//------------------------------//
// The Rise Of Grimoire 
// Story: The Napoleons: The Confessions & Revelations Of The Greatest Mafia Family 
// by Bluecatcinema 
//------------------------------//

'Back for more, I see? I imagine you needed a moment to collect your thoughts after the tragedy of the last chapter. If you are brave enough, let us continue, with what followed after that terrible night, in a chapter I like to call...'

Chapter Two: The Rise Of Grimoire

'The funeral took place a few days later. All our friends and allies were in attendance. Even our Changeling friend, Wizel, who actually looked quite spry back then... But I digress.'

The funeral of Anarchy Napoleon took place on a very cloudy day (Clyde had called in some favors at the weather department, wanting the day to match everypony's mood). The attendees numbered in the dozens, all wishing to pay their last respects to Anarchy.

The minister (an old friend of Clyde's) stepped forward to give the eulogy.

"We are gathered here today to mourn the passing of a wonderful young stallion." He said solemnly. "Anarchy was a bright, friendly, talented colt, who touched the lives of everypony here. I think I can safely say that we are all better for having known him, and that our lives are a little darker for his passing. Farewell, young Anarchy. Rest in peace."

The rest of the Napoleon family wept as Anarchy's coffin was lowered into the grave. The gravestone accompanying it read:


Anarchy Napoleon

Taken from us too soon


Afterwards, the other attendees gave them words of condolence.

"I can't imagine what you're feeling right now." Shady Shire, one of Clyde's top contacts, told the elder Napoleons. He was a midnight blue Earth Pony, with gray eyes and a hat and shades Cutie Mark. "That Anarchy was one of a kind."

"Ain't that a fact." A buffalo operative agreed.

"He woulda made a great don." A Griffon added.

"My sincerest regrets, old friend." Wizel told Clyde. "Anarchy was a fine young stallion."

"He sure was." Clyde agreed sadly. "We're all gonna miss him. Right, Bonnie?"

Bonnie, too overwhelmed with emotion to speak, simply nodded.

Meanwhile, Grimoire stood at Anarchy's grave, gazing at his coffin.

'Looking into that grave, the pain of that terrible night come back in force. It was almost too much to bear. When the workponies started to fill in the grave, it was all I could do to keep myself from jumping in and allowing myself to be buried too. Instead, I joined my brothers, who all looked to be feeling my pain.'

"This sucks." Slot declared. "Archie's gone, and that slimeball Twitch is still out there."

"No kidding." Vinny agreed. "This is so wrong..."

"He's really gone, isn't he?" Murray sighed.

"Of course he's gone." Salt admonished him. "We all saw it."

"I think what Murray means is that seeing Anarchy placed in that grave has finally hit the fact home." Lars countered.

"Mom's really taking it hard, isn't she?" Sonny observed, as Bonnie continued moping.

"We all are." Grimoire pointed out. "I have to give dad credit, though. I thought he'd be out of his mind with thoughts of vengeance by now. It's really not like him at all..."

'As it turned out, pop did not disappoint. Not long after we returned home, I overheard him in his study, ranting at his top stallions to find and punish Twitch.'

"I want you to find this Twitchy boy, I want him dead!" He yelled. "I want his family dead! I want his house burnt to the ground!"

"I don't think he has a family." Shady shrugged.

"I know." Clyde growled.

"I don't he has a fixed abode, sire." The buffalo operative added.

"I KNOW!!" Clyde roared. "Just find him!"

"Yes, sir!" Shady and the buffalo yelped, racing out of the room.

'Months passed, with no word of Twitch's location. But with each passing day, dad seemed to care less and less. Surprisingly, he seemed to have moved past Anarchy's death and didn't seem to care that Twitch was still out there. But the rest of the family hadn't moved on...'

In the courtyard, Murray was indulging in some target practice. However, each bolt he fired missed the bullseye completely.

"Not again!" He groaned, chucking his crossbow aside. "What is wrong with me?!"

"I can't say, sir." The same servant from before remarked. "Your aim is usually impeccable."

"Not any more." Murray sighed.

In the gym, Salt was working out on his punching bag, but his blows were half-hearted and weak.

"You're not gonna get the best of me, bag!" He lashed out, barely making the bag move.

Lars was working on the family income, but kept making mistakes.

