The Friendship Mafia

Chapters

Treacherous Swine
The Way the Cookie Crumbles
The Mobfather
Keep Calm and Robo On
High Heist
The Chase
Father-Son Bonding
Sayonara Cipriani
The Return
Shark Attack
The Commission
Killer Princess
Misled Zeppelin (Choices)
The Bully
Uniting the Family (Choices)

Treacherous Swine

We went over to the junkyard, because that’s where the pig hangs out in. He does his inventions in a mysterious trailer in a junkyard. We went over to the trailer and knocked on the door.

An eyeball camera activated on the trailer, and stared right at us. The voice on the intercom snorted and said, “Yes? Can I help you with something?”

“Dr. Porker Swinebutt.” Blueberry said. “The only true doctor without a PH.D.”

“Blueberry Pie, the most popular mare in school. What brings you here?” Swinebutt asked.

“We have a deal for you.” Blueberry said.

“I’m listening.” Swinebutt said as he snorted.

“To stop your bullying problem. To make you a sensation in our school, and probably all of Equestria.” Blueberry said.

Swinebutt was silent, and after a few moments he deactivated his camera. “Well, don’t say we didn’t try.” I said, as I assumed he wanted us to leave, but I was wrong. He opened the door. He was a short little piglet with a cute labcoat on.

I started laughing. “You think this little piggy is going to be able to help us? He’s a shrimp!”

“Watch your tone, boy.” Swinebutt warned me as he… places his pinky near his lip?

“Threats can’t hurt me. Why don’t you go wee-wee-wee all the way home?” I teased. Swinebutt took out a laser gun and shot me with it, and turned me into a duck.

“Go ahead, say something else! Push your luck!” Swinebutt yelled.

“QUACK! Ok, ok! I get it! I was acting dissff-picable. I’m sorry.” I said in a Daffy Duck accent. Swinebutt shot me with the laser gun again, and I turned back to my regular pony self.

“Come in.” Swinebutt offered. Blueberry and I followed the pig inside his trailer, and I gotta say, it was like Doctor Who in here.

“Wow, this place is bigger on the inside!” I said shockingly.

“Yeah, pretty uber isn’t it? I just found it here, lying around in the junkyard. Don’t know where it came from.” Swinebutt said. We both followed him to a room with a bunch of blueprints, maps, and prototypes. “Come, sit down.” He said, and as I was just about to sit down, I just flipped the first switch I saw, and I got electrocuted. “And don’t touch anything.” He added. As my body was burning to a crisp, I sat down next to Blueberry and across from Swinebutt on a table.

“So you wish to help me out with my bullying problem, huh?” Swinebutt snorted and asked.

“Of course!” Blueberry said.

“Well, I was already working on an invention to help me out with that, but I suppose I can do with the time. What’s the catch though?” Swinebutt asked.

“The catch is we just need you to befriend a certain colt at our school, have him earn your trust, then at the last second, stab him in the back!” Blueberry explained.

“Seems a little harsh, don’t you think?” Swinebutt asked.

“See? That’s what I said!” I complained at Blueberry.

“Shut up!” Blueberry mumbled at me.

“Look, I don’t have time for arguments. Just tell me what you want.” Swinebutt demanded.

“There’s this red unicorn, goes by the name of Crimson Flare Gun. His family and the Leafhorns have some history.” Blueberry said.

“Oh right, that story. The Leafhorns and the Guns. I know that story, and frankly, I wouldn’t help you out normally.” Swinebutt said.

“Oh.” I said.

“But this is history right here. Your history might be useful for my research. I never befriended a pony and stabbed them in the back before.” Swinebutt said.

“Exactly! Do this, and you can get all the friends you want! You’d be the most powerful pig in Equestria!” Blueberry said.

“Sounds perfect! Good to have a reputation before I start up my future company: Swinebutt Industries.” Swinebutt said. “Okay, Blueberry Pie, you got a deal! I’ll help you in your little prank. What’s your name?” Swinebutt looked at me and asked.

“Herb Leafhorn, Jr.” I said.

“Ah, right. You’re the son of the principle. That should make things a little easier. He’s a harsh principle. It’s a good thing I chose the right side!” Swinebutt said.

“Right! So we get started when the next school year starts?” I asked.

“With pleasure! I’ll have to get things all planned out though. Maybe we should lure him to me. On the first day of school, pick on me. Any fool whose despite for a friend would defend me. Perhaps that’ll be perfect.” Swinebutt suggested.

“Sounds like a clever idea!” I said.

“Right. Now don’t screw this up, Herb. This may be your best chance of getting what you want.” Blueberry reminded me.

“Thank you for your help, Blueberry.” I said.

“Hey, I’m into evil ponies. I like your style Herb Leafhorn. I always thought your family was the superior one.” Blueberry said as she rubs her hoof against my neck and looking at me seductively.

“I have a marefriend.” I informed her.

“I like stallions that are already taken!” Blueberry said. “So evil of them to betray their own special somepony! I like it!” Ok, this mare was starting to freak me out.

So after the meeting with Swinebutt, I went on home to rest, but when I opened the door, my brother Autumn was standing in my way.

“Get out of the way, bro!” I yelled.

Autumn smiled mischievously and said, “My brother, you’ve been away for a while. I hope what you’re doing is what supports the family.”

“It is. Now, I’m in no mood to talk right now, so if you excuse me.” I attempted to move around him, but he kept blocking my path, giving me the evil grin.

“It would be shame if you were doin’ something that involved gettin’ help. That ain’t the case, is it?” Autumn asked.

“No, and what I do on my free time is none of your business, Autumn! Now move it!” I yelled as I shoved him out of the way and went into my room.

“We’re watchin’ you, Herb! Be careful of what you do. You’ll certainly regret it.” Autumn warned me. I get really annoyed by Autumn a lot, but I believe he picks on me because dad always paid more attention to me than him.

School started finally, and it was time to take our plan into action. The guys and I met up with Swinebutt in the hallway. “Alright, good to see you.” Swinebutt said.

“Yep! Let’s do this.” I said.

“Y’sure you’re alright with this, man?” Angel asked.

“As long as my dad and Autumn aren’t watchin’, we’ll do just fine.” I said.

“What’s going on with, Autumn?” Annabelle asked.

“My brother is a rat. He’d try to tattle on me so dad would give him more attention, instead of me.” I said.

Swinebutt snorted and said, “Boys, pardon the interruption, but we have a job to do. Flare would be here any minute now so let’s get this done.”

“Right.” I said. So the three of us started picking on Swinebutt. We saw Flare walking in the hallway, and he spotted us.

“Swinebutt! Swinebutt! Swinebutt!” we all teased.

“I swear I will use all my mighty intellect to end you here and now!” Swinebutt yelled.

“Mighty intellect, huh, man? You may be smart, man, but you’re ugly and short, man, and you’re not even a pony nevertheless, man!” Angel said.

"It’s because I’m a pig right? Just because I’m a pig, that automatically means I’m presumed ugly?” Swinebutt asked.

"It’s a scientific fact, you piece of bacon!” Annabelle said to him.

“Ok THAT was low! Us pigs hate to be called that!” Swinebutt yelled at him.

“Oh yeah? Whatcha gonna do about it… porkchop?” I asked.

“You’re askin’ it for it now, buddy!” Swinebutt yelled at me as he places his pinky near his mouth again.

“You’re weak, man, and there’s only one of you, man, there’s nothing you can do against us, man.” Angel said.

“What’s a pig like you against three ponies like us?” Annabelle asked.

“Probably nothing,” Flare said as he joined in, “but what’s a pig and a pony against three lowlives?”

“Oh look who it is! Crimson Flare Gun! The brave pony that fought against Herb Leafhorn, Jr.” I greeted him. “How was your summer, buddy?”

“I’m not your buddy, guy.” he said to me.

“I’m not your guy, friend.” I said.

“I’m not your friend, buddy.” He said.

“I’m not your buddy, guy.” I said.

“Anyways, you had your chance to be buddies with me, brah, but that ship has sailed. You can pick on me, but pick on defenseless pigs and you’re really getting me aggravated!” Flare yelled at us. “No offense, umm…”

“Swinebutt. Porker Swinebutt.” Swinebutt said.

“Really? That’s your name?” he asked.

“Are you gonna tease me too?” Swinebutt asked as he snorted.

“No way, brah! You and me need to stick together.” Flare said. Looks like everything is coming to place!

“Aww how sweet!” I said in a cute tone of voice.

“Why don’t you two get married or something?” Annabelle teased as the three of them laughed.

“Really? You’re joking about sexism now? You three should be ashamed of yourselves.” Flare said.

“Well looks like somepony’s asking for a flagpole wedgie!” I threatened him.

“First off: no underwear. Second: I learned a ton of magic over the summer, so if you don’t want your hoof chopped off and me saying I’m your father, hint hint: hornsaber, I suggest you run off and don’t trouble us again!” he advised them. Annabelle and Angel got angry and started marching over to me so they could attack but I lifted my hooves out and stopped them.

“Ok, Crimson I hear you. We’ll leave you two lovebirds alone.” I insisted.

“Good.” Flare said. “Us lovebirds would love to be left alone.

“Really, dude?” Swinebutt asked in an annoyed tone.

“I’m just trolling them, brah.” he whispered to him.

“I hope you two become close because you both are gonna need it.” I warned him.

“Yeah, man, just watch your backs if you know what’s good for you, man, because you’re messing with the wrong man, man.” Angel said.

“Oooo I’m so scared.” he said sarcastically.

“You’re gonna be, Crimson. You’re gonna be.” I said as my friends and I all walked away. The three of us all chuckled mischievously as we walked away, because we knew Flare has fallen into our little trap!

So our job was a success. Now….. we wait. Over the years, I had to do a few pranks on both Flare and Swinebutt, but this was the only way to make sure dad didn’t think of me suspicious. I really humiliated Flare especially over the years, and so did Blueberry. My dad was quite impressed, and my brother felt even more suspicious than usual. 11 years went by, and Flare wasn’t seen that much after high school. I would’ve thought I’d scare him out of town already, but it wasn’t the case, we find out later. It started when we were talking with Swinebutt at his hideout.

“Ugh! My eye is killing me!” Swinebutt complained as he rubbed his eye.

“What’s wrong, holms?” Annabelle asked.

“I did an experiment last night, and my eye is starting to hurt!” Swinebutt said.

“Lemme see.” Annabelle said, observing Swinebutt’s eye. “Yeah, it does look like something. I can’t really explain it right now though. My mami’s a doctor, she can help. Best thing you can do is just leave it alone.” But to our surprise, Flare was standing right in front of us in shock.

“Porky?” Flare got our attention from the entrance of the junkyard.

“Oh, Flare! Uhh… hi.” Swinebutt said nervously.

“What’s going on here?” Flare asked. “Is Herb picking on you again?”

“Well…. Uhhh….” Swinebutt didn’t know what to say. He didn’t think it was time to betray Flare yet.

“Don’t worry, Swinebutt. It’s time we told him anyway.” I said to him.

“Tell me what? Porky, why am I so forty-five degree angle mouth face right now? What is Herb talking about? Is it about on Halo: Reach? Please tell me it’s information on Halo: Reach. I so want to play that game when it comes out!” Flare panicked.

“Well…. Flare…. I…. I can explain.” Swinebutt stuttered. “Ummm…. Actually…. I really can’t.”

"He never wanted to hang out with you in the first place, Crimson. He was our friend first. We figured if you were friends with our friend Swinebutt here, you'd tell him your secrets, so we can ruin you with them, but the main purpose is to make you lose confidence in yourself." I explained. “No one wanted to be friends with you in the first place, Crimson. You just have to face the fact.”

“THAT’S A LIE! A BIG FAT LIE! A BIG FAT GREEK LIE!” Flare yelled.

“It’s no lie. Tell him Swinebutt.” I said to him.

“Porky… is it…. Is it true?” Flare asked. Swinebutt looked down at the ground, but he had an extremely evil look on his eye. “Yes, yes it is!”
“But why?” Flare asked.

“To be honest, Crimson, you annoyed me half the time, and this was a way to get popular. I was being picked on too, more then you were, but when you came, you saved me from that suffering. You were very loyal, but yet so very foolish.” Swinebutt explained as he places his pinky near his mouth.

"You USED ME?!” Flare yelled.

“For my own purpose, Crimson.” Swinebutt said. “I had a choice. Either help out the Leafhorn family, or gain a life of misery.”

"So... you.... you used me! You betrayed me!" Flare cried.

“I didn’t have much of a choice.” Swinebutt said. “You Guns shouldn’ve taken this land from the Leafhorn family! What would’ve you done!”

“I’d choose a life of misery over double-crossing my friend ANY DAY!” Flare admitted.

“Well then you’re foolish, Crimson. A little foolish fool.” Swinebutt said. “Yeah that’s right, I called you little! Oh, and by the way, I spilled that lemonade on the floor on that Wizard of Oz play, not Herb!” Swinebutt began to laugh and snort
“So I did.” Swinebutt said, then we all laughed, but I couldn’t tell if I meant it or not. I felt a little scared too, because I was looking at Flare, and his coat color turned darker, and he had a very angry look on his face. I really didn’t know what I was supposed to do. From what I heard from my dad, he said when a unicorn is REALLY angry, and he learned several new magic spells, they could cause a chain-reaction, causing the unicorn to not control his or her magic, and can cause either certain destruction or injuries.

“Uh oh. Maybe we went a little too far.” I informed the others. Flare’s horn and eyes were glowing big time. I could see the disharmony flowing around him.

“Oh man, man!” Angel cried.

“YOU WILL PAY FOR THIS, SWINEBUTT!” Flare yelled at him. “I TRUSTED YOU! I DID EVERYTHING FOR YOU! AND THIS IS HOW YOU REPAY ME?! I TOOK BLAMES FOR YOU! I KNEW YOU WERE THE ONE THAT DID THAT ACCIDENT ON THE FLOOR AT THAT PLAY, AND I JUST OOK THE BLAME, BECAUSE THAT’S WHAT FRIENDS DO! BUT NOW THAT YOU BETRAYED ME, YOU RUINED ME, NOW I’M GONNA RUIN YOU!” Flare bursted to Swinebutt’s trailer and destroyed everything inside. Not even Swinebutt’s security system can stop him. He was able to hack the system and use it against us. I had the feeling we were going too far. I should’ve listened to my instincts.

“You…. You destroyed my years of research!” Swinebutt yelled at Flare.

“WELL YOU BETRAYED ME! YOU DESERVED IT, BUDDY!” Flare yelled at him.

“I’M NOT YOUR BUDDY, FRIEND!” Swinebutt yelled at him.

“I’M NOT YOUR FRIEND, GUY!” Flare yelled back.

“I’M NOT YOUR GUY, BUDDY!” Flare yelled.

“WELL I GUESS THIS MEANS WAR!” Swinebutt yelled. “I SWEAR, WITH CELESTIA AS MY WITNESS, I WILL NOT STOP UNTIL YOUR LIFE STAYS RUIN! YOU CAN’T RUN FROM IT! I’LL NEVER MAKE YOU REDEEM YOURSELF! IF YOU DO, I’LL TAKE IT AWAY FROM YOU! YOU JUST WAIT! I LOATHE YOU, CRIMSON FLARE GUN!” Although, something Flare might’ve done started happening. Swinebutt was struck by lightning by a mysterious storm that appeared out of nowhere. I guess Faust was really mad at him. Purple smoke spreaded around Swinebutt’s body; it started to get into my nose too, but I swiped it away and backed off. Flare was running away from the scene, and I thought I had to say one more thing before he leaves.

“YEAH RUN! Why don’t you make like a tree, and get outta here?!” I yelled.

"Will you not say it like that, man? It makes you sound stupid." Angel suggested. “Man.”

“Holy shoot! We gotta get Swinebutt to the hospital.” Annabelle suggested. “I think a scar is starting to appear on his face.” And there was. Swinebutt had some sort of ‘S’ scar on his left eye. He opened his eyes right there and then, and… somehow I thought this wasn’t Swinebutt. I mean, yeah, it’s him. His physical shape and voice, but… he’s somehow… different. After he got struck by lightning, the strange scar appeared, and I felt that his personality has been altered with. I couldn’t stay.

“You guys go. I gotta….. I gotta go.” I said as I ran off. I started to get this strange feeling in my head. I was probably wrong to do this. I needed to go home and think this through, but before I got home, I got a text message from Cherry Pop, telling me to meet her at the club house. Normally, I wouldn’t be in the mood, but this is my marefriend we’re talking about. I went over to the club house and saw her glaring at me. “Uhh, hey babe!” I said.

“Don’t you ‘hey babe’ me, I saw what you did!” Cherry said to me angrily.

“I know what you’re thinking, and…. I was thinking it was wrong too. I think this family matter has gotten way over my head. I can’t do this anymore, Cherry.” I said.

“Well, you know what? I don’t believe you.” Cherry said.

“What do you mean you don’t believe me?” I asked.

“Your whole life is a lie!” Cherry said as she shoved a book onto the table. “Turn to page 238.” I did so, and I started to take a look at it.

“I don’t get it.” I said.

“What do you mean you don’t get it?!” Cherry yelled.

“I mean, you know well I can’t read!” I complained.

“Here, I’ll read it to you.” Cherry said, clearing her throat. “Hundreds of years ago, June 9th. The Leafhorns demanded the Guns to leave their territory, but the Guns begged for mercy and just wanted to find new land after the Disharmony Wars. The Guns tried anything they can do to share the land. They tried to pay them with everything they got, even Colonel Machine Gun’s pocket watch that belonged to his grand-grandfather, but the Leafhorns took the stuff and still refused to share their land, so the Leafhorns decided to declare war on the Guns. The Guns tried to reason with Weed Leafhorn the Great, but they wouldn’t listen. They tore down the walls and destroyed buildings in the Gun’s settlement.”
“The Guns were able to hold them back, and they were able to flee, all except Weed Leafhorn the Great. Weed couldn’t let the Guns take his land, so he wanted to end them all. Colonel Gun killed Weed Leafhorn in self-defense, and though it was thought victory to the Guns, it turned out the Jams owned the land, since they were the first there, and because of them, the feud was over.” Cherry explained.

I couldn’t believe it. She was right, my life is a lie. My own pop lied about our history. After all this, I thought the Guns were the evil ones, but they tried to reason with us. My family is the corrupted ones, not the Guns. I felt so guilty. Flare didn’t deserve this. He didn’t deserve ANY of my bullying. He didn’t deserve to be betrayed by Swinebutt and Blueberry Pie. He deserved way better than the way I’ve been treating him. He was right to be angry. “I… I didn’t know. My own pop…. He lied to me.”

“I can’t be with you anymore, Herb. Your family name is only just to ruin the lives of another family that just wanted to be friends with your family. That’s all your family wants is hate, and war, and disharmony. Goodbye, Herb Leafhorn.” Cherry said as she walked up and left the club house. I didn’t say a thing, I just let her leave. I didn’t deserve her. I couldn’t believe a thing. My mind is spinning. I spend hours at the club house by myself thinking of what to do next, and I knew exactly what to do. I’m going to go home, pack my things, and move out. I can’t be with a family that made me corrupted.

I walked on home, and snuck inside. As I was tip-hooving to my room, the lights went on and my dad was sitting right there, glaring at me. “You have the nerve showin’ your face around here, Herb.”

“Dad, you don’t have to worry about me anymore. I’m packin’ my things, and I’m leavin’.” I said.

“That’s not goin’ to happen.” Dad said angrily, as he started walking towards me.

“I-I don’t understand.” I said, walking backwards away from him.

He grabbed my jacket and pushed me against the wall. “I asked you to do one thing! ONE THING, and you disobeyed me for the last time!”

“And you said you’re goin’ to disown me, I know. I’m leavin’, and I ain’t comin’ back.” I said.

“Oh I’m not just goin’ to disown you. I’m goin’ to ruin your life!” dad yelled.

“My life is already ruined.” I corrected him.

“Not like that. I’m goin’ to lock you in your room, and leave you in there to starve. I’ll invite some of the boys over to have a little fun.” My dad said mischievously. “I hope mom remembered to give you insurance, because you’re goin’ to have the beating of your-“ but before he could finish, my mom knocks him out with a frying pan.

“Herb, you ok, sweetie?” mom asked as she gave me a hug.

“No, I’m not ok. I feel like garbage.” I said, hugging her back.

“We both do, dear. We both do.” She said.

“What do we do, mom?” I asked.

“Pack your things. I’ll make sure your father here doesn’t wake up, and I want you to run away. Run as far away from here as you can. There’s an apartment complex on the north side of town you can take shelter at, and you can get money by working at Galactic Studios theme park.” My mom instructed.

“But, mom? What are you goin’ to do?” I asked.

“First, I’m going to divorce your father, and I’m going to find someplace to go too.” She said.

“But can’t we stay together?” I asked.

“We can’t be together. Your father’s got contact, and if he chases us down, he’ll be able to get only one of us.” My mom said. “Son, there’s something you need to know. Your father is the don of a mafia. A disharmony mafia: The Sharks.”

“Wait… he’s the don of the Sharks?!” I asked surprisingly.

“Yes, and you have to get out of here. Change your name, change your appearance, and don’t look back.” Mom instructed me.

“Will…. Will I ever see you again?” I asked, getting all teary eyed.

“Of course you will. Now hurry, your father will be waking up any minute! Pack up your things!” my mom demanded. I packed everything I needed, said goodbye to my mom, and ran away as fast as I could. I had no idea where Autumn is though, but one thing’s for sure, he’s going to be taking dad’s side. I called Angel and Annabelle and asked them to meet me at the safehouse on the other side of town.

When I got over to my safehouse, it looked like a dump. There was a mattress on the floor, the kitchen had cockroaches, and the radio was playing heavy metal, the filthiest type of music out there. I felt relieved that the TV worked, but it was a small TV with an antenna. After a little while, Annabelle and Angel showed up. “Well, amigo, this ain’t the best place in the world, but I guess it’s better than home.” Annabelle said.

“You guys weren’t followed, were ya?” I asked.

“No, but Swinebutt’s going haywire. That scar on his face can’t be removed, but once he came to his senses, he started making blueprints.” Annabelle explained.

“Man, this is bogus, man! What happened here? Everything was supposed to be peachy, now everything’s turning into complete trash, man!” Angel complained.

“My whole life was a lie.” I said. “I ruined Flare’s life, but for what reason?”

“Herb, don’t be like that, holms. We can try to make things right. You’re your own stallion now. You’re free!” Annabelle said.

“Not completely free. My dad’s out there lookin’ for me. Since he’s the leader of the most powerful gang in the city, it ain’t goin’ be easy dodgin’ him.” I said.

“Well you have to do what you can, man. Make yourself a decent living. Wait for the heat to die down.” Angel suggested.

“It’s not goin’ to be easy though. I have to change my appearance. Tomorrow, I won’t be Herb Leafhorn, Jr. I’ll be….well, I haven’t figured out the name yet, but for sure, anythin’ beats bein’ a Leafhorn.” I said. So I settled down for a while. I changed my surname to Lore, Herb Lore, and I worked over at Galactic Studios on the Jaws ride. My dad hasn’t spotted me ever since, and I rarely talk to my mom. I haven’t seen my dad, nor my brother for a while though. I hope there’ll be a way to bring harmony into this city soon.

