New Players

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Applejack nodded to herself as she watched the cider sales running smoothly. Apple Bloom kept the line moving, and Big Mac kept the cider flowing. She eyed the remaining barrels, then looked at the line of ponies stretching off behind the hills.

Figure we'll be out in under an hour. She rubbed a hoof on her chin while she mentally tallied the day's take. The cider profits were steady as always. Demand always outstripped the supply, so there was no waste. It also allowed the Apples to keep the price high. All in all, it was a tidy racket.

A sharp whistle from Big Mac pulled her from her calculations. He jerked his head towards the road to the farm. Applejack looked over to see two town guards heading towards the stand. She nodded to her brother, then went to greet the officers. They both wore the traditional mail shirts and blue-painted helmets, along with the usual well-groomed mustaches.

"Something Ah can help ya with, Copper?" Applejack said to the senior of the pair.

"Just making sure you're not selling any hard cider here, AJ." Copper Shield replied, giving a smile with no warmth to it. "Need to see your license and tax forms, too."

Applejack looked from one to the other, her face neutral and guarded. "Right this way, officers." she said, then lead them up to the farmhouse.

"You're a little earlier than Ah expected." she said, looking back at them.

Copper's partner tilted his head in a pony shrug. "We just figured we'd come today."

"Is that so?"

They followed her into the house, then up to her office. Both stood silently and waited while she opened her safe, filled a small sack with bits, and placed it on her desk.

The younger partner, Strifeguard, did a quick count of the bag's contents, and nodded to his companion.

"Your paperwork looks to be in order, Applejack." said Copper. "Be seeing you."

"You boys look thirsty. Why doncha both have a mug on me?"

They both nodded their heads in thanks, neither smiling, then took the sack and left. Applejack frowned, heading over to the window. She watched the guards get their freebie from the stand, then head back down the road towards town.

Usually, the guards were friendly and chatty, but today they were giving her the stoneface routine. Applejack hated it when somepony acted funny. If they changed, it means something else has changed, and change is never good. She made her way out of the house and back to the booth, keeping a sharp eye out for anything else unusual.

The cider and the coin were still flowing smoothly; everypony was eagerly waiting in line for their chance to buy a mug. Applejack walked down the line, putting a smile on her face and cheerfully greeting the occasional townie. Everypony in line had the familiar expressions of thirst and desire.

Applejack's smile faded when she noticed the line didn't stretch out as far as usual. It wasn't anything to worry about profit-wise; by her estimate, the cider would still run out long before the line did. It was, though, another sign of unwelcome change. She continued going down the line to chat up the locals, hoping one would drop a rumor or bit of news that would put a name to her fear.

Eventually, Applejack heard her little sister call out: "That's all for today, everypony! We'll have more tomorrow!" She started walking back to the booth, smiling tightly to hide her frustration. The ponies had been chatty enough, but hadn't offered up anything more than the usual scuttlebutt. Slowly, she began to notice something else unusual.

Normally, when the cider ran out, the ponies in line would groan and complain; this time, there was only a scattered grumble or hissing sigh. A quick scan of their faces showed annoyance rather than the usual frustration. The locals calmly turned around and started heading back to town.

As she headed back up the road, her ears caught somepony saying "Oh well. Guess we'll try the other place." Her eyes narrowed as she approached the booth, where Mac and Apple Bloom were bagging up the coin.

"Say Apple Bloom," Applejack began, take a small hoof-full of bits and sliding them to her little sister, "Why doncha play with yer friends today? Me and Big Mac will handle the cider making."

"Why thanks, sis!" The filly took the bits and stashed them in her bag.

"And while yer out, see if ya can find another place out there selling cider."

Apple Bloom's face turned serious. "Another cider outfit?" She nodded with all the grimness the cute little filly could muster. "Don't you worry, sis. I'll find them poachers!" She gave both her brother and sister a hug before trotting off to find her fellow Crusaders.

Big Mac started tying sacs of coin together, and slinging them across his back. "Competition, eh?"

"Looks like." replied Applejack. She slung a pair of bags behind her neck. "I know what you're gonna say, and I don't wanna hear it." She started for the house, not looking back. "Now come on; we got cider to squeeze."

Her brother sighed and followed. "Eeyup."

It was near supper time when Apple Bloom finally made it back to the farm.

"Found 'em!" she announced with a big, proud smile as she walked in the door. "Just outside of town, on that road that goes by Cranky Doodle's place."

Applejack and Big Mac looked up from their card game. "Good work there, little sister." said the older sister. "Who was running it?"

Apple Bloom shook her head. She joined her siblings at the table and replied, "I dunno. It was a couple earth ponies. They didn't look like locals. Kinda sounded like Appleloosans."

"Fold." Big Mac tossed his cards on the table, then looked at Apple Bloom. "Ya see their set up? They got a cider press n' all?"

"Nah, just a booth, a wagon, and a buncha barrels. Supper gonna be ready soon?"

"Its coming, don't get fussy!" Granny Smith yelled from the kitchen.

Applejack looked to her brother. "They must press it somewhere else, then. How about we pay them a visit tomorrow, give 'em a Ponyville welcome?"

"Eeyup."

"That's it for today, ponies! We'll have more tomorrow, so y'all come back, ya hear?"

The ponies left in line sighed and grumbled, then quietly shuffled back towards town. Applejack and her brother quickly bagged up the gold and hauled it to the safe.

"Apple Bloom, you mind yer Granny for a spell. Me and Big Mac are taking a walk."

"Ok, sis!"

Applejack eyed her brother. "Ready?"

Big Mac slipped his collar off and set it by the door, then took a grey derby off the hat rack, brushed off the dust that sprinkled it, and put it on. "Eeyup."

They followed a road that circled around the town instead of going straight through, just in case the other crew had spotters out. Neither sibling spoke; each was steeling themselves for the confrontation ahead.

Some time later, they were peering over a clump of bushes at a cider stand. The booth itself was a slapdash affair; some planks nailed together and slathered with red paint. Nearby was a much sturdier wagon and a pile of barrels. Two stallions were running the business: a light green earth pony with three red tomatoes on his flank, and an orange pony wearing a red velvet vest. Plenty of ponies were lined up buying mugs; many of them had been waiting at Sweet Apple Acres only hours before.

Big Mac and Applejack waited for the stand to close. They could hear the ponies happily carousing around the stand, guzzling down mug after mug of cider. Another hour crawled by as the pair waited, and even their well-exercised muscles were strained from sitting so long.

Finally, the crowd was dispersing. The vendors began loading the barrels back onto the wagon, calling out friendly farewells to the leaving customers. After the last barrel was loaded, the green pony closed the gate and checked the wagon, while his partner packed up the money.

The green stallion was looking over the harness when he heard a commotion, like someone was trying to kick down the booth. He hurried around the wagon and saw a large red stallion, with his forelimbs wrapped around his partner's neck. The red-vested pony was flailing around in a panic, trying to free himself and hitting the stand in the process.

"Why you cotton pickin'..." The stallion charged at Big Mac, but met the wrong end of Applejack, a pair of limbs that had been bucking trees for a decade. She kicked him from her hiding spot behind the wagon, pulling her blow so that it sent him tumbling into a nearby tree, instead of shattering his bones.

The pony in Mac's grip fell limp, and Mac lowered him to the ground. He took a moment to check the stallion's breathing, then nodded to his sister. They both calmly walked over to where the green pony lay, clutching his shoulder in pain.

"You both plumb loco!?" he yelled at them. "The brothers are going to clean your plows!"

Applejack narrowed her eyes and glared down at him. "The heck are these brothers doing moving cider in Ponyville? You even know who yer messing with?" She looked to her brother and nodded her head at their captive. "Big Mac, tell 'im who he's messing with."

Mac put a hoof on the injured shoulder, pressing his weight on it till the green pony yelped in agony. He leaned his head down, calmly speaking to the sweaty, shivering cider salesman. "We're the Apple Family; that's Family with a capital 'F'. You mess with the Apples, you're Fucked; that's also with a capital 'F'." The derby shifted forward, hooding his eyes.

"Apple Family, yeah." The injured pony caught his breath once Big Mac removed his hoof. "You're that small time outfit. Heh heh heh. Best you pull your horns in and go home. The Flim Fam Brothers will stomp you flatter than flapjacks."

Applejack went over to the booth and snagged several of the bags of coin that had been dropped by the vested pony. She put the sacks in her saddlebag and looked back at her competitor. "Never heard of 'em. Don't know you, either."

"Hank. Hank Ketchup."

"Well Hank, you mosey on back to those two mudsills and tell them nopony runs a cider operation 'round here but the Apples! C'mon, Big Mac." With that, Applejack turned and walked away.

"Eeyup." Mac casually kicked the injured shoulder, tearing a pained cry from its owner, before following his sister.

Just Business

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The sun was high in the sky, the line was long, and the cider was pouring. To most of the ponies at Sweet Apple Acres, it was another pleasant day. The Apples, however, were tense and wary.

Applejack paced a steady circle around the farm. Occasionally she'd see Granny Smith peek out one of the farmhouse windows, where she was keeping watch. She sighed, remembering the criticism Granny had given her last night.

"Ya mean ta say ya didn't even bother ta learn anything about this outfit before ya riled 'em up?"

Applejack shook her head. That's how its been ever since she handed the business over to me. Never tells me what Ah should do, but always let me know when I'm doing it wrong. Hell, we had ta let 'em know we meant business. If they're smart, those brothers will clear on outta here.

"Applejack!"

Her brother's shout pulled her out of her thoughts, and she hurried over to the cider booth. Big Mac said nothing, merely waving his muzzle down the road as he helped Apple Bloom.

Several figures were heading around the hill. It was a bit too far to see who it was, but Applejack had little doubt it was their rivals. Ain't nobody else who'd be coming to see us. She slid her stetson forward, her expression hardening.

"Don't fret none," she calmly said to her siblings. "They won't try nuthin' with all these witnesses around." With that, she stepped out into the road to wait for the newcomers.

As they drew closer, she saw two pale yellow unicorns leading the crew. They wore dark suit jackets and their red-and-white striped manes were slicked back; a common style among Manehattan toughs. The resemblance was obvious; the main distinguishing marks being the one on the left was bit taller and had a mustache. Behind them followed six other ponies; she could see Hank Ketchup and the red-vested pony among them.

Applejack locked eyes with the taller unicorn as they walked up. The ponies in line or enjoying their cider glanced between them nervously. A tension was building in the air like a minotaur wringing a dishcloth. A few who had brought their foals along started quietly hustling them away.

"They're just gonna have a pow-wow," Big mac announced to the disquieted crowd. "Drink yer cider and mind yer business."

The group stopped in front of Applejack, both unicorns staring flatly at Applejack. "Who runs the operation?" asked the mustached one. Despite being dressed as a tough, his voice had the quick, smooth quality of someone educated out East.

Applejack narrowed her eyes. "You know damn well Ah run it. Yer mule..." She nodded her head towards Hank. "...Woulda told ya that. Name's Applejack. And Ah know you're the Flim Flam Brothers. So what do ya want?"

"For starters," replied the younger brother evenly, "How about you return our take, as a sign of your good intentions?" Like Applejack and his brother, he spoke quietly, to keep the townies from overhearing.

"Good intentions?" Applejack looked aside thoughtfully. "Don't recall having none of those towards y'all."

"So much for Ponyville hospitality, eh Flim?" said the older brother. "We just arrived in town and she's all set to hit the mattresses. Without so much as a neighborly 'Hello'".

Flim snorted and turned to their rival. "Fortunately for you, Applejack, Flam and I are willing to overlook this rude behavior, if you simply return our earnings. Once we're on more friendly terms, we can offer you a little business arrangement."