"2+2=5?" He gaped, rubbing his head. "This calculator must be on the fritz!"

Smoke choked the kitchen as, for the first time ever, Sonny had burnt his food.

"I can't believe I forgot to take those out!" He coughed, as he made to extinguish the flames.

Even Slot and Vinny weren't themselves. Vinny hadn't insulted anypony for days, and nothing seemed to get Slot's temper flaring the way it used to.

"Wanna play something?" Vinny asked, as they lay in his bedroom.

"Nope." Slot shook his head.

"Me neither." Vinny sighed.

'Anarchy's departure still weighed heavy on our minds... but none more so than mom's...'

Bonnie sat in the study, staring out of the window, as she often did after the funeral. This behaviour concerned both Clyde and Grimoire.

"Dear, we all miss Anarchy, but moping's not going to change anything." Clyde declared. "You have to cheer up."

"What's the point?" Bonnie sighed. "Death comes for us all sooner or later. Just as it did for Archie..."

"Well, that is a quite valid concern..." Grimoire frowned. "But the point is, you still have all of us. And the foal. I'm sure all this laying around, being depressed isn't helping it."

'At this point, I'm not sure if anything would have changed Caboose from who he is today. They say that sort of thing is decided at conception.'

"Grim's right, darling." Clyde admitted. "Think of the little guy in your belly. You don't want to lose another son, right?"

"No." Bonnie rubbed her engorged belly. "I don't."

"That's the spirit, mom." Grimoire smiled.

"And while that little guy can never replace Anarchy, he will be a welcome addition to this family." Clyde added.

"I know he will." Bonnie smiled. "You're right, boys. I need to pull myself together. For my sake as much as this foal's."

"That's my tough little moll." Clyde hugged his wife. "I knew you'd come back to me."

'As glad as I was to have mom back, it couldn't erase my own feelings. I knew I had made a promise to Anarchy, but I could barely stand living in the manor anymore; Not just because of pop, but because of all the memories. Everywhere I went in those walls, something reminded me of Anarchy. Each room held its own memory. The main hall, in particular; Every time I saw it, I remembered that awful night. Half of me wanted to leave right then and there. Then, fate intervened...'

The next morning, as Grimoire passed by Clyde's study, he overheard Shifty saying something.

"I heard a little something about Twitch hiding out in an abandoned warehouse on the south side of town." Shifty announced. "We're not sure of the veracity of this yet, but as soon as we are, we'll head in after that little weasel."

Grimoire stopped in his tracks.

'Just like that, everything changed. Finally knowing where Twitch was lit a fire in me like never before. I realised fate had given me a chance for revenge. But I knew I couldn't do it alone. There were others who deserved to make that slimeball pay. Wasting no time, I gathered my brothers, out in the courtyard.'

"This better be good, Grim." Murray grumbled. "I was working on my marksponyship."

"Oh, it is." Grimoire smiled. "I know where that filthy traitor Twitch is."

"You do?" Salt gasped.

"Yeah." Grimoire nodded. "He's hiding out in a warehouse on the south side of town.

"Why are you telling us?" Lars asked. "Dad's boys can handle it."

"They can, but they won't." Grimoire declared. "Because we'll get there first."

"We will?" Sonny gaped.

"Come on, fellas." Grimoire urged. "Don't you want to make that piece of filth pay for what he did to Anarchy?"

"You really gotta ask?" Vinny snorted.

"Good." Grimoire smiled. "Now, just follow my lead, and we'll all get us some satisfaction."

"Follow you?" Slot sneered. "Seriously?"

"Do you have a problem with that?" Grimoire frowned.

"As a matter of fact, I do." Slot declared. "I think I speak for everypony when I say I don't want to follow the lead of some wussy bookworm!"

"Well, I wouldn't put it quite like that." Lars frowned. "But essentially, I agree."

"He has a point, Grim." Murray admitted. "No offense, but you're not really the 'leader' type."

"Yeah, you're no Anarchy." Salt agreed.

"I know." Grimoire sighed. "But Anarchy's gone, because of that miserable backstabber. That monster hurt our family, and he has to pay. I may not be the stallion Anarchy was, but I know that family is what matters most in this world. And as a family, we can track Twitch down and make him pay! We'll show him that nopony messes with the Napoleons!"

