//------------------------------//
// Chapter 12 - The Orphan Uprising 
// Story: Night Fall - Conclusion 
// by Yosh-E-O 
//------------------------------//

	BOOM-BOOM-BOOM!
“COCK-A-DOODLE-DO, RUGRATS!” shouted Ms. Powder Puff as she unlocked the door and opened it.  “GET YOUR FLANKS OUT OF BED THIS INSTANT!”

“AH!” cried Bucky as he rose to his feet from Ms. Powder Puff’s booming entrance.  “What’s going on?”

“I trust you slept well, chubby?” Ms. Powder Puff more stated than asked.

“You…,” Bucky scowled.

“Don’t sass me, boy!” snapped Ms. Powder Puff as she glared towards Bucky.

Bucky didn’t know what had come over him.  He just suddenly felt himself snap.
“You’re the poorest excuse for a parent I’ve ever met!” he proclaimed while stomping his hoof to the floor.  “You don’t deserve your Cutie Mark!”

All the children watched in awe from their bunks.  Nobody had ever stood up to Ms. Powder Puff before.

“That’s enough, chubby!” she exclaimed.  “A whole month of garbage and dish duty for you!”

Bucky stomped forward and proclaimed, “Make me!”

Ms. Powder Puff was beside herself.
“You…,” she growled as her teeth grinded within her mouth.  “You…,”

The stallion Pint knew from the floor below came trotting in.
“What seems to be the trouble?” he asked.

“You!” stomped Bucky.  “You, Ms. Super Butt, and all you other poor excuses for parents!”

“How would you know what a parent is?” the stallion asked with a smirk.  “You don’t have one.”

“That’s right, chubby,” added Ms. Powder Puff.  “Without us you’d have nothing!”  She then looked to all the confused children in their bunks and exclaimed, “You hear that?  NOTHING!”

“You’re wrong!” proclaimed Bucky.  “They’d have each other!  And that’s a lot more than they have with you!”

Fall shivered as she watched Bucky act in a way she had never seen the yellow Pegasus act before.
“I’m scared,” she said as she held close to Pint.

As much as Pint wanted to comfort Fall, he knew he had to be there for his friend.  So he got down and stood beside his much taller friend with the amber-colored mane.
“That’s right!” he shouted.  “You treat the fillies and colts here like slaves and not as kids!”

“What do you know?” asked Ms. Powder Puff.  “You’re a pathetic foal that no pony wanted!”

“Sorry to break it to you,” stated Pint.  “But both Bucky and I have parents and know how a true and caring family should be.”

“Oh, really?” asked the stallion.  “Then why are you here?”

“To make sure horrible ponies like you don’t get away with what you’ve been doing!” snapped Pint.

Ms. Powder Puff chuckled as she stated, “And how do you plan to do that, you little reject?”

“His name is Pint!” snapped the yellow Pegasus.  “And mine’s Bucky!”

“Well, Buckwheat,” stated Ms. Powder Puff.  “You and colorless have ten seconds to get going on garbage duty or you’re both going without breakfast!”

“My name is Moonside!” announced the black colt with the white mane.

“And I’m Spring Hope!” snapped the pony who Ms. Powder Puff had called ‘Broccoli Head’ the night before.

All the children began to rise up against their so-called caretakers.  It wasn’t long until absolute discord ensued.

“Thanks!” thanked the green stallion with the red mane to Bucky and Pint.  “Moonside and I will take it from here.”

Pint nodded.

“Things are going to change around here,” stated Moonside with a smile as he admired the chaos.  “We won’t be bullied around here anymore.”

“Speaking of bullying…,” stated Bucky as he looked towards Fall and then glared back at Moonside.  “Just make sure to stop being bullies to each other and treat Fall nice.”

“Uh…,” stammered Moonside.

“This isn’t up for negotiation,” stated Bucky as he pressed his muzzle firmly into Moonside’s face.  “If I find out that you, or any pony, bullies another filly or colt in here, I’ll come back and mop the floor with the lot of you.”	

The green Pegasus watched as his friend hunched down in submission to the large, yellow Pegasus.  
“Moonside…?” he asked.

“You heard him, Rawhide!” announced Moonside.  “Besides, it’s these grownups who are the real problem.”

“Right,” stated Rawhide.  

“Then go cause some trouble for them!” ordered Moonside.

Without a single word, the green Pegasus dashed and tackled the stallion before yelling, “TAKE THAT!”

Pint and Bucky looked towards Fall.  She had a look of fear and disbelief on her face.
“What about Fall?” asked Pint.

Bucky looked to see Fall frozen in place as she watched the other fillies and colts shout, jump, and do all sorts of whimsical things to Ms. Powder Puff and the stallion.

“Fall,” said Pint as he took hold of her hoof.  “I promise we’ll get you out of here.”

“And Pint keeps his promises,” added Bucky.  “Except when it comes to beating me at Backyard Brawlers or any other game.”


Ms. Powder Puff and the stallion had begun to restrain some of the fillies and colts who were causing them grief.

“We’ll be back,” said Pint.  “I almost have all the bits I need for another big, fun day out.”

“And it will be a fun day,” stated Bucky as he noticed the children still battling the grownups but noticeably losing the war.  “But we really most go.”

“I understand,” Fall said softly as she leaned forward and gave both Pint and Bucky a kiss.  “Now go while you still can.”

Bucky lowered himself for Pint to climb aboard.  “Same time next week by the bush?”

Fall nodded and smiled, “See you then.”

Bucky and Pint said one final ‘goodbye’ before bolting out of the bunk room, dashed down the stairs, and made their way out of the orphanage.  They then quickly made their way over the fence and dashed to where their parents would soon be expecting them.  And, although the revolt was put to an end shortly after the colts had left, the orphanage would not ever again be the same way that it was.  The children had gotten their first taste of empowerment and they most certainly were not going to give up on it as easily as they once did