Chapter 1: The Heist

The Black Mask Brothers

Written by Alex_Rite and LikeaBaws

Alex

I wait, sitting on the edge of the roof, waiting patiently. I look up at the stars and Luna's moon. It's a beautiful night, just how I like it. I hear a loud chime and look over at a clocktower a few blocks away.

Midnight. Time to roll.

I jump off the roof, flapping my powerful dragon wings, and land hind hooves first on another. Then I run across the roof as fast as I can and jump off again, traveling roof to roof until I reach my destination: a small warehouse on the edge of town. I start walking over to a skylight on the roof, it's surface reflecting my neon-green snout with light brown goatee, messy brown hair underneath a blue cap, and piercing, dark blue lizard-like eyes in the moonlight, when a horrible screech interupts me.

"Alex! Are you in position?!"

"Holy-!" I exclaim, fanged-teeth grinding and pointed ears ringing from the volume of my little brother's voice over my earpiece. "Dammit Sparks, not again! Turn down your mike- my ears are bleeding!"

"Whoops. My bad." Spark Plug replied in a less deafening volume. I swear, for the guy who's supposed to be the genius in our trio, he sure had trouble remembering to check his mike volume beforehand. "I guess I'm just a little nervous about this one. I mean, it's not every day you have a chance to get your hooves on the actual spell book of Starswirl the Bearded!"

"I know, bro, I know. You sure this tip is legit?"

"Absolutely! I got it from the usual source, and did a little research to back it up. Apparently, a local gang bought it off a pony who found it after Princess Twilight's battle with Tirek. I thought at first that it might be a fake, considering the chance that the real one was incinerated in the destruction of the Golden Oaks Library, but a little hacking into a few members' personal computers led me to find the book's appraisal, and it's the real deal!"

"Nice! Stealing that baby is sure to make the Black Mask Brothers front page of every paper in Equestria! So run the plan by me again?"

"At fifteen minutes after twelve, Baws will create a distraction and take care of the two thugs guarding the back door. Then, he'll enter the building, clear the area underneath your position of any remaining guards, then signal you to enter through the skylight. After that, Baws'll keep watch of the exit while you sneak around and find the spell book. After that, all you need to do is grab the book and leave the building, and we're home free!"

"And one incredibly rare spell book richer. This'll be fun."

"One final check before the heist: you got your cutie mark concealed?"

I look to both sides of my flank, where some heavy-duty makeup has my cutie mark, a yellow lightning bolt, completely invisible.

"Check."

"You got your black mask with the charm that makes you look like a normal pony?"

I reached up to my face with my taloned hand to feel the black cloth secured tightly to my face. Without this thing, everypony would know that Alex Rite, the local dragon-pony hybrid, was one of the infamous Black Mask Brothers. A very important accessory indeed.

"Check."

"You got your hammerspace cap?"

I tipped the brim of my tailor-fit blue cap. This hat was charmed to have a mystical storage space, so that I could put in or take out items whenever I wish.

"Check. We're all set. Now... we wait."

Baws

Oh my Celestia, hurry up time!! We don't have all night!!

12:12

I give a small sigh, rubbing the temples of my head with my hooves. You'll be the distraction, Spark says, It'll be easy Spark says. Alex thought that Spark was the best choice? Really? I don't mean to be a big bummer, but being the distracter is not easy.

I look ahead to see one male guard and one female guard. Looking up, the cloud is prepared. See, I'm Winter Frost, and it's usually my job to let it snow, but my talent is to be able to detect Heat and Cold temperatures. That's why we make predictions and schedules around Equestria. Wait...what was I...oh yeah, the mission!

12:14

A yawn came out of the female guard, and she tapped a hoof on the ground. "You know, I thought being a guard would be much more fun." She said.

"What do you mean?" He said, sounding uncertain. "You get paid way more than your last job!"

"Yeah, but, the things you said sounded adventurous and fun; this isn't fun."
It's going to be fun for me, though. I couldn't help but grin as that statement flew into my mind.

12:15

My grin suddenly turns into a devious smile as I watch the cloud rain white snow. They looked up to see an out of places cloud above them. "Is this some kind of joke?" He asked, the anger rising within him. The cloud rained a bit harder, then it became a blizzard. I run and kick a swift buck to his gut, shocking the female guard. Not giving her anytime to think, the cloud stopped, and quickly wrapped my hood around her snout. Not going to lie, she looks cute squirming. "Shh, shh shh shh." I repeated.

She struggled as much as she could, but after a few moments, she gave in. "There ya go," I slowly dragged her into the bushes, and I could tell that she was ready to cry a fountain. "The book, where is it?

All I get was a fearful, yet confused expression. I was in no mood for that. I released my hood from her about, but instead wrapped it around her neck. Once again, she started to squirm, but I held my ground. "You know where it is, do you?" I asked.

She couldn't look at her attacker, but it looks like she didn't even want to. "P-please let me go." I hear her stutter quietly.

I squeezed a bit tighter, not wanting to make her pass out. "I'm asking you a question. Answer it. Where is the book?"

"I-I don't know!!"

I give another small sigh. "Your useless." I say, before covering her snout once more. She struggled even harder, but her body slowly became limp, and she slipped unconscious. I wipe off the dirt she spread all over my nice blue coat, gently let down her body, and I headed into the building.

Not going to lie, it was dang dark in that part of the building, and I couldn't see ten inches in front of me. Luckily, Luna's beautiful night lid up the rooftop, and I headed there. Going upstairs and opening the door, I see Alex waiting for me. "You already cleared the guards in the room?" He asked.

"Its to dark. Your a dragon, you have that night vision mumbo-jumbo. Help a brother out." I say, motioning him to come in.

Alex

After telling Baws to keep watch over our exit strategy, I began looking through the warehouse. As I traversed the hallways, I thought to myself, 'For such a small warehouse, there sure are a lot of friggin doors.' For indeed, there were many doors around me, and the intel Spark Plug had obtained was not specific on which one the item of our interest lie behind. Which meant I had to check every last one.

'Oh, I love a good game of hide-and-seek,' I thought sarcastically.

Thankfully, being half-dragon came in handy for situations like this. My senses were ten times as powerful as that of any average pony, and I'd spent many years training myself to put them to use, even if I didn't always like it. I reluctantly put my nose to the ground and took a large whiff. Sweaty hooves (gross), sewer rats (disgusting!), moldy old cheese (sweet Celestia, that burns!!), thousand-year-old ink and paper- bingo!
Following the scent, I came to a door with a sign that, originally, said 'Starswirl's spell book inside', but was poorly crossed out and had 'janitor's closet' written underneath. I couldn't help but take a moment to think about how these gangs really needed to recruit smarter members. Though, their current occupants did make my job easier.

I placed my ear up against the door and listened for any signs of life. No breathing, no heartbeat- the room was totally empty. I tried the doorknob, but it was locked. At least they were smart enough to do that. In response, I blew a steady stream of fire breath on the knob, until the thing melted off completely. I pushed the door open without any resistance. Piece of cake.

In the center of the room, laying on a pedestal underneath a glass case, was the spell book. I approached the pedestal and listened closely. A faint humming noise was coming from the case- a security spell. If the case was shattered or removed without the spell being disabled first, an alarm would go off, sure to bring unwanted attention my way. Very carefully, I used my claws to cut a large circle in the glass, then pushed it in. Removing my cap from my head, I proceeded to place the spell book in. Then, I pulled out the piece de resistance- the Black Mask Brothers' calling card- and put it where the book had been. Perfect.

"Hold it right there," said a feminine voice, one I knew all too well. When I turned around, my suspissions were confirmed- standing before me was a unicorn mare. She wore a navy blue vest over her red coat, and a gold badge cutie mark on her flank confirmed her law enforcement career. Her neatly groomed mane was violet, same as her captivating eyes. A vision of beauty as always- here was Inspector Gold Heart, a police officer who had been assigned the case of capturing me and my brothers. As usual, she didn't seem happy to see me. Time to turn on the charm.

"Why Inspector Heart," I said nonchalantly, "It's been a while. What brings you to this fine establishment?"

"If you must know," she replied, a smug grin appearing on her face, "I recently got intel that some gang members had Starswirl the Bearded's spell book hidden here. Knowing that such a rare and valuable item would be too much for you to resist, I organized a stakeout, that way we could capture you, your partner, the gang members, and retrieve the spell book all in one fell swoop."

"My my, beauty and brains. You truly are the full package." Gold Heart began to scowl at me, but the blush of pink on her cheeks was evident.

"This place is completely surrounded!" she retorted, her horn beginning to glow. "Even if you get past me, there are officers waiting everywhere to catch you! You won't be able to escape this time!"

I smiled smugly. "Oh, I'm sure I'll find a way. After all, you always get angry when I escape, and you truly are lovely when you're angry."

With that, I made my move. In the blink of an eye, my body turned black and flattened onto the ground- I had become a shadow. Quickly, I passed underneath Gold Heart, whose shocked face was priceless, and made my way down the hall. I thought to myself how, at times like this, I was so very lucky to have been born with the extremely rare power of darkness. Returning to my three-dimensional form without missing a beat, I began trotting toward my brother. We needed to leave. Now.

Baws

Dragging the last unconcious body, I hide it behind the vent of the building, and wiping off the sweat from my head. Suddenly, warm heat surrounded me, and I couldn't help but sweat even more. Seriously, where is all this heat coming from? I look over the building to see guards with flashlights, then waving it around like Celestia was doing a one-night concert.

"Gold Heart said the bandits were here, right?" One of them asked. The other guard nodded, then pointed towards the building. "She says their right in there." He says.

That fast?! Who sounded the alarm?! The rooftop door banged open, and I turn to see Alex in a panic. "One to ten, how bad?" He asked me.

I looked over, back to him, back to the guards, then back at him. "Seven if we get out of here to late. Nine if they catch us up here."

I don't know if Alex had to sneeze or what, but he looked pissed doing it. He turned back to me with a stern expression. "You didn't see Gold Heart enter the building?" He asked.

I smirked as he said that. "Your marefriend's here? No wonder we got caught so fast." I say, twisting my blue hoof around. I could see the blush on his face, and I had to hold in my laugh for us to not get caught.

"Screw you." He said.

Alex

I pulled Baws up through the skylight and on to the roof, then put a finger to my ear.

"Sparks, we got Gold Heart on our tail!"

"Bet you wish it were the other way around."

"N-now is not the time for that!" I feel my cheeks burn and hear Baws laughing under his breath. "We're surrounded and need a new escape route!"

"Okay, there's two ways you can get out of there. There's a ponyhole near-"

"Okay- let me stop you there. I am NOT going into the stinky disgusting sewer."

"Uh, I second that motion." added Baws. "And also third, fourth, and fifth it."

"And thus, the motion is is carried. What's plan B?"

"Well, plan B is you fly out of there."

"Uh... Sparks, how do I put this?" Baws said. "Oh I know: HAVE YOU LOST YOUR DAMN MIND?!!"

"Okay, that was unnecessary." I observed, sticking my pinkie into my ringing ear. "But nonetheless, I have to agree: if we try flying away, we'll be magic blasted till we've got more holes than Swiss cheese!"

"Not if you follow my new plan..."

Baws

"And what is that, exactly?" I asked, looking down as more guards crowd the building. Suddenly, a mobster comes out of the building, a wrench in his mouth. "Hey!" He muttered through the solid wrench. The guards look at him, and my eyes shrink.

"Holy Celestia I forgot one!"

"How did you forget another gang member?! How do you mess that up?" Alex looked at me like I aced the stupidity test. I looked back at him the same way. "You try to take down the guards in pure dark, A-hole." I said, looking back down.

"Alex, what's going on?"

"Winter forgot a mobster--" Suddenly, two more gang members come out, holding Inspector Gold Heart in a custody. "--And they have Gold Heart!" Alex yelled in a quick panic.

The mobster holding Inspector Gold Heart looks at them with insane, wicked eyes. "LET US GO, AND WE WILL PEACEFULLY GIVE YOU BACK THE GIRL!!" He yells out.

Great...we can't leave now. Thanks, Asshats.

"Baws, can you give me an opening?"

"Yeah, I can, but you won't last a dang second without someone touching your mare." I interrupt his moment of thinking and he glares at me. I give a good laugh of mockery before settling down. "Alright, alright, I'll see what I can do." I say, still laughing under my breath.

I look over to see them trying to hand the mare over, and guards holding their freakishly long spears at the gang. Chariots are surrounding the area, so I guess we have to leave fast. A bit of thunder can temporarily blind them; don't want to use that dragon magic just yet. The trees over there could be a bit more useful than taking off into the air. We can hide there until the heat dies down. Guess we're taking the trees.
I spin my tail to form a cloud, Alex becoming confused of my actions. "What are you doing?!" He whispered angrily.

"Forget taking off in the air, we'll get caught that way. We're taking the trees instead." I whisper back. Looking at the cloud, which was only as big as a cardboard box, I hovered it over the commotion. I hopped on it, and bounced to cause some rain above the gang. "H-hey!! Who's doing that?!" one of the mobster's yelled out. I give the cloud a good kick before blinding everyone with lighting. I got back on the building, and took the book from his hands.

"Go save your mare friend or whatever. I'll take the book home." I said. I didn't even let him speak as I took off into the Everfree.

He better owe me a hay burger for bringing my flank to this heist while I was asleep.

Alex

I sigh. Well, at least he gave me an opening. Without hesitation, I shadow slided down behind Gold Heart and the goons. I jumped out from behind them, catching them off gaurd and grabbing Gold Heart. Then, before they could regain their composure, I rocketed into the air, Gold Heart clung tightly to my chest.

"You looked like you could use a lift." I said.

Gold Heart blushed. "Put me down. Now!"

As requested, I set her down on the roof.

"So, I suppose this is the part where you try to arrest me even though I saved your life."

Gold Heart glared at me for a while before sighing. "Ten seconds. After that, you're back on my list."

"Thanks, beautiful! We should do this again sometime."

"Now you've got eight."

"Right." I flew off to find my brother.

Chapter 2: Business as Usual

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Chapter 2: Business as Usual

Baws

It was the next day, and man, did it feel good to steal a priceless artifact.

Keyword, priceless, this book was probably a farce. I can't read this mumbo-jumbo, and neither could Spark.

"How did you grab the wrong book?!" Spark yelled.

"This was the same book you told us about!!"

"Yeah, but we should be able to read it!!"

"You're a flipping unicorn!! You're smart, do something!!"

"That's stereotypical!!"

The door opens to reveal Alex, and relief fell upon me. "Alex! Thank you!" I say with more relief than necessary.

"What? What's going on?" He asked.

"Spark is peeved that we 'got the wrong book'."

"Did we?"
"I don't know, ask him. I'm leaving. Gotta work and schedule for the upcoming weather."

I left with a... friendly matter, and gently closed the door.

Freaking geez...

Alex

After Baws left, I turned to my lemon yellow brother to see if I could lend him a hoof. It was obvious he was quite perplexed, as he kept fiddling with his red bowtie and his square glasses.

"Let me take a look at it."

Spark ran a hoof through the few tufts of black hair he had on his head and handed the book to me, and I looked it over. The writing was strange, but there was something off about it. I gave the ink a sniff.

"Here's the problem!" I exclaimed. "There's a protection spell mixed into the ink."

"Well that's just great!" replied Sparks, sarcastically. "It'll take me forever to figure out how to bypass such an old spell!"

"Well then, you better get started." I said, tossing the book back into Spark's hooves. "Meanwhile, I've got to get to work."

A few minutes later, I approached the place of my employment: the local police department. I know- what kind of a thief works for the police? Well, actually, I'm only an assistant here, not a cop. Plus, it a good way to find out about local crimes. Best of all, though, I was the assistant to my favorite inspector.

"Alex! There you are!" Inspector Gold Heart said as I walked through the door. "You've got a lot of work to do today!"

"Always a pleasure working with you, Goldie," I replied.

"I told you, it's Inspector Heart to you!" Gold Heart scowled at me.

"I know, but you get mad when I call you Goldie, and you truly are lovely when you're angry."

Gold Heart blushed, but then looked surprised. "Hey- one of the Black Masks said the same exact thing to me last night!"

Oops.

"W-well, uh... he and I must have had a similar thought," I said, trying to save face.

Gold Heart glared at me, then stopped. "Eh, you're probably right."

I let out an internal sigh of relief. Too close. Had to be more careful.

Baws

Putting on my white lab coat, I walk through Cloudsdale and entered the Rainbow Factory. It's not so bad, really. Just don't drink the rainbow mixture, follow instructions, all fine and dandy. As I was walking through the factory, Rainbow Dash came from behind.

"Hey, Winter, you heard about what happened last night?" She asked, a smile on her face.

I can guess. "No, what?" I asked.

She got in front of me with a big smile. "Have you heard of the Vendetta crew?"

"Vendetta crew? Who are they?" I asked.

"A group of thieves like the Black Mask Brothers! The ones we were talking about yesterday! It's amazing how only those two can steal something so awesome!"

I couldn't resist a smile. She looked at me with the same face. "Nah, don't worry about it, big guy. I'll keep it a secret." She said, playfully punching my shoulder.

"You better. I don't want to come out in the middle of the night to black you out."

"Yeah. But you haven't heard of the Vendetta crew?"

I was more curious than ever than to hear who these jokers are.

Seriously? Vendetta? ...Okay that sounds pretty damn awesome, but so what? "No, who are they?" I continued.

"A group of females stealing priceless artifacts! Last night, Las Pegasus lost 2.3 million bits worth of casino money because of them! They left not only a note, but a black and red rose!"

Okay, they sound more awesome than they should have. We continued until we got into our stations, since we work together at our stations. I was the water provider, and she was the cloud maker. "What'd it say?" I asked, bringing in buckets of water with my wings.

"I don't know, Canterlot guards wouldn't say. All they gave us was the master minds and a black and red rose." She stopped to pick up the buckets of water, and toss them into the machine. She looked back at me with a more stern attitude. "Some say that this was just the beginning against you guys. Bataille des Voleurs, they said."

"Battle of the Thieves. Guess they got that one right." I said, bringing more buckets of water for her.

"What are you going to do?"

"I don't know, actually. We'll see how well their skills are by finding out where they live. We will go from there."

"Alright..."
The bell rung and the intercom rang.

"Lunch Time!!" It yelled out. Before I could walk out that door, Rainbow put a hoof on my shoulder.

"Winter?"

"Yeah?"

"Just...thanks for telling me."

"It didn't seem like I had much of a choice at the time, now did I? Your smart for a mare in the Wonderbolts. After Thunderlane made it in, I thought it was over for you guys."

"Oh shut up! He's a nice guy!"

"To you, maybe, but he's a sour lemon around me."

"Then that means you need to try harder at making friends."

"Worked on you, didn't it?"

"Just shut up and hurry. They're serving hay burgers today."

"Really?!"

Oh my Celestia--HAY BURGERS!! Can't be late for this one!!

Alex

"RITE!!! GET IN HERE!!!"

I came in running at the below of Gold Heart, my claws filled with an unnecessarily huge stack of papers.

"Uh-um, yes, Inspector Heart?"

"Are those the papers I asked you to get on the Black Mask Brothers' criminal activities?"

"Why, yes they are," I replied, looking over the stack of papers. Damn, we were good at being thieves.

"Put'em all back where you found them- we've been reassigned."

"What?!" I exclaimed, dropping the stack on the ground. "Reassigned?! To who?!"

"Have you heard of the Vendette Crew?" Gold Heart asked, to which I shook my head. "They're a large group of thieves who have stolen millions of bits worth of treasures, including some one-of-a-kind artifacts."

"I see. But what does that have to do with us?"

"Aside from it being our job?" she asked sarcastically. "They pose a threat to the safety of Equestria. If they keep up at the rate they're going, Equestria will face a state of financial ruin!"

"Okay- that does seem pretty important."

Just then, another officer came in and asked to speak to Inspector Heart alone. When she returned, she looked completely spooked- something that Gold Heart almost never is. I asked her what was up.

"There... there's a fire! Right now! At one-thirty-two Trottington Avenue!"

I felt my heart stop.

"B-but... that's where I live!"

Baws

We walked into the lunch room, every pony chilling and eating their lunch like usual. Already into having our lunches from waiting in that long line, we sit down at a table. Of course, nothing's more interesting than eating a lunch full of hay burgers and hay fries!
"You really love that stuff?" Rainbow asked.

"Uh, yeah! I love these suckers!" My excitement was killing me, and I can't wait to taste the deliciousness in my mouth! Yeah...

...it's sad how a simple day could ruin your chance of eating your favorite food.

I couldn't even take a dang bite of my burger without the intercom going off. "ATTENTION ALL PEGASI!! WE HAVE A CODE RED. I REPEAT, A CODE RED!!"

Code Red?

"That's fire, isn't it?" Rainbow asked me.

"Yeah, c'mon!" I rushed outside and grabbed an emergency rain cloud. Rainbow followed in pursuit with the other Pegasus, but stayed beside me. "
Which building?" She asked the others.

"One-thirty-two Trottington Avenue!"

W-what?! B-but...

"Winter, isn't that where you live?" Rainbow asked. Your gosh-dang right it is! My house is flippin burning! I rushed faster than anyone in the Emergency Squad, and your gosh dang right if you assume that address is my house! The fire was slowing dying out by the time I got there, aside from the Fire Ponies were hosing down the building, but we got the fire from above. The fire died out in a matter of minutes, and I was damned pissed. When I swooped down to talk with the Fire Ponies, they didn't look happy to see me.

"O-oh...Mr. Winter, sir." One of the stuttered.

"Well? What caused the fire to my house this time?" I asked. Let me tell you something; every time their's a fucking disaster, my house always somehow catches on fire. Even if their nowhere near my property, it catches on fire. I just let Alex and Spark live in it because ponies are still scared of dragons, and Spark had nowhere to live since he was kicked out of his girlfriends house. It's a fucking pain to come back one day to see my house on fire with no pony calling the dang guards. Friends we are in Ponyville.

"U-uh...we promise to pay for the damages to your house!"

"You said that four times, and you stilled never bothered to pay it!! Where's my 750,000 bits you 'Fire Ponies' still owe me?"

You don't know how pissed I was, and you don't know how lucky they were when Alex rolled up into the scene. Alex better find a damn way to convince them, or I'm going to be the next damn villian for the Elements of Harmony to fight.

Alex

"Yo, Al, tell these foos to gimme my money!!" yelled Baws as I approached.

"Dude, we got more important things to worry about than yo damn money!!"

"Yeah? Like what?"
"Like where the heck is Sparks?!"

It was then that the realization hit him.

"Oh Celestia- Sparks!!" Baws quickly dashed over to the rubble of our house, digging through pile after pile in search of our little brother. We may not be related by blood, and he may complain about us from time to time, but Sparks and I knew Baws cared about us just as much as we cared about him.

"I found him!!" Baws exclaimed, pulling Sparks out of a pile of rubble. He was beaten and bruised, but otherwise alright. I quickly ran to their side.

"Sparks, what the Tartarus happened?!"

"It was... it was... the... Vendettes..." Spark Plug grunted, hacking a bit. "They... they got... the book. I... tried... to stop them... but... there were... too many... and I... wasn't... strong enough. I'm... sorry guys... I... failed..."

At this point, tears are streaming down Baws's face. "You did good, little bro. You did good."

With that, Spark gave a weak smile and passed out.

Chapter 3: Settling In

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Chapter 3: Settling In

Baws

Man...can't believe it...

...My house was destroyed.

Alex wrapped a shoulder around me and gave me a brotherly pat. "It's alright man, he'll be fine." He said.

"I know...my house won't though..." I said. He gave me the most confused face ever. I stared back at him with anger, and yet, tears streaming down my face.

"You live in my damn house. Don't look at me like that." I told him. He held his hands up in defense, and the Inspector Gold Heart came in.

"Alright, Alex, we're going back to the HQ and file this report--"

"Oh no. No you aren't. Your going to give me a new house, and your going to pay that fine." I told her, wiping off my manly tears and replacing them with fury. She looked at me like I just slapped a puppy.

"Sir, we don't have time to pay the fine." She said, but I laughed at her face.

"Your funny, you know that? Do you even know what you guards have to pay?" I asked her. She shook her head, and I laughed harder. "750,000 bits, plus the new damages, resulting in 900,000 bits total."

I already knew Inspector Alex's-new-crush would be shocked, but Alex himself was shocked. I wanted to smile, but my mind was to damn angry at what happened to Spark and my house. She held a nervous smile before she spoke. "N-nine hundred thousand bits?! Did the fire ponies even pay that off?!" She asked.

I shook my head in response.

"Celestia herself said that if you guys don't pay it before the deadline, not only do I get all the money you guys owe me, but I get a brand new house built by you guards." I told her.

"When is it?"

"A year ago, but I was nice and I wanted to give you a chance, since my friend Alex told me you guys were busy since the Tirek incident. How unfortunate."

I was practically losing my mind at this point, and she could tell. She tried to turn around and look for the Fire Ponies, but they were already gone, leaving an I.O.U. note. She looked back at me. She gave a heavy sigh. "Where would you like to live...?" She gave me another sigh with a sappy look.

I smirked. "A brand new mansion."

She looked like she was tazered, but I kept my stance. "Don't make me tell Celestia how late that deadline is." I told her.

She tried to give me another stern look, but failed. "We will give you another house within week at max." She said, but then she gave me same face she always gives to her clients.

"But as of now, you will be living with your friends."

Good enough for me. I'll be with Rainbow, but...dear merciful Celestia, have mercy on Alex when he encounters Sparks girlfriend.

Please spare Alex, my Princess in savior.

Alex

"So, where we stayin?" I asked my brother as the medical team caried Sparks away.

"I'm staying over at Rainbowdash's, while you... are gonna have to room with Spark Plug's girlfriend."

"WHAT?!" I exclaimed. "Uh-uh! No way in Tartarus I'm staying with that psycho! Especially since Sparks broke up with her, remember?"

I could practically see the gears turning in my brother's head as he tried to recall my statement.

"Oh yeah. You're right. But you can't stay with me and Dash."

"Why?! You think I'd get in the way of you trying to make a move on her? Heck, I could help! I mean, I'm a regular caso-neigh-va, while you're... well, you."

"And what is that supposed to-"

"AHEM!!" interrupted Gold Heart, catching our attention. She then began to blush. "Uh... I-I've got a spare room in my apartment. You... you could stay with me until your new house is ready."

I could feel my cheeks turning red, and could hardly think of a response.

"He'd love to!" Baws answered for me.

"Great! I'll... see you later, then!" And with that, Gold Heart went off to talk to damage control.

"Good luck, caso-neigh-va." Baws whispered to me.

I elbowed him in the gut.

Baws

Freaking Supermare; can't tell who they are until that mask is off. Have you ever got feeling where you know who they are, but a simple object makes them a completely different pony, so you just want to yell that out? I have, lots of times.

I give a small chuckle, and it kept going once I saw what Rainbow was doing. She hovered a small gray cloud over Alex, and he suddenly got chills.

"Did it just get dark?" He asked. I replied with a smile.

"And it will get even wetter." I said. Before he could ask, Rainbow stomped on the rain, and it poured onto him. She flew down and gave me a high-hoof. "Now that's how close we are!"

Might as well be the Joker from Batmare, because that's how hard I was smiling. We gave a mighty laugh afterwards, and we got rid of the cloud. "Now, good luck at your marefriends house." I told him.

He looked at me with a glare, before giving a small smile. "Prepare for your flank to get pranked." He rhymed. I just gave him a smile before flying off.

Once me and RD got to her house, she brought out her keys. "Prepare for the time of your life! My fun house!" She said. I couldn't wait, and I was pumped to go in! Until, well...

Soarin was in her house.

Celestia why?

"Soarin? How'd you get in?" Rainbow asked. He jumped a bit before looking at her.

"Oh, by Rainbow--" then he got a good look at me. "--And...Winter."

"Hey...Soarin. How's it going?" I asked him. He doesn't look very happy to see me. Okay, let me get this out of the way. Me and Thunderland are not good friends. We have some stuff that happened in our lives that I probably might explain later.

...Dumb fucks who be reading my diary, go fuck off!

But, regardless, we aren't good friends. Soarin is a whole other story. I literally don't know what I did wrong. He just hates me. Rainbow and him be talking in privacy but, well, I don't know. Poor guy hates me.

And he just happens to be at her house at the time my house burned down.

...Fuck.

Alex

I plotted my prank revenge as Gold Heart led me to her apartment. My mind was blank at the moment, but my revenge would be complicated and sweet.

"Anyways, here's my apartment." said Gold Heart as we entered the door into a nice, simple apartment.

"This place is nice!" I said.

Gold Heart blushed. "You really think so? I mean, it's not much..."

"Hey, it's cleaner than my old place. I mean, really, my brothers can't microwave a pizza without making a gigantic mess. So, yeah, you got a real nice place, Goldie."

"Well... thanks." She replied. "Your room's over there, right across from mine."

"Ooh, me likey."

Gold Heart blushed again. "J-just wash up before dinner."

"What are we having?"

"Hay burgers."

I did a double take, then grinned like an idiot. "Nice apartment, pretty mare, and hay burgers? Somepony pinch me, because I gotta be dreamin!"

Baws

...

...I felt a disturbance in the force...

...

DAMN YOU ALEX!! Why does he get to have hay burgers?! This is so--!!

"Winter!!"

"Huh? W-what?" Okay, so I may have dozed off a bit. Not like I missed something important!

"Did you hear anything I say?" Rainbow asked.

I replied with no hesitation. "U-um, yeah! Yeah! I totally heard ya!" She gave me the most BS face she has ever given me, it will make cow poop sound like it's pure fact. She sighed, and Soarin chuckled under his breath.

"I'm going to have a chat with Soarin real fast. Don't go anywhere." She told me.

I nodded, and she walked off into her room with Soarin. Suddenly, my temperature dropped. Oh Celestia not the--!!

"ACHOO!!"

...Cold. Fuck Spring, fuck Summer, fuck allergies, fuck everything that's hot. Wait...

...DAMNIT ALLERGIES!! They always mess with my head!!

I looked to see the back door opened, and I gladly closed it. Once that was done, I checked out her house. It wasn't that bad really. Nice furniture, and awesome radio. I swear, if machines are able to project color pictures, and I'm not able to see them, I'ma be pissed. That would be awesome to go through before I die. Actually, what would you call that? P.P.? Projected Pictures?

...Crap, toilet joke.

Other than gibberish coming from the other room, the sound of clocks bothered me.

Tick-tock-tick-tock-this-sucks-its-boring--

bzzt bzzt

The heck? Is my ear pied going off? Before I could even figure out that question, Spark spoke.

"Winter? You there?" He asked.

"Spark? I thought you were in the hospital!!" I kept my voice down from the others hearing, even though they were in the other room.

"Still am. Where's Alex?"

"At his GF's house, why--?"

"For some reason, I'm not getting any feedback. Something's interfering with his ear piece."

"Spark, what's going on?"

"You know how your burned-down-house is a few blocks from the hospital?"

"Don't remind me."

"I'm getting some strange activity going on. I hear female conversations and large equipment being tampered with at the scene. I would check it out, but..."

"And Alex is not available at the moment?"

"Thinking about it now, it may not be a smart idea. Alex is with a royal guard."

"And he's gotten away about robbing a few bank heist in front of Princess Luna during the Gala. That's easy for him to lie off of."

"Anyway, you going to check it out?"

"Record the conversation. Alex is off the list because of interference with something. I'll tell him tomorrow."

"Right. I'll keep an ear out!"

"Good job."

And that's when Rainbow and Soarin came out of the room. What news do you have this time?

Alex

The next day, thanks to Goldie pulling a few strings, I was able to take the day off to check in on Sparks. For somepony who constantly tried to arrest us, she really was a sweet mare. Of course, she'd beat me up if I said that.

When I walked in Spark's room, I found Baws inside as well.

"How'd you get off work?" I asked.

"Didn't. Got Dash covering for me."

"And I regret asking. How was it at Dash's?"

"Soarin was there."

"Oooh- You got cock blocked!!"

"Shut yo face!"

"Gentlecolts!" Interrupted Sparks. "We have a lot to talk about, so quit acting like you're five years old again!"

Baws

"The heck do you mean again?" I asked him. He gave me the stink eye, and I sighed. "Sure...fine, whatever."

Okay, you guys may not know, but we are in the hospital, and theirs a pony behind me just coughing on my luxurious flank. I swear, my flank will turn freaking saggy because of him. I'm getting angry not giving him a massive horse-powered kick. I hold in my rage, and I continue, "Anyway, Alex, how was your time at your GF's?"

He growled at me, and I smiled. "Didn't even make a move now did you?" I asked him. I swear, he looks close to just giving me the day of my life; painful and brutal, but hilarious all in the meanwhile.

"COUGH COUGH"

And...it was back. I heard a sigh coming from Spark, and he looked at me. "I thought I told you to stop acting like fillies." He told me.