The brother gazed at Grimoire, shocked.

'I had never spoken with such passion before. Even I was surprised by my own words.'

"Whoa, Grim." Sonny gaped. "You know who you remind me of? Anarchy."

"I... I do?" Grimoire gaped.

"Yep." Murray nodded. "Anarchy just loved to make big speeches like that, remember? You know what, I'm in."

"Me too." Salt grinned.

"And me." Vinny chuckled.

"We're with you all the way." Lars stepped.

"And then some." Sonny added.

"I guess somepony has to lead." Slot admitted grudgingly. "Might as well be you."

'I stood there for a moment, amazed that my brothers were looking to me to lead them.'

"So, what's the plan?" Salt asked.

"Right, the plan." Grimoire snapped out of it. "I'll tell you on the way. Grab your gear, and meet me at the gate. And don't tell dad about this."

The brothers followed suit. After getting prepared, they left the manor, with revenge in mind. Before long, they arrived at the south side's warehouse district. After blasting off the lock to the gates, they sneaked inside.

"Okay, we'll check these warehouses one at a time." Grimoire declared. "If anypony sees him, let out a magic flare with your horn, and wait for the rest of us."

"Got it." Murray nodded.

"Now, before we do go in, do we have everything?" Grimoire asked. "Crossbows?"

The sound of loading crossbows filled the air.

"Check." Sonny nodded.

"Knives?" Grimoire asked.

"Check." Salt drew one.

"Brass hooves?" Grimoire asked.

"Check." Lars slipped his one.

"Beer?" Vinny held up a bottle. "Check!" He started chugging it down.

"That's enough of that." Murray snatched the bottle from him. "You're underage."

"Okay, boys, let's do this!" Grimoire declared as he then blast the lock off the gates.

They split up, and searched the district from top to bottom, with no luck.

"Hellooooo!" Slot called into an empty warehouse. "Huh, sweet acoustics."

"Knock that off!" Salt, cuffed him on the head. "You want him to hear you?"

"Okay, jeez!" Slot groaned.

'As we continued the search, I worried that I may have jumped the gun, and that I should have been sure where Twitch was before dragging everypony down there.'

Just as Grimoire was starting to give up hope, a flare shot up in the direction Lars and Sonny was heading. The rest of the brothers rushed over to his location.

"You found him?" Grimoire asked.

"He's in there." Lars pointed inside a warehouse. "In the back room."

"Okay, let's sneak up and surprise him." Grimoire instructed.

The brothers edged into the warehouse, slipping by crates and boxes, long abandoned. The back room had a curtain over the window, but a small hole revealed Twitch, eating a sandwich, listening to a small radio.

"L-lousy talk shows." He spat. "B-bunch of losers with petty problems. T-try being me for a day..."

"Ready?" Grimoire whispered. The brothers held up their weapons in confirmation. "NOW!!"

The brothers bashed down the door and shattered the window.

"W-what th-?!" Twitch gasped.

"Twitch Cardinal…" Grimoire declared, his voice devoid of any light.

"Grim!" Twitch gasped... before trying to save face, and smiling. "Grim! My main man, h-how's it-"

"Stow it!" Grimiore barked.

"I'mma gonna gut you like a pig!" Slot snarled, pulling out a knife under his crossbow. "I'm gonna rip ya to shreds! I'm gonna stab ya all to f-"

"Whoa, too far, Slot, too far." Salt scolded, not taking his aim off Twitch.

"It's payback time, Twitch." Grimoire growled.

"N-now, now, th-this is all a big misunderstanding." Twitch gulped.

"Misunderstanding?" Murray spat. "You killed our brother!"

"Th-that wasn't me!" Twitch trembled. "A-anarchy could've been stabbed by anypony! You know how rough Gelding Street is!"

"Nopony ever said which street he was stabbed at." Lars pointed out.

Twitch's face went pale.

"Enough talk!" Grimoire declared. "It's time you got what's coming to you!"

"Y-yeah, a-about that..." Twitch rubbed the back of his head. "Nyah!"

Twitch flung the table he was sat at towards the brothers. Instinctively, they all used their magic at once to stop it, buying Twitch time to leap out the broken window.

"L-later, punks!" He taunted.

"He's getting away!" Salt yelled.

