems were made of. Soldier flew forward and began punching Paladin constantly, she staggered back while he put dents and cuts in her armor and the golems stood by and watched. Paladin grabbed Soldier's front legs with her own and he flew up while carrying her, he grunted while holding her due to her heavy armor and it slowed him down and made him unable to fly as high as usual, Caporegime used his telekinesis on her and Paladin felt lighter but the anti-magic properties of her armor still made her able to move, she began to headbutt Soldier's abdomen repeatedly and the rock cracked after the fourth strike, she did another headbutt and the rock armor on Soldier's abdomen broke off. She did another headbutt to his abdomen and he screamed while a bone was heard cracking, he fell onto the ground and the golems ran forward to swarm Paladin. She swatted them away with her shield and then bashed Soldier with it, the armor on his chest cracked and broke off, she then unsheathed her double-edged sword and stabbed it into Soldier's heart with her front right hoof, he screamed while Caporegime looked on with horror, Soldier groaned and fell into the water and the stream washed him away. Caporegime teleported away while more golems appeared, Paladin ran to Fillydelphia and thick concrete walls grew out of the ground and blocked her path. Paladin rammed the first wall but she did not get through and cracked it, she hit it with her front forelegs and broke it, she saw more golems up ahead and they ran to her, she swatted them away with front forelegs and ran to the next concrete wall, it was thicker than the last one, she bashed it with her front forelegs and broke it and ran forward. Paladin saw more golems and the ones behind her caught up and began grabbing her, she threw them forward and knocked down the golems up ahead, she charged to next concrete wall which was also thicker than the last one, she growled while sprinting, she jumped and rammed her head against the wall, she began to go through it and punched her front legs into it, she jumped out of the other side and left a hole in it. Paladin saw even more golems up ahead and she grunted while picking up the concrete wall, she grunted loudly and threw it at the golems and knocked down the next concrete wall. A dark red-purple aura appeared on the fourth concrete wall and put it back up, Paladin saw it was too thick for her to get through, so she looked around while punching, bucking, and swatting the golems away, she saw the trees were tall enough for her to get past the walls. Paladin climbed one tree slowly while her armor's weight made the tree crack in some areas, she got onto a branch and walked on it, it cracked and bent down more, Paladin kept her balance and walked forward a little, the branch broke and she jumped onto the top of the fourth concrete wall. The wall became electrified by the same dark red-purple magic aura and Paladin screamed and she got shot off and back to where she previously was. Paladin stood up while growling and the golems began to swarm her, she hit them away and tried to go around the wall but it grew wider, she got an idea and ran to the biggest tree that was near her. She grabbed it and grunted while she ripped it out of the ground and held it, she spun it around and hit the golems away, she then jumped and swung the tree down while grunting loudly, she smashed the concrete wall and ran forward. Paladin panted while the tree made her slower, she swung it down and smashed the next concrete wall, she put the tree on her shoulder and walked to the next wall. The golems ran to her and swarmed her and Paladin spun around while holding the tree out and hit all of them far away, she then let go of the tree to let it fly forward and it smashed the next wall. Paladin saw that was the last concrete wall and ran forward, she saw Fillydelphia in view and hundreds of golems up ahead. Paladin ran to her right while the golems chased her, she looked back and saw the golems she swatted away jumping from tree to tree to catch up to her, she looked forward and saw more golems coming to her. She swatted the ones near her away while looking around, she saw two big trees up ahead with branches close to one another. She ran there while swatting the golems away and getting as many of them behind her as she could, she arrived at the trees and jumped, she grabbed two branches and pulled the trees' roots out of the ground, she swung forward and fell onto the ground while the trees fell and barricaded the path, she stood back up and saw magic make the golems disappear, she smiled under her helmet and walked to Fillydelphia. Paladin arrived into Fillydelphia and looked around, everybody looked at her due to her weapons and armor making her stand out, "I'm looking for Caporegime, I'm here to see Don, too." Paladin announced, "Are you crazy? They're gonna make you disappear if you interfere with their businesses, they got the law enforcement under their hooves, too." a bright pink Pegasus mare stated, "That is why I'm after them, my home has been a common target for Don and his lackeys, four of his loan sharks have been demanding bits from the ponies and lots of it, most are usually given two weeks to a month to try to meet their outrageous demands, and those that don't are beaten, and failing to meet their demands several times means their spouses and children get