I gave him a toothy grin. "I'm not, but thanks for the compliment anyway. I'm actually nine, so thanks for that. I don't look a day older than five!" I sarcastically told him.

Spark sighed, and the nurse came in. "You doing okay, Spark? These two men bothering you?" She asked.
He muttered something under his breath, which neither of us got.
"Excuse me?" She asked.

"I'm fine, thank you." He, I guess, repeated. She nodded, and walked past me, a bit of her tail rubbing on my blue coat. She grabbed the stallion behind me and pushed him to the door, but she gave me one good look before taking off. I stared at the door like a flipping idiot.

"...Isn't she the nurse from the counter?" Alex asked. I gave him a small shrug. "Don't know, but pretty dang skinny for a earth pony." I told him.

...Hey, do you think she was hitting on me?

Alex

I noticed the look on my brother's face.

"She was not hitting on you."

"And what makes you think so?"

"Because the only mare who even hits on you just a little bit is Rainbow."

"You think Rainbow's into me?"

"Was that not obvious? I tease you about it so often."

"Yeah, but... I never actually noticed."

"Again: totally. Romantically. Challenged."

"It's true." Sparks agreed.

"Told ya."

Baws

"What does Sparks know? Literally every mare avoids him when he tries to go on a date! Heck, I'm still wondering how you--" I pointed at Alex, "--haven't made a single move, and you--" then I pointed at Sparks "--only got a girlfriend because we told you to get out the damn house a few weeks ago! Even and still we had to make the move for you, because you were to damn scared to ask her!"

"Chill, just a tease." Alex reassured me, but I was a little peeved off how Sparks thinks he knows how to get a damned date when he thinks I don't. "Sure I don't notice a lot of things, but don't think your the damn smart guy around here, okay?" I said.

They both were a little shock at my sudden outburst, but they nodded anyway. "Now...hurry up. My little sis is about to get out of school today, so make this quick."

"You have a sister?" Spark suddenly perked.

Nope nope nope, he ain't getting nowhere to my sister. Screw him.

"Yeah, but she's spending a week or two at my house. She's been living with my Mom for the past few years. Hurry up." I said.

Spark sighed sadly, which I have no fucks to give at that point. Sorry, more fucks will be here soon, but in the meanwhile, you can give a damn to charity.

"Anyways," Alex said, "What's the big important shiz you gotta talk about, Sparks?"

Sparks brought up a newspaper from the hospital bed, and we took a look at it. "Your burning building was in the front page." He said.

Burning Building in Ponyville?

...The fuck does it have a question mark for? OF COURSE MY HOUSE BURNED DOWN!! "Okay, so?" I said, still retaining my anger.

"Look closely at the picture." He told us. We looked at the picture, which had nothing out of the ordinary. My house was burned in the aftermath, and it seemed to rest in the forest. A bunch of guards were there too, so theirs that. "...What are we suppose to be looking at?" Alex asked.

Spark groaned, then tapped on the newspaper. "Read the article!!" He yelled. Grinning like a it idiot, I read the article.

Officer Red Cherry has reported that the building has burned down during the day, and no pony was able to confirm who did it. Seeing no suspicious activity, Inspector Gold Heart and her assistant Alex Rite has declared this building to be tore down tomorrow afternoon. Officer Red Cherry claims that this fire went off during the morning rise--between 7:30 to 10:00 A.M--and will be investigating shortly.

Alex raised a brow in question, and he looked at me. "We were at the house until 9:00, so it had to be between somewhere around there." He said.

"Not only that," Spark pointed to another part of an article, "It says that the Vendetta crew has burned several buildings containing hard-to-catch thieves like the Changelings, Diamond Dog Industries, and Griffon U.C."

"Griffin U.C.? Isn't that an undercover agency?" I asked. Spark nodded, and he set the news paper down. "The Vendetta Crew has burned down buildings containing thieves, and the Royal guards are slowly catching on. If they figure out that the building they burned was your house..."

He trailed off, but me and Alex knew what he was going to say. "They will suspect we're the thieves!" Alex exclaims.

Well shit!!

Alex

"Sweet Celestia have mercy!" I exclaimed, panic stricken. "If they find us out, we'll never be able to escape! Not to mention, Gold Heart probably won't go out with me!"

"Baws?" said Sparks, glancing to our brother. Completely understanding what he meant, Baws raised his hoof. Next thing I knew, his hoof made very painful contact with my face.

"Thanks," I said, rubbing my cheek. "I needed that."

Baws raised his hoof again, but I quickly grabbed hold of it.

"Don't push your luck." I said, glaring.

"Anyways," Sparks continued, "the good news is, I managed to erase any trace of the Vendettes before I lost consciousness."

"And the bad news?" Baws inturupted.

"The bad news is: they know who we are."

"You're right. They could expose us if given the chance..."

"So what?" querried Baws. "We just sit back and take it like whimps? You know I can't do that!"

"I agree. I can't stand for this; stealing our stuff, destroying our home, harming Sparks- these ponies need to pay."

Sparks grinned. "I knew you two would say that. That's why I've got a plan."

"Plan time, huh? Well lay it on us." replied Baws, as he and I huddled in with Sparks.

"It's not gonna be easy," Sparks informed us. "It's gonna take time, resources, skill, and more ponypower than the three of us have alone. But together, I think we can do it. We're gonna take down the Vendette Crew one at a time, until there's nothing left of them but memories."

"Ooh, I like this plan!" Baws interjected. "I'm excited to be a part of it!"

"So what do we need to do?" I asked.
"First, we need to lay low until the new house is ready: that will be our main base. During this time, we need to find out as much about the Vendettes as possible. Once we've accomplished that, we move into phase two. Are you guys ready to become legends?"

We all nod to eachother, grinning like idiots. It was time for the Black Mask Brothers to make our names go down in history.

Baws

"What about that recording?" I asked him. Alex seemed a bit confused about that, but I still kept my stance. Sparks brought out a small recorder, Celestia knows what the heck that is and how it was formed, and he replayed the tape.

At first, it sounded like some of our stuff from the burning building was being tampered with, but I could make it out quite clear. "Rose, have you found the book?" a feminine voice asked.

"Yeah," another mare said, "Trust me, they should know who their messing with now. They should be caught by next morning if were correct."

"Complete fail." I couldn't hold back saying it, which resulted in my boys chuckling a bit. More sounds were tampered with, and I couldn't help but be intrigued in what they were going through.

"If not, then they should at least know that we are a group they shouldn't mess with." the mare confirmed.

"Oh yeah," 'Rose' said, "Robbing a casino, and exposing the Black Mask Brothers, we should be the infamous Vendetta Sisters, not them!"

"C'mon, we got the information we need now. Let's go."

And with that, silence was heard. Guess that was the end. "Their good, but not good enough." Alex said.

"Agreed, we should be able to take them down easy if we can figure out where their hideout is." Spark said, but a few things confused me, so I shook my head in denial.

"I don't get it," I told them, "just...how did they find us? Not even the guards nor Princess Celestia herself could find us, and yet, they found us with ease. Not only that, what information did they steal? What's so vital to them that they would steal from us?"

"We can't let that go, we know this, but we can't do anything until we can get a new hideout and our equipment back. We're sitting ducks, just letting them toy with us until we are no longer use to them." Spark said.

"Just do our regular daily lives, and we'll figure out what to do next. Winter, keep us informed of our house. Spark, once you get out, find out more about the crew." Alex told us.

"And what would you being doing?" I interrupted. He gave me a smile. "I'll be checking in reports and crimes on these Vendettas. Good luck out there." He said.

I nodded and took my leave.

Good to have ya back Alex.

Chapter 4: Laying Low

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Chapter 4: Laying Low

Alex

The next day, I found myself at work once again. Only this time, it was for more than just earning a paycheck, it was time to collect info on our new adversaries. Luckily, Goldie was all over that for me.

"So Gold Heart, what do we know about these 'Vendette' creeps?" I asked.

Gold Heart gave me an odd look, probably because I usually never ask questions about our cases, and replied, "Well, so far, not much. We know that they've pulled off a ton of major heists, and that they're a gang of females, though what species and how many of them there are is still unknown."

"That's all we've got?"

"Well, there is one more thing, but so far we've been unable to get any solid evidence to support it."

"Lay it on me."

"We have a suspect who is believed to be a member of the Vendetta Crew. A unicorn by the name of Scarlet Rose."

Rose! Just like in the recording! I thought to myself, glad to have a lead. "So, uh, what makes this 'Rose' character a suspect?"

"The thing is, Scarlet Rose is a rather wealthy mare, but how she managed to get so wealthy is a mystery."

Gonna have to tell Spark about this; if anyone could dig up info on a pony, it was him. Soon, he'd have everything on her from her criminal record to what she had for breakfast last Tuesday.

"Why are you so interested, anyway?" asked Gold Heart. "You were never this curious about the Black Mask Brothers."

Crap. Time to think of an excuse.

"Well, uh... the Black Masks are local, I found out whatever I wanted to know in the morning paper. The Vendettas on the other hoof, they're brand new!"

This answer seemed to be enough for Gold Heart, and I breathed a sigh of relief as she turned back to her work. We had a suspect. Now all we had to do was prepare.

Baws

Walking down the hallway, I spot Rainbow dumping out a bucket of water. She hears me come in, and she gives me a small wave. "Sup, Winter?" She said.

I gave her a nod, and she walked up to me. Her eyes narrowed and darted between the rooms we were in, but she resorted back to me.

"Found out who burned your house?" She quietly asked.

"Yeah, the Vendettas. They're burning down thieves, and if the guards are smart, they'll find us as well." I told her. She seemed a bit shock at that, but I continued.
"Luckily, we have a lead, so it's up to Alex to find some evidence and give us a start on what to do."

"Then can I join?" She asked.

I could've sworn I've heard something. Did she say what I think she just said?

"Uh, heh, what?" I asked.

"Can I join?" She asked again. I looked at her, and I swear that I must've looked like an ugly donkey, because she seemed to coil when I looked at her.

"You're joking, right?" I asked her.

"No, I--"

"Rainbow!" A familiar voice rang out. Oh Celestia, not him!! Not now!!

Alex, please tell me you have some information!! Please!!

Alex

A while later, during my lunch break, I met up with Baws at Cloudsdale, as usual. We sat outside, me munching on a comically oversized sandwich and drinking a cup of hot chocolate, and Baws just sitting there with his face in his hooves, scowling like an angry dragon.

"Soarin?" I asked.

"Soarin." he confirmed.

I put down my sandwich. "Dude, I'm gonna tell you now what I always tell you; if you want Soarin off your back, just ask Rainbow out."

"But... but that's just not me!" Baws countered. "I'm the cold, strong guy of the team, being romantic is just not my forte."

"I always offer to give you advice. You know me, I'm the king of romance." I said, and took a sip of my hot chocolate.

"Yeah, but... it's more than just that... Rainbow... Rainbow asked if she could join the gang."

My eyes shot open with a start, but I quickly regained my composure and set down my cup.

"And what did you say?" I asked.

"I... asked her if she was... joking..." replied Baws, now covering his face with his hooves.

I grimaced. "Ooh... that was a bad idea."

"Ya think?" Baws said sarcastically. "And of course, Soarin showed up right after."

"I see... well anyways, what's the problem with her being on the team? I think she'd be very helpful."

"Yeah, but, you know how it is. I just... don't wanna see her get hurt."

"You mean physically or emotionally?"

"Both. I just don't know how to handle a relationship if we're both wanted criminals."

"I see... well then, why not this; we let her in the gang, and I'll keep a close eye on her, that way she has someone looking out for her whenever you can't."

"You'd do that?"

"Of course! You forget, she's not just your friend. Heck, she's like a sister to me! Plus, if you want, I could help you pull off some romance while we're at it! What do you think, bro?"

Baws

"Yeah, but..." I trailed off into my own imagination. I really couldn't figure out why she can't come in. Something about her, it slipped my mind. She's part of...something. Fuck, what was it? "Dang it! I can't remember!" I spewed out.

"It's alright." He reassured. "She can hold her own."

A blue blur flew right above me, and she scared the color off me. My screaming was damn manly, but Alex laughed regardless. Asshole.

Rainbow was laughing with him, and she sat in the same table we were in.

"How are ya?" She asked, her toothy grin is just begging to be bigger.

"Fine. How was the talk with Soarin...again?" I asked. Her smile turned into a small frown, and she layed back a little.

"Oh...should we--?" She pointed at Alex, but I gave her a nod in response. She continued when she darted her eyes off to the sky. "He's...kinda...what's the word?"

"Angry?" I asked.

"Pissed?" Alex asked.

Rainbow nodded. "Yeah, that. And he's kind of upset that when he tried to make a move on me at my place, I turned him down." She said.

We read our minds when both me and Alex bursted out laughing. "Deserves what he gets." I said as my ass was being laughed off.

The laugher slowly died, but our smiles were still around. "So, can I join with you guys?" Rainbow asked. I gave a look at Alex, awaiting his approval.

Alex

"Why, certainly!" I told her, a grin forming on my face as her eyes lit up. "Of course, first you'll have to take a written test, then fill out the forms for your black mask, electronic devices, and membership card, and after that will be the dark ritual where you sign over your loyalty and your soul by way of contract signed in blood. Simple enough."

Rainbow Dash's quick transition from uncontainable glee to utter horror was too funny to ignore, and I burst out laughing, followed by Baws and then Rainbow herself.

"Hehe... yeah." I said, wiping a tear from my eye as I regained my composure. "In all seriousness, though, you're in. Just gotta give Spark Plug your info so he can assign you your role."

"Speaking of info," said Baws, "You get anything on the Vendettas?"

"Not much, I'm afraid. But I did manage to snag us a suspect; a little mare by the name of Scarlet Rose. Ring any bells?"

Baws thought about it for a second, his eyes growing wide once he put it together.

"So this Rose chick, what have we got on her?" asked Rainbow, clearly trying to get involved now that she was part of the team.

"Not much; just that she's mysteriously wealthy."

"I'm sure Sparks'll be able to find something." Baws said. "That colt could find dirt on a cloud."

"Exactly. Now, I suggest we all meet up with Spark Plug after work. Agreed?"

"Agreed." replied the two pegasi.

"In that case, back to lunch!" I said, stuffing my face yet again.

Baws

Lunch break is fun and all, but I got stuff to do. I awaited by the train, and Rainbow was resting beside me. Though, waiting a couple of hours is not one of her forte. She waited patiently before, but now she was groaning like she was a bear yawning. "I thought you said she was going to be here!" She complained, but I furrowed my brow.

"Give it a damn minute!! I had my house burn down, Soarin is suddenly visiting you, and I have the Vendettas to deal with! Not to mention I have to figure out where my sister has to sleep now! So just shut up and stay quiet!" I forced out.

She pouted a bit, and she darted to the left. My throat is just itching to apologize, but I was more focused on what to do than to say sorry. Finally my Little Sister walked out that train, and she was happy to see me. She galloped towards me, and we shared a bear hug. "Frosty!" She called out.

"Hey, Pastal!" I said, and the bear hug was ceased. "How are ya?"
"Good. I was excited to hear that your friends with the Wonderbolts!" She said, and I have a nervous, yet cheerful laugh.

"Yeeeaaahh...we aren't technically friends. He just doesn't like me." I told her, and she clicked her teeth.

"Still? He's mean."

I gave a pirate laugh, and Pastal looked at Rainbow. She looked right back at me with a devilish grin. "She your marefriend?" She asked.

"Did you get a coltfriend yet?" I replied with the same grin. That shut her up, and Rainbow giggled. "Pastal, meet Rainbow, and vice versa." I said.

My little sister gave Rainbow a smile, and waved. "Hi! I'm Pastal Black Flower! What's yours?" She asked innocently.

"Rainbow Dash! The fastest flyer you'll ever meet!" She boasted. I rolled my eyes, and I threw my hoof overhead. "C'mon, let's go. My house burned down..." I said.

"I know. I read it on Equestria Daily. Your gonna get a mansion!" She replied. I gave laugh.

"Your dang right I am! Let's go!" I repeated.

Guess I should figure out how to keep Wonder-Fuck off my little sister. This will be interesting.

Alex

I stared blankly at the clock, watching as the seconds ticked by, bored out of my mind. I really wished I could have gone with Baws to meet this sister of his, but unfortunately, my lunch break wasn't long enough. And with the very little information the department had on the Vendettas to work with, there wasn't much to do in the way of investigation. So basically, I was just there to be there.

SO. VERY. BORED.

In an attempt to lessen my boredom, I turned my thoughts back to Baws' sister. I was excited to meet this new mare, but I was more so interested in her meeting Spark. Who knows- maybe I'd get a chance to play matchmaker. I do so love getting involved in my friends' love lives.

"RITE!!" shouted Gold Heart, jarring me from my thoughts with a start.

"Huh?! What's going on?"

"Well, now that you're actually listening to me," the mare replied, "the boss said we could leave early since we have nothing to do. I'm heading home- you coming with?"

"In that case, I think I'll head up to Cloudsdale and see what Baws is up to. I'll catch ya later."

With that, we both left the office and headed our separate ways. I grinned mischievously.

Time to go bother my brother.

Baws

Yo ho look at the seas! This is what you wanted to be! Gonna go go sail over the seas! You are a pirate!!

"You are a pirate!" My Little Sis randomly yelled. I gave a good laugh.

"I seriously don't get how you can do that!" I said.

"Do what?" Rainbow asked, obviously wanting to be in the conversation. I give her a pat on the head and a chuckle.

"Me and my sister are...strange. So strange, in fact, that sometimes we can mind read each other." I explained.

Rainbow's eyes lit up like fire. "No, she can't mind read other people." And it extinguished faster than saying that your puppy was kicked.

"My shift is over anyway, since they agreed to let me check on the status of my house. We'll wait at your house."

She gave me a nod and flew off, leaving me with my sister. "...What now?" She asked. I gave a small hum.

"Let's get something to eat. Alex should be out in a minute." I told her.
She gave me a nod and she skipped ahead of me. "C'mon, slowpoke!" She taunted. I easily picked up speed, and we were side of each other. "Gotta be faster than that." I told her.

I swear, it turned into a race in just a few seconds.

Alex

I flew up to our usual meeting place in Cloudsdale. Knowing Baws, it was very likely he'd show up soon.

BAM!! CRASH!!

Not moments after that thought crossed my mind, I found myself lying on my face, pain coursing through my body.

"Oops..." said Baws, being that he and a mare I could only assume was his sister were the culprits of my assault. "My bad. Sorry."

"You know I hate you, right?" I say venomously.

"Eh, that's just the post-injury aggravation talking." he replied as he helped me up.

I rubbed the side of my head. "Doesn't make it any less true."

Baws

Piss off asshats! I didn't mean to.

After helping my fellow brother-from-another-mother, he rubs his head and takes a good luck at my sister. What I assume was blurriness because a few moments later, shocked, confused, and amazed all at the same time flew right through him.

"Th-this...is your sister?!" He asked.

"Uh, yeah?" I said. He darted back and forth between me and my sister. It's like watching a foal trying to figure out why the red cube won't fit in the yellow triangle hole, he isn't going to get anywhere doing that.

"B-but...you...and her...she's young?!" He asked again.

"She's no older than twelve, but she's smart enough to figure out an illogical puzzle." I said, burning into the cut with salt. I swear, if I laughed right now, Luna would have woken up from her morning slumber. He had to rub his temple and give out a large groan.

"When you said your little sister was coming, I thought she would be a few years younger than you." He explained.

"You were way off then." I said. Pastal gave a tap on my shoulder, and pointed at Alex. "Who's he?" She asked.

"Pastal, this is Alex. Knucklehead, meet Pastal, my little sister." I gestured my hood between him and her.

Alex looks like he made a mistake in his head. Holy Celestia is that hilarious! He looked at me, and I bobbed my head toward Pastal, awaiting his greeting.

Alex

Though I was still in shock, I regained my composure with a clearing of my throat, reminding myself not to be rude.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Pastal. I'm Alexander Rite." I greeted, holding out a claw for a hoof shake. She seemed hesitant at first, as most ponies are around me, but then smiled and returned the gesture.

"Likewise." she said.

"Ooh, polite! Clearly not something you learned from your brother." Baws glared at me for that remark, but Pastal laughed like a crazed maniac. "Okay, now I see a resemblance."

This only made her laugh harder. "I like this guy! He's funny!"

"Better believe it, Paz!" I replied. She stopped laughing and gave me a quizzical look.

"Paz?" she asked.

"Nickname." Baws answered her blankly. "He's the nickname guy. Everypony gets a nickname with him."

"Pretty much." I confirmed.

"Paz..." Pastal put a hoof to her chin in thought, before releasing a huge grin. "I like it!"

"Heck yeah, you do!" I exclaimed. "Now let's go get some food- I'm starving!"

Baws

Alex sped off in front of us, and we trotted along behind him. I was more pissed than happy now that Alex gave her a nickname to call me. That's 27...yippie. Though I used to play the 'Who's Bob' game with her and Alex, so when she decided to call me Paz, I ignored her. "Paz, how long?" She whined, but I kept on walking.

"Paz!!" She called out once more. I continued. She scrunched her muzzle and decided to endlessly poke me.

"Paz!!" She called again.

I looked at her, a supposedly confused expression. "Yeah?" I asked. She decided to throw her hoofs in the air, then give a bear groan. "I kept calling your name!!" She said.

I gave her a stupid smirk. "And what is it?" I asked. She was about to call the imposter name, but she once again scrunched her muzzle and blew a bit of hair away from her face.

"...Winter..." She sighed, defeated.

I chuckle. "Better remember." I told her. She gives me a slight shove, but I kept giggling like a mad pony.

Next time, gonna call Alex asshole when Pastal isn't around.

Alex

"You're a real killjoy, you know that?" I said to Baws.

"Says you. I put the 'F U' in fun!"

We all remained silent for a second.

"...That sounded better in your head, didn't it?" said Paz blankly, breaking the silence.

"...Maybe..."

"Idiot." I said. Paz and I burst out laughing, and, before he could get angry, wrapped Baws in a side hug. The power of our laughing and friendliness eventually overpowered him, and he began laughing as well.

"You guys suck," said Baws, grinning. "I love ya both, but you guys suck."

"That's what I love best about me!" I replied. "I'm a likable guy even when I'm being a jerk!"

"And I just do it for the lulz!" added Paz.

I laughed. "Dude, you sure she's your sister and not mine?"

"Pretty sure." Baws replied.

Baws

They both have each other a good laugh, and I sat there with a smile. At the very least their getting along. Then, out of nowhere, Pastal's eyes lit up like fire.

"Hey! Are you guys going to the Grand Galloping Gala this weekend?" She asked.

"Probably not. After what happened, we need to think what were going to do next." I said.

She had a small frown, but it quickly turned back into a smile. "But, what if you can find the ponies who burned down your house?" She said.

"I don't think we can. Those ponies are in Canterlot, and they are..." Then the puzzle pieces slowly came together. Alex had a pause as well, but it slowly turned into a grin.

"Their wealthy, huh?" He asked.

I nodded, and I was more curious than smiling. "Rich ponies are in Canterlot, sure, but how come it takes them an hour to get to Canterlot and back without leaving traces other than what they intended to leave?" I asked.

"And that's what we're going to find out!" Alex said.

How did this escalate so quickly? I mean, seriously? Couldn't even make it to lunch.

Son of a--!!

Alex

We burst through the door to Spark's room, shocking our injured friend and almost causing him to spill the soup he was drinking.

"We're going to the Grand Galopping Gala!" we exclaimed.

"Huh?! Who?! What?!" Sparks said, confused by everything. After calming down, we explained everything; starting with introducing Baws's sister, telling him about our plans to go to the Gala, and last, but most important, the info I had on Scarlet Rose.

"Hmmm..." Spark Plug was deep in tought, processing the information we had given him. "You said Scarlet Rose was wealthy, right?"

"Yeah. So?"

"So if she's wealthy... where's the one place we know there's a good chance she'll show up?"

Baws, Paz, and I all wracked our brains, trying to find the answer. Soon, we all came to the same conclusion, as we exclaimed, " The Grand Galloping Gala!"

"Exactly! This could be the perfect chance to tail her and get some information!"

Baws lit up with excitement. "And all the rich ponies start showing up a few days early to get ready!"

"Right again! Looks like we've got the makings of a plan, gentlecolts! Here's what we'll do. Alex, see if you can convince Gold Heart to plan a stakeout on the Gala. May make it more difficult for us, but at least it gives you a way to get there unsuspiciously. Baws, Rainbowdash has connections with Princess Celestia, right? You need to ask her to get tickets for the rest of us. As for me, I'll see what I can learn about our new target. The Gala begins this weekend, so we've only got about a day or two to plan this out, so let's get to work!"

"Right-o, Sparky!" said Baws.

Chapter 5: Thieves at the Gala

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Chapter 5: Thieves at the Gala

Baws

Damn! I look sexy in this outfit! What? Imagine you were in a nice black tuxedo, with a red rose to the right of the collar, a red tie, and sexy looking face? Don't tell me that even you wouldn't be impressed.

Once I had my sexy suit on, Pastal walked out. She had a purple skirt that reached to her legs, with black flowers that matched her hair. She still had the black flowers in her hair, and she kept her black shirt on. Not to worry, my friends; their washed. She bounced in circles, and smile of glee was splattered on her face.

"We're going to the Gala! We're going to the Gala!" She sang.

"Pastal!" My shout chilled her out, and she stood still and looked at me like she was part of the Royal Guards. "I know your my sister and all, but do you remember what your doing?" I asked.

"Um..." She hummed, before making a smaller smile. "Find a pony named Scarlet Rose?"

"Aaaaannnd?"

"Bring her to you and Alex!"

"And if you aren't able to?"

"Bring you to her before she escapes!"

"That's my little sister!"

We still had a mission, and this falls into Rainbow Dash. For those of you who don't know, and reading my serect manly book, Dash is to do a scan for Scarlet, and to see if other members of the Vendetta are in the Gala. We only need one, and that one is all we need. My little sister is to able to bring her to us, or we go to her, but she is to distract Scarlet for either options. I'm suppose to make her follow us, hopefully believing in a lie I will randomly make up, and Alex and the gang is to find her an interrogate her.

But, Dash is to also to keep the Elements of Harmony away from the situation in the mean time. Having a funny WANTED picture with a poor drawing of us doesn't make it any better if they catch us. Hopefully, she can convince her friends to stay away from the mission, and scan for other members. If the other members find out we're still around living and breathing, things could get ugly. Hopefully, Spark is going to give us the information we need.

I give my little sister a noogie and she started laughing widely. "H-hey!! M-my hair!!" She uttered through her misfits of laughs.

"Oops, sorry!" I gave her a goofy grin, and she gave me a lunch to the shoulder. "C'mon, let's go to Spark." I said.

She nodded and bounced her way out of Rainbow's house...

...only for her to fall right through the clouds.

"S-shit!!" I panicked and flew my way towards her. I grabbed onto her, and landed on three of my hoofs; a small icy wind blew from the landing. I set her down, and she scrunched her muzzle. "I forgot I can't fly..." She said.

"Yeah, so did I. Scared me half to death. C'mon," I said, trying to get my mind from the situation. "let's go to Sparks."

We trotted our way to the hospital, where he's going to get out today.

Hurray!

Hey that rhymed!

Alex

I waited patiently for Baws and the others to arrive. Hopefully they'd get here soon: we needed Sparks to brief us, then I had to meet Goldie at the Gala. Just then, our missing party members came in.

"I'm glad you're here," said Sparks, slowly getting up from his bed. "I've gotten info on our target: Scarlet Rose. Apparently, she's a unicorn with some great potion making skills. Her wealth seems to have at first come from an inheritance from her uncle, who mysteriously died one night. Wanna bet what I think happened?"

"She poisoned him." I answered.

"I believe so, but they were never able to find any proof. Anyways, this leads me to believe she's the Vendetta's chief mystic, so we gotta be careful of her magic. I have a slight suspicion she's got some sort of plan involving the Gala, but exactly what, I am unsure of."

"I'm sure we'll figure it out." Baws said. "Now let's get to that fancy-fancy party!"

Baws

Me, Alex, Pastel, and Spark were on our way to the Gala. Taking a pumpkin chariot, a couple of guys my sister knows will give us a ride there. Each of us have our own reason to be at the Gala. Me and Pastal know Rainbow, so we're in. Alex is part of the Royal Guards of Ponyville, and Spark has a ticket. But would it be bad if Me and Pastel were having just a little bit of fun?

"We're on a baby hunt!"

"And don't think we don't know how to wieeee them out!"

Me and Pastal gave a laugh, but Spark bonked me on the head.

"Oww..." My head hurts.

"Can you grow up for once? We have a mission to follow." He told me. I waved a hoof at him. "Rainbow is going to be on the look out. She's already there scanning for her. Once we get there, she'll tell us what she knows and where Scarlet is." I told him.

"You really trust her? She's part of Celestia's hounds. If she barks, we'll be thrown in jail because of your decision." He said. I felt slightly offended, but before I can retaliate, he continued. "If she messes up, this will be on you. We trust you, Winter. This is your plan, and we expect you for it to work."

"Not all plans work." I told him. He pushed his glasses further into his muzzle before looking away from Me.

"Mine do." He said.

"Lay off." Alex chimes in. "We're lucky we have a source of what to do. Without Winter's sister, we would have never thought of this."

"So why don't we replace him with his sister?" Spark said.

Right as he said that, a tooth fell right out of his mouth. My hoof was much larger than Alex, so it hurts when you have a Pegasus the size of an earth pony hit you square in the jaw. He hit the edge of the chariot wall, and Pastel had my back when she lit up her magic. "What the heck, man?" Alex shouted.

"This asshole is pissing me off!" I yelled. Pastel held my hoof with her magic, but she was ready to let it go. "What is up with you, Spark? Your never this angry!!" Alex finally went to Spark.

He rubbed his cheek, but he didn't dare to look at me. "Sorry, just...I'm pissed at the Vendettas. Just want to get back at them for giving me second degree burns." He said.

"Then don't take it out on me. I didn't do anything to you up until now. Hold your dang fire of words, and choose them carefully." I said.

After that, it was a quiet ride, and I was already losing my shit.

This better be fucking worth it.

Alex

After getting off the carriage, I started looking around for Gold Heart. In a few seconds, I found her, and my heart nearly stopped- she looked gorgeous!

Her hair was neatly tied up in a bun, and she wore dark red lipstick. Her dress was pure black, covered in sequins, it's style both simple and elegant. She walked up to me and, upon noticing that I was staring, started to blush.

"So... how do I look?" she asked shyly.

It took every bit of my concentration, but I managed to switch myself from creepy staring guy to suave gentlecolt.

"My dear Ms. Heart," I said, "Words cannot describe the vision of beauty I find standing before me."

Her blush deepened. "O-oh, stop it. You're being too kind."

"I mean it, Goldie, you look absolutely enchanting."

"Th-thank you." My partner regained her composure. "Now come on, Rite, we have a suspect to find!"

Baws

"JUST KISS ALREADY!!" I yelled. The two's face looked like bright tomatoes, but I wasn't sure if it was from anger or embarrassed from the way they looked at me. I laughed, and my little sister butted in.

"GET A ROOM AND MAKE LOVE THERE!!" She yelled.

Best. Sister. Ever.

Those two might as well been the sun because they were bright red from embarrassement, and I swear it wasn't because we were total jerks.

Okay...maybe a little.

We trotted to the entrance of the Gala, the two lovebirds trotting quietly, and Spark doing more research on the go. He put on his ear piece and whispered. "You guys ready?" He asked.

"Ready as ever." I said.

"Already on the look out." Another voice called in. Good job Rainbow, knew I could count on you.

"Ready." Alex whispered.

"Then take a look around, and act casual until she has found our suspect." Spark said.

Me and Pastel nodded, and we walked ahead of them until called on.

Don't mess this up Rainbow.

Alex

We walked around, looking at all the ponies around. Eventually, we walked into the Hall of Heroes, a monument to war heroes, living or otherwise, throughout Equestrian history. Gold Heart forcefully pulled me in front of one of the statues.

"Alex, look at this one." she told me, pointing to the statue.

It was a statue of a mare. She had a blank stare on her face, and an eyepatch over her eye with a red X on it. She had a short, simple manecut, and wore armor, but not a helmet. A scar was on her cheek, and her left hind leg was a peg leg. Her cutie mark looked like an unrolled map with a large red X in the center. The nameplate on it read: GOLD ARMOR.

"Nice... so, why are we so interested in it?" I asked.

"Wait- have I never told you?"

"Told me what?"

Gold Heart looked up to the statue with a mix of pride and wonderment. "This mare... this is my mother."

Baws

"...Don't you know who I am?! I am Lady Fleur De Lis, and you have disrespected me! Honestly, who would let a Pegasus in like you?! Your muzzle looks like it has herpes, and you need to go take a look in the hospital! I swear, ponies these days..."