"No, he's not!" Grimoire roared. "After him!"

The brothers chased after Twitch, who zig-zagged through the warehouses. Grimoire, remembering the layout, hit upon a plan.

"Salt, Sonny, Lars, go that way!" He pointed to an upcoming corner. "Murray, Vinny, Slot, that way! We'll trap him in a pincer movement!"

"Smart thinking, bro!" Sonny nodded.

Grimoire stayed on Twitch, while the others changed course. When Twitch hit a wall in his path, tried to turn in the direction of the dock, where a boat was waiting, but found Salt, Vinny, and Lars blocking his way, He tried the other way, but Murray, Sonny, and Slot were waiting. Grimoire then confronted him.

"End of the line, Twitch!" He yelled.

"W-we'll see about that, kid." Twitch spat.

"You're going to pay for what you did to Anarchy." Grimoire snarled.

"S-sorry I missed the funeral, by the way." Twitch taunted him. "D-did you get my flowers?"

"You should worry more about your own funeral!" Grimoire charged at him.

The two engaged in a fist fight. While Twitch was bigger, Grimoire was faster, and he knew just where to hit to do the most damage. He lashed out at Twitch's knees, then his stomach, bringing him down. He then leapt on top of him, pummeling him with blow after blow.

"Go, Grim!" Slot cheered, as the brothers came in for a closer look, forming a circle around them.

"Who knew he had it in 'im?" Salt said, impressed.

"S-stop..." Twitch groaned, as Grimoire knocked out a tooth. "P-please... show mercy..."

"I'll show you the same 'mercy' you showed Anarchy, traitor!" Grimoire growled.

He then clutched Twitch's throat, squeezing it tightly. Twitch gasped and gurgled, desperate for air.

'Vengeance seemed within my grasp. I could finally avenge Anarchy, by putting his killer in the dirt. Alas, fate intervened again...'

"Attention! This is the police!" A voice barked. "We have you surrounded!"

The brothers realized that the cops, without their knowing, had arrived on the scene and were closing in.

"Geez, it's the 5-O!" Vinny yelped.

"How did they know we're here?!" Sonny panicked.

"Hello, we did blow the lock off the front gate!" Lars pointed out. "Somepony must have reported it."

"What do we do, man?!" Slot yelled at Grimoire. "I don't wanna go to jail!"

"Yeah, Vinny's not ready to be a bunch of convicts' mare." Salt grimaced.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, who said I was going to be the jailbait?!" Vinny snarled. "If anypony's gonna have a sore bum, it's Lars. He's the skinniest!"

"Oh, no, don't you dare set me out to dry!" Lars glared. "Besides, it's more likely to be Sonny. They don't think much of bakers in the slammer."

"What?!" Sonny yelped.

"Yeah, you'd better watch yourself in the shower, pal." Murray snickered.

"Guys, let me think!" Grimoire roared. The other brothers went silent. "Look, let's just grab Twitch and get the buck out of here!"

"The only pony g-gettin' out of here is me!" Twitch declared. He took advantage of Grimm's momentary distraction to throw him off, as he made a beeline for the boat.

"No! Don't let him leave!" Grimoire roared.

The brothers chased after Twitch, firing crossbow bolts at him. Twitch managed to dodge them and made a leap for the boat.

"YOLO!" Twitch cried as he made a big jump, landing in the boat perfectly. "Nailed it!" Instantly, he kick-start the boat and began taking off just as Grimoire and the brothers reached the edge of the dock. "Later, l-losers!" He let out a loud laugh.

"Oh no, you don't." Grimoire snarled. Without thinking, he snatched Murray's crossbow, and aimed it at Twitch as he continued laughing. "Say goodbye, you son of a-"

"Hold it right there, boy!"

Before Grimoire could make his shot, the crossbow was batted down by none other than Clyde Napoleon.

"Dad?" Grimoire gaped.

"Don't kill him." Clyde urged under his breath. "Not with all these cops around."

"What are you talking about?" Vinny asked. "There's no-"

"STOP RIGHT THERE!" A nasally voice cried out.

The cops approached them.

"Good afternoon, officers." Clyde declared. "Clyde Napoleon. What brings you here?"

"We got reports of a break-in." The Sergeant declared, in a high-pitched voice.