Author's Note

The second part of the prologue. This shows how Swinebutt met Herb and how the plan was made. This chapter's also connected to the first part of the Flare's Backstory chapter. This chapter also shows how his father went against him.

The Way the Cookie Crumbles

It’s been 3 years since I ran away from home. I got good money from working at Galactic Studios, and invested it to make my safehouse look nicer. I no longer have just a mattress on the floor, I have a bed. I got rid of the cockroaches, bought a better TV, bought a new phone, re-modeled the kitchen, replaced the tears on the walls, everything. I still haven’t seen my dad or Autumn in a while, and I still talk to my mom. I got some new friends from working at Galactic Studios too to join our group: A Pegasus gray pony named Clay Cement, and an orange earth pony named Turnip Orch. Us, along with Angel and Annabelle were all hanging in my apartment. Angel was on the phone with his aunt.

“Yeah, I’ve been a good boy, you know me auntie! Yes I’ll get the music video done. I’ll send you some copies.” Angel said. “No, I don’t care about Lyra, listen, I gotta go. I love you too. Bye.” Angel hangs up.

“Miss your auntie, Angel?” Turnip teased.

“Shut up, Turnip.” Angel demanded.

“I gotta say, holms. Life has been going around better for you now. Look at the fantastic new life you got!” Annabelle said.

“I’ve had this new life for 3 years, Annabelle. It’s about time to call it old.” I teased.

“So how ‘bout we quit all this talking and play our game already?” Clay complained.

“For Luna’s sake, Clay, we’re playing, we’re playing!” Annabelle said as he put down his cards. “Four fours. Nothing to brag about.”

“Three sixes. Meh.” Turnip said as he laid down his cards.

“Is a full house of ones good?” Angel asked.

“I dunno. Hey, Herb? You ok, dude? You seem a little down.” Turnip asked.

“Now that you mention it, I’m not really feelin’ like myself lately.” I said.

“It’s about Flare, isn’t it? Forget about it, man. What’s done is done.” Angel said.

“Yes, but…. I dunno. My conscious has been actin’ up lately.” I said.

“Well that little cricket out of your head, and come back to the real world, man.” Clay teased.

“As much as I want to, I can’t.” I said. “I feel like these visions have been hauntin’ me for quite some time. My pop has been invadin’ my head too. I feel like I need to put a stop to this.”

“Herb, if you’re worried so much about something that happened in the past. Just go to his place and apologize.” Annabelle suggested.

“I don’t think he’ll accept it. What I did is unforgiveable.” I said.

“You’ll never know unless you try, man. Show ‘em who’s the good guy here.” Angel said.

“Yeah, bro, even if he doesn’t accept your apology, at least your conscious might be cleared. You can’t always get what you want, dude, but just do what you can, alright?” Turnip explained.

I nodded. “Alright. I got butterflies right now, but…. If I have something to say, I might as well just say it. Might need some help though.” All my friends just smirked at me, and before I knew it, I was getting dragged or carried all the way to the Gun’s place all the way in Hoofington Beach. When we got there, they placed me in front of the door. “Now, when I said I needed help, I didn’t mean carry me or drag me all the way over here.”

“It’s only necessary precautions, my brother.” Clay said.

“Yeah, so….. good luck!” Turnip said as they all ran off, but before they ran off, Annabelle rang the doorbell, and left me alone right in front of their apartment. After a few moments, Flare’s mom Bow Gun answered the door.

“Yes, can I help you, dear?” Bow asked.

“Yeah, hi, I’m lookin’ for Flare.” I said.

“Who you supposed to be?” Bow asked.

“Herb Leafhorn, I need to talk to your son. It’s very important.” I stated.

“Oh, you must be one of Flare’s old bullies. Well you really have some nerve showing your face around here, young colt.” Bow said angrily.

“Look, I really need to talk to your son. This has been a huge misunderstandin’. Please, Mrs. Gun, I can’t take this much more! I need to speak with him!” I begged.

“Yeaaaaaaaaaah- no.” Bow shook her head.

“Why not?” I asked.

“Look, you can’t see him. I wouldn’t even let you see him if he was here either.” Bow said.

“Look, please, I really- wait, if he’s not here where is he?” I asked.

“He moved out. He wants a life better than this, so he moved to Ponyville.” Bow said.

“A better life?” I asked.

“It was you bullied that made him leave in the first place! Now he wants to live on his dream of making trusted friends, build his career, and go to place where ponies accept him for who he is. Unlike this place. Why has this city gone so wrong? What’s with all the hate?” Bow asked.

“Ugh!” I groaned. “Look, Mrs. Gun, can I have some contact information? It’s in the upmost importantance that I talk to him.”

“Yyyeah, I’ll think about it. Gimmie a second.” Bow said as she slammed the door in my face. I waited there for a few minutes, but then I realized she was only being sarcastic and is not coming back, so I just walked away.

“I didn’t expect Flare to forgive me even if he was there, and now he left town.” I said to myself. “I think it’s best that he left town. His mom was right, what happened here? I have to make stuff right. I gotta bring harmony into this town, but how?” Just then, I saw a weird looking black carriage in the parking lot. I saw the ponies in that carriage were staring at me. They looked like goons, probably one of my dad’s goons. So I ran away. I ran inside a night club and hid in there for a while, and once I got out, they were gone.

I went over to the other side of town to chat with my friends in an Applebees I love to go to, and I told them everything that happened while I attempted to go apologize to Flare.

“So, little Crimson decided to pack up and hit the road, huh?” Annabelle asked.

“Well, don’t say you didn’t try, Herb.” Turnip said.

“I can’t believe this! I did everything I could, I really wanted to make things right! I can’t do that now. Flare’s moved away and it’s all my fault.” I blamed myself.

“It wasn’t just you, man. What about that pig?” Angel asked.

“Who? Swinebutt?” I asked.

“Uh, yeah, what other pigs live around here, man?” Angel asked.

“You think I should ask for his help? I can’t bear to look at Swinebutt in the face. It’ll remind me too much of my mistake.” I said.

“Well, is there anything else we can do to help, brother?” Clay asked.

“Howdy, welcome to Applebees. My name is Applebees, can ah start with y’all with somethin’ to drink?” our waitress asked.

“I’ll take an iced tea.” I said.

“Same here.” Annabelle said.

“Water with lemon, man.” Angel said.

“Gimmie a Parasprite.” Turnip said.

“I’ll have two iced teas, an iced tea with lime, a water with lemon, a Parasprite, two apple ciders, one with grape, and a large gallon of Powerade.” Clay ordered.

“Man, if you drink too much, Clay. You’re going to be sitting on the toilet all night.” Angel teased.

“Comin’ right up!” Applebees said as she walked off to get our drinks.

“So as I was saying, if there was anything we can help you with, my brother, feel free to ask away.” Clay said.

“Well, thanks dudes, but I think this is my own personal matter. I need to be the one to fix this.” I said.

“We’re in this together, amigo! Do it yourself, you won’t stand a chance.” Annabelle said.

“I know, but you wouldn’t understand. Your family doesn’t have history with another family like I do.” I said.

“And how are you supposed to know that?” Turnip asked. “I mean the odds of you knowing are 5,965,497 to 1.”

“It’s just common sense, you never talk about it.” I said.

“So? You don’t us bragging about of what our family past has. The Orch family has some family history with a family called the Pies I think.” Turnip said. “Our family use to have the greatest turnip farm in Equestria, but then the Pie’s Rock Farm started getting a bigger profit than us, but you know what we did? We just forgot about the whole thing. We now sell the best pagers in the whole kingdom.”

“And what happened to the turnip farm?” Annabelle asked.

“Well…. sold it so my dad can buy that pager shop.” Turnip said.

“But…. nopony uses pagers anymore. We use cell phones now, man.” Clay corrected him.

“Oh….. dang!” Turnip yelled, slamming on the table. “No wonder we barely have any customers anymore!”

“Why not trade in your pagers for cell phones? Maybe you should open A T-Mobile.” Annabelle suggested.

“Man, T-Mobile’s for losers! Metro PCS is where it’s at.” Angel said.

“You’re all wrong, it’s AT&T that’s the best phone company.” Clay said.

“Just because it bought out Singular and Bellsouth, doesn’t make it better. Get Comcast.” I suggested.

“Does Comcast sell phones? I think they’re just cable and internet connection.” Clay said.

“When you said ‘sell phones’, do you mean ‘cell phones’ with the C, or ‘sell phones’ with the S? I got a little confused there.” Turnip asked.

“If I said ‘cell phones’ with the C, I would’ve said ‘sell cell phones’ with the S and the C.” Clay said.

“Yo, Herb? What are you looking at, man?” Angel asked. I saw a strange looking black carriage outside that looked like the same exact carriage as the one I saw when I got out of Flare’s apartment projects. “Yo, Herb!?” Angel yelled.

“What? What?” I asked.

“Are you a’right, man?” he asked.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine. It’s just….” I stopped talking and stared right at the carriage again.

“It’s just what?” Turnip asked. I didn’t respond so he repeated himself. “It’s just what?!”

“Huh?! Oh, nothing, nothing. I feel like getting those mozzarella sticks appetizer, don’t you?” I asked. My friends looked at eachother, concerned of what’s been going out with me. Just then, Angel’s phone started ringing.

“Oh, hey, it’s my cousin!” Angel said excitedly as he answered the phone. “Yo, Lyra! What up? Huh? Really? Well… ok then if you say so. I’m doing fine, thanks! Bye.” He hangs up.

“What did she want?” Turnip asked.

“She just told me she hated Cheesecake Factory and it was the worst place ever and nopony would want to go.” Angel said. “Man, that mare’s trippin’! She even sounded a bit different!”

After we had our dinner, I decided to go out and look for Swinebutt. I went over to the junkyard to see him, but his trailer was gone. I guess I should’ve known that he wouldn’t be there anymore. The only other place I’d think he would be is the Magic World theme park. I know his family invested in that place. That’s probably where he’s held up right now.

I went over to the park and walked over to the ticket booth to ask where Swinebutt is. “You’re looking for Swinebutt, huh? Well here’s in the park.” The ticket dude said.

“Ah, good! Can I go see him?” I asked.

“Sure, 30 bits.” The ticket pony said.

“I’m sorry, what?” I asked.

“30 bits.” He repeated.

“I’m not here to go on any rides, I just wanna see Porker Swinebutt.” I repeated.

“Well, sorr-ry, but I don’t make the rules, I just follow them. Nopony that doesn’t work here walks inside the park without buying a ticket.” He said.

“Then I’d like a job.” I said. Before I knew it, I was a merchant selling balloons near Future Land.

I saw one of my co-workers from Galactic Studios in the park, he walked up to me and asked in a non-caring tone, “Yo, Herb Lore? Decided to betray Galactic Studios for this dump?”

“I’m here for undercover business, Lou.” I said.

“Yeah, sure, that’s what they all say.” Lou said sarcastically. “What made you move here? Payment better?”

“Just get outta here, man!” I requested.

“No, I won’t get outta here.” He said.

“Why not?” I asked.

“I wanna buy a balloon.” He said.

I groaned. “Ok, 4 bits.” I said.

He paid up and said, “Working here might be a breeze for you, but visiting here is a nightmare.”

I gave him a balloon and responded, “Yeah, well, sometimes ya gotta make a livin’, even if it means raisin’ the prices.”

“Hey, Herb? Aren’t you forgetting something?” Lou asked.

“Oh, you’re right! What am I doin’? I have to see Swinebutt. Later!” I said as I ran off to go look for him.

“I meant, where’s my change?” Lou complained. “I paid you a 5-bit coin, and I expect 1 bit back.”

So I asked around to see where Swinebutt is, but nopony knew. I was too afraid to ask one of his robots guarding the park where he is, I had the strange feeling they were watchin’ me. As I was lookin’ around, I saw a few ponies up ahead wearing tuxedos and sunglasses looking straight at me. I had the feeling those were the ponies in the suspicious black carriage I saw earlier. I kinda know because I saw the carriage parked outside before I came in. Those ponies trotted closer and closer to me, and I started to back away slowly, but just then, the two ponies took out some guns and aimed them right at my direction. I was about to run, but one of Swinebutt’s robots guarding the park picked me up and took me with it.

“HEY, HEY!” I yelled. “Did I do somethin’ wrong? If you’re takin’ me somewhere, I can go myself, I don’t need to be carried!” The robot didn’t listen, and instead, it took me to the back lot, and into one of the buildings back there. We went down an elevator to the underground area, and the robot threw me into Swinebutt’s lab.

“Well, well, well! What do we have here?” Swinebutt said mischievously, looking down at me, and I tried to get back up. “Herb Leafhorn, Jr. What brings you here?” he asked and snorted.

“I came to see you." I said. “Hey what’s with the mechanical horn?”

“I installed it shortly after I got this scar.” Swinebutt said. “It works just like a normal unicorn horn! Wanna see it at work?”

"No thanks; there’s somethin’ I wanna talk to you about.” I said.

“Of course, my dear boy, of course! You’re always welcome here. You’re the one that helped me gain my reputation around here. I owe you debt of gratitude.” Swinebutt said happily.

“Well that’s awesome to hear. I need to talk to you about Flare.” I said.

“Yeah I know, he moved to away. Well, wherever he’s going, I’m sure it won’t be any different than here.” Swinebutt said as he took a sip of some hot cocoa.

“Well, I kinda feel bad about what we did to him. We ruined his life.” I said.

Swinebutt spat out his cocoa in shock. He then started laughing. “Are you saying what we did is wrong?”

“Uhh, yes actually.” I said.

Swinebutt continued to laugh. “You crack me up, Leafhorn! Crimson’s not a good pony. You know what his family did to you, and we saw him destroy my old lab.”

“I know he destroyed your lab, but I think it was just an accident.” I said.

“An accident?” Swinebutt asked. “Herb, there are no accidents in science. There’s only success and failure. What Crimson did was a complete failure.”

“We made him angry, and not just that, it wasn’t the Gun’s fault. It was Weed Leafhorn the Great that started the battle between the two families. Surely, you could understand that.” I explained.

“Leafhorn, I could care less about your family traditions.” Swinebutt said and snorted. “All I care about is making Swinebutt Industries the best it could be. The company will be a huge success. My supply of inventions will be a grand sensation to all of Equestria. The only reason I helped you with your problem with the Guns is to make sure I can make that reputation I need.” Swinebutt took a sip of his hot cocoa.

“Well, I’m glad I could help you, but I hope Flare has that better life he deserves in Ponyville “ I said.

Swinebutt spat out his coffee and yelled. “WHAT?! He’s in Ponyville!? No, no, that’s not good. That’s not good at all.”

“Why?” I asked.

Swinebutt calmed down quickly, took a deep breath and smiled. “Oh nothing, Leafhorn. Say, can you do me one last favor?”

“No. I have the reason you’re goin’ to cause more harm to Flare.” I said.

“No, no, I won’t, I promise. I just need you to get something for me.” Swinebutt said.

“Ok, but no funny business, Porker.” I warned him.

“No funny business, my dear boy. I just need you to run over to the Hardware Store, and go pick up a few things for me.” Swinebutt requested.

“What would you like me to pick up?” I asked.

“Just give this note to the stallion at the front desk. Don’t read it, just give it to him, get the supplies, and give me a call.” Swinebutt said giving me a note. “I’ll pay you for this.”

“Well…. I do need the money.” I thought. “Alright, Swinebutt, you got a deal.”

“Excellent! Can’t wait for your return!” Swinebutt said as he turned around and went to work on a blue robotic unicorn that looked like some sort of cheap magician. I went out of the building and exited the park so I can go get the supplies that Swinebutt needs. I went over to the Hardware Store over at Hoof Point, but I keep getting followed by this black carriage. Seriously, at this point I just think my pop’s trying to hunt me down. When I got to the hardware store, I just decided to lock the door behind me so they don’t come in.

“Any reason you locked my door?” the stallion at the front desk asked.

“Sorry, but I believe I’m being followed.” I said.

“And you decided to hide out in my store because of it? This is a store, buddy, not a safehouse.” He said.

“I know, I know. I just need to pick up some supplies.” I said.

“What do you need? Got a sweet deal on 6’7 feet of lumber. Perfect for making that treehouse club for your foals.” The cashier offered.

“No, thanks, these are different type of supplies. Dr. Swinebutt sent me.” I said as I gave the cashier the note. The cashier read the note and nodded.

“No problem. Wait here.” The cashier asked as he went to the back room to get the supplies. I just stood there waiting, but I saw my pop’s goons waiting outside for me. I hid behind the side of the front desk so they don’t spot me, but I believe they already know I’m here. “Is there a problem, man?” the cashier asked, I jumped in excitement because I didn’t expect him to be behind me already with the stuff. “Sorry to spook you. You running from the law or something?”

“No, I’m hidin’ from those dudes outside. I think they wanna jump me.” I said.

“Well, you better exit the back door then. Give these supplies to Swinebutt right away.” The cashier said. “Don’t look at anything back there, don’t touch anything, just walk out the door.”

“Ok.” I said awkwardly as I walked out the back door, passing by the cashier’s weird collection of pictures hanging on the wall. I snuck around the back alley, climbed over walls, and ran over to pick up a cab. Luckily for me, I didn’t see the black carriage anywhere in sight. I had the feeling I lost them, it was pretty quiet from here back to the Magic World back lot. Just then, my phone started to ring; it was an unknown caller, but I answered it anyway. “Yo.”

“Herb Leafhorn.” a voice said on the other line.

“Who is this?” I asked.

“A friend. Listen to me closely: Whatever you do, do not give those supplies to that pig!” the voice said.

“Why not?” I asked.

“You seen what he’s capable of. You seen by the look of his eye. He’s not usin’ those supplies for good.” The voice said.

“What makes ya think that?” I asked.

“We know a lot more than that. Come meet us outside, find a black carriage.” The voice said.

“Sorry, mama says don’t listen to strangers. Find somepony else to rob. Goodbye.” I said.

“Herb, you’re making a huge-“ before he could finish, I hung up. This was getting trippy. I had the feeling that the dude talking to me on the phone was part of pop’s mob. He sounded Italian, couldn’t trust him, but yet again, I dunno if I could trust Swinebutt either, but he said he owes me a debt of gratitude, and he promised he wouldn’t do any harm. I took the boxes, and I walked over to the building Swinebutt was in. I had the strange feeling I was being followed again, but when I turned around there was nopony there. I didn’t know what was going on. I continued to walk, although I was on the alert. Somepony else was here, and I couldn’t let me guard down. I walked all the way over to Swinebutt’s building, and I had the feeling I was in the clear, but as I touched the door, I got electrocuted and I fell onto the ground, seeing nothing but blur.

“It’s for your own good, buddy.” One of those mobster ponies said while standing over me. I then started to pass out.

Author's Note

This chapter shows how Herb's life gotten to after the tragedy from his earlier life. This just goes to show how bullying never pays off.

Also, if you haven't noticed. Angel getting that phone call from Lyra about the Cheesecake Factory being the 'worst restaurant ever', she is actually shown saying that on chapter 6 of Friendship is Epic Book 1! I bet most of you didn't even notice. ;)

The Mobfather

A few hours went by; all I saw was a blur. I started to wake up, but I was tied up onto a chair with my hooves tied behind my back. “Mornin’ sleeping beauty.” One of the mobsters said.

“No… pop…. I won’t let him take me.” I said.

“Is he ok, Star?” the other mobster asked.

“Bright Wing, you idiot, you hit him too hard!” Star yelled at him.

“I didn’t hit him ok? We electrocuted him, remember?” Bright Wing asked.

“But you hit him after to make sure he was passed out.” Star corrected him.

“What’s your problem, Star? The boss asked us to bring this pony here, whatever the cost.” Bright Wing argued.

“I don’t think he meant brain damage, you moron!” Star yelled.

“Enough with this arugin’!” a big fat blue stallion said as he walked inside.

“Boss! Sorry ‘bout that. This pony over ‘ere sounds like he’s hallucinatin’.” Bright Wing said.

“He’s not hallucinatin’, he’s just gettin’ the wrong impression.” The boss said as he walked towards me and looked down at me.

“I won’t be like my pop! He’s a bad pony! I won’t be like him! GET AWAY FROM ME!” I yelled.

“Relax, Herb, relax. We’re not part of that mob. In fact, we’re his biggest competitors.” The boss said.

“Who’re you? Why did you capture me?” I asked.

“Capture? Capture’s a strong word. Star, Wing, untie him.” The boss ordered them. They did so. I was getting the feeling back on my wrist. “Thanks. Who’re you?”

“Poni Cipriani, don of the Friendship Mafia.” The boss said.

“The what?” I asked.

“We’ve been monitorin’ you for a long time, my boy, and I gotta say, we’re pretty impressed.” Poni said, putting his arm around my back.

“Impressed? Why?” I asked.

“Because we’ve seen what you’re capable of. We know you wanna do some good, and durin’ your 3 years of exile, you proven to be a very worthy holder of harmony.” Poni said.

“Yeah, I wish that were true. All I did was cause disaster.” I said.

“And you learned from your mistakes, didn’t you?” Poni asked.

“Yes, but I don’t think it’s an excuse for what I done to….. him.” I said.

“It’s ok, Herb. Flare will be happy in Ponyville. I know it for a fact. He’ll have the good life, and someday he might return, and you can tell him how yous feel.” Poni said.

“You sure he’ll be happy?” I asked.

“I guarantee it. For now, let’s not worry ‘bout him. It’s time to bring harmony into this town. Your father, Herb Leafhorn, Sr., he’s causin’ great distress throughout Mareami, and we need to stop ‘em.” Poni said.

“And what do you need me for?” I asked.

“My boy, you are his son; yous know a lot more of him than any of us. We need a stallion like you. With yous here, we can make this town a better place, and more!” Poni explained.

“So, that’s why you spied on me, huh?” I asked.

“Please excuse Star Trot and Bright Wing; they love to be all sneaky ‘n stuff.” Poni said. Star and Wing blushed in embarrassment, one of them chuckled, and one of them whistled.

“So, am I part of your little club?” I asked.

“Not quite yet, we have to make sure yous are worthy enough. Star and Wing will follow yous ‘round town. Find anypony that’s havin’ trouble or somethin’. See what yous can do to help them out.” Poni instructed me.
“How do I do that?” I asked.

“Just see if somepony is havin’ trouble, then go and solve the issue. Star and Wing will be there with yous if yous need any help. Do this, and yous will be an offical member of the Friendship Mob. Time to bring justice into this town, my boy, just like you wanted!” Poni said.

“So, wait, what ‘bout that box I was supposed to give to Swinebutt?” I asked.

“I stored it safely. Don’t worry ‘bout that. Just go on and…. make some new friends.” Poni said smiling. I nodded, and I followed Star and Wing outside to their black carriage.

“C’mon, Herb, we’re gonna drive ya to Mareami Beach, there should be some trouble there we can help out on.” Star said, strapping himself onto the carriage.

“I can’t believe I’m goin’ to be ridin’ in the carriage that’s been givin’ me nightmares.” I teased as I hopped in with Wing. Star started pulling the carriage and we started riding over to the beach area.

“So how long has this mob been around for?” I asked.

“Not long enough it would seem. Poni has been seein’ a lot of bullyin’ and hate goin’ ‘round in this town, so he made this mod so we can stop it.” Wing explained. “He’s also seen all the damage that the Sharks Mob has been up to. Your dad is really a charmin’ pony, you know that?”