...That is the only part I written, because she talked like she had three gallons of coffee in the morning. That's all I've gotten. You want to know what I tried to do? I tried to get me some donuts. Some chocolate, sprinkled, delicious donuts, and I accidentally bump into the mare along the way. I tried to apologize, but...you read what's up there. I actually punched myself in the face by total accident trying to re-act a facepalm. My nose hurts.

"Are you even listening?!" I heard. I look up to the skinny yet white pony as she looked at me furiously.

"Uh...what?" I asked.

She groaned and threw her hooves in the air. "I can't believe this! See, this is why pegasi are just dumber versions of birds!" She ranted.

"Actually, birds are pretty smart. They know how to survive, they can take care of their family, and they are experts in flying; knowing the right momentum, they can handle their own." I ran on. She paused to look at me like I called her fat.

"You...UGH!!" She whipped her tail, and it smacked me right in the cheek. She walked away, swaying her hip side to side like a mall pony.

Huh? Oh, I'm fine. How are you?

Alex

"-So basically, your mom is a war hero." I said, summarizing all the information Gold Heart had just told me.

"Yeah! My dad is, too, but my mom is the more prominent one. She was a master strategist, almost like she knew her enemies' moves before they knew it themselves!"

"Wow. That is... interesting."

"Yeah... I've always looked up to my mom..." Gold Heart said dreamily.

"Alex! Come in! Do you read me?"

Shit.

That was Rainbowdash calling me from my earpiece. Looks like my social time with my favorite police mare was over. Ah, c'est la vie.

"Uh... hey Gold Heart, I think I'm gonna... go grab some food. I'll be back in a sec."

"Oh, could you bring me a donut? I heard there's a couple plates."

"Yeah, sure." I said, zipping off to the closest private spot I could find. I turned on my earpiece. "This is Alex. Did you spot Scarlet Rose?"

"Yep! She's in the gardens. Thought I'd let you know before Winter. Y'know, so you could keep him under control?"

"Good call. I'll head over there. Keep an eye on her in case she moves."

"Roger that!"

Baws

What taste better in your guts? Dunkin Donuts!!

...I haven't thought of a song for it yet...

"Winter, you there?"

My song was interrupted by Rainbow, and I calmly answered it. "Yeah? You called?" I asked.

"Good, your there. I told Pastel first, so she's keeping Scarlet distracted as of now. Alex is on his way."

"Anything else I need to know?" I asked, taking my donuts on the go. I heard a slight muffle before she came back.

"Yeah, turns out Twilight had the same idea." She said.

I almost choked on my donut, and I spat out the remainings. "W-what?" I tried to say.

"She brought the Elements with her! Now all six of us are armed. You need to grab Scarlet and go." She warned.

"But Alex brought over the guards, now making it almost impossible to escape. The best chance of getting out is flight." I took another bite from my second donut. Four more to go.

"Alex can't fly...at least, not that well from what you told me."

"Can you ask Spark what our best chance of escape is?"

"Already did. He said either through the Canterlot Canverns, or through flight. You take the caverns, 50/50 chance you'll get lost. You take flight, 50/50 chance you'll get caught."

What is up with these guards all of a sudden? They used to suck before!!

"Alrighty. Where is Scarlet?" I asked, trying to get through this conversation.

"In the gardens. She's talking to a stallion."

"Who?"

"Bluebutt."

Blueblood, I get it. I seriously don't get why he is still Prince. Shouldn't he be living in the streets by this point? "Okay, is my sister there?" I asked.

"Um...oh! Okay, there she is. She's walking to her right now. About to make a chat with her long enough for Alex to arrive, or if some pony is going to do it for her."

"Gotcha. I'll be there." I said. The buzzfeed went off, and I kept walking down the hall.

Tasty Donuts...what's good for your guts? Dunkin Donuts!!

...I still need to work on that.

Alex

I soon found my target, mostly thanks to being able to recognize Pastal talking to her. Staying a safe distance away, I waited until Baws stood right next to me, then gave Paz the signal that we were good. Once she was done, Scarlet Rose began to move.

"So how long do you think Dash can keep the Elements distracted?" I asked as we trailed the mare.

"Long enough," Baws replied.

Soon, Scarlet Rose stood by the side of a dark alley, and seemed to be having a conversation with somepony. I listened in on her with my dragon hearing.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" asked a strict, feminine voice. "I've run all the numbers in my head, and I still say this plan is flawed."

"It doesn't matter." replied Rose. "I've made up my mind. Once I get my hooves on the item inside the castle, not even the princesses themselves can stop me."

"Fine then. But I was never here."

"Of course." With that, Scarlet Rose began to walk away.

"Another Vendetta! Nice!" said Baws. "I'll tail her, and you keep following Scarlet Rose."

"No! Weren't you listening? Whatever it is that Scarlet Rose is after, it's major powerful. We need to stick together in case she manages to get it."

"But-"

"We'll deal with the other one later, but right now, Scarlet Rose is officially our code red."

Baws

"Fine, but we need someone to get a face recognition for her. Like hell we're going to remember her face when we escape." I told him. He gave me a nod, and he hit the buzzfeed. "Spark?" He called.

"Yeah?" Spark replied.

"Can you keep an eye out for another Vendetta?" Alex asked.

"I would, but I need details. Come on, what she look like?"

Alex was a bit hesitant, but it seemed like he knew what she looked like before. Fuck if I know if he does. Another crew is bonus points for me.

Alex

"Look, I know exactly who I saw, but we can deal with that later- she's getting away!"

My brother and I quickly pursued our target, puting on our enchanted masks as a precaution. She slinked through the hallways of the castle until she came across a big, safe-like door. Peeking from behind a corner, we watche as she pulled a potion out, and sprinkled it in front of the doorway.

"What's she doing?" asked Baws.

As if in answer, a bright flash of light blinded us for a second, and when we could see again, Scarlet Rose was no longer standing in front of the door.

"What the-?!" I exclaimed, running to the door, followed closely by Baws.

Where the door had been, there was now an empty doorway. And in the center of the room were Scarlet, a pedestal, and-

"The Alicorn Amulet!" exclaimed Baws, voicing my thoughts and giving away our presence.

Scarlet Rose turned to us, shocked, before giving us an evil grin.

"Well, well, well- if it isn't the Black Mask Brothers," she said. "Hah! Perfect! Now I have someone to test out my new power on!"

Before we could do anything, Scarlet Rose grabbed the artifact and placed it around her neck. Her eye began to glow with a red aura and power radiated off of her.

"Damn... this is why I hate magic jewelry." said Baws.

Baws

A red shock appeared from the Amulet, and we were pretty lucky to split at that moment. Stay any milliseconds longer and we would've felt the wrath of the Amulet itself. Honestly, I thought she would go power hungry for that Amulet the moment she used it, but to our surprise, she walking to damn calmly.

"Come out, come out!!" She taunts.

I wanted to nope the fuck out of there, but I wasn't going anywhere unless I really wanted to leave Alex. He fed me a hayburger, I owe him; like hell I'm leaving.

Ducking behind a solid statue, she begins to walk across the room, darting left to right for any signs of life. I stared at her with my head so far out, blind mice have better chance of finding me. I'm like a fucking whale hiding behind a wooden basket; I just don't understand how you don't fucking see me when I'm in clear view. She still looks all around the room like guards when they lose their keys, and she groaned slightly.

"How did I lose them so fast? No wonder..." She frowns, then began to walk away from the room.

Me and Alex peered out until she was only half way from the room, and we gave whispers.

"Do we follow her?" I asked.

Alex

"Uh..." I thought hard about my answer. If we ran away, we would definitely be able to get away alive. But if we did, she could hurt somepony, and my moral code would not allow it. "We go after her."

"I was afraid you'd say that," replied Baws.

"You'll get to punch her. Probably."

"...You lucky I like punching things."

Baws

I gave a small sigh before following Scarlet. She looked like she was in her own imagination, and it won't take long for her to snap out of it. My eyes darting towards Alex, I spoke. "So, how are we suppose to do this? We can't fight her directly, that's almost insane, but we need to distract her from the public."

He gave a low hum, but he clapped his hooves. "Are we able to get every pony out of here?" He asked.

"Not really, no. Your in Canterlot, you'll be lucky to get 25,000 ponies out of one room. Their's probably hundred different rooms at the party. Like Tartarus you'll get them out in time." I managed to switch from Hell to the deep underworld of 'What the Fuck lives in that place'.

He gave a small frown, and he didn't look all that happy that he couldn't save every pony. I, however, kept going. "You know the moment she makes noise, the Guards will not only find a Vendetta, but us, right? The Elements of Harmony will be on our tail as well!"

"Rainbow's on our side though..." He said. I shook my head. "It doesn't matter. If you want her to be a secret, she's gotta act like a good guy." I said.

Alex

"Then we've only got one choice. We piss her off and get her to follow us away from everypony else." I said.

"That's a terrible idea."

"You got a better one?"

"...Damn, I hate it when you're right."

Baws and I jumped out in plain sight, catching Scarlet Rose off guard.

"Hey Scarlet, I just noticed how well that amulet matches your personality: dark and depressing."

She began to glare, her teeth gritting.

"Aw, be nice," said Baws, grinning. "It's not her fault she sucks the fun out of every room she enters!"

With that, Scarlet Rose started blasting magic at us. We dodged, realizing that was our cue to run.

"Damn, when we want to piss somepony off, we sure do a good job!" Baws exclaimed.

"Just shut up and run!"

Baws

It was a laser light show! You know...with dangerous fire lasers and/or lasers that completely demolish everything we see around us. It wasn't as pleasant as we thought it was.

And no, I did not scream like a mare. It was weird to hear a mare scream come out of nowhere though.

Oh, did I mention lasers? Probably not, but she's shooting us with red flaming lasers that completely demolish everything in our way.

...Did I mention lasers?

Another one flew right past me. And another one, and another one...and another one. "Why is she going after me?!" I yelled.

She was, because for some reason she liked to shoot all the dangerous lasers at me. She shot a few at Alex, but the most they did is knock over a vase. Walls were falling, the ceiling tried to rape me from above, and the floor crumbled beneath me. Fuck flying, she would have a better chance of hitting me with her laser light shows if I took flight.

"Maybe because she likes you a lot more!" Alex yelled through all the commotion. I can almost smell the sarcasm come from his mouth, and I smiled. Though it didn't take long for my smile to fall when another laser flew right past me.

"Hold still!!" Scarlet voice almost sounded like a full grown horse when she yelled that. Ahead of us was a left turn, and Alex through the black mask at me. "Wear your mask!" He yelled.

Stupidest thing I've heard, but he's my bro, so I rolled along with it. My wings made it easy to move them like talons, and I quickly put on my black mask. We took our left turn to see Alex's GF ready for us.

"Gotcha bitch!"

"DAMNIT!!"

Alex

Trapped between an angry Gold Heart and a super powerful psycho mare. The choice was obvious: I turned around and ran towards Scarlet Rose. My brother did the same.

Baws

The Amulet was going to get us killed, so we were kinda trapped. "We had to put on the mask?" I whispered to Alex.

"How was I suppose to know she was going to be there?! You wore it too!" He yelled furiously under his breath.

Confused? You should. "I thought you had a plan! What now?!" I asked.

Scarlet was walking to our left, and the guards on our right. Lucky me...

Alex

"Hmm. Perhaps now is the time to leave," said Scarlet, teleporting out.

"What just happened?" asked Baws.

"Guess she thought the guards were too much to handle and ran," I answered. Just then, the guards started shooting at us. "Which is exactly what we should be doing!"

We started to run.

"What's the escape plan?!" questioned Baws.

"Usual! Loose the guards, remove the masks, they think we got away!"

Baws

"Well, I need to get away. You have to stay here and find a way to take off that mask." I forced out when we took off running. Alex looked a bit shocked at that.

"Why?!" He asked.

"Gold Heart! You were with her, were you not?" I asked. His eyes turned to pinpricks, but it became even smaller when I kept talking. "Their's guards all over this place, and he best place to hide is the colts room. And from the looks of us running, it don't seem like theirs one nearby. I got to get out of here, and I'm taking Pastel with me."

He cursed to himself, (or sneezed, whichever comes first) and he went serious mode. "Any other options?" He asked.

"Not that we know of, no. Though, once you lose the fuzz, I'll see you tomorrow at Spark's place!"

"What?! Sparks girlfriend?! She nuts!"

"We don't have a choice! I can't stay at Dash's house since all this commotion is going to force her to stay here, and your spending the night at Gold Hearts. In the morning, you have to meet us at Spark's, unless you want to get caught." I told him.

Even though a bunch of guards are trying to chase our tails, we're doing pretty well staying calm. "So, you agree?" I asked.

Alex

After my brother ran off, I had to get the attention of the guards. With only one target, things were getting to close for comfort. Which meant I had to get risky.

Turning corner after corner, I eventually found myself at a dead end hallway. The guards began to close in, and for a second, it looked like I was cornered. Until, of course, I Shadow Slid underneath them.

Then, when I had gotten a far enough lead ahead of them, I returned to normal form, took off my mask, and, my least favorite part of this kind of plan, punched myself in the eye. When Gold Heart and the gaurds came by, She stopped, kneeling by me, and the worried look on her face was almost enough to make the pain worth it. Almost.

"Alex?! What happened?!"

"The Black Mask ran through here! I tried to stop him, but he sucker punched me and ran off. I think you can still catch him if you hurry!"

Gold Heart looked from me, to the hallway, and back to me. She sighed. "You colts, continue pursuit!"

With that, the gaurds ran off down the hallway, and Gold Heart levitated me onto her back. "Aren't you going to go after him, too?"

"I have something more important to worry about," she said, looking directly into my eyes. "You."

I blushed. "Uh... Thanks."

"Don't mention it."

A second of silence passed.

"Um... Goldie?"

"Yes?"

"You know I can walk perfectly fine, right?"

I could practically feel the blush as she levitated me off of her back with an awkward grin.

Baws

Running far, far away from the scene, and putting the mask in my pocket (Big waste of time of putting it on, then taking it off), I met my sister Pastel...

...who was being flirted by a rich fuck.

"So, where have you been all my life?" He tried to swuave.

"Avoiding thirsty ponies like you." Pastel replied.

Literally.

Best.

Sister.

Ever.

You can practically smell the forest fire coming off from the guy, and he looked pissed. It didn't take me long to reach them, though. I ran up to Pastel, and I frantically spewed words like a foal trying to eat noodles for the first time. "Pastel! We got to go! Now!" I warned.

She gave me a nod, and what I did and realize until now, threw her drink at the poor guy. "Eh, this party was boring anyway." She said.

...I really wish I could just pull out black glasses, and just give it to her.
We took off in a matter of second, but it wasn't long until the guards blocked off the main entrance.

"Shoot!" I tried my best not to swear in front of Pastel. "We're locked in!"

"Dropkick! Dropkick, dropkick, dropkick!" She sang. I smiled, but instead of drop kicking the door, I dropkicked a window. I flew right through, and I caught my sister Pastel who followed me during the whole thing. I gently set us down to the cement of Canterlot, and it wasn't long until Spark arrived.

"What happened?! I lost connection to you!" He said.

"The Vendettas. She wussed out the moment she saw the guards." I told him.

"What about Alex?" He asked.

"Probably making out with his GF." My sister Pastel instantly caught on to our little schemes. We both gave her a smile. "Probably." I said.

See ya tomorrow bro.

Chapter 6: Homecoming

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Chapter 6: Homecoming

Alex

The day after the Gala, I was given the day off to recover. Gold Heart tried to do the same in an effort to take care of me, but as much as I would have loved that, I had to convince her to go to work so that I could meet with the rest of the gang. Once she was gone, I emediately ran to meet them.

Upon arriving at Spark's marefriend's house, I found him, Baws, Dash, and Paz waiting for me. Baws grinned.

"Nice eye. Your marefriend give that to you?"

"You know how I got this!" I responded. "Speaking of marefriends, where's-"

"Not here. Thankfully." answered Sparks. "But let's focus. We've got some major problems to deal with."

Baws

"And what's that?" Sarcasm left my voice. "We could've stopped her long ago from getting the amulet!"

Rainbow patted a hoof on my back. "Its alright. I thought Zecora put up that amulet ages ago!" She said.
Spark sighed. "Apparently not, but with her having that Amulet, they could wipe out every single thief we know." He said.

"But, we're the good ones, right?" Rainbow asked. We gave her a nod. "Yeah, we're kinda the ones who returned the Wonderbolts suits a few months back." I said.

"Anyway, we need to do something fast. How's that mansion of yours, Winter?" Spark asked.

"Not sure. Want me to check right now?" I asked, and they confirmed with a bunch of 'yeah's. I took my leave, but I still heard conversations from inside.

Let's see how my house is doing, hmm?

Alex

"So what exactly is our plan?" I asked.

"Well, I'd assume that Scarlet Rose will be hiding out somewhere." said Spark. "She needs time to learn how to control the amulet's power so that it doesn't begin to control her. I'd assume that she's holed up in her large estate outside of Canterlot. So to put it simply, we need to get there, asses the situation, and come up with a plan of attack before she unlocks the amulet's full power."

"Sounds like a difficult task." I grinned. "Should be fun."

Baws

"...And the guards, nor the fire ponies, never payed this off?" The mare behind the counter asked. My body reaction was to face hoof my own muzzle. I gave another groan. "Yes, damn it!" I replied.

She seemed very uninterested, and she gently pushed her glasses back. "Sir, do you have any evidence to prove this?" She asked.

It seriously didn't last long when I flipped a table or two. I went back to her, my voice urging to yell like a caged gorilla. "Check...the board." It came out through my grinding-in-fury teeth.

She lazily checked the board, but her eyes turned to pinpricks when she finally saw my name. "Oh, Mr. Winter, um...I didn't know they owed this much." She stumbled.

She lazily checked the board, but her eyes turned to pinpricks when she finally saw my name. "Oh, Mr. Winter, um...I didn't know they owed this much." She stumbled.

"No shit, Sherlock Hooves. Is it almost done?" I asked. She kept looking through her board, and she gave a look of innocence towards me. "It's ready." She said.

Fucking FINALLY!! "Great! Where is it? Can you show me?" I asked. She gave me a nod, and directed me towards the back of the office. Following out of the building, I was full of joy that I was able to get that piece of information through that thick skull.

A few blocks down, I saw my home. My mansion.

...It's Celestia damn beautiful.

Alex

"...Then, once everything is ready, we'll be ready to formulate and spring our trap." finished Sparks.

"Hmm... With all the stuff we're gonna be doing, we're probably gonna need to establish a safehouse." I said.

"Agreed."

"Huh? What's a safehouse?" asked Paz.

"Basically, it's a temporary base of operation near the main place of our objective that is both secure and secret." Sparks explained.

"Like my brother's new mansion?"

"Kinda." I replied. "However, the mansion will be our permanent base of operation. Speaking of which, I wonder if Baws has finished with the ponies in charge of that."

My answer came in the form of a kicked-in door.

"Heeeeeeeey, everypony! Guess what!"

Baws

Pastel was the first to answer. "Is it a new toy?!" She asked.

"Nope! It's my mansion!! It's finally finished!!" I told her. At first, I saw confusion, but a couple minutes later, and walking a few blocks down, they saw the beauty. The beauty of my damn house! "Oh my Celestia!! H-how...? Is the guards debt that much?!" Spark asked.

"And you thought it was pretty from the outside!" I told them. The outside was three stories tall, and it was a reasonable size for a pegasus like me to fly around in. Pillars were shown outside to make it look like its the only thing keeping the mansion up, and it was in red and gold. This beauty cannot be described in more details! This is all your gonna get, because I was to shocked to explain it all. The insides were red and gold as well. The moment you enter, grand stairs are ahead of you, and two other hallways beside it leading to the kitchen or the living room. And let me tell ya, they were gigantic!!

Upstairs is no surprise from downstairs. Four rooms made for a damn king, and all of them having their own pattern. One of them was for me, having a 'Cloudsdale' feel to it. You know, blue, the bed is made out of fluffy clouds, that kind of stuff. Alex's room was more unique for some odd reason. His was a green and red pattern, and it had his cutie mark for his cover bed sheet. Don't get me started on his damn bathroom; it's like staring into lava, but the lava is painted gold. The fuck?

Spark was being a fan girl on his room. He called it a steam punk room. Full of technical clocks and the odd stuff of machinery, his closet had a advance science, yet old days kind of feel. What he called gears decorated his room. Pastel was squealing when she saw hers. Her room was filled with all kinds of toys that weren't even out by today standards. Her room had a purple with a green outline painted all over her walls, having black flowers painted in a cross-pattern. The toys hid in the closet (might as well been Colts R Us) and her bed was her hair style all over.

"My home is amazing." I say through all of this.

"...Can I--?" I waved my hoof, interrupting Pastels comment. Her eyes grew big in anticipation, and ran into her room to play with her toys.

"...Wish I had a room." Dash said.

Oh yeah...I completely forgot her.

Uh..."Sorry, but, we should get going now. Its getting late." Spark spoke for me.

Rainbow nodded, and waved at us. "See you guys tomorrow!" She said. We waved her goodbye, and she left the door.

Now...TIME TO ADMIRE MY HOME!!

Chapter 7: New Recruits

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Chapter 7: New Recruits

Alex

"Man, this is sweet! I can't wait to show Goldie!" I said.

"Yeah, it is pretty righteous." replied Baws. "Still need to come up with a name for it, though."

"Gentlecolts, I believe we have more pressing matters to deal with." said Sparks. "Now, I've created a presentation for phase one on my computer-"

"Stop right there, Sparks." said Baws. "If you got a presentation, we should go to the screening room."

A few moments later we found ourselves in the screening room; a small room with a big TV screen on one wall, and a bunch of chairs on the other. Soon, Sparks had his computer plugged in, and the rest of us sat in the chairs. The lights went dark, and the screen showed a picture of a dark, gothic style castle.

"This is Rose Manor," Sparks explained, "home of our recent adversary, Scarlet Rose. It may seem normal, but I'm telling you, the place is a death trap. There's security systems and gaurds all over the place, so we'll need to deal with that at some point."

The image changed to one of a large shack.

"This shack lies a small way away from the mansion, enough so that nopony really notices it. This will be our safehouse during preparation for the heist. Now, in order for us all to be there, Alex will have to convince Inspector Heart to give him a few days off to recover from his 'injury'. As for Baws and Dash, Cloudsdale will luckily be only a short distance away from the mansion."

The image changed again, now being that of an air vent on the side of a wall.

"We need to learn more about what we're up against, so Alex, you'll use your Shadow Slide ability to go through this vent, and into the mansion. Once inside, you'll need to sneak your way to a back door and let in Baws and me."

With the push of a button, the image changed to a picture of a computer.

"Once inside, Baws and I will make our way to this computer. I plan on hacking into it and finding out what I can about the castle's security. Baws, meanwhile, will be there to to take care of any... trouble... we might come across."

Another image, this time of Scarlet Rose herself.

"While we're doing this, Alex will travel through the vents to Scarlet Rose's room, where he'll observe her current state, then plant a bug so we can listen in on her. After that, we all meet back at the safehouse to plan phase two."

Baws

"Your batshit crazy." I said out loud. The two looked at me funny. "What do you mean?" Spark asked.

"I mean, guards? Cameras?! We'll get caught before we even step hoof inside! Their's flaws in this plans like holes in cheese!" I tell them.

"Really? Like what?" Alex asked.

"For one, the Alicorn Amulet. If it doesn't detect you the first time, it will the second time. Two, if theirs guards, theirs pegasus guards. They'll detect us from above! Not only that, unicorns have magic. They'll do magical sensors once in a while to check for any out-of-place-ponies. Three: the computer. Don't think you'll be able to get on it hunky-dory, theirs gotta be a password. A password that will take even you--" I pointed at Spark. "--too long to figure out. We won't be able to do this in the morning, nor at night. Theirs only, what? Five of us? We won't be able to set hoof in there."

The two sat silent, but I heard Alex sigh. "Can't believe, but he's right. Theirs to many things that can go wrong. We have to wait it out." He says.

"What?! But--!!"

"We can't!! We can't do anything. We need a bigger team." He says. We all sat silent, but I had to blurt it out. "Or we can get an inside source to find their routine." I said.

They all sat quietly, a look of thought into their eyes.

Alex

"Hmm... you know what, Baws is right. I've been thinking about it all wrong! I only thought of ways to get in from the air or the ground, but clearly, we're gonna need to get in from underneath!" said Sparks.

"Are you saying what I think you're saying?" I asked.

"Yes! We need to enlist a tunneler into our gang!"

"Well if we're talking digging, no better expert can be found than a Diamond Dog." Baws added.

"Agreed. I'll see what I can find."

"As will I." I said.

"Okay, while we're doing that, we'll need some way to get inside information. Perhaps a spy?"

"But who? The Vendettas already know who we are, and everypony knows Rainbow Dash! Who could be our spy?"
We all thought about it, and an idea popped into our heads. We all looked over at the same pony.

"...What?" asked Paz, confused by our stares.

Baws

I may be slow, but even I was able to detect what their thinking of. "Oh no!" I objected. "Hell no! You are not using Pastel as our spy!"

"She's our ticket in. We have no choice!" Alex said.

"She is not a choice! If they figure out that Pastel is our spy, she'll be held hostage! And for Celestia's sake she's only 12!! What are you guys thinking?!" I tell them.

"Well then who else, smart guy?" Spark asked.

I gave him a disapproving nod. "Don't know. Don't care. Y'all should be ashamed for thinking about using Pastel as spy material. She's only good for combat situations like me. Spy is not her forte. Not like she can keep a secret anyway." I said.

I didn't turn back, but I knew Pastel agreed with me since it was silent for the past few seconds. "I wouldn't care if she was a changeling, you guys are not using her as a spy." I said.

"Wait! Say that again!" Pastel interrupted. Shocking, but I responded anyway.

"A spy?" I asked.

"No! Go back a little!" She said.

"A...changeling?" I asked. She clapped her hoofs together.

"We can just use a changeling! At least...I think so. I don't know where they are, but Mom says that maybe the guards know where the hive is." She said.

I sat there like a astounded. How did I not think of that?!

"Uh...will...that work?" Spark asked.

Alex

"Maybe... if we could find some way to befriend a changeling without it trying to feed off of us," I said.

"I'll put that in the 'maybe' category." said Sparks.

"Well, it's better than nothing! Let's see what we can find!" said Baws.

Baws

Spark raises a brow. "And where do we look?" He asked.

"...Diamond Dog territory. Spark and Pastel, you guys stay here, we can go check it out. I'm sure we can find a way to get one of the dogs on our side. Or...a changeling." I said.

"K, don't forget about the waffles!" She said randomly. But in our language, which you guys will never understand, my eyes shrank.

"Crap!!" I blurted out.

"Waffles?" Alex asked. I waved a hoof. "Something you'll never understand. You wanna check out the territory tomorrow?" I asked Alex.

He pondered at the thought, and whatever answer he says, I don't give a crap.

Alex

"Y'know, I don't know why, but I feel like looking now would be our best chance. Call it an instinct." I said.

"Instinct, huh?" replied Baws. "Well, your instincts have never been wrong before. Guess we'll be going out."

"Keep your coms on, I'd feel better knowing you're in quick communication." said Sparks.

"Will do, 'mom'." I said, earning some giggles from the others.

"Just stay safe. You guys are basically my only friends."

"That explains so much." replied Baws.

Baws

"Just go!!" He yelled. Me and Alex gave a laugh, and headed out.

"Well...here we are, the Diamond Dogs territory." I stuck a hoof out for him to see...dirt.

Lots, and lots, of dirt.

"Their's no one here..." He said.

"Try looking underground." My sarcastic voice left.

Alex

I was about to make a snappy remark, when a sound caught my attention. I did not like what I heard.

"Quick! This way!" I exclaimed, running off with my confused brother following behind.

We soon found a circle of angry ponies, and as we came close I saw what was in the center of said circle: a young female diamond dog and male changeling, both probably no more than twelve years old. The ponies surrounding them were yelling at them, calling them 'freaks', 'unwanted', 'weirdos', and other harsh things. The diamond dog and changeling just cowered in the center of it, holding on to eachother as though they might be forced apart. My guts began to boil with rage. This had gone on long enough.

I jumped infront of the young pair protectively, my brother right by my side, clearly pissed.

"That's enough!" I shouted, rage practically emminating off of me. "These two have done nothing to you!"

"Maybe, but we don't like'em." said one of the ponies.

"And that gives you the right to terrify them?! I think not!"

"Oh yeah? Well what are you gonna do about it?"

I didn't even respond, my fist flying like lightning into his jaw. He fell to the ground, out cold, and I could smell the fear in the rest of his associates. All it took was one glare in their direction, and they ran off with their tails between their legs. I turned to the young ones.

"Are you alright?" I asked, my voice full of concern.

"Y-yes... thank you..." The diamond dog replied, her voice sweet and small. Her tan fur was dirty and messy. I looked to her changeling friend and saw he was in a simmilar state. His green eyes looked up at me in wonder.

"It was my pleasure. I know what it's like to be labled a freak..." pushing those thoughts out of my mind, I returned focus on the two. "What are you two doing out here so late? Where are your parents?"

"We... we don't have any." said the changeling, his voice small as well.

"We're orphans." added the diamond dog. "I'm Amethyst, and this is my brother, Shift. We're all the family we've got."

I felt my heart give a tug, and a tear rolled down my face. I looked to my brother, and I could see in his face he thought the same thing I did. He nodded. I turned back to the two, a small, warm smile on my face.

"Well... you have a family now."

Baws

As the three were talking, I took a look around. Such a long, yet quick day. My mansion is finally built, in less than a day, we were able to find two things we needed. A disguise, and a pathway.

Other than watching the ponies with fire wood and pitch forks running away (bunch of pansies), I was looking for any activity. My job is to look out, but not much happening. A tap on the shoulder distracted me, but I turned anyway to see the changeling tug on my leg. "What's your name?" He...she...whatever-the-heck-it-was asked.

I was paying no Faust damn attention, okay? Shut up.

"Uh, Winter Frost. You are...?" I trailed off.

"My names Shift." It said.

I swear, I'm not being disrespectful. I just have no idea what it is.

"Ready to go?" Alex gave a knock on my head.

"Yeah," I said, rubbing the top of my head. "But what about them? I don't think theirs no room for them." I said.
Before Alex said anything, I put my hoof up. "No, not Pastel's. They can visit, but she gets cranky with visitors she doesn't know living in her room. My room is a one-stallion, your room is to much for them, and Spark needs his to finish his work. You know he hates being disrupted." I explained.

His mouth slowly closed from the idea I shot down.

Alex

I thought about it, and realized he was right. Thinking on it some more, I came up with an idea.

"Until they have their own rooms, I'll sleep with them in the living room on the couches or something."

"You sure you wanna do that?" Baws asked.

"Well, yeah! We need them. Besides, can you really say no to those faces?"

A glance at Shift and Amethyst, who were making big, sad eyes at Baws, and his hard expression softened. Baws was not easily manipulated, but the looks of these two young orphans clearly got to him.

"Fine. Have it your way." He said. "Just make sure they don't eat my hay burgers."

Baws

"You have hay burgers?!"

"I want some!!"

Those two were already on my 'food hit-list'. Though, we were able to find our way back to Ponyville. The reason I say that is because Amythest has a habit of getting distracted. No, not like 'Something moved, I wanna see it' kind of distracting, its one of those 'What's this? I wanna stare at this for hours!' kinds of distracting. Good grief...

"What's this?"

"It's a leaf, Amy." I replied.

"What's this?"

"That's a spider, Amy." Me becoming slightly more annoyed.

"...Hey Winter,"

"What?" The words were just barely able to leave through my teeth

"How come you don't like me?"

That got me there. Though, instead of stopping, I gave a long sigh. "I don't. Its just...stuff is moving to fast for me to catch up. It really is. Literally three days when my house burned down, we have an enemy, Gala was destroyed, this...this is to much for an old man like me." I, hopefully, joked to make them giggle at most.

Sudden struggle was felt on my back, but it quickly ended when a bunch of fingers wrapped around my neck. "...I don't think your old..." She says.

...Fuck you guys, I'm not soft...

...Shut up...

"...Yeah, thanks." I replied. I turned to see Alex giving me the 'you like Amythest, don't you Winter?' look. I replied by blowing a raspberry. A chuckle came out of him, but that also got one from me as well.

I swear, I'm not soft, I just...hate to make ponies sad.

Alex

"Mr. Alex?" said Shift, catching my attention. "What do you and Mr. Winter do?"

I smiled. "Well officially, Winter is a weather pony and I'm the assistant to a police officer. But really, we're the two unknown faces of the Black Mask Brothers thief gang."

"So, you're a thief, but you work for the police?"

"Yep. See, we Black Masks, unlike most thieves, steal only from other criminals."

"We're at the top of the thieving food chain," input Baws.

"Yeah, so working with Inspector Gold Heart is a good way to find leads."

