//------------------------------// // The Solution // Story: The Mane Six Rob a Bank // by Xenmas021 //------------------------------// Pinkie Pie plopped down and pursed her lips upon hearing the news. All six of the ponies would not make eye contact and Rarity's eyes were glazed with tears. Twilight sat down after not moving for a second and furrowed her brow. The silence in the library was then interrupted by a short gasp from Twilight. "Spike!" Her eyes lit up as she called up the stairs. The dragon came bounding down with a quill and a bit of parchment in his claws. "Already on it," he said as he spread out the parchment on the library's pedestal and began to write, speaking aloud as he did so. "Dear Princess Celestia," he announced. He then looked up at Twilight, who was staring at the ceiling, tapping a hoof to her chin. She then continued to pace around the bronze statue of a stallion in the middle of the room. "Write: I am sorry to inform you that our beloved Granny Smith has come down with a rare disease and will require funds that we do not have for her treatment. As the Defenders of Harmony, I humbly plead that you..." The library looked exactly as it had before the letter was sent after the reply was received some twenty minutes later. They were all silent and avoiding eye contact after hearing Twilight read the reply out loud. Applejack was the most distraught. She wasn't even facing any of her friends as she sat in a corner. Rarity tried to console her. "Applejack dear, we can all pool together what we have and--" "But it ain't enough. No boutique, bakery, or barnyard will just have that many bits lyin' about. Ya'll couldn't even have covered the first payment the doctor was fixin' to ask for. The Princess herself said that she ain't even got the bits to pay for the rest of it." Twilight almost felt like she had disappointed everyone, not Celestia. How could she let everyone down like this? She was Celestia's disciple, and she couldn't even coax the Princess into helping them out? Then again, Celestia had no bits under her name because she was a Princess, and the the equipment wouldn't have just been made for free simply because the Princess asked. Somehow, the manufacturers of the equipment for the surgery had to be compensated and some IOU from a broke government was not going to cut it. Actually, Twilight herself thought it was quite unethical to get special privileges for being the Defenders of Equestria. Thousands of other ponies were dying, and Granny Smith gets saved because she's the grandpony of the Element of Honesty? It was just unfair. Celestia did her best to help by having the deeply-in-debted Royal Bank pay for the first payment. The rest of the cost was on the six ponies in the library. "...Maybe we could run a lemonade stand?" Pinkie Pie finally piped in, but her voice only held a thin veil of her usual optimism. She scanned around for approval of her idea with a slightly lowered head and wasn't nearly as boisterous as she would have normally been. "Pinkie, I don't think a lemonade stand can make almost a million bits within the time we have," said Twilight. Pinkie frowned and continued her gloomy staring contest with the floor. It was always unnerving to see Pinkie Pie sad. Twilight cringed when she recalled the time that the energetic pony turned sour when she thought they had forgotten her birthday. Rarity offered her own idea: "Perhaps we could collaborate and host an event to raise some funds? I'm sure Pinkie can get a party with a fee large enough to make enough bits to pay for a couple of months..." Rarity had just announced the flaw in her own idea. "Exactly: 'for a couple of months.' But how many parties can we throw? How many ways can we get that much money that fast? We can't throw a party every month. It just wouldn't cut it," Twilight replied. "We need a heavy flow of cash that'll last us long enough to pay for the whole duration of the treatment. I think... I think our best option would be to get a loan from the bank for now, Applejack." Twilight noticed that her idea had only seemed to affect Rainbow Dash, who furrowed a brow and looked up at Twilight with an inquisitive look. "We'll be in serious debt, but I think the six of us can pay it off with time i-" "Let's rob a bank." This time, the other four ponies turned their heads. Applejack turned around, mouth wide open, and stared at Rainbow Dash, who was standing up now. Twilight herself couldn't believe her ears for a second. She must have misheard Rainbow Dash. "What did you say?" she asked, legitimately doubting that she heard correctly, "You all heard me," Dash continued. "Let's. Rob. A. Bank." She paused between each word. "Are you kidding me? Rainbow that is the most-" "Possible way that Granny Smith will be saved." Twilight whirled around to see where the second deranged voice