“Are there any other members of the mob besides you, Star, and Poni?” I asked.

“There are dozens of us! Not enough though. Star and I are supposed to find some new recruits while you’re tryin’ to make new friends.” Wing said.

“Do you mobsters always look around town for trouble?” I asked.

“All the time! It’s our duty. We’ve been doin’ such a great job at it too. We’ve been gettin’ letters from Princess Celestia, complimentin’ on our job well done. We’re goin’ to the top, baby! It’s ‘bout time we’re gettin’ noticed.” Wing explained. After a while went by we made it over the bridge and over to the beach side of the city. Star and Bright dropped me off over at East Beach to look for trouble.

“Alright, I think I should go with him.” Star said.

“Why? Ain’t it your turn to look for recruits?” Wing asked.

“You’ve been bondin’ with him for a while, now it’s my turn.” Star said.

“If you say so. Catch ya later, Herb, and good luck!” Wing said as Star detached himself from the carriage and Wing attached himself and drove off.

“Sooooo, where’s the trouble?” I asked.

“Be patient, man. Trouble ain’t goin’ to just pop out of nowhere just like that.” Star said.

“OH YEAH?! WELL YOU’RE STUPID!” somepony yelled in the distance.

“HEY!” I yelled back, but when I looked, there was a young couple arguing with eachother.

“I’m not stupid, you’re stupid!” the stallion yelled at the mare.

“Stop acting like a child!” the mare yelled.

“This is your chance, Herb. This is your chance to prove yourself worthy to join our mob!” Star said.

“But their argument ain’t my business though.” I said.

“For any regular pony yes, but if you were part of the Friendship Mob, well that ain’t gonna happen now, is it?” Star asked.

“No, I guess not.” I said.

“Just go on over there and break up the fight. Do whatever you can.” Star said. I didn’t really know what to exactly do, but Star said to do whatever I can, so I went over there to try it the old fashion way.

“Um, excuse me? What’s wrong? Maybe I can help.” I asked.

“Mind your own business, dip-wad!” the mare yelled.

“Really, I could help.” I insisted.

“Ok, how about helping me getting this freako out of my face?!” the mare pointed at the stallion.

“Well, excuse me, but I’m only trying to help you out in getting your financial so we can go on that cruise you’ve always wanted to go to!” the stallion yelled.

“Using MY money?!” the mare yelled.

“You said you wanted to go whatever the cost is!” the stallion yelled.

“I didn’t mean I had to pay for it!” the mare yelled.

“Uhh, may I make a suggestion? Why don’t you both just split the bill of that cruise? It’s both of your vacation. As long as you’re both happy on it and you’re both fair on finances, then what can go wrong?” I suggested.

“Oh sure, why didn’t we think of that?” the mare asked sarcastically.

“Now now, I think that pony just made a good point. If we split the money for our vacation, then maybe we both will be happy. Neither of us will have the greed.” The stallion agreed.

“Oh if you agree with him so much, why don’t you just go out with him then?!” the mare asked.

“Because you’re the one I love!” the stallion said to the mare.

“Yeah, right. You never spend any time with me.” The mare rolled her eyes and said.

“Why else is he payin’ for your vacation?” I asked.

“Yeah, exactly!” the stallion said.

“Ooooh, and now you’re agreeing with a complete stranger, huh?” the mare asked angrily. “I don’t know why I put up with you.” The mare started to walk away from us.

“C’mon, Herb, you’re losin’ ‘em! Think of something.” I said to myself. This sure is a pretty difficult first test. I was so close to just taking out my baseball bat and just threatening them to get along, but Star stopped me.

“Psssst! No! Words are your weapon, Herb! Words are your weapon!” Star whispered.

“Words are my weapon.” I repeated to myself. “Words are my weapon.” I placed the bat back in my jacket, and went to the stallion and whispered into his ear. He nodded.

“HEY! Who do you think you are! You bothered my mom! Can’t you see she wants to be left alone?! I’m spending time with her!” the stallion yelled at me as he was grabbing onto my shirt. “You got that, pal?”

“Loud and clear.” I said with a frightened tone.

The mare sighed and said, “Alright, we’ll both pay for the trip.”

“YAY!” the stallion cheered and ran towards her. I got confused for a second, I thought the mare was his wife, not his mother. Whatever.

“Could’ve gotten better, Herb, but I believe that was a success.” Star said.

“Nice! Am I part of the club yet?” I asked.

“First of all, it’s not a club, it’s a mob; second, not yet, you still have to try to help out several other ponies in order to join our mob. Those are the rules.” Star said.

“Well, if that’s the rule, then what other choice do I have?” I asked. I went on over to the beach to see if there was any trouble over there, when suddenly I saw a couple of beach bullies destroying a colt’s sand castle. Oh, man, I had to do something there, that there was giving me visions of me bullying Flare, I couldn’t let that stand down. “Hey, you!” I yelled.

“Yeah, what are you looking at, butthead?” the bully asked.

“Hey, who you callin’ butthead, butthead?” I asked.

“How about you mind your business?” the bully asked.

“How about you leave that poor colt alone?” I asked.

“Oh yeah, well who’s gonna stop me?” the bully asked as he shoved me.

“Have you been abused by your family?” I asked.

“What’s that got to do with anything?” the bully asked.

“Have you been abused by your family?” I asked again.

Before I knew it, this whole talk turned into a therapy session. The beach bully was lying on a sandy therapy couch and told me everything about his family, as I was sitting next to him, writing stuff down on a notepad. “And then when I was 8, my mom said my turtle ran away. But I knew it didn’t run away. Turtles don’t run!” the bully yelled.

“Uhh, yeah, I see. Well, my boy, just follow my advice and you should be fine. You’re right, and your dad is wrong.” I said.

“Thanks, man! I can’t thank you enough!” the bully said happily, giving me a hug.

“Yeah, yeah, just don’t put your anger on anypony else, alright?” I asked.

“Oh yeah, yeah! Of course!” the bully said, then he turned to the kid and said, “Hey, kid? Wanna build a sand castle?”

“Don’t call me kid, I’m your brother!” the colt corrected him.

“Another success for Herb Leafhorn!” I said to myself. “Now, where should I go next?” I looked around the area to see where else I could help others out, until I saw the Night Club bouncer throw a pony out.

“And stay out!” the bouncer yelled.

“Of course! The Night Club!” I said to myself. “It’s pretty ironic though, since it’s day time, it should be called a Day Club.” So I walked over to the club, and went inside to see if there was any damage that needed to be done. There was a bit, but it was damage done to me. I saw the bartender taking away a pony’s carriage license, and I wanted to reason with the bartender so he would give the license back, but it turns out the pony wasn’t fit to drive, and it was the club’s policy to take away licenses, so I got kicked out of the club as well.

“Yo, how was your party?” Star asked.

“Got the wrong impression.” I said.

“These things happen. The Friendship Mob is still new ‘round these parts, kid. It would take a lot before we get noticed ‘round here.” Star said. “Now as it turns out, you did a good job, Herb, you did really good! I’ll tell Poni about your progress. He’ll give you a call.”

“So this means I’m part of the mob?” I asked.

“Not yet. I have to talk things over with Poni. See ya around.” Star said, as he jumped on the carriage with Bright Wing.

“Nice meetin’ ya, Herb!” Wing said as they drove off.

“Wow, it wouldn’t hurt to gimmie a ride home! My house is all the way on the other side of town!” I yelled, but they couldn’t hear me, so whatever. It was a beautiful day for a walk, regardless. I can feel the salty sea air on my face, the beautiful palm trees blowing in the wind, and of course the hot mares holding up signs for carriage washes wearing bikinis. Wow, how I said that, it sounded like the car wash itself was wearing the bikinis.

During my walk, I met up with Turnip Orch along the way. “Herb!” he yelled.

“Hey, Turnip!” I greeted.

“What are you doing here, man? You’re out in the open. If your father’s mob catches you, you’re cooked.” Turnip said.

“Well, as it turns out, I don’t need to worry much about them anymore.” I said.

“What do you mean?” Turnip asked.

“I don’t wanna tell you out here. Let’s give Clay, Angel, and Annabelle a call, and I’ll tell you in a place a little more private.” I requested. After we gave them a call, we all ended up inside a portable potty near a construction site where we couldn’t fit all in. “Ok, I didn’t mean this private. Let’s go to Applebees.” I suggested. So the five of us all went over to Applebees so we can chat.

“So after I retrieved the shipment, the cops arrived because they were monitoring the whole deal. I dunno why Animal Crackers are illegal in Equestria.” Clay said.

“Maybe it’s because eating meat in Equestria is illegal in general. Even if they’re shaped like animals, man. I realize we’re vegetarians and all, but Animal Crackers are harmless, man.” Angel said.

“I know, that stuff tastes pretty darn good with a little icing on it, bro.” Clay said.

“So, Herb, what was it you wanted to talk to us about?” Turnip asked.

“Ok….” I said as I looked around to see if anypony was listening. “Come closer.” I whispered. They did so. “A little closer.” I said, and they did so. “A little more-“

“I don’t want to kiss you, man.” Angel said.

“Alright, alright, here’s the thing.” I whispered. “It turned out that black carriage that has been followin’ me these last few days were indeed mobsters. They got me.”

“Really? How did you escape?” Annabelle asked.

“Well, here’s the thing, these mobsters weren’t the bad ones. They weren’t part of my dad’s mob, this is the Friendship Mafia.” I explained.

“The Friendship Mafia?” Clay asked.

“Yes. As it turns out, this group of ponies wants what I want, to bring peace and harmony throughout Mareami. The mob is led by a pony by the name of Poni Cipriani.” I explained. “He created this group to fight against the hate crimes ‘round the city, and so I joined their group.”

“Nice, man!” Angel said. “That really sounds like a good idea! I wanna join that group!”

“Yeah, same here, holms.” Annabelle said.

“But the thing is; I haven’t even joined the group yet. I passed a test earlier today, and now I’m awaiting a call from Poni himself.” I said.

“Dude, it would be really an honor if we were to also join the group. The more the merrier, right?” Annabelle asked.

“Well, I’ll have to ask him first. Can you be trusted though?” I asked.

“Yo, man, you know you can trust me, man. I love to bring peace in the streets, man.” Angel said.

“C’mon, bro, we’re your friends! How can you not trust us?” Clay asked.

“I do trust you guys, Clay, but this isn’t my decision to make. I’ll have to talk to Poni. Here’s the stallion in charge.” I said.

Suddenly, my phone started to ring. It was Poni himself. “Hang on, business call.” I said as I picked it up. “Yo!”

“Herb Leafhorn, you ready to prove yourself worthy to our cause?” Poni asked.

“If it means bringin’ peace to our fair city and takin’ down my pop, then yes.” I said.

“Well, bringin’ down your pop will have to wait, kid. Your pig friend is here, and he’s mad as all hay! Get your plot over here, right now!” Poni demanded as he hung up.

“What’s going on, Herb?” Annabelle asked.

“Duty calls. I’ll see you guys later.” I said as I got up quickly and stormed out of the restaurant.

“Can I have his tortilla when it comes?” Clay asked.

Author's Note

This chapter shows how Herb met the mob, and this also shows how the mob works. When things start to get violent, you'll find out that on the next chapter. ;)

Keep Calm and Robo On

After receiving that distress call from Poni, I rushed straight to Little Hoovana to go help him and the boys out. When I got there, there were broken pieces of robot everywhere, and some of the boys were laying on the down, screaming in sorrow, with mustard stains on their tuxedos.

“NOOOO! The pain! My tuxedo is ruined!” one of the mobsters yelled. “Please…. tell my mother….. she’s a pain in the flank!” he said to his friend who was leaning over him with tears in his eyes, and then the mustard stained mobster passed out on the street.

“What the hay is happenin here?” I asked.

“Herb! Thank Faust you’re here!” Star said in relief.

“Star, Wing, what’s goin’ on?” I asked.

“It’s that pig, he wants his supplies.” Bright Wing said.

“Who, Swinebutt?” I asked.

“No, the OTHER pig.” Wing said sarcastically.

“No need to be a wiseguy ‘bout it, Wing.” I rolled my eyes.

“Poni got a warnin’, sayin’ that he’s sendin’ his best robot troops over here to retrieve those supplies.” Star said.

“What can we expect from a coward like him?” I asked. “Why not face us himself?”

“He’s a scientist. Scientists don’t fight; they send their inventions to fight for them. You know that, Herb.” Wing said.

“So what’s with the water guns? Thought you said words are our weapons?” I asked.

“Sometimes it’s necessary to be armed with somethin’ non-oral.” Star said.

“Heh! Oral.” Wing chuckled.

“Shut it, Wing.” Star said to him annoyed.

“ALERT! HERE COMES THE NEXT WAVE!” one of the mobsters yelled.

“Here you are, kid. Take this water gun and help us defend the area. Time to teach that pig a thing or two what it means not to steal.” Wing said, hooving me over a water rifle. “Head over to the roof of that pointed, and provide coverin’ fire. Nopony’s layin’ a hoof into Friendship Mob territory and get away with it!”

So I did what Wing said; I climbed over to the roof of an apartment building nearby, and got myself into position. This building was 4-stories high, and I wasn’t comfortable in a high area without there being railing for support. Some of the mobsters moved their carriages to the sides of the neighborhood to provide covering support. I got myself some extra water up here in case I needed more ammunition. A couple of carriages arrived at the neighborhood, and more of Swinebutt’s robots came out and they started firing more cantonments at the mobsters. We outnumber them 5 to 1. For every 5 robots that short-circuit after we fire the water at them, one of our guys gets hit, but that wasn’t always the case. After a while it turned into 8 bots getting destroyed out of one mobster.

The wave was over after several minutes. “How many of us were hit?” Wing asked.

“Umm, there are 4. 3 of them got hit in the face. They’ll be able to get back into the battle once they clean up. The 4 that were hit, they’ll need to get new tuxedos. It’ll take them at least 10 minutes to change.” One of the mobsters said.

“Well the next wave will be here any minute.” Wing said.

“I got a word from Sentry. They’re sendin’ in choppers.” Star said.

“With those choppers they could flank us. You four, guard the entrance.” Wing ordered four of the mobsters on the street. “Herb, I want you to keep coverin’ fire. If you need more ammo, call in Phil, he’ll give you some more.” He said to me.

“Will do, Wing!” I saluted. So we were ready for anything, well, almost. What we didn’t expect is to wait around for hours.

“Hello, Sentry?” Star asked on his phone. “Yeah, you see anythin’? No? Hmm…. he must’ve given up. Yeah we’ve been waitin’ for hours for the next attack, now we’re all gettin’ tired. No, stay there, Sentry. You’ll never know what might happen. Alright, ciao.”

“What’s happenin, Star?” Wing asked.

“Perhaps Swinebutt’s troops retreated.” Star thought.

“I don’t think so. He’s up to somethin’ big. We’ve gotta stay in position, and get ready for anythin’. You too, Herb. Stay there.”

“I ain’t goin’ anywhere. I have nothin’ better to do.” I said. Out of the bloom, a couple of helicopters showed up over the neighborhood.

“Oh finally! What took you so long?! We’ve been waitin’ for ours for our date!” Wing yelled at the swinebots in the chopper. But just then as we were focusing our attention to the choppers, a bunch of swinebots popped up out of nowhere and surrounded us.

“AMBUSH!” Star yelled.

“Uhh… no, really?” Wing said to him sarcastically. Everypony including me started firing at all the robots, and even though we took out the ones that surrounded us, the ones in the chopper were all water-proof.

“They’re waterproof!” Star yelled. “We can’t take them out! Everypony fall back to the buildin’! You too, Herb! Get down here and help us out!” But before I was able to run off the roof, one of the choppers was hovering over, and one of the robots in the chopper started firing at me. I dodged all the condiments sprays, and took cover behind the vents on the roof. I looked down at the ladder and I saw some of the swinebots walking towards it. I was surrounded, but I couldn’t give up. I grabbed onto the water spout on the side of the roof, and used it to swing inside an apartment window.

“Oh, wait.” I said to myself. I took out a paper and a pen and wrote down a message for the owners of the apartment. It reads: “Dear Sir or Ma’am, I apologize for breakin’ the window, there’s an emergency situation goin’ on outside, and I needed to take necessary precautions. I promise to pay for any damages. Signed, Herb Leafhorn – Friendship Mafia.” I placed the note on the desk, but I didn’t know why I had to write down my accent on it. I closed the shutters to the apartment so the robots wouldn’t follow me, and I ran out and ran downstairs where the mobsters needed me.

“What took you so long, Herb?” Star asked.

“I needed to write a note to the ponies who owned that apartment upstairs. I broke their window.” I said.

“Good colt, Herb!” Star said, tapping my shoulder. “You sure are Friendship Mob material!”

“Thanks, man. Now let’s finish this!” I said as I aimed my water gun over at the barricaded door.

“Whoa, Herb! Water guns aren’t going to help. These swinebots are water-proof. We’ll need something else.” Star said.

“Here, are some gasoline cans. Use them in your water gun, fire at them, and them light a match to light them on fire.” Wing instructed throwing me over a gas can. “For those who are in control of the fire extinguishers, be sure you take out the fires before this whole place burns down.”

I got myself into position, replaced all the water in my gun with gasoline. For water-proof robots, I hope they’re not fire-proof too. The swinebots were pounding on the door real loudly. A couple of the mobsters were holding the door back, and all the furniture that was help holding it back as well.

“What have we gotten ourselves into?” one of the mobsters asked.

“Pipe down; this is what we signed up for!” Wing said.

“I signed up for helping ponies out of reason, not violence!” one of the mobsters yelled.

“If I signed up for this group long ago, Cherry Pop would still be with me!” I mumbled to myself.

After all the pounding, the swinebots started cutting through the door using a sawblade. Since most of the furniture was wooden, we couldn’t stand a chance; it was the only vending machine, but I believe they might be able to cut through that too. From the hole on the door, we started firing the gasoline at the robots and lit them up from the outside, so with the fire not inside the building, the building won’t be at risk of burning down. It was a mistake though, because the fire got on the door, and the furniture blocking it. Two of the mobsters that were holding fire extinguishers extinguished the fire before it was too late, but unfortunately the door and the furniture got weaker by the fire, and the robots that weren’t hit by the gasoline were still attempting to get through.

“Wing, what do we do now?” one of the mobsters asked.

“Hold position. They’re not through yet.” Wing said.

“Really, Wing, why did Poni make you capo?” Star complained.

“How about we quit the chatter and concentrate?” I suggested. One of the robots hit the vending machine with its blade and a soda can popped out of the machine and hit one of the mobsters on the forehead, and they passed out.

“Holy mackerel!” Star yelled, but then he smiled as he saw the soda and picked it up and started drinking it.

“What the hay is wrong with you, Star?” Wing asked.

“I’m thirsty.” Star said. Wing walked up to Star and smacked the soda out of his hoof. “Yo, man, what’s the big deal?!”

“We don’t have time for this!” Wing yelled.

“Ok, ok, jeez!” Star said.

The robots were able to make a big enough hole on the door to get through. “Fire!” Wing yelled.

“Yeah, literary!” Star said. So I started shooting the gasoline at the robots, and some of the other mobsters threw the matches at them. Once the robots short-circuited, we extinguished them. We kept fighting off the swinebots until none of them were coming through anymore. “Phew!” Star said feeling relieved and taking deep breathes. “I think…. I think we did it.”

“Nice job, boys!” Wing said.

“Wait, wait, wait. Doesn’t anypony else think that was a little too easy?” one of the mobsters asked.

“Yeah, somethin’ ain’t right. Herb, can you head over to the don and see how everything is goin’ with those supplies?” Wing asked.

“Sure.” I said.

“Yell out if somethin’ is fishy up there. We’ll be up there as fast as we can.” Star said. I ran upstairs to the third floor, where Poni was hanging out in with the supplies, but once I got in the room, he wasn’t there.

“Poni? Poni Cipriani, you here?” I asked. Out of the flash, I got hit by a paralyzing dart, and I fell on the ground. “OW! Well, this counts as somethin’ fishy. STAR! WING!” I yelled.

“Herb Leafhorn; care to explain why you haven’t given me those supplies?” Swinebutt asked, standing outside the door.

“I don’t know what you’re talkin’ about.” I said. Swinebutt nods at one of his robots, and the robot kicks me in the back real hard. “OW!” I yelled.

“You think I’m an idiot, Leafhorn? You think I didn’t know what you’re all about?!” Swinebutt yelled. “You think it’s alright to rat me out like this?”

“I was heard that you’re bad news Swinebutt, bad news!” I said. “You stabbed Flare Gun in the back!”

“Under your command.” Swinebutt added and snorted.

“It was wrong of me. I should’ve never made in contact with you, Swinebutt!” I yelled.

“Well, words like that, you must really have the guts to try something, huh Leafhorn?” Swinebutt asked. “So be it. I don’t have time to deal with you as well. Flare Gun’s in Ponyville right now, and after I sent my Trixie bot over there for testing, I saw him standing up to his new friends. I got research showing he’s got a lot of them now, and a new pizza shop.”

“Well, I’m glad he’s happy now. He doesn’t have to worry about traitors like us anymore.” I said.

“Oh I don’t think so, Leafhorn. He ruined my years of research, and my reputation, I have to make sure he stays miserable in order for my research to grow stronger.” Swinebutt said.

“I’m not gonna let you do that!” I said.

“You ain’t gonna stop me, Junior. Your dad’s looking for you, and if you get in my way, I’ll send him for you. He knows you’re part of the Friendship Mob, and he’s coming. I think you have better things to worry about than me, Leafhorn. Flare has a newer happier life, and he must be stopped. Hope your dad finally takes care of you, sonny. He works with me now.” Swinebutt explained and snorted. “Farewell, Herb Leafhorn.” Swinebutt’s robot kicks me in the head and I pass out. After some hours went by, I woke up on the bed in my safehouse with my friends hovering over me, well… not literary.

“Is he alright?” Turnip asked.

“I’m not sure, holms; he’s been out for a while.” Annabelle said.

“Man that was some messed up battle he was in, man.” Angel said.

“Hang on, I think he’s coming to use his senses.” Annabelle said.

“Rise ‘n shine, brother!” Clay said.

“Ugh! What happened?” I asked.

“You were in some battle with a bunch of robots, my brother, and you were passed out on the third floor of some apartment project.” Clay said.

“Yeah…. yeah I was.” I said rubbing my head, but as I came to my senses it hit me. “Wait, where’re the supplies? Where’s Poni?”

“Right here, kid.” Poni said, walking out of the shadows along with Star and Wing.

“Why didn’t you call for us if you were in trouble?” Star asked.

“I did!” I corrected him.

“Well we didn’t hear ya.” Wing said.

“How did you guys know where I was?” I asked my friends.

“It was actually them who came in at the last second, and saved us after the next wave of robots showed up after you were passed out. They tried to come through from the windows of the other apartments.” Poni said.

“Yeah, tried to cheat themselves inside.” Star said and chuckled.

“I’ve seen what your friends are capable of, and they too also want to join our little mob.” Poni said.

“Of course, man. Gotta bring peace to the streets!” Angel said.

“Herb, my boy, after your bravery against Swinebutt’s swinebots, I’m makin’ yous an official capo of our group.” Poni said.