beatings or worse." Paladin explained, the ponies looked at her with shock, "Don's mansion's that way, it's very big and fancy." a dark blue unicorn stallion stated while he pointed to the direction, "Thank you, you just did my home a big service." Paladin responded, and she headed there. Paladin ran and saw the mansion, it was made of white wood with a brown roof and many windows, it was mostly square shaped while the top roof was pyramid shaped, "It really does stand out." Paladin commented, and she walked forward. Golems came out of the bushes and shrubs and began attacking her, she punched them away and stomped on their heads to smash them, they began reforming and she ran to the mansion's entrance, Caporegime teleported to between her and the mansion's double doors, "You actually came all the way to here, I won't let you reach the boss." Caporegime said, "Step aside if you wanna live." Paladin threatened, Caporegime shot a zap at her from his horn and she grunted and staggered her. The golems ran to her and she swatted them away with her front forelegs and Caporegime shot her several times and staggered her and the golems tried punching and kicking her but it had no effect, she swatted them away and threw a few at Caporegime and he teleported around. Paladin watched him carefully while Caporegime appeared in random spots and shot zaps at her, she ducked and swayed to dodge them, she gathered several golems and threw them in all directions to block his view. Caporegime used his magic on himself to float up and look for Paladin, she threw golems into the sky in all directions and he teleported around and looked for an opening, Paladin heard him teleport closer and closer each time to look for an opening and Paladin heard him close by, she ran and jumped and punched her front right hoof through the golems. Caporegime quickly tried to teleport while putting a concrete wall between himself and Paladin, her hoof broke through the wall and he made his own body out of metal, Paladin punched a hole into his sternum and he screamed while his metal body dented and broke open, he flew several yards away and onto the ground, he slid several more yards away and got buried deeper into the ground. Paladin ran to the mansion and noticed the double doors were locked and barricaded, she also saw the windows were window were barricaded with magic barriers, she grabbed the double doors' handles and grunted a little while pulling them to the sides, she screamed and ripped the double doors open and broke the door frame and walls, "She's in!" an unfamiliar male voice exclaimed, "Quick! Stop her!" another unfamiliar male voice ordered, and Paladin ran into the mansion. Paladin ran inside but stopped when she saw the room was full of red lasers, she took her quiver off of her back and shot an arrow past the lasers, they all triggered crossbows on the walls that shot bolts everywhere, Paladin looked at her surroundings everywhere and stepped over the first laser with her front left leg and then crouched to avoid the laser above her, she moved her front right leg forward and went over the laser, she then moved her hind left leg through it and then her hind right leg. She moved very slowly while crouching and swaying around to dodge the lasers, "Begin moving the lasers." the second unfamiliar male voice from before ordered, and the lasers began moving, "Boss, you should summon some golems in there to trigger the crossbows." a third unfamiliar male voice suggested, "Good idea, Consigliere, let's do that." the second unfamiliar male voice responded, and stone golems appeared in the room. They began running around and triggered the lasers, crossbow bolts shot everywhere and Paladin grunted while they put holes in her armor and pushed her around, the golems ganged up on her and she punched them and broke them into pieces, they reformed and continued running to her. Paladin punched the golems away and then shot the crossbows with her bow and arrows and destroyed them, more golems jumped on her and she shook them off. She grabbed one golem and blocked a crossbow bolt, the bolt went into its stone body and she threw it at the crossbow and destroyed it, she grabbed and threw five more golems and destroyed five more crossbows. She ran around while triggering the lasers and punched and destroyed the remaining eight crossbows, "All of the crossbows have been destroyed!" the first unfamiliar voice exclaimed, "Relax, Underboss, it's only the first line of defense in the mansion, we got more up ahead." the second unfamiliar voice responded, Paladin deduced he was Don. She ran past the lasers and bashed any golem in her way with her shield, she ran to the stairs at the other end of the room and they began moving down like an escalator. Paladin jumped up the steps but slid down while standing up straight, Paladin tried to hang off of a rail and the golems jumped and grabbed her hind legs, she slammed them together and broke the golem's front legs and heads. She moved quickly when she heard the rail cracking and it began to fall apart, she jumped when it broke and grabbed the next floor's rails and quickly climbed it, she ran to the double doors and they were locked, she grabbed the knobs and grunted while pulling on them, she grunted loudly and pulled the doors to the sides and broke part of the walls, ceiling, and door frame, she then ran into the next