"Yeah? What kind of deal were ya thinkin'?" Applejack heard hoofsteps behind her, but kept her eyes on the brothers.

"Well, I see your crops are rather plentiful." said Flam. As he spoke, his brother magically pulled an apple from a nearby tree and took a bite. "And our operation could use a supplier. You fill that role, and we can split the profits, twenty eighty."

"We get the eighty, right?" Applejack squinted at the smiling brothers.

Flam chuckled while Flim grinned around a mouthful of apple. "Whatever you say."

Applejack snorted, half-turning from the brothers. "If that's yer offer, y'all can shove it. Ponyville is Apple territory; nopony moves cider 'round here unless they're working for us! Y'all best get out of my town."

The sibling unicorns looked sideways at each other, then bust out laughing. "She thinks she can run us out, eh Flam?" Flim asked with a slick grin.

"I wonder how she'll do that, Flim. See what she has for a crew?" Flam pointed a hoof behind Applejack.

Looking behind her, she saw that her brother and sister had left the booth to join her, and that Granny had come down as well. The locals were half-circled around them at a respectful distance, too nervous to enjoy the cider, but too curious to leave.

"Indeed I do, Flam. One enforcer," He pointed at Big Mac. "One associate-in-training," He pointed at Apple Bloom. "And one old nag to do the cooking." The last he directed at Granny Smith.

"Sonny, Ah think yer brain needs to throw a lasso around yer mouth." Granny calmly said.

Flam leaned in close to her, brandishing a big, toothy smile. "What's the matter, granny? Feeling threatened? I would be too, if I were in a faded, old operation when some heavy players come to play."

"Hmph. Not really, sonny. I got chunks of ponies like you in my stool." Granny gazed levelly at the offending unicorn.

"It doesn't look like we can come to an understanding, brother of mine." Flam said, turning to his brother.

"That's too bad, brother of mine. I guess we'll just have to run them out of business and have Ponyville to ourselves."

The brothers shucked off their jackets and passed them over to Hank. Both were now clad in blue and white striped shirts and black bow ties. With big salespony smiles, they approached and addressed the gathered ponies.

"Look at these poor, thirsty souls, Flim!" said Flam with a theatrical flair. "I see a town of sad, deprived faces."

"Why, I'd be sad too, Flam, if I waited in line for hours and ended up not getting any cider!" He took a mare's face in his hooves and turned her towards his brother. "See, these poor ponies are dying of thirst! Simply because this mill can't keep up with the demand!"

Many of the ponies were nodding, and a buzz went through the crowd as they grumbled, sounding like annoyed hornets working their way up to being angry.

"Well, suffer no more, Ponyville!" the brothers exclaimed in unison. They stood side by side, each raising a hoof in the air.

"We have three cider stands, each located on the outskirts of town!" proclaimed Flim.

"All fully stocked with all the cider you can drink!" added Flam.

Applejack blinked. "Three stands!?" She watched the locals' faces brighten at the prospect of gorging on their favorite beverage. Some were even licking their lips.

"Three stands?" echoed Apple Bloom. "Golly! Maybe... Maybe we should take their offer..."

"Hang on, y'all" Drawing her family into a huddle, Applejack spoke quietly to them. "Ever since Ol' Sunbutt cracked down on the smuggling in and out of Canterlot, the mill's been our main racket. If we took that deal, we wouldn't be makin' enough to even keep our operation afloat!"

"Well, Applejack's right about that." chimed in Granny. "Ah should know; Ah been going over the books mahself."

"Right, so we got ta send these colts packin'." Applejack punctuated her words with a determined nod.

"But, three stands!" protested Apple Bloom.

Applejack affectionately tousled the filly's mane. "Don't fret, lil' sister. They're bluffin'. They'd need a crew three times that size ta run and supply those stands. Ah bet they're just running off a stockpile."

"Well, if yer set ta run 'em off, better act fast." Granny pointed her muzzle at the locals. "Them brothers are gettin' the crowd worked up."

Applejack hurried over from the family meeting, seeing that the brothers were about to begin a song and dance routine.

"He's Flim!"

"He's Fla-"

"Hold on, everypony," Applejack said to the crowd. There was a sound of a record needle being dragged. "Apple Family cider is the boss cider in town, and y'all know it! Who knows what kind of drink these bunko artists are sellin'?"

"Well... Beg your pardon, Applejack," a blue pegasus stallion said from the edge of the crowd. "But it don't really matter how good the cider is if we don't get to drink it." A chorus of "Yeah!" erupted behind him.

"Cerulean Skies, you been comin' to this here stand for years." Applejack replied, looking him in the eye.

"Right, and I don't make it to the stand even half the time!"

Applejack blinked as she and her family were surrounded by grumbling, unhappy ponies.

"Well, if the Apples can't meet your demands, then stop on by our stands, Ponyville!" shouted Flam. "We'll be waiting!"

The brothers made to leave, their crew ready to fall in behind them. As they passed by the Apples, Flam shrugged and said, "Sorry Applejack; that's business."

Applejack said nothing; she simply watched them leave, a deep frown on her face. Once they rounded the hill, she looked back at her family.

"Alright y'all, back to sellin' cider." Her gut tightened when she saw the crowd had diminished by half.

Just business, eh? Fine. When Ah send you both home in a box, well... That will be just business, too.

Thump! Applejack's hooves slammed into the tree, knocking the apples from their branches and into Apple Bloom's bin. The filly, bin balanced on her head, brought it to Granny, who sorted out the bad apples, and tossed the rest into Big Mac's cider press.

Her body moved merely by habit; Applejack's mind was busy reviewing what happened earlier. After the brothers left, the Apples went back to business. The line wasn't nearly so long, however, and it ended with one whole barrel still left. Some of the locals came back for more, and the last barrel was eventually sold. It was the first time she ever saw any cider left over for seconds.

She kicked another tree, much harder than she needed to. Apple Bloom weaved and swayed, trying to catch all the scattered apples. Sighing, Applejack helped gather up the ones her sister missed. Apple Bloom said nothing, accepting the help silently, and trying to not catch her sister's eye.

On the next tree, Applejack made sure to pull back on her buck. She took a deep breath, trying to ignore the sting in her pride that Mac had inflicted after they closed the stall...

"Ah don't wanna hear it, Big Mac."

"Too bad; you're gonna hear it."

Applejack paused setting empty barrels on the cart, and turned to glare at him. "Ya tell me the same thing every dang year!"

"Eeyup, and Ah was right. It was yer idea to keep the operation small. 'Low overhead, low cost, and demand will keep the price high', ya said. And Ah done told ya keeping demand that high will bring in competition. And here we are."

She paused a moment at the next tree, fighting an urge to buck it right out of the ground. Finally, she kicked, managing to get all the apples into the bin. She took her hat off and wiped her forehead, then looked at the sun hanging low in the sky. It'll be time to stop, soon. She looked over at the barrel stacks, trying to estimate how much they'd made, and blinked.

Hank Ketchup was leaning on one of the stacks of empties.

"Apple Bloom, you and Granny get in the house." she said firmly, not taking her eyes off Hank. The soft tread of her sister's hooves quickly retreated, while the heavier tread of her brother came up beside her.

"Got a bad feelin' about this, Mac."

Mac nodded. "Eeyup."

The siblings made their way over to intruder, who calmly watched them with a grin on his face.

"Howdy, neighbors!" Hank said in greeting. "Fine day for pressing cider."

"What are you doin' here, Hank?" demanded Applejack.

"Oh, just thought I'd see if you reconsidered the FlimFlam Brother's offer. Seein' as your outfit is out-numbered and out-produced." Hank grinned wider, and spat a wad of chaw off to the side.

"See, the brothers got themselves a new-fangled cider press the likes of which I never seen." he continued. "Just the two of them can make more cider than the four of y'all."

"Is that so?" Applejack stared in his eyes. "Well, we still ain't interested."

Big Mac looked Hank up and down. "You ain't dumb or brave enough to come alone. Where's the rest of yer gang?"

"Breathin' down yer neck!" a new voice shouted. There was a hollow clatter as the barrel stack toppled onto the Apple siblings.

Applejack reared, trying to get above the pile. As she got out from under the barrels, she was shoved and pummeled by two pairs of hooves. She swung blindly at her attackers, but the constant assault kept her off-balance. Shouting and hollering like a pack of wild animals, the ponies gripped her in their forelegs and dragged her over in sight of the press. Out the corner of her eye, she saw Mac was in a similar jam.

Granny turned from the second story window of the farmhouse. "Apple Bloom, lock yer door and don't come out til Ah say!" She hurried over to a trunk, kicking it open.

Glad Ah been keepin' you top shape, ol' friend. Had a feeling Ah'd be needin' ya soon. She leaned in a pulled out a metal tube attached to a wooden stock.

"Alright colts, let her have it!" Hank yelled out, as he and his velvet-vested friend restrained Applejack.

Two more earth ponies let out feral shouts as they began bucking the press. The vat and axle splintered and snapped under the pounding.

"Reckon we coulda ran you out of business the clean way." Hank rasped in Applejack's ear gleefully. "This way's a lot more fast, though."

The two ponies went to work on the big stone wheel, which was much more resistant to their hooves.

Granny lit the slow-burning cord with the match in her muzzle, then spit it away. The cord was secured on one end of a lever in the middle of the device, the other end sticking out the bottom to make a trigger. She balanced the tube on the window sill, then looked down it's length, seeking a target.

"Don't tucker yourselves on that wheel, colts!" Hank shouted. "This here mare would be awful disappointed if y'all didn't give her your best!" Hank licked the side of Applejack's face with a big grin. The other ponies laughed as she craned her neck and tried to bite his muzzle. "Guess she wants it rough!"

Granny's hoof slowly moved the lever, bringing the burning cord down to the black powder. She hardly breathed, fighting back an urge to pull faster; the weapon wasn't made for ponies, and it would be too easy to spoil her aim.

There was a sharp noise, like someone breaking a rock in a canyon. Hank heard a brief whistle, and a noisy splatter.

"What in tarnation was that, Velvet?" he asked his fellow crook.

The vest-wearing pony turned to his partner and his eyes were wide and white. He had a hoof pressed to his neck, trying to cover a hole just as big. The blood was spurting out in a steady beat, and the edges of the hole were ragged and torn.

"Sniper." he said, his voice gargled. Then his eyes rolled up and he collapsed.

"Aw shit!"

"Ah heeeheeheeheeheeheeheeHAW!" Granny cackled, as she reloaded.

Applejack slammed her head against Hank's while while he was distracted. With a grunt he rolled away, freeing her.

Big Mac shrugged off one of his captors, then swung his foreleg back at the one holding down his rear limbs. Hoof slammed into muzzle, knocking a tooth free. Blood arched from the pony's mouth like a sanguine rainbow.

"They got a sniper!" Hank shouted. "Run for it!"

The ponies assaulting the press gave it a few final kicks before joining their crew in retreat. Mac and Applejack ran after them as far as the fence, then stopped.

"Ah catch you here again, Ah run yer dicks through mah cider press!" Applejack yelled after them.

Both siblings walked back to asses the damage to the mill. Applejack was shaking with anger and fading adrenaline; Mac had the intense calm of dynamite waiting to explode.

Granny was waiting for them, tube and a satchel strapped to her body. "Nothin' like killin' a punk to make an old gal feel young again!" She kicked up her hind legs and clicked her hooves together.

"Damnation, Granny!" exclaimed Applejack. "You know you can get a dime in the hole just for havin' one o' them minotaur rifles?"