“Really? Does that also mean I’m in?” I asked.

“I thought yous knew that?” Poni asked.

“I wasn’t told.” I said.

“Well then, welcome to the Friendship Mafia, Herb!” Poni said.

“Thanks, man!” I said.

“It’s great to have you with us, kid!” Wing said.

“Yeah, you sure proved yourself worthy after taking out those robots!” Star said.

“But wait, what about the supplies?” I asked.

“Oh yeah, Swinebutt was able to get the supplies. I heard they were supplies for makin’ some sort of hologram projector for stoned statue prisons of some sort. Doesn’t actually free them, but let’s their spirit roam free.” Star explained.

“But regardless of the loss, you sure are Friendship Mob material, Herb.” Annabelle said. “I think you’re getting to that point where you’ll redeem yourself. Time to redeem your name, and with the mob’s help, you can teach your papi a lesson about revenge.”

“But if he’s teaching him a lesson, doesn’t that technically mean he’s also avenging?” Turnip asked.

“Regardless, this mob may be your best chance of getting your papi not to hunt you down anymore, or cause anymore trouble throughout the city.” Annabelle explained.

“But it’s not just him though. Flare is startin’ to gain a better life in Ponyville. Swinebutt’s tryin’ to ruin him AGAIN!” I yelled.

“If he has a lot of friends, then he’ll do fine, and someday he’ll return, and you can finally tell him how you really feel.” Turnip said.

“Well, that takes care of everythin’.” Poni said. “Now my boy, I want yous to go take your friends and give them a little test, just like the one I gave yous! Make this city a better place, and when the time comes, your pa will get what he finally deserves: JUSTICE!”

“Sure thing, Poni! Right away!” I said.

“Time to clean the streets, man! The Friendship Mafia will soon be at the top!” Angel said.

“You got that right, Angel!” I said. So the five of us went out and we started to bring peace in the streets. I haven’t seen Swinebutt anymore ever since the day I saw him last, but I have the feeling my papa’s going to be coming after me soon. I just know it.

(Herb's new outfit)

Author's Note

Time for things to start to get violent! >:D This chapter connects to the same timeline as The Unicorn Games from FiE Book 1, if you noticed about the Trixie bot reference.

High Heist

It’s been weeks since I joined the mob, and so far it’s going great! I’ve gotten over my guilt of Flare, not completely though, but I’m finally good enough to go on in life, and help out of the mob. There was nothing special going on at this time, so I went to arcade with Annabelle and Clay to verse them in air hockey. I was playing against Clay, but after a difficult little game, he beat me 7 to 4.

”HAAAA! Better luck next time, brother! BOO-YAH!” Clay yelled in excitement.

“Congratulations, Clay. I think I have a medal on me somewhere you can wear.” I teased.

“Air hockey sucks, H. I dunno why you bother playing it.” Annabelle said.

“Air hockey maybe very hard to master, and sometimes you even hurt your hoof real bad when the puck hits it, but it’s all in good fun, dude.” I said.

“Yeah but one thing’s for sure, I JUST KICKED YOUR FLANK, BROTHER! BOO-YAH!” Clay yelled at my face.

“Ok, ok, I heard you the first time, Clay. You don’t need to go all in my face about it.” I said.

“Whatever, man, let’s eat!” Clay said. So we all exited the arcade and started walking to the fast joint next door to the arcade. We did the good ol fashion walk ‘n talk along the way.

“So you boys enjoyin’ the mob so far?” I asked.

“Sure are, H. It’s not too hard of business, and I think the mob is starting to get more attention around these parts.” Annabelle said.

“Listen to you, Ann, you say it’s all easy and junk, I find it to be the hardest job in all of Equestria.” Clay said. “Besides, it don’t pay well.”

“The mob is still kinda new, man. Just wait a while, and the big moneys will be coming in any day now. Just hold on to your houses, C.” Annabelle said.

“Oh, ha ha, horse pun. Is that the only time of pun that is known around here, son?” Clay asked.

“Look, I know you’re hungry, holms, and so am I, but you don’t need to get so cranky about it.” Annabelle suggested.

“Well excuse me for not being my usual self! You know how I am when I’m starving as all hay!” Clay yelled.

As Clay and Annabelle were too busy arguing with eachother, I saw a strange looking van carriage riding by. Normally when I see strange vehicles, they watch me, but this one looked like they were in a hurry and didn’t even notice I was there. I could tell because the van drove by a puddle and I got soaked!

“Aw man! I just had this vest washed!” I complained.

“Hey be lucky that’s your mob vest and not your casual which is made of woal which would shrink.” Clay said.

“This IS my casual vest!” I corrected him. “I just got somepony to stich the words ‘Friendship Mafia’ on it after I joined.” Out of nowhere, my vest shrunk three sizes that day.

“Oh…. Well that’s a darn shame, Herb.” Clay said.

“That stupid van! Just popped out of nowhere and got me all soaked ‘n stuff!” I yelled.

“Don’t blame the van, Herb. Blame the pony pulling the van.” Clay said.

“Oh yeah, like that helps at all.” I complained.

“What else was I supposed to say?” Clay asked.

“Hey don’t worry man, I’m sure you got some other vests. We can get your moms to stitch the name of our mob on it.” Annabelle said.

“I haven’t seen my mom in ages, bro. Hmm, I hope my pop didn’t get to her. I should give her a call.” I said, but as I was taking out my phone, I got a call from Poni. “Oh, it’s the boss.” I said.

“Well don’t keep him waiting, H. Answer it!” Annabelle demanded.

I answered the phone and said, “Afternoon, boss!”

“Actually it’s noon.” Clay corrected me.

“Whatever. Good noon, boss!” I said.

“Ciao (Hello), Herb. Che cosa sta succedendo (What’s going on)? Where are yous?” Poni asked.

“I just exited the arcade with Clay and Annabelle and we’re on our way to get some lunch. Why?” I asked.

“It’s about time the Friendship Mob got even higher than it already is.” Poni said.

“I’m sorry?” I asked.

“We need to think of somethin’ major. None of this just peace-keepin’ and friend-makin’ junk we keep doin’. Our mob needs to expand to higher places. To keep the peace in our fair city and get noticed, we need to do somethin’ major.” Poni explained.

“So what do you have in mind?” I asked.

“To really be noticed, we have to do somethin’ heroic. Helpin’ out with other pony’s problems isn’t goin’ to cut it completely. I need yous to go ‘round town and search for anythin’ major goin’ on. The citizens of Mareami need to make sure that the Friendship Mob will be here to keep them safe!” Poni said.

“You sure, Poni? You really want us to do that? I mean it sounds pretty risky. Doin’ somethin’ really heroic is pretty dangerous work, but if you’re the boss, we have to follow your orders.” I said.

“C’mon, Herb, don’t think of me superior. I’m just sayin’, the other ponies need to make sure they’re safe, and the Friendship Mob is always there to keep them that way. This could get us some new members, and we can get rid of the disharmony in this city once and for all!” Poni said.

“I dunno if we should be thinkin’ of new members right away, Pone. Don’t forget, we have finances. Not all the members of the mob are here just to keep the peace, they expect payment.” I reminded him.

“You sayin’ I’m greedy, boy?” Poni asked.

“Not at all, boss. I’m just makin’ a suggestion. I want to make sure we keep this mob alive and well. One false move and we’ll be makin’ a downfall.” I explained.

“I get what you’re sayin’, my boy, and I agree. All I’m sayin’ is that we need to get more noticed. If we’re lucky, we might even get ourselves a spot in the Commission.” Poni said.

“The Commission, Pone?” I asked.

“Yes, the Commission. It’s where all the families in Equestria come together in this one group. We can make ourselves a sensation of all of Equestria.” Poni said.

“Well let’s stay focused on Mareami first.” I said.

“Got it! I got some friends in my hometown, Manehatten, that’ll be able to help us out in our mission. Knock ‘em dead, Herb! Get the family’s name out there!” Poni said.

“You got it, dude!” I said and hung up the phone.

“Where’s the fire, amigo?” Annabelle asked.

“That was Poni on the phone. This family needs to be heard from out there. It’s about time we searched around and take this family’s name up to new heights.” I said.

“But aren’t we doing so well for ourselves already?” Annabelle asked.

“Poni wants this family in the Commission. If we get noticed by that group, we’ll be able to get the Friendship Mafia’s name to reach new levels, plus it’ll really solve our finance problems.” I said.

“Dude, I dunno if the Commission is such a good idea. Your dad’s family is a mob too, and I believe he’d want to be a part of it.” Clay said.

“Don’t worry about him, his family is nothin’ compared to the Friendship Mafia! We’re goin’ to be spreadin’ harmony across the whole city of Mareami, and then all of Equestria! You just wait, boy-os. We’re really gettin’ somewhere.” I said.

So the three of us went inside the fast food joint and got ourselves something to eat and we can relax. Meanwhile, at the tallest building in the whole city, the Bank of Equestria skyscraper in the Downtown area, lots of strange carriage vans that matched the one that wet me, those sons of doggies without any fathers! What were in the van were a bunch of masked robbers bursting inside the bank with meat cannons. Yes, meat cannons are a weapon, ponies hate meat, so much that they faint, maybe have a heart-attack, it depends on their blood pressure, age, or weight.

“ALRIGHT, NOPONY MOVE! EVERYPONY LAY DOWN ON THE GROUND NOW!” one of the robbers yelled.

“Now now, folks, we’re not here to hurt you. We just came here for the money and we’ll be on our way.” One of the other robbers said.

“Shut up! Go upstairs and take over the rest of the buildin’! We’re gonna make ourselves rich!” the first robber ordered them. The other robbers ran upstairs to take over the rest of the building. They shot meat at all the security guards that tried to attack, and they fainted.

“Sharks bite, fool!” one of the robbers said.

“Don’t tell them our group name, you idiot!” the other robber yelled at him.

“Well no one else is here, they’re all fainted. But wait, there’s a security camera.” The first robber pointed out.

“Oh dang! We gotta get to the security room and delete that footage!” the second robber said.

“But where is the security room?” the first robber asked.

“Oh man, I dunno! This is just great!” the second robber complained.

“Devil, Pear? Get yourselves down here, we need your help with the safe.” The robber leader ordered on their ear pieces.

“But we have a bit of a problem up here, man.” Devil said.

“On the double, Devil!” the leader said.

“Sure thing, boss.” Devil said.

Pear chuckled and said, “Double-Devil, that’s funny!”

“Yeah, hardy har har.” Devil said sarcastically and walked downstairs to help out their boys.

Meanwhile, back where we were, we were just finishing up our lunches and were talking. “Alright so, I was at the mall, right? This mare comes in and asks for money for shoes.” Clay said. “Shoes? Can you believe it?”

“I do, C. I dunno why. Most ponies don’t wear no shoes.” Annabelle said.

In the middle of our conversation, my phone started to ring again, so I picked it up. “Yo, what up?” I asked.

“Herb, it’s Star. We have a slight problem over at the bank Downtown. It looks like there’s a heist goin’ on.” Star said.

“Yeah, and?” I asked.

“Didn’t Poni tell us ‘bout we need to get the family to be noticed?” Star asked.

“What? You think stoppin’ a bank heist is gonna help?” I asked.

“Poni said we need to do somethin’ major, and this bank heist is just the thing! Meet Bright Wing at the airport. We have just the strategy to get inside the building. Ciao!” Star said and hung up.

“What?” I asked.

“What’s goin’ on, H?” Annabelle asked.

“It was Star Trot. There’s a bank heist goin’ on at the bank Downtown.” I said.

“Dude, that is like the biggest building in the whole city! Who would have the guts to rob that building? It’s almost as secure as Canterlot castle!” Annabelle said.

“Well, he also said to meet Bright Wing at the airport. Says there’s a strategy to get inside the buildin’.” I said.

“Did he say we had to come along?” Annabelle asked.

“No.” I said.

“Well we ain’t standing by. We’re helping a brother out!” Clay said.

“Well, it’s good to have you boys on board! Let’s get the Friendship Mob to be noticed, and that’ll bring us a step closer to joinin’ the Commission!” I said.

“YEAH!” Clay and Annabelle yelled and brohooved me.

So the three of us took a cab over to the airport quickly and met up with Bright Wing whom was near one of the helipads near the radar tower. “Herb, boys! Good to have you here! There’s a robbery at the bank of Equestria buildin’, and we need to stop them.” Wing said.

“So what’s the plan, fellow capo?” I asked.

“I’m goin’ to fly you and Annabelle on top of the buildin’ and you’re gonna skydive down.” Wing said.

“Skydivin’? Whoa, there’s nothin’ in the contract that said anythin’ ‘bout skydivin’.” I said.

“You didn’t even sign a contract. You know us Friendship mobsters don’t believe in contracts.” Wing said, smirking and throwing me a parachute.

“Where’s my parachute?” Clay asked.

“Umm, wings? You can just fly down?” Wing reminded Clay.

“Oh…. Right!” Clay remembered.

“Get in the chopper, boys! Get in!” Wing ordered excitedly. So the four of us went inside the helicopter, and Wing flown us over to the bank building, but waaaaay high in the sky.

“Alright! You boys know what to do right?!” Wing yelled because the helicopter motors being very loud.

“Yeah, we jump on the buildin’, reason with the robbers, one by one?!” I yelled.

“No, no! You have to reason with their leader, it’s much easier that way!” Wing yelled.

“How are we supposed to know who the leader is?!” Clay yelled.

“Spy on the robbers; see who’s givin’ the orders!” Wing yelled. “We’re nearin’ our destination! When I tell you to jump-“

“We say, how high!” Clay teased.

Wing glares at Clay for a moment and says, “No. You out of the chopper, and open the parachute when you feel the time is right. Remember, if you lean your legs back, the chute goes faster; if you lean them forward, you can slow down. Try to get on top of the buildin’, and don’t miss!” Wing instructed.

“What if we do?!” Annabelle asked.

“Well….. hope you don’t land in the middle of the street, or the ocean for that matter!” Wing yelled.

“But we’re nowhere near the ocean!” Clay reminded him.

“Trust me, beginner skydivers land at so many places they don’t expect! I remember one that landed at the Gatorglades swamps!” Wing yelled. “Oh! We’re nearin’ our destination! Get yourselves in position!” So the three of us leaned over towards the opened doors on the helicopter and were getting ready to jump out.

“You sure we should be doing this, H?!” Annabelle asked.

“Am I sure?! No, I’m not!” I yelled. “If this were for anythin’ else, I’d decline! But this is for the Friendship Mob, and if this is for the Friendship Mob, I’d be willin’ to do anythin’ to make sure Mareami is in harmony once again!”

“On your mark!” Wing yelled. “5…. 4….. 3….. 2….. 2 ½…… 2 ¾……

“CUT TO THE CHASE, WING!” I yelled.

“1….. JUMP!” Wing yelled as the three of us jumped off the chopper and started freefalling. Oh great, I got the Freefalling song stuck in my head now. And I’m freeeeeee, free falling! Oh, wait, I gotta stop thinking of that song. It’s giving me flashbacks. Back to the task at hoof. After a while, Annabelle and I pulled our parachute strings and started gliding around the skies.

“Oh man, I think I’m gonna be sick.” Annabelle said.

“What’s wrong, Annie? Not scared of heights are you?” I teased.

“Of course not! I’m just used to having my hind hooves on something, it feels funny not stepping on anything, holms.” Annabelle said.

“Relax man!” Clay said, spreading out his wings as we took out our parachutes. “It’s really nice up here! Freezing too. Get used to all that heat, you forget how cold the skies can be; short of oxygen too.”

“Hey, I think I can see theme parks from here.” I said.

“I think I can see the bank building from here.” Clay said.

“I dunno why you wouldn’t. It’s the biggest buildin’ in the whole city.” I reminded him. So we were so close to the building, and Annabelle and I made it to the roof, but Clay missed.

“I MISSED!” Clay yelled. “I’m going out of control! I’m gonna faaaaaalllll! AAAAAAAAAAH!”

We just rolled our eyes and Annabelle said, “You’re not fooling anyone, C. You can control your own wings, you know.”

Clay flew back up to us and said, “You dudes are no fun anymore.”

“Well, regardless, we made it. Now we have to get ourselves inside without the robbers knowin’.” I said.

“But what about the employees, H?” Annabelle asked.

“Yeah, good point.” I thought it over and said. “We should find ourselves to the security room and see what’s goin’ on down there. No doubt they’re bein’ held hostage. We can’t take any unnecessary risks.”

“I’ll be on it, brother. You two should go find the leader. I’ll head over to the security room and keep watch.” Clay said.

“By yourself?” Annabelle asked.

“Only one pony needs to take control of the monitors, and I’m that one pony! I can provide plenty of support from in there.” Clay said.

“Good idea, Clayton.” Annabelle nodded and said.

“I told you not to call me that!” Clay yelled.

Annabelle laughed and said, “Sorry ‘bout that, man.”

“Shhh! We gotta stay quiet though. If we give out too much noise, they’d know we’re here and our plan will be a failure.” I explained.

“Zip it, lock it, put in your pocket.” Clay said. “Oh, I almost forgot! I got us some ear pieces so we can keep in communication while we’re in there.”

“Nice work, bro!” I said as I took an ear piece, and Annabelle took one too, and we walked over to one of the rooftop vents, removed it, and went inside the shaft. We crawled through the shaft, Clay led the way while wearing his flashlight helmet. We tried our very best to make sure we didn’t make too much noise up there because the ducts seem a little unstable which makes too much noise. We really tried to stay quiet at this moment because there are robbers right below us. It was really dusty up there, and Annabelle was about to sneeze, but Clay held his nose just in time.

“Thank you, Clay.” Annabelle said thankfully. So we continued crawling through the ducts, and then….. Annabelle sneezed out of nowhere. We all got startled, since it was a really loud sneeze. I wouldn’t be surprised if the whole building heard it, but luckily, nopony did.

“Phew.” We all relieved ourselves, wiping our sweat, but the robbers from down below heard that.

“WHAT WAS THAT?!” one of the robbers yelled. “I heard relieving. Nopony should be relieved.

“Shhh.” I whispered. “Stay put, if we move, it would make too much noise.

“We know that, Herb. We’re not stupid.” Annabelle whispered.

“You think I knew that?” I whispered.

“Boss, I hear whispering on the twenty-second floor.” The robber said on his intercom.

“Search the area. We may have intruders.” The boss said.

“Got it.” The robber said as he walked around the hallway of that floor, searching through every room up there. When the robber got far away enough, we knew it was safe to crawl again.

Annabelle sniffles and says, “Herb, I think I need to sneeze again.”

“I knew we should’ve brought Angel instead.” Clay sighed and said.

“You think Angel is any better, Clay?” Annabelle asked angrily. “All he would’ve done is talked non-stop!”

“Like you?” Clay asked.

“SHUT UP!” Annabelle yelled, kicking his face.

“OW!” Clay yelled.

“SHHHHH!” I shushed them.

“What was that?” one of the robbers from down below asked.

“Probably just a drill.” The other robber said in a strange accent. “One time we had this drill, ah was finally gonna to boom mah marefriend, and then we had this drill, and she said there was no way.”

“Whatever.” The other robber said. “Let’s continue searchin’ the area. I know there are trespassers around here; we just need to find them.” The two robbers walked away.

“Wow these robbers are dumb.” I whispered.

“C’mon, we gotta keep moving.” Annabelle whispered. So we continued crawling through the dusty ol ducts, but then we stopped after Clay saw a room from below.

“Stop.” Clay whispered. “I see a security station down below.”

“But there’s a guard down there.” Annabelle whispered.

“Leave that to me.” Clay said mischievously. The guard down below was looking through the security monitors that showed almost every room in the building, including the vault where the money is stored. Clay moved the vent, jumped out and landed on the robber guard, which knocked the robber out. “Works every time.” Clay said.

“So what are you goin’ to do in here?” I asked.

“Well that’s a stupid question, Herb.” Clay said.

“I was just asking! GOSH!” I annoyingly said.

“Well, obviously I’m going to be looking through the security cameras around the building to see what’s going on. I can let you know what’s up ahead, and if there’s any robbers close to you. I can keep you two notified on the ear pieces of what’s going down.” Clay explained.

“Of course, what was I thinkin’?” I asked sarcastically.

“I can also help unlock CERTAIN locked doors, but not all of them.” Clay said.

“How about the vault?” Annabelle asked.

“If I can open the vault from here, the robbers would’ve done it already. You’re going to have to find another security station closer to the vault. I’ll keep you two notified.” Clay said. “Now there’s no time to waste. Time is money.”

“No, don’t say ‘time is money’, you’re makin’ it sound like this is our job.” I commented.

“This is our job.” Clay corrected me.

“Oh…. Right.” I said.

“No, go!” Clay ordered us. So Annabelle and I continued to crawl through the ducts, but to be honest, I didn’t know what to do next.

“Soooo… what are we supposed to do again?” I asked.

“Stopping the robbers from collecting the money in the vault.” Annabelle said.

“But I don’t think the Friendship mob is crime-fighters. We have to reason with these robbers.” I said.

“I know, but how, H?” Annabelle asked.

“I think I have a plan.” I said as I discussed the plan with Annabelle. Meanwhile, down at the vault, the robber leader was holding one of the bank managers at meat-point as the manager was trying to punch in codes on the vault to get it opened.

“Hey! What’s takin’ so long, bucko?” the robber leader asked impatiently.

“Hey, that word is a racist stereotype.” The manager said.

“OPEN THE VAULT!” the robber leader yelled.

“Ok, ok! This vault is going to take time to open though. I’ll need my keycard.” The manager said.

“And where is this keycard?” the leader asked.

“It’s in my office. Want me to go get it?” the manager asked.

“No! I don’t trust you. You’re gonna try funny business. I’ll go get it.” The leader said. “DON’T go anywhere. Stay here. If you try to escape, I got somepony watching over the security cameras.” The leader said.

“I read you loud and clear.” The manager said. The robber leader turned and walked out of the room, but just to be safe, he jumped back a few moments later to check on the manager. “What?” the manager asked.

“Just makin’ sure ya weren’t tryin’ anythin’ while I was gone.” The leader said.

“You searched me real good, there’s somepony in the security room watching, I’d be a complete idiot to try something.” The manager said.

The leader nodded and said, “You ain’t as dumb as you look.” The leader then turned around and started trotting over to the manager’s office to get his keycard.

The manager looked around suspiciously and said, “Ugh! My ear feels itchy.” The manager stuck his hoof inside an ear, but nopony knew there was a tiny silent alarm detonator inside his ear.

Meanwhile, over at MDPD (Mareami Dade Police Department), dispatch was watching the security feed around town jumped as the alarm went off on the interface. “Whoa! Somepony is robbing the Bank of Equestria building! Who has the guts to do that?” the dispatch officer turned on her radio and said, “Attention all officers, robbery in progress at the Bank of Equestria building downtown. Code 9612, robbers maybe armed and dangerous, silent alarm button switched on, this is not a drill, hostages maybe present.”

“Roger that, Dispatch. We’re on the move.” One of the officers said on his radio inside his carriage. “Ready for some real action, Wood?” the officer asked his partner.

“No, don’t say ‘ready for action’ and my name at the same time. It sounds weird.” Wood said.

“Whatever, Wood. It’s time to ROCK HARD!” the first officer yelled.