came from. Applejack was now standing up as well, her eyes full of hope. "Wha-... I... Do you girls even understand what you're saying? You're not criminals, for Celestia's sake! What if we get caught? What if one of us gets hurt? What if we hurt somepony else?" "What if we don't get the money?" Applejack asked. Twilight didn't have a response to that. True, they had no way to get the money. But robbing bank? Of all the stupid ideas that Rainbow Dash had come up with... "Twi', I get that it sounds crazy. I ain't sayin' that we gotta rob a bank, but there's no way we're makin' this money by normal means. We need that money in two shakes of a colt's tail, and as of now... well, Rainbow Dash is on ta' somethin'." Twilight wouldn't have it. "Applejack, do you understand that we could get hurt? Not only could we just mess up and not acquire the money, but we could put more ponies in the hospital. It defeats the point if we just make things worse by doing something like that." "But see," Rainbow Dash said as she stepped in between Twilight and Applejack, "we wouldn't mess up. We're the Elements of Harmony, and I'd bet we're the closest friends in all of Equestria. Think about it Twilight, with my awesomeness..." Rainbow Dash pointed a hoof at her chest, "...your egghead..." Twilight scowled at Rainbow Dash. "...Applejack's muscle..." Applejack smiled and tipped her Stetson. "...Pinkie Pie's randomness..." Pinkie Pie, needless to say, looked as if she was about to explode from excitement with each passing moment. "Rarity's pickiness..." Rarity lacked a trace of eagerness, to Twilight's relief. "...and Fluttershy's... uh, Fluttershy-iness..." Fluttershy was backed up into a wall as she hid behind a curtain of pink hair. "...We can do it. No problems whatsoever." "Well, I did recently read that somepony managed to steal almost a million bits not too long ago..." Fluttershy said, letting just one eye able to see past her mane. "See? Even Fluttershy is with the plan. Rarity what do you think?" Rainbow Dash asked. "...I'm not so sure, Rainbow Dash... I think Twilight's right. It's far too dangerous and I couldn't bear the tension. It's by no means a subtle solution... but it is a solution." Rarity's acquiesced, but Twilight felt as if she was losing support. The librarian had one last resort. "P-...Pinkie, please tell me that-" "LET'S DO IT!" Pinkie finally reverted back to her old self, bounding into the air. "It'd be like a big surprise party we throw for the bank! Except we get the presents! Can we get code names? I can be Stealie Pie! And Fluttershy can be FlutterLie! And Twilight could be--" Rainbow Dash popped a hoof into Pinkie's mouth to shut her up. Rainbow looked at Twilight and gave her the super annoying, smug grin of victory she has. "I will not do it." Twilight said it quietly, but her response was so anticipated that they all heard her. "We need ya', Twi'. You'd be able to plan this whole heist, and we couldn't do this without ya'." Applejack spoke in a softer tone, trying her best to ease Twilight into the idea. "Good. Because I'm not doing it, and I don't think any of you should either." With that, Twilight turned around and made her way to the door, magically opened it, and slammed it shut behind her. A brief moment had passed before the door reopened and Twilight trudged through the entrance, and rubbed a hoof on her temple. "Get out of my library." "How much do you reckon they have?" Applejack asked as she stared intently across the busy street. "...I'd say they've got at least two thousand bits. Maybe even more. Pinkie, are you sure you can have it ready? We'll be out in less than five minutes." "Cross my heart and hope to..." Rainbow stopped listening to Pinkie after the first part of her pledge. She looked at Applejack, who was digging around in her saddle bag. The farm pony pulled out two black rags and handed one of them to Rainbow Dash. As soon as she touched it, she understood Applejack's intention. There was something heavy wrapped up in the black cloth. Rainbow Dash sneaked a quick peek at it. It was a revolver. She had no questions, and only gave Applejack a reassured nod. Rainbow Dashed stuffed the revolver and black cloth into her saddle bag. The three were at a pony-walk across the street from the store. Just ten or so steps and they would commit a serious crime that would forever follow them for the rest of their lives. "In and out," Rainbow Dash repeated for the billionth time. She beckoned Applejack to go first and cross the street. The timing was perfect--there weren't any ponies out that late at night and the store was empty. "For Granny Smith," Rainbow whispered under her breath as they approached the entrance. "For Granny Smith," Applejack replied, the two of them now right outside the entrance. "FOR GRANNY SMITH!" Pinkie Pie screamed across the street.