room. Paladin ran into the room and saw a room with light blue lasers everywhere, she looked at the floor, walls, and ceiling and saw explosives. She shot her arrows into the room and they tripped the lasers and made the bombs explode, a dark red-purple aura appeared on the bombs and floated to her. She quickly fired her arrows and one explosive made several others explode with it, the golems from the previous room caught up to her and began running to her. She grabbed and threw them into the next room's lasers and the bombs exploded, the golems got destroyed but reformed themselves, she destroyed every explosive and ran into the next room. Paladin sprinted and saw the stairs moving down like escalators again, she grabbed the rails to her left and they moved down with the stairs. She moved up a little while the golems grabbed her hind legs and weighed her down, she hit them together and smashed their heads, she then moved up the rail quickly and then jumped onto the next floor's rail. She climbed on top of it and saw more light blue lasers and bombs on the floor and ceiling. She jumped to the left side of the floor and grabbed the explosives carefully, she threw all four of them at the golems and they exploded, she then unsheathed her sword and let the lasers touch it to make the bombs on the ceiling explode. She then grabbed the double doors and grunted while she forced them open, she grunted loudly when she opened them and broke its frame and wall around it and entered the next room. Paladin entered the next room and saw the entire floor was electrified, she looked up and saw the double doors to the next floor also had a magic force field around it. She looked around and saw nothing was generating the electricity and it was created magically, she ran in and she grunted a little while her metallic armor conducted the electricity on her body but was reduced due to its anti-magic properties. She ran slowly while enduring the pain and got an idea, the golems entered and the electricity had no effect on their stone bodies. Paladin grabbed them and spun and threw them at the ceiling, they went through it and put holes in it, she jumped and climbed onto the next floor. She grabbed more golems and threw them at the ceiling to make holes in it and jumped up into the room above her, "She's getting past our defenses!" Consigliere exclaimed, "I know, Consigliere, go. Now. Send the remaining bits Associate, Enforcer, Soldier, and Caporegime gave us to our doctors." Don ordered, "And me, boss?" Underboss asked, "Stand by my side, you're my last line of defense." Don replied, Paladin threw her shield at the ceiling and broke it, it fell down and she grabbed it and then jumped up into the next room. Paladin arrived into the next room and saw she was near the top of the mansion, Consigliere turned around and saw her while he was loading bits into a brown wagon, "You'll pay for what you done!" Consigliere declared, Paladin looked and saw samples of the red liquid behind him along with papers written and signed by Brain Surgeon, Medicine Pony, Red Cross, Scientist, Experimenter, Fuel Injector, Liquid, Freezer, Bio Med, Oral Cleaner, Avian Doctor, Ornithologist, Beak Fixer, Bird Cleaner, Marine Biologist, Fire Starter, Serenity, Magic Doctor, and Witch Doctor, they were reports on the development of improving the red liquid's effect with new and expensive medical equipment and letters of thanks for the extra bits they put in their donations to buy and develop better medical equipment to improve the red liquid, "So that's what you guys' loan shark business is for, you're getting lots of bits and then giving it to the smuggling ring's doctors and they put them in their donations to disguise the ill gotten gains as honest ones in order to buy and develop better medical equipment to make your red liquids stronger so the non-pony creatures and Saddle Arabian ponies can go berserk for longer and permanently if possible." Paladin deduced, "Clever girl, our bosses thought you were the dumb one of your friends, but I guess you aren't, but now that you do know, I'll have to silence you." Consigliere stated, "You don't look like much of a fighter." Paladin commented, "I'm not, but that doesn't mean I can't defend myself, I'm not just the boss' advisor, I'm also the entire smuggling ring's lawyer, you'll soon learn that I have other skills outside of my profession." Consigliere stated, and he flew to her. Consigliere rammed Paladin and she slid on the floor a little, she grunted while she grabbed him and threw him away, he did a backflip while in midair and flew to her. Consigliere tried punching her with his front legs but Paladin swayed side-to-side while dodging his attacks easily, she saw an opening and punched him in his face with her front right hoof, Consigliere grunted while he flew through the room, he grunted and fell when he hit a wall and cracked it. He stood up and flew to her, he tried to buck her but he exhaled very sharply while flying away, Paladin grabbed his hind legs and pulled him towards herself, "Boss, I need some help here." Consigliere stated, stone golems magically appeared in the room and ganged on Paladin to distract her and he flew away. Paladin slammed them into the floor and they fell to the lower floors, Don then made double-bladed knives appear in Consigliere's front hoofs and held by his wings' feathers. He flew as fast