Big Mac looked up from examining the press in the last rays of daylight. "Wheel's still good. Fixin' the rest will set us back at least a day, Ah reckon."

Applejack took a deep breath. Don't fret: think! "Alright. We got cider for tomorrow. I'll get the parts we need while y'all sell it. Ah need to head into town anyway." She looked over at the dead pony. There was hardly any blood under him; the ground had eagerly drunk it up. "Mac, help me get him in one of the barrels. Ah'll take care of it while Ah'm out."

"What're we gonna do about the rest of 'em?" Mac asked.

"Ah dunno yet." She looked at Velvet's glassy, dead eyes. "But I can tell ya, this'll end in flames."

Plans

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Applejack watched One Tone roll the body-containing barrel into the back door of his pet supply store in Ponyville. A small sack of her coin was clenched in his teeth. Well, that's taken care of. She pulled her cart away from the shop and mentally reviewed her to-do list.

Talk to the guard chief, train tickets for Granny and Apple Bloom, get these letters sent... After that, we just have to hold out and hope the Brothers are too busy making money to finish us off.

Applejack stifled a yawn. She hadn't slept at all last night; every sound, from the creaking of the house to the animals milling around outside, echoed in her ears like a trumpet. As she had lain there, wide-eyed awake, she realized there wasn't any way for them to win. The Brothers had them out-produced and out-ponied, and Granny's rifle wasn't nearly enough of an equalizer. It was only a matter of time.

That's when a new plan began to form in her head.

She shook her head, pulling herself out of her memory. As she passed the Town Square, she noted the time on the big clock: almost nine in the morning. By now, the townies have seen our stall closed, and the mill broken. Hopefully, Mac got all the cider stored away. Her family had been puzzled at the change of plans, but Applejack had put her hoof down and headed off into town before anypony could start arguing or questioning.

The way the locals gossip, it'll be all over town about how we're closed up. Then its sure to reach Flam and Flam. Playing opossum like this might give me enough time to make this work. She unhitched her cart and walked into the post office.

"Heya Applejack," said the pony behind the counter. "What brings you in today?"

Applejack pulled five envelopes from her bag and dropped them on the counter. "Need these sent pronto, fastest delivery Ah can get."

"Hey, that's a coincidence." said Ditzy the mailmare as she stepped out the back room. "I was just about to take an express letter to Big Macintosh. Is he with you?" The grey pegasus rounded the counter and looked around, one eye cocked to the side.

Applejack furrowed her brow. Who'd be sending Mac an express letter? "Give it to me, I'll take it to him."

Ditzy smiled nervously. "Supposed to give it to the pony who-"

Applejack glared hard at her; her hat slid forward to hood her eyes. "Give it to me." she whispered.

A grey blur shot out of the building, the sudden rush of wing blowing several mailing forms from a nearby counter. Applejack was about to yell after her, when she noticed an envelope was clamped in her teeth. She tore it open, took the letter out, and read it. The pony behind the counter busied himself getting her letters ready for delivery, pretending not to notice she was reading somepony's mail.

As Applejack read, the room was filled with the sound of her teeth grinding together...

Applejack stormed into the barn. "Big Macintosh! What in tarnation is this?"

Big Mac looked up from his barrel-stacking to find a sheet of paper being held up against his face. He glanced at it, face expressionless. "Its a letter, Ah reckon." he answered laconically.

"Darn tootin' its a letter!" She lowered the note and glared into his eyes, stabbing at his stoic calm with hot anger. "This letter is from Apple Rose, to you, saying yes she can spare some muscle for a small bit of our take!"

"Sounds like ya already know what it is."

She stepped closer until their muzzles almost touched. "What the hell do you think yer doing, going over mah head like this?"

Mac exhaled through his nostrils. "Somepony's gotta save this family. Reckon if yer too stubborn to know when we're in a fix, then Ah gotta be the one to do something."

"How's that gonna look at the next reunion, every Apple hearin' how Ah can't handle mah own business? And that mah own kin are goin' behind mah back?"

"If its what Ah gotta do, its what Ah gotta do. This family is more important than yer pride." he responded, his voice touched with heaviness. He stepped around her and headed for the door.

"Big Mac, wait a minute!"

Mac kept walking.

"Please."

Mac sighed, hearing her pleading tone. He stopped and waited, not turning around.

Applejack walked up next to him. "Its not just mah pride," she began. "Ah need you on mah side, big brother." She looked up at him. "See, everypony- especially those in our kind of business- needs to have That One Pony. That One Pony who will always be on their side. No matter how tough things get. No matter who or what they're up against. Even... Even if it came down to them against the whole rest of their family. And you've always been That One Pony for me, Big Macintosh." She put a hoof on Mac's shoulder.

Big Mac turned to look at her, saying nothing.

"So when ya go over mah head like that instead of talking to me, its like ya ain't That One Pony no more. And I need you to be that for me, big brother." She blinked and looked into his eyes. "Please be That One Pony. Please be the one Ah can always trust."

Mac sighed again, his head bowing in surrender. "If ya trust me, sis, please listen to me. We can't win goin' on like this."

"Ah know, Big Mac. Ah realized that last night. And Ah done told you all this morning Ah had a new plan, didn't Ah?" Her face cracked into a smile. "Ah went to the post office today, and sent five first class express letters. Five."

Big Mac blinked. "And Ah reckon you make six?"

Applejack nodded. A hard gleam in her eye chilled her smile. "The FlimFlam Brothers might think they're a couple of curly wovles, but they ain't even gone up against the Mob Six..."

That afternoon...

"Awww, do we have ta go?" Apple Bloom whined. She looked over at the train that would soon be leaving for Manehatten.

"Sorry sis," Applejack said, fondly patting the filly's head. "It's gettin' a bit too dangerous for little fillies and family elders. Don't worry; the Oranges are old hat at hiding ponies. You'll be safe as a bug in a mattress."

"Ok..." Apple Bloom said with a sigh.

"No reason for such a long face," Granny chimed in. "You'll get to meet some of the family; there's even a cousin of yours about your age." Granny leaned down and whispered. "And on the train, Ah can tell ya some stories from when Ah ran the business. Like when we caught us a snitch, and we locked him a cellar full of rats. How's that sound?"

The young Apple's head perked up. "That sounds swell, Granny!"

Granny winked. "Good. Now Ah gotta talk to yer sister for a spell."

Granny left Apple Bloom with Big Mac and lead Applejack to the far end of the platform, away from the other ponies.

"Applejack, when Ah decided to step down and let ya run our thing, Ah also decided Ah was gonna let ya run things yer way." said Granny quietly. "Figured you'd learn better if Ah let ya make yer own mistakes, without me holdin' yer hoof." Granny sighed and looked away. "But now Ah'm thinkin' Ah coulda gave you a little more advice."

"Well, shoot Granny; I-"

"Ah ain't finished." Granny snapped. "Ah knew Mac was right about how competition was gonna move in one day, but Ah didn't say nuthin'. That was a mistake. From now on, when ya need advice, Ah'll give it."

A moment passed before Applejack realized Granny was finished. "Thanks, Granny." she finally said with a smile. "And don't fret about the Brothers. They'll get dealt with."

Granny nodded, her face still serious. "Yer gettin' yer old crew back together?"

Applejack nodded. "Yup."

"Even Pinkie Pie?"

"Hold on, Granny. Things have changed. She's off the happy rocks now. Ah trust her."

"Well, here's mah first bit of advice: ya can always trust a friend, but ya can never trust an addict." She tapped her hoof on Applejack's muzzle. "Make sure ya know which one Pinkie is."

"I will."

"All aboard!" the conductor called out.

The Apples all said their goodbyes, then Granny and Apple Bloom. got on board. The train pulled out, and Applejack watched it until it faded into the distance.

The Mares Are Back In Town

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Later that day...

The late evening crowd at Berry's gave the blue pegasus a once-over as she headed up to the bar. Her well-cut, dark suit jacket and Homburg hat made her stand out from the working-class ponies who frequented the place.

She strode up to the bar, put her hat on the counter-top, and shook out her rainbow-colored mane. "Red Hoof. Make it a double." she said to the bartender.

"No alcohol here; we're legal." protested the plum-coated earth pony behind the bar. "What do you think this is, a joint?"

The newcomer rolled her eyes and sighed. "Fine. Glass of fruit punch. And none of that house shit."

She gave her drink a rueful frown when she tasted it. "Guess I'll have to wait until I get to Applejack's to do some real drinking..."

"Applejack's?" The bartender paused in the middle of cleaning a mug. Behind the pegasus, a couple of stallions got up from their table, put on their blue-painted helmets, and headed out the door.

The pegasus took another swig before answering. "Yeah, she's an old friend of mine. Speaking of which..." She guzzled the rest of her punch and set the mug down. "I should probably get moving." She set a few bits on the bar, grabbed her hat and walked out.

As she took a moment to get her bearings, a pair of guards approached her. "So you're heading up to Sweet Apple Acres, eh?"

She brushed some imaginary dust from her jacket with a wingtip. "Yeah. What's it to ya?"

"Going to work for her?" one of the guards asked calmly, looking her in the eye.

"None of your business," she answered casually.

"You look like the sort of pony who causes trouble. So we thought we'd let you know how things are around here, before you get involved in local affairs. Community outreach, and all that."

"Is that so?" The mare smirked. "Make it fast, boys. I'm thirsty."

The guard snorted. "Alright, tough gal. In this town, there's the Apple Family, and the FlimFlam Boys. There's a little arrangement between the three of us."

His partner nodded. "You crooks can go after each other all you want. We ain't gonna help ya, we ain't gonna stop ya."

"Just one rule," the first guard continued. "No innocents get hurt. Some old mare get killed in a crossfire, or some family's house gets burned down, and we will Bust Your Ass." He punctuated each of the last three words with a tap on her chest. "Got it?"

"Yeah yeah, I got it. What kinda cheap thug you think I am, anyway?" She turned away from the guards and started walking. As she took her hat off and prepared to take flight, a pegasus guard swooped down behind her to join his comrades.

"Who is that?" the incoming guard asked.

"Just some muscle Applejack called in."

"Oh yeah? Too bad she's going to be too late."

The newcomer's sharp ears picked up the guard's words. She froze just as she was about fly.

The guard continued. "I was doing a flyover at her farm. Flim and Flam's crew are about to hit the place."

Buck!

"How many ya see, Mac?" Applejack whispered into the darkness of the farmhouse.

"Four." Big Mac whispered from across the hall. Each of them was sitting in an upstairs room, peeking around their respective windows. "You?"

"Three, Ah think." She thought she could see the silhouette of two ponies peering around a hay bale, and another by the chicken coop. "Ah think Ah can get a shot on one of 'em." The one by the coop had most of his body exposed, and was holding still while watching the house.

Applejack rested Granny's matchlock on the windowsill, being careful to keep it out of the moonlight. After lighting the wick with a match clamped in her teeth, she drew a bead on the pony below. She struggled to get it aimed correctly; the few practice shots she took earlier did little to make the gun feel comfortable in her hooves. Once steady, she held her breath, and slowly moved the trigger.

Ears ringing from the report, she blinked away the afterimage of the muzzle-flash and looked at her target. She frowned, puzzled, as it stiffly fell over on its side. The ponies outside howled victoriously and charged for the house.

Realization tingled the back of Applejack's neck. "Decoy!" She quickly grabbed another pack of powder and started reloading.

Big Mac watched the ponies charge towards the house, bottles clamped in their teeth. They heaved these at the building, where they shattered. Another tossed a torch, and Mac saw an orange glow flare up under his window. Ok. This could be bad.