"I'm sure there's no reason to arrest anypony." Clyde announced. "These boys aren't doing anything wrong."

"You know these troublemakers, sir?" The sergeant asked.

"Oh, yes." Clyde nodded. "They're my boys."

"Really?" The Sergeant asked. "Care to explain why they're breaking into warehouses?"

"Oh, they just love exploring. You know how we all get at that age" Clyde lied. "Boys will be boys."

"Oh, yeah, then what's with the crossbows?" The sergeant challenged.

"Shooting cans." Clyde answered swiftly. "I keep tellin' them to do it at home, but I guess they wanted a change of scenery."

The Lieutenant then got a message on his radio.

"Well, they haven't stolen anything, sir." The Lieutenant pointed out.

"Well, I suppose we can let them off with a warning." The sergeant shrugged. "Just don't let it happen again."

"Yes, officer." Clyde nodded. "And I promise you, come next policestallion's ball, you'll get a good recommendation..." He read his tag, "Sergeant... Anous?"

"It was my father's name." The Sergeant shrugged. "But thank you so much, Mr Napoleon." He turned to his men. "We're done here, boys. Let's see if anypony is jaywalking."

After the police departed, Clyde turned to his sons.

"This was all Grim's idea!" Vinny yelped. "I was just going with what the others were doin'!"

"Boys, home." Clyde said sternly.

'Following our return to the manor, pop gathered us in his study, wanting a word. And I had a few words for him...'

"Why did you ruin the one chance I had at killing Twitch?!" Grimoire barked.

"You know why." Clyde said flatly, as he glanced at all of them. "Going off on your own, breaking into private property in broad daylight, with the intent of killing a pony of whom we have no actual evidence of him killing somepony? You all best be thankful that I stopped you before one of the cops saw you ready to shoot!"

"But if you had only given me a few more seconds..." Grimoire snarled.

"You would be behind bars for attempted murder." Clyde frowned. "And for what?"

"For what?" Grimoire gaped. "For what?!"

'Now this part is something I am not particularly proud of. It didn't take me much to lose it back then, but when it came to Anarchy... well...'

"OUR BROTHER IS DEAD BECAUSE OF HIM!" Grimoire roared, stomping his hoof.

The brothers stood back, surprised and cowed by Grimoire's sudden burst of anger. Even Clyde was taken aback.

"These past few months has been nothing but Tartarus on me and my brothers!" Grimiore screamed. "We've been suffering, just like mom! And I can't even walk through this mansion without seeing Anarchy's bloodied corpse! And while all of us are suffering, you act like everything is okay, business as usual!"

"That's enough." Clyde frowned. "Getting angry isn't going to fix things."

"What is wrong with you?" Grimoire seethed. "How can you go about your day knowing that your 'pride and joy' is dead? Or is it that you don't even care that Anarchy is dead? Is that it-"

Clyde struck Grimoire across the face. The brothers winced.

"You watch your mouth!" Clyde snarled, his eyes burning fiercely. "I do care about Anarchy. I never stopped caring." He shook his head, "Every time I go to sleep, I wish I could grab Twitch's skinny-flank body and tear it apart over and over, just so Anarchy would come back!" Then he glared directly at Grimm, "But when I wake up, I remember that Anarchy is never coming back! He's dead... he's gone..." 

His anger seem to have faded, as a bit of tear struck his eyes. The boys looked at him with worry and sympathy

"What's wrong with dad?" Slot frowned. "I've never seen that look on him before."

"Me neither." Vinny agreed.

"Dad..." Grimoire muttered.

Clyde then returned the gaze to the boys, his face becoming stern.

"It took me months to finally come to term with that. And that I can't waste the rest of my life seeking vengeance. Not when I have our empire and my family to think about. You and everypony in this mansion and all around the world look up to me as their leader. I can't neglect them because I'm hurting." Clyde declared wisely, as he then gave a stern glare at Grimoire. "And I'd advise you to think the same way, Grim. I can't have the next don of the Napoleon Empire behind bars, now can I?"

"Say what?" Murray gasped.

"Don?!" Slot spluttered. "Him?! You're joking, right?"

"He's the last guy that should be in charge!" Vinny added.

"I think your calculations are a little off, dad." Lars admitted.

"It's a recipe for disaster, alright." Sonny agreed.