"Who's Inspector Gold Heart?" asked Amethyst, her interest peaked at the mention of my favorite mare.

"Oh Celestia, here it comes." groaned Baws.

I got all dreamy. "Gold Heart is the officer I work with, and one of the most amazing mare I've ever met. She's smart, strong, brave, independent, sweet, kind, beautiful- she's just... perfect."

"Ooh, sounds like you like her," said Amy.

"Yeah. Yeah I do."

"Yeah, well you'll never see me go all gaga over some chick," said Baws.

"Do you like anypony, Mr. Winter?" asked Shift.

The look on my brother's face was priceless.

Baws

Where the hell did that question come from?! "Don't...question it. Haven't liked anyone since I was in fillies school." I said.

"Yeah? What about Dash?" Alex asked.

I gave him a smirk. "Hah hah; nice try. Soarin is already calling his shots on her. I'd get myself thrown in jail if I do anything." I explain.

"You know she rejected him. Why keep denying?" He continued.

"You don't know Soarin at all. He's stubborn, though he may sound like a rad dude. He will not stop until he gets what he wants. How do you think he obtained the Wonderbolts job?" I say.

Other than a jumble of noises coming from Ponyville, silence filled the air. "So, what? He won't stop until he gets Dash?" Alex asked.

"Pretty much. It's actually becoming rather annoying than being angry at him all the time. Literally every time I hang with Dash, he shows up. Flipping Batmare, or something." I muttered the last part.

Alex

"Well, he may be batmare, but ain't nopony can match my Shadow Stealth abilities. He comes near you and Dash, and I'll be on him like fire on a match!" I said.

"Heh. I like that image. Thanks, bro."

"Anytime. Now lets go introduce our new guests to Spark."

Baws

We walk into the mansion, a look of awes on their face. "Hey, Spark, Pastel, we got new family members!!" I yelled out.

I heard a female groan in one room, and a bunch of steps from another. Alex chuckled, but kept looking at the upstairs hall. "You were really serious about Pastel with strangers, huh?" He asked.

"Yup. She'll grow on them." I say.

"How long does it usually take?"

"Couple weeks."

"And by that you mean...?"

"Five weeks max."

I heard a hoof come in contact with something, and it didn't sound pleasant. Spark came down the hall, a pair of mechanical googles resting on his head. "Ah! Alex, Winter, you were actually able to find them!" He said.

"We stumbled upon the changeling, but the diamond dog was already in her territory. A bunch of A-holes try to club them, too. So, we went over there and scared them off until they looked like the bathroom was just a short distance away from release." I say.

He gave a good laugh, and slid down the stairs. He did a frontflip, and landed on his hooves. "Wow, Spark, never seen you this happy before." Alex said.

"It's because of the equipment! We have the latest technology, and I was able to find a new lead!" Spark said. This caught our attention quickly.

"Really? What it is?" I asked.

"Well, its--" he was cut short when he saw the two children. "U-um...should I...?" He trailed off, pointing his hoof at the fillies.
Shit is rushing fast...

"Oh! Right!" I played off. Amythest slowly got off my back, and Shift stood side of her. "You kids go play with Pastel. She's in the pink room." I say.

I look upwards to the stairs. "PASTEL!!" I shout. "BE NICE TO THEM!!"

"....WHAT?"

"I SAID BE NICE TO THE KIDS!! WE GOT TWO NEW FAMILY MEMBERS THAT WOULD LOVE TO PLAY WITH YOU!!"

"...DON'T THEY HAVE ANOTHER ROOM TO PLAY IN? THIS IS A MANSION!!"

"PASTEL!!"

"...fine..."

"WHAT?"

"TELL THEM TO HURRY UP!!"

"OKAY!!" I look down to see Amythest covering her ears...as well as every pony else. "U-uh...sorry." My voice squeaked.

Best day ever bros...best day ever...

Alex

Before they went upstairs, Amethyst and Shift ran over to hug me.

"Thank you, Mr. Alex!" exclaimed Amy.

"You're the best!" added Shift.

That got me. I squeezed them like a snake.

"No, you two are the best! Now go play with Paz!" I let them go, and they ran off. "Such nice kids."

"Yeah." agreed Baws. "Hope we can train them enough in time."

Chapter 8: Donuts, Douches, and Danger

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Chapter 8: Donuts, Douches, and Danger

Baws

Bunch of walking around a gigantic house later, we finally end up in Sparks. "So...what's this lead you got?" I asked.

He turned back at me with a goofy smile. "Donuts." He said. We stared back like we were first graders.

"Uh...what?" I said.

"Donuts! Recently, a certain some pony has been ordering a few donuts to an unknown location." He said. He pulled up some sort of machinery I will not care for later, and shows us two ponies loading up a cart. "Donut Joe's workers are sending them donuts to that location. If your able to switch the jobs with those two, I'm certain you'll find the Vendetta!" He said.

"Unknown location and you have no idea that it's the Vendetta?" I asked. He shook his head, but his goofy smile is still there.

"Even if it isn't, you have to at least try." He said.

What...the...?

Alex

"Look, it's the only lead we got." I said. "I say we go for it."

"You're more focused on the donut part, aren't you?" replied Baws.

"Yes I am." I said with a goofy grin. "So what's the plan, Sparks?"

Spark Plug grinned. "I'm glad you asked..."

Baws

Spark smiled, and brought us clothes. Only, they had a giant donut on one side, and the other side said Donut Joe's. I stare at him with the most questioned face I've ever made that day.

"...You planned ahead." Alex said.

"Yes, yes I did. Now go get those jobs, boys!" He told us. And once again, we had to leave from my mansion. In a single day. Once we left though, I scratched my chin. "Uh...what did he say was the plan?" I asked.

Alex stood around as well, thinking the same thing. "Not sure...blend in and follow, I guess." He said.

Best I could get from the plan, I guess.

Alex

A while later, we were hiding outside of Donut Joe's, waiting patiently. Two ponies came out and started loading a carriage. One went back in, probably to grab more donuts, and Baws and I went to action.

Baws jumped him from behind, and knocked him out. I hid the unconscious pony in a bush while Baws waited by the carriage for the other employee. When he came out, Baws and I both jumped him and we went through the same process as with the first. We then both got in the cart.

"That was surprisingly easy." I said.

"Yeah, it was. But anyways, let's get going. Hand me the adress list."

I stare, confused. "I thought you grabbed it!"

"No, you were supposed to get it off the employees. Now go get it!"

"Why don't you get it? You're the one driving."

"I already got comfortable. I ain't gettin up."

I facepalmed. "Look, let's just flip a bit for it- heads I go, tails you go."

"Deal."

I grabbed a bit and tossed it in the air, Baws' eyes following it's ascent. Quickly, I pushed him out of the carriage, landing hard on his flank, and caught the bit.

"Tails. I win. Now go get the list!"

Baws got up and dusted himself off, glaring at me before trudging off, muttering curses at me under his breath.

Baws

Man, fucking hurts." Grumbling isn't my best suit to blow off steam, but its the closest I'm going to get. Two unconcious ponies, and I'm the one to find the address list. "Let's see..." I trail off, trying to loot the guy for an address.

On one unconcious worker, I found keys, lint, a pack of mints, an I.O.U card, and a love letter from BlueBerry. Cute name, I guess. On another, I found more useless junk like food wrappers and pencils, but at least I found the address. "Thank you, jeez." Relief of sigh and anger flew out of my mouth, and I hurried back to the cart.

"Here's the address, asshole. Now read them." I said, jumping onto the chariot. The ponies running the chariot but on the saddle for the chariot.

"Alright, tell us the directions!" One of them said.

"Uh... we're going to 131 Hoofton Avenue, in the warehouse district." said Alex.

Soon, they took off, carrying the two of us to the street. I laid back, sleep suddenly taking over my body.

"Hey, your falling asleep?" Alex asked.

"Force of habit." A yawn escaped from my mouth. "Wake me up when we get to the street, alright?"

I heard a sigh come out of him, and a chuckle out of me.

Your turn to look out for danger, alright? Wake me up later.

Alex

We arrived at the warehouse a while later. I looked to Baws to wake him up, and couldn't help but chuckle. See, Baws naps way too often on jobs, so I carry a marker around for just such an occasion. This time I had decide to go with the classic handlebar mustache, monocle, and writing 'I M N idiot' on his forehead. the best part was, he could go hours without realizing it was there, and by the time he noticed he'd have no idea who had done it.

Chuckling again, I woke Baws up.

"Yo, bro, we gots ta go."

"Yeah yeah," grumbled Baws.

We got up and started unloading the donuts onto a little trolley. After unloading them all, we proceeded to take them inside. The ponies pulling the carriage caught Baws' attention on the way in, as they kept chuckling and looking in our direction.

"What are they laughing at?" asked Baws, pointing at them.

"Nothing- just some joke I told them about a guy who fell asleep and got his face drawn on." I answered.

"Heh. You'd have to be pretty stupid to let that happen."

"Yes. Yes you would." I grinned.

Baws

...

My nose itches. I have to scratch it.

My hoof was already at my muzzle before I could mind the word 'scratch', but when I scratched my muzzle, black ink came off. It didn't take me long to realize what happened. "...Aww dude! What the fuck?!" I yelled at Alex.

He laughed like a maniac on a sugar rush. "Sorry, I had to do it!" He said.

...Fucking bastard!

Tons of licking and wiping off black ink as Alex the douchebag laughs his flank off, the ink was finally gone. "Asshole." I mutter.

"Don't sleep on the job then! Plus, payback." He said with a stupid grin. I growled like a pitbull.

Alex

We entered the warehouse and found ourselves in a small room with another door on the other end. Seeing no one around currently, Baws and I decided it was time to snoop around. Baws tried the door, but of course, it was locked.

"Piece of cake." I said, pushing my brother aside. Sticking one of my claws into the keyhole, I began shifting and jabbing until the lock came undone. I looked to my brother with a smirk, but he looked like he could care less.

Upon entering the doorway, Baws and I were shocked by what we saw- a gigantic room filled with glass cases containing all manner of weaponry. From spears to swords to metal claws, it was all there. Some of them even seemed to be enchanted, and each was labeled with a name and properties.

"Dude- we hit the mother load!" exclaimed Baws, marveling at all the stuff around.

"No kidding! These things are incredible!" I said, skimming the labels of some of the items. I didn't exactly like what I saw. "What worries me is what they plan on doing with this 'collection' of theirs'."

Baws

"Man, just imagine what the Vendett's are gonna do with these things! ...And why did they order donuts?" I asked.

"No idea, but--"

"Hey! The donuts here!"

"Aww sweet!"

That scared the absolute shit out of me. I wasted no time to secure me and my friend. When we took cover, he frantically pushed my hoofs away. "Dude! What the heck?!" He yelled.

I hushed him up by slapping the hell out of him. "Dude! Donut delivery! Of course ponies are going to be here!!" I said.

He stared blankly at me, before his brows fell. "Shit!" He said. I looked around; weapons, weapons, and more weapons. "Find a weapon. I'll be over there." I pointed to a alley full of crates.

Alex

I snuck around out of sight, searching for a weapon that would suit me- figuring we wouldn't be planning on leaving them behind, I wanted to find something I actually liked.

A flaming sword?

No, I got fire breath, there's no real reason to own that.

A spiked club?

No, too heavy- I'm more of a light and nimble kind of pony.

A spear?

Close, but I didn't want a weapon I could actually kill somepony with, just give 'em a good beating.

Then I found it. The Hook Staff.

It was very simple in design- a three foot long silverish staff that ended in a large hook, big enough to hook around the trunk off a small tree- but something about it just spoke to me. I noticed there was a button on the staff a few inches below the hook, and, growing curious, read the plaque under it's case to see what it said about that.

Apparently, when the button was pushed, the hook could be shot out of the staff on a magic chain that could go as far as the weapon's owner willed it to, and would retract upon releasing the button. It was also enchanted to be extremely light weight, but almost impossible to break. This made it useful as both long range weapon and grappling hook. I grinned.

Me likey.

Quickly picking the lock, I grabbed the Hook Staff and moved before anypony could see me. Now I could only hope that Baws had managed to find something without getting himself into trouble.

Baws

Shit shit shit shit!

Okay, um...let's see...A sword? Nah...that sucks. Batarang? No, it's for Batmare and it's plastic anyway. A shovel...

...Why?

"Hey! Who are you--?" I grabbed the shovel and flipped my head. A loud clang was heard, and I finally took a look to see him fall to the ground. "...yay..." I whisper.

Alex came in, and his large staff was almost taller then him. "Hey, you alright?" He asked. I gave him a nod. "I...think I'm gonna stick with the shovel." I say.

He stared at me blankly, then at the unconcious body. "Um...what about him?" He pointed a hoof at him. I waved mine. "He's fine." I reassured.

Alex

"Hey, did you here that?"

"Yeah- it came from over there!"

"Shit!" Baws and I exclaimed, knowing our cover had been blown. Before we could run, however, we were soon surrounded by about a dozen ponies.

"Stop right there!"

Baws and I glanced at each other, and we grinned as we saw we both had the same idea.

"Six you, six me." said Baws.

"I know- so unfair," I replied. "They're gonna need a lot more backup."

With that, I pushed the button and swung the Hook Staff, the hook and chain arcing so that it sent six of the gaurd ponies a bit away from the fight, and I jumped over to continue the fight.

This should be fun.

Baws

The ones behind me are going to need some help, like, loads of help. Flaunting my Shovel, I waved a hoof at my opponents. "Come on and fight me." I say. The first pony ran towards me, and I happily gave him a smile. He swung a hoof at me, but my Shovel nearly blocked him. I heaved my Shovel down wards, a loud clang echoed through the warehouse.

Two ponies ran side by side, and I swung my Shovel to one of them. Though, it missed, and they both clobbered me in the gut. I didn't fall, but I did take a few steps back. Fucking Jesus that hurts.

I swung my Shovel overhead, flattening one of them into unconcious was. I'm not going to lie, that was a bluff attack, but I also swung one right behind me, another clang was heard. "Man, fhis shhofel shucks." I say with it stuck in my mouth.

Hey! No homo!

Another pony ran up to me, but me hitting him with the wooden part of the shovel, I say I probably broke a jaw. He stumbled back, a growl came out of his mouth, but I shut him up by sending the sucker to sleep. Two more to go. This pony was a female, seeing as the moment I hit her upwards, she made the girliest sound a stallion could make. "Batter up!" I say, swinging the shovel like a baseball bat, and sending her flying into the last stallion.

They crashed into the crates, and I could just hear cheering. "A home run!!" I yelled.

Alex

While Bawws was doing that, I was taking down my own set of gaurds. When I had gotten over to them, a few had gotten back up and were ready to fight. One charged at me from the right, but I sent him back with a quick swing of my Hook Staff. Unfortunately, this left me open on my right, where another guard managed to rush me with a kick to the side, sending me tumbling onto my back a few feet away.

Three of them tried to dogpile me while I was dazed, but I quickly managed to regain enough of my wits to turn into a shadow right when they were above me, causing them to crash into each other and land hard on the ground. I quickly Shadow Glided out from under them, returned to my regular form, and grabbed my Hook Staff, which had not turned into a shadow along with me. I'd have to remember to get it enchanted to do that.

Before the three could untangle themselves from one another, I gave each a quick smack to the head with the Hook Staff to knock them unconscious. Then I turned to my other three attackers, only to narrowly dodge a brick that had been thrown at my head. I glared in the direction of the other three gaurds, unsure of which one had thrown it, but the message in my glare was clear- I do not like having things thrown at my head. Two of them seemed a bit hesitant, but one mare tried to rush me.

Big mistake.

I inhaled deeply, and before she got within punching range, released a large blast of black fire. Another one of my darkness abilities, I was able to breath fire balls and flaming streams of black fire, known as Shadow Fire, which, while not actually harmful to living creatures, was able to disorient them, making them feel like they're getting burned without actually burning them. The mare attacking me got an up close and personal demonstration- my full Shadow Flame went straight into her face.

She screamed, slapping herself at fire that wasn't actually there, and I knocked her out with a quick punch to the head. After she slumped onto the ground, I turned my attention back to the last two guards, only to see that the two had begun to run away. I chased after them, knowing that if they got away they could call for backup.

Quickly closing the gap between us, I took a quick swipe with the Hook Staff, releasing the chain so that the momentum caused the hook to slam into the head of one guard and ricochet into the head of the other, knocking both unconscious. Grinning at my success, I looked again at the silver staff held in my claw.

"Oh I am definitely keeping this baby!"

A moment later, Baws and I had the guards tied up and thrown in a closet.

"Okay, now that that's taken care of- what are we looking for here again?" inquired Baws.

"I think we're supposed to find an office in here with a file on everpony employed at Scarlet Rose's mansion so we have somepony for Shift to impersonate for the heist." I said, glancing around. "I'll look for that. You should call Spark Plug and tell him about what we found- I think he'll be very interested in it."

Baws

We rushed out the warehouse, a look of pride in on our faces, and anger in our bellies. Not going to lie, mines growled like a pit-bull when you taunt it with a bone. I looked at Alex, who was holding back laughter. I waited patiently, then it finally came.

"Grrrollll..."

He blushed like a field full of tomatoes. "Hah. You feel it now?" I asked.

"Shut up." He said. He gave a look around town, not knowing this street. "Uh, what do you want to eat?" He asked.

I stared at him like a fucking idiot. "Donuts. That's what." I mention. He laughed, and we got right into eating. Though, the day went pretty fast. Found a couple children, and knocked a couple people out in a day. Felt nice. The sun was setting to the point that all you can see is the orange in the sky. "Hm...you ready to hit the hay?" I asked.

He looked like he was going to give an answer, but then his eyes slowly shrunk. "We need to feed the kids. Spark can't feed them."

...
...
...
...
SUN OF A BI--!!

First Night on the Job

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Alex

I woke up the next day slightly confused as to why I was sleeping on the living room couch, until I looked over to Shift and Amethyst sleeping in an armchair and remembered I had promised to sleep with them until we set up their rooms. Carefully and quietly, I snuck into the kitchen to make some breakfast. Upon entry, I found Baws and Spark Plug already awake.

"How are the kids?" Sparks asked.

"Sleeping like angels. What's up?"

"Some bad news, bro." replied Baws.

"I did some calculations," Sparks said, "and if I did my math right- and I always do my math right- I'd say we've only got about a week and a half until Scarlet Rose is able to control enough of the Amulet's power to make it impossible to stop her."

"A week and a half!?" I exclaimed, horrified. "B-but we're not even close to ready yet! Amy and Shift haven't even begun to learn how to do their parts in the heist!"

"That's what I said to him!" Baws exclaimed.

"I know, I know!" snapped Sparks, a thing very uncommon for him. "Look, I know Amethyst and Shift still have a lot to learn, but time is not on our side! I've thought about it, though, and I believe that if you two start teaching them and practicing with them now, they should be heist ready by the end of the week. Leaving us plenty of time to plan and execute the heist."

"Got it. So what's the plan?"

"Well, to start, you'll be taking Amy out to the backyard and helping her learn to use her advanced senses to sense enemies and security systems she can't see And dig a tunnel into the mansion's basement, which I also think could be useful to us should the need arise. Baws, you'll be taking Shift and helping him perfect his transformation into the pony who we decided to have him impersonate. Meanwhile, I'll be working on setting up their tech. Everypony understand?"

Baws

"How in the fuck am I suppose to teach someone how to shape shift? I never shape shift before! Not only that, who does he have to impersonate anyway? A grown stallion, that's who. He's only a child, don't you guys think that we should wait a bit longer before infiltrating their HQ?" I asked.

Spark shook his head. "She has the Alicorn Amulet, not only that, they know that you guys are still around. Who knows what they can do with the Alicorn Amulet." He says.

"He's right, Winter. We have to do this now, we don't have a lot of time." He says. This time, I shook my head. "What are they going to do? Training takes time, and we need more than one week if they are really going to infiltrate that place." I said.

"They could take over Equestria. Do you really believe that they'll just stay thieves?" Spark asked. I gave him a nod. "Bataille des Voleurs, Battle of the Thieves. Your born as one, you die as one. Equestria is worthless when you can steal priceless artifacts like the book they stole from us." I explain.

"Come to think of it, we haven't done a raid in a while." Alex said, scratching his chin.

"A couple of thieves stripped the Boutique of jewels; the one here in Ponyville." Spark said.

"Child's play." Alex said, and I give another nod. "Exactly. Let the kids steal the gems back. If anything goes awry, we'll come in and fix it. This is their first day of training." I say.

Let's begin.

Alex

Amethyst and Shift entered the hideout of the jewel crooks through a tunnel Amethyst had dug. They looked a little nervous when we had first told them about their solo mission, but a few encouraging words from me and a promise of hay burgers from Baws was enough to get them some enthusiasm. Now that they were in the field, the two were working as a well oiled machine, with Amethyst taking charge, and Shift remaining watchful and alert.

...How did I know this?

...

...Well I wasn't gonna send them on their first solo mission without a little backup just in case! I was in there too- watching them in my shadow form. Baws was here somewhere too, but honestly, he was more likely raiding the fridge than keeping track of my babies.

...wait ...did I just call them...

...

Whatever, I'll deal with this new emotional stuff later, right now I gotta keep track of my babies.

Dammit! I did it again!

"Okay Shift. You ready to rock and roll?" said Amethyst.

"Yeah! Time to kick flank and take names!" Shift replied.

Aww, so cute! Their first attempt at saying cool lines like me! I feel so proud! If only I had a camera!

...

What is wrong with me?! I'm starting to sound like a mom!

Baws

I came back with food in my mouth, and saying it right now, it tastes delicious! When I saw the look on my bro's face, I swear it was the funniest thing I've ever seen. "Uh, heh, dude. You alright?" I asked.

I swear, he turned a me with a donkey face. "I s-sound like a Mom...!" He said.

I waved a hoof at him. "Dude, chill. That feeling comes around when you deeply care for a younger fella. Why do you think I'm so stubborn-protective over Pastel?" I say.

He looked ahead at the kids; the two with Pastel breaking and entering into the building. "Want some food? I brought some while we wait for them to come back." I say.

He kept staring ahead. "Hmm...okay then. Tell me when you want food." I say, before turning around and looks at the night sky.

Alex

As my brother stood buisily stuffing his face, I got out the little techno gadget Spark had hooked up for us. He had already hacked into the security cams so that they'd show the guards a loop of empty halways and set up this thing to show us what was really going on so we could keep track of the kids. That Spark Plug- always thinking.

Baws

"So...what now?" I asked. Spark took a bite of his food, and layed back.

"We wait until they get back." He said.

It wasn't long before the three of us sat around. I pull out some cards. "You guys wanna play some UNO?" I asked.

Alex

I smacked Baws in the back of the head. "UNO."

"You don't play fair." he replied, rubbing his injury.

"Deal with it."

Baws

Feeling the pain by the dirt bag, I hear a small alarm come from Spark's techno thing. "Oh no!" He said, me trying so hard not to roll my eyes. He always say that for the most ridiculous things. "Shift! Amythest! What are you doing?!" He asked.

"I told Shift not to mess with the files! Now papers are all over the ground!" Pastel frustratedly yelled.

"Evidence left behind the scene. Not bad though. We made a couple messes on our first try." I said.

"And who's idea was to raid the fridge?" Alex said smugly.
I turned back at him. "Who's idea was to hang around with your GF until the guards came along? Very smart indeed." I say sarcastically.

"Look, just, clean it up as quietly as possible. Grab the gems and go." Spark said.

"I-Is it bad if I said that the guards are on their way?" Amythest asked.

"Fuck, we gotta go save them." I say.

Alex

"Well, looks like it's time to kick some flank." I said.

"My favorite time of the day!" exclaimed Baws.

Baws

We head out to the enemy building, side by side the door. "So, what? Were going to barge in, or sneak out way in?" I asked.

Alex rubbed his chin in thought. Either way, somebody is sleeping on the ground tonight.

Alex

"Eh. The alarm's already going off, so why bother being quiet?" I said.

"Bust in and smash everything it is, then!" exclaimed Baws.

"You're enjoying this, aren't you?"

"Yes- yes I am."

Baws

We quickly opened the door to find nothing but a sofa, some tools, and a bag of greasy food. "...Oh yeah, their hunting down the children!" I said, quickly remembering why we came here. I'm not lying when I say that I comepletely forgot why we are here. But it's okay! I remember it!

"Really? Like, seriously?" Alex asked. I shrugged. "Can't go wrong with a little forgetter, can ya?" I asked.

He sighed, but brought his staff out. "C'mon, let's go save them." He said. I brought my shovel out, my wings firmly holding onto it.

"I'm sure their fine." I said.

Alex

We run off to find the kids, my only focus on their protection. I glance to see Baws with a focus look on his face, and can only assume he's thinking the same thing.

Baws

We bust in through a door, to find an empty room. "Not it." I said. We just in through another door. "...C'mon..." my voice getting a bit irritated.

The third door was the charm because we see at least three guards crowing the three kids. "Oi! You want to go, mate?" I quickly grab their attention.

They turn to see me smiling like a mad stallion holding a shovel. "I deck ya, mate!" By this point, I'm just taunting them! The three stallions growled at us, but I kept my smile. "Let's go!" I yell.

Alex

As fun as it would be to fight them, I knew we didn't have time for that. We needed to save the kids, grab the loot, and get out of here before anypony else showed up. Too bad for Baws- he loves fighting.

"Baws- shadow striker maneuver!" I said.

Baws nodded to me as we rushed the guards. The guards were caught by surprise, but quickly prepared themselves for our frontal assault.

Just as planned.

I quickly changed into my shadow form and Shadow Glided underneath them. Then, once I was behind them, sprung up from the ground and used a good swing from my Hook Staff to knock them headfirst into each other. Once they were dazed, Baws finished them off with a full force body slam, knocking all three guards unconscious.

"Man I love doing that," Baws said as he got up.

"Are you three okay?" I asked the kids.

"We're good." assured Pastel.

"And check what we got!" exclaimed Amethyst, holding up a bag for us to see.

"The loot! Nice!" I exclaimed.

"Got the loot, got the kids- I'd say we're good to go." stated Baws. "Let's blow this popsicle stand!"

Baws

We took off faster than someone stealing cookies from a cookie jar. Yeah, we took off that fast. Clumsy, yeah, but we ran. Once we made it to Spark, we gave him a nice, subtle greeting.

"Spark, we got it! Let's get the hell out of here!!" I yelled. Spark gave a nod, quickly packed his stuff, and we head out. We reached the Carosoul Boutique, the kids in front of us.

"Alright kids," I said, pointing a hoof at clothing store.. "Your going to drop the gems inside the Boutique. Then your going to make it out with no problems, deal?"

"Deal!" Pastel replied, and the other two nodding. I gave them a nod as well. "Good. Now, move out!" I said.

They ran to the Boutique, us hiding in the bushes a couple meters away. "You think they got this?" Spark asked.

"First mission? Probably not." I replied.

And once again, we play the waitin game.

"Wait, why are they putting the gems in there again?" Alex asked.

Spark looked back at Alex with a bored expression. "Some dudes stole a couple of gems from Rarity's boutique. Of course, she was a bit late due to her sudden faint, but we were able to get information about it. We're just returning them. Hopefully we get a reward in the end." He said.

"More and more waiting, I guess." I said, scratching the bottom of my chin.

Alex

"Wait, so what you're thinking is-"

"We return the gems and use that plus some convincing from Rainbow Dash to show Rarity we're some of the good guys."

"And what exactly does this acomplish for us?" I questioned.

"Well for starters," said Sparks, "We'll have a third of the Elements of Harmony on our side, so that should give us an edge. For another thing, her gem finding ability far surpasses any other that I have studied. If that's not a useful talent for a gang of thieves, then I don't know what is."

"True dat. You made sure she knows we're the ones who returned them, right?"

"Totally." said Baws. "I gave the kids a calling card and told them to put it by the gems. Even wrote 'You're welcome' on it for good measure."

Baws

"Your welcome?" Alex asked, a smile that clearly said seriously? I gave him a nod.

"What else did you expect?" I asked him. He gave a shrug. "I don't know, first time that we're suppose to steal something, and we aren't the ones stealing." He said.

I gave him a nod, but I sat down on the soft grass. "Makes sense. Nothing better to do at the moment." I replied. I gave a look to Spark, me raising a brow. "You know what to do after we put in the gems?"

"We get the buck outta here and leave the rest to Rainbow Dash?" said Sparks.

"Rainbow would have no idea. Unless we scare and inform her in the middle of the night, I highly doubt she'll figure out it was us. She'll think the guards returned it." I said. Knowing Rainbow, I know she wouldn't care even if she tried, but she, at the very least, l would care if Rarity is feeling a lot better than before.

"Leave a note in her room." Spark said.

I shake my head. "It's flipping 3:00 in the morning, I gotta work tomorrow. You, on the other hand, are going to pass the heck out if we continue to go through with this. One day and we did so many things. Take a long break. Two days max." I said.

Spark continued to stare ahead. "...We're fine." He replied. Finally, this kids came back, smile on their faces. Amythest was the first to speak. "We did it!" she whispered.

"Can we sleep now?" Shift asked. I nodded. "Yeah. C'mon kids, let's go!" I said.

We took off, the stars still glistening in the night.

Sisters, Sweets, and Unexpected Treats

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Alex

The next day I woke up next to the kids and let out a smile. I felt proud- they had done their mission with only a minor amount of error, same as Baws and I usually do. I knew we'd be facing a dangerous threat soon, but I couldn't help but feel they deserved some sort of award. Grabbing my pillow, I headed up to Baws' room. He was sleeping peacefully in his bed. I threw my pillow at his face.

"Huh?!" He said, jumping up from his bed.

"C'mon, we're getting something for the kids."

"Hey, screw you man- I'm going back to bed." he said, getting back under the covers.

Not one to take Baws' attitude, I grabbed him by the tail and started dragging him out of his room.

"We're going. Now."

Baws crossed his arms and mumbled, "I freaking hate you morning people."

"Deal with it."

"Screw you."

And with that last comment, I gave him a quick stomp to the head and continued to drag a now angrily silent Baws through the house. We passed by the kitchen, where I got a skeptical look from Sparks who was drinking some coffee.

"What's-?"

"Getting kids treats. Baws is an asshole." I said.

"I see." Spark said, a sly grin appearing on his face. "Have fun, you two!"

"Screw you!" Baws exclaimed in response to his teasing.

I gave him another kick to the back of the head.

"...Can I have some of that coffee?" Baws asked, his words slightly muffled due to his face being on the ground.

"I'll grab you a thermos." replied Sparks, still grinning.

"Thank you."

Baws

I swear I'm going to have a concussion if he keeps doing that. Though I was on the floor, Spark handed me the coffee I asked for. Not going to lie, I freaking love it. Not one to usually drink coffee, but it was worthwhile. "Thanks." I said, bringing my face from the wooden floor.

"How does it feel to be dragged? Sucks, doesn't it?" He asked in a mocking tone.

I replied back in that same tone. "The only difference is that mine is by the tail. Your's was your GF as she was dragging you by the ear."

He frowned, but I smiled. I can hear a groan coming from Alex, whether it was pity or he just doesn't care."Come on Asshole, let's go." He said.

I drank the coffee as fast as I could, before setting it down on the floor. Alex finally dragged me, and my energetic side is nowhere to be found at the moment. "See ya Spark." I said, giving him a small wave.

He waved back, before going back into the kitchen. Once we got outside, he stopped. "Want me keep dragging your stupid self or you want to walk?" He asked, a smile on his face.

I slowly, but surely, stood up on my four hooves. "I'm fine. Thanks for dragging me out of bed. I was to lazy to get up. Good job, pal!" I give him a pat on the back before slowly trotting up ahead. "You needed to lift some shit anyway."

Alex

"Yeah yeah." I replied. "Anyways- the kids deserve a treat, and you know there's only one pony I trust for my treats."

Baws' eyes shrunk to pinpoints. "Oh no, we are not visiting your psycho sister!"

"Hey, it's been a while since I've seen her. Besides, if it weren't for Pinkie Pie, you'd have never had met Dash."

Baws

Alex tilted his head. "Psycho? Not really. Just...not understandable." He tried to explain.

I face hooved. "Yeah yeah...so, what are we getting anyway?" I asked.

He started to trott ahead of me, but I quickly caught up. "It's Ice Cream and Cookies!" He said.

I gave him a smile. "Neat. Shouldn't you, oh I don't know, reward them with some Applepie?" I asked him.

He hummed, but continued to trot along. "I'll think about it. For now, buy your own treat." He said. I look down at the ground, my brows falling.

"Fuck..."

Alex

As we headed to Sugarcube Corner, my thoughts turned to my sister. It was hard to believe that a dragon-pony like myself and the infamous Pinkamena Diane Pie were actually related. Honestly, if it weren't for Pinkie Pie, I might not have even lived to today if not for our chance encounter all those years ago...