He charged out the room and down the stairs, yelling behind him. "They lit it, Applejack! I'm headin' out there!"

Applejack paused her loading to run to the other window. Looking out, she saw Big Mac charge out the back door, to be circled by four ponies, Hank Ketchup among them. They jeered and catcalled as they closed in on him. Applejack picked out a target and finished reloading.

As she was about to take aim, she heard hoofsteps thundering up the stairs. Damn, Ah forgot about those other two! She swung the rifle around just as a stallion in a leather vest appeared in the doorway. Quickly, she pulled the trigger, but her clumsy motion made the shot go wide, sending it through the wall. Before she could recover, the stallion and his friend tackled her to the ground.

Big Mac suddenly charged at the pony in front of him, bearing him down and clubbing him twice in the face with his hoof before the others tried to drag him off. Mac managed to shove off one stallion, then another grabbed him from behind.

Suddenly, there was a crack of thunder. Thick, black clouds rolled in, obscuring the moon and leaving the flames as the only source of light. A lightning bolt flashed across the sky, bringing another crash of thunder. Heavy rain rain poured down, lashing against the building and surrounding farm.

"What in tarnation?" Hank yelled as they held Mac down and pummeled him. "Ain't no rain scheduled for today!"

"And who is that?" one of his companions asked.

Between them and the house, the silhouette of a pegasus stood before the fire. The figure spread its wings and crouched.

"I'm the most awesome pony you'll ever see." And with that, she flung herself at the ponies holding Mac.

Applejack kicked out with her legs, sending one pony crashing into the wall. The other managed to get his forelimbs around her neck and drag her to side. She flailed and struggled as he tried to twist her head around. Spying the rifle on the floor in front of her, she clamped her hooves on it. With a feral grunt, she swung it behind her. There was a wooden crack as it crashed against the earth pony's head.

She pushed him away and stood up. The other pony had recovered and was eying her as he stood back up. Aw, buck this. She grabbed the rifle in her teeth, turned and jumped out the window.

Landing on the soggy ground, she was surprised to see somepony helping Mac fight off the rest of the gang. We're still outnumbered, though. She looked down at the rifle and cursed. The match was soaked and its holder was hopelessly bent. Maybe I can still...

She raised the rifle, aiming at their attackers. "Mac! Get clear!" She moved to keep the slowly dying fire at her back.

The ponies backpedaled from her. The two ponies inside the house rushed out the door; Applejack swung the rifle towards them and they hastily fled for the road to town.

The stranger flew up, and the rest of the gang soon found themselves being chased off the farm by bolts of lightning.

"Y'alright there, Mac?" Applejack yelled over the storm.

Her brother nodded. "I'll live." They both turned to watch the newcomer land in front of them. She shook the rain from her rainbow-colored mane, and sighed at the muddied state of her jacket.

Applejack's face lit up with delight. "Rainbow Dash." She handed the rifle to Mac and stepped closer to her. "Ya came just in time!"

"Of course I did." she replied with affected coolness.

Applejack reached out, and they hugged each other tightly. "Where's mah kiss?"

"Get away." Dash playfully pushed her off.

Applejack jerked her head towards the house. "Come on, let's go in and dry off."

Rainbow Dash paused on her way in to look at Mac, who was watching the last of the flames die out. "Hey Big Mac. How ya been?"

Mac nodded to her. "Fine. Reckon we'll have to repaint this wall."

She grinned. "Same old Mac..."

Soon, all three were warming themselves in the kitchen and drinking hot spiced cider. Mac was holding an ice pack to his bruised face.

"Been a long time, Dash." Applejack said, while looking her friend up and down.

Rainbow Dash nodded. "Think the last time was right after I got out." She returned her friend's appraising gaze. "You look good."

Applejack smiled and lowered her gaze to her mug. "Dash, we owe ya big. Takin' the fall for us, like ya did..."

The other mare waved her hoof dismissively. "Ah, it was only a five year sentence. You'd have done it for me." She took a big swig of cider before continuing. "I'm just sorry we all drifted apart after I went in. I mean, a crew as awesome as ours..."

"I know. But I had Family business to take care of..." She sighed and frowned, still staring into her mug. Mac managed to seem more sullen without changing expression.

"Yeah... The, uh, thing with the Cherry Family, right?" Dash asked quietly.

"Yup..." Both Applejack and her brother raised their heads to look at the small memorial shrine to their parents that was laid out on a high shelf.

Rainbow Dash kept respectfully silent for a moment. When she felt the silence becoming awkward, she cleared her throat. "Heard somepony hit them pretty hard..."

Applejack looked back at her drink and nodded. "Damn right." she whispered. Raising her mug, she gulped down some of her beverage.

Dash leaned forward. "I bet the others will be here tomorrow. Probably taking that slow-poke train. Then we can all sit down and talk about this problem of yours."

Applejack's face brightened, and she looked back up at her friend. "I'm looking forward to it, sugarcube."

"Found her!" the guard proclaimed. He slid a manilla folder across the desk. "That's who we saw last night."

The chief of the Ponyville Guard, (whose name was simply "Chief") sipped his morning coffee before opening the folder and examining the contents. "Rainbow Dash." he read aloud. "Suspected smuggler and enforcer. Hmmm... Did five years in Wing-Wing for tax evasion. Known affiliations: Beak Syndicate, Apple Crime Family, Mob Six Crew...." He frowned thoughtfully and scratched his mustache. "Mob Six... Applejack's old outfit..."

The chief sent for the files of the other former crew members, and had the pictures copied and distributed to the guards. Less than an hour later, another guard entered his office.

"Yeah Chief, I saw this pegasus..." He tapped a picture on the chief's desk, showing a mare with a yellow coat and pink mane. "Getting off the morning train. The Station Clerk called for a guard because she had a bunch of caged, vicious dogs in her cargo. The cages were secure, and her paperwork checked out, so I let her go."

The chief stood up and grabbed his helmet. "Tell the colts to keep an eye out. I"m betting we're going to see the rest of them soon." He put his helmet over his grey mane, slipped on his chain mail, and headed for the door.

"Where you going, Chief?" asked his second-in-command, Colgate.

Chief paused in his stride. "To talk to the Mayor. I'm thinking our little arrangement with the gangs isn't going to work out. If they both start calling in help, this might get real big real fast."

That afternoon, laughter and happy chattering could be heard coming from the kitchen of the Apple Farmhouse. Lean, large rottweilers sniffed around the farm, familiarizing themselves with the new territory. Big Mac's watchful face occasionally peered from an upstairs window.

Inside, a large table had been set up in the kitchen, and around it sat six mares and one gangly dragon. All the ponies but one were happy chatting away, catching up with each other. Applejack was the exception; she merely sat back and watched her friends with a big smile on her face. She looked at them one by one, thinking back on their past exploits.

She looked at the purple unicorn to her left. Twilight "The Librarian" Sparkle. Lot of Families don't think much about their accountants and organizers. Thanks to her, Ah never made that mistake. If things were different, Ah think she'd be our leader; but then, Ah was the only one who was Family. She can take any racket and make it into a well-oiled machine. Plenty good with magic, too. She even studied at that fancy Canterlot school, until she got caught running an exam cheating ring. 'Course, we weren't gonna let talent like that go to waste, and that's how she ended up working for me in Detrot. Ah guess lately she been working as organized crime's only efficiency expert.

Next to Twilight sat a green-and-purple adolescent dragon, who had his white fedora pulled low over his eyes. He flipped a coin and said nothing, trying to look tough. Ah never met Spike; Twi says he's her assistant. She bought his egg off the black market, Ah guess. Ah know dragons are greedy and selfish; Ah hope Twilight can keep him in line.

Applejack watched the white unicorn with the purple mane daintily sip cider and laugh at some joke. Rarity. Started out as a cat burglar; she had a real nose for finding a pony's valuables. Now she hangs around rich ponies and runs cons on 'em. Her contacts really opened Canterlot up for all sorts of vices. At least until Celestia cracked down... Heard she's been semi-legit these days, as a fashion designer.

At the opposite side of the table sat a pink earth pony, with a straight mane of slightly darker color. Like the other, she talked and smiled, though a bit more reserved than the others. Pinkamena "Pinkie" Pie. When the Apples needed someone to disappear, they sent her. Clean, nasty, quick, slow, obvious, "accidental", she could do it all. Ah swear she could sneak up on a paranoid bloodhound, or break into the Princess's bedroom. Applejack rubbed her chin thoughtfully. She's nowhere near as hyper as she was; guess its because she off the happy rocks. Ah don't know what she's been doing lately; actually Ah don't know much about what she did before or after working for the Family.

Even quieter than Pinkie was the yellow pegasus next to her, who often shyly tucked her head to hide behind her pink mane. Fluttershy. She works in her own little niche, handling animals. Guard dogs, fighting dogs, messenger birds, plus taking care of any exotic (and illegal) pets the bosses might have. Has her own little ranch where she breeds dogs and who knows what else. She might act timid as a mouse, but the whole reason she ended up working for the Apples is because we helped her get rid of some evidence. The kind of evidence city ponies bury under cement.

Finally, Applejack smiled at her friend with the rainbow mane. Rainbow Dash. When ya need something to get somewhere five minutes ago, she's your mare. Fastest thing with wings Ah ever done seen. Was a real racing flyer back when. She was even expected to win the Cloudsdale Special. One of the families had a lot riding on the second best racer, and they framed Dash for steroid use. Well, just like with Twilight, we took her in. And damn if she ain't proved herself a stand up pony. She even took the fall for the rest of us when the Canterlot Bureau of Investigation was about to nail us for tax evasion. Ah sent her a pie every week for the five years she was inside.

Applejack took a deep breath, then started tapping the table for attention. The others ceased their conversations and turned towards her. She opened her mouth to speak, but faltered. A smile shone on her face as she looked at each of them again.

"Shucks... Ah shoulda done this a long time ago..."

"We were just waiting for you to send the word, darling." Rarity responded. The other nodded their agreement.

"We understand."said Twilight. "Rainbow Dash was in prison, and you had business to take care of. And by the traditions of the Apple Family..."

"Ah know mah own darn traditions." Applejack said in mock-anger. "But yeah, that's something we handle on our own. Though, Ah really wish y'all had been with me...." Applejack sighed and continued. "Then when that was done, Granny needed me here. Ah'd always meant to get us back together, but... Well, never mind all that now."

Twilight nodded. "That's right. What's important is that we're all together now." The other ponies spoke words of agreement.

Applejack smiled a moment, then put a serious look on her face. "Alright y'all, its time to talk business. Here's what's been going on...."

Getting Ahead

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Mayor Mare let out a heavy sigh and rubbed the side of her head. "Are you sure this will turn into a war?"

Chief nodded. He was seated across from her in her office. The shades were drawn, and the door closed and locked. Files and reports were scattered on the desk, many of them with brown coffee rings.

"I think so. Neither side is going to back down. Applejack can't; hard cider is the only racket she has left. The FlimFlam Brothers won't, because they're new players who have to prove themselves. Flim and Flam have the upper hand, but that could change..."

"Alright..." The mayor ran a hoof along her grey mane, which was steadily growing more frazzled. "Can you bust them both, right now? Stop the whole thing before it explodes?"

Chief shook his head. "Can't. I don't have the pony-power to bust them both at the same time. And if we bust one, the other will find out and have time to sweep everything under the rug. Besides..." He shrugged. "Even if we brought them all in, it goes to the courts...."

"...And then their lawyers take over." Mayor Mare huffed, opened a drawer and pulled out a metal flask. She opened it and took several swallows before putting it back. "You didn't see that."

Chief shrugged. "Damned if I didn't."