"Talk about a misfire..." Murray shook his head.

"Hold on, I thought I was clear! I don't want to be don." Grimoire growled. "I want to be a writer."

"I don't wanna hear it." Clyde glared. "Believe me, I'm not over the moon about this either, but the legacy of our family has to live on, and by rule of mobsterdom, the title of don can only go to the don's eldest son! And since Anarchy is dead, it's all on you! You, and you have to take care of this family after I'm gone."

"But I'm not don material!" Grimoire protested. "I'm not-"

"Grim." Clyde cut him off. "Please. For once in your life, think about your Faust-damn blood. Because like it or not, you are a Napoleon. My, and Anarchy's legacy, has to live on through you."

"But I..." Grimoire began to refuse, then trailed off, as he began to notice something about his father.

'At that moment, I noticed something about pop. He looked so weary, so strained. I hadn't really noticed until then, but he'd changed in the months following Anarchy's death. Something was wrong, and I began to fear resisting him would make it worse...'

"...Okay." Grimoire sighed. "I'll do it. I'll become the new don."

"That's my boy." Clyde gave him a rare smile.

At that moment, one of the servants entered the room.

"Sir, Bonnie has gone into labor!" He declared.

"What? Now?!" Clyde gasped. "Not without me, she's not!"

"Or us!" Murray added.

"Come on, guys!" Grimoire urged.

"Right behind ya... don." Salt grinned.

Clyde rushed out of the room, followed by the others.

'I'll spare you the grisly details of the birth. I mean, surely if you are reading this, you are old enough to comprehend where foals come from. And it wasn't anything special, there was screaming, crying, my mother threatening to do things to our father that only a stallion could do to a mare. In the end, our baby brother was born, and our mother has taken back all the things she said she was going to do to pops... at least, I think she did... but that's aside the point...'

The Napoleon males were gathered around Bonnie, who held their new member in her hooves. Caboose was a small dark brown bundle of fur, an odd smile on his sleeping face.

"Meet your new brother, boys." She smiled. "Meet Caboose James Napoleon."

"You're really going with that?" Vinny frowned. "Caboose?"

"Yes, we are." Clyde declared.

"But why?" Vinny asked, "Why not after a crime like us, like 'Theft', or 'Extortion', or 'Ra'-"

"First off, my uncle Ra-pee had been allegedly accused hundreds of time because of that name, and two, he is named after easily my favorite character of the book I'm reading." Clyde smirked.

"What, the 'Blood Gulch Chronicles', the one with the space marines?" Vinny frowned.

"Yes. Do you want to make something of it?" Clyde glared.

"...Nope, not at all." Vinny shied away.

"He's not a bad-looking little runt, huh?" Murray smiled.

"Cute little nipper." Salt agreed.

"You mean 'handsome'." Clyde smirked. "Just like his dad."

"Another member for our little family." Sonny grinned. "If only Archie could see him now..."

"Strong chin, sturdy frame..." Lars appraised him. "All in all, a fine young colt."

"I don't like his face." Slot admitted.

"Slot!" Salt elbowed him.

"What?" Slot shrugged. "He looks weird! He seems to have this 'herp-derp' look on him."

"Looks like somepony's jealous that he isn't the youngest anymore." Vinny mused in a sing-song voice.

"That's it!" Slot blew up as he grabbed Vinny and dragged him outside, as sounds of fighting ensues.

"I'll go take of it." Clyde sighed, as he left to break up the fight.

"Good to see they're back to normal." Lars said sarcastically.

"Do you want to hold him, Grim?" Bonnie asked.

"...Sure." Grimoire nodded.

Grimoire held the newborn in his hooves. The little brown foal wiggled a bit, not recognizing the feel of his mother's hooves, and he opened his little green eyes to see his oldest brother for the first time... and when he did, he gave a small smile.

"Aw, Grim, he likes you." Bonnie smiled warmly.

"How about that..." Grimm silently chuckled, as he gazed down at his brother, "Hey, Caboose... I'm Grimiore... but you can call me Grim..."

'It was that moment that I remembered the promise I made to Anarchy...

"Take care of our little brother, okay? He's gonna have to look to you... for guidance. Make sure he's brought up right... ya hear?"