I trudged through the forest, pain coursing through my body. I had managed to outrun the Manticore that was chasing me, but not without getting some serious injuries, covering me head to toe in cuts and bruises. That, plus the lack of food, had me in a total daze. My vision was fading, and I fell to the ground. Just before I blacked out, I saw something coming near me. At first I thought It was the Manticore having finally caught up with me. I soon realized that it was something else, and, trying to make out what it was, I noticed the only discernable feature that could be seen through my blurry vision.

It's... pink? I thought before passing out.

Sometime later I woke up to a pair of blue eyes staring directly into mine.

I screamed.

The creature, a little pink filly likely a year or two older than me, jumped back at my shriek, but then she smiled at me.

"Ohmygosh, you're okay! Thank goodness- when I found you in the forest, I thought you were dead, but then I notice you were still breathing and I was like, 'Holy moly, he's still alive!', so I brought you here and patched you up and I've been waiting and waiting and waiting for you to wake up and I kept getting more and more worried that you wouldn't wake up, but now you've woken up and I'm just so super-duper happy that you're alright!"

It took a moment for my mind to register what was going on, but once it did, I took a look at my surroundings. I was inside of a silo laying down in a pile of hay. My wounds were covered with bandages- actual bandaging on the big wounds and little bandages on the smaller cuts that had smiley faces on them.

"So anyways," said the filly, "my name is Pinkie Pie!" What's yours?"

"My... name?" I asked, my voice hoarse and raspy from lack of use.

"Yeah silly! Your name!"

I paused a moment, unsure how to answer. I knew I had a name, one that I had given to myself, but it had been so long since I had used it, and nopony had ever asked me about it before.

"My... name..." I said, trying to remember. "My name is... Alex. Alex... Rite."

The filly smiled. "That's a great name! Really, I'm just so happy to know you're okay! When I wished for a little brother, I wasn't expecting to find him beat up in the forest!"

"Little... brother?" I questioned.

"That's right! You're my little brother, and I'm your big sister!"

"Big... sister..." I said, hardly believing my ears.

It took a while to for me to integrate into pony society, and there are still plenty of ponies in equestria who don't trust me, but through it all, Pinkie was right there by my side. It's funny- even though the Pie family took me in and I had Maud, Marble, and Limestone as sisters too, Pinkie was the one the one I always stuck close to, and she was always happy to have me at her side. We were inseparable- still are in some ways- and all because of a meeting of pure chance.

"Yo bro!" said Baws, snapping me out of my daydream. "We're here."

Baws

We enter the Sugarcube Corner, the place almost deserted. "Well, that's...odd." I said. I look over to see Alex a bit shakened, but he's fine nonetheless. We walked to the front of to the counter, and I rung the little bell.

ding

As expected, nothing happened. But, couple seconds later, Mrs. Cake walked down the stairs. "O-oh! Mr. Frost and Alex! How unexpected!" She said, getting behind the counter. "What can I do for you boys?"

"Well, we were going to get something, but...uh, where's Pinkie?" Alex asked.

Mrs. Cake giggled a bit. "She's upstairs, caring for the twins. However, she's busy at the moment." She said.

Alex gave an unexpected sigh. "Well, alright. We'll get the--"

"Oi! You wanted to visit Pinkie, let's go upstairs and check. I'm sure she wouldn't mind a bit of help, right?" I interrupt him. Seriously, he was happy until he talked about Pinkie.

He never told me how Pinkie and Him were brother and sisters, he just kind of did. It made absolutely no sense from a dragon-pony to appear in a pony-filled family, but then, something clicked. It's Pinkie, screw it. My mind just gave a finger to the sky in hopes Faust or Celestia see's that I give up right then and there.

Getting back on topic, seeing my bro upset is like watching your puppy get kicked; it ain't pleasant. Mrs. Cake gave a small smile. "I'm sure she wouldn't mind. She's upstairs, second door on the right." She informed.
We gave our nods, and headed upstairs.

My body let out a small, unexpected sigh. "The things I do for my bro." I said.

Alex

As we aproached the door, I noticed the agrivated look on Baws' face.

"Oh come on, it's just a couple of babies," I said, opening the door. "How bad could it be?"

Just then, Pound Cake flew through, slaming into Baws' face.

"I'm not having fun." said Baws.

"Well I am."

Baws gave me his 'fuck you' face. Then I got attacked myself.

"Ally!" yelled Pinkie, tapping her arms around me in a bone-crushing hug. "It's so good to see you, little bro!"

"You too, big sis!" I said, gasping for air. "But it would also be good if I could breathe!"

"Oh, sorry!" she said, letting me go so I could fill my lungs with oxygen.

Baws

"GAH!! WHAT ATTACKED ME?! WHAT THE FUCK!!" Is what I would've said if my face wasn't covered by a foal. I may...or may not have screamed in sheer panic. I heard a giggle from my right, and she quickly pulled it off of me. "Pound Cake! You know your not suppose to do that!" She said sternly, but with a grin stuck on her face.

The baby didn't cry, but it somehow magnetically reattached itself upon me. Thankfully, it's not my face. It did wrap around my leg though. "Aww! Remember how he used to do that every time you came here, Frosty?" She said with her tongue dangling from her mouth.

"And he still does! I love these children, I do, but I'm starting to wonder if I should do experiments just to see if he would go through Ponyville, on his own, to see if he still attaches himself on me. If he does, call him Magnet Colt." I sarcastically joked.

Pinkie snorted, but she turned back to 'Ally' when she finished. "What'cha need, anyway?" She asked.

Alex

"We need some treets for Baws' sister, Pastel, and-"

"My new niece and nephew, Shift and Amethyst?" Pinkie interrupted with a sly grin that could rival my own.

Now normally, Pinkie's... Pinkie-ness... would have been at least a little freaky to most ponies, but I had grown up with her, so I was pretty used to it, and Baws had pretty much given up on trying to understand her, as shown by his 'I have no fucks to give about this situation' face.

"That's right, sis. Can you do it?"

"Ally, this is me we're talking about, of course I can do it!" Pinkie laughed. "So when can I meet my new family members?"

"Well, you can come with us to the mansion after you're done with the twins and the treats." I said, even though Baws kept mouthing the word 'no' to me.

"That's a great idea!" exclaimed Pinkie.

Baws facehoofed.

Baws

"That's a terrible idea." I said to them. The two looked at me, Pinkie frowning a bit.

"Why is that?" Alex asked.

I sarcastically hummed. "Let me see, who wouldn't want Pinkie 8:00 in the morning when they wake up? I'm sure they'll love to hear a long, never ending talk about it." I said, my voice cracking a bit.

"D'aww! They'll be fine!" Pinkie regained her smile when she said that, but I looked at her with skepticism. "Yeah...okay." I said.

We walked out (if Pinkie's bouncing included as walking) of Sugarcube Corner. Though, it won't take long before Pinkie says something.

Alex

"-and so therefore, we're all fictional characters in a tv show." said Pinkie, concluding a long explanation to one of her conspiracy theories.

"Yeah, and me and Alex are just characters in a fanfiction for that show." Baws laughed.

"Exactly!" said Pinkie, grinning widely.

Baws frowned. "Damn, Pinkie, you scary."

"Ya get used to it," I told him as we stopped in front of the mansion. "Here it is, sis! Your little bro is living in style!"

"Pretty nice!" she replied. "I assume it has an arcade and a movie theatre?"

I looked to Baws, who nodded in confirmation, and replied, "Why yes it does!"

"Neato! They really outdid themselves with this!"

"I couldn't agree more," said Baws.

Baws

We entered, and I swear to my life, I mistaken the children for zombies. They were in the kitchen eating cereal, dark bags under their eyes. "Hey..." The said in a union.

"Woah, y'all the undead or what?" I asked. Shift gave a yawn before replying. "We're so tired from doing the stuff last night. We just woke up." He said, his voice a bit higher than before.

"Yeah..." Amythest joined in, her voice a bit higher as well. "We're so tired. Can we go back to sleep?" She asked.

I looked over at Pastel, her face literally resting in the bowl of cereal; bubbles appearing to the surface as she snores in her milk. I gave a loud stomp. "Pastel!" I gave a quick shout.

She flew up, her eyes widen in fear and confusion. On side of her face was filled with milk, while the other was her fur color.

"What?! Huh?! What just...oh...right." Looks like realization hit her like a feather. Didn't notice until now.

"Well, we got a surprise for you! Guess who came?!" Alex said with enthusiasm. The kids stared with bored looks. "Hmm?" They hummed in a union.

"It's Pinkie!" He said, and Pinkie somehow got the party cannon to go off. "Surprise!!" She said, a full smile on her face.

The kids looked at Pinkie, then back to their cereal, their face never changing. "Yaaay..." They all said with an uncaring tone.

Alex

"Wow, they are really out of it."

"I know!" said Pinkie. "Good thing I came prepared!" She pulled out three muffins and placed them in front of the kids, knocking away their cereal bowls. "Dig in!"

Baws looked skeptical as the kids began to eat their muffins.

"Uh, Pinkie, I'm not so sure muffins are gonna be enough to wake them up." he said.

"Oh, these are no ordinary muffins!" replied Pinkie. "You see, I knew the kids would be really tired after working all night to return those gems to Rarity- nice job, by the way- so I decided to give them a little kickstart by adding some of The Stuff into the recipe."

"Wait- you put some of The Stuff into their muffins?!" I exclaimed.

"Yep! You might wanna take cover. Like, now."

Baws, looking confused, was about to ask a question, when I noticed the kids were starting to get twitchy. Acting fast, I grabbed him and ducked under the table right when it happened- the kids went wild, running all over the place and litterally bouncing off the walls.

"Dafuq?! What did Pinkie put in those muffins?!" Baws asked, yelling to be heard over the sound of the living typhoon of destruction going on around us.

"The Stuff, that's what! It's Pinkie's secret spice made from stuff she finds in the Everfree Forest, I don't know what exactly, and I don't wanna! It's like drinking twenty cups of coffee at once. it's why Pinkie's so hyper, she eats nothing but The Stuff!"

"Are the kids gonna be okay?"

"Them? Oh, they'll be fine- it wears off pretty quickly for those who don't eat it constantly, and they'll definitely be awake."

"Your sister's nuts."

"Not new information."

Alex

"Okay then, your sister needs to find a new way to wake them up! I don't like how their breaking all my stuff!" I said.

He gave a shrug. "All or none." He said.

"What the fu-!" Shift crashed into the table, almost cracking it in two. Bits and pieces flew in the air, and came falling down within seconds. "This is bonkers! Fix it!" I yell through all the cheering, banging, and crashing.

I heard a sigh from Pinkie. "Your no fun." She said with a frown. I glare at her.

"And if anymore stuff is damage, I'm not letting Pinkie come back in this house ever again!" I yell.

"You can't do that!" Alex said to me, in which I raised a brow.

"And who's house are you living in?" I asked.

Nothing came out of Alex's mouth after I said that, but he crossed his fore-arms. "Hate it when you do that." He said.

"Hurry up." I said flatly.

Alex

"Only one thing will work!"

Pinkie and I put on metal backpacks with hoses attached to them.

"Chamomile tea cannons!"

Baws

"Chamomile tea cannons?" I asked. Alex smirks at my lack of insanity.

"Your missing out, dude." He said.

"I feel like I didn't miss anything. Where are you going with this?" I asked. His smile grew even wider that, I swore, would show his entire mouth.

Where is he going with this?

Alex

"Uh, duh, we gotta shoot it in their mouths so they'll calm down." I said.

"I brought an extraaaa!" said Pinkie, holding one out to Baws.

"Aw, sweet!" he said.

Baws

"So...how do we do that?" I asked, as Pastel suddenly rammed into the table, completely breaking it into two. I hid in one as Pinkie and Alex hid in the other. Alex gave a sheepish smile.

"...No idea." He said.

"WHAT?!" My voice was actually louder than the destruction of the house. Huh...chords of steel.

"This is the cure, we just have no idea how to do it!" He said.

"Then find a way, damn it! The longer this takes, the more we have to clean up this mess."

"We?"

"Yes, we. Pinkie's idea to give them The Stuff, your idea to even get out of the house, and this is my house. All of us is cleaning up...except Spark."

"HEEEEEELP!!" A voice was heard from the kitchen. I couldn't keep in my chuckle when I heard that. I take the Chamomile tea from Pinkie, worry about the kids.

"We gotta do something fast. This house cannot contain more destruction." I said.

Alex

"Then Let's get shootin!" I said, aiming my hose away from myself. Shooting a jet of chamomile tea at apparently nothing, I managed to hit Amethyst as she came by, and she instantly stopped.

"Wha-?" she said, before I rolled over, grabbed her, and launched us both back under the table, just before Pastel hit right where we were. This ain't my first The Stuff rodeo.

"Don't worry, Amy, I gotcha!" I said. "Your turn, Baws!"

Baws

I seriously wonder why we're friends at times. This is damn insane.

Anyway, he passed me a cannon, and I took aim. Unfortunately, these targets were children, and these children were moving too damn fast. Not only do I have one shot at this, but any longer and this mansion would crumble. I took aim, watching carefully on where they mostly met up.

Although, I didn't notice that my back hoof was on the rope, and I accidentally fired. Time seemed to slow down in my eyes, and I was freaking terrified that my house was going to crumble in front of my eyes.

What I did notice was that somehow, somehow, I was able to hit them both.

Celestia be damned. I fucking DID IT! "FUCK YEAH!" My smile overwhelming my face.

Alex

"Nice shot bro!"

"Uh huh! That's right! Who's the colt? I'm the colt!" sang Baws, doing a celebratory dance.

"What in sweet Celestia happened?" asked Pastel.

"Lotta crazy stuff," I said. "We kinda destroyed the kitchen."

"Eh, have Spark fix it." replied Baws.

Baws

We looked to see a Spark hiding behind the table. We pick it up, a smile on our faces. "Hey scaredy-pants, how ya doin'?" I asked.

He looked at me with sarcasm. "Oh, you know, eating under the table as I fear for my life."

I nod. "Neat. Anyway, clean this crap up. See ya!" I quickly flew up the mansion, and shortly after, I heard frantic hoof steps shuffling about. Heheh.

Alex

I sighed. "I supose this is honestly my fault. I'll help you clean up, Sparks."

"No need!" said Pinkie. "Already took care of it!"

Spark and I turn back to see the kitchen completely repaired, as though the last five minutes never happened. Spark Plug was dumbstruck, his mouth gaping as he tried to make sense of what happened, but then his face went blank as it hit him.

"The infamous Pinkie Pie, I presume?" he deadpanned.

"The one and only." I replied.

"Thank Celestia." he added.

Baws

My house, my crap...that's broken all over the place. Guess I'm cleaning up regardless of where I am.

Celestia damnit.

As I'm cleaning up, a shovel suddenly falls on my head. "Gah! Fuck!" I roared. A laugh is heard through my door.

"How's it feel?" He yelled, presumably Alex.

"Fuck you!" I yelled back. Another laugh came by, and I picked up the weapon that tried to murder me. However, I saw one of the stickers slightly torn off. Curiosity killing the cat, I checked it out. "...Made...by...Jewel...Er?" That is seriously all I've gotten from the sticker.

Same shovel from the mass criminals...but, I guess this isn't worth my attention. "Fuck it." I said as I threw the shovel at the corner, only for it to fling back towards my face.

"FFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!!!"

Alex

"Getting your ass kicked by inanimate objects again?" I asked smugly.

"Shut up!" he replied, followed quickly by the sound of him throwing something on the floor, only for it to bounce back and hit him in the face yet again, causing him to call flat on the ground, groaning "Karma's a fucking bitch."

With that, I unlocked the door and went in, both to make sure he was okay and to laugh at his pain.

Baws

Alex walked in, and yet the shovel fucking flew past him, ricochet off the door, and still hit me in the forehead. I grabbed the shovel in defeat, and gently set it on the ground. "This is some grade A-bullshit." I swear to the higher-ups as I rub my head.

"Watch your mouth, sailor. We have kids." Alex said smugly. I glared at him. "Shut up...fucking asshole." I reply to his witty comment.

I tried to leave, and the wooden part of the shovel decides to take part in the beating; hitting me square in the face.

"FFFFFFFFFFF....that shit HURTS." I actually try to keep myself down.

"I bet it does." He said. At this point, I'm glaring daggers at him. "Ah ha. Go jump off a cliff." I said, leaving to make me some Cocoa. May be straight in the morning, but damn, those are delicious!

Alex

I decided to follow him down, to make sure he wasn't assaulted by the sofa or something

Baws

I go downstairs to see Spark, Pinkie, and the kids cleaning up what's left of the house. I wave a hoof at Spark, hoping to catch his attention. It worked, and he came our way. "Oi, we're going to go get some wood. Hopefully to build what's left. You gonna be okay watching the three toublemakers?" I pointed at the kids.

He gave us a sigh, that came with a nod. "Sure. What about Pinkie?" He asked. I looked at Alex, one of my brows raising. "I'm sure he can handle her. Good luck." I said.

Alex

We left the mansion and started heading off to get the supplies.

"So... crazy stuff going on, huh?" I said.

"Eeyup. One day we're just a trio, the next day we have a whole gang." replied Baws, smirking. "And you become a dad to two kids who might just be as crazy as you."

"Heh- yeah. Wonder what Goldie'll think?"

"Why not ask her now? She's standing right over there."

"Saywutnow?!"

Baws

Coincidences are the damn best! Ms. Goldilocks showed up, and she gave a firm nod as a sign of greeting. "Greetings, Alex. Your eye feeling any better?" She asked.

I smile as he tried to come up a way to get out of this situation.

Alex

"Uuuuhhhhh..." My mind was blank, I couldn't think of anything to say. Unfortunately, the same could not be said for Baws.

"Hey, Gold Heart! Long time no see. Hey we were just on our way to get some supplies for the new mansion, why don't you join us and come check out the place we live at now!"

"Oh, sounds like fun! I accept."

Damn you Baws. Damn you to Tartarus.

Baws

I looked at Alex, a smirk spattered across my face. "So it will." I say. I can here the grinding ofvteeth as I turn away. "Let's-a go!" I try using my best italian voice.

This should be fun!

Alex

After getting the suplies and returning home, I tried my best to think of a way to explain the kids. Again, Baws had it before me.

"Hey kids! We have guest!" he yelled, causing all three of them to come running in. "Gold Heart, this is my little sister, Pastel, and these are Alex's recently adopted children, Amythest and Shift."

"Wait, you adopted a Dimond Dog and a Changeling?" asked Goldie.

"Well, I-uh," I said, but before I could give her a proper answer, she scooped up the two in a giant hug.

"They're so cute!" she said, squeezing them even harder.

"You're Ms. Gold Heart?" said Shift. "You're even nicer than Alex said!"

"And even prettier!" said Amy.

Baws

I cough under my breath. "Prettier than a garbage bag." I mumble. With bat sensing abilities, Alex clunked me on the shoulder, rewarding me with shit tons of pain. "What happened?!" Goldie Locks asked.

"Nothing much; brotherly love." He said, a douchebag smile appears. Meanwhile, I'm trying not to scream in pain. "...FUCK!" I yell uncontrollably.

Alex

"What the-?" Gold Heart says before I start pushing her into the kitchen.

"Hey, why don't you and I go grab some snacks for everybody?" I said. Once we were in the clear, I breathed a sigh of relief.

"Y'know, I never really expected you to be the adopting type." Goldie told me.

"Oh really?" I replied. "You think I wouldn't make a good dad?"

"Oh, no, not at all! I always thought you'd make a great dad- you're so kind, and caring, and considerate, and handsome..."

"Handsome?" I grinned.

Goldie blushed. "Who said that?!" she said, trying to play it off before coughing into her hoof. "Anyways, what I meant was I just never thought you'd adopt children."

"Well, it's like you said, I'm a caring guy. Baws and I found'em getting picked on by a bunch of assholes, and I just wouldn't stand for it."

Gold Heart smiled and walked up to me, leaning on my side. "And that's exactly why I can always count on you." She gave me a quick peck to the cheek and went back to getting the snacks.

I would have helped, but my brain was too busy trying to process what had just happened. One thing for sure, though- at that moment, I was on top of the world and grinning like an idiot.

Baws

"GAAAAYY!!" I say with the most douchey voice I can muster. At that moment, I saw something; something horrifying.
It was swift, lighting fast. Faster than the eye could see. It was clear to me...that I dun' fucked up. I don't know who did it, or where it came from, but what I did notice, was that it socked me straight in the muzzle.

In the words of an asshole, 'that hurt like a bitch!'

"GAH! DAMNIT!" I yell at the ceiling, Spark laughing at my pain. I glance at Goldie, to see one of her hooves having a slight smoke effect.

Did she just freaking wacked me at Mach 5?! "What the fu...?" I trailed off, more awed in amazement then in pain. How the flipping fuck did she do that?! Better yet, how did I survive?!

"Sorry, say something?" She asked, her venemous words poisoning me with fear.

"...N-no..I don't remember what I was going to say." I play it off, obviously failing at it.

But, hey, she bought it...hopefully. "Ow..." The pain in my muzzle feels like grill. Fucking stings, like when you put hay on a grill. Just hurts...

Alex

"Best... Mare... Ever..." I said.

"And don't you forget it." Goldie said, grinning. "Now let's to get those snacks!"

As Gold Heart turned around, Baws whispered to me, "Your marefriend scares me."

"Best... Mare... Ever..." I repeated.

Baws

Fucking..."Gah..." I groan in pain. Alex just looked at me with a victory smile.

"Taste of your own medicine today, huh?" He asked.

"I knew I shouldn't have gotten out of bed today." I mumble to myself. Spark put a hoof on my shoulder, but I didn't bother to look at him.

"You able to take care of these three troublemakers?" He asked me.

"...Touché, bastard." I say. He snickers to himself.

He better have one eye open before he sleeps, 'cause now, I'm hunting him down.

Alex

Just then, Pinkie Pie decided to burst in on the conversation.

"Hey there, Goldie! I'm Pinkie, Alex's sister!"

"You have a sister?" asked Gold Heart.

"I have four," I replied. "Five if you count Baws."

"Hey!" he retorted.

"Sorry. Saw an opening and I took it."

Baws

"Don't forget to count yourself." I retort. Pinkie hissed as she heard me say that.

"He's got you there Ally." She still gave him the smile she had me.

'Is their anything she won't smile at?' I wondered.

Seriously! If she had a party that woke up the dead, I doubt she'd care enough to fix the noise. She'd just give them the 'fuck you' smile and keep on going. "...I want to see that happen now." I randomly blurt out.

"See what happen?" Gold asked.

"Just thinking...let's go buy the stuff...for my damage house...again." I said, each pause reminding me how my house always gets messed up, intentional or not.

"Y-yeah...sorry 'bout that." Pinkie said, her smile faltering.

"Its fine, I'll deal with it later." I said.

...Can't be mad, no matter how much I want to against that girl. Something about her that just makes me refuse to hate her. Don't know what it is, and I wish to not find that out. "Let's move men!" I try my best to sound like a General.

"So, what exactly do we need to repair the place?" asked Alex

"Wood, paint, tools, and new, but less expensive furniture." I said. Alex shrugs at me.

"Cool. Not all that bad, right?" He asked.

"And you jinxed yourself. You owe me a couple hundred." My smile suddenly appears. The shock on Pinkie, Alex, and Goldie's face was priceless.

"W-what?!" They asked.

"Well, yeah. I only got half the money. Where's your other half?" I asked. Alex looked stunned. I give a small chuckle. "Dude, I'm messing with you. C'mon, let's go." I said.

The First Battle

View Online

Alex

The next day was relatively peaceful, having taken care of the damages with the help of my sister and may-or-may-not-be marefriend the previous night. However, something in my dragon bones was telling me this peace would soon be over.

Sometimes I hate it when I'm right.

Mid afternoon, as Baws, Pastel, Shift, Amethyst, and I were enjoying lunch in the newly repaired kitchen, Spark Plug came in with his hooves full of papers. He set them down on the table and gave us all a hard look. It didn't take a genius to tell it was time to go to work.

"Yo, Sparks, what's the sitch?" asked Baws.

"My friends," Spark replied, "it is time to initiate our attack against Scarlet Rose. Not only is she a threat to us, but with the Alicorn Amulet in her possession, she stands a threat to all of equestria. Her home is a fortress in it's own right, and it will take all of us working at our best to pull this off. I have full faith that we can do this, and I've planned everything down to the last detail. So... are you guys ready for the first battle in the war against the Vendettes?"

Baws

"Give us info first. We can talk how deal with the plan later." I said. Alex may be leader, but I make sure the plan goes well. Ups and downs at times, but I make sure its a clean getaway.

Spark nodded, and looked at one piece of paper. "They live in the south side of Canterlot; behind the castle. However, since the Gala, reinforcements has been upgraded by five percent." He said.

"More guards, great..." I stretch the last word out hatred. Alex sighs, but Spark keeps going.

"They have our book, and the Amulet, so theirs no telling what they might do." He said.

"Not only that, the the Princesses are there, no telling what they might do." I added.

Pastel groaned like a filly not wanting to go to school. "This is hard! Their's gotta be an easier way to do this in the dark!" She said.

That struck me hard. "At night?" I asked. I scratched under my chin. "We are scheduled for a stormy weather tonight." I said.

"That could work. Only something louder than the storm tonight can wake up somebody." Alex said.

"I don't like storms, they hurt my ears." Amythest point out. I sighed.

"Welp, smelling suspects around the corner is out, and everyone should be asleep." I said.

"Do I need my shape shifting skills?" Shift asked. I nodded.

"Yeah. In case someone comes, you're gonna pretend you caught us, and let us off somewhere so we can start again." I said.

"So, let's get ready boys!" Spark said.

Alex

Hours later, I found myself waiting at my position outside of the mansion with Shift. The first phase of the plan was simple: we were to wait out here for our target, who we would then incapacitate. Then, Shift would disguise himself as the pony, and I would follow closely behind in my shadow form. Meanwhile, Baws, Paz, and Amethyst would be tunneling underneath the mansion to a specific spot and wait there until Shift and I made it to the security room and had disabled all the alarms, magical or otherwise, then we would all meet up at the same spot. While we would be doing that, Rainbow Dash would be keeping an eye on everything from above, and Spark Plug would relay information to us all via our com links.

"You ready for this, Shift?" I asked the young changeling.

"As ready as I'll ever be." he replied.

Soon, our target, an old earthpony in a janitor's outfit, came outside to wash the Windows. Before he even knew what hit him, I came out of the shadows and knocked him out cold. Quickly, I tied him up and hid him in the bushes. Then Shift took his the form, and I couldn't even tell the difference.

"This is Shadow to Home Base. The Broom has been replaced," I said into my com, signaling Spark that everything was going according to plan so far. "The Staff and I are now entering The Mansion."

"Understood, Shadow." Spark replied. "Proceed with caution. Home Base, out."

With that, I morphed into shadow form and hid myself within Shift's shadow. We both then entered the mansion and began heading toward the security room. Thus begins phase one.

Baws

"Smells like wet dirt in here." Pastel said, crawling in front of me, yet behind Amythest. I groaned.

"Yeah, I know this." My sarcastic voice comes out.

A sudden pause from Amythest, which cause a massive bump blockage. "Oi! What gives?" I asked. Amythest looked worried, as if she knew we were in trouble.

"I don't know, but I swear I smell something." She said.

"Build a hole so I can pass through." I ordered. She did what she was told, both Pastel and Amythest now behind me. I dug from under and hit wooden floor. "...Fuck." I swore under my breath.

I had a twenty percent chance that nobody would be in this room. Which room you ask? Supposedly, a guest room, but seeing as how Amythest wasn't sure who's up there, I highly doubted myself. "Okay," I began, the feeling of nervousness crawling on my back. "one...two...THREE!" I immediately punched through the floor, and it didn't go as far as I wanted it to. It made a immediate CLANK sound, and I swore underneath my breath.

"What was that?" A mare's voice rang out. A few seconds of silence before a stallion's was heard.

"Not sure...must've been the floor. It's pretty old, y'know." He said.

"Oh...alright." She said.

"Holy mother of Celestia, that legitimately worked!" I whispered with a smile. They continued trough their conversation as I climbed from the hole. Apparently, I was under a bed. Sweet, least it'll take them a while to find out.

"So, um...I was wondering if...um..." He continued.

I slowly climbed out, my body worming its way out. "No, forget it. I'm sorry I brought you here." He said.

"And I'm sorry that so have to kick your ass in front of a lady." I whispered bluntly. The mare clicked her tongue.

"No! It's alright. Just tell me what it is." She said. At this point, I crawled from underneath the bed. Since they were sitting on one side of the bed wth their backs turned from me, they have no idea I'm here.

"Will you..." Something hit me on the hoof. I looked down to see my shovel. I glanced under the bed to see the approval of both Pastel and Amy. I pick up the shovel, feeling more like an asshole. I should probably wait until I get the answer. "...go out with me?" He finished.

"Oh, Berry, I...I...yes! I've been waiting for you to say that for so long!" She screamed with delightment. "Damnit, now I have to endure this for the rest of the night." I said out loud.

They turned to me quicker than I can process the action. "What?! Who are you?! How did you get in here?!" the stallion asked.

"It's past your bed time anyway. You naughty children should be asleep." I said, my wing having a firm grip on the handle. I swung on the stallion, knocking him unconcious and straight towards the mare. Before she can scream for help, I swung the second time, knocking her out too. They both fell to the floor, and the two children popping from under the bed.

"Now, we wait." Pastel said with a smirk.

Alex

Soon, Shift and I arrived at the security room. Inside, we found a plethora of mechanical and magical doodads.

"Shadow tho home base," I said to Spark, "we have arrived at our destination. What do we do now?"

"Okay, in order to shut off both the magical and technological security systems, you will need to cut the red wire that connects them. However, doing so would trigger an alarm unless it is done while the system reboots, which only takes a second. There should be a switch on the other side of the room. You have to have The Staff push it, then cut the wire at the exact time, otherwise-"

"Otherwise we're screwed. Thanks. Shodow out."

Soon, Shift was standing by the switch, and I had my claw on the wire, both of us ready to pull down at a moment's notice.

"On three." I said, to which Shift nodded. "One... Two... THREE!"

And just like that, Shift pulled the lever and I cut the wire. I waited for an alarm to start blaring, but to my relief, the sound never came.

Shift, out of his disguised form, ran up and gave me a hug. "We did it, dad!"

Dad? I looked down at the little colt at my side, and felt a warm feeling in the center of my gut. Yeah. I could work with that.

"You bet, Shifty. Now come on, let's go meet up with your sister and the others.

Baws

"One, two, three!" I grunted as me, Pastel, and Amythest shoved the two unconcious love birds into the closet, finally locking them in. "Jeez...c'mon, search the room you two." I said.

The two nodded, and checked what was available to them. Their was a treasure box (a large one, that is), a large king's bed, another closet, a bathroom, and a dresser. I checked the treasure box first, only to find tons of clothes shoved into them. I took out every piece old clothing, only to find nothing at the bottom. "Freaking figures." I said bluntly.

Returning the clothes back and locking it back up, I look over to see Pastel scavenging the dresser. At first, she looked uninterested, but then her eyes grew in shock. "Hey! Winter, look!" She called.

Using her magic, she pulled a box and a note attached to it. "What's it say?" Amythest asked. Pastel squinted, before reading. "Uh...'Hey, Cherry. I left this for you. I know this is sudden, but I got you this necklace for you. Hope we can still go out.' Love, Berry." She read.

"Ooooohhh...." I trailed off. I feel like shit now. "...Put that back and wait. Just...crap."

I feel like pure crap. It was silent for a while, before Amythest spoke. "...I don't like this anymore." She said.

"Just...ignore it." I said. Jeez...how the fuck am I suppose to explain this awkward silence to Alex?

Alex

I walk in to meet Baws, only to find an awkward silence.

I scowled. "What did you do?"

Baws

"...Ruined a stallions chance of getting a marefriend?" I said with a nervous smile. He face hoofed.

"Really?" He said with a sigh.

"I swear it was a large coincidence." I said. He shook his head, me feeling like an ass.

Alex

"Okay, screw that, let's just move on to phase two." I said.

"Right- we find Scarlet Rose, catch her by surprise, grab the Alicorn Amulet, maybe beat her up-"

"No." I interupted Baws, seeing him get that crazy look in his eye.

"Oh c'mon... Just a little?" he begged.

"...fine." I said. "But only because she pisses me off."

"Righteous." said Baws.

Baws

Fuck yeah! Ass kicking time!

We ran out all together, and headed to the front part of the mansion. "Okay, so where is she? We find her room, we find all of it." I said.

Alex pondered about this, before pointin up the staircase. "Upstairs! C'mon!" He said. We ran up to find the hallway with six doors.

...Fuck

Alex

"Okay, nobody panic." I said. "We'll just ask Sparks what door it is. Spark?"