Mayor Mare sighed. "There has to be something we can do. You know what will happen if word gets back to Celestia that we're in the middle of a gang war?" She leaned closer. "She will have her horn up my ass."

Chief nodded ruefully. "And the CBI will walk right into my office screaming 'Jurisdiction'."

The mayor rubbed her temple as she thought a moment. "I'll issue a sundown curfew. The gangs will ignore it, but it gets the citizens off the streets and out of the crossfire. Now... What else can we do? Should we cut a deal with Applejack? You know what they say: Better the draconequus you know..."

Chief nodded slowly. "If it comes to that. The Apples like to follow the Old Ways, and the Old Ways are.... manageable. But..." He scratched his mustache. "Maybe it won't come to that."

She said nothing, simply looking at him expectantly.

"Eventually, one is going to try and wipe out the other." Chief continued. "And they're gonna go all in. When that happens, here's what we do..."

A breeze blew through the trees, carrying their scent and the warmth of the evening sun. Rainbow Dash lifted her head to inhale the sweet autumn smell. Smiling, she looked down at the coffee-colored earth pony she was straddling and resumed pounding his face with her hoof.

Big Mac bucked at the crudely made stand, which collapsed in a heap of boards. He made sure his saddlebags, heavy with bits, were secure, adjusted his derby, and looked over to Dash. "C'mon, Rainbow Dash. We got what we came for."

"Awww, c'mon, Mac. I just got started. This guy is still conscious."

Seeing Mac's calm, insistent look, she sighed and wiped her hoof off on the other pony. "Just you two remember: the Apple Family owns this town." The pony she had pounded groaned. His partner, quite unconscious after meeting Mac's hooves, said nothing.

Dash brushed herself off and followed Mac back to the farm.

Twilight looked up from her counting when Big Mac set the bags of coin beside her desk. She had set up a small accounting area in the living room, and stack of coins were organized on the desk. Bags of bits still waiting to be counted were on the floor on one side, and sacks marked with their amount were on the other.

Spike was leaning against the wall nearby, flipping a coin, with his hat tilted forward.

Twilight smiled at them both. "Any trouble this time?"

"Nah, these guys are pushovers." Dash answered with a smug grin. "C'mon Big Mac, I think we earned ourselves a mug."

After they left, Twilight went back to counting. Bits glowed purple with her magic, grouped themselves into tens, and dropped into a bag. She updated her tally sheet, then paused to check the uncounted bags. "Spike, did Applejack and Fluttershy close down the stand yet?"

"Yeah."

"Did they bring in today's take?"

"Uh huh."

"Well, where is it?" she asked with growing impatience.

"Mmhmm."

Twilight blinked and looked up at him. He hadn't stirred from his position against the wall, and his eyes were fixed forward. She followed the line of his intense gaze until she saw the clean, soft curves of Rarity's flanks. She was fussing over a dressing dummy which was wearing the traditional Apple Family suit: black jacket, white dress shirt, no tie.

Twilight grinned. "Hey Spike, dragon penis is a delicacy in some places. Can I cut yours off and use it to make soup?"

"Uh huh."

She chuckled softly and went back to counting.

Later, Applejack joined Dash and Mac in the kitchen to hear them report on their success (Dash speaking and Mac correcting her embellishments).

"...And then we got back here with a whole sack of bits." Dash concluded, and followed up by guzzling half a mug of cider.

"Still just two ponies a stand?" Applejack asked, frowning thoughtfully.

"Eeyup." Mac answered before Dash could again claim there was twenty.

Applejack rubbed her chin. "Something ain't right here. "Y'all been hitting one of their stands everyday for the past three days, since we reopened the stand. And they ain't done nuthin' about it."

Rainbow Dash waved a hoof dismissively. "These guys are small time. We're just too awesome for them."

A small smile crept on Applejack's face. "Ah agree we're pretty awesome, sugarcube. But Ah reckon they got more numbers than they're showing. Takes at least four ponies to make a day's worth of cider for one stand. Especially with how the townies drink it up. They got to have at least twice as many ponies as we've seen to make all that cider."

Big Mac nodded. "Can't really figure why they don't put a few of 'em out as muscle."

"Exactly. Something here Ah ain't seein', and that's got me nervous. Ah got Pinkie out in town, seeing what she can find out. Soon as we sniff out Flim and Flam, we send 'em home in a box. Then it'll be done with."

Dragon Chaser looked around, trying to act casual. He thought he saw that pink pony from yesterday. Taking a deep breath, he forced himself to walk casually, keeping the box of cupcakes balanced on his back.

Yesterday, he'd just finished smoking some happy rocks, and it gave him a strong craving for some sweets. He went over to Sugarcube Corner for some cinnamon buns, and the pink pony with the straight mane was there. He didn't notice her at first; she was just another customer, drinking a milkshake at her table. He'd gotten his order, turned, and saw her looking right at him. He looked into her eyes, and felt that she somehow knew. Knew why his mane was frizzled, why he had a permasmile, and why he smelled like a mix of sugar and winter ice. He hurried out and went straight home.

Today, he decided to play it smart and get the sweets first. He was on his way back home when he thought he saw a glimpse of pink behind a lemonade stand.

Shit shit shit. Was that her? A muscle twitched under his left eye. What is she, CBI? Vice guard? A leg-breaker? Shit, do I owe somepony money? Mentally, he reviewed all the ponies who ever gave him a loan. Aw fuck, I owe everypony money...

He turned from his usual route, taking a roundabout way home, clinging to the growing shadows of late evening. He glanced at the windows of shops and homes as he passed them by, trying to use the reflection to look behind him. What if she knows where I live? What if she's there right now? He stopped to open the cupcake box and check his purchase. His eyes flicked about, seeking out anypony following him. Seeing nopony, he quickly ducked behind a store, then up the stairs in back.

He opened the door at the top, and entered the loft he rented out of Davenport's shop. Closing the door behind him, he then peered out the peephole for nearly a minute.

Finally, he turned from the door, set the box on the table, and headed behind the curtain that separated his sleeping area. He pushed aside his bedding, pulled up a loose plank and pulled out a glass pipe. The pink, translucent rocks inside rattled from his shaking hooves. He pressed the button on the side and flames whooshed to life in the pipe, igniting the rocks and filling the inside with smoke. When the haze was thick enough, he released the button, put his lips to the mouthpiece and inhaled.

He felt his anxiety melt away, and he sighed with relief. The air filled with the smell of frozen sugar as he exhaled.

"That stuff is bad for you." He voice toneless and flat.

Dragon Chaser slowly turned his head. The pink pony with the straight mane was sitting next to him, as if she had been there the whole time. The happy rocks kept him from feeling any fear, like a warm blanket keeping out the cold. He paused long enough to blink twice. "I know. But quitting is even worse."

The pink pony said nothing, merely nodding her head and turning her blue eyes to the pipe.

"Are you here to break my legs?" he asked her.

She shook her head. "No... I don't know why I'm here. I'm supposed to find out where the Flim Flam Brothers make their cider."

Dragon Chaser's mind immediately reviewed his current anemic financial situation. "I might know something..."

The pink pony pulled her gaze from the pipe to look at him. She took out a sack from her saddlebag and shook it. The contents gave a metallic rattle.

Dragon Chaser kept his eyes on the sack. That much coin could get him at least two more fixes. "One of their guys came by my dealer, shaking him down for some money. Said to bring the coin to warehouse five, over near the train station. Big place like that would be fine for making cider, right?" His eyes crept up to look into hers.

She opened her mouth, letting the bag fall to the floor. The coins made a dull thud. "Thanks." He caught a whiff of apple and cinnamon as she got up pushed aside the curtain.

"Who are you, anyway?" he asked, as he hugged the sack to his chest.

She paused and looked back. "Pinkie Pie. See you later, Dragon Chaser."

Once she was out the door, he realized he hadn't told her his name.

"There she goes. And no other Apple thugs around" Hank Ketchup watched Pinkie descend the stairs at the back of the shop. He pulled his head back around the corner of the building he was hiding behind.

"Why she visitin' that rockhead, anyway?" one of the other three earth ponies asked.

"How do you know he's a rockhead?" inquired another.

"Shhh!" whispered the third.

"C'mon, y'all. Quiet as rabbits in winter." He lead the way, the other stallions following. The sun had just set, and stalls and shops were closing up. There were still too many out and about for Hank to want to risk taking her out in the open.

He followed Pinkie along a parallel street, glimpsing her through gaps between buildings. She started heading for an ally between two large shops.

"Here's our chance." Hank whispered. "Ain't no windows or lights in there. You two," he said, pointing to two of his accomplices, "run up ahead and circle around to cut her off. Me n' Sidewinder will catch her from behind. When you hear me yellin', come runnin'."

The ponies hurried to trap their prey. The light was dim, but Hank could see her silhouette disappear between the buildings. At the mouth of the ally, he whispered "Stay here, just in case she tries to run past me." He hurried up the ally, trying to pick her out of the gloom. Suddenly, he saw the other end up ahead.

"Tarnation! Why didn't you stop her?" he asked in a hissing whisper.

"What do ya mean? She didn't come through yet." one whispered back.

"Sheep dip." Hank softly trotted the other way. He could still see his partners tail at the other end, so he paused to check the dumpster, which was the only thing large enough around to hide a pony. Seeing nothing but a few bags of garbage, he closed it and headed back to rejoin the other pony.

"Shoot, you see her, Sidewinder? Ya reckon she got on the roof somehow?" He turned to the other pony and froze.

Sidewinder couldn't answer because he didn't have a head anymore.

"Sun and motherfucking Moon!" The body fell over on its side. Blood, colored black in the dim light, poured onto the grass.

Black Hats, Black Smoke

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Applejack woke to the crowing of the rooster. She rolled onto her back and looked at the window. The curtains were golden with the first rays of the sun. Shucks, I slept in.

She yawned and stretched, then blinked at her hoof. It was smeared with blood. The tingle of alarm buzzing in the back of her neck chased the last tatters of sleep from her system. She pushed aside the sheets, showing her flanks covered in red liquid and releasing its copper scent in the room.

A final push of the sheets revealed a severed pony's head at the foot of the bed, his final expression one of dull surprise.

Applejack's screams shook the walls.

"I'm really sorry about that, Applejack." Pinkie said, rubbing her hoof on the kitchen table. "I went to your room to report in, but you'd already gone to sleep. You looked so peaceful," Pinkie smiled a little, "that I didn't want to wake you up. So I tucked you in, and I guess I accidentally tucked the head in there..."

"S'alright, Pinkie," Applejack replied in between bites of apple waffles. "Just be more careful. Ah almost can't eat breakfast."

"On the plus side, none of us are going to need coffee this morning." Twilight wryly commented, while she stacked waffles on her plate. "We're all wide awake now."

"And a good thing, too." Applejack lapped a smear of syrup off her plate. "Ah wanna go check out this here tip Pinkie got. See if the Brothers are there, what kinda setup they got, check their security, n' all of that."

"Just tell us what you want us to do, Applejack."

"Well, what in tarnation are ya going to do about this? Two dead so far, and the rest have gotten their teeth knocked loose!" Hank yelled, looking from one brother to the other.

Flim and Flam looked at him mildly. Each was seated behind a desk, both of which were pushed side-to-side and took up half the cramped warehouse office.

"Maybe we should be asking you that." Flam responded.

"Your muscle ain'tt looking too muscular." Flim added.

"Well shoot, what can we do when ya got us spread thin as paint on an outhouse?"

"Well, here's what you can do." Flam answered. "You can head to the train station, meet some extra muscle we got coming in, and bring them here. Think that's something you can handle?"