“Don’t say it like that eitheeeeeeeeeeeeeeer!” Wood said as the first officer started driving unexpectedly real fast which kinda surprised Wood.

As most of the officers around the city were on their way to the bank, the bank manager took his hoof out of his ear and said, “Alright, that’s better.” But just then the manager stuck his hoof in his ear again and said, “Ok, now it’s itching for real this time.”

The robber leader returned angrily and said, “I didn’t see your keycard in there.”

“Yeah, I’m terribly sorry. I actually found my keycard under the vault. I must’ve accidently dropped it.” The manager said embarrassingly and frightened.

“Well that BETTER be your only accident today, bucko!” the leader yelled.

“Language, please.” The manager asked as he slid his keycard through the vault slot and typed in the code to open up the vault. “Aaaaaand, OPEN!” the manager said in a Claptrap robot voice.

The vault door started to open, but slowly though. The robber leader just glared at the manager, and the manager just shrugged at him. When the vault door finally opened, the leader ran inside and started collecting the packaged money crates in the middle of the floor. “I’m collectin’ the money now!” the leader yelled out.

“Roger that, boss!” one of the robbers that’s holding the ponies up front hostage yelled back.

One of the hostages were laying on the ground near a purple one with a blonde mane right next to him, he whispered, “Psst, hey. I’m an FDA member. I’m about to take these rookies downtown. What’s your name?”

“Jerry Jam.” The purple pony whispered. “But I don’t think this is such a good idea, mate.”

“You’re right, Jer. It is, it is a bad idea, but you know what? I was also told that it was a bad idea to eat so many pies during the pie eating challenge. I had to get my stomach pumped, BUT I still won the game.” The other hostage whispered. “The world is full of bad ideas, my friend. You have to take risks to get what you really want.”

“Now listen, ponies.” One of the robbers started. “We’re your friends. Me and my brothers here-“

“Why you tell them we’re brothers idiot? That’s gonna be hard of them to find us, isn’t it?!” one of the other robbers yelled at the last robber talking to the hostages.

“I’m just to be honest with them. We put them through a lot today.” The first robber said.

“Forget you, and forget your cause! That nonsense is over! Polish Cheese ain’t the only thing that’s yellow, bits are too!” the other robber yelled.

“Now you said bloody ‘Polish’. That’s gonna narrow a search, isn’t it?” the first robber asked.

“Shut up! Grow a brain in that empty head of yours, then tell me what to do!” the other robber yelled.

“I’LL LET YOU TELL ME WHAT TO DO, WHEN THE DAY THAT MOM STOPS GOING TO HER BOOK CLUB!” the first robber yelled.

“MORONS!” the hostage that talked to Jerry yelled as he shot a mind-controlling dart at one of the more quieter robbers near the door, and that robber fell to the ground.

“TOLD YOU NOT TO MESS WITH US!” one of the robbers yelled, throwing a piece of meat on the hero’s face.

“AAAAH! It burns!” the hero yelled as he fell to the floor.

“NO! Devil! Speak to me Devil!” the robber yelled, running towards his friend. Devil was laying on the ground, trying to regain his senses. Devil could barely keep his eyes opened, but he did whimper. “Guys, he’s tryin’ to say somethin’!”

“T…this…. This is….” Devil whispered.

“This is what; and what is this?” the robber asked.

“T-this…. This is wrong.” Devil whispered.

“I know this is wrong. You can’t leave us!” the robber yelled.

“P-Pear…. Th-this…. Robbery….. is….. wr….wr….” Devil whispered. Pear looked at where Devil has been shot, and he saw the dart with the FDA logo on it.

“No! He’s became….. reasonable. Not Devil!” Pear cried. “We gotta help him!”

“It’s too late, Pear. He’s gone. He’s not who he used to be.” Pear’s brother said.

“Gość (Dude).... Dlaczego to ma się stać (Why did this have to happen)?“ Pear asked.

Pear’s brother paused in sorrow, and finally whispered, “The FDA.”

Jerry Jam listened to every word they said, and he whispered to himself, “The FDA.”

“Wait…. What’s that noise?” Pear asked as he heard sirens going on outside.

“Police sirens! Darn it, they know about this robbery!” Pear’s brother yelled.

“Don’t worry. I have a plan.” The robber leader said as he walked outside the vault with the manager at meat-point.

From outside the bank, the MDPD surrounds the building with carriages, pegasi, and magic riot shields. “ROBBERS! WE HAVE YOU SURROUNDED! COME OUT WITH YOUR HOOVES UP!” one of the cops yelled through the megaphone.

“Boss, they surrounded us!” Pear’s brother said to the leader.

“I know, but we’ll make them unsurround us. It’s time we gave the feds a little message.” The boss said mischievously.

After a few moments, the robber leader walks outside with the manager and meat-point and yells, “Officers! We mean no harm! All we want is the money, and we go!”

“Robber, please let go of the civilian, and come along quietly!” the cop with the megaphone yelled.

“Oh I’m afraid not!” the robber yelled holding a detonator. “You see, I have planted honey explosives on all the hostages! One false move and they all get their precious coats all sticky!”

“Hold your fire.” The cop said to his backups.

“I’m sure if we can find a way to be a little more….. reasonable, like the pony that took over my friend’s body, I’ll be sure to release all these hostages, and we can all go home.” The robber said. The cops all looked at eachother, wondering what their next move should be. “Take your time to think it over! We have all day.”

“Actually…. I have my daughter’s violin reception in one hour.” Pear’s brother said.

Suddenly, one of the officer’s phones started ringing. He took out his phone and answered it. “This is Officer M4 Gun.” He said. The pony on the other line talked over with the officer declaring what the next source of action will be. “Mhm. Mhm. Really? Are you sure? What signal? If you say so. Alright, got it.” M4 ended the call.

“Who was that, sir?” one of the other officers asked.

“I don’t know, but I was told by somepony to wait for the signal.” M4 said.

“What kind of signal?” the other officer asked.

“He said I’ll know it when I hear it.” M4 said. So all the officers stood down, and awaited to see what’ll happen next.

Author's Note

If you haven't noticed, this bank job has been referenced many times in the FiE series. Perhaps you were wondering what it all meant. ;)

The Chase

Annabelle and I eventually went out of the vents and started travelling on hoof through the corridors. These corridors were pretty clear, which made me feel a bit suspicious. “Clay, what’s the word?” I asked through my ear piece.

“The robbers are downstairs. The MDPD are outside.” Clay said.

“I told them to await the signal.” I said. “We have to reason with these ponies; otherwise, they might come back. We should make prison easy for them.”

“Doncha think this is a little useless, H?” Annabelle asked. “I mean, we’re doing a SWAT team’s job.”

“And risk these thieves to be killed by the SWAT team if they do anything stupid?” I asked. “I can’t have that. Plus, this is the best way for the Friendship Mob to be heard out there. You heard Poni, he wants to be on the Commission.”

“But the Commission is a CRIME organization. The Friendship Mob would never be able to be a part of it. It’s impossible.” Annabelle said.

“If we can persuade the Commission to do good instead of bad, this would create a new order for Equestria.” I said. “Poni said that the Commission would be able to contact mobs from all of Equestria, and if the other mobs were to gain harmony, Equestria would be a safer place. I mean, what the mobs want is money. That’s why they cause crime. If we were to turn them to crime-fighters, they could get funding, and the mobs will able to get whatever they want. Legal acts would be rewarded; that’s what Poni said.”

“Since when did Poni tell you all this?” Annabelle asked. “You just found out that he wants to be on the Commission after our game this morning.”

“I called him on the helicopter ride.” I said. “The Friendship Mob deserves to be on the Commission, and they could change the Commission into something greater.”

“Well, if we could get this job done, perhaps we can succeed in that quest.” Annabelle said.

“Then let’s head downstairs and try to talk to the head-thief.” I said. “If we can persuade him to come along quietly, this will make the Friendship Mob very known in the city; very powerful.”

“And power is what you Leafhorns wanted all along, am I right, H?” Annabelle asked.

“Yep! It’s a family trait that I cannot just let go.” I chuckled. So Annabelle and I snuck through the bank corridors and made our way towards the stairs. I pressed the elevator button, waiting for it to go up.

“Whoa, H! Not the elevator! They’ll notice something suspicious.” Annabelle said.

“Not big fan of stairs.” I admitted. “Makes me remind myself of the time I pushed Flare down the stairs inside a trash bin.”

“Forget about him, holms!” Annabelle complained. “Can’t you just accept the past and learn from it and just get on with your life?”

“It’s tough, man.” I said.

“I know it’s tough, but it’s all a thing in the past. Just… let it go.” Annabelle suggested.

“If you start singing that Frozen song, I swear.” I threatened him.

“I wasn’t planning to, H! Sheesh!” Annabelle complained.

So Annabelle and I both started walking down the stairs one floor at a time, and since we were near the roof, it got pretty tiring. “How much longer do we have to go?” I complained.

“We only went down two floors.” Annabelle reminded me.

“Spreadin’ the word of the Friendship Mob is really tough work, bud.” I said.

“Hey just be glad it’s me here and not the others.” Annabelle said.

“I know! Angel with his ‘streets’, Turnip with his jokes, and Clay’s super loud!” I complained.

“I HEARD THAT!” Clay yelled on my ear piece. “I’ll be sure to tell Angel and Turnip what you said too, you jerk!”

“Relax, Clay. My comment about you was probably the least insulting comment in the trio.” I said.

“I’m the only one that heard it, so perhaps you’re wrong.” Clay reminded me.

“Or maybe talking behind their backs is even more insulting. Ever thought of that, C?” Annabelle reminded him as he nodded at me mischievously.

“Wow… brother; you’re a saint with your logic.” Clay said.

“The way you talk, you sound like a church priest.” Annabelle said.

“I AM a church priest.” Clay informed me.

“Don’t you work at Galactic Studios?” I asked.

“On weekdays! Why else do you think I don’t work on weekends?” Clay reminded me. “I need the extra bits!”

“And so the Friendship Mob is considered a third job to you, huh?” Annabelle asked.

“No! I only have one job, and that’s Galactic Studios.” Clay corrected him. “Church is a favor from the Faust herself, and the Friendship Mob is a hobby.”

“Really now?” Annabelle asked.

“Yes, REALLY!” Clay said with an attitude. “Now how about you two shut your pie holes before you get caught?!”

“You’re right, H. He is loud.” Annabelle agreed with me. So Annie and I continued walking down the stairs. We were halfway down to the first floor, but we heard some hoof clops below us.

“Somepony’s coming.” I whispered.

“What are we going to do?” Annabelle asked. So as we thought out our plan, one of the robbers was walking up the stairs, but as he was walking to where we just wear, he looks up. Were we there? No of course not! So the robber shrugged and continued walking up the stairs. Annabelle and I opened that floor’s staircase door and walked back into the staircase corridors.

“See? I told you he’d be looking up. It’s never a good idea to hang above. Go the logical way. Like we just hid behind this floor’s staircase door.” I explained.

“Sweet thinkin’, holms!” Annabelle said.

“Let’s go.” I said as we continued walking down the stairs.

Meanwhile downstairs, some of the robbers were tying up the rest of the hostages on the honey explosives, including Devil. “Why are you doing this to me, man? We’re brothers!” Devil reminded Pear. “I mean, not biological brothers, but… you know.”

“You’re not my brother.” Pear said upsettingly. “He was taken away from us!”

“I’m still here though, Pear! I’m just a better pony now!” Devil said. Pear wiped the tears from his eyes and just walked to the other direction. “Please, Pear! Have harmony!”

“Oi vey.” Jerry Jam shook his head and said.

“You have a problem with this, buddy?!” Pear yelled at Jerry.

“Of course I have a problem with it.” Jerry said. “Somepony just force changed a pony. I mean, it’s nice that he discovered harmony, but ‘force’ change doesn’t sound right.”

“You got that right!” Pear agreed.

Annabelle and I made it to the second floor where Clay stopped us. “Stop there.” Clay instructed us. “Ok, to your right, there’s another vent. Go through it, and you should find your way on top of the vaults where the manager is being interrogated by the head robber.”

“Roger that, C.” I said. “Any resistance?”

“No, just the ones on the main floor and the one that walked upstairs a while ago.” Clay said. “Wait a minute… that robber is on this floor. Wait a minute. OH DANG!” Clay immediately turned around and saw the robber behind him. The robber pounces on Clay and holds him down by crushing his neck. Clay started to suffocate after the robber’s attack.

“Clay?” I called out on the ear piece. “Clay?! Clay are you there?”

Clay suddenly kicks the robber off of him and he yells, “THEY FOUND ME! Quick! Head into the vent!”

“We gotta help you!” Annabelle said.

“Forget me! I’ll be fine!” Clay yelled as he started fighting the robber. “Just go in the vent and head towards your objective!”

“Hey, boss, you’re about to have company.” The robber said on his ear piece.

“Ooooooh… me and my big mouth.” Clay complained.

So Annie and I crawled through the vents and we were right on top of the vault room. The manager was down there being interrogated by the head robber. “Now then… I’m going to ask you one more time.” The head robber started. “Punch in the code, or I’ll punch your shoulder so hard that it’ll break!” Man! Why is violence and weaponry so limited in this story?

“You’re robbing one of the greatest banks in Equestria, buddy. I hope you realize that this is a MAJOR crime.” The manager informed him.

“I’m willing to take that chance.” The robber said. “There’s probably billions of bits in that vault! This’ll make our clan very rich and powerful ponies! We’re making history here! This wasn’t a very easy heist to pull off, believe me. Lots of plannin’ had to be involved, like keepin’ an eye out for intruders is one.” The robber throws an explosive on the ducts we were in and the explosion caused the duct to fall. Wow, you can use explosives on objects, but not on other ponies? Just… wow. Annabelle and I groaned in pain after the duct falls. As we crawled out of it, the robber takes the manager on hammer-point to the shoulder. “Not another step!”

“I shoulda known that Clay wouldn’t keep his big mouth shut.” I said.

“I shoulda known that you and your clan would be the ones to attempt to stop us, Herb!” the robber said mischievously.

“How did you know my name? Who are you?” I asked.

“Dad’s new apprentice!” the robber as he unmasks himself. It was revealed to be my brother, Autumn.

“Autumn!” I yelled in surprise. “Y-you… you’re… you’re part of the Sharks mob?”

“Indeed I am, and I’m dad’s new apprentice!” Autumn said. “I’m glad you decided to turn good, bro, because if you haven’t, dad wouldn’t be payin’ much attention to me as it should be.”

“So how are we going to reason with him, Herb?” Annabelle whispered.

“Simple. I know him best. This should be a cake-walk!” I whispered back.

“If you’re plannin’ to use what the Friendship Mafia do best, to reason with me, you’re wastin’ you’re time, bro!” Autumn said. “You cannot reason with the Sharks mob. It may be simple to reason with ponies out on the streets, but that isn’t going to work for yours truly. You’re doing cop’s duty, bro. You may be able to stop hate on the streets, but you cannot stop robbers like us. The only way you could defeat us is to fight us.”

“Sounds fine by me!” Annabelle said mischievously. I didn’t say anything. I just stood there upsettingly.

“What are you waitin’ for, bro? Wanna fight me or what?” Autumn asked.

“I… I… I can’t fight my own brother.” I said upsettingly. “I mean… I already have to go against my own father, but my brother too?! This isn’t what I wanted. I wanted to bring peace to the streets of Mareami, not fight my own family.”

“Should’ve thought of that before, bro.” Autumn said mischievously. “You came all this way for nothin’ it seems! Well done!”

“Boss? We have a HUGE problem here!” Pear said on his ear piece.

“What’s wrong, Pear?” Autumn asked.

“The hostages are free, and they’re attac-“ Pear explained as his transmission cuts off.

“Pear? PEAR?!” Autumn yelled. He then turns to me and said, “Your distraction worked well, bro, but you foolishly revealed yourself. You won this round, Herb.” Autumn takes out a smoke bomb and places it on the ground and the room starts to get all smoky. Annabelle, me, and the manger all started coughing. When the smoke cleared, Autumn was gone.

“He’s gone, H.” Annabelle said.

“Not for long!” I said as I ran out of the vaults and started chasing my brother out of the bank. Clay was down there in the main hall with the freed hostages.

“Herb, where are you going? We won! We freed the hostages, and by the help of some purple blonde pony, we were able to free them without the robbers knowing!” Clay said excitedly.

“That’s nice, Clay, but I have to go after my brother!” I said as I ran outside. The cops all aimed their weapons at me, but the chief stopped them.

“Hold your fire!” M4 Gun ordered them.

“I’m gonna need to borrow your scooter, officer.” I requested.

“What for, citizen? What’s going on?” M4 asked.

“My brother, the leader of the robbers is getting away, and I have to stop him and find the leader of the whole Sharks operation!” I explained.

“Wait a minute, aren’t you a Leafhorn? A Leafhorn is the leader of that gang as well. Why are you against him?” M4 asked.

“He lied about my family’s history, now I have to get him before he gets away!” I yelled.

“Get on the scooter.” M4 said.

“But sir?” one of the cops asked curiously.

“But one question, Leafhorn: who are you really and what’s your deal?” M4 asked as I hopped onto the scooter.

“I’m Herb Leafhorn, Jr.” I said. “I’m a capo of the Friendship Mafia, and we just saved those hostages’ flanks!” I then started to drive off on the scooter. My brother was far ahead, but I could still see him. Using the scooter, I dodged carriages, and a lot of them were yelling at me and thought I was a reckless driver, but this was a personal matter I had to deal with. I’m just surprised the cops LET me go get him. The Guns are a pretty gullible family, I’ll give you that. It’s probably why Flare’s uncle over there gave me his scooter.

I was pretty good at driving scooters. I was able to dodge everything in my path; well… almost everything. I accidently hit a hot carrot dog cart and carrots, buns, and condiments were flying everywhere. “HEY! What do you have against the wieners?!” the merchant complained.

So I continued chasing my brother, and I eventually caught up with him. He looked back and saw me on his tail (not literary). “HEY! We’re scooter brothers! Scoooooooter brotheeeeeers!” I yelled out to him.

“You’re chasing me, huh?” Autumn asked. “Good! Pop would love to see you!”

“It’s what I’m hoping for!” I said. Just then, my phone started to ring. It was Annabelle. “Yo, Annie! What up?”

“Herb, I know what you’re doing! Don’t do it!” Annabelle begged.

“I have to do it, Annie! I’m not hiding from my dad anymore!” I said.

“At least get us to help you! We’ll form an attack!” Annabelle suggested.

“This is a family matter, A. I’m going to end this, here and now! Good-bye!” I said as I hung up. I knew I was getting myself into. I knew Autumn was leading me into a trap. It was the best way for me to see my pop and reason with him. I don’t want the Friendship Mob to start a gang war with his mob. I love my pop, but I have to tell him about what truly happened in the past, and why I’m in the position I am now.

“Still chasing me, Herb?” Autumn asked.

“I wanna see pop!” I said.

“That why you’ve been chasing me this whole time?” Autumn asked. “Well of course I’ll lead you right to pop! He’d be dire to see you! Maybe he can reason with you and you could join us, and be the second-favorite! I’m reasonable like that.” I knew he was jealous but I know he wouldn’t harm me either. I kept on chasing him all the way to a neighborhood in the Fort Mares district. He stopped right in the middle of the road and climbed out of his scooter. I eventually stopped a yard from him and got out of my scooter as well.

“So, Autumn, tell me… when’s the ambush going to start?” I asked.

“To be honest, it should’ve started already. Where are the Sharks?” Autumn asked. Just then, Autumn’s phone started ringing, and he answered it. “Hello?”

“Yeah, Autumn… umm… I think we’re in the wrong neighborhood.” The mobster on his phone said.

“I figured. The ambush should’ve started by now!” Autumn complained.

“No I mean… we’re at the wrong neighborhood.” The mobster said as he and his group were about to get beaten up by some neighborhood street gangstas.

“You’re darn right you’re in the wrong neighborhood, homie!” one of the gangstas said mischievously. Autumn hangs up the phone.

“Wow, you didn’t even say good-bye? You’re definitely not Friendship Mob material.” I complained.

“So you really want to see pop, huh?” Autumn asked.

“Don’t worry, it’s all personal, not business.” I said.

“I don’t think he’d want it any other way.” Autumn said as he chuckles evilly.

Author's Note

The first chapter I made since I took a LONG break from this to remake FiE! Things are getting interesting aren't they? At this point is when I confirmed there'll be 15 chapters in this story, and they're mostly shorter than the FiE chapters; same goes with the FDA chapters I'm going to be making in the future.

Father-Son Bonding

Meanwhile over at the Bank of Equestria, Annabelle was still trying to get a hold of me, but I haven’t been answering my phone for him. “Idiot!” Annabelle mumbled angrily to himself.

“Still not answering his phone?” Clay asked.

“No!” Annabelle said.

“Then what?” Clay asked.

“I meant no as in he hasn’t.” Annabelle corrected him.

“It’s weird that ‘no’ in that context could mean two different things.” Clay said.

“What up my peeps?” Turnip Orange asked as he joined the duo along with Angel.

“C’mon, man! It ain’t Easter, man!” Angel reminded him.

“Will you two quit foolin’ around?” Clay asked. “Herb’s not answering his phone!”

“Does it ring and go to voice mail, or go straight to voice mail?” Turnip asked.

“Goes straight to voice mail.” Annabelle said.

“His line is probably busy.” Turnip thought.

“No it’s not. He probably turned off his phone so he wouldn’t hear the ‘garbage’ I have to say to him and how much of an idiot he is to go after his brother.” Annabelle said.

“He’s going after his brother, man?” Angel asked. “Why?”

“Turns out he was the leader of this pack of robbers. The cops are arresting them now, but the leader, Autumn Leafhorn, has escaped.” Annabelle said.

“He journeyed to the dark side, man.” Angel said upsettingly. “I always thought of Autumn as a good guy, man.”

“Herb never trusted him.” Annabelle said. “He’s been wanting Herb Senior’s attention since childhood, but nope, he mainly focused on his son, Herb Jr.”

“This is deep, man.” Angel said.

“Indeed it is.” Clay nodded. “I know for sure that Herb is being lured into an ambush.”

“Did he say where he was going?” Turnip asked.

“He didn’t, brother.” Clay shook his head. “He could be anywhere in the city, and we have to find him.”

“I think I might have one idea.” Turnip said.

“Oh? Do tell.” Annabelle listened.

“Give me your phone.” Turnip instructed him.

“Get your own phone!” Annabelle whined.

“It’s only for a second.” Turnip said.

“How do I not know you’re going to steal it?” Annabelle asked.

“You don’t.” Turnip smirked at him.

“Fair enough.” Annabelle said as he gives Turnip his phone and he starts playing around with it. “What are you doing?”

“Do you have a call location app on your phone?” Turnip asked.

“Actually I do.” Annabelle said.

“Perfect!” Turnip said. “With it, we can trace the location on the place you talked to Herb. We’ll be able to know the spot where we last hung up on you, and that’s where we’re going to start.”

“Excuse me? Are you Clayton Cement?” one of the cops asked.

“CLAY Cement. I don’t like to be called Clayton!” Clay complained.

“We realized you hacked into the bank’s security mainframe.” One of the cops said.

“And what proof do you have on it?” Clay asked.