"It's the third door on the right." said Spark Plug, and I noticed a bit of a tremble in his voice. "But, uh, we've got another problem..."

"What is it, Sparky?"

"It's, uh... It's a code GOLD. And she's headed your way..."

Ah shit.

Baws

"Out-ee!!" I shouted before I took the first door next to me. It...wasn't a smart plan. The pony was asleep, but woke up agitated.

"W-what?" He asked, one eye lid lower than the other. I swiftly kicked the fucker, and hid under the bed. It wasn't long before Pastel and Amythest joined.

"What now?" Amy asked.

I shrugged, waiting for Alex to get in the room. "Kick her flank or nah; depends on Alex." I said.

Alex

"Okay, we are definitely not hurting my may-or-may-not-be marefriend." I said. "We'll just... go through with the plan, only now, we'll escape through the bedroom window."

With that all agreed, I quickly dragged Baws out from under the bed. We quickly ran into the master bedroom... Only to find a very peculiar sight. Inside the very large room, lit by the light of the full moon, was a box-like cage made of magic, and inside that cage was... well, it was Scarlet Rose, and yet, at the same time, it was not. Her hair was a mess, and the blood-red nightdress she was wearing was torn to shreds, revealing a pink potion as her cutie mark. Her face was distorted with an almost unnatural grin, and her eyes darted everywhere with a look of pure insanity. She ran around, clawing at her prison with a very primal manner, as though all those manners and sophistication she was so proud of had been stolen from her. But most importantly, I noticed...

"She's not wearing the Alicorn Amulet!!"

"What the Tartarus is going on?!" shouted Baws.

"The poor dear went mad from the power, I'm afraid," said a distinctly familiar feminine voice as it's owner shut the door behind us. "Not that I had not predicted this to be so."

We turned to see an earth pony mare standing in the shadows, her eyes glowing red, as she was the one in possesion of the Alicorn Amulet. Before we knew what was happening, we were all frozen in a magical red aura.

"Did you know that the Alicorn Amulet could also give those not of the unicorn race a limited amount of magical power?" questioned the mare.

"What the-? Who the heck are you?!" Baws asked.

"Oh, I believe your leader already knows exactly who I am, don't you, Rite?" the mare gloated. "After all... my daughter quite often speaks very highly of me."

I glared at the mare with every ounce of hatred in my body. "Gold Armor." I replied venomously.

"Heh heh heh... quite right, Rite. Quite right." she said as the white mare in question strode out of the shadows to reveal herself.

Baws

I have no clue who this bat-shit lady is, but Alex does, so I'll ask him another time. "Okay, but why though?" I asked.

She just gave a shrug at me. "I'll tell you soon enough. For now, you should be more focus on the cage." She said, her smile growing.

"The cage's fi--" My voice was lost at sea when I saw the cage door wide open. "...Well shit."

Alex

With that, we were freed, Gold Armor disappeared, and we know had Psycho Rose barelling at us, magical guns blazing. We immediately went into our defense manuvers.

"UNDER THE BED!!!" shouted Baws as he did just that, and we all followed suit.

I called up Spark on my com. "Please tell me you heard all that!"

"I did! Can't believe Gold Heart's own mother is a Vendette!"

"WAIT, WHAT NOW?!!" shouted Baws.

"Later!" I said. "Right now, you and I need to take Psycho Rose out before she hurts anypony!"

"And just how the hell are we supposed to do that?!"

I grinned as a plan came to mind, and lifted up my wings as much as I could under the bed. "We wing it."

Baws

"Seriously?! Puns?!" I yelled as the maniacal laughter was heard from somewhere. "Fucking hell!" I yelled. I pulled my shovel of my wing, a large CLANG booming throughout the room. I step from under the bed, looking for the crazy bitch.

"Where is that bastard?" I mumbled. Just where the fuck is she?

Alex

I looked out from under the bed where that "clang" sound came from, and was filled with dread. Gold Heart was laying there on the ground, not moving.

"Goldie!" I yelled, rushing to her side and bringing her to our hiding place. I looked her over. She was unconcious, but very much alive, to my instant relief. It was fair to say I was now unhappy.

Baws

Looking around, the room was filled with dim candles, also I couldn't find the fucker. "That...bitch...will pay!" was all I heard before my eyes widen.

Someone fucked up, and it ain't me.

As of now, the only things things that I'm worried about is Alex's wrath, and the psycho bitch. Though, I take the wrath than the bitch any day. Then, something moved at the corner of my eye, laughter echoing from that area. I threw my shovel at the source.

"HAHAHAHA-AGH!" The laughter died.

I laughed. "Gotcha!" I said.

Alex

I charged out from under the bed in my shadow form, gliding like lightning to the side of Psycho Rose before returning to normal and slammed her in the side with the hook staff. As she slammed into the wall, she tried to zap me with a magic spell, which I barely avoided by getting into the air.

"Baws! A little assistance would be apreciated right about now!"

Baws

"I don't know...two angry people is in that feud right now. That psycho is like an angry minotaur, but you is like a bull with the body of a griffon; it ain't smart to get in." I said.

"Dude!"

"Alright alright! Jeez." I sigh, before grabbing the shovel with my wing. "Let's dance, fucker."

With the swing of a thousand horses, I swung the shovel into the psycho, a clang was heard. She stumbled backwards, the look of insanity replaced with anger. "Hiiiii....HIIIIIII..." She said.

Was that butt hurt or the sound of a zombie? She widely swung at me, and the hoof smacked me into the wall. I didn't hit with full force, but my back still made popping sounds. "AGH!" I shout.

I don't care if the others wake up at this point, we need to get the absolute fuck out of here!

Alex

"Hey bitch!" I yelled, getting her attention. "Nobody does that to my bro but ME!!"

I run at her, swinging my weapon with full force... Only to hit empty air. Psycho Rose, who had teleported behind me, shot me with a beam that caused me to drop the hook staff and sent me into the wall next to Baws. We both looked forward at the face of the crazy mare who was about to kill us.

"Never thought it would end this way." said Baws.

"Ditto." I replied.

"Just then, with the sound of a metalic clang, Psycho Rose fell to the floor, and there, standing behind her with hook staff in paw, was Amethyst.

"Nobody zaps my dad." she said, looking down at our fallen enemy.

"That's my girl!" I shouted proudly.

Just then, my dragon hearing picked up on the sound of Gold Heart coming to.

"We need to scram!" I said, but not before leaving a BMB calling card by Psycho Rose's unconscious body.

What can I say- I'm a creature of habit.

The "Calm" After the Storm

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Baws

Around morning came along, but I woke up from bed. No, not in our mansion, but in a hospital. And in that hospital...

Goldielocks was just yapping her mouth off.

"I mean, C'MON!! I was so close!! I mean- can you even believe this?! Every single damn time I find those criminals they take off. Damnit!" She yelled furiously.

Alex was listening to her while I...

I had problems of my own.

"FUCK." I yelled through my now-perfect white teeth. The nurse rolled her eyes. "Maybe if you hadn't done those stunts with your pal here, in the middle of the night, might I add, you wouldn't be in this predicament." She said.

I groaned. "Yeah yeah yeah. Just...careful with the wings, will ya?" I asked. Her response was a quick snap of the wing which made an instant squeal of manly pride come out through my mouth. "Sure." She replied.

"Fucking...asshole." I said. After Goldy yelling like a teenage filly and the nurse leaving me to my own pain, Goldy decided to check on us both...finally.

"Look, I'm sorry about that, but what went through your minds to pull a stunt in the middle of the night?" She asked. We looked at each other like stooges.

"We...wanted to impress someone." We both said.

Goldy raised a skeptical brow. "And that would be...?" She trailed off. This bugged me more than anyone else.

"Rain...bow Dash." I gave up after that.

Alex tried, but the fucker woosed out. Goldy sighed. "Boys. I'll never understand you. Anyway, you two heard the name Scarlet Rose?" She asked.

That caught both of our attentions. "I don't, but Alex seems to, yeah." I say, him giving off a nod.

Goldy rubbed her muzzle before continuing. "We found her unconcious, beaten at best. Thank Celestia. She was drunk off of power. The two thieves thought it was a bright idea to attack her. Unfortunately for them, the brothers left a bit of blood. It won't be long before we find out who's blood it is, so we can track them down." She says.

Scary, but worried about something else. "Heard she went insane. How this happen?" Alex asked.

"Probably off the Alicorn Amulet. She was wearing it before she disappeared at the Gala. Suffice to say, this may have caused her to gone loopy. But the Vendetta still have the amulet, so we're not sure why they still have it if they can't control it. I can't believe I'm saying this, but we might have to let this one slide." She said.

"How come? They're suppose to be caught right. The two thieves?" I asked.

"Y-yeah," she hesitated, but continued. "But they do seem to have knowledge on their whereabouts. So...until noise pops up, we can't do anything about it." She said.

Good news...but the blood is bad news. Ah well, up to Alex now.

Alex

After Gold Heart left, I turned to Baws, who was looking worried. Quickly realising what was wrong, I said, "Don't worry about the blood thing, bro, I'm totally fine, and the worst you got were bumps and bruises."

"Then whose blood is it, then?" he asked.

"I dunno, Scarlet Rose? Good chance, since... well... you know how I am when I get really angry."

Baws nodded, remembering the other times of my "Dragon Fury" as he liked to call it. It usually only happens if someone I care about gets hurt, or on the rare occasion that somepony just does everything in their power to piss me off. It was some intense stuff, sometimes I'd even black out for a bit and let my draconic instincts take over. I've never killed anyone, thank Celestia, but I've left them pretty beat up.

Looking at my brother, I saw he had an annoyed look on his face.

"So... Goldilocks' mother is a Vendetta." he said, stating it as an agrivating fact rather than a question.

Ah shit.

Baws

"Yeah...jeez man. She's nice but...nice-evil." Alex tried to come up with a better description, but didn't do so well.

"That's not what I'm worried about." I told him. "I'm worried about how she knows you. She doesn't know me all that much. Saw right through your's, but not mine. So, she's getting our whereabouts through Goldilocks, since she speaks highly of you."

Alex looked a bit more worried than before, but he was also talking about something else. "Damn. What I'm worried about is the fact she left her daughter alone. She's a tough nut, so why didn't Gold Armor just force her into the Vendetta?" He asked.

"'Cause she's a loud mouth. She'll one day spill the beans by total accident. So instead of using it for a con, she used it for a pro." I explain.

"So...the Vendetta know where we are, gets information from her daughter, and is a powerful opponent."

"And that's just one of the special ponies. Hell, if theirs a tougher opponent than that, Celestia be damned."

We both sighed out of frustration. Theirs nothing we can do about it now. "...You know what? Tomorrow, we'll question Gold Heart about Scarlet. Ready?" He asked.

I nodded. "Anything to get out of this hellhole" I said.

Alex

The next day, I went to work as usual, only this time, Baws was with me. When Gold Heart asked why he was with me, I told her he had the day off today and felt like helping me out, which was half true. He did want to help out with the interogation.

"Dude, you are so lucky you got Dash to cover for you." I told him.

"Like your marefriend's never covered for you." he shot back.

"Boys!" said Gold Heart, catching our attention. "As I was saying, we haven't been able to get much out of Scarlet Rose, she's gone completely nuts... However, she does keep muttering the name Beatrice Longhorn."

"You mean the the minotaur chick who owns the Longhorn Casino in Las Pegasus?" Baws asked. "Is she a known criminal?"

"Not that we know of, but there have been rumors."

"Such as?" I inquired.

Gold Heart motioned us to come in closer and whispered, "Now, they're only rumors, but the police have heard that she may secretly be a collector of rare artifacts, many of which may even have been stolen. But the problem is, there's no proof."

"That's all we got?" I asked, breaking out of our huddle.

"That's all we got." She confirmed. "Unless of course you know somepony who can find out more than the entire Equestrian Police Force could."

Baws and I shared a glance and grinned.

I think we know a guy.

Baws

We said our goodbye's and rushed home.

"SPARK! GET YOUR ASS OUT HERE!" I yelled. At first it was quiet, but he stumbled down the stairs.

"Hmm? What do ya want?" He asked.

Alex

"We got ourselves a lead," I told him quickly. "Beatrice Longhorn, casino owner, Las Pegasus."

"Hm. Good work. I'll get to looking. But, uh... Shouldn't both of you be at work right now?"

My eyes widened in shock. "OH SHIT!!!"

I quickly ran back to work, hoping no one had noticed I'd left.

Baws

I looked back at him. "Nah. RD got me covered for today. We're just adding color to the Rainbows anyway." I said.

"And what do you have to do for her?" Spark asked. Wasn't long before we heard a 'Bye! See ya guys' and a door slamming.

"Just clean her house, not all that bad." I said. He just liked at me with skeptism.

"How the hell do you keep your job?" He asked. It...sounded like a question anyway.

"I just do some dirty work for the boss. Usually takes all night." I said.

He snickers before saying, "Isn't your Rainbow Factory boss a guy?"

Right then and there, I knew what he meant. That sly bastard.

"You fuck." My mouth answers before I can process it.

He went from snickering to laughter. "Brilliant. That was almost to quick." He said.

"She says to you with disappointment." I comeback. He stopped, and looked at me.

"...Bastard." He said.

Now it was my turn to give a laugh.

Alex

Back at work, I was thankful to find that no one had noticed my absence. Getting back to the usual work, it was around close to lunch when Gold Heart came up to me, looking a little nervous, which surprised me since Goldie is the most calm and collected mare I know.

"So, uh... Alex..." she said to me, her voice catching a bit.

"What's up, Goldie?" I asked.

"Well, um... I know that we've, uh, always been good friends, and I... I..." Gold Heart straightened herself up and look me directly in the eyes. "I was wondering if maybe you'd like to go to dinner with me tonight."

I had a double take. "Dinner? You? Me? You mean, like... like a date?"

Gold Heart began to blush as she replied, "Yeah, like a date."

At that point, I froze up. My mind kept going, 'say something, idiot, don't just stand there!'

"I, uh, I love yo- TO! I'd love to. Yeah. Totally what I said. Just now." Shut up shut up shut up shut up!

Gold Heart, either not noticing my blunder or not caring, replied, "Great! I'll uh... see you at eight?"

Just then, I noticed that it was time for lunch.

"Yeah, eight sounds good." I said before going off to my usual lunch spot in Cloudsdale. Wait till Baws hears about this!

...Should probably leave out the part where I acted like an idiot.

Baws

Grabbing Pastel, and Dash finishing her crap-work, we head out way to the ice cream parlor. "Bah bah bah bah bah bah bah bah." I started

"She, she-she-she-she she she she-she." Pastel went along.

"Mah mah mah mah mah mah!" Rainbow had her head upside down doing that..

This...this was familiar. When we finally reached the store, Rainbow stopped us. "Woah, woah, hold on you guys." She stopped the noise train.

"Yeah?" I asked.

She pointed past me. "Is that...Alex and Goldie?" She asked. I didn't even need to turn around to figure out this was happening. Pastel giggled however. "Let's go catch them!" She said.

"...Sure, why not." I said.

Alex

I opened the door like a gentlecolt and followed Goldie inside the ice cream parlor. It was a small place, but not to shabby. I also frequented the place, so the staff knew me pretty well here.

"Wow. An ice cream parlor. Not too bad, Alex." said Gold Heart.

"Well, since this is only our first date, I figured I'd start us off simple- some ice cream, then maybe a nice walk in the park. Classic."

"Oh, done this before, have you?" Gold Heart replied with a grin.

"Nope! Never. This is honestly my very first date." I said. Meanwhile I was thinking to myself again that I really needed to shut up.

Gold Heart laughed as we sat down at our table. "Really? But you're such a suave gentlecolt. Surely you've caught the eye of some other mare before?"

"Oh I have," I said jokingly. "And that's usually when they run away screaming 'dragon!'. Not exactly good for a Colt's self esteem, but I've gotten used to it."

"Well that's not fair." said Gold Heart, pouting. Damn, that looked cute. "Those ponies clearly are too simple minded. But hey, if they didn't want to get to know you, that's their problem. Just leaves you more time to spend with your real friends."

"Like you?" I said.

"Yeah. Like me." she smiled.

Baws

The three of us walk in to the parlor, Pastel practically screaming each flavor to the highest of order. "Wanna we pick a flavor?" Rainbow asked.

"Operation: Fuck with Alex is a go, right?" I whispered.

"Oh yeah." Rainbow came back confidently. I looked to my right to see Alex and Goldie sitting together. Unfortunately for him he saw me.

We stared for a long while before my smile grew. It didn't take long for Alex to get the whole concept. I can almost hear him mentally scream, Oooooohhh Fuuuuuuuuuuck.

Alex

As soon as I saw Baws enter the parlor, I knew he'd find some some way to try and screw with me on my date, but for now, I figured it was best not to focus on them.

"So Goldie," I said, "I was kinda wondering, what brought about this sudden urge to ask me out on a date?"

She blushed. "Well... t-to be honest with you Alex, I've kind of always liked you. But, I was always a little nervous about telling you, until your friend Winter told me you liked me."

"Wait what?!" I said. "When did this happen?!"

"When we were fixing his house and you were busy dealing with that crazy sister of yours. By the way, how are you related to Pinkie Pie again?"

"Adopted." I replied, more focused on the fact that my bro had actually hooked me up with the mare of my dreams. I'd have to thank him later. That is, after I keep him from ruining the date himself.

Baws

We sat down two table away from them, the waiter giving us our sundaes. "Now, how are we gonna get him?" I asked myself.

"Hm-mhmm." She shrugged, drinking her sundae at top speed. Rainbow started to slurp hers, but I didn't drink mine's. When Rainbow finished, she gave a wicked smile.

"Well, it ain't easy tricking you, so I doubt Alex would be easy. Though, the carnival is in town, so this should we should plan there. I know Pinkie will be there to hook us up." She said.

"Yeah...you come to this parlor a lot, huh?" I randomly asked.

Rainbow looked at me in a confused manner. "Well, yeah. Me and my other friends would come here often." She said.

"And you know what each ice cream looks like?" I asked. She farted out of her mouth. "Pfft, yeah. Pinkie wouldn't stop talking about it." She said.

"So...the hell are you drinking?" I asked.

"What do you mean?" She looked at her sundae. The ice cream was blue sprinkled with red sprinkles. However, on closer inspection, they weren't ordinary. They were--

"HOT!" Pastel screamed at the ceiling. "HOT! OWIE! OW!"

If I was a bit more quicker on what they were drinking, I probably would've stopped them. What's even worse is that Pastel's tongue is heat sensitive, so it made her life worse than Rainbow's.

Regardless, the chair fell backwards from how quickly I got up, and I immediately went to the cashier. "Ice Cold Blueberry Sweets, NOW!" I almost yelled at the poor pony.

He quickly nodded, and took a ridiculously huge scoop (consider it illegal) and passed it to me. My brothely instinct kicked in, and with my clean purple spoon, I took a scoop and flung it at Pastel's burning mouth. "AHHHHHH--Mfhm?!" It quickly shut Pastel up, and with given time, she started to calm down.

Rainbow was in the same predicament, but she was more immune to it. She was still screaming, though. I lazily shot the next scoop at Rainbow, but it was a shorter for the heat to go away than Pastel's. I looked at Alex, his shit eating smile was there.

I then gave him the big brother 'you're fucked' face. His ears drooped. Get ready asshole, Big Brother Winter broke loose.

Alex

Well, that was not as well thought out as I had hoped. But hey, it's his own fault thinking he could spy on me during my date. And unfortunately for Baws, I had a secret weapon even I didn't know about.

"Spicy pepper sprinkles. Nice work." said Goldie. "Though I would have also gone with something that would have turned their tongues black."

I raised an eyebrow at my scarlet-coated date. "You're a prankster? Never woulda thought it."

"Oh, you have no idea, Alex. And knowing your brother, I doubt he's gonna let that slide. What do you say we give him a taste of what a real prank king and queen can do?"

I am so in love with her right now.

Baws

Pastel walked up to me, her tongue sore and swollen. "Winther, I thanth thatch lith thith" She tried to say, but every time she would, a bit of spit would come out.

All I got was my name. "Uh..." Well shit.

"She said she can't talk like this. Should we...?" Rainbow waved her hoof in a circle.

I gave a nod. "Hospital? Yeah. Ask if they know the name of Nurse Aid. If she isn't there, then Doctor Surgeon. Her tongue will uh...burst if they take to long. The procedure shouldn't take long. About an hour." I said.

Rainbow nodded, and she quickly took off with Pastel. I gave a cold glare at Alex. So cold, in fact, that his ice cream suddenly became an ice cube. "I will give you to the count of three. After that, I'm coming to prank you until your pubically humiliated. One..."

"Wait...this a joke right? No hard feelings?" Alex asked, a nervous smile appearing

"Two..." You can feel the temperature drop and the humidity began to become thicker with cold air.

Run, bitch, run.

Alex

Thinking quickly, I shoved my ice cream in his face and shouted run, to which Goldie promptly followed through with.

"Sweet Celestia, why is he so mad?!" asked Gold Heart.

"I guess Paz can't do spicy foods?" I replied. "It's his own damn fault though- he spied on us, and he knew I knew about the spicy sprinkles, I'm honestly surprised he didn't see it coming!"

"Well, looks like we've started a prank war. Any ideas on how not to get our flanks pranked to death?"

"Well, I hear the carnival's in town, and where there's fun-"

"There's Pinkie Pie." stated Goldie.

"And her unlimited prank resources." I concured.

Baws

The cubed ice cream simply broke when it made contact with my face. Now...what shall I do to torment my subjects? My brain quickly thought of a plan, and millions others. I simply smiled.

I walked out of the store, Alex and Goldie still discussing. When they saw me, they clearly saw how pissed I was. "Fuck. Run!" Alex said, only tripping a wire so thin you can only see it in the damn shade.

He fell foward, and his ass in the perfect position to set up the trap. I looked to my right, to see a small note and a marker. "Get 'em! Get 'em!" -RD

"Oh my Celestia." chuckling like a mad man. She set this up while we were still in the Parlor. Gotta admit, she's fast. I grabbed the marker, and moving faster than I could process, drew a smile face with a tongue sticking out on his ass. With black, permanent marker. Gonna need some water to wash that face off, and even then it'll smudge.

I quickly backed up, Goldie picking Alex up in a hurry. "C'mon! He's coming!" She said. She seriously didn't see me write a smile on his ass? Holy shit I'm fast. But there's more to come.

"Shit shit shit!" He said. He quickly ran off, not knowing that other ponies around were trying to keep themselves from laughing to hard.

Too damn easy. Though, Rainbow's better at pranking than I am. Still, might as well watch the hilarity. If only Rainbow were here...

Alex

It only took me a moment to realize ponies were laughing at me, and even less time to recognize why.

"He drew on my flank, didn't he?" I said bemused. I knew I was right when Goldie tried to hold back a flood of giggles.

"Oh, he has gone too far!" I said, then turned to Goldie. "Goldie, I got a plan, but I need you to set it up while I distract Winter."

I told Gold Heart my plan, and she grew a maniacal grin that even I was proud of before running off to find my sister.

Baws

I lazily flew towards the two subjects within minutes, ponies laughing their asses at this point. He looked at me, a confident smile on his face. Not gonna lie, that threw me off. "Oi! What's with the smile newbie?" I asked.

"Nothing much. Just thought you need a drink." He said.

And then he pulled a water pistol with his tail holding the handle, and the end-tail on the trigger, he decided to shoot some water at me. Unfortunately, Brother Winter was engaged, so the water froze and hit me on impact. Little fucker. However, I still kept my smile.

"Your aiming it at the wrong place. Its better if you use it on your little buddy." I said.

Hey, regardless, it'll still be there; it'll just smudge on his scales. Probably gonna need a shower. A shade of red appeared on his muzzle, but continued anyway. "Your prank was pretty good. But you need to do a lot better before you become the King."

He shot one more time at me, but it painfully missed. "Oh trust me. I'll become Ki-AGH!" A form of ice hit me in the neck. "YOU'RE ON FUCKER!!" I yelled.

And thus began the chase around Ponyville. As the chase went on, ponies laughed at the smile on his ass. But it took me a while before I caught up to him, or so I thought. The fucker decided to hide under a tree.

"Found you!" I said.

I tackled Alex, but what kind of pony-dragon sound like cardboard?

"The fuck?!"

"NOW!!" Screamed a voice.

"Gah!...fuck."

Alex

With Baws falling for my fake Alex distraction, he quickly found himself hanging upside down from the tree with ropes too strong for him to break- compliments of Pinkie Pie.

But this prank was far from over.

"Goldie! The hose!" I said.

Gold Heart came out of the bushes with a hose, and sprayed down Baws until he was soking wet, then, as an afterthought, also gave a good spray to my flank. May have only made the ink smudge, but at least it didn't look like a fucking face anymore.

Where was I? Oh, right.

"Pinkie! The flour!"

Pinkie, who had been hiding in the leaves of the tree, suddenly sprang out and dumped flour all over the soaked colt, which quickly combined with the water to make glue.

"Now it's my turn."

I moved out of the way to show a surprised Baws what was behind me- my sister's infamous party cannon. With one simple pull of a string, my friend was covered head to hoof in white feathers, with an orange cone on his nose and a red rubber glove on his head. Some ponies would ask how the cannon could be so precise, but I find it best to just roll with it. After all, the thing was made by Pinkie Pie.

Baws

I can already tell what I look like. Damnit. Breaking out of these ropes may be a bit to much. Alex came up with a mild, but nervous expression. "Winter, I'm really sorry that I hurt Pastel. If I knew that she couldn't handle spicy foods, I wouldn't have given it to her. But, how about we stop this silly game, and call a truce?" He said.

While I sorta accept his apology, theirs still two things. One, its 2-1, not fair yet. And two, it wasn't easy, but I found a thick wire behind him. Jeez Rainbow, since when did you do this? Trying to hold back on the smile, I blaintly lie to him. "Dude, theirs a bit of feather in my eyes. Back up a bit." I said.

He fell for it easy. He took a step back, only to be in thr same predicament as me. Only, things got worst for him. A school full of children walked out of the bushes, and so did RD and Pastel. "Told ya." RD said.

"And we get candy after this?" One of the children asked.

"Yup. Hit 'em hard you guys!" RD said. It literally took us four prankers (Me, Alex, Goldielocks, and Pinkie) a second to figure out what the hell she was talking about. Kids came out with giant rubber hammers, and the determinaton to beat the living hell out of Alex for that candy.

"...Well shit. Rainbow bested my 'smile-on-ass' trick." I said plainly.

Alex

"Hey, look, a giant cake!" I yelled, getting the attention of RD, Gold Heart, and the kids all at once. Then, while no one was looking, I turned into a shadow and slid out of my restraints, then back into a pony before anyone saw what I had done. Then I crossed my arms and gave those children a malevolent grin that showed off my sharp, shiny dragon teeth quite well.

"Now... what was that about beating me up for candy?" I growled darkly, getting a nice scared reaction from the kids, and even Rainbow herself.

"Uh... I just remembered!" said Dash. "I gotta go... help Twi organize her books! Bye!"

And with that, Rainbow Dash ran off, the kids following closely behind. I shot a grin at my brother.

"That's cheating." he said.

"All's fair in love and prank war," I said.

Baws just grumbled dissapointedly.

Baws

Lucky bastard.

"Anyway, you shouldn't apologize to me, but rather to Pastel. Then I'll forgive you." I said. He rolled his eyes, and came to untie me. Little did he know, I sorta...slid out already. The rope broke into small ice cubes, and blocking any air passage, blew off the feathers and glue with the ice. Took off the glove, with a confident smirk. "Ice ice baby." I said.

He became a grump. "Bastard." He said.

"All's fair in love and-BWAHAHAHAH!!" I started laughing uncontrollably. The face I drew on Alex's ass became droopy. Now it was a crying smiling face with small black trails falling on his leg. "Bruh, shower, now." I said.

A sudden giggle was heard, then the laughter of children uproared. Goldie and Pastel looked back and laughed, and Rainbow laughed even harder. Pinkie, she was crying with laughter. "Last laugh! boo yeah!" I cheered.

May have lost the battle, but I won the war.

Alex

After taking a good shower back at home, I went into the kitchen to find Gold Heart snacking on a dandelion sandwich.

"Hey... sorry about all that stuff," I apologized. "This musta been one of the worst dates you've ever had."

"You kidding? That was a blast!" Goldie replied. "Just like being in a Black Mask pursuit, only you and Winter instead of Shadow and Storm!"

"Shadow and Storm?" I asked.

"Oh, yeah, that's what I've always called them. Shadow's the one who always flirts with me. Too bad for him," she said, coming over and kissing me on the cheek, "I'm officially off the market."

I had no idea what to say, but I guess I did something funny, because Gold Heart giggled.
"See ya around, Alex," Goldie said as she left. Baws came in shortly after, and I guess I must have looked as over the moon as I felt.

"Went well?" he asked.

"Went well." I replied before giving him a brohoof.

Baws

"Nice. But you still need to apologize to Pastel. I recommend getting her a toy." I said.

Alex looked at me funny. "The hell? Why?" He asked.

"I'm usually forgiving, but no matter how much we're pals, you know family comes first." I said.

He gave a sigh. "Alright then. Tomorrow, I'll get her something." He said.

"Yeah...careful with Gold Heart." I said. That surprised him. Guess he wasn't used to me calling her by her actual name. "She may be a blabber mouth, but she's a smart cookie. That chase we gave was a major hint to her. I wouldn't be surprised if she felt conflicted to take you to jail if she found out."

He stood there, taking in the things I've said.

"Heh, who am I kidding? Maybe she can't figure us out. Night dude." I said. I left, knowing sooner or later...

...this dilenma is going to affect both of them.

The Shipping Game

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Baws

"...Yeah? I bet you would."

"What do you mean? I never cheated on you!"

"That's a lie and you know it."

I woke up very pissed and sleepy. "The hell?" I mumbled.

"I bet you're going out with someone else right now."

"Why do you care? We aren't dating anymore!"

I grabbed a pillow, took out the actual pillow, and filled the sheet with a bunch of bathroom towels I had in my room. I walked out to see Spark and some other chick. Fuck, if I paid more attention, I would have stopped myself, but at that time, I just didn't care. I walked down the stairs, a large pillow case of towels in my grasp. Spark turned to the noise to see me.

"Oh...we woke you up, huh?" Spark quietlt said.

"If my little sister is awake because of you fuckturds, I'm wacking the both of you. What the hell is going on?" I asked.

"Sorry. It's just...this here is my Ex--"

"Current!"

"--girlfriend. Sorry if we woke you."

I took a look at his Ex. If I had to guess, she was seriously in her very late teens; 16-18 max. She looked like hot cocoa; shades of brown and light brown in her hair, her body a light brown, and her tail dark chocolate. Stunningly beautiful, and could be classified as rich. Her blue eyes would probably but any stallion to his knees, and be mostly ashamed about it.

I stared at her with sleepy eyes and no fucks, but I still uttered those famous words. "Bullshit." I said. "She is not your girlfriend."

"Not anymore! Could you please tell her that?" He begged, but his Ex came in.

"It would be helpful if you didn't include the low life commoner into this coversation." She said.

That's it. "Banished bitch. Out of the house." I said.

"I don't have to, this is Spark's mansion anyway. Like you could afford this." She said in her snooty attitude.

"Hey, what's with the noise?" Alex groaned as he stepped out of his room.

Alex

"AHHH! A DRAGON!" screamed whoever the hell this chick was. "SOMEBODY KILL IT!"

Okay, that was just plain racist. "Spark. Explain. Now."

"Alex, ex, ex, Alex." said Spark.

"Dad? What's going on?" asked Amethyst, who had come down along with Shift after aparently being woken up by the commotion.

"A diamond dog and a Changeling?! How many vile, freak monsters do you allow to roam in your household?!"

"What you just say 'bout my kids?!" I replied, instantly infuriated.

The gloves were off now- you can insult me and Baws as much as you want, we're grown colts, we can take it- but you say something bout my kids and you best hope a brick wall suddenly appears between you and me.

"Baws- little help escorting Ms. "Daddy's Little Bitch" out'o MY house."

Baws

"Do you think her daddy even wants her at this point?" I asked. That left her mouth gaping. She growled at me, and I calmly, without sleeping on her, raised an eyebrow.

"Do you even know who he is? He is Mr. Salary, part of the Royale Ten in Canterlot. And today, he's gonna send a few assasins to take down the Black Mask Brothers and Vendettas!" She yelled.

Wait...what? "Really?" I asked. That seriously caught my attention. This made her smile.

"Eeyup. So, I expect and apology, and a kiss to the hoof, and maybe I'll forgive you for showing disrespect." She said.

Today? From Canterlor to Ponyville, it takes a couple of days when packing, so we have the weekends. But, I decided to fuck with her. "Sorry, your majesty. I shall condemn my sins." I said.

Then I thought it would be fun to give her a peck to the neck, and she squeaked like a mouse. She looked so confused with a shade of red on her muzzle. Confused or suprised?