Hank bit back a hot retort. "Yeah, Ah can handle that. But Ah doubt these bucks rollin' in are any better than my crew."

"That a fact now?" Flim gave him a flat stare. "On your way back, maybe you can give him some pointers. Tell 'em how its done, eh?"

"Looks like they only opened two stalls today." Rainbow Dash reported. She, Rarity, Applejack, and Pinkie were huddled by the window of a small furniture warehouse. A sack of bits had convinced the two workers inside to take an extended lunch break. "Both with four ponies."

Applejack nodded. "Good. That should be a big chunk of their crew." She turned to Rarity and Pinkie, who were staring out the window. "How's it lookin'?"

"Well darling, its daylight out and there's a spotter on the roof." Rarity answered with a frown. "Not exactly ideal conditions."

"Yeah, but there ain't no helpin' it. Can y'all still get in?"

"Well, the building next door has a fire escape. I can get up to the roof and jump across with no problem." Rarity huffed. "But there's no cover to hide from that guard..."

Pinkie rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "What if he was distracted?"

"Well yes darling, that would certainly help. What did you have in mind?" Rarity looked sideways at Pinkie.

The hitmare gave one of her faint smiles. "You'll see. Just get on the fire escape and wait for my signal."

"C'mon, Dash," Applejack said, taking a step towards the door. "While they're doing that, we can scout around on the outside."

The four mares stepped out into the street, keeping a wary eye out. Pinkie and Rarity circled around through the alleys to keep out of sight of the guards. Rarity stopped a moment to slip on some fashionable dark purple slippers. Pinkie nodded her head towards the targeted fire escape the quietly scurried away in the other direction.

Rarity trotted to the ladder, keeping against the wall of the warehouse. She pulled the stair down with her magic and climbed up. Her slippers muffled the sound of her hooves. She stopped below the edge of the roof, and risked a peek over it at the next building. A brown, unkempt mane and tan head marked where the guard stood. Well now, darling. Where's this signal of yours?

Jim Rustle paced around the rooftop, trying to keep boredom and fatigue at bay. Flim and Flam had been on everypony's case lately about security. He gave his head a vigorous shake to get his blood moving, and resumed his slow walk.

Suddenly, his ears swiveled to the side. A medley of odd sounds was audible from down the street. Jim trotted to the ledge and peered along the line of warehouses. There was nothing in sight, save the plume of a train pulling in to the station, but the sounds grew closer.

He blinked as he recognized the sounds. What the heck is a marching band doing out here? He saw a single pony in full uniform march out from one of the alleys down the street. Wait a cotton-pickin' minute. That ain't a band. That's one pony playin' a buncha instruments. He could pick out an accordion, a trombone, and cymbals among those being played.

As Jim stared in stunned wonder, Rarity gracefully leaped from the neighboring building, landed behind him, and quickly slipped through the door leading inside.

Jim shook his head. "Don't that beat all..."

Hank eyed the ponies coming off the off train. There was no mistaking the ones he was here to meet. Ten ponies (two pegasi, one unicorn, and the rest earth ponies) wearing black hats with red bands stepped onto the platform as a group. Hank figured them for Detrot toughs. Manehattan thugs chatter constantly, and Cob-Towners always had a smug grin or greasy smile. But like the other Detrotters he'd met, these ones were somber and serious.

"Reckon y'all are here to see the Brothers." Hank said as he walked up to them.

An earth pony stallion with a blue coat and brown mane stepped forward. He gave Hank a nod, then smoothed his pencil-thin mustache. "Cherry Jubilee sends her regards, and hopes this will be a mutually beneficial arrangement."

"Well, c'mon then." he said glumly, and turned to head back.

High above, two pegasi in guard uniforms watched the group head for the warehouse district.

"Chief is gonna love this..."

"Yeah..."

Rarity silently padded her way through the dimly lit warehouse. Her nose was crinkled in distaste, and she tried not to think about what the dirty flooring was doing to her slippers. I'm suddenly remembering why I stopped doing burglary...

All she could find, was row after row, and floor after floor, of tubs filled with apples. She headed for the center of the building, guessing that any mill they had would be there. A mechanical hum tickled her ear, which grew louder as she slipped farther in.

Finally, she came to a open space which stretched floor to ceiling. Rarity carefully peered down from her third story perch. A strange machine resembling a locomotive was on the ground floor, manned by two unicorns she assumed were Flim and Flam. As she watched, a funnel on a hose extended over a tub of apples across the gap from her and sucked them up. The machine hissed, lights blinking and glass tubes filling with liquid. Finally, a barrel flew out of the contraption, landing with a solid thump among a stack of others. A pair of ponies wheeled the tub back, to replace it with a full one.

"So that's how they make so much cider."

Rarity's teeth clicked as she clamped them together to keep from yelping. She threw a reproachful glare at Pinkie, who was standing next to her. "Yes, darling." she hissed. "Their numbers are a lot smaller than Applejack thought. I bet she'll be glad to hear that."

Pinkie rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "Maybe we can take them out right now."

Rarity carefully scanned the ground floor. "Hmmm... There's not much cover near that thing; just those barrels. And there's no angle where we can hide from both the unicorns and the ponies working the bins." Her face suddenly brightened. "I have a wonderful idea! Let's find Applejack and Rainbow Dash. That will make the numbers almost even, and we can take them down with a surprise attack!"

Pinkie nodded in approval. "Okie dokie loki."

Applejack peered at the warehouse from around a corner. "How ya think they're doin' in there?"

"I'm sure they're fine." Dash answered. She was standing on her hind legs so she could see over Applejack's hat. "Whatever they find, I bet it'll be more interesting than what's out here..."

Applejack gave her easily bored friend a small grin. "Let's head back in and wait for 'em. Learned all we can out here."

"Yeah." Dash sighed inwardly. The idea of waiting inside a sawdust-smelling warehouse instead of the open air wasn't very appealing.

As they walked in the shadows of the buildings, Rainbow Dash saw Applejack throwing glances towards the Brothers' warehouse, her lips pressed together in concern.

"Relax, AJ." Dash said while turning a corner. "I'm sure they're doing as well in there as we are out here."

"Well butter my butt and call me a biscuit!" said a third voice. The mares looked forward and saw Hank Ketchup, leading nearly a dozen toughs in hats. "Looks like Ah got mah birthday present early!"

Pinkie stopped her silent stride. Her knee felt like someone pinched it, and her left ear flopped. "Uh oh."

Rarity blinked. "Uh oh?"

"C'mon!" Pinkie quickly and quietly through the rows of tubs. They soon came to the wall of the warehouse, and followed it until they saw a window.

Pinkie undid the latch and pushed it open. The view was of one of the alleys that flanked the building, which held little except a dumpster and a small cart. She looked towards the front of the building. Her sight was reduced to a narrow strip by the two buildings, but it was enough to get a glimpse of Applejack and Rainbow Dash being fought and herded towards the building by a group of ponies.

"Uh oh indeed!" exclaimed Rarity, when she looked as well. "What are we going to do?"

Pinkie passed her a rope. "Can you get down to that cart?"

"Certainly, darling." Rarity tied the rope to a column, too worried about her friends to notice it was oily and dirty. But what about that gang of ponies?"

"I have a plan."

Applejack rolled on the ground from a buck to the chin. Her body was hot and numb from all the blows she'd given and received. She felt a pair or hooves pull her head up, and a blue blur filled her sight.

"Look at me. Look at me!" the blur yelled in her face. She blinked her one unswollen eye until his mustache came into focus. "I did this to you!"

Applejack grinned and spat a mouthful of blood in his face. The stallion cursed and pushed her back to the ground.

"Aw, sheep dip!" Hank pointed a hoof at the warehouse. Trails of smoke were seeping from the windows. "C'mon colts, she's on fire!"

The mustached pony pointed to two of his troops. "You. You. Get these two out of sight. The rest of you, inside now."

Jim Rustle blinked at the black wisp that seeped from the rooftop door. "Ah heck!" He ran to the door, threw it open, and froze in surprise.

There was a pink pony right in front of him. Black smoke wreathed her, as though she had come up from Tartarus.

"Hi!" she said cheerfully, and swung out her hoof. Something cool sliced through Jim's neck. For one brief instant, he felt the tingle of open air inside it. Then he started choking on his own blood.

Rainbow Dash, hovering near unconsciousness, felt herself lifted up and dragged. Her body clenched as her injured leg was jostled. Suddenly, the limbs carrying her let her go, and she heard a confused jumble of grunts and thuds. Then she felt herself enveloped in something gentle, which picked her up and carefully set her down on something wooden.

"You're both safe now, darlings." she heard a voice say. "Let's get you home."

Sweet Smile

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Applejack watched with her good eye as the doctor squeezed blood from Rainbow Dash's knee. It poured into the basin Dash held as she sat on the edge of the other bed. The scent of blood and sterile bandages mixed in with the normal wood and apple smell of the farmhouse. She couldn't see or hear her friends in the kitchen, but could practically feel the tension of their concern.

"Well, I do have some good news." the doctor said in his worn voice. His sad smile deepened the lines around his bloodshot eyes. "I don't see any fatty tissue, so I don't think you tore your cartilage. Just don't put a lot of weight on it, and be sure to walk around every now and then to keep it from getting stiff." His horn glowed pale yellow as he grabbed the bandages and antiseptic and tended her wounds.

Afterward, he diagnosed Applejack with cracked ribs and wrapped her midsection. He patiently advised them to avoid anything strenuous, though they all knew there was little chance of his counsel being followed. Once he was all finished, Applejack whistled for Big Mac.

"Take the doc to the office and get get him his pay." she instructed him once he came in. "And slip him a little extra." She turned to the doctor. "For the house call."

The doctor gave his sad smile and scratched his dark brown mane, which wasn't turning grey so much as it was simply loosing its color. "No, Applejack; for buying poppies."

Once the stallions had left, Applejack turned her good eye back to Dash. "Rainbow Dash. Ah distinctly remember telling ya to make a run for it, and get Pinkie and Rarity."

Rainbow Dash grinned. "No way I'd leave you to face them yourself, AJ. I'd never leave a friend like that." She saw Applejack open her mouth to speak, and held up a hoof to stop her. "I know, I know, you're the boss. But I couldn't let you fight them alone any more than I could let you get sent to prison."

Applejack stared at Dash a moment, then nodded and gave a grin of her own. "Reckon ya couldn't."

Rainbow Dash lay back on the bed, being careful not to jostle her leg. "Damn, I hurt all over. Couldn't you have bought some anesthetic from that guy?"

"Shoot, Ah got some right here." Applejack reached down and slid one of the planks in the floor, then pushed it. It popped up to reveal a hidden compartment. From this she pulled out a bottle of dark amber liquid and a couple glasses.

"Whiskey?" Dash asked. "Ain't seen none of that in a while."

Applejack nodded. She set the glasses on the nightstand. "Mah pa's stash. Before this was a spare bedroom, it was mah parent's." She uncapped the bottle and poured them both a double.

They both raised their glasses in toast. "Salute!"

Later, Twilight came into the room to discuss plans with her leader.

"Rarity gave me a good rundown of their place." she explained, keeping her voice down for Dash's benefit. She levitated a hand-drawn map and some graphs that Applejack didn't understand. "And from what she told me, that machine is clearly the key to their production. Destroy it, destroy their advantage."

Applejack nodded. "They still have numbers on their side, what with the muscle the Cherries sent 'em." She looked over at the resting Rainbow Dash. "But if Dash still has that friend in the Beak Syndicate, Ah reckon we can fix that." She smiled, then frowned thoughtfully.

