//------------------------------//
// Chapter 4 - Showdown 
// Story: Fall's Hearths Warming 
// by Yosh-E-O 
//------------------------------//

	Every pony was running wild without a care in the world for anyone besides themselves as Gallant Gust reached the first floor.
“Woo-hoo!” exclaimed Rawhide before bucking at a bookshelf.  This caused it to teeter back-and-forth quite dangerously as books spilled onto the floor.
“Enough is enough,” grumbled Gallant upon unfurling his wings and narrowing his eyes.  His fixation was now on Rawhide and how he was going to make him end this madness.

“THAT’S ENOUGH!” boomed the orange Pegasus while stamping his front hooves firmly into the carpet.
Nearly every pony ceased their actions to look towards the Pegasus who had shouted at them as if he were one of the caretakers.
“Who do you think you are?” belittled Rawhide as he made his way towards Gallant.  “You don’t have a say in what goes and what doesn’t.”
“Wanna bet?” glared Gallant while he moved to meet up with Rawhide and his gang.

The room was silent as the two kept making their way closer to each other until they were a mere inch from touching nose-to-nose.
“I remember you,” stated Rawhide as he worked to intimidate Gallant.  “You’re that new kid with the gimp sister.”
Gallant stepped back while crying out, “Take that back!”
“Ooh,” chuckled Rawhide while he narrowed his focus onto the Pegasus’ enraged face.  “Did I make you mad, little pony?”
“No pony!” shouted Gallant as he firmly anchored his hooves into the rug and spread his wings.  “NO PONY MAKES FUN OF MY SISTER!”
“Oh,” grinned Rawhide.  “Should I make fun of you instead?”

Rawhide’s gang was growing eager to enter into the argument.
“Shall I hold him down for you?” asked an earth Pony.
“Want me to get his gimp sister?” asked a Unicorn with an evil smile.  “She can’t be far from here and I bet he wouldn’t be so tough if the gimp was here.”

Gallant Gust had heard enough.  He didn’t want to fight, but it looked like he had no other choice.
“What the-“ gasped Rawhide as he had only enough time to see the determined face of the orange Pegasus as Gallant dove to tackle him.
POOM-FWOP-FLIP-FWUMP!
“TELL THEM TO TAKE THAT BACK!” boomed Gallant Gust.	
“Don’t hurt me!” cried the once powerful, green Pegasus as he felt the larger orange Pegasus using one front hoof to hold him to the ground as he raised another to stomp him in the face.
“Why shouldn’t I?” asked Gallant while holding his position in preparation to pound the bully.
“I take back everything!” exclaimed Rawhide.  “I promise to never pick on your sister again!”
“Not good enough,” growled Gallant as he pressed his one hoof more firmly into Rawhide’s chest.
“What do you want!” cried the bully as tears began to form in his eyes.  “Tell me!  Tell me and I’ll do it!”
“I want you,” stated Gallant.  “To clean up this mess you’ve made and tell every pony in here who you’ve bullied that you’re sorry.”

Rawhide looked up to clearly see that his next statement would be the difference between being hit very hard, or being let go.
“Okay!” he cried.  “I’ll… I’ll clean up the mess!”
“And?” asked Gallant with a glare.
“And…,” whimpered Rawhide.  “I’ll apologize to every pony I’ve been mean to.”
“That includes Fall!” announced Gallant.
“’The false foal’?” he asked nervously.
Gallant Gust raised his one hoof higher to make sure his stomp really counted as he further pinned down Rawhide with the rest of his hooves.
“What was that?” he asked with a growl.
“Fall!” exclaimed Rawhide as he began to ball like a baby.  “Her name’s Fall!”
“And you’ll apologize to her?” insisted the orange Pegasus with the deep-blue colored mane.
“Yes,” sobbed the Pegasus as tears streamed into his green fur and red mane.  “I will.”

Gallant Gust leapt off from atop Rawhide as the once fearsome bully began to sob and snort uncontrollably on the floor.
“Now hear this!” announced Gallant Gust.  “If we’re going to make this work we’ve got to work together!”

The room was silent as some ponies stood in disbelief and others went into hiding.
“No pony likes being here!” announced Gallant while moving about the room.  “But, it’s up to us to make the most of this!  To show that we’ll not be treated poorly just because we’re orphans!”

There was mumbling amongst the ponies who didn’t go into hiding.
“How do we do that?” asked the Earth Pony who once stood alongside Rawhide.
“We do as my parents told my sister and me to do many times before they died,” stated Gallant.  “We help each other.”
“But…,” stumbled the Unicorn who was at Rawhide’s other side.  “Who will lead us?”
“No pony,” replied Gallant.  “From now on, we’re all leaders who look out for each other instead of looking for ponies to pick on.”
There was a series of slow nods as some of the ponies who went into hiding came into view.
“Is that possible?” asked one of the younger colts who had hid himself under a couch cushion.
“It is,” assured the orange Pegasus as he helped Rawhide to his feet.  “And, after Rawhide here finishes his apologies and cleaning up his mess, we’re going to do it.”