//------------------------------// // Breakin' In // Story: Tank N' Pals // by Wildebeest //------------------------------// Chapter 14: Breakin' In The trek back to Pet Paradise had been, quite possibly, the most uncomfortable walk (well, hover) that Tank had ever been on. All the while, Tank couldn't help but imagine all the bizarre and gruesome trials the animals were put through. Then his mind drifted towards the unlucky few who refused to fight, thrown into the trash and left to die alone in a cold, unforgiving city. And Winona. Good lord, Winona. The perky and bubbly pup that Tank knew was all but gone, replaced with a furious hellhound bent on violent retribution. Even Opal was too terrified to walk near her. Tank shuddered to think what Winona would do once she got her paws on the cruel taskmaster who ran this operation. Would the Winona he knew be gone for good? Would he ever be able to look at Winona the same way again, after seeing her leap onto a full grown stallion and rip out his- "They're closed!" gasped Owlowiscious. Tank, in the midst of his daydreaming, had failed to notice that they had arrived at their destination. Above his head, the foreboding 'PET PARADISE' sign gleamed just as ominously as he remembered it. Below that sign, however, was a heavy metal shutter blocking off access to the store. "W-we're too late?" uttered Opal. "Looks like it," said Sulu, prompting Winona to stomp her feet in frustration. That low, guttural growl Tank had heard from her earlier had just resurfaced. "Usually, I can sneak in just a couple minutes before they bring down that gate," explained Sulu. "This time it looks like they locked down a little early. Sorry, but it looks like you're gonna have to wait 'til morning if you're still dead set on freein' the pets." Sulu gave a brief wave to the four pets before trying to slink away, only for his path to be cut off by a peeved Owlowiscious. "T-this is preposterous!" cried Owlowiscious. "Where are we going to sleep?!" "Beats me," responded Sulu. "Listen, I wish I could help you, but I can't. I coulda just picked the lock for ya if that gate wasn't there, but as it stands, you guys are boned. Unless one of you has the muscle to move that gate." Tank's face lit up. "What was that last part?" "I said, you're screwed unless you can move that gate. Now leave me-" "Say no more," Tank proclaimed, revving up his propeller and hovering over towards the store. Good God, why didn't I think of this before?, he thought. If I could free Rainbow Dash from that boulder, moving a gate'll probably be a cinch! Tank plopped himself down right in front of the gate and promptly gave his neck some light stretching, prepping himself for the task ahead. Before he could begin, however, he saw Opal and Owlowiscious approaching him, their brows wrinkled with concern. "Tank? Honey pie?" asked Opal. "Are you sure you can do this all on your own?" "Positive," said Tank. "Rainbow Dash named me Tank for a reason, didn't she?" "Then do it," snapped Winona. "What in tarnation are you waitin' for?" Tank gulped. Maybe the Winona he knew really was gone for good. Regardless, now was not the time for worrying; he had a job to do. Tank slid his head underneath the gate and gave it a good, hardy push. An audible creak was heard as the gate budged ever so slightly. With a gasp of delight, Tank gave the gate another shove, which was followed by another creak. It's working!, he thought. If only Dash could see me now! The other three pets watched with their breaths held in anticipation as Tank continued to lift the door. Even Winona couldn't help but feel awed by her friend's display of strength. All right, Tank, it's now or never! Tank dug his feet into the ground, took a deep breath, and gave the gate the hardest push he could muster. The creak that had signified his progress before had now grown into an anguished groan as Tank hoisted the door higher and higher. In just a few moments, his neck was perfectly erect. "YAY!" cried Opal, bouncing up and down with glee. "Hooray for Tank!" "My word," gasped Owlowiscious, "what power!" Upon seeing Tank accomplish this herculean task, Winona's angry demeanor began to dissipate, letting a subtle but warm smile shine through. "Ya did good, Tank. Ya did good." Sulu scurried over to the gate, sliding under it. "Hold on, lemme get the door for you," he said, leaping up and grabbing hold of the doorknob. He plucked a bobby pin out of his fur and deftly slid it into the lock, picking it. "Hurry... up..." grunted Tank. "I'm workin' as fast as I can!" snapped Sulu. After a moment, the lock came undone with a click, prompting Sulu to give the knob a good, hardy twist. "Door's open!" he announced. As soon as those words left his lips, Winona dashed through the gate and barged through the door headfirst, almost causing Sulu to lose his balance. Opal rolled her eyes and daintily slid through the open doorway, with Owlowiscious at her heels. "Have fun," said Sulu. "I'd love to stay, but I gotta blitz." With that, he dropped down from the doorknob, slid through the gate and took off. After seeing his friends enter and Sulu exit, Tank sighed with relief and pulled his head out from under the gate, letting it slam behind him with a clattering thud. About time, thought Tank. Time to put a stop to this opera- Then he stepped into the store and was greeted with the last thing he expected to see; nothing. The entire store was shrouded in darkness, and not a sound could be heard, other than the murmurs of various assorted animals. It looked and sounded like... well... like any normal pet store would after closing time. "W-what's going on?" whispered Winona. "Where's all the fightin'?" "Do you suppose we entered the wrong store?" whispered