as he could and tried to cut Paladin's metallic armor but only scratched it, he continued slashing it the armor and tried to cut it, he only scratched it a little and Paladin punched him with her front left hoof, he screamed while he flew across the room and hit the wall and put a crater in it. Consigliere tried to stand but could not, "Can't... move." Consigliere said very weakly, Paladin grabbed him and spun around, she let go and threw him at the window, the glass broke and he fell from a very high height while screaming and the ponies watched with horror while Paladin threw golems at the ceiling and climbed into the next floor. Paladin arrived onto the next floor and saw nothing on it, "Boss, Consigliere has fallen." Underboss reported, "I know, it's not just them either, her two friends are taking out the other members of our ring, too." Don responded, "Maybe we should send more stone golems at her?" Underboss questioned, "I got more up ahead, go ahead and go, Underboss, my golems will aid you in battle." Don stated, "What about you?" Underboss asked, "I'll remain here and fight her myself if you fall." Don replied, "Okay, boss, I'll try my best." Underboss stated, Paladin jumped and punched the ceiling with her front left hoof, she put a hole in it and got stuck, she punched her front right hoof into the ceiling and then headbutted it to make another hole, she moved her front legs around to break the ceiling more, she then moved her head around to make the third hole bigger, she thrusted herself forward and made one big hole and got on the next floor. Paladin arrived at the next floor and Don began making its floor, walls, and ceiling close in on themselves, Paladin grunted while they began to smash her and her armor and shield cracked. She grunted while pushing the walls away and the floor and ceiling closed in on her, she grunted very loudly and pushed two walls away and broke them. Don used his magic to move them while Paladin began pushing back the floor and ceiling, she grunted loudly when she pushed on them as hard as she could and broke them, she then pushed the last two walls back and screamed when she pushed them back and broke them. Paladin panted heavily while Don used his magic to make them move again and tried to smash her, she punched the walls and ceiling several times to break them and jumped onto the next floor after the floor pushed her up high enough. Paladin arrived and saw more stone golems and Underboss waiting for her, "So you're next, I must be close to your boss." Paladin commented, "Thought we'd be able to take you down like how we did with many others snooping around on our businesses, but it's apparent you're a trained warrior and very strong even by earth pony standards, I won't let you reach the boss, he's needed to rebuild our group." Underboss said, and he ran forward. Paladin got ready and Underboss began punching her cracked and damaged armor, she grabbed his front legs and held him back, he jumped and kicked her with his hind legs and pushed her back. Underboss began punching her head and stunned her with each hit, Paladin punched him with her front right leg and he grunted while he slid back a few inches, he quickly recovered and watched her carefully. The golems swarmed Paladin and she swatted them away while Underboss grabbed a few and threw them back at her, she grunted while they grabbed her and tried to rip her armor off. Underboss ran to her and punched her in her sternum with his front right hoof, Paladin grunted while she flew back a few inches, Underboss ran to her again and Paladin threw a golem at him and he ducked and dodged it, he arrived and tried to punch Paladin's helmet, she ducked and he punched a crater into a golem's face while she looked on with surprise. Underboss tried to punch and kick Paladin but she positioned herself to make him hit a golem each time instead, they let go of her and moved back and Underboss began trying to punch and kick her while Paladin used her front forelegs to block his attacks and swung her front legs around to redirect his attacks. She grabbed his front right leg and went behind him and wrapped her front left leg around his neck, Underboss struggled to breathe while the golems swarmed Paladin and tried to get her off, "Boss, a little help here." Underboss requested while struggling for breath, and a dark red-purple aura appeared on him and he turned into ballistic gel and slid out of her grip, Don then used his magic to make a war hammer appear and Underboss held it. He ran forward and Paladin punched him many times but his body jiggled around and absorbed her punches' shocks, he swung his war hammer at Paladin's abdomen and she grunted while she slid back several inches with a big dent in her armor, "Of course, you're armored, blunt weapons are more effective against you than sharp weapons." Underboss commented, and he ran to her. Underboss bashed her armor in with his war hammer until Paladin held her shield up and it got dented, she then bashed him with it but his body jiggled and absorbed the attack, he smiled and continued attacking her with his war hammer while the golems grabbed and restrained her. Underboss began bashing her armor, she headbutted him and pushed him back a little, she leaned down a bit and several golems got on her back and made her fall. Underboss got ready to hit her head with his war hammer and moved