"Wait, ya said Rarity gave ya the rundown. Didn't Pinkie tell ya nuthin'?"

Twilight smiled nervously. "As soon as they brought you two back, she headed back to town. Left a note saying she had something to do there. She slipped out while we were occupied with you two."

The frown remained on Applejack's face. "Wonder what's so important that she's gotta head back while things are so hot..."

Twilight shrugged, trying to look calm and reassuring. "Who knows, with Pinkie. But don't worry; she can take care of herself." She smiled.

Dragon Chaser froze, his ears turning towards the door. He thought he'd heard somepony coming up the steps. A few seconds later, a hoof lightly tapped on his door.

He quickly put his pipe away, then softly walked up to the door and looked out the peephole. He blinked and hesitated a moment before opening the door. "Pinkie Pie?"

The pink pony bit her lip, then lifted her head to look him in the eye. "Can I come in?"

Dragon said nothing, but moved aside so she could enter.

Several minutes later, Pinkie was refilling the oil in Dragon's pipe.

"I grew up on a rock farm. There were no smiles, no laughter." she said quietly. "Then some colts on the next farm over found some happy rocks. The raw stuff, I mean."

"Smile sand." Dragon supplied. He carefully looked over the happy rocks on his white ceramic plate. When he found one too large, he cracked it with his hoof. The sharp sound seemed to fill the sparse room.

Pinkie nodded, then checked the flint. "They gave me some. Made me dizzy and my mouth was all gritty. When I went back, one of them had found out how to cook it. We rigged up a pipe with a fire, a tin cup, and rolled up sheet of paper."

Dragon grinned to himself, remembering the improvised pipes he'd built.

"And when we tried it, it was like..." Pinkie smiled faintly. "Like seeing sunshine for the first time." She looked the pipe over one more time, then sat back. "I went home. Threw a party. Laughed. Played games. Next chance I got, I did it again. And again. Eventually the rock ran out."

Dragon nodded. He put some rocks on a tiny scale, measuring out enough for two doses.

"I just.... I didn't want it to end. I didn't want to go back to living in gray and blah. So I tried to find more." She slid the pipe over to Dragon. "Somepony in town offered me some. I guess the colts I was smoking with told him I was looking. I got what I could, but..." She smiled faintly again. "Its hard to pay for drugs with your allowance."

Dragon was about to fill the pipe with rocks, when Pinkie held out a hoof to stop him. "Take those dirty ones out. With the grit in them. That stuff will build up in your pipe." Dragon nodded and replaced them with clearer ones.

"Anyway... Got a rock here, A rock there... Little bits of happy. Not enough, though. Then he asked me if I wanted to earn a whole ounce." She watched him fill the pipe. It sounded like somepony filling a glass with loose change.

"All I had to do was get some bits from some pony who owed him. I was always good at being sneaky. So I just snuck in his home when he was working and took it. Just like that. And I got enough rock to last me a while."

"And you did more jobs, got more rock?" Dragon slid the pipe back to her.

Pinkie nodded. "I was good at it. So good, somepony in Manehatten wanted me to work for them. Good pay, and plenty of rock. I said yes. Had to leave home." Her voice lowered to just above a whisper. "No big loss." Pinkie took a deep breath. She could smell icy sugar. "I was happy every day. Then the boss told me I'd smoked more than I earned. Like, a lot.

Dragon said nothing. He watched her, and she watched the pipe.

"He said he'd clear my debt if I 'took care' of some stallion." She looked up, a thoughtful look on her face. "Its funny. I never felt guilty about it. I mean, you're supposed to feel guilty the first time, right? But I just felt relief. I could keep getting rock. I could still be happy."

She looked at him. He felt a little shiver. Something about her eyes reminded him of a doll's stare. "It was still bad, though. Gross, I mean. Ever seen a pony who's been strangled? Their tongue comes out and..." She looked back at the pipe. "I've cut ponies up into pieces. Kicked them out of windows. But I've never ever ever forever done another strangling." She reached out to light the pipe.

"Wait." said Dragon. "Are you sure you... I mean, you look like you've been clean a while. Sure you wanna go back to this?"

Pinkie smiled yet again. A bit of sadness softened the edges of her eyes. "I gave it all up when my crew broke up. The rock. The life. All of it. For years. I wasn't a hitpony. I wasn't a rockhead. I wasn't anything. Then my old boss sent me a letter. 'Come back.' I didn't even think about. I just came. Because I wanted to be who I am again." She shook her head. "I haven't even been here a week and I've killed two ponies. What does that say?"

She reached out to light it again. "It says, you can't fight what you are. And it says its always better to be with your friends. Even if your friends are bad." She let the pipe fill with smoke, then put her lips to it and inhaled. When she lifted her head, her mane was a wild mass of curls. She exhaled a cloud of minty sweetness, and giggled at the way the smoke curled. Her mouth was pulled into a wide smile, and her eyes sparkled merrily.

Pinkie was herself again.

Calm Before the Storm

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"She left the place a bit later." The pegasus took her black hat off to scratch her head. "Just about bounced down the street. Either she was high, or she just hit the lottery."

Hank looked up from the poker game he was playing with his crew. The Detrotters were standing near the brothers' machine, which was mercifully quiet at the moment. He snorted. "You saw one of Applejack's crew, and just let her have the run of the town?" He shook his head, and tossed a few chips into the pile in the middle of the folding table.

The leader of the Detrot crew raised an eyebrow in Hank's direction. "Yeah, she did. You know why? Because I told her to watch. Nothing else. She does what I say. She also knows when to keep her mouth shut. You could learn a lot from her."

"Don't get too big for yer britches, Cherry Pits. You're muscle for Flim and Flam, same as us. Ya ain't got no rank on me." He kept his face neutral as he studied his cards.

Pits shrugged. "Is that so." He turned back to his crew. "I think I'll pay that rockhead a visit. Buckwheat, Little Joe, let's go introduce ourselves."

Mayor Mare studied the maps on her desk. One was of Ponyville, another was of the countryside, and yet another of the major rail lines in Equestria. A firm knock on the door intruded on her thoughts.

"Come in, Chief," she answered, without looking up.

Chief strode in, shutting the door behind him. He took a seat and set his helmet on the desk. "Bad news. I.D. came back on that group. They're legbreakers for the Cherry family."

The mayor nodded; it was what she expected. "Looks like their old feud is about to heat up again."

"Yes ma'am."

"And does Applejack have more help she can call in?" She took her flask and two glasses from her desk.

"Yes, I'm afraid she does." He tapped a hoof on the rail map. "Closest place the Apples control is Appleloosa. Capo there is Apple Rose, and she's got a tough crew led by a guy named Braeburn. Then you got the Oranges in Manehatten."

Mayor Mare's eyes traced the rails between her town and the aforementioned places. "What about the Cherrys?"

"Any backup would probably come from Detrot, like the last bunch. They took over back when the Mob Six faded out. They control the south side of Cob-Town, too, but with the war they got going there with the Lemons and Limes, I doubt they can spare anypony." He scratched at his mustache.

"Flim and Flam? They have any ties besides the Cherrys?" She poured them each a shot from her flask.

Chief shook his head. "Before this operation, they were just a pair of bit-ante grifters." He studied her face carefully, wondering what she was planning.

The mayor traced her hoof along the rails. "Look. The rails to Detrot and Appleloosa meet here before they run to Ponyville." She tapped a spot marked Pretty Coat Junction. "Either side can be stopped there before they reach my town." She smiled and knocked back her drink in one gulp.

Chief shook his head once more. "I can't spare the pony-power. Besides, that's out of my jurisdiction."

Mayor Mare leaned back and nodded. "I know. Its perfect."

Rainbow Dash scanned the surrounding farmland from the opening on the upper level of the barn. Granny Smith's rifle lay propped against the wall in easy reach. Outside, Fluttershy patrolled the farm with her guard dogs. They growled and pulled at their leashes, dragging the pegasus behind them. Down by the road, Spike, Twilight and Big Mac ran the stand. Dash leaned forward to scan the crowd, a twinge of pain shooting through he knee.

The line for cider was rather short today, as it had been for the past few days. Word was getting around town since the warehouse raid that the rivalry between the two rival cider mills was heating up. Dash's and Applejack's wounds certainly didn't help to quash any rumors. Only the devoted drunks came out to buy any booze. They quietly bought their cider and drank it or took it home for later; there was little idling or socializing going on. Ponies weren't even sneaking out past curfew lately.

Dash cracked her stiff neck, then scanned the cloudless sky. Her sharp eyes picked out a speck in the featureless blue. She frowned and pulled a pair of binoculars from her saddlebag. As she focused on her target, her expression brightened from dark suspicion to shining delight.

Meanwhile, Applejack sat at the kitchen table, looking over the balance sheet Twilight had written up, and going over numbers in her head. Big Mac sat next to her, reading the paper.

Suddenly, Pinkie Pie was next to them. "Are you gonna eat that?" she asked loudly. Without waiting for an answer, she gobbled up a slice of apple pie that was sitting on the table, and bounded away, leaving a whiff of cold sweetness behind.

Big Mac silently stared at his sister, who hadn't so much as glanced up from the spreadsheet.

"Don't give me that look, Big Mac," she whispered, eyes still glued to the papers. "Ah can feel yer look."

"Could become a problem." he observed, in the same tone he used to discuss the weather schedule.

Applejack nodded curtly. "Alright, then. Let me know when it is. 'Til then, it ain't."

Before Mac could press the issue, Rainbow Dash quickly limped into the house. "She's here!"

Applejack nodded. "Good." She tapped her hoof on the report. "Reckon its time we made an investment."

Soon, the stand was closed down after one last round, and most of the crew assembled in the barn. Fluttershy still patrolled the farm with her dogs, and Spike took Dash's place in the rafters with only a minimum of grumbling. Inside, a female griffon was removing the straps that secured a crate on her sky-cart.

Rainbow Dash limped up to the visitor, with a friendly grin on her face. "Been a long time, Gilda."

The griffon turned, a grin of her own putting a sparkle in her eyes. "Sure has." She clenched her claw and bumped it to Dash's upraised hoof. "I'd ask how you've been holding up, but..." She cocked her head to view the pony's bandaged leg. "You didn't get soft while you were inside, did ya Dash?" A playful smirk quirked her beak.

Rainbow Dash snorted indignantly, standing up straight. "Heck no! There was twenty of 'em! I almost had them, too, but one got me in my blind spot..."

"That's the Rainbow Dash I remember." she said, her grin growing wider. Gilda removed the last of the straps and looked at Rainbow Dash appraisingly. "You know, I've rented this little cloud cottage nearby for a couple nights. Maybe you could swing by." She ran her claws through her forward-swept head feathers. "We could... Catch up."

Dash trailed her gaze up Gilda's feline rear legs, along the short brown fur of her hindquarters, and finally to her smugly grinning face. "I might take you up on that, Gilda..."

Applejack cleared her throat. "Business before pleasure, y'all. How 'bout ya flirt later, and we can get to it."

Dash sighed and turned to her capo. "Cut me a break, AJ. I haven't been laid in like a month."

"Well, you poor soul." Applejack responded evenly. "Reckon a few more hours won't kill ya." She turned to the griffon, lifting up Granny Smith's rifle on her hoof. "So ya bring more irons like this in that crate?"

Gilda stepped closer to get a better look at the firearm. "A matchlock?" She gave an amused grunt. "Where did you get that? Your grandma?"

The hoof holding the rifle lowered a few inches.

"They've got a new design out." Gilda informed them, as she headed back to her cart. "Flintlock. Makes a spark from a piece of flint to light the powder. Don't have to worry about your match going out."