Opal. "No, it's definitely Pet Paradise," responded Owlowiscious. "Trust me, I saw the sign." Tank snorted with disgust. "Guys, I hate to say this, but I think we've been lied to." "You probably have," called an unfamiliar voice from the center of the room. *** As the pizza pony wheeled his way home, Angel's anxieties began to build. Who was this guy, and where was he taking him? Would he and Gummy ever get back home to Ponyville? Actually, he wasn't so sure if he did want to go back home at this point. He'd seen his owner get mad before, and it was tempting to think that a life on the streets of Manehattan would be preferable to facing the wrath of an angry Fluttershy. How DARE you run off like that without leaving a note! The rest of the animals and I were worried sick about you! And *GASP* what's this?! Did you... did you break our window?! Angel gulped. He'd been on the receiving end of 'The Stare' once before, and he never wanted to go through that again. But what of Gummy? Angel shuddered to think of how Pinkie would react if she noticed that her darling pet alligator was gone. He could just imagine her turning the entire bakery inside out looking for him, tears running down her cheeks as she screamed his name over and over again until her throat dried up... all before collapsing on the floor in exhaustion, her mane deflated and her spirits broken. Of course, none of this was running through Gummy's mind, or if it was, Angel couldn't tell. As he laid by Angel's side, his expression remained just as blank and unreadable as it ever was. At one point, Angel asked if he was okay, to which Gummy responded with a couple of blinks. The inner machinations of his mind were an enigma. "We're here," called the pizza pony as he pulled up to the curb. Angel peeked his head out of the pizza box, only to be hastily shoved back in. "Not now, little buddy," the pony said. "My apartment doesn't allow pets, so you two are gonna have to keep a low profile." Angel rolled his eyes, but complied and huddled into a corner. As the pony strolled into the lobby of his building, Angel felt a burst of AC fly through the box, tickling his fur. In the air, he caught the scent of a freshly polished floor and the aroma of well groomed ficus trees propped up against the walls. Upon entering the elevator, Angel was greeted with the sound of soothing (albeit rather dull) piano music. Hmm... this might be all right. Angel's hopes sunk as soon as the pizza pony stepped out of the elevator and approached his apartment, and the aromas he detected before gradually gave way to the smells of dirty laundry and body odor. Angel had to keep himself from gagging. "Bro? I'm home!" called the pizza pony as he walked inside. "Hey, Deep Dish," called a disinterested voice from the other side of the room. "I just made macaroni. Help yourself if you want some." "Thanks, but I already ate on the way back. How was work today, by the way?" "Ugh, unbearable. Six straight hours of fact-checking, and I have more to do tonight." "Damn, man, sorry to hear that." "Eh, it's fine. It's just something I gotta put up with if I want to keep feeding myself. How was your work, by the way?" "Not too bad, actually. I met a rabbit and a crocodile." "...a what and a what?" "Here, lemme show you." Deep Dish promptly popped open the pizza box, exposing Angel and Gummy to his humble abode; emphasis on 'humble'. It was just as unkempt as Angel imagined it, with dirty clothes, newspapers and used notepads strewn about all over the floor. The walls, bereft of wallpaper or any attempt at decoration, were adorned with cracks and unidentifiable stains. Quite frankly, Angel didn't want to try to identify them. A miffed looking earth pony in a pressed button-down shirt with a neatly combed mane peered into the box. "You bought pets? Deep Dish, you know we're not allowed to have those here." "Nah, I didn't buy 'em, I found 'em. They snuck onto my bike and-" "Wait, you found them?" "Yeah. Pay attention, Factoid. Anyway, they-" "How did you find a rabbit and a... and that's an alligator, by the way, not a crocodile." Deep Dish rolled his eyes. "Same thing," he said, prompting a small but noticeable scowl from Gummy. "First of all, they're not," said Factoid. "Second of all, how in the name of Celestia did you find a rabbit and an alligator in the middle of the city?!" Deep Dish scratched his chin. "I dunno, man. The Breezy Migration was just a few days ago, wasn't it?" Factoid gave him a peculiar look. "What could that possibly have to do with what we're talking about?" "I'm sayin', maybe they were carried here by a breezy." A breezy?!" "Yeah, maybe it grabbed 'em by the ears." "It doesn't matter where it grabbed them! A quarter-ounce breezy can't lift a seven-pound rabbit!" Deep Dish shrugged. "Then I don't know what to tell you, man. They just popped up on my bike, and I figured I'd take 'em home." "Well, we're not keeping them, if that's what you intended," Factoid said. "It's not!" Deep Dish protested. "I was just hoping maybe you could find out where they came from and send 'em back." "And how exactly am I supposed to figure that out?" snapped Factoid. "Who do I look like, Steve Irwhinny?" "Pfft, I dunno," Deep Dish said as he slid out of his delivery uniform and lazily tossed it to the side. "Use your fact-checky research skills or something. Figure it out. I'm going to bed." With that, he trotted into his room and slammed the door behind him. "Deep Dish, wait! I still have a lot of work to..." Before Factoid could say another word, he heard the all too familiar sound of Deep Dish's snoring. "God dammit, Deep Dish." Factoid sighed, wearily looking down at the two creatures his roommate dropped in his lap. "Why me?" he groaned.