it back and hit the floor, he lifted it up again and she moved her head farther down and the golems stepped aside, she jumped into the air and the golems jumped up to her. Paladin swatted them away and one knocked Underboss away, she stood up while Underboss threw the golem away and ran to her while Paladin unsheathed her sword. She cut his ballistic gel body apart until he was just a bunch of pieces lying on the floor, "Ooh, this isn't good." Underboss' severed head said, Paladin then sheathed her sword and then picked up a golem and threw him down onto Underboss' body and smashed it, he changed back to normal while Paladin ran to the double doors and grunted loudly while she pulled it open and broke the wall surrounding them, she ran up the stairs and into the next room. Paladin entered and saw she was on the top floor and Don was sitting at a brown wooden desk on the other side of the room, "Hard to believe our entire smuggling ring has fallen to just three people, everybody who has fought us in the past lost." Don said, "That's because they weren't fighters and trained since birth for combat like how me and my friends were." Paladin replied, "Even so, they still went down, and the princesses only know my group as part of the smuggling ring, Celestia and Luna do nothing because we are a nuisance in their eyes' rather than a threat, all my group does is collect money, we don't destroy the country." Don remarked, "But your loan sharks are hurting innocent people and destroying lives." Paladin reminded, "All part of the job, the smuggling ring needs lots of money to develop the red liquid, and it has to come from somewhere." Don explained, "You might as well give up now, your mafia is through, Don." Paladin spoke, "As long as I'm active, I can recruit more members and rebuild, but with someone like you on my back, you're just going to come after me and destroy my group over and over again, that's why I have to take you out now." Don declared, and he stood up, "Prepare yourself." Don said, and he ran forward. Paladin saw Don running to her at fast speeds and he began punching her armor and each hit put a dent in it, she tried to punch him but Don held his forearms up and then moved them around to redirect and parry her attacks, he grabbed her front left leg and then jumped and wrapped his hind legs around her neck. Paladin tried to shake him off but he remained on her, she positioned herself so Don's back faced the wall, she jumped to her right side and rammed Don into the wall, he teleported and she fell back onto the floor. Don appeared behind her and shot her in the back of her head with a zap, she grunted and staggered while Don appeared in her left blind spot and shot a zap at her, she grunted and staggered again while Don teleported into her right blind spot and shot a zap at her. Paladin fell to her knees while Don continued teleporting into her blind spots and behind her and shooting her with his horn, he appeared behind her and Paladin quickly turned around and punched him in his face with her front right hoof and he slid back a few centimeters while blocking her punch with a magic shield. Paladin saw Don do hoofsprings and then jumped in the air while doing somersaults, she grabbed him and then turned around and threw him, he landed on his hoofs and then ran to her. He grabbed the sides of her helmet and tried to squeeze it, Paladin punched him in his abdomen several times and he used his magic to make his body get covered in chitin. Paladin ripped them off while Don spun and kicked her helmet with the back of his hind right leg, Paladin staggered a little while she tried to punch him, he slapped her front hoofs down with his own. Paladin slammed her front left hoof down onto the floor to break part of it, she kicked the piece to Don and he jumped in the air while doing a backflip and dodged it, he landed on the floor with his hoofs on the floor and his abdomen facing upwards, he jumped again and did a somersault, he opened his body and kicked Paladin in her sternum with his hind legs, Paladin grunted while staggering back a little. Paladin saw Don coming and she quickly went behind him and wrapped her front legs around his neck, they struggled with one another and he tried to do a somersault to break out of her grip but she was too heavy. He moved himself to the wall to his left and then put his hind legs on it and ran up it, he bent his body over Paladin's head and then wrapped his hind legs around her neck. Paladin tried to shake him off but could not, she turned around and then jumped back and rammed Don into the wall, she landed on the floor while Don teleported. Don appeared in front of her and shot many zaps out of his horn at the speed of a machine gun, Paladin grunted and fell over from the many zaps, Don teleported closer and closer to her slowly while continuing to shoot zaps at her, he got in front of her and she bashed his face with his shield and stunned him, she then did eight haymaker punches to his face and he teleported away. Paladin looked for Don while she heard running behind her, the stone golems ran to her and began attacking her while she punched them away, Don reappeared and there was now three of him, they teleported to Paladin's blind spots and behind her and began shooting zaps at her at the speed of machine guns. Paladin exclaimed as she fell over and the golems piled up on her