"I promise..." Grimoire whispered, a tear falling from his eye as he glanced down at his baby brother lovingly. "I promise I will always be there for you..."

'And to this day, I always kept that promise. And while there were many hardships and challenges that would follow that day, I never forgot it. As Faust as my witness, I swore to uphold Anarchy's dying wish, no matter what.'

'Many years later, I would come to see the fruits of my promise, as we ended up in a similar, but altogether different situation, when Caboose's daughter, Hurricane, was born...

"I can't believe I did that!"

"Oh, come on, Caboose, it happens to everypony." Grimm frowned.

"Really? What kind of expectant father faints at the first sight of blood?!" Caboose groaned.

"I don't know, but it was freakin' hilarious!" Slot bellowed, as he laughed hard.

"Slot!" Grimoire elbowed Slot.

"What? It was!" Slot protested.

Today was a special day. Caboose's wife, Daring Do, had just gone into labor, and Grimm and his brothers rushed to the hospital Caboose and Daring went to as support, alongside Grimm's daughter Dusty and her husband Blueblood. However, mere minutes after Caboose went in to support Daring, the doctors came back out, dragging Caboose's fainted body. Apparently, the moment the birthing process began, Caboose went out like a light.

And now, Caboose was fraught with worry and concern as others tried to console him.

"I just can't believe I fainted." Caboose frowned. "I accidentally eviscerated Adam the Clown when I tripped him onto his chainsaws and saw him laugh while he died in his own blood, yet when I saw Daring's v-v-" His eyes went back as he was about to faint, only to be slapped by Salt, "Thanks, Salt."

"Hey, it's understandable that you fainted. You're about to have a kid of your own." Salt sat back down in his seat. "I came close to fainting whenever I had a pregnancy scare with one of my one-night stands."

"Sorry if that doesn't make me feel better." Caboose frowned, as he sighed. "Oh, I can't begin to think how bad Daring is hurting in there, and I'm not there to help her."

"I wouldn't worry, Caboose." Dusty assured, "Daring's a tough mare."

"Indeed. If she could survive deathtraps and the assault of a freaky gorilla-cat-thing, then childbirth should be a walk in the park." Blueblod mused.

"I guess you're right." Caboose sighed. "But what if this is a sign? What if I'm not ready to be a father?"

"Of course you are." Grimoire assured him.

"Yeah." Vinny agreed. "You're like a kid yourself, so the foal'll love ya!"

Grimoire elbowed Vinny, though a bit harder.

"Trust me, I felt the same way when Dusty was born." Grimoire declared. "But those doubts faded when I first held her in my hooves."

"That's how it worked for me, too." Blueblood added.

"Trust us, uncle Caboose, you'll be great." Dusty added.

"Yeah, to be honest, out of all of us, I always thought you'd make the best father." Sonny smirked.

"Yes, it stands to reason." Lars nodded. "You've always been great with kids, remember?"

"That foal's gonna love ya, bro." Murray declared.

"You see, Caboose?" Grimoire smiled. "Any child would be lucky, blessed even, to have you for a father."

"...Thanks, guys." Caboose grinned with a warm smile. "You're right. I'm gonna be the best dad ever!"

"There's the Caboose we know." Grimm smirked.

Suddenly, the doors open, as the doctor came out.

"The birth is over." He announced. "Come this way, Mr Napoleon."

"You got it, doc." Caboose smiled. "Come on, guys..."

The doctor lead the group to Daring's room, as the mare in question laid in bed on her side facing the door, her mane a bit ragged, and her eyes had bags under them, and her wings drooping, exhausted beyond all reason. However, as soon as she saw Caboose come in the room, she smiled.

"Caboose..." Daring whispered.

"Daring." Caboose rushed over to her side, "I... I'm so sorry I wasn't there. I don't know w-"

"Shh..." Daring shushed him with a hoof. "It's fine, Caboose... but do try to keep it down... you'll wake her."

"Wake her?" Caboose repeated.

"Caboose James Napoleon..." Daring gave a warm smile. "I would like you to meet our daughter..." She lifted her wing to reveal a small baby Pegasus filly, with her mother's coat color and black mane, nuzzling against her mother.

"Daughter..." Caboose gasped silently, as he slowly picked up the filly in his hooves, cradling her. "I have a baby girl..."