Applejack's face brightened. "Well, that sounds good to me. How many did ya bring?"

Gilda looked Applejack in the eye. "None." Applejack opened her mouth to speak, but Gilda cut her off. "Listen. Celestia's been coming down hard on firearms. Possession, manufacture, dealing, everything." She pointed at the matchlock. "Even an old thing like that can get you years inside. Getting rifles past the border would be a real hassle." She hopped on the cart, picked up a crowbar, and worked at opening the crate. "The CBI has these new dogs. Magically altered to have wings. They fly up and sniff for gun powder in the wind currents."

"But... but that kind of vitomancy is illegal." observed Twilight.

"You know what they say, darling," Rarity said with a wry grin. "Its not illegal if Celestia does it."

Gilda nodded. "I'm one of the best smugglers out there, but even I can't sneak past that. And bribing my way through would be too expensive." She loosened up the last nail and pulled the top off. "Instead, I brought you these." She reached in the crate and pulled out what looked like a small bow attached to a wooden stock. "Repeating crossbow. Griffon design, modified for pony use." She turned the weapon over in her claws to give the ponies a good look. Her voice fell into a well-rehearsed cadence as she went into "salesperson mode". She pointed at a round device that hung from the stock by a narrow tube. "For instance, mouth trigger. Just put it between your teeth, and clamp when you want to shoot." To demonstrate, she took aim at one of the rough timbers supporting the loft. A bolt sharply impacted the wood. Gilda pulled a lever on the side of the stock, readying the next shot. Another bolt joined the first. "Five bolts to a clip. When its empty," Gilda released the remaining shots into the log, "pull the lever one more time and the clip will pop out. Then slap the next one in on top, and pull the lever once." She demonstrated as she explained, then pointed at some leather straps folded on the bottom of the stock. "You can aim freeclaw-... er, hoof, or strap it on with these and 'run n' gun'. If you're going to use it that way, you better practice first. Aiming with your body is pretty tricky.

Gilda put the crossbow back in the crate. "I admit, they aren't as flashy or as deadly as a rifle. But they'll kill ponies just fine, and getting caught with one will probably just get you fined." She leaned against the crate with her arms crossed, and looked at Applejack with a confident smile. "Got enough in here for your whole crew, plus spares and plenty of ammo. Ready to talk price?"

Applejack nodded. "Reckon Ah am."

The Life

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Applejack bit the mouth-trigger between her teeth. A bolt shot from the crossbow strapped to her back, impaling a cloth target draped across a pile of hay bales. The chenk sound of her weapon was echoed by several others, as the ponies in her crew (except for Dash and Pinkie) practiced on their own targets. Even Spike was training on his own unmodified crossbow. The simple shooting range had been set up in the barn. Applejack wished she had a bigger space to train in, but she didn't want any pegasi from Flim and Flam's outfit to spot them and ruin her little surprise.

Applejack walked over to her target to pull the bolts back out. She and everyone else paused when the barn door opened with a creak, and Rainbow Dash stepped inside. Her steps were slow and heavy, but her eyes and smile were bright and clear. A crisscross of bandages were applied to her back between her wings.

"Good boy, stay." Dash said to the guard dog outside before closing the door. She limped up to the others, basking them in her grin. "Morning, everypony." Her voice was even cracklier than usual.

"Look what the cat dragged dragged in," quipped Applejack. She walked over and pointedly craned her neck to examine Dash's back. "You okay to practice today?"

Dash waved a hoof dismissively. "I'm fine. Gilda was really happy to see me again. Heh, she totally-"

"Darling, please!" Rarity exclaimed. "Spare us the details." She adjusted her fashionable black beret and turned back to her target.

Applejack gave the pegasus a smile. "Well, save it for when we're drinkin'." Her expression quickly reversed into a frown. "Now, if Pinkie would just show up, we'd be all set..."

"She's out in town again." Spike offered. He fired a bolt and grinned as it hit close to the bulls-eye.

"Don't worry, you know Pinkie can handle herself." Twilight said reassuringly.

"Yeah..." AJ muttered.

Twilight waited until Dash walked off to grab her own crossbow, then leaned close to Applejack and spoke quietly. "Worried about her, huh?"

"Nah." Applejack shook her head and spoke again more firmly. "Nah." She checked over the straps of her weapon. "Like ya said, she can handle herself. Shoot, most every pony in the business has a vice of some kind. If she's off doing rocks, its no big deal."

Twilight laid a hoof on AJ's shoulder. "Pinkie never let you down before, Applejack. She won't start now. That's friendship."

Pinkie giggled and shoved two whole cupcakes in her mouth. A gob of frosting ended up on her snout. Her eyes crossed to examine it, then her long tongue flicked out to lick it off.

Dragon Chaser rolled in the grass laughing at her antics. The rocks made his skin sensitive, and he rolled around some more to enjoy the rough feeling of the grass. His ears picked up a distant rumble of conversation. "Are you sure no pony will find us here?" he asked, examining the trees and bushes tightly clustered around them.

"Uh huh! The trees and bushes will keep us hid. And ponies are always coming in or leaving the park, so it'll be hard to notice us going in." She reached out a hoof and slid the pipe over to her. "So we just have to be sure not to get followed." She took a long drag from the pipe and fell backwards. The sugary smoke was exhaled in a contented sigh. She looked over at one of two boxes nearby. "That sure is a big chunk of rock you got."

"Worked out something with my dealer." He quickly reached into the second box that was full of cupcakes, pulled one out, and bite off half. Pinkie could hear him chew as he took his time and savored the flavor. Despite the euphoria of the happy rocks, a frown creased his face. "I'll be glad when this whole thing with Flim and Flam is over. I liked it when the only thing I had to worry about was keeping up my habit."

"Aww, don't worry!" She pushed the pipe over to him with her hind hoof. "Its going to be over really soon."

He pulled the pipe to him, but paused to blink at her last statement. "It is?"

"Yup!" Pinkie grinned cheerfully. ""Flim and Flam will be rubbed out like a bad answer on a test!"

Dragon Chaser looked inside the wood box and stared at the hunks of happy rock. It was enough for a week; two if he stretched it out. In his mind, he pictured the whole box filled with rocks, enough for a month. He turned his drug-glazed eyes to Pinkie and made himself smile.

"How?"

Rainbow Dash closed her eyes and rested her head on the edge of the bathtub. The tingling-hot water had, at first, stabbed her knee with pain. But now the warmth was easing and relaxing her injury. Sheesh... Knees and wings are the worst injuries. Take forever to heal. Dash slid the rest of her body into the water, letting it cover her head a moment before pushing herself back out. A sigh of contentment eased out of her nostrils.

The air pressure in the room eased, and Dash heard hoofsteps walk softly towards her. She opened one eye to glance at her visitor. "Heya, AJ," she said languidly.

"Howdy, Dash. Howya feelin'?" There was a wooden creak as Applejack pulled a stool over to the tub.

"Better." Her mouth pulled back in a grin. "Tonight's the night. We'll have Ponyville all to ourselves."

"Yeah." Applejack glanced from side to side. "Ah was wondering something. About tonight."

Rainbow Dash made an inquisitive grunt.

"Ah was thinkin' you could guard the farm..."

Dash's eyes blinked open. "What?"

"Hear me out, alright?" Applejack raised a hoof in a warding gesture.

Dash sat up. "Hear what out? I'm the best enforcer you got!" Her voice slowly raised in volume as her languidness flowed away. "Not having me along on a hit, that's like heading to the casino with no bankroll!"

"You are my best enforcer, and Ah want you to stay that way!" Applejack paused to take a deep breath. "Y'ain't exactly been easy on yer leg during practice, Dash."

"I'm fine, alright? The doc even said its not all that bad!" Rainbow Dash was nearly shouting from frustration.

"Sure it ain't now. But what happens when we're doing the hit and somepony blindsides you?"

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. "What, are you my boss, or my grandma? Since when do we worry about getting hurt?"

Applejack paused as a mental image formed in her head; the same one that had been nagging her lately anytime she thought about Dash. She saw Dash sitting at a table in a club, with a heavy brace on her leg. She cheerfully greeted and waved at all the high rollers who came in, and invited them to sit with her. And she told the same old boasts and stories she's been telling for years, acting like she was still that pony. Occasionally she'd get asked to dance, and Dash would look anywhere but her leg and say that she's too cool to do that. And despite her big smile, hey eyes had a bright and desperate accent to them.

AJ forced herself back to reality. "Well, y'know.... we ain't gonna be young forever." She awkwardly rubbed her hoof on the edge of the tub. "We won't always be able to snap back like we used to. Yer one of the toughest ponies Ah know, and one of the fastest-"

"The fastest."

Applejack couldn't keep herself from smiling. "Right. And I'd hate to see that cut short because you let a little injury become a big one."

"And I'd hate for any of my friends to die without me being there!" She sighed and leaned back. "I know I might get hurt. And that's scary, yeah. But I don't wanna play it safe." She looked AJ in the eye. "If I start playing it safe, I'll stay alive until one day I'll be old. And it'll be just as bad as if I got my leg ruined, or my wing. I'll be sitting in a body that's falling apart, thinking about how fast I used to be. Don't let me get old, Applejack. I wanna die while life is still good."

"Dash..." Applejack's counterargument fell apart in her throat. She'd heard that attitude from others in "the life" before, but hearing it from her friend shook her. She had always pictured herself one day being one of the Apple Family elders: old, powerful, respected, feared. And she had always imagined her friends standing behind her. The idea that somepony might not be there...

"You're really worried about me, huh?" Dash gave her friend a worn smile. "Well, I'm worried about you guys, too. And I don't want any of you guys dying without me there to- I don't know, stop it, take revenge, something. Anything but not be there."

Applejack sighed and slumped. Ah could just order her. She'd be here, safe, while we handle our business. But she'll never forgive me. She lifted her head to look at her friend. "Alright, Rainbow Dash. But promise me something."

"What?"

"Maybe ya wanna die young. But don't die tonight. Wait until we're in the big time again. Ah wanna be able to say that ya died while you were on top."

Dash's smile widened. "You got it."

Applejack slid the black jacket over her shirt, then checked herself in the mirror. She smoothed a bunched bit of cloth, then pushed her stetson onto her head.

"Darling, I know this outfit is traditional," began Rarity, who was dressed in a similar outfit, "But are you sure you don't want to try something new? I mean, not all of us can pull off two-tone. I have this lovely earth-tone ja-"

"Rarity." Applejack gave her friend the look.

"Alright, dear. But do keep it in mind."

Applejack made her way out of the house, followed by her friend. It was dark out. The crickets were chirping loudly, and Luna's moon was near its apex. The air was a mix of ripe apples, dew, and fallen leaves. The rest of her crew were waiting outside, all dressed in the family suit, even Spike.

She walked over to the young dragon, who was standing beside Fluttershy. "Y'all hold the fort for us, ok?"

Spike mumbled something and sulked. Fluttershy ducked her head and spoke quietly. "Ok. We don't mind. I'm very glad to let other ponies handle the fighting and other scary stuff." Something snapped a twig somewhere in the distance, and Fluttershy yelped and jumped under a wagon. Spike gave her a sidelong, contemptuous glance.

Applejack nodded but couldn't manage a smile. "Well, don't get scared. Spike and your dogs will keep ya company." She moved to the rest of the crew, taking her place in front. After giving them each a quick look in the eye, she turned and headed down the road into Ponyville.

"C'mon, y'all. Let's handle our business."

Apple Family Business

by Iggypots

New Players

Just Business

Plans

The Mares Are Back In Town

Getting Ahead

Black Hats, Black Smoke

Sweet Smile

Calm Before the Storm

The Life