and began punching and biting her, she grunted loudly as she swung her legs around to get them away from her and threw the ones on her back away. The three Dons continued shooting Paladin in her blind spots and behind and she tried to face them but they teleported into her blind spots and behind her every time she looked in a different direction, she got the golems around herself to block his zaps and they extinguished themselves when they hit the golems. Paladin got her bow and arrow out and tried to aim at the three Dons but they teleported out of her vision each time, she shot an arrow while spinning around and turned her head around to position one Don right where she wanted him, the arrow went to him but he grabbed and caught the arrow while Paladin's eyes widened when she heard it. The three Dons continued shooting her and Paladin swatted the golems away in all directions and all three of them teleported, they reappeared after all of them hit the wall or floor and continued shooting Paladin. Paladin fell onto the floor and stopped moving, the three Dons continued shooting her and she did not react, they gathered around her and looked at her, they stood in front of her and she quickly grabbed the left and right Dons and rammed them and the middle Don's heads' together and they disappeared. She stood back up and saw Don reappear as one pony and tried to cast a spell to break her armor off, she punched him with his front right hoof and he slid back a few inches, he teleported to behind her and Paladin quickly turned around and punched him with her front right leg again and he fell over. Don teleported onto his desk and slammed his legs on them and destroyed it into pieces, he threw them into the air with his magic and then jumped and did several spin kicks to send the jagged and sharp wooden shards towards Paladin, she hit and broke all of them with her front hoofs and forelegs. Don scowled at her and cast a spell on himself, his body turned to dark purple liquid and he slithered towards Paladin. He grew bigger and tried to drown her, she tried punching him and it did nothing, she then tried bashing him with her shield and slashing him with his sword and it did nothing, he slithered inside of her armor and Paladin held her breath while he tried to drown her. Paladin flayed around while trying to hold her breath and took her helmet off but the liquid did not fall onto the floor, she put it back on and the stone golems began attacking her, she swatted them away while holding her breath. She reached into her own armor and tried to grab Don, she managed to pull off small pieces of his liquid body and then pulled on him with a lot of force on the liquid body in her helmet, she pulled it out and gasped very loudly for breath while the dark purple liquid on the floor formed into one body. Paladin took her armor off and ripped off the rest of Don's liquid body of herself, it formed together while she punched the golems away and put her armor back on. She threw them into Don's body but he crushed them apart and slithered towards her but was slower than before, she looked for his horn and did not see it, she looked around for anything that could work while she saw Don slithering to her, she threw the golems at him and they slowed him down, he got slower and heavier as more got into his liquid body and Paladin got an idea. She threw all of the stone golems at him and he began crushing them while Paladin ran and cut the floor with her sword, she made a circle around Don and he began to fall with the golems weighing him down. He changed back to his unicorn form and Paladin quickly cut his horn off with her sword and the golems disappeared, she then punched him in his face with her front left hoof and he flew across the room, he fell when he hit the window. Everybody around heard the noise and looked and walked forward, they saw Paladin and Don, Don stood up slowly while groaning but fell over. The ponies outside cheered while Paladin smiled, the mansion began to crumble and she jumped down through the holes to get onto the lower floors, she got the bits they stolen and then sprinted outside. She arrived and the mansion crumbled while she ran away, she looked forward and saw many ponies in front of her and cheering, "Don's mafia has been wiped out!" one stallion announced, "No more loan sharks and threats!" another stallion added, "Thank you so much." a mare stated, "You did us all a great service, I'm sure Princess Celestia and Princess Luna are proud of you." a fourth stallion stated, "Thanks, I need to find the Lost & Found section now, I would like for these bits to be returned to their rightful owners." Paladin responded, and a stallion led her to it, she then left the town while everybody said bye to her. Paladin was sitting across from Doctor Whooves with Arcana to her right and Robin to her left, "I went back to Dreaming Paradise and got myself a new suit of armor afterwards, I had my shield repaired, too." Paladin said, "It seems like you only focused on yourself taking out the smuggling ring and took out your time tracking them down." Doctor Whooves commented, "I think it'd be pretty boring if I went into specifics." Paladin stated, "Okay, we'll go ahead and take a break, if you want to eat or have to use the bathroom, the time is now." Doctor Whooves said, and Paladin, Arcana, and Robin left his office for the moment.