"Congrats, bro." Salt smiled.

"Who knew you had it in you?" Murray joked.

"I promised myself I wouldn't cry..." Lars sniffed.

"I didn't..." Sonny started tearing up.

"Welcome to the club." Blueblood grinned.

"She's so cute..." Dusty cooed.

"Got that right." Vinny agreed. "A real doll..."

"Looks kinda funny to me." Slot shrugged. "Like father, like daughter, I guess..."

Caboose remain silent, as he gazed upon his daughter, as tears of pride stream down his face.

"Caboose, you feeling alright?" Grimoire asked.

"I don't know..." Caboose stifled a sob. "My heart feels weird, my eyes are watering, and I can't stop smiling... am I having a stroke?"

"No, Caboose. That's pride you're feeling. Fatherly pride." Grimoire smiled. "It happens to all fathers when they witness the birth of their foal."

"Oh, that's nice." Caboose whimpered, as he looked at his sleeping daughter, snoozing silently. "Wouldn't it be a total bummer if I did have a stroke right now?"

"...Welcome to fatherhood, Caboose." Grimoire congratulated him, "You're earned it."

"Thanks, Grim." Caboose whispered, wiping his tears.

"So what are you naming the little critter, anyway?" Murray asked.

"Oh, me and Daring had that figured out a while ago. We're calling her Hurricane." Caboose smiled.

"Hurricane?" Salt frowned. "Seriously? First, Dusty Donut Speck-Napoleon, then Pureblood Thor Crest and Vito Loki Crest... if you think I'm going to address my niece by 'Hurricane', I'm going to backhoof you. Honestly, what kind of cockamamie name-"

"Actually, it was my grandmother's name." Daring said suddenly, glaring at Salt. "Caboose only agreed because he believed it was an awesome name... and I agree with him."

"...And it's a lovely name." Salt switched opinions.

Caboose returned the sleeping Hurricane to Daring's embrace.

"She's beautiful." Caboose smiled. "Just like her mother."

But there's a little of her dad in there." Daring added. "Her incredible, amazing dad..."

"Aww..." Caboose cooed, as he and Daring kissed.

"So, Caboose... the time has come." Vinny declared.

"Time for what?" Caboose asked, confused.

"Um, did you forget what you said when Pureblood and Vito were born?" Murray pointed out. "It was to our understanding that when you had foals of your own, you would pick one of us to be the godfather."

"Oh, right..." Caboose mused, "I guess with all the excitement, I kinda forgot about it."

"So... who are you gonna pick?" Salt asked.

"Hmm... you know, I think I'm going to leave it up to this." Caboose held up a hoofful of straws. "The one with the shortest gets to be the godfather."

"Are you serious?" Slot deadpanned. "We're going to play this game again?"

"Come on, couldn't you make a decision of your own?" Vinny frowned.

"Well, if you don't want to be Hurricane's godfather, you don't have to play." Caboose smirked.

The brothers went silent.

"To hay with that." The six middle brothers all said at once, as they each picked a straw. When they finished, they realized they were all the same size.

"What the-?" Lars gaped, as he compared it to the others. "They're the same!"

"Gotcha!" Caboose chuckled. "That's for twenty years of cheating me at this game!"

"...So... what does that mean? Who's the godfather?" Salt asked, not comprehending the situation.

"I dunno." Caboose shrugged. "I guess you guys will have to fight among yourselves for it. Maybe whoever can tolerate the greatest amount of pain will be the winner."

*SHINK*

Everypony's eyes darted to Vinny, who had stabbed himself in the shoulder.

"Vinny!" All brothers gaped.

"What?!" Vinny winced, struggling to keep it in. "I wasn't about to lose!"

"Um, Vinny, I was just joking about the pain-tolerance thing." Caboose stammered.

"...Oh, now he tells me." Vinny deadpanned. "Well, Caboose, you won't be the only pony to faint today... Nerds." With that, he fell to the ground.

'Ah, Caboose. To think, he was once a foal himself, and went on to have a foal of his own. And Vinny became Hurricane's godfather by inflicting bodily harm upon himself. Life's funny like that. You never know what could happen and what your actions may bring upon others. However, our story is still just beginning. And I had a much bigger challenge ahead of me than that of becoming the don... but you'll just have to stick around to find out.'