“You didn’t log out of your Facebook.” The cop said.

“Oh… right.” Clay said embarrassingly.

“We’ll need your assistance in fixing up the mainframe.” The cop said.

“And if I don’t?” Clay asked.

“You’ll be arrested for hacking a bank’s security system.” The cop said.

“Oh c’mon, that’s not fair!” Clay complained. “I helped stop the convicts!”

“That is police business, my friend. It’s either you help, or you’ll have your part in the court case, as well as your friends.” The cop said.

“UGH! Fine!” Clay groaned.

“Good choice.” The cop nodded.

“I’m sorry, brothers. I have to do this.” Clay said to the others.

“Go ahead, Clay. We’ll be able to find Herb by the time you’re done.” Annabelle promised.

“Hope so.” Clay said as he followed the cop inside the building.

“Ok so Annabelle,” Turnip started, “you’ll be using your phone’s tracking device to let us know where to go. Angel and I are going to go find Herb. Once we find his location, we’ll call for the mob’s help.”

“Are you sure you don’t want me to come with you?” Annabelle asked.

“You did very well on this bank job, Ann.” Turnip said as he patted his shoulder. “You deserve a well needed rest.”

“Well since you put it that way, alright.” Annabelle nodded. “I’ll keep you in touch via ear piece.”

“Got it.” Turnip nodded.

“Let’s go save our man, man!” Angel said excitedly. Angel attaches himself onto the mob carriage he and Turnip used to get to the bank, and Turnip hops onto one of the carriage seats. “You sure he deserves that rest, man?”

“Sure he does! I mean, it’s not like he and Clay NEEDED our help in the bank job and have him go further up the ranks before we do!” Turnip said.

“Good point, man.” Angel nodded as he starts pulling the carriage away from the bank’s parking lot, and he started riding along the downtown area.

Meanwhile, inside one of the houses at Fort Mares, Autumn took me to see my pop, Herb Leaforn Sr. He was sitting down in front of an ice-place, which is like a fireplace, but instead of warm, it’s cool. That’s Mareami for ya!

“Pop.” I said.

“Son.” He said as he turned his chair around. “I was wondering when you’d come back. How’s my loving ex-wife?”

“I don’t know. I haven’t spoken to her in weeks.” I admitted.

“It’s a pity.” He said. “I do miss her so very much.”

“She knew you were a criminal.” I said.

“Oh she did, did she?” he asked. “Hmm… interesting. She knew I like to rob places, whack ponies, deal with wiseguys… it’s all part of the mob business, son. Unlike that Friendship Mob of yours. It ain’t even a real mob! They ain’t even mercenaries! They’re just a bunch of wiseguys tryin’ to save lives to cry out for attention, deal with karma, or maybe work along side feds and become the most powerful mob in the history of mobs.”

“The Friendship Mob is powerful because of its spirit.” I said. “We don’t care for money or crime. We want to set things straight. We’re tired of bullies, hatred, and disharmony. Ruining the lives of the Guns was a big mistake.”

“They deserved it. They ruined everything for us Leafhorns! Marerami belonged to us! Then the Guns came and killed our ancestor, Weed, and took over like the stubborn dogs they are!” my dad explained.

“Mareami never belonged to the Leafhorns.” I corrected him.

“Right, right, yeah bring those foolish Jams into this! Look I don’t even think those Jams actually came here first! If you ask me, they came in at the middle of our clan war and just fed us all lies!” my dad explained. “Maybe instead of picking on the poor Gun kid, you should’ve picked on that Jam kid instead that went to the school.”

“That Jam kid was actually the voice of reason.” I said. “I should’ve listened to him from the start. The Jams own Mareami’s land, they’re a powerful family, and they know best. They’re a reasonable family. If they weren’t around, it’s either the Leafhorns or the Guns that would’ve been wiped out of Equestria.”

“As it should be… for the Guns that is.” my dad said.

“Our ancestors have been passing down lies for centuries!” I said. “The Leafhorns were always an angry family, full of negativity. The Guns, however, was such a positive family, and then we’d have to get to get in the way and crush their spirit for something that happened in the past!”

“You talk like you’re not a Leafhorn.” My dad said. “You’d betray your family for these urban legends? The Guns killed Weed Leafhorn in cold blood! Their happy spirit is only a front to make us Leafhorns look bad! Now the Guns are spreading! That kid you bullied moved to Ponyville and has befriended the ponies who hold the Elements of Harmony, as well as a Wonderbolt, an astronomer, a replica from a game, and two others! He’s becoming a greater threat to us!”

“You mean a greater inspiration.” I corrected him.

“AN INSPIRATION!?” my dad yelled as he slammed his hoof on the table beside me. “HOW DARE YO- oh woops. My drink fell.”

“I’ll get it pop!” Autumn offered as he walks over to the spilled drink and cleans it up.

“See Herb? Autumn is a good son! He’s the best son I could hope for!” my dad said. “It would’ve been you if you just listened to me, but nooooo, you decided to play nice.”

“I did NOT play nice.” I corrected him. “I did something worse than just physical pain. I gave Flare a friend and a marefriend, and then I made them both betray him, and they were ok with it! That is worse than any type of physical pain I could think of!”

“I’m surprised you’re even thinking, Herb.” Pop said. “If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’ve graduated school. You’d be stuck in Kindergarden learning to count. I gave you everything! I let you cheat your way out of school, I give you money, I give you power, AND THIS IS HOW YOU REPAY ME?!”

“Our ways are wrong, pop! Our history is wrong!” I said.

“I’m gonna make you eat those words!” my dad threatened me.

Meanwhile outside, Angel and Turnip were riding along the streets (as Angel likes it), and they reach the fork of the road where my signal was last dropped. Wait, was it a fork in the road, or was it a round-about? I forget. As I said in the beginning of the story, I’m not the smartest fella out there. Well, when Angel and Turnip reached the… location, Annabelle said on the ear piece, “That’s it! That’s the location! That’s where I lost Herb’s signal. The trail should be cold by now.”

“No it’s not.” Turnip said. “There’s only two possible roads to take that leads into two different neighborhoods. Herb has to be one of them.”

“HONK! HEY! HONK, HONK!” a carriage driver yelled angrily behind them. “You’re holdin’ up traffic over here!”

“Sorry, man!” Angel yelled as he pulls his carriage over to the side of the road so traffic could flow through. “So which neighborhood do you think my man Herb is?” he asked.

“Well I’m showing tire marks going in both directions.” Turnip said. “How about you search one neighborhood, and I search the other?”

“I guess I’ll take the left.” Angel said.

“Sweet, I’ll go right.” Turnip said.

“I’m taking the carriage with me, man, because I don’t want it towed, man.” Angel said.

“Go ahead, take it.” Turnip offered. “If I find Herb, I’ll need a getaway driver.”

“And if I find Herb, we’ll pick you up, man.” Angel said.

“Sounds like a plan. Good luck!” Turnip said as he walks over to the neighborhood on the right, while Angel takes the left neighborhood. “I do hope Herb is alright.” Turnip said to himself. “If he’s gonna die…. I hope he lets me have his TV.”

Back with my pop and I, I explained to him everything; even about how wrong he was about our past. “So… it was all an act of self-defense, huh?”

“It’s true, pop. It opened my eyes. The Guns are innocent!” I said.

“They killed your ancestor and yet you call them INNOCENT?!” my dad yelled. “You’re more of an idiot than I thought.”

“No, pop, for once you’re the idiot.” I said.

“How dare you?!” my dad yelled as he slammed on the table and stood up from his chair. “The Friendship mob has brainwashed you blind! The Friendship mob is not a mob that could get jobs done! They won’t mind their own businesses! The Friendship mob is a stubborn gang, Herb. Do you want to be selfish just like them? They can’t leave everypony alone?”

“But your gang is a crime family! You’re running an illegal business!” I reminded him.

“At least we don’t interfere in other pony’s personal lives! We’re straight with other ponies!” my dad said. “All we do is destroy shops for protection money, loan shark, bomb carriages, rob places, smuggle, sell illegal animal crackers, and destroy other gangs that get in our way! We don’t care about the other pony’s lives, son. We just ruin them.”

“Well the Friendship Mob is different.” I said. “We fix shops and give them money, we don’t loan because we just suggest ponies to going to banks if they want loans, we don’t bomb carriages we clean the mess other thugs do to them, we don’t smuggle we legally ship, we sell legal foods, and we reason with other gangs that get in our way. We care about pony’s lives, pop. We make them better.”

“You just said exactly what I said but opposite.” My dad pointed out.

“Yeah we did it in reverse.” I said.

“No you idiot, if you did in reverse you would’ve said exactly what I said but in the opposite order. Good Faust, you’re dumb!” my dad complained. “This is why your brother is my apprentice instead of you now.”

“I get the job done, bro.” Autumn said. “I earned pop’s trust after I told him you used Swinebutt and Blueberry Pie to ruin Flare’s life instead of doing it the way he told you.”

“Wait… IT WAS YOU! You were the one that taddle-tailed on me!” I yelled. “It was you that told pop about my plans! YOU were the reason I lost his trust with him!”

“That I did.” Autumn nodded. “But why do you care? Do you want his trust? He’s a criminal and you’re a crime-fighter. You’re two complete opposites. I did you a favor, bro.”

“You ruined my relationship with him!” I yelled angrily.

“Herb... you never had a relationship with him.” Autumn corrected me. “You always wanted to go your own path. You were always soft. It happened before, Herb. You’re not the only one that betrayed the family. It has been that way for generations. Every time a Leafhorn betrayed the family, they thought they could make a difference, but they didn’t. They ended up disowned and banished. That’s what pop’s going to do to you.”

“Not yet.” My dad said. “There’s still a little hope for you, Herb. You can redeem yourself to me. You still have a chance to redeem your family name.”

“Oh yeah?” I asked.

“Yeah. I’ll bring you back into my life, but you just have to do me one favor.” My dad said.

“I’m not a criminal, pop. I don’t want to ruin any more lives.” I said.

“You must.” My dad said. “What you want is to redeem the Leafhorn family name, and make the name mean something here in Mareami. Don’t worry about the Guns, son. I’ll handle them now.”

“No more ruining the lives of the Guns?” I asked.

“No, you won’t have to do that anymore.” My dad said. “I realize how hard it was for you, but I’m a reasonable fella. I’m your father, and I’m supposed to be there for my kid. I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you, son.”

“You are?” I asked.

“Of course!” my dad said. “You’re probably right. Whatever the Guns did… it was all a thing in the past. Time’s have changed now. All I want now is to be rich and powerful. Forget the Guns! Whatever happened in the past stays back there. The Leafhorn name just has to mean something in this town, and we’re going to show this town what the Leafhorn family name is all about!”

“That’s true, pop.” I nodded. “I really want to redeem our family name out there. I always did.”

“And you will, after one more job I have for you, and then you’re free.” My dad said.

“Free as a bird now!” Autumn said.

“Ok shut up, I know you’re my apprentice, but no one likes a suck-up.” My dad complained to Autumn. “Now then, Herb, lemme explain to you on what you have to do to get off my hit-list!”

“I’m listening.” I said. So after my dad explained what I needed to do, I was free to go. I left his house and I walked out into the street, where I met up with an old friend.

“HERB!” Turnip cried out. “Are you alright, bro?”

“I’m fine, Turnip.” I nodded upsettingly.

“Are you sure? You seem a little down.” Turnip said.

“I’m fine.” I said. “How did you find me?”

“A true genius never reveals his secrets!” Turnip said mischievously.

“I should tell all of you to uninstall the phone tracking app from your phones.” I said with an attitude. “Did anypony else come?”

“Angel checked out another neighborhood.” Turnip said. “I should give him a call and tell him I found you.” So Turnip takes out his phone and gives Angel a call.

“Yo!” Angel said on the other line.

“Hey, Angel! I found Herb. We’ll be heading back to the HQ in a bit.” Turnip said.

“That’s nice, man, but can I have a little help with these streets, man?” Angel asked.

“And why is that?” Turnip asked.

“YO IN THE WRONG NEIGHBORHOOD AS WELL, PLAYA!” a gangsta pony yelled from the phone.

“MAN! These streets are dangerous, man!” Angel yelled.

“We’ll come and get you. Bye.” Turnip said as he hung up. “Can you help me out, Herb?”

“Of course I will.” I nodded. “I’m gonna need all of you to help me out anyway.”

“For what?” Turnip asked.

“I… I need to see Poni.” I said.

“For what reason?” Turnip asked.

“If I’m to get my pop to stop hunting for me, I need to take care of something first.” I said.

Author's Note

It's about time to see what Herb Sr. and Autumn Leafhorn have been up to these past years. I'm pretty excited of what's going down! Chapter 9 is going to be the last chapter in this story, Chapter 10 is going to feel somewhat familiar, and after I make the FDA spin-off, I'll be making chapters 11-15, which will be the last story in this spin-off.

Sayonara Cipriani

“Thanks for bringing back my scooter, kid.” Officer M4 Gun said to me. “I dunno why I trusted you, but there was just something about you that I could trust.”

“Thanks, officer.” I said. “Really I need to fulfill a debt I owe, and I really needed to chase down my brother. Those sharks are really a Hell of trouble, y’know?”

“I understand.” Officer M4 nodded. “You feel bad for ruining my nephews life here and you wish to fix the problem you caused.”

“That’s right.” I said.

“Well good. It’s like giving you a ticket for community service, but instead, I didn’t have to waste any paper or ink. Good work! If more criminals were like you, there’d be more criminals being reformed instead of arrested.” Officer M4 said. “I’d rather have the reforming criminals more because it’s a lot less paperwork on my desk.”

“That’s what the Friendship Mob is all about, officer.” I said. “Turning criminals, bullies, and those with disharmony into well-taught, debt-fullfilling individuals, and you know what? It feels good.”

“It’s like watching My Name is Earl.” Officer M4 said.

“OH, MAN! I loved that show!” Angel said excitedly. “It’s too bad that cancelled it on a cliffhanger, man. It was an amazing show!”

“I know.” I nodded.

“Yo, brothers!” Clay said excitedly as he joined us as he exits from the bank. The main reason we were here was to wait for him to come out because I needed his help.

“Alright, Clay, you’re free to go.” M4 said. “All of you, clean the streets when you can. If you need help ever, call me. I’d be willing to assist any way I can.”

“We’ll try to remember that, thank you!” I said. Officer M4 walks away.

“So, H, you found your brother and your dad, huh?” Annabelle asked.

“Yeah, but he’s going through some trouble right now.” Turnip said. “His dad would stop hunting for him if Herb does one last job for him.”

“Well, Herb? What’s up?” Annabelle asked.

“Well… I needed all of you with me because… I can’t do this alone.” I said. “It might stand against my oath to keep peace.”

“What did he ask for you to, man?” Angel asked.

“We’ll be there to help any way we can, brother.” Clay said.

“Whatever you want, man, we have your back always.” Angel said.

“You know it, brother!” Clay said.

“Man.” Angel said.

“Brother.” Clay said.

“Man.”

“Brother.”

“MAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!” Angel yelled in Clay’s face.

“Whoa!” Clay yelled in surprise. “Ok, ok, calm down, brother!”

“GUYS!” Turnip yelled.

“Man!” Angel yelled.

“Brother!” Clay yelled.

“Herb’s in trouble right now and we need to assist him with his problem. It’s part of Friendship Mob duty!” Turnip explained.

“We’re listening, H.” Annabelle said. “No matter what happens, we’ll have your back every step of the way.”

“Are you sure you’ll be able to help me with this?” Angel asked. “It’ll stop my dad from hunting for me, but it’ll involve doing something evil.”

“What is it, ese?” Annabelle asked.

“I…” I stuttered. “I… umm…”

“Spit it out, man!” Angel demanded.

“Don’t rush him, Angel.” Clay instructed him.

“What happened to brother?” Angel asked.

“What happened to man?” Clay asked.

“You know, you dudes aren’t makin’ this any easier for me!” I said angrily.

“Umm, how about we all head to our usual hang out and discuss it over some appetizers?” Annabelle suggested. So the five of us went over to Applebees and we split a few appetizers.

“Thanks for taking us here, A.” I said as I took a mozzarella stick and dipped it. “I’ve been so stressed out lately over the fact that I have to betray a friend to get my pop off my back.”

“You have to betray a friend?” Annabelle asked.

“Yes.” I said as I took a bite from the mozzarella stick. “I’ve joined the Friendship Mafia for a purpose. I hired Blueberry Pie and Porker Swinebutt to chase Flare out of town by betraying him, and I felt bad over all of it, and I never betrayed him. Now though… now it’s different. I have to actually betray somepony.”

“It’s Angel right?” Turnip teased.

“Nah, man! He wouldn’t do that!” Angel corrected him. He then started to get a little nervous, and then he looked at me and asked, “Would you, Herb? Would you actually betray me?”

“Why would I betray YOU, Angel?” I asked.

“Yeah, we’re all here. Herb is telling us this. It’s obviously not us, it’s somepony else.” Clay explained.

“You’re right, Clay.” I said.

“Are you gonna finish that?” Clay asked as he pointed to the spinach dip.

“Knock yourself out.” I offered as I slid over the spinach dip to him.

“Yay!” Clay cheered.

“Who’s the pony you’re going to betray, Herb?” Annabelle asked.

“The don.” I said hesitantly.

“Poni Cipriani?” Angel asked.

“No the OTHER don!” Turnip said sarcastically.

“Shush, man! I didn’t know!” Angel complained.

“So your dad wants to you betray Poni Cipriani? Why?” Annabelle asked.

“Poni’s the don of the Friendship Mafia.” I said. “He obviously wants me to get rid of Poni so the mob would be weakened dramatically, and the mob won’t be a problem to him anymore.”

“Wow… that’s heavy, holms.” Annabelle nodded.

“GREAT SCOTT!” Clay gasped.

“What?” Annabelle asked.

“Just referencing.” Clay said.

“So does your dad want you to kill Poni?” Annabelle asked.

“He doesn’t care what I do to him as long as I get rid of him.” I said.

“This sucks, man.” Angel said. “Cipriani’s been straight with us since even before we met him.”

“Yeah, this is going to be rough on you, isn’t it?” Annabelle asked.

“What if you don’t do it?” Clay asked.

“If I don’t do it, my pop’s going to continue to hunt me down and probably deal with Poni himself. I don’t want my pop to get to him; I don’t want him hurt. I’m just going to threaten Poni to leave town, and he probably will, and… that’s it.”

“What’s going to happen to the mob though?” Annabelle asked.

“I dunno.” I said. “Either somepony else will have to run it, or it’ll be finished, done, ciao. Arrivederci!”

“Well… if that’s what it takes… I’ll help you out, H.” Annabelle said.

“As will I.” Turnip said.

“For the streets, man!” Angel said.

“If you let me have the rest of those casadias, I’m in!” Clay said.

“Then it’s settled.” I nodded. “Tonight, Poni Cipriani will be banished from Mareami.”

“Then let’s do it!” Annabelle said mischievously. So after we ate, we all went over to the carriage to get some of our supplies and weapons ready. I didn’t want to do this, but I had to. It’s the only way to get the Sharks off our tails. Wow… the way I said it… wow. So we take the carriage over to Little Hoovana, and we park in front of Poni’s house. “Are you sure you want to go through with this, H?” Annabelle asked as he places his hoof on my shoulder.

“No.” I said. “I know I don’t want to do it. Am I sure that I need to do this? No, I’m still not sure, but I can’t think of any better ideas. If any of you do, please, enlighten me.”

“Can we get some ice cream after this?” Clay asked.

“Only if it sells soy too. I’m lactose intolerant.” Turnip said.

“Then let’s do this.” I said upsettingly. So the five of us hopped out of the carriage and started walking over to Poni’s place. We rung the doorbell, and Bright Wing came and answered it. Bright Wing glared at us once he answered it.

“We’ve expectin’ yous.” Bright Wing said.

“I wouldn’t be surprised.” I said.

“The don is waitin’ for yous.” Bright Wing said as he moves out of the way so we can walk inside. The five of us walked in as Clay was admiring the scenery.

“Nice place, brother!” Clay said.

“Hmph.” Bright Wing pouted.

“What’s his problem?” Clay asked Turnip.

“Bad day?” Turnip shrugged.

“Please give me your weapons before entering the don’s office.” Star Trot requested as he takes all of our weapons.

“Awww.” Turnip whined. “Makes me look awesome.”

“You may enter now.” Star said as he moves out of the way and allows us to enter Poni’s office. As the five of us walk inside his office, Star and Wing both enter behind us, aiming their water guns on our backs.

“Well, there goes my dry cleanin’.” Clay said.

“Herb Leafhorn.” Poni Cipriani said as his chair was turned towards the back wall.

“Boss.” I said.

“You mean ex-boss, don’t you?” Poni asked.

“You heard?” I asked.

“I don’t know who to trust these days so I sent Bright Wing and Star Trot to spy on you.” Poni said as he turns his chair. “You really want to betray me, huh?”

“Boss, it’s not like that, not like that at all!” I begged. “I was given no choice. My pop, he… he promised to leave the gang alone if the only way to do it was to get rid of you.”

“I knew you’d still have feelings for your pop, kid.” Poni said.

“I have mixed feelings for him, boss.” I said. “He’s my pop, and I don’t want to fight him. I joined this mob to bring peace, and getting rid of you means bringing peace to the street, do I have a choice?”

“Do yous?” Poni asked.

“Not that we could think of.” Turnip admitted.

“Yous ponies are all the SAME!” Poni yelled as he slides random objects off his desk out of anger. “Yous say you wanna bring peace to the streets, but really all yous want is power! Don’t yous deny it!”

“All I want is peace, boss.” I said. “I also need to redeem my family name some how.”

“And yous think yous gettin’ rid of me is gonna do that?” Poni asked.

“I don’t know.” I said.

“You don’t know. You… don’t… know.” Poni said. “Kid, if I learned one thing about Mareami is that everypony is stupid. Take a look around! Surrounded by idiots!” I turned around and looked at my friends. Turnip was picking his nose, I knew Clay wanted ice cream, Angel might say something stupid and say the word ‘man’ multiple times, but Annabelle… Annabelle… he’s the only sane one in the bunch. He’s even smarter than I. He’s a very loyal friend, and knows exactly what to do. He’s been by my side for as long as I could remember. Annabelle did nothing to harm anypony.

“What? Why are you staring at me, H?” Annabelle asked. I then looked back at Poni.

“You’re right, boss. I am surrounded by idiots.” I agreed.

“HEY!” Turnip whined.

“Man that’s not cool.” Angel said.

“But you know what else? We’re all idiots.” I said. “But that’s ok. We’re idiots that are like family. I wouldn’t do a thing to hurt them. I’d stay by their side no matter what.”

“But you can hurt me?” Poni asked.

“I don’t want to hurt you, boss. How many times do I have to say it?” I complained. “I’m only gettin’ rid of you to protect my family: Turnip Orch, Clay Cement, Angel Heartstrings, and Annabelle; plus, I’m tryin’ to save the family. That includes Bright Wing and Star Trot over there. Sacrifices must be made. I can’t risk this mob to be in ruin because this mob is my life. It’s all of our lives. I just don’t want my pop to lay his greasy filthy hooves on it. I mean really, he barely washes his hooves. They smell like something died in a junkyard.”

