//------------------------------// // Breaking and Entering // Story: Equestrian Gangster // by InvaderSplorch //------------------------------// "It's 0700, Octavia. Know what time it is?" "Time to roll?" "Time to leave an impression. Let's go," AJ grinned. The truck started its engine, black smoke pouring out of the exhaust. They pulled out of the abandoned lot and headed down the main road, Vinyl taking a side route to the destination. Picking up speed, AJ swerved around traffic into the oncoming lane. Passing cars as if they were standing still, she burst through the first checkpoint, the wooden barricade splintering into pieces. "AHAHAHAHAHA," laughed AJ. Octavia buckled her seat belt and sunk into her seat, hoping that she wouldn't die before the job was even started. With the speedometer reaching 80, AJ didn't have to worry about traffic anymore. Shunting the cars out of her way, her eyes went wide. Adrenaline pumped through her veins like battery acid, sweat starting to form on her brow. The bank came into view, smoke engulfing the area. "Seems your friend came through," said AJ. "Seems like it. Shall we go through the front door?" "That would be most lady like," chuckled AJ. Twilight and Big Mac walked back to the bank, the clock on the wall reading 0658. Twilight walked down to the vault and informed the owner that the checkpoints were good and there appeared to still be no forced entry. He merely grunted at her talking, Twilight quickly taking her leave. She joined Big Mac back in the main area where all the receptionists were stationed behind the counter, prepping their drawers for the day. "Think they'll show up, Ms. Sparkle?" asked Big Mac. "Who knows? It's been five days since we issued that statement. My guess would be no. But then again I've been wrong before." The clock on the wall ticked to 7:00 AM, Twilight catching a glimpse of it. One of the guards near the entry way began to hum "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star". Some of the other guards began to hum it as well, repeating the chorus with mere hums and whistles. This extended around the area all the way down to the main vault. Twilight scanned the area rapidly, sensing something was up. As soon as the song was over, some of the guards began to question the ones that were singing. The response was silent, their body movements frozen. Knowing all too well this was a set up, Twilight caught on too late. "GET THE FUCK DOWN!" she yelled, shoving Big Mac onto the floor. Gun fire erupted inside of the building, the guards in the main area being obliterated within an instance. The panicked workers ducked behind their counters, screaming in the process. Big Mac took charge, pulling Twilight into a nearby bathroom and locking the door. While they remained safe inside, complete chaos ensued in the bank. Noteworthy threw a couple of canisters of smoke outside. He then proceeded to the vault, clearing the path for the rest of his entourage. Going through a door behind the counters, he made a right down the two part hallway. Upon reaching a corner, they encountered a small hold up. Ten guards were far too trigger happy with their shotguns, thick pieces of concrete being jettisoned from the wall. Being held back, Noteworthy tried to think of a scheme. Unfortunately for him, the other guards that were on break started to descend upon them, their boots pounding the marble flooring beneath them. Noteworthy knew that his crew didn't have much time before they would appear through the door to their left. "Clear behind us, then move forward! Shoot the bastards!" he screamed through the gunfire. The group of 8 turned around and opened fire. Since they were bottle necked into a small closure, Noteworthy's crew easily disposed of them. Despite this, they still lost three in this process, a mere 5 of them remaining. It was 5 of them versus 10 armed guards. Noteworthy tried to think of a plan, his back resting on the wall. He didn't have much time to think before he heard a clank and an object hit him in the muzzle. A small green ornament had smacked him in the nose, his eyes watering. Looking closely though, it sort of resembled a- "GRENADDDDDE!" he shouted. Noteworthy picked it up and hurled it around the corner, the explosion sending shrapnel careening into his rib cage. The blast radius stunned the shotgun wielders, giving his men enough time to spray their bullets down the hallway, immobilizing the statuesque guards . The four members continued through the hallway before they were shot instantaneously. Their bodies dropped to the floor in a massive heap, shells clinking off of the floor tiles. Inside the vault, smoke rose from a lit cigar. The cigar danced in the mouth of one Mr. Mogul. He inhaled the foreign export, the ashy end crumpling on the floor, its life span dissipating in the air. He walked out of the vault, putting the last two rounds of his clip into the heads of those he missed. One of Noteworthy's crew was still struggling on the floor, a giant hole in his throat. Mr. Mogul picked up a fallen assault rifle and put a round into his head, ending the pony's suffering. He walked over to where Noteworthy was, a smile on his face. "Still alive eh? Well, let's change that," he grinned. Noteworthy shut his eyes, wishing he could see his old friend just one more time and telling her how he truly felt. "But where's the fun in that? Nah, that'd be too easy. Let's have some fun shall we?" Mr. Mogul grinned sticking his pistol into Noteworthy's bleeding side. Noteworthy cried out in agony, his rib cage popping and gurgling. "Yes, like that. Come on you dumb colt, you got more doncha? Yeah, you got tons of misery in store for you. Have some more," Mr. Mogul grunted, his forehoof slamming into Noteworthy's jaw. Mr. Mogul began to tenderize Noteworthy, making