"H-how...W-what?" She couldn't even finish her sentence.

"By the way, this isn't Spark's mansion. This is mine, so get out." I ordered. I gave her a quick, but light shove, and slammed the door. It was quiet at first, until I made a loud sigh and turned to Spark and said, "...You need to get out the house."

Alex

"Assassins?" I said, hearing the shit coming out of Ms. Ex's mouth. "Mare be cray-cray."

Spark sighed. "Yeah, probably... but I'd be on the lookout just in case."

"Mare be that cray-cray?" said Baws.

"Indeed."

"Okay, tomorrow, we gettin you outta the house and finding you a new girlfriend." I said. "No arguing. Now I'm going back to sleep."

Baws

"Nah, today. Seriously...Amy, could you look what time it is? There's a grandfather clock in the hallway." I said.

Amythest yawned, then walkex to the hallway. A bit of silence. "...7:37." She yelled.

I Iooked at Spark, my body ready to go back to sleep. "You're leaving at nine...or until everybody wakes up. Either way, you're getting out of the house today." I said.

...Fuck it, I'm sleeping on the couch. Grabbed a super large towel, walked to the couch, and fucking slept there.
Goodnight.

Alex

A while later, Baws and I practically had to drag Spark Plug out of the house, and when he did finally get outside, he was avoiding the sun like he was a freaking vampony or something.

"Really Sparks? Really?" said Baws at his reaction to fresh air and nature.

"Hey man, I been busy planning what we're gonna do about Longhorn, that doesn't leave me time to get out much." he replied.

"Excuses, excuses." I retorted. "Look, we're going to the market place to restock the fridge, there'll be plenty of single chicks there."

"And single dudes, if that's your thing." Baws teased.

"That was one time!" said Spark, his face turning red with either anger or embarrassment, or possibly both. "And in my defense, it was really dark and I thought that pegasus was actually an earth pony!"

"Yeah, keep telling yourself that."

"Shut up." Spark and I said in unison. Damn, that pegasus could be annoying.

Baws

We later booted him out of the house, not even moments later did we come to the same conclusion.

"He's gonna fuck up, isn't he?" I said.

"Eeyup." He said.

"...Should we--?"

"Eeyup."

Packing up our shit, we followed him to the store. And let me tell you something: Spark, somehow...

...fucked everything up. At least to a certain extent.

Couldn't leave him alone without mares being really akward about it, or straight up leaving. Fuuuuuuck.

Alex

Now all outfitted with our earpieces, which I had decided to bring along for just such a situation like this, Baws and I began to follow around Spark Plug at a distance as he continously failed to hit on mares.

"Okay Spark, new rule." I said. "Only use cheesy pick-up lines after you get the date. And try to stay out of arms reach."

"Don't need to tell me twice." said the colt, his cheek red and throbbing from his last attempt. Personally, I blame Baws for that last one.

"Dude, I thought you were here to help!" I said to my pegasus partner.

"I know, I know- I just couldn't help it!" he said. "It was already going south, and I figured, if it won't go down for the best, it sure as hell can go down for the worst!"

"You are one sadistic pony- you know that, right?" I sighed. Baws shrugged and gave me his "I have zero fucks to give" face. "Well, anyways, Spark, let's take a break and grab some apples. Applejack's stall is right around the corner."

"A-Applejack? Uh, s-sure, sounds like fun." replied Spark, and I could see his face glow redder as we aproached. I grew a sinister grin.

Bingo.

Baws

Alex looks like an evil villan doing that; he's got something up there. We followed to get some apples, before Spark came to a sudden stop.

"You know what, I'm not really hungry right now. I can wait 'till we get home." Sweat fell on Spark's face.

"Maybe, but we're hungry, Spark. Apples sound delicious right about now." I said. He's more nervous than a kid presenting in a stadium.

Alex

"Well then, maybe I'll just-" Spark started, before I cut him off by pushing him towards our target.

"No excuses! Now, let's go get some apples!" I said.

"No, really, I don't think-"

I snapped my talons, and before anything else could be said, Baws had scooped up our lemon colored friend and we were on our way. One thing I do love about my best friend, he somehow always knows exactly what I want him to do when I snap my talons.

"Not that I don't enjoy making Spark Plug uncomfortable," said Baws, "But exactly why am I lugging him to the Apple Family's stall?"

"It's simple, my avian amigo. I believe our little Spark has a thing for a certain orange-coated mare of the Apple Family. Isn't that right Sparky?"

"I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about." lied Spark, his face blushing like a tomato.

Baws

"Oh, really then? Well, how about we just..." I carried the poor stallion to the stall, him squirming like a worm.

"Nononononono!" He kept saying, but this is too much fun!

I gently sent him down with my arm around his neck. Then I proceeded to meet the orange mare. "Hello, Applejack. I would like three apples." I said.

She gave a nod, and looked at Spark. "Howdy, and you, partner?" She asked. Spark has never melted so fast before, it was amazing!

"I...um...two a-apples." He said.

"And...?" I stretched.

"...T-that's it?" Fucker wasn't gonna squirm out that easy.

"Aaaannd...?" I continued.

He sighed, probably realizing he wasn't get out of this as long as I'm here. "...I'd...like to take you out...on a...date...to..."

Oh my Celestia, how long has he been doing this? Three years? Four? He's taking to damn long!

"Sorry, Applejack. I'm sure you know me from Rainbow Dash. Winter Frost?" I said. Applejack's eyes widen, and her smile grew.

"Well, well, well. Dash has been talking about you an awful lot lately. Goin' to take 'er to a fancy dinner?" She asked me.

"Maybe, but Spark here wanted to ask you the same question. He's really shy." I said, trying to emphasize the hell out of it.

She caught on to what I was saying. "Well then, I got nothin' better to do on Saturday. See you two days from now?" She asked.

Spark couldn't be happier...you know, if he wasn't resting on my arm. "R-really?! Alright! See ya then!" He said.

We walked back to Alex, a smile on his face. "Did it work?" He asked.

"With a little help yeeeeaa-awww shit!" I suddenly blurted out.

Where the hell did Spark's Ex come from?! How long has she been behind Alex?! ...Was she following us?

Alex

"Why do you both look..." I began, when I suddenly heard heavy breathing of the angry variety behind me. "The Ex is behind me, isn't she?"

They nodded.

"Angry?"

They nodded.

"...We should run, right?"

They nodded.

Baws

And so we ran. At least, me and Alex did. Spark froze in fear. "You're shitting me. Fuck, Alex, turn back!" I said.

He looked back, and did the same thing I did. We turned around, to see the fury of the gods standing right in front of Spark.

"You...you...I can't believe you would betray me for a farm animal!" She said.

Unfortunately, we were not out of earshot for Applejack.

"Farm animal?! Betrayed? What in tarnation is goin' on here?!" She yelled, slightly offended by 'farm animal'.

I get to them first, and I quickly introduce them before Spark could. "AJ, Ex. Ex, AJ. Good? Good." I said.
"No, not good. I'd like to know why Ms. Kissing Flank here is calling me a farm animal." Applejack said.

"I-It's because--"

"I'm his marefriend, first of all." She was ignorant from my first comment. Spark looked like he was ready to murder someone.

"I told you already; we broke up. No more of this 'marefriend' stuff. It's getting very annoying." Spark said.

Alex finally appeared, but I already swooped in to stop this madness. I got in front of her, making sure Spark was completely away from her line of sight. "Listen, you guy's are done. Their's plenty of other fish in the sea. Please, stop." I said.

She gave me a 'hn', turning completely away from me. "...Hey, we never got your name. What is it?" I asked, the gentleness from my voice breezing in.

She rubbed her neck the same place I pecked her, her muzzle glowing a bit red. "...C-Cocoa." She said.

I smiled; least she calmed down. "Cocoa, very nice name. Now, how about we settle down, and talk it through, alright? Tomorrow?" I asked.

She looked flustered, but didn't seem to make an action about it. "...Your voice is calm." She tried to veer off the conversation, but its's not gonna work.

"I know. Just...tomorrow. Is that alright?" I asked.

She nodded. Though her muzzle his tomato red at this point, she still hasn't bothered to look at me. "Promise?" She asked, sounding like the voice of a child.

"You know where we live, just come visit, and we'll talk." I said. She began to walk away, and when she made it out of sight, I let out a breath of air. "Fuck...didn't think I needed to use that power." I said out loud.

Alex

"For the record, I'm just gonna keep calling her Ex, cause she got herself on my shit list when she insulted my children." I said.

"Okay, yeah, you do that." said Baws.

"By the way, you do realize that you now have a crazy chick crushin on you, right?"

"I am well aware, Alex."

"...You want I should get the hammers for tomorrow?"

"Only as a precaution."

"Yes!"

Baws laughed. "And you call me sadistic?"

"You are. And so am I. That's how it works." I said.

Baws

"Welp...thanks for getting her off my back! I'll uh...see you at home--"

"Wait a minute, fuckturd. You owe me one." I said. He groaned.

"I hate I.O.U.'s! Especially ones from you. For some reason, your's always has me searching or doing the most ridicoulis crap." He said.

Well...he isn't wrong. Last time he owed me something, he came back with five angry (yet small) dragons on his tail. Hilarious to see him run, worth it for the slap he gave me. "This is a big one too. See ya AJ." I said.

We turn to walk away...after being clunked in the head, all three of us. We turn to see AJ with a sly smile. "Ya forgot your apples. Here, on the house." She tossed one at each of us, and my respect for AJ grew.

"Thanks. Spark will see you at seven, ice cream parlor." I said.

She gave a nod. "Alright, see ya then!" She said.

Now...for that favor, what was it again?

Alex

While Baws was busy remembering the thing he was gonna ask Spark to do, I was giving the spectacled colt some tips on dating.

"Okay, first off, this is only the first date, so no need to bring flowers or candy- it makes you look desprate needy- besides, I don't think AJ is that kind of mare. Second, no need to dress nicely, but be sure to look good, I'm sure you'll be fine in one of your usuall bowties- the red one, as always- it's your signature and works well with your natural yellow coat."

"Damn right." said Spark.

"During the date, try to make casual conversation, but don't be pushy, don't want to look too invasive. If she gives you an opening, throw a compliment her way, if not, put in a simple one every once in a while. At the end of the date I suggest walking her home, taking a detour at the park, it's lovely for night strolls this time of year. When you get to Sweet Apple Acres, compliment the trees, she's sure to love that. Once you get to the door, do not make the first move, as that could lead to an awkward hug or, Celestia forbid, an awkward hoofshake. If she is going to hug you or even give you a small peck, good for you."

"Dude, how do you know so much about dating?" asked Baws. "Seriously, I thought that date with Goldilocks was your very first."

"It was. But I, uh... read a lot of romance novels..." I said, blushing. I noticed the grin on Baws' face and said, "Say one word and I will clobber you."

Baws

"Ha!" That was all it took before I got wacked. It was so worth it.

"So, what was it that you need?" Alex asked.

I sat there in confusion, then it hit me. "Ah! Right! See, there's a sword I want. A really, really dangerous sword." I said.

"And you want me to get it?" Spark bluntly said. I shook my head.

"Dangerous. Even for me, but it's the same reason why I'm goin there. Ever heard of a group called the Pyromaniacs?" I asked.

They shook their heads. Not surprising. I didn't know about them 'till a year ago. "Anyway, they have this sword, the Shishkebab . It's a sword that catches fire with every swing. What's even better is that it's fire proof and magic resistant. Two for one!" I said.

"And you want me to search it up?" Spark asked. I gave a nod.

"The drawback is that I won't be around when our target comes in, so the kids will have to take over while I'm gone." I said.

"How important is that sword to you?" Alex asked.

My brows fell into their angry state. "Very. This sword is top secret, and above all, dangerous. I'm gonna steal that sword from them. Not only is the group a bunch of Pyro-loving maniacs, but they have a tendency to put fire with every weapon in their inventory. My ice counters that. So...I'll be gone by them. It will teach them not to fuck with the Black Mask Brothers, and to know that they aren't the most scary group out there."

"What if you fail?" Spark asked.

"That's where you come in. I scanned the outside area, and what I need for you to do, Spark, is to locate where the Shishkebab is so I don't die. Quick in and out." I said.

Alex gave a small sigh. "...When are you leaving?" He asked.

"Tomorrow, after my talk with Cocoa. I did promise her, after all." I said with a smile.

He gave a small smile as well. "Your fucking crazy. But...that's why I like ya, you crazy fucknut." He said.

"Yeah, fuck you to, shitlord. I gotta go prepare. I'm going to the weapons shop. See ya guys at home." I said. I waved goodbye, and walked off to the outskirts of town.

Little did I know, their was a surprise for me.

Alex

"Wait, why do you even want a flaming sword? Fire's my thing." I said.

Spark shrugged. "Your a little late to ask him. He already left." He said.

I sighed. "...Something's up. He knows something we don't. But...what it is? He didn't know about the mother, or our next clue to the Vendetta...just..." He trailed off

"Its better to not know something that could save your life, than to risk your life knowing it." Spark said.

"Yeah..."

Revisiting Winter Frost's Firey Past

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Baws

The next day was my ticket out of Ponyville. I woke up, ready to go, until I heard more screaming.

"Why the fuck are you here?!"

"I have a promise with the commoner! He...he promised he would be here!"

"Yeah, I know, I was there. I meant why aren't you outside waiting?"

Fucking Celestia. I left my room, the kids and Alex still asleep. Just how early did Spark wake up? Fuck it, if its early than me, then I rather not know. "Oi, shut the fuck up you two." I said.

And once again, Cocoa doesn't bother to look at me. Her muzzle is red though, so that's a start. "H-hey...Frosty." She said.

Frosty? Uh...

"Hey. Ready for the talk?" I asked her. She gave a small nod, and went outside. I followed her, but Spark stopped me with a hoof. "Reports came in, Beatrice Longhorn is in Canterlot."

"She's here?! Shit...I'm going to Canterlot too, but not for Longhorn. Tell Alex that he has to pick on of the children to go with him." I said.

Spark looked very confused. "But why? Why are you so determined for that sword?" He asked. I shook my head.

"Reasons unimportant. Just tell Alex when he wakes up. It'll be a long trip, so I hopefully see you at midnight." I said.

Alex

"Or you could tell me right now," I said, standing at the top of the stairs.

"Ex woke you up?" he asked.

"Yeah, but that's not important right now," I replied. "Point is, you're about to do something stupid and dangerous... without me. I don't care what we're doin or why, but I'm your best friend. Where you go, I go. Now come on, you can fill me in on the way."

Baws

"Not this time. Other times, sure, but where I'm going is strictly dangerous. Not only that, but the time we're done, Longhorn might be gone." I said.

"Your just getting a sword. Its not all that bad, right?" Alex said, walking down the stairs.

"It is. The sword is their symbolism to the fire, and taking it would severely damage their group. And we may be sneaky, but even your magic won't protect you against them. They burn everything on sight. Their food, water, themselves. they practically became immune to fire, magic or not." I explain.

Before Alex can refute, I kept going. "Don't even. You don't blend in well, and Spark can't feed the kids while we're both out. This is not an hour mission, Alex. This is a 12-hour mission that takes time. You don't have that kind of time." I said.

It was quiet, but Spark spoke from the silence. "...At least tell us why you want the sword." He said.

I sighed once more. "Fine. The sword was actually owned from a poor family back in Fillydelphia. Unfortunately, the daughter and mother didn't get along so well during that time, and the daughter ran off with the family relic. The Pyro's thought it was a joke, but little did they know was that one swing could severely damage an Ursa Minor.

"A year ago, when we went to give back the Pharaoh's Golden Head, she asked me to get it back. I went over to get it back, only to join them."

"You joined them?" Alex asked, feeling a bit betrayed.

"I had no choice. Be burnt by to death by first degree burns or join them with my life intact. Not gonna lie, it went well. It was fun...for a while. Not until they started to cruelly treat their teammates like dirt. I left a friend back there, Duraflame. She...she really had trust in me. Kinda like you; she never went anywhere unless I was going. We went together. We burned enemy groups, and it was fun.

"However, that daughter was Duraflame, and she gave up her family relic for that insane piece of shit group. I promised her mom that once I had the strength to go back, I'd return with the both of them. However, I learned that her mother died a few monthes back, and sent me a letter to just keep the sword. So...I'm going back for that."

Once again, silent. It felt awkward at first, but it slowly settled in. "So, it was a family relic?" He asked.

"And she said I could keep it. The best time is today, I usually know. Friday's for them is getting wasted with boiled beer. Its more disgusting than it sounds, but shit does it take you out."

I turned, getting ready to talk Cocoa. "...You still coming, or are you going to get Longhorn for the info?"

Alex

"Okay, first off, you-" Spark said, pointing to the Ex. "-need to get out. We've got private business to discuss."

And with one blue glow of his horn, the Ex was gone.

"You could have teleported her out this whole time?!" I exclaimed, wondering why he hadn't used his Teleportation Ex Machina sooner.

"Eeyup. Anyways, I already knew about Longhorn in Canterlot, and we can't get her there- the cops are watching her every move in vast numbers when she's not in the penthouse on top of her casino, so trying to get to her as the Black Masks would be a suicide mission. I've actually been planing how to get her on her own home turf, but there was one thing missing. That is, until you just suddenly bring one up. Ms. Duraflame might be exactly what we need- a demolitions expert!"

Baws

"Welp, thanks for breaking my promise with her, asshole. Bring her back, I still need to talk to her." I said.

Spark just groaned. "Seriously?" He said. I gave him a disapproving look. He complied and brought back Cocoa into the house. She seemed really confused, but then she got really angry.

"...You lied to me." She said.

"No no, Spark just teleported you out when we were having a nice discussion." I said. She got even more fustrated.

"I trusted you! Why would you do this? You lied to me!" She said.

"I never lied. Now, let's calm down, shall we?" I asked, once again the gentleness rolling in. She quickly shut her yap, and her muzzle became red.

"H-how...how are you doing that?" She asked.

"Yeah, just how are you doing that?" Spark asked.

"No need to worry! Like I promised, lets chill, alright? We can talk outside. Okay, just give me a few more seconds." I said. She stood there, a leaking sound was heard, but she quickly gave a nod.

"Mhm! Y-yeah...I'll wait." She quickly ran outside.

"Fuck...how do you do that?" Alex asked.

"It's a thing anyone can do. Called the Fatherly Voice, it helps people feel calm, protected, and they easily gain trust in you." I explained.

"Well that sounds awesome." Spark said.

"Yeah, but what sucks is that it takes too damn long to learn. What's even worse is that, sometimes, it works a bit too well. See, I can already tell that Cocoa and her father don't get along well, which is why it works too well. Sometimes they fall for you, other times...well..." I trailed off.

"Well? What would that be?" Spark said.

"Just...watch where you step. They tend to melt and leak." I said. It took them a while what I meant. So long that I long-found a towel to wipe the spot clean.

"Aw gross!" Alex finally said.

"Late. Anyway, Spark, get them pizza until we get back. We'll be gone after my talk." I said. I walked outside, waiting for a talk.

I walked out to the porch, searching for Cocoa. She waited for me outside, seemingly talking to herself. When I approached, I finally understood what she said.

"So gross! I'm so gross! I didn't mean to do that! I didn't mean to! I'm sorry!"

"I forgive ya." I said. She jumped higher than a cat would, and when she saw who it was, she blushed even harder.

"F-Frosty! I-I didn't mean to! I didn't know! I'm sorry! I-I promise to clean it up!" She said.

"Long did. Its fine. Plus, how do you even know my name?" I asked.

"Spark. He speaks highly of you two." She said.

"Nice. So...about this talk."

She seemed to freeze, but started breathing again when she came to. "...I know. I'm sorry. Your so kind. Spark was like that before. I don't know why he would break up with me." She said.

"Baffles me how he got you in the first place. Even more when he breaks up with you." I said.

She chuckled, a smile appearing on her face. "Yeah. Your voice is so...gentle." She said.

"Aww, you do like me!"

"Shut up! I never said that!"

"Denial only leads to more lies. Accept the truth!"

"Shut up! Your so stupid!"

She said that with a genuine smile. Never seen such innocence before. That threw me off a bit. I decided to keep going.

"Me? Stupid? Then I guess it's stupid to assume that you like me."

"Yeah, it is."

"But your smiling. That's a lie."

"I am not."

"Look at me, without smiling or laughing, and say it to my face."

She was so determined, she looked at me dead in the eye...for a couple of seconds. She snorted before giving a blast of laughter. "I hate you...so much!" She said through her snorts and laughs.

"Heh...had fun?" I asked.

"Yeah...I, um...I heard everything inside though." She said. That didn't surprise me. She was nearby, after all. "You were part of the Pyromaniacs, huh? My roommate was part of that." She said.

"Yeah. It was...an interesting experience." I said. Least she didn't hear the Black Mask Brothers part.

She nuzzled on my neck before continuing. "...They burned down my old home. Even my little brother." She said.

"...When?"

"A couple of monthes ago. They..." I felt a trail of tears climb down my neck. "...they burned him. My little Marsh Mellow." She said.

"I know. Those ruthless bastards don't care anything that doesn't involve them. Its alright." I wrapped an arm around her, her falling onto me.

"I miss him so much. He was so innocent." She cried even more.

Fuck...I guess Equestria can be ruthless.

"I know. I'll teach them a lesson." I said.

Suddenly, she wrapped her arm around my neck, and the grip tightening. "I remember who did it though. I remember it through all the fire and flames." She said.

"Who is it?" I asked.

Her voice became an iceberg. "Duraflame." She whispered.

My teammate? Duraflame...what did you do?

"Kill her for me. I can't even begin to...to forgive that bitch." Her voice became much more colder. Fuck...

"...I'll have a talk. I can't forgive them either." I said.

"...Then promise me you'll give her a good beating?" She said.

Jeez. "I promise that. I'll see you when I come back." I said. She smiled, and released me from the grip. Her tears of rage and sadness turned into tears of justice and salvation.

"Thank you." She said. She begin to walk off, and I turned to the door to see Alex just as shocked as I was.

I sighed, trying to wave it off. "Ready to go?" I asked.

Alex

"You know, if you don't want to let this Duraflame chick into the gang..." I began.

"She didn't do it." Baws said, plain and simple. "Dura may have loved blowing things up, but she hated seeing ponies get hurt, almost like a destructive Fluttershy. She'd always try to get ponies out before they set a place on fire, and if anypony was still inside, she'd risk her life to save them. She'll make a loyal Black Mask... if she decides to join our ranks."

Baws

"At least, I hope so. Celestia knows ponies are easy to manipulate." I said. Alex sighed, knowing that things hit the fan real quick.

"So? What are you gonna do now?" He asked.

I glared at him. I'm not angry at him, no, I'm angry about Duraflame. She has done bad things, but killing? "It's time we end their little group." I said.

"How?"

"We're leaving, right now. Pack your shit, we're going to Canterlot."

"But what about--?"

"Now!"

Alex

"Sir yes sir!" I said, saluting.

A few moments later, we were on our way to Canterlot, Baws flying the coach since he was the stronger of the two of us.

"So anything else I should know about Duraflame?" I asked Baws.

"Well, she gets a little creepy-crazy when she's in destruction mode, but the rest of the time she's like a cute little filly. Knowing you, you'll probably go all 'big brother' on her after you meet her."

"I am totally okay with that!" I replied.

Baws

"But..." Alex looked back at me. "She does tend to flirt with, you know, anything that moves."

"...Well crud." He said.

We land, in front of a building. However, what caught me off guard was--

"It's burned?" Alex asked. I was thrown off. This place was absolutely burned to a crisp. Windows shattered, some parts of the wall actually melted, and, even now, bits of fire is still seen.

"The fuck? Where did it go? What the hell?!" I almost screamed in anger.

"Psst, hey." I heard. I turned, and saw a red pony with rusted gear. This pony had rusted pads on her legs, body, and neck, but still a mare nonetheless. "What are you looking for, kiddo?" She asked.

"Nothing much, pretty cold out here, would say so myself." I replied back. A brow raised, her suspicions growing.

"But it's pretty warm out here." She replied back.

"I rather sit next to a nice warmth of fire." I said. Her eyes shrunk when I said that.

"You the newbie?" She asked.

"Retired. I wish to speak to Pyro." I said. She almost laughed her ass off saying that.

"And what rank were you when you left?" She said with a confident smile.

I smile back. "Rank 34, Hell's fury." I said. That shut her yaps.

"S-sorry sir! I-I didn't mean to--"

"Where is he? What happened to the base?" I asked in a commander tone.

She gulped, and waved a hoof over. "Follow me, I'll explain." She said.

Alex

"Our base was brought down by an ex-member named Duraflame." the mare said as we walked. "Something about somepony dying in one of our recent outings. Weird, right? I mean, where's the fun in destroying things if some innocent bystander doesn't get hurt!"

That part got to me. I was about to go give this mare a difference of oppinion, when Baws grabbed me by the shoulder and gave me a look that said, "not yet."

"So anyways, the little traitor takes the flaming sword Shishkebab and wrecks the place while we're all out getting hay burgers, then runs off. Sufice to say, sir, we will find her, and we will kill her for her betrayal. Shouldn't be too hard. As you know, our Pyromaniac training makes us nearly invincible- physical attacks don't hurt us, we're all completely fireproof, and we're even immune to all known forms of magical attacks! Duraflame may have had the same training, but even the best training can't fend off an assault by a great many attackers."

"Any idea where she could be?" Baws asked.

"In the caves nearby, I'd say, but you'd need a bloodhound to quickly find someone in there."

"Or a dragon-pony with incredibly refined senses." Baws said, before nodding to me. "That's all we needed to know. Alex?"

One solid blow to her face, and the mare was out cold. Not gonna lie- I really wanted to do that.

And so, the hunt was on.

Baws

She fell out cold. Well shit. She's gonna pissed when she wakes up. It took a second before Alex started rubbing his claws. "Gah...fuck. Seriously?" He said.

"She did explain that it would be harder to kill. To be knocked out this easy..." I rubbed my chin, looking back at the unconcious pony. "...she must be rank 3 and below." I said.

"Look, their cruel. How about we--?"

"No." I quickly cut him off. "Fighting each and every one of them is insane. You bruised your claws proving that."

I pointed as I finished. When he gave it a look, his knuckles turned a bit purple from his greenish color. "And that's rank 3 you just punched. I suggest holding back. I won't help you if you get yourself in a stupid situation." I said coldly.

He looked surprise. Well, he did with a free will, signed in confirmation. "Now, let's go. I swear to Celestia, hold your anger back. They test you harshly. They will push every single button you have until you become one of them. Just...hold back." I said.

We enter the cave. Already joined the group, I already got used to the somewhere-close-to-believable sun level. Alex, however, well...I didn't know dragons could sweat. He was already sweating the moment we enter. "Fucking Celestia it's HOT in here!" He said.

With my short tail, I created a small cloud. I grabbed it, formed it into a ring, and gave it to him. "Wear it. Should cool you down for a while. Now, when entering this building, the necklace will do some good, but you'll still feel the heat. Just be ready to pant and sweat a lot." I explain.

He groaned. "Jeez, their fucking crazy. No AC, though?" He asked. I kept walking. "No AC." I said, starting to...return... to my old habits.

Alex

I don't like this. One of the drawbacks I've always had to being a dragon-pony, the pony part of me hates extreme heat, and the dragon part of me hates extreme cold, so really, I'm no fun to be around in winter or summer. Where was I going with this? Oh, right, this place is REALLY FREAKING HOT!!!

"How long is it gonna take to find her?" I asked.

"I don't know, you're the one with the super-sniffer. Now get tracking!"

He was right, I was the tracker here. I put my nose to the ground and took a sniff. Separating the scents of fire and smoke from everything else, I found the scent of living beings. Many of them smelled the same, a distinct oder of flame and fury, but I managed to pick out one scent that distinguished itself from the others- fear.

It was Duraflame. And if I was right, the other Pyros were already much closer to finding her than we were.

Baws

He pointed to a certain direction. "That-a-way!" He said. We ran into one of the caves and dashed by a bunch of rooms. That was, until we reached a certain somepony's room. She walked out, and I crashed really hard into her. Tumbling across the floor, we finally stopped laying next to each other.

"Fucking...shit!" She silently cursed.

"Fuck!" I did as well. We got a good look at each other, before she got testy.

"You..." She growled. I quickly got up, but so did she. "How dare you come back?! You trai--!"

"Stop right there, fuckturd." I put a hoof up. I sighed, before setting it down again. "Yeah, I left, but you know the exact reasons why."

"Cause you want to be buddy-buddy with the good guys! You saw how stupid they are! You know it! Their manipulated like...slaves! We burn their house, and free them from torment!" She explained.

"You killed innocent lives. These aren't missions, this is genocide. Do you realizing who you're killing?" I asked.

"Traitors, slaves, manipulative pieces of whorse shit." She badmouthed. I shook my head. "Your killing families." I said.
"Bullshit."

"Why the fuck do you think I'm back, then?"

"Because you would come crawling back when you realize just how right we are."

"Arrogant piece of shit."

"Kiss-Ass."

Another reason why I left: these ponies are arrogant pieces of shit. She took a look at Alex, her purple mane swaying.
Huh...guess I haven't described her, did I? Well, for starters, imagine a kick-ass version of Rainbow Dash; uncombed fallen mane that covered one of her eyes. The covered he is actually a plastic ball. She lost an eye in a fight. Anyway, replace the rainbow colors with different shades of purple, replace her blue coat with a white coat, and you got yourself Vanella Von Hoofin.

"Who the fuck is this piece of shit?" She asked rudely.

I growled at her. "His name is Alex, and hope I don't have to kick your ass like last time if you disrespect my friend like that again." I said.

She scoffed. "Please, I pinned your flank to the damn ground. Like Tartarus if you can beat me." She said.

"Wanna bet?" I started to feel the anger I had when I came here. I never liked it here. I was...different when I walked in this place. I felt arrogant, angry, the shady person that never talks unless peeved off or spoken to. I just felt...different in the heat. I couldn't explain it. The heat changes you. I can see why they prefer it in the heat.

She glared at me, before whipping her head away from me. "...Fuck off." She said.

I smiled, knowing she would wuss out. "Fucking thought so, bitch." At this point, we swore like sailors.

I glared at her, and she went back at glaring at me. "Rank." I simply said. She spoke the same way. "Rank 29, Celestial Rage." She said.

I smiled. "You're still beneath me. Rank 34, Hell's fury." I said.

She brushed the insult off. "That's because Pyro decided to rank you up after defeating our top Rank's Men in the escape. You were Rank 32, weren't you? How do you know you're Rank 34?" She asked.

"Like hell I'm telling you." I said. She growled even more.

"Prick. Just why are you back here anyway?" She asked.

"Um, we're here for the Shishkebab." Alex chimed in, like a kid entering a grown up conversation. She laughed.

"Like Tartarus your getting that shit back. Pyro's grown to attached to it, and now it won't leave his side. They found her and bringing the sword back to him." She said.

"Already?" I asked. She smiled. "We get our shit done." She simply said.

Sounded like an arguement between two lovers, and not the good kind. Yet we were still friends in some degree. She scoffed once more. "So once you steal that, you're leaving huh?" She asked.

"What of it?" I asked.

She sighed. "...You know, I wasn't the only one that missed you, ya know?" She said.

"What about Duraflame?" I said.

She glared at me. "Not that traitor. The other two. Blueberry and Redwood. They...they cried when you left them." She said.

My heart got even colder. "Maybe I'll forgive you when you look at a burning child in the eye. Like hell you could experience what I've seen." I said.

"Yeah, they also told me to do this." She suddenly swung and hit me right in the cheek. Gotta admit, deserved that for not saying goodbye.

"Fuck!" I said through the pain.

"That was for them. They also said to come visit if you ever came back. You know where they are." She said. She simply walked past me, and up to Alex. "...The Black Mask Brothers, huh? Pssh...fucking pussies." She said, before completely walking off.

Alex was completely confused. "Wha...how did she--?"

"She's not like any pony, Alex. Everyone of these ponies in this cave is special in some way. She's no different. Not only is getting her punch like a kick by the Princess of the moon, she's not any dumb pony out there. She's smarter than that." I said.

Alex stood there. "Then why hasn't she told any of the guards who are hunting us down?" He asked.

"Other than taking us to jail, what good would it do? Won't give you sastisfaction. You just set your friend in jail, and he's doing something for the right cause. No point in jailing a good guy." I explained.

Alex stood their, beyond belief. "Fuck...remind me to never piss these people off." He said.

"Trust me, it'll burn into your brain. Now, before we get the sword, I need to talk to Blueberry. She's...she's special to me." I said.
"Special? Special how?"

"Just..." I sighed. "...come on. She's really sweet. You'll like her." I said. As we walked out, it was gonna be a long trip, before we get to Blueberry's. I'm sure he has questions.