Poni was pretty surprised about that speech I had. He nodded and then he took out his pipe and inhaled it, and then bubbles popped out of the end. “Yous really enlighten me, kid. You’re not as much of an idiot as I thought yous was.”

“I’m only doin’ what I think is best, boss.” I said. “You’re like family to me, man.”

“Yous make a good point.” Poni nodded. “Yous would sacrifice me for the sake of the mob? Not for your own personal desires?”

“The only thing I desire is harmony.” I said. “The Leafhorns had taken it away from this city, and now, I’m going to bring it back.”

“Then I’m willin’ to accept my fate.” Poni said as he takes out a piece of paper from his drawer and places it on his desk and places a pen.

“What’s this?” I asked.

“It’s a contract.” Poni said. “Sign this, and the Friendship Mob is yours. I’ll leave town tomorrow, and you’ll have the peace yous desire.”

“You’re bluffin’.” I thought.

“Do I look like a joker to you, kid?” Poni asked. Wow, I couldn’t believe it. Poni was willing to leave town for the sake of his mob. Poni truly showed to me the ultimate test of what the Friendship Mafia is all about. He was willing to pack up and end his career as the don just so the peace could continue. Did I betray Poni’s trust, or did I gain it even more? Just then, I started to gain flashbacks. I looked at Poni Cipriani and when I looked at him, I saw Flare. I saw his sad-looking eyes after Swinebutt betrayed him. I remembered how angry he was. He went berserk and destroyed Swinebutt’s lab, and then Swinebutt gets struck by lightning, grows a scar on his face, and he becomes a changed pig. I made Swinebutt an evil pig, but betraying Flare made him even more evil. Would the same thing happen to me if I betrayed Poni?

Just then, I just remembered, my pop will get off my back if I do this so… I decided to improvise. I’m going to start signing the contract, and it’ll give me a time pressure so it’ll help me think about what I should do and be sure about it. So I started signing the contract, but the pen wasn’t writing. I tried scribbling, but there was no ink. “Umm, boss? Can I have a new pen? This one’s out of ink.” I said.

“Sure.” Poni said as he takes out a new pen and scribbles it on the paper, and then he gave it to me. “Ok this one works.”

“Thank you.” I said as I took the pen. Wow… he gave me a pen! Not even my own pop gives me a pen. I suddenly made my final decision. “Pone, I hope you could understand that I really don’t want my pop to bother me.”

“I do understand.” Poni nodded.

“Perhaps it’s a chance I’ll have to take.” I said as I take the contract, rip it up and tossed it in the garbage.

“Uh, Herb? Paper’s are supposed to be recycled, man.” Angel reminded me. Everypony started to glare at him. “I’m just saving the streets.”

“Why did you do that, H?” Annabelle asked. “I thought this was the only way to get your pop to stop hunting for you?”

“Yeah, well… I’d rather take my chances. I’m not going to be a traitor like that pig! I learned my lesson long ago. I just forgot it for a while.” I said.

“You’re a good kid, Herb.” Poni said as he smiled at me. “That was your ultimate test. You are now an official underboss of the Friendship Mob! Congratulations, kid! Keep it up and I’ll make you made!”

“Thank you, Poni.” I smiled. “Really, I don’t know what went over me. I apologize for that, boss.”

“You done a great deal, kid!” Poni said as he stands up and holds my shoulders. “You are a great pony! I trust yous. You know what’s best for the mob and I appreciate that!”

“Yeah but now my pop is goin’ to be a problem still.” I said.

“Or is he?” Poni asked mischievously. A few minutes went by and I decided to give my dad a call. He answered.

“Hey, son! You done what I asked?” my pop asked.

“It’s done, pop.” I said. “Poni Cipriani will no longer be a problem. He’s leaving town and he ain’t comin’ back.”

“Well done, kid!” my dad said excitedly. “You sure have redeemed yourself. You are no longer on my hit-list. I assume you’re now the don of the Friendship Mob.”

“I would believe so.” I said.

“I don’t care what you do with the mob; just keep them away from my territories. I will not lose business because of your mob, and keep out of our business.” My dad said. “Keep the peace if you want, but don’t interfere with Sharks operations, and then we’ll no longer be enemies. Stay safe, son. Make the Leafhorn name mean something!”

“As you wish, pop. Bye!” I said as I hung up. “It’s done, boss.”

“Good.” Poni said. “I shall lay low for a while. What did he say about the mob?”

“He said as long as we doesn’t interfere with Sharks business, he doesn’t care what we do.” I said.

“Keep a low profile when it comes to dealin’ with sharks.” Poni said. “If you ask me, just keep the peace on the streets, and whatever damage they do, just fix it. Make sure the Sharks don’t know you’re interfering with your business. The Friendship Mob will always help those in need, but they won’t be visible.”

“I understand, boss.” I nodded.

“I’ll keep in touch with yous if I find any jobs, but let’s stay away from the huge bank heists for the time bein’.” Poni suggested.

“Got it, Pone!” I understood.

“Good. You’re dismissed.” Poni said as my friends and I all left the don’s house and we all started walking back to the carriage.

“This is great, H!” Annabelle said excitedly. “The Friendship Mafia and Poni are as strong as ever, and now your pappi will leave us alone! I find this to be a pretty good victory.”

“You did the right thing, Herb! Brothers stick together, no matter what!” Clay said.

“We’ll be reaching the top soon! I just know it!” Turnip said.

“Cleaning the streets, man! That’s what we do best!” Angel said.

“But let’s not say my pop will get away with this Sharks gang forever. Let him have his victories, because one day, it’ll all end.” I said.

“It will end.” Clay agreed.

“So just keep your distance with the Sharks, and keep an eye on my brother.” I instructed my friends. “He’s always been a tattle-tale, and whatever he sees or hears, he’ll take back to my father. Keep an eye for him.”

“Will do, underboss!” Annabelle saluted.

“Dismissed!” I said as my friends all walked away. I am glad we were victories! We tricked my dad into thinking Poni was gone! Now I don’t have to lay-low anymore. Now there’s only one thing left to do. Wait for an old friend to come back home for a visit.

Author's Note

This was a touching chapter. I had fun writing this one! It shows how much Herb has changed and matured, and how he learned from his mistakes from the past. This teaches a moral that you shouldn't just let go of your past, learn from it, and it'll save your friendships.

The Return

It’s been very peaceful these last several months. My pop hasn’t been bothering me or the mob in a while, but I still have been seeing my brother spying on us, but he had no proof to give back to his pop that I wasn’t up to any good. Over the months, I’ve been watching the news and I keep hearing about my old friend Flare Gun being victorious over the months. I am very proud of him. He has the life he deserves, and I think I’m to thank for it. If he hasn’t been bullied so much and betrayed, he wouldn’ve moved away and have all these achievements. I no longer regret what I’ve done in the past, as it turns out to be a blessing in disguise! I just hope one day he returns and I could officially apologize what I’ve done in the past.

Anyways, today was a good day for us. My friends and I were patrolling the Hoof Point Mall for any arguments that need to be resolved, like we’ve been doing every Sunday. “What’s the status, boys?” I asked.

“I found two ponies with relationship issues.” Clay said as he whistles. “I swear the main relationship issue these days is money and buying clothes.”

“Interesting, Clay.” I nodded. “How about you, Turnip?”

“You see, I was looking, but I smelled something good at the food court, and it made me hungry, so I went across the street to Olive Garden.” Turnip said. “Sorry, boss.”

I sighed. “Turnip, if you’re going to use your job seriously, you have to look out for anything suspicious.”

“Well I saw a carriage limo ride by yesterday and I heard singing coming from it. Is that suspicious?” Turnip asked.

“No.” I said. “Unless they’re singing about disharmony.”

“No they’re singing about Mareami.” Turnip said.

“Anything bad about Mareami?” I asked.

“No.” Turnip said.

“Then forget about it!” I said. Wow, I sound good when I say that! I should say ‘forget about it’ more often! “Ok Angel, any ‘cleaning of the streets’ you want to report?”

“What you talking about, man? We’re in a mall, there’s no streets here, man.” Angel corrected me.

I chuckled. “My mistake, Angel! What do you have to report?”

“Yeah, man, I saw this weird marshmallow-like pony at the JcBits, man. She’s been complaining about how expensive that place is, man.” Angel explained. “I mean she doesn’t even look like she’s from here, man. Anything suspicious about that?”

“Can you tell me about her?” I asked.

“She just had a weird French accent, man. She sounded like one of those uptight Canterlot ponies, man.” Angel said.

“Alright nothing to worry about there. Canterlot is not known for criminals.” I said. “Annabelle? Do you have anything to report?”

“Well first I saw-“ Annabelle started.

“I don’t need to hear anymore, Annabelle. You’re the only one taking this job seriously. You have more things to report than what Turnip gets in a week!” I said.

“HEY!” Turnip complained.

“Such a teacher’s pet, brother!” Clay complained.

“I can’t help it, holms!” Annabelle said. “I just do what I can to keep the peace!”

“You also have been getting a lot of recruits lately to join our cause.” Clay added.

“Isn’t that what I’m supposed to do, C?” Annabelle asked.

“And that’s why you became capo, Annabelle.” I nodded.

“Exactly!” Annabelle said.

“Hey we have reasonable jobs too, man!” Angel complained.

“Yeah, aren’t I in charge of supplies in the group?” Clay asked. “I’m always able to find a van-load of supplies! Do I need to help keep peace on the streets too?”

“Yeah, and I’m in charge of electronics in this group.” Turnip said. “What if I was at Olive Garden looking for some equipment?”

“And I’m in charge of the streets, man!” Angel said. “The streets is my life! Man, the streets knows me! I’m one with the streets, man!”

“Whatever, I don’t want to argue with you guys.” I said. “Anyways, has any of you seen Autumn lately?”

“No, ese, I haven’t seen him all month.” Annabelle said.

“Nothing.” Clay said.

“Nada.” Turnip said.

“I know these streets, man, and I haven’t seen your bro on any of them.” Angel sai- “…man.” Don’t interrupt my narration! Now I know how Flare feels with his story! This is so stressful! I’m so glad this story is much shorter than his is.

Just then, my phone suddenly started ringing. “Hello?” I asked.

“Herb, you didn’t even take your phone out yet.” Turnip pointed out.

“Right.” I nodded, because I forgot to say ‘I took out my phone and answered it’, well… I did. “Hello?”

“How ya doin’, kid? Mall duty goin’ well?” Poni asked on the phone.

“Sure is, boss!” I nodded.

“Excellent!” Poni said in a Mr. Burns accent. “Anyways, I have a new mission for you, and I think you’re goin’ to either love this one, or hate it.”

“What is it?” I asked.

“Meet me back at HQ. I’ll tell you mono e mono.” Poni said. “Bye!” he hangs up.

“What’s happening, H?” Annabelle asked.

“We have to return to HQ.” I said.

“We?” Angel asked.

“Well he said ‘me’, but you four are my crew, and we do everything together!” I said.

“That is true, brother.” Clay agreed.

“Well can we get the free samples over at the food court first?” Turnip asked. “I’m hungry, but I don’t want to pay.”

“I second that, man.” Angel said with his hoof in the air.

So the five of us headed back to HQ to talk to Poni about the mission he’s about to give us. Before we went inside, Bright Wing and Star Trot stopped us. “Please place your weapons on the table.” Star Trot requested.

“You’re kiddin’ right?” I asked.

“It was all MONTHS ago! Get over it!” Annabelle complained.

“Don’s orders.” Bright Wing said.

“My flank.” I said as we all placed our harmless weapons on the table.

“ALL of them.” Bright Wing said.

“Hmph!” Clay groaned as he placed his sling shot on the table.

“I’ll say it again… ALL.” Bright Wing repeated.

“GAAAAH!” Clay groaned again as he placed his box of rubber bands on the table.

“Ok, you can go now.” Star Trot said as he and Bright Wing moves out of the way so my crew and I can go in to see the don. Before we go inside, Bright Wing snatches a pencil out of Clay’s jacket pocket.

“C’MOOOON!” Clay complained.

“Pencils are weapons.” Bright Wing said.

“You two are so annoying like GOSH!” Clay complained.

“Herb Leafhorn, and… everypony else! How ya doin’?” Poni asked as we walked into the room.

“Doing great, boss! How are you?” I asked.

“Could be better. I’m forced not to leave my own house just so the Sharks would leave us alone, but other than that, peachy!” Poni said.

“That’s good, boss!” Clay said.

“Or it could be bad.” Turnip said.

“Or somewhere in the middle.” Angel added.

“So what’s the mission you have for us, Pone?” I asked.

“An old friend of yours has returned, my boy. I wanted to tell you face to face.” Poni said.

“Who?” I asked.

“Who do you think?” Poni asked sarcastically.

“Is it Flare?” Herb asked.

“No, it’s Jeff Gorspeed.” Poni said sarcastically.

“Really? Because I thought this week’s race is supposed to take place for the first time ever in the Crystal Empire?” I asked.

“I love you, Herb, but you’re a moron.” Poni said. “YES! It’s Flare Gun! He’s returned to Mareami to receive his award at the Food Awards in a couple of days.”

“Wow…” I said shockingly. “Flare has returned! That is… that is wonderful! This is my chance to finally make peace with him!”

“Don’t forget us, man.” Angel said.

“Yeah, holms. We did him wrong too, remember?” Annabelle reminded me.

“Yeah, but I did the most damage. You two just followed along.” I corrected them.

“Oh what? You think we’re not mean enough, man?” Angel asked. “You think- you think we just bullied him as well just because you told us too?”

“Actually, yeah.” I said.

“Relax, A. It’s all a thing in the past.” Annabelle said.

“Exactly!” I said.

“Clay and I, we never met him at all.” Turnip said.

“Perhaps this is a mission for you three to handle.” Clay suggested.

“I guess so.” Annabelle agreed.

“So what’s the mission, boss?” I asked. “Just go find Flare and tell him I turned good?”

“You think he’ll believe you?” Poni asked. “No, you have to do something else. You have to prove to him that you changed.”

“How?” I asked.

“Now that Flare Gun has returned, your father is goin’ to take notice on that, and he’ll be goin’ after him with some guys.” Poni said. “I need you to just keep watch over him, and when he’s in trouble, you go and rescue him, and bring him here. We’ll explain everythin’.”

“Is that supposed to be enough?” I asked.

“If he forgives you, we’ll allow him to use our gang to help him in any situation he’s under.” Poni said. “Anything whatsoever, because you’re in his debt, so if he asks for any help, you have to help him.”

“I wouldn’t expect nothin’ less.” I said and smiled.

“You wouldn’t expect ANYTHING less.” Turnip corrected me.

“Nopony likes a grammar ponzi, Turnip.” Clay said.

“Ponzi?” Turnip asked. “Is that what the EQA is about? Take random words and make them horse puns?”

“So can you do this, kid?” Poni asked me. “Can you save Flare from the Sharks?”

“I will most definitely save him from the Sharks. If the Sharks even THINK about layin’ hooves on my friend. They’re going to have another thing comin’!” I swore.

“I knew he would count on you, kid!” Poni said happily.

“But I’m not doin’ this cause you say so. This here is a personal matter.” I said.

“But of course!” Poni agreed. “Go on ahead, my boy! Fix what you did wrong, and your conscious shall be cleared!”

“Wow, boss! That was beautiful!” Clay said.

“I know! Doncha just love fortune cookie fortunes?” Poni asked.

So Angel, Annabelle, and I were off to look for Flare. We didn’t know exactly where he was though, so we looked around town to see if we could find any clues. Later that night, it was pretty wet out because it was raining. In fact, it’s drizzling now. Probably a cold front coming in. So we parked the carriage to see if we could find any clues. “Any of you find him yet?” I asked.

“Not yet, H.” Annabelle said.

“I know these streets like the back of my hoof.” Angel said.

“How does that answer his question, A?” Annabelle asked.

“Just saying.” Angel shrugged.

“Wait, hang on. I see something.” Annabelle said as he looked over and saw a couple of ponies up ahead.

“What do you see, Annie?” I asked.

“Well as of right now,” Annabelle looks at me, “your nose.” He started to chuckle.

“C’mon we can’t play around right now, man. We have to find Flare, and whomever he’s with.” I said.

“Alright, man, now you’re starting to sound like Turnip, man.” Angel pointed out.

“Wait! Those are the Sharks!” Annabelle said. “They’re heading inside a carriage and it looks like they’re about to go somewhere.”

“Turnip provided with some equipment so we could eavesdrop on what they’re saying, man.” Angel said as takes out some equipment. I put on the headphones and Angel presses a few buttons to activate it.

“Let’s go into their frequency.” I instructed him. So Angel started turning the knobs on the device so we could eavesdrop on their conversation.

“Hear them, man?” Angel asked.

“No I hear a hobo snoring.” I said.

“Then it’s not the right frequency.” Angel said as he adjusts the frequency again. “How about that one, man?”

“I think I hear them.” I said. “No… no wait… it’s the ice cream pony, and… he’s not selling ice cream.”

“Well, that’s not our job. We’ll call the police for him.” Annabelle said. Angel adjusts the frequency again.

“Oh hey!” I said excitedly as I heard the song Higher Love by Steve Winwood on this frequency. I started dancing on my chair and my singing along to the song, but just as I was doing it, Angel changes the frequency again. “NO! I love that song!”

“Hafta stay focused on the task at hand, man.” Angel reminded me. “Heh! Hand-man. My cousin would love that phrase!”

“Wait… I hear something.” I said as Angel leaves the frequency in place.

“So, Sun? You like being a Shark gang member?” one of the mobsters asked the other.

“I sure am Sunny! Being a Shark is amazing!” the other one said.

“Are they part of the Sharks mob, H?” Annabelle asked.

“No clue yet. I need more proof.” I said.

“Anyways, the boss said an old foe of his has returned to town. He’s right now eating dinner with his family at Cheesecake Factory.” Sun said.

“Shall we engage?” Sunny asked.

“I already have a wife.” Sun said.

“I meant, shall we attack?” Sunny corrected.

“Nah, too many of them. This also includes many of his friends back in Ponyville. We can only engage if he’s alone.” Sun said.

“I see.” Sunny nodded. “And what about Flare Gun?”

“Same thing with him. Both the boss’ old foe and Flare Gun shall be snatched when they’re not with their families.” Sun said.

“Wait… so there are two of them?” I asked. “My pop is hunting for somepony else?”

“Oh woops.” Sun said as he got off the phone. “Turns out, Flare Gun and the boss’ old foe are one in the same.”

“Well that makes our job easier.” Sunny said.

“Cheesecake Factory!” I said. “We have to go to Cheesecake Factory!”

“Which one, man?” Angel asked.

“There’s only one here in Mareami, A.” Annabelle reminded him.

“For all he knows, they could be talking about one in another town, man.” Angel said.

I suddenly sighed and shook my head. “We have to go to Cheesecake Factory. That’s where Flare is.”

“Are they going to attack him, H?” Annabelle asked.

“No they’re not. They said his entire family AND his friends from Ponyville are there. Too many of them.” I said.

“So why are we going?” Annabelle asked.

“I just… wanna see him.” I said.

“But didn’t Poni say you couldn’t until you prove to him that you changed?” Annabelle asked.

“I don’t want to see him directly, I just… I just want to see him and his friends. I want to see him happy.” I said.

“Can’t say no to that, man.” Angel said.

Annabelle smiled and nodded. “Then let’s go!”

“Ok, but first….” I said as I changed the frequency back to Higher Love. I knew we had stuff to do, but we knew where Flare was, and with a big party with him, it’ll take ages until their food is ready, so we have plenty of time to spare!

After I finished hearing the song, we drove over to the Cheesecake Factory nearby, and we parked right across the street from it. I looked over to see if I could see him at all. “See him, H?” Annabelle asked.

“No, there’s too much traffic.” I said.

“Perhaps we should get a closer look.” Annabelle suggested.

“Hang on. I want to hear what they’re talking about.” I said. Angel changes the frequency on the machine so I could hear what the Gun family and friends are talking about.

“Is it the right frequency, man?” Angel asked.

“BIG TIME!” I yelled as I removed the headphones instantly.

“What happened?” Annabelle asked.

“Everypony was talking at the same time.” I said. “Is there a ‘tone down talking’ switch on that thing?”

“Man, I only received directions on how to turn this thing on, man, and how to change the frequency.” Angel said. So I decided to get out of the carriage and walk over to the front of the restaurant. I looked through the window, and there he is – Flare, along with his new Ponyville friends.

Wow, that brown pony’s got some nice armor. Wow, he’s friends with a Wonderbolt too, huh? That purple mare seems pretty attractive. No… no wait… that’s a stallion, my bad. Is that the engineer from Team Fortress 2? Hmm… that blue light blue one seems to be a recolor of that rainbow pony. Wait, those six ponies are… no way! They’re the ponies that wield the Elements of Harmony! Holy smokes! Flare made the mother lode when he moved down there! Is that a dragon?

You know what? I’m really proud of Flare. If I didn’t chase him out of town, he wouldn’t have all this. He deserves it. I know not many ponies may think so, but hey, they’re not the ones that ruined his life. He deserves the best after all the stress I put him through. Maybe I won’t be able to gain his respect; if that were the case, I wouldn’t blame him. I wouldn’t forgive myself either.

“I’m happy for you, Flare.” I said to myself. “This is pretty much all I wanted to see. I see you have a better life. I know it would be better if Swinebutt wasn’t in the way, but seeing you happy, well… perhaps this was all a blessing in disguise. I just hope this plan would work and you’ll be able to forgive me.” Just then, a carriage drove by next to the curve right on top of a puddle, and then I got soaking wet. “Ok, I KNOW I DID BAD IN THE PAST, BUT COME ON!” I yelled at the driver, but he didn’t hear me because he was already too far.

When I peeked through the window again, Flare seemed to spot me. I wasn’t ready for him yet, so I decided to run back to the carriage. “He spotted me.” I said.

“How did he react, H?” Annabelle asked.

“Curious.” I said. “I don’t think he really saw me; more like, he saw my shadow, but he did seem suspicious. I don’t want to stay here any longer. I’m ready to go home.” Angel and Annabelle both nodded in agreement, and then Angel attached himself onto the carriage and he drove me back to my place. On the way, Annabelle asked me a question.

“What went on at Cheesecake Factory?” he asked.

“Flare’s happy.” I said. “I saw what I needed to see. If Flare doesn’t forgive me, I’ll be fine with that, but knowing that he’s in a better place, my conscious is now cleared.”

“By the way you said it, H, it sounded like you were saying he passed away or something.” Annabelle said.

“No! He’s alive! Even more alive than ever before! He just seemed dead the way I treated him.” I said upsettingly.

“Holms, you gotta stop blaming yourself for this.” Annabelle said. “What’s done is done. Flare is happy, and like you said, your conscious is cleared. The past is all the past, and you learned from it. You can help persuade your decedents that the Guns are not bad ponies, and the Leafhorn family name will be redeemed. I assure you, H.”

I smiled and I put my arm around Annabelle. “Thanks, Annabelle! I don’t know where I would be if you weren’t here with me.”

“I appreciate that.” Annabelle smiled along too.

“MAAAAN!” Angel yelled. “What about me?!”

“You too, Angel!” I said.

“No, no, it’s too late, man. You had your chance, man.” Angel said in an insulted tone.

“Angel, c’mooooon! Don’t be like that!” I teased.