sure to repeatedly go for his weak spots. He stomped his face in, punched his abdomen, and prodded his side. It felt like an everyday routine of torture, his cries starting to fade. Noteworthy's vision started to go hazy, his body losing too much blood. "Any last words there punk?" "What time is it?" "What an odd request. Oh well time of death 0710," the hammer of the pistol cocking into position. The barrel was pressed firmly into Noteworthy's temple. "I think you're too late actually," smiled Noteworthy. "And why's that?" "Because I'm here," said Octavia, her beloved Thompson gun in hoof. "If you shoot me dear, your friend-" Mr. Mogul was interrupted by the sound of gunfire. Octavia unloaded her entire clip, the floor being riddled with empty shells. Tears started to form in her eyes, the clip clicking over and over again. Mr. Mogul collapsed on the floor, his body resembling Swiss cheese. AJ sprinted into the vault, emptying its contents into three large duffel bags. Octavia knelt next to Noteworthy, trying to pick him up. "Octavia, it's fine." "I'm not leaving you here!" "Tavi, I've lost too much blood. Even if you were to get me to a hospital, I don't think I would make it." "Dammit, stop talking! Look, we'll bring you there, and you'll be better, and-" "Tavi," whispered Noteworthy, his hoof holding hers. "I'm glad to have met you.... really, I'm glad." "Not like this, not like this!" she cried. "I know we never were together, but I still cared for you. I always had a crush on you, ever since we were young. I know I said this was for Vinyl, but really it was for you. Please just remember I'll always be by your side..... now and always." Octavia started to cry, her head resting on Noteworthy's chest. Her tears ran down her cheeks and fell onto his stomach. "Actually, I have one last request." "Anything." "I would like to kiss you. One mere kiss is all I want." "G-Granted, you big wimp," she replied. Their lips met one another, interlocked with each other in harmony. Noteworthy's eyes closed completely, his hoof going flaccid. Octavia broke away quickly to see that he had stopped breathing. She began to cry hysterically, beating on his chest, begging him to wake up. She tried to perform CPR, but AJ was trying to usher her out. "DON'T PUSH ME! WE CAN SAVE HIM!" "He's gone, Tavi, I'm sorry. But if we don't leave right now, we'll be dead as well. Let's go!" she yelled pulling Octavia form the floor. "NOTEWORTHY! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!" she shrieked. AJ continued to move forward, dragging Octavia before she regained her footing. They headed towards the main door before a single shot hit Octavia in the right calf. "Fucking hell!" "Dammit, you motherfuckers!" yelled AJ, quickly firing six shots off to the side. They escaped through the front door, spotting a car driving up to the scene. Vinyl drifted the car around, making sure the passenger side doors faced the bank. Opening up the side door, she bolted for the truck resting on the sidewalk. Retrieving the six cocktails, she lit one and hurled it into the building. Octavia jumped into the back seat of the car, holding her calf tightly. AJ threw the duffel bags in the back, grabbing three of the cocktails. Lighting all three, she hurled two of them inside the building. With the third, she threw it at the ground. Vinyl threw another one onto the truck for good measure. The ground where AJ had thrown her Molotov was saturated with gasoline. Vinyl jumped into the driver's seat of the car and slammed the gas pedal, the tires gripping the pavement beneath them. A trail of liquid on the ground led back to a large oily cloth that dangled out of the truck's gas tank. A few seconds later, an explosion erupted in the background, a giant fireball engulfing the sky. "We can't go along the south coast. It's not safe anymore," said AJ. "What the hell are you talking about? You said that was the plan," replied Vinyl, swerving through traffic. "I understand, but this is different. What was a battle has now turned into war. Prepare for the hitponies," AJ replied. "Shit," said Vinyl, the speedometer needle reaching 85. "Let's go out, Big Mac. C'mon, the shooting's stopped," said Twilight. "Alright, but be safe," said Big Mac. Twilight took lead, carefully stepping out of the bathroom. She heard a shriek from down the hall. Twilight drew her pistol and cocked the hammer back, ready to go. She saw AJ running to the front door with Octavia. Carefully aiming, Twilight fired a round into Octavia's calf. "Fucking hell!" "Dammit, you motherfuckers!" yelled AJ, quickly firing six shots off to the side. Twilight dove back into the bathroom, narrowly avoiding the shots. "Ms. Sparkle! You alright? Where are you hit?" "Luckily for your sister, she didn't aim down her sights," laughed Twilight. "My sister s-shot at you?" "Yeah, no worries, I'm fine. But we need to catch her now." "Agreed, let's go." Twilight and Big Mac ran out of the bathroom and towards the main door. A large fire started to spread across the opening, trapping them inside. Outside an explosion could be heard, the blast radius shattering the nearby windows. The two detectives jumped through the opened windows to the outside, a large truck engulfed in flames. "We need a car, now!" yelled Twilight. "There! At the Donut Shop!" Twilight and Big Mac sprinted towards the patrol car, an officer stepping out of it. Twilight yelled that she needed the car, flashing her badge in the process. The police offer requested backup through the radio before telling them that the gang was spotted on highway 66, heading southwest. Twilight thanked him for the tip, climbing into the squad car. Big Mac stepped hard on the gas, the vehicle peeling out from its resting spot. "This ends now!" yelled Twilight, her teeth grinding against one another.