Alex

At this point, I had so many questions rolling around in my head. Who the hay were Blueberry and Redwood? What happened that caused my bro to leave these creeps? What exactly had he done in his time here? Welp, I'm not gonna find out by just standing here and thinking about it. Best start with the easy one.

"So who are Blueberry and Redwood?" I asked.

Baws

"Redwood? He was an oddball. I liked him. He was like you, sorta. He always wanted to have a thrill in life, and he always wanted to do things for the right. He was...weird, but likable." I said.

"And Blueberry?" He asked.

I couldn't find the right answer to describe her. "...She's..." I trailed off.

Until, I found a temporary answer. "She's not bad, actually. You think she is with these arrogant assholes, until you realize she's the complete opposite. The lowest rank here: Rank 1, Candle. She hasn't moved since. I don't know her motives for coming here, since to rank up, you need to burn the hell out of everything in every mission, but she's to damn nice. And to be honest..."
I looked at him, his curiosity still standing. "...I love her more than Dash, and vice versa. But, don't tell her that. She isn't so happy to see me when I left for a goodbye, so we're--" I cleared my throat, correcting my mistake. "--I'm going to apologize...and probably accept a beating from Redwood. He isn't physically strong, but I'm sure it'll get the steam pumped out of him. He also had a crush on Blueberry." I explained.

He looked baffled, if not mind fucked. "What...? But I thought you like Dash!" He said.

"Once you meet her, I promise you, she reminds you of your new girlfriend. Something about her is so sweet and innocent, you can't help but befriend her. She's like a Mary Sue, but even more nice. It's so impossible it's almost cheating." I said.

I looked upfront, and waved him into a nice litted cave for us to get to the next bridge. "Anything else?" I asked, getting back into my newer habit, thankfully.

Alex

"Okay, what exactly did you do when you were one of these creeps?" I asked. Baws looked at me like I was an idiot.

"I set things on fire, duh." he replied, then looked kinda sad. "I'll be honest... I did a lot of bad things back then. Came pretty close to hurting some ponies, too. But the worst thing, the part that scares me the most, was that back then... I didn't care. I didn't care if anypony got hurt, or how my actions effected their lives. All I ever cared about was setting things on fire... and watching them burn."

Wow. Okay. I certainly won't be sleeping tonight. Or tomorrow night. Or ever again. Guess that only leaves one last question.

"What made you quit?"

Baws

"...I think the better question is, why did I stay? But, you are right. So, I left because I met you in the process." I explained.

He seemed to be a bit confused at that. "Uh, what?" He asked. I sighed. "Just...let me explain." I said.

I swear these fuckers never hurry up. "Oi, what's taking you so long?" I asked impatiently.

A growl was heard from the other side. "Shut up." I heard.

Vanella was never the type to worry about fashion, but today was an off day for me. I sighed, waiting for the mare to get out of the damn bathroom. It wasn't long before Blueberry came up to me. "W-Winter? Hey! How are you?" She asked.

Blueberry was special. She was blue all over, her hair and tail a bit darker than her skin. Her ponytails made her look extremely cute, and she was in her usual set of armor: A couple of straps here and there, but not enough to get the mission done. She had a small flamethrower strapped on her back, but she never uses it. It boggles me to no end how she got here.

"Hey, Berry. Just waiting for Prissy to get out so I can use it." I said.

"I can do this all day, asshole." She yelled back. I am legitimately deciding to use it when we get to the city of Fillydelphia. Screw it.
Not long before Redwood showed up. He had red skin with brighter outings on the end of his hooves and muzzle. His hair short and combed, and he always had a green cape on his back. Though, he always did stutter from time to time. I...don't see any gear on him either. He was a good look out though.

"H-hey! How are ya? He asked.

I gave a small shrug. "Meh. Need to pee." I said. After moments, the bathroom door opened, and out came Vanella. She was in fair amount of gear: tons to call it insane, but light enough to run.

She waved a hoof at the door. "Their. Happy?" She said.

I smiled. "You barely smell like a mare, if that's what your asking." I said. Her jaw dropped, but I quickly do my business before she swung at me.

Today was the day we burn down the Bit-Coin Inc. See, bits is widely used these days, but this company's owner is a bit of a prick. We're set to hunt him down, and burn all of his entrances. Pyro is suppose to handle him after that. Just do our job, and get it over with. However, I wasn't expecting a certain somepony to show up and steal a valuable item. Ruined our plans, but I'll get to that later.

"Wha? Finished? But I still don't know why you left!" He said.

"I know, but we stopped because we're here." I said. Indeed we were. However, it was...quiet. I gave a few knocks. "Hello? Anyone there?" I asked.

It was quiet, but the door clicked before making a small gap. A blue face appeared. "Hello? Who is it?" She asked groggily.

"...Its Winter. Can you open the door?" I asked as politely as I could.

She was slow to respond. "...No. " she said.

"Please? I want to apologize." I said. Alex could already tell that I really didn't want to be here. He knows what's next. The door slowly opened, and we walked into her room. Wasn't as bad as I remembered it. It used to have random chemical stains on the ground and walls, new or old. Now they were dried up and barely visible, and the living room was pretty much basic.

"Blueberry? Who was at the do-?" Out came the red pony, Redwood. He stopped when he saw me, and, compared to Alex's fury, his overwhelmed it, and I'm sure Alex knew. "You...why are you here?" He asked, his body visibly shaking from trying not to hurt me.

"Holy shit...what did you do to piss him off to the point where he can't even control his body?" Alex asked. Redwood was already boiling, but it was volcanic when he saw me.

"He ran away without a goodbye. Didn't even know he ran until Duraflame ratted him out." He said.

I was legit scared, honestly. He usually has anxiety problems, and can't control his stuttering. He hasn't stuttered once. "I know your angry, but--"

If I had to guess, I was punched at this point. How did I figure this out? I went from looking at Redwood, to staring at the wall in an instant. And let me tell you something:

That hurt like a BITCH!!

"Ow! Shit!" I reacted a bit slower than I thought I would. But...that hurts. "That...hurts. That hurts? ...That hurts!" I repeated like a kid finding out a new swear word.

Redwood wasn't physically strong before, but this strong now? Fuck man. "You...you're really mad at me, huh?" I smiled, regardless of getting hit.

"...You hurt Blueberry. We...she cried about you. Every damn day. Bet you don't care though. You would rather hang out with your pet dragon over there than with us." He said.

"Pet dragon?!" Alex flared up. I sat silent.

"...Even to this day, you broke her heart. So what makes you think we'll forgive you?" He asked.

"...You won't. Nothing in this world, nothing I do, would change your minds. Just came here to apologize, and leave." I said.

It was quiet, and before Redwood can raise another hoof, Blueberry spoke in a whisper. "Leave the dragon here. I want to ask him about Winter." She said.

She's not in her usual happy self. More depressed...and pissed off. Quick as lightening, Redwood threw me out of the department. I sighed once more. "...Damn it." I said.

Guess she'll continue then.

Alex

Blueberry walked over to me, and I could see what Baws was talking about. The mare was small, and timid to the point of being Fluttershy. How she managed to be a part of these Pyromaniacs, I don't think I'll ever know.

"So. What is your name?" she asked.

"Um... Alex. Alex Rite."

"How long have you been Winter's friend?"

"Not too long, I guess. At least, not compared to how long he was your friend. But we're close. I call him Baws."

"Baws?"

"It's his nickname. I call him that cause he's one of the coolest friends I've ever had, and it's short for BadAss Winged Stallion!"

"Is... is he happy?"

"Y'know, I honestly thought he was. But I think he might have always regretted leaving without saying goodbye."

"Hm. Doesn't sound like the Winter I know."

"Maybe not, but it certainly fits Baws."

She smiled. "I guess so."

"Also, could you tell that guy I am not a pet, and the very idea that he would think that of me is incredibly insulting!"

"Ha! You're alright." she said.

Blueberry then turned to Baws and socked him in the jaw too. I could tell he didn't really feel it, but he acted like it hurt, so I'll give him that.

"I deserved that." he said.

And with that. Blueberry smiled, gave him a hug, and returned to her room.

"Forgiven?" I asked him.

"A little. Not entirely, but enough for us to have an actual goodbye this time around."

"Good to hear. So anyways, where in this story of yours do I come in?"

A Story of the Past and a Showdown in the Present

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Baws

"Well, let's sit down first, I think Redwood is trying to find ways to silently kill me." I whispered, pointing at the almost-erupted pony.

It wasn't long, but we all settled down, Redwood still glaring at me, but everyone else is calm. Vanella joined in late to the party, and she seemed interested as well.

"Gang's all here, huh?" I asked.

Vanella shrugged. "Well, Duraflame used to be here, but she's..." She veered off.

My brows fell. "Already captured, I know. We can't do anything unless we wait." I said.

"Wait? But this was gonna be a quick mission, was it not?" Alex asked.

I shook my head. "Sudden change in plans. Unless you want to walk into the Oven? A lot more fucking heat in there than out here." I said.

He immediately 'nope'd and waved a hoof-claw thing. Seriously...the fuck is it? "Nope. Carry on." He said.

"S-so..." Redwood started. Glad he's warming up...slowly. "Gonna tell the story or what?" He asked.

"Yeah. So..."

"Is that it?" I asked.

Vanella nodded. "That's the one." She said.

We approached the building with a big gold coin hanging upfront. Bit Coin Inc. is a lot bigger than I anticipated. This building was three stories, and finding the office would be a bit difficult, if not a nuisance.

"Wow...looks shiny!" Blueberry said.

"W-we're infiltrating that?" Redwood asked. I nodded.

"Orders are orders. C'mon." I said.

Redwood shook his head in a...disobeying manner. "I-I would r-rather stay out here. Th-thank you." He said.

"Are you disobeying orders?" I asked.

He looked fearful for a moment. "N-no no! I just...rather be the lookout. F-for now, at least" He said.

I walked in front of him, almost aggressively. "Then why don't you lookout when we get in the damn building?" I asked, my voice flaring.

He stood there, almost scared of me. "Y-yes...sir." He said.

"Woah woah woah, sir? You were the leader?" Alex asked, before bursting into laughter.

"And?" I asked, not fazed by it.

Alex wiped a tear. "I mean, you can follow orders, yeah, but leader? Dude, you can barely give directions to a filly, let alone three Pyromaniacs." He said.

I almost yelled at him, I really did. What I gave him, though, was the usual calm anger I gave to my teammates. "Are you disrespecting your leader?" I asked.

Alex suddenly became confused. "What?" He said. I got up, and walked to him.

"Are. You. Disrespecting. Your. Leader?!" I asked.

"N-no, I just--"

"Just what?" I asked. For a few seconds, it was silent. "This isn't a fucking game, Alex. You're in my territory. And at any moment, in this intense heat, I will hurt you. Beat you. Physically abuse you. I will fucking tear the damn soul out of your body, and make sure you don't return. So, for the sake of shutting the fuck up, let me finish." I said.
Alex was confused, if not a bit scared. Just a bit. I smiled. "Lucky I'm not so cruel to you as I was to my teammates. I was a lot more cruel then." I said.

"And I have the scars to prove it." Blueberry said weakly. Alex could not have his pupils any smaller, they were at the limit his body would physically allow.

"So...I'm curious." I said, before sitting back on the couch. "Why did you go to the Bit Coin Inc. building? You went for the Pharaoh's Golden Head, didn't you?" I asked.

I explained how I got there- now it's Alex's turn.

Alex

"Well, yes and no. Honestly, it was more of a training mission, I had planned to give it back after I stole it. Back then, it was all about the thrills."

It was my very first heist. I was new to being a thief, but I was sure that soon everypony would know about the Shadow Thief. I was pretty well equiped- I had an enchanted mask that concealed my identity, and a hat with a hammerspace storage ability.

I went in on that day knowing that nopony would be in there- everypony had the day off for the Summer Sun Celebration. Using my shadow glide, I slid underneath the door with ease, got past the laser grid secerity system, and into the vault where the Pharoh's Golden Head was stored. With a little bit of dragon breath, the glass case protecting the artifact was no longer a problem, and I had just put it into my hat and got out of the safe... when the fire alarm started to go off.

"Wait, you actually got the Pharoh's Golden Head?" asked Blueberry. "I thought it was destroyed in the fire!"

"So did the cops. Which is why I haven't felt the need to return it. It's actually a centerpiece in our main foyer, and if anypony asks, we just say it's a replica."

"Best place to hide something is in plain sight." Baws concured as we brohoofed.

Baws

"Smart, but unbelievable. You would think after all this time, the ponies would find out, right?" Vanella asked.

"Have they?" I asked. She sat there.

Alex smiled. "Ha! See? We know what we're doing. We're pros- we got this!" He said.

"So you j-just...went in?" Redwood asked.

Alex shrugged. "Yeah it was easy. Now that I think about it...it was almost too easy." He said.

"I think we took care of that part. Or, at least, they did." I said.

I walked down the lonely trail, near the office. Suddenly, I heard a voice in my head.

"Hey, you there?" the voice seemed to be Vanella.

"Good Celestia, I am never going to get use to this. Yeah?" I whispered the first part. I don't know how to explain it, but all I know is that it's magic. Most likely from the suits we're wearing. It was quiet for a moment.

"Holy shit, this works!" She said.

"Yaaaay...." My enthusiasm was off the charts.

"Stop acting like that. Where are you now? The guards won't be distracted by that fire any time longer." She said.

"Yeah yeah yeah, I'm almost there." I said.

"Then hurry the fuck up, fuckhead!" She yelled. I sighed. This day could not get any longer. Right as I was about to enter the office, I heard a sudden slam from afar. Out came a green dragon...pony...thing...the fuck was it?

"What the fu--?!" I was interrupted when he slammed right into me. I felt bits of pain here and there, but fine nonetheless. That creature on the other hand, I wish could say the same.

"Gah, fuck! Did I run into a wall?" He asked himself.

"No. You ran into me." I said. His surprised face was cherished even today. Good freaking lord was it beautiful. I didn't describe it before, but my choice of armor was...frightening. I looked like as if I walked seconds out of the apocalypse; very rusted armor, a couple of visible burns and cuts found all over my legs and face, and my hair looking like it hasn't been combed for years. In others, I was a badass straight from Tartarus itself.

The dragon-pony was certainly confused beyond belief, if not downright terrifed.

"So...got anything to say?" I asked impatiently.

"W-wait...that was you?" Alex asked.

I nodded. "Yeah. You may not believe it, but because of the way I looked, nopony in this damn group would talk to me. Fuck, everyone was to scared to be my friend or ask me out. However, I did protect Blueberry, and because I stayed around her, every pony didn't mess with her." I said.

"Yeah...used too." Blueberry said.

"Used to? What happened?" I asked.

"Couple of Pyro-jerkoffs decided to mess with her and charge her to stay here. If not, they said they'll kill her." Vanella said.

"Kill?!" Alex was shocked. Heck, so was I.

"You protected her, right?" I asked.

"...Remember Cherry Top, and her boyfriend, Flaze?" She asked.

I almost, almost lost my shit. Almost. Alex could see what I use to be. And it wasn't pleasant. I was shaking in anger thing to control it. Now I know how hard it was for Redwood. I looked at Blueberry, hurt emotionally.

"You didn't tell me." I said.

"Y-you didn't ask! A-a-and it wasn't a good time to bring it up, s-so--!!"

"And I told you that if anyone messes with you, tell me. I just can't BELIEVE you wouldn't say anything!"

"And you didn't either! And at that point I always hated you!" She said.

Not even a long arguement. A short one. Super short, and yet it still hurts me just hearing it. My rage instantly disappeared from what she said, but it slowly grew back.

"...Fair point. I understand, Blueberry. But remember my promise: if you were hurt, all you had to do, was mail me. I'd come back." I said.

"...Would you?" She asked. She didn't sound sad, nor hurt. She just sounded...she probably felt lied too. Then I pondered; even if she did send me a letter, would I have come back?

"...Yeah. I would have been late, but yeah. Just..." I sighed. My anger disappeared along with my sense of reason. I just didn't want to do anything anymore. I was done. "...where are they?" I asked.

It was quiet. I glared at Vanella.

"Where. Are. They?" I asked. Vanella quickly responded with the sound of a true soldier.

"They should be back by tomorrow. Her fee is tomorrow, Frozenburn." She said.

"Frozenburn? ...Doesn't that name contradict each other?" Alex asked, being a lot more wary around me. Makes sense. Almost flipped my shit.

"Exactly. He's an ice pony. You would think he wouldn't last here, but he somehow adapted. Around the place, that is what we are suppose to call our leader. He is second, next to the pony who is pretty much ruler of the Pyromaniacs." Vanella explained.

"Good. Tomorrow, we are going to meet them. I'll be back in my old self tomorrow, if my armor is still here." I said.

"Why would you leave your armor here?" Redwood asked. I reached over to Blueberry's only cabinet. I swear, this place is almost emptied compared to what she had before I left.

"Because if their's one thing Blueberry can't do..." I picked up my large piece of armor from her bags of clothes, and drop them to the floor. Every single piece of my armor was here. "...its that she can't forget about me." I said.

"Tomorrow, we'll finish the story. I'll be back in my old self by then, we'll have a chat with the lovebirds, me and Alex will have grab the Shishkebab, and be on our way. Understood?" I asked.

"Yes sir!" All three said. I looked at Blueberry and Redwood. "And this time, with a proper goodbye." I said.

They smiled. Probably having me back for a day and giving them a proper goodbye then disappearing. "Now, you three could chat it up, or Alex could finish his side of the story. I'll be in the guest room if you guys need me." I said.

I left the living room and went into the two-bed guest room. Now, it was time to be Winter. The angry, snowstorm of Winter Frost.

Alex

"So what happened next?" asked Blueberry.

"I... Honestly don't remember."

"What? Why not?" asked Vanilla.

"Well, after seeing Winter in that armor, I sorta... ran into a wall. Not my best moment. Next thing I know, I wake up to see the place I was in on fire, and Baws standing there without the armor. Never did actually ask him about it, now that I think about it. But after he saved my life, I took a page out of my sister Pinkie's book and stalked him all over Equestria until he agreed to be my friend. He wasn't happy about it at first, but he eventually came around. You'll have to ask him about it if you want more of the details, my memory is pretty terrible when it comes to things that are neither related to stealing cool shit and life lessons on how not to almost die."

Baws

"Pinkie?" Vanella asked. Alex shrugged.

"Do you really wanna question it at this point?" He asked.

She groaned. Not like she's gonna get anything out of it. "Screw it. I'll see you guys tomorrow." She said.

"W-wait, where are you going?" Redwood asked.

"...To get my old gear. I didn't think he was coming back." She said. She walked out and closed the door.

It was a quiet night afterwards.

I got my gear, and I'm ready to go!

Taking one final look at myself in the mirror. I left the guest bedroom to meet the four already in the kitchen. Vanella was strangely in her old gear. Not sure why, though. When they saw me walk out, their eyes shrunk. They saw me, the old me, that is.

"Heh. Well, would you look at that. How ya feelin'?" Vanella asked.

"Terrible. I forgot how much we sunk into these armor. Geez, its so hot we pretty much use armor as pajamas." I said.

Blueberry giggled, but Redwood rolled his eyes. Alex almost smiled seeing me walk out, and so did Vanella.

"Damn. Looks as scary now as you did back then." Alex said.

"Its a gift." I said.

Blueberry walked over to me, a small frown sitting on her face. "Winter, I know you. You can't control yourself around them. You really don't--"

"Stop it." I interrupted. Her ears flopped when I said that. "Blueberry, I know I hurt you, so this is my way of apologizing. Plus, those fuckturds need a talking anyway."

"But--!"

"No. I promise, Blue, that I will get your stuff back. I promise you that." I said. Suddenly, a knock was heard at the door.

"Hey? Blue? Ya in there? Your fee's due! C'mon out!" it sounded like...

"Flaze." Vanella said. I waved Alex over from the guest room.

"C'mon!" I said. Alex quickly followed, and everyone bid except for Blueberry and Redwood. We slightly opened the doors to see, and just let it play out.

Soon, Blueberry opened the door, and four ponies walked in. One of them was Flaze and Cherry. Flaze was an orange pony, with his flaming silk hair. He carried more gear than anyone, because we wanted to prove he's better. His red eyes struck fear to anyone that glanced at him, and he always had a confident smirk.

Cherry was the opposite of Blueberry; rude, out-going, was a constant nag, and she hated Blueberry. However, seeing as I stuck with Blueberry at the time, she didn't make any moves. She had a bit more gear on her red body, and she used them to the fullest. Her red air was actually straight down, and was unkept, kind of like mine. She didn't care though. Their was also a dark green and pink pony, but they didn't matter.

"So...where is it?" Flaze asked. Blueberry stood firmly in her spot.

"I...don't have it." She said. Yeah...that ruined her confidence.

"Don't have it?"

"U-uh...no?" She said. Cherry growled.

"So, ya don't have the munny?" She said.

Redwood stepped in, a lot braver than he was before. "L-leave her alone! If she doesn't have it, c-come back later." He said.

"D'aww! How cute! You think just because your top dog now, we have to do what you say?" Flaze asked.

Redwood stood firmly, and it became more apparent when Vanella finally walked out.

"Leave her alone, you fucknut." Vanella said.

That threw Cherry off guard, but Flaze was unfazed. "I guess we have to teach you a lesson, huh? Why must you struggle, Blueberry?" He asked.

The two ponies were a lot bigger than expected. They stood in front of the three, and fear struck in all of them.

"Without your precious leader, your a couple of deadweights, the lot of you." He said.

"An' you struggle every time we do this. Just makes it more fun to squeal the money out of you." She said. I gave a nudge to Alex, and he finally walked out, me hiding even further in the room, but not enough to lose the conversation.

"Then we'll have to make it even. Don't you agree?" He asked.

This threw off the both of them. "And who are you?" Flaze asked.

"Alex Rite. And you really fucked up today. You have to face all five of us." Alex said. My time was coming.

"Five? Where?" Cherry asked.

Blueberry was nervous, but she was able to do it.

"Count: One." she said.

"Two." Vanella said.

"Three." Chimed in Redwood.

"Four." Alex growled.

"Five." I finally walked out. Flaze and the other three obviously flipped their shit seeing me. I walked up with my friends, my eyes giving them icy chills.

"U-uh...W-Winter? I-Is that you?" Cherry asked.

"What of it?" I asked. Flaze glared, but never before have I seen fire in his eyes.

"You...you're back?" He asked.

"For a little while. Blue sent me a message saying that you assholes were robbing her valuables. Makes sense, though. Low life garbage taking valuables." I said.

"Low life?!" Cherry was visibly angry.

"Garbage?!" Flaze almost shouted. I gave a nod.

"Yeah, garbage. And you need to be taken out. I'll let my buddy Alex and Vanella take care of you four." I said.

Blueberry looked at me. "No. Let me take Cherry." She said.

Well, that threw me off.

"W-what?" I stuttered.

"She...she was rude to me, and bullied me all my life here. I want to pay her back." She said. I smiled. If a pony is really nice, piss him off, and he can be a cold blooded psycho path.

"Fine. I'll take care of the two big one's in the back." I said.

Vanella stepped in to conversation. "Now hold on. Let me have the pink one. She's been looking at me funny for a while now." She said.

I looked at Redwood. He obviously shook his head. "Seems l-like you guys got this." He said. I look back.

"Ready?" I asked.

"Ready!"

Alex

Without warning, that Flaze dude ran right at me. I was so surprised, he almost hit me, but luckily my fighting instincts kicked in and I turned into a shadow before he hit me. The guy flew over me, and I quickly change forms and, grabbing his tail, used his own momentum to send him into a wall. While he was down, I took a quick glance at Blueberry to see if she needed my help, and was surprised at what I saw before me.

Cherry took a shot at Blueberry, but the mare did a flip over her to evade, then sidekicked Cherry in the face upon landing. Disoriented, Cherry tried to roundhouse her, but Blueberry ducked under her leg and countered with a double uppercut to the jaw that sent her flying back a couple of feet.

This chick is only a level one?! I thought to myself, impressed. I almost forgot that I was in a fight myself.

Then I got punched in the face.

I looked back at Flaze, who was grinning like he had won with that single punch. I just grinned back and rubbed the side of my face with my fist.

Things had just gotten interesting.

Baws

This green pony was fucking gigantic, but looked like an amateur compared to me. He swung in my direction, but a simple duck caused him to tumble. "Really? I seriously thought Flaze would do better." I said.

The green one growled, but was knocked hard into the floor by my hoof. The fight ended right then and there, or so I thought.
A hoof swept under me, and I crash hard into the floor. I looked at him, only to see him back on his feet. Holy shit, already?!

"My name, is Denzure! I do not take kindly to traitors like you!" He said.

It almost sounded like he spoke improper equestrian. I swiftly kick him in the jaw, him stumbling back to the wall. "And I'm your boss. Better quit while you still can." I said.

I looked over, and Vanella was already pissed at this pink chick. This pink chick was slightly taller than her, but she looked like she had basic fighting. Vanella was an expert, but her movements were slow. You think she would win, regardless of her slow movements, right?

Well, I thought so too.

This pink pony had speed on her side. So, in other words, they were going at it. Vanella fell from the impact she had recieved before I looked at her, but she repayed the pink one with a kick to the muzzle.

The pink one took the hit, and started smashing Vanella in the face. It was a couple times before the pink one recieved a hard hoof to the left eye. She stumbled back, a swollen eye forming. No doubt she lost vision in that eye.

I looked back at my opponent, a crack was heard. He rubbed his hoof under his jaw, his anger showing. "You broke jaw. Impressed. But will not stop me from beating you." He said.

I smiled. "I'd like to see you try." I said.

Alex

Flaze jumped at me again, but I morphed into a shadow, causing him to slam headfirst into the wall behind me. Then, climbing up said wall, I returned to my three-dimensional form and let gravity do it's work as I bodyslammed him. You'd think it would have ended there, but Baws wasn't kidding when he said these guys were tough.

Flaze threw me off of himself and quickly pinned me to the ground, one foreleg holding both my arms, and the other raised to give me a few good punches. Now, I could have easily just turned into a shadow and gotten right out of there, but for some reason, I didn't. It was something my instincts were telling me not to do, and when my instincts tell me to do something, I listened to them.

Now, let me explain my instincts. Just like how Pinkie has her "Pinkie-sense" and Maud has her "Maud-sense", I too, had developed a sort of sixth sense for things. This is what my "instincts" were. Any time I wanted something but didn't know how to get it, be it winning a fight, finding a diamond dog and a changeling, or finding out where Baws was hiding his secret cookie stash, my instincts always told me exactly what to do, and they had never failed me. And right now, they were telling me to use a different shadow technique.

I opened my mouth and sent a huge blast of shadow fire in the face of Flaze, who screamed and jumped off of me, batting at the black flames that lingered on his armor. I was glad listening to my instincts had helped me out, but I was curious as to how that it had worked, seeing as how Baws had told me the Pyromaniacs were near immune to fire. And then it hit me.

Shadow fire, despite the deceptive name, is not actually fire, but rather streams of Shadow so cold that they burn. Boy, do I feel like an idiot.

An idiot with the upper hoof, that is.

Baws

I slamed into the wall, the pain increasing as I go on. Denzure walked up to me, blood running down his nose. "Heh, looks like it's over for you, puny pony." He said.

I smiled. "I don't...think you know who your dealing with." I said. I struggled to get up, and with a snap of my neck, I was getting back into the fight. "Rank 34, Codename: Frozenburn. And unfortunately for you..."

I got into my battle stance, adrenaline starting to pump through. "...you caught me in a very bad mood." I said.

Denzure smirked before throwing another swing at me. Easily dodging the attack, I give him a hard jab to the side, then roundhouse to the neck. He started choking, and staggered backwards. I ended him him with an elbow to the face. He finally fell unconscious, and I was happy the fight was over...at least, on my side.

"Geez...I forgot how tough the ponies were." I breathed heavily. I looked over, to see Vanella pulverizing the hell out of the pink pony. It looked like she fell unconcious minutes before I finished Denzure.

"Vanella, quit it. She's sleep." I said.

Vanella glared at me, gave one final punch to the out-cold pony, then walked towards me. "Fucking pony. Almost had me with that stupid kick of her's. Fuck her!" She cussed.

"Yeah...that's my sweet Vanella." I said.

"Fuck you and your sarcasm." She said.

Now Flaze and Cherry were top dogs in their group, and I worry for both Alex and Blueberry. Alex, I believe he can take care of himself. Blueberry, I wish could say the same.

Alex

Now that I knew my shadow fire could deal these punks some damage, I was pouring it on like pegasus jumping on a stormcloud. I bobbed and weaved when he tried to hit me, then blasted his open sides. Soon enough, the guy was weak and panting, and it only took one final punch to the face and the dude was down for the count. I turned to help out blueberry if she needed it, only to jump back when she threw a battered and beaten Cherry on top of Flaze. The blue mare rubbed her hooves together, having barely a single scratch on her.

"You're a level one?!" I exclaimed.

"Only because I choose not to fight." she replied. "I can actually kick some serious flank."

Note to self- never piss off Blueberry.

Baws

"Well holy shit. No wonder they accepted you here; your amazing!!" Vanella said.

Redwood nodded. "She's been training ever since we first met Winter. It was truly amazing." He said.

I looked at the unconcious ponies, rubbing my chin. "Ugh...we're gonn have to do something about this." I said.

"Yeah...let's tie them up!" Alex said. The five of us nodded our heads in unison.

"I'll get my rope!" Blueberry asked.

"And I'll do the talking." Vanella said.

I sighed, almost face hoofing myself. "Please don't abuse them. Their our enemies, yes, but don't give them injuries, alright?" I asked.

Vanella chuckled. "No promises." She said.

Alex

"Okay, so what are we asking them?" questioned Redwood.

"We're going to get them to tell us where Duraflame is, save her, then get that other part of the story Baws was telling," I said, turning to my bro. "Unless you wanna tell us your side now."

Baws

"Oh yeah...right." I really didn't want to continue after I met Alex. Things get worse from there, but I have a sigh. "Alright, so after you ran into the wall in total fear..."

I face hoofed so hard. Poor guy ran into the wall. Though, I had a mission to do, and my mission was more important than him. I was ready to walk away when Blueberry suddenly appeared.

"Winter?" She called out.

I turned to her, not scared in the least. "Yeah?" I replied back.

"What...what is that? What happened to him?" She asked.

"Some dragon-pony mutation. I don't really care though. C'mon, let's get this over wi-"

"You hurt him, didn't you?"

That threw me off guard. I looked back at her with a confused expression. "What? No, I-"

"Winter...please. Please tell me your anger didn't control you." She pleaded.

"No! He ran into me, got scared, and ran into the wall!"

"Then help him!"

"Help him?! Fucker ran into me!"

"Winter!!"

"No! He's not our problem!"

"Winter!"

"SHUT UP!"

I just wanted her to stop. I...I didn't mean to yell at her. I don't know why, I just did. She immediately stopped, and I didn't realize I was breathing hard. My anger was venting, steaming for a fight. I took a calm breath, before continuing.

"...He's not our problem. Leave him." I ordered.

She stood there with complete silence, but a tear dripped down from her face. "I understand." She said.

After that, we walked in silence to our destination, meeting up with Vanella and Redwood. "Y'all ready?" Vanella asked.

"Yeah. Let's do this." I said. We brought our Flamers out, and we started to burn the doors together. The golden doors were now hot and melted together with no escape. After that, we burned very thing around it, making sure this place burns in hell. "Good. Now let's get out of here." I ordered.

We ran for our escape, only for us to pass the unconcious dragon-pony again. I stopped, and the three turned around. "What are you doing?!" Vanella yelled.

I sighed, the better man getting to me. "Go." I ordered. They hesitated, before leaving from sight. From a sigh to a groan, I took off my armor, the fire now spreading around us. "Can't fucking believe I'm doing this." I said.

The dragon-pony slowly awoke, and saw me without my armor. With my strong wings, I lifted him onto my back. "Hold on tight, okay?" I said.

With the fire now engulfing the building, I ran my way to the nearest window, and jumped us through there. We made a hard landing, but lived through it. With the strength of a pissed off pony, I tossed the dragon-pony aside. He stumbled as he coughed harshly from the smoke and fire. He looked at me, catching his breath. "You...you saved--"

"Your life. Yeah, I know, shut up. Jeez." I scratched my neck.

The dragon-pony smiled. "No, seriously, thank you! I really--!"

"I swear to Celestia, shut the fuck up!" I swore like a sailor. I turned my back, getting ready to leave. "Just forget about it, okay?" I asked.

I started to walk away, followed by the now confused dragon-pony, who would soon bother me to no end.

"Yeah, I remember that. Seriously, thanks." Alex said.

"...Shut up." I couldn't help but smile. He gave a small laugh, but now it was my turn. "Seriously, how did you find me? Their was no way you should have found me." I explained.

He smiled. "Well, I just really wanted to be your friend, and my instincts took care of the rest!" He said.