“No, man, no. I don’t wanna hear it.” Angel said. Regardless of him being insulted, he still dropped me off at home where I could get some sleep.

The next morning came, and my phone started ringing. I didn’t wanna get it so I let the voice message thing pop up. “Ey! This is Herb Lore! Yes, that is my name. Don’t think otherwise. Spread the friendship everywhere! Please leave a message.” My voice said in the pre-recording message, and then after the beep, it was Poni that left the message.

“Ey, Herb Lore. I’m lookin’ for m’boy Herb LEAFHORN.” Poni said on the message. “Well, if he’s not around, can you leave a message for him for me please? I just wanted to tell him that the Sharks mob attacked him last night at the West Palm Night Club.”

“WHAT?!” I yelled as I woke up instantly and then answered the phone. “You’re kiddin’ right?!”

“Hello? Is this Herb Lore, or Herb Leafhorn?” Poni teased.

“BOSS! What are you sayin’?! Flare got attacked?!” I panicked.

“Hear my message again and find out.” Poni teased.

“Boss, please!” I begged, not feeling in the mood for jokes.

“Alright, alright. Not a mornin’ pony, huh?” Poni asked.

“Not really.” I said.

“Anyways, Flare was attacked last night at the West Palm Night Club. He had a purple unicorn with him.” Poni explained. “They were both able to fend off the mob, but when the time hope seemed lost, a couple more of Flare’s friends came to rescue him.”

“Phew… that’s a relief.” I said.

“Yeah, but I eavesdropped on a phone call. They’re plannin’ to kidnap Flare today at the Hoof Point Stadium when he goes there to check in.” Poni said.

“Then that’s my chance to save him.” I said.

“I’m sendin’ you Star Trot and Bright Wing to assist you.” Poni said.

“Really? Them?” I asked. “No offense, boss, but lately, they’ve been actin’ weird. A little too over-protective towards you.”

“I wouldn’t blame them, after your attempted betrayal.” Poni reminded me.

“THAT WAS A LONG TIME AGO, BOSS!” I yelled. “Good Faust! This is gettin’ irriatin’! I thought the Friendship Mafia was about forgettin’ and forgivin’?”

“Sometimes we have to take necessary precautions, my boy.” Poni said. “That doesn’t mean I don’t trust yous, but let’s not forget the deal yous made to yous father.”

I nodded. “I remember.”

“Now go ahead and do what yous need to do. I’m prayin’ for him to forgive yous.” Poni said.

“So am I, boss. So am I.” I agreed. “Thanks for the heads-up!”

“No problemo!” Poni said. “Chow!”

“Chow!” I said as I ended the call. I knew what I to do now. I must head to the Hoof Point Stadium and await Flare’s arrival so I can protect him from the Sharks, but this is pretty much the first time since the fight with the Swinebots that I was working along side Star Trot and Bright Wing. So I met with those two at the stadium, where they were waiting for me at the front entrance.

“Herb Leafhorn! You’re a sight for soar eyes, kid.” Star said.

“Kid? I’m the second-in-command in this mob now. Let’s not forget that.” I reminded him.

“Of course, underboss! My bad!” Star said.

“Underboss… you like being under the boss, huh Herb?” Bright Wing teased as he and Star Trot started to laugh.

“That’s not funny.” I said.

“Pretty sensitive for such a big stallion, huh?” Bright Wing asked.

“Let’s just wait for Flare to show up.” I said.

“Sure, big pone, sure. Whatever you say.” Bright Wing said as he leaned against the wall. I was getting a little bored waiting for Flare to show up, so I decided to make conversation.

“So… you two seem close. How did you two meet?” I asked.

“Our cousins are a couple.” Star Trot said.

“Really? I didn’t think this was Alapumba.” I teased.

“Yeah, ha ha, big pone.” Star said in an insulted tone.

“My cousin Still Wing, and his cousin Starshine Trot, yeah once they got to know eachother’s families, Star and I got along pretty fast.” Bright Wing said.

“It’s not every day in-laws become friends.” I said.

“That’s what I said!” Bright Wing said.

“No kiddin’!” Star said as the three of us all laughed. Hmm, I get along with these two just fine, but my friends don’t seem to like them that much. It’s weird. The friend of my friend is my enemy or something like that. I dunno. After a while of waiting, a carriage arrives in front of the stadium, and I was sure it wasn’t Flare. “Sharks carriage!” Star pointed out.

“Hide!” Bright Wing whispered as the two of them hoped over and hid behind bushes. I didn’t know wear to hide so I just put my hooves over my face. The ponies that got out of the Sharks carriage was a couple of mobsters, AND my dad, AND my brother!

“Flare’s inside this building, pop.” Autumn said to dad.

“Are you sure?” my dad asked.

“Positive. I followed him here and he came through the rear entrance.” Autumn said.

I sighed and shook my head. “The rear entrance, of course.”

“Let’s head inside and snatch him.” my dad said mischievously as he, Autumn, and the mobsters all walked inside the stadium, ironically, not noticing that I was there, but before I had the chance to walk inside, I saw Flare, his sister Water, and his Wonderbolt friend walking out of the stadium. I blocked my face again, hoping they wouldn’t see me, and luckily they didn’t as they walked by. When they walked out to the parking lot, I heard them talking.

“Oh wait, I have to use the restroom.” The Wonderbolt said to Flare.

“Can it wait until we get to the hotel?” Flare asked.

“No.” the Wonderbolt said as he danced around.

“Alright, but only if you have to go number 1.” Flare said.

“Yes.” The Wonderbolt said.

“Fine. Make it quick.” Flare instructed him. So the Wonderbolt ran (I had no idea why he wasn’t flying) passed me again as I blocked my face and he went into the stadium. Wow, I really can’t believe this trick actually works! So I’ve been waiting for 20 minutes to see what’s happening. Water and Flare thought the Wonderbolt was taking an awfully long time, so they both went back inside the stadium to check on him. I followed them inside to see if the Sharks were going to do anything to snatch them. So far, there was nothing.

“Nothing yet, huh Herb?” Bright Wing asked as he and Star Trot were sneaking right behind me.

“AAH!” I screamed. “Oh… I forgot you two were here.”

“How unfortunate. Herb barely even knows we exist.” Bright Wing said upsettingly.

“He doesn’t seem to like us.” Star said.

“Oh shush with that!” I instructed them.

“See? Nothin’.” Bright Wing said. So I saw Flare and Water heading towards the Stallion’s restroom. Water stayed outside as Flare went inside. I saw the mobsters heading inside behind him, and then I saw Star Trot and Bright Wing follow. I didn’t want Flare’s sister to come to any harm, so I wanted to get her away from there. Besides, I wanted to catch up with her.

“Well, lookie who it is! Water Gun! You are a sight for soar eyes!” I said excitedly.

“Herb Leafhorn Jr. Look at you!” Water said as she observed me. “You didn’t seem to change a bit!”

“I didn’t change much since we dated.” I shrugged.

“Well it’s great to see you again, Herb! But I don’t think you should be here. Flare wouldn’t want to see you.” Water said.

“I know he doesn’t, but I want to prove to him that I changed.” I said.

“Yeah, I said that to a lot of my ex-stallionfriends, but did they listen? Noooooo.” Water complained.

“Relax, Water, I’m not askin’ Flare on a date or nothin’.” I said.

“You were one of the ex-stallionfriends, Herb.” Water said with an attitude.

“Water, don’t you see? I’m part of the Friendship Mafia now. I have to prove to Flare that I changed!” I said.

“Which isn’t that much, big bro.” Autumn said from right behind me.

“Oh hey, Autumn!” Water said.

“Hey, Water!” Autumn said. “I see you’re doin’ pretty well!”

“You didn’t return any of my calls.” Water said curiously.

“Rubbin’ your nose in Sharks business again, huh Herb?” Autumn asked. “Pop won’t be pleased.”

“Looks who’s talkin’!” I yelled. “Y’know, bro, I’m startin’ to get the feelin’ you know the truth!”

“That Poni’s still in town and it was all a sham?” Autumn asked. “Trust me, we knew from the start. Also, blocking your eyes with your hooves, that trick may work on most ponies, but I’m immune to that! I know all your tricks, Herb! That’s why pop is always one step ahead of you and your mob! I know EVERYTHING about you!”

“Why are you doin’ this, bro?” I asked. “You don’t have to have pop use you like this! You could be a good pony!”

“I told you; pop always loved you best before. I’ve been wanting to be in your position since I was born!” Autumn said. “Now pop loves me best, and taddling on you is makin’ it worth while! I have to keep doin’ it if pop is gonna love me best, and soon, when the right time comes, I’m gonna take over the gang!”

“Is he promoting you, or… are you goin’ to betray him?” I asked.

“Me? Betray my own pop? Never!” Autumn said. “Hey you know how things are, bro? It’s all just business. That’s what pop says. It’s never personal. Except when it comes to the Guns, it’s always personal.”

“And I still don’t get why both of you dated me.” Water said.

“Face it, Herb; the game is up. We know Poni is still around, but he, nor you or the mob could do anything for the next plan and he has in mind!” Autumn said mischievously.

“What plan?” I asked.

“A plan that not even the FDA nor the DIF would be able beat!” Autumn said. Just then, pop runs out of the stallion’s restroom in complete fright. “Autumn, we’re leaving!” he said.

“Right behind you, pop!” Autumn said.

“You lied to me, Herb!” pop said angrily to me. “You and the Friendship Mob are not goin’ to be in control any longer! Poni better be watchin’ his back!” So he and Autumn runs away.

“We got him.” Star Trot said as he and Bright Wing walk out of the bathroom with a big sack.

“What did you get?” I asked.

“We got Flare and we’re takin’ him back to HQ.” Star Trot said.

“BY KIDNAPPIN’ HIM?!” I yelled.

“He wouldn’t trust us either way. We have to bring him to HQ and you can explain to him everythin’.” Bright Wing said.

“And you think kidnappin’ him WOULD help?!” I asked angrily.

“Wow, Herb… you really do care! You really did change!” Water said impressively. “I mean, that doesn’t mean I want to date you again, but… good job!” she pats me on the back.

“Thanks, Water!” I said. “Now go get Flare’s friends and explain them everythin’. I promise, Flare will be back soon. I need to have a personal conversation with him.”

“Ok then! Nice catching up with you, Herb!” Water said as she walked away.

“Wait! What about your Wonderbolt friend?” I asked her.

“Oh, Blaze Goldheart? Don’t worry about him; he’s just taking care of business in there still I believe. He’ll catch up with his when he’s ready. See, this is why you can’t trust fast food vendors; not even at stadiums.” Water explained.

It was nice catching up with her! Anyways, Star Trot, Bright Wing, and I all headed back to HQ so I can explain to Flare everything that I’ve been doing since he left. Angel and Annabelle were over there too to help out. When we got inside, they greeted us. “Hey, man!” Angel said.

“Did you find Flare?” Annabelle asked.

“Bright Wing and Star Trot did.” I said.

“So that means I’m presuming he’s in a sack of some sort.” Annabelle presumed. Star Trot and Bright Wing both walked inside the HQ behind me carrying Flare inside of the kidnapping sack.

“Does this answer your question?” I asked sarcastically. So Star and Bright places Flare on a chair and then removes the sack from his head.

Flare looks around and comments, “Wow, this place is filthy!”

“We get those a lot.” Bright Wing said.

Well this was my chance to persuade him that I changed, but first, I thought I should humor him a bit. “Hello, Flare Gun, or should I say, ‘butthead’? Heh, I’m jokin’ with you, buddy. I’ve been quite clever lately after I shoved my bulliness aside.” I teased.

“Who… who are you?” Flare asked nervously

“You don’t recognize me, do you?” I asked as I walked out of the shadows and revealed myself to him. “Hello, Flare Gun! It’s been a long time!”

“Herb Leafhorn, Jr. My old school bully. The one that got me to go out with Blueberry Pie and made me befriend Swinebutt, and then has forced them to betray me.” Flare said.

“I know, I know, I have a lot of explaining to do.” I said.

“YOU’RE DARN RIGHT YOU DO! You really got some nerve to kidnap me! I got friends in high places now that’ll kick your flank!” Flare yelled.

“Flare, listen!” I attempted to get his attention.

“NO, YOU LISTEN! You made Swinebutt betray me; you made my life miserable at school!” Flare yelled.

“FLARE! LISTEN TO ME!” I yelled and slammed on the table.

“Why are you calling me Flare? Why don’t you call me Crimson like you always do?” Flare asked. “You know I hate it.”

“That’s why I’m not calling you it!” I said. “Look, Flare. I’m really sorry, alright? My pop made me bully you! He persuaded me to hate Guns and made me think your ancestors murdered one of mine and declared war on them, until I found out later that it was all a lie. A big fat lie!”

“You have to believe me, man. He didn’t mean any of this to happen, man.” Angel explained.

“Angel Heartstrings. Wow… you haven’t changed a bit.” Flare said as he observed him.

“It was wrong for us to bully you like that, Flare. We owe you our sincere apologies.” Annabelle explained.

“Annabelle too. What’s going on here, Herb?” Flare asked.

“I want to make peace with you, Flare! I’m a good guy. You have it all wrong, man.” I said. “I’ve been trying to get in contact with you for ages. I wanted to go to Ponyville to look for you, but you wouldn’t believe me, so I had to prove it somehow. When I found out that my pop was hunting you down, I couldn’t just let him get away with it.”

I really had the feeling he wasn’t going to believe me, but he was really thinking it over. Surprisingly, he said the words I never thought he would say: “You know what, I actually believe you.” He said. Wow, he forgave me just like that? It’s either Ponyville changed him or he’s still pretty gullible, or both.

“You do? Did my dad tell you?” I asked.

“He did. That’s pretty much why I believe you. I had the feeling you were too easy on me. I saw by the look of your eyes that you didn’t like it. I do want to make peace with you too, Herb. I don’t let the past bother me. That’s why I moved to Ponyville. I was afraid to come back because then you’d try to get me to leave again if I returned, but it turns out that you want what I want.” Flare explained.

“It is true.” I nodded. “Flare, I feel so guilty about picking on you, and beating you up at school, and I’ll do anything to make it up to you! After I saw Swinebutt betray you like that, I felt…. I felt that all this hate in the world, I mean…. Look nopony wants hate, and I know that for sure. My dad’s a leader of the Shark gang mafia. They like to do anything to keep them on top, make them rich, selfish. So in hoping to fix my mistakes, I joined the Friendship Mafia gang here in Little Hoovana. My friend, the don, Poni Cipriani, created this gang to keep the peace, keep friendship flowing along! I know how much you wanted that, so I thought if I were to join this gang, I thought you’d be happier, but I was too late, you ran away. Until I found out you moved to Ponyville, I felt so bad that you might’ve not liked it. So I wanted to make sure nopony else suffers the same fate as you!”

“Forty-five degree angle mouth face.” he said. “So…. you never really hated me?”

“Your jokes were a little annoying, but no I didn’t hate you. I was young, stupid, and now I’m old enough to make my own decisions. My dad cannot control me anymore.” I explained. “After what my dad did to you,and all the other ponies he hated….. I hated him for that. So I must do all I can to destroy his gang, and restore peace to the city!”

“Wow…. I… I never thought you felt that way.” Flare said surprisingly.

“I will not stand by and see other ponies suffer hate, conflicts, suffering, anger, selfishness. It’s so unbearable, Flare!” I said.

“My teddy is unbearable.” Flare teased and laughed.

“Funny.” I said sarcastically. “So, if you want to punch me in the face right now, and beat me up, so we can be even, then by all means do so!”

“But….. NO!” he said.

“Why not? You know you want to!” I persuaded him. “It’s ok! I promise I won’t get my gang to stop you.”

“Herb, you apologized, you learned your lesson, and you were only trying to protect yourself. I might’ve done the same thing. But you know what? Two wrongs don’t make a right, but three rights make a left though.” Flare said. “But my point is… beating you up will not solve my problems, but you making Mareami peaceful for me, well…… that means a lot to me, Herb.” I held my hoof out, so I can have a bro-hoof, and he did so.

“So we cool now?” I asked.

“No, of course not! I just bro-hoofed you, and said that you did something that meant a lot to me, so no we’re not cool.” he said sarcastically.

“Nice, I see you learned sarcasm!” I said and chuckled.

“Learn new stuff everyday, my friend! Learn new stuff everyday!” Flare said and nodded. “But I’ll need all the lunch money back that you stole from me.

“Of course!” I said.

“And one more thing: Swinebutt is coming after me.” Flare said.

“I figured.” I said. “He betrayed me too after I failed a mission he gave me.”

“Looks like Swinebutt is both of our to-do list’s, huh?” Flare asked.

“My gang will do all they can, if they see him around these parts, we’ll teach him a lesson he’ll never forget!” I said. “But mainly, I’m keeping watch of my pop. He’s our gang’s main problem.”

“Thanks, Herb! You’re really an unexpecting ally, you know that?” Flare asked.

“Sometimes if you think somepony is mean to you, they always have a reason. Maybe they might be a trusted ally someday.” I said. “Do all bullies really want to be bullies? Or are they only that way because of a stupid reason?”

“That will be a letter for Princess Luna!” Flare said.

“Oh, you know Luna?” I asked.

“Yeppers!” Flare said. “Now listen, I better get back to hotel and get ready for the award ceremony!”

“Oh yeah, you were nominated for best pizza restaurant! Congratulations, Flare! I see your life outside of Mareami really paid off!” I said impressively.

“I’ll need a ride though, and protection from the Sharks.” Flare requested.

“At your service! Would you like to meet the leader of our gang?” I asked.

“Sure.” He said.

“I’m actually a co-leader, I run this gang along with our founder. Poni?” Herb yelled out.

Poni walked over to me and asked, “Yeah, yeah, what is it Leafhorn?”

“Flare, this is our don, Poni Cipriani!” I introduced him.

“Hey I’m Poni Cipriani!” Poni said and nodded.

“Heheh! GTA reference!” Flare chuckled.

“Oh, wiseguy, huh?” Poni asked, taking off his sunglasses.

“Sure am!” Flare said.

“Ah, capieche!” Poni nodded. “I like wiseguys. I tolerate them. Wiseguys make the world go ‘round, know what I mean?”

“Anyways, I better get ready for the awards.” Flare said. So we did what he wanted. We brought Flare back to his hotel so he could get ready for the awards ceremony. As I expected, Flare was nominated and won for best pizza restaurant. Hey, you expected it too, right? You probably read his story before reading mine, so everything that happened on this chapter, you pretty much expected. That is, unless you read this first, in that case, this is all new for you.

After the rest of today and tomorrow, Flare and his friends were ready to head back home to Ponyville, but I had one more conversation with him before he left with his friends on the limo back to the airport. “I’ll tell you something , Twilight. My tanning days are over!” the purple dragon said.

“No kidding!” the purple unicorn said and giggled.

“Don’t peel off any skin in the limo, eh?” the limo driver advised the dragon.
.
“I can’t believe you’re already leaving.” Flare’s mom said very sadly to Flare.

“Hey, we’ll be back very soon, mom! I promise!” Water promised.

“Now that I know I have friends here, and I’ll be safe from harm, I should be coming back a lot more often now!” Flare said.

“I’m just…. It’s like you JUST got here.” Flare’s mom said.

“Mom….” Water said in a comforting tone and then both her and Flare hugged her.

“We’ll call you everyday! Just…. be strong!” Flare advised her.

“I’ll be fine, Flarey. It’s you I’m worried about.” Flare’s mom said.

“I’ll be fine, mom! I promise!” Flare said.

“You better not break that promise! Or you’re dead!” his mom threatened.

“I love you too, mom!” Flare said smiling at her.

“I love you so much, just checking, poke.” Flare’s mom said with her hoof out.

“I love you so much, just checking, poke too.” Flare said as I poked my mom’s hoof.

“Be safe, son! Keep that shop alive!” Flare’s dad advised him.

“Don’t worry, dad! I even expanded! I’ll expand here too! Don’t you worry!” Flare said.

“Are you sure you wanna go, Flare? You don’t have to. We’ll make sure you stay safe! You can join our gang, and keep the peace!” I suggested to him.

“We’re always open for new members!” Poni said.

“Thanks, brahs, but…. Mareami will always be my home! I would never abandon it! Mareami will always be my motherland!” Flare said.

“Listen to him, he sounds Russian.” The blue icy-colored pegasus teased and chuckled.

“But you see, Ponyville’s my home now, and I made a lot of friends already! I can’t just leave them!” Flare said.

“You can’t just leave us either you know!” Flare’s mom said.

“She’s got a point there.” I nodded.

“I know, but I already set up everything there. But I promise, Pinkie promise, that’ll be back!” Flare said, crossing his heart and then placing his hoof on his eye.

“Pinkie promise?” Poni asked.

“I MADE THAT UP!” the pink hyper pony said as she hopped in place.

“I see.” Poni nodded.

“Alright, Flare, but remember, if you need us, we’ll be here…. waiting for ya!” I said as I winked at him.

“Thanks, Herb! Kick your dad’s flank!” Flare advised him.

“HEY! Don’t talk about my dad that way!” I yelled at him angrily.

“What?” Flare asked curiously.

I then laughed. “I’m messing with ya, c’mon!”

“HA! You got me, man!” Flare chuckled.

"Well Flare, how about you make like a tree, and get outta here?" I asked.

"How many times do I have to remind you? It's 'make like a tree' and 'LEAVE'!" Flare corrected me.

"I don't get it!" I yelled.

"Leave sounds like 'leaf', and trees have leaves." Flare informed me.

"Oooooooh! Makes much more sense now." I said and chuckled.

"Really, Herb? Does it?" Flare asked sarcastically.

"Perhaps." I said. He just stared at me, gave me a look, and then he let out two dog pant laughs that sounded like a sarcastic laugh.

“See ya around, Flare!” I said.

“Don’t be a stranger now.” Poni said.

“Be safe!” Flare’s mom said, hugging him.

“I’ll be great! Very great!” Flare promised.

“Not correct grammar, Flare.” the purple unicorn corrected him.

“Don’t ruin the moment Twilight.” Flare instructed her.

“Well…. catch you all on the flipside! Kay thanks bye!” Flare said as he stepped into the limo and took a seat.

“Remember: the Friendship Mafia will always be there to accept any favors, if you ever need us.” I reminded him.

“WAIT UP!” the purple pegasus that I thought was attractive yelled, as he ran out of the hotel and hoped into the limo, being chased by some maid.

“NO, NO! TIME OUT, NOW!” the maid yelled out.

“GET US OUT OF HERE! NOW!” the purple pony yelled. So the limo started driving back to Mareami International Airport. Flare’s family, Poni, and I all waved goodbye as the limo drove to the Airport.

“You did it, kid!” Poni said to me. “You finally made peace with him! Mission accomplished!”

“Yeah but now there’s something else bothering me.” I said.

“And what might that be, my boy?” Poni asked.

“Autumn, my brother, he said something about my pop havin’ a new plan that we won’t be able to beat the Sharks at, and not even the FDA or the DIF could stop them.” I said.

“Wow… that must be serious.” Poni said.

“You think?” I asked sarcastically.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa! No need to get all antsy on me, kid! Look we’ll be fine. We’ll just be keepin’ a closer eye on the Sharks.” Poni said.

“They also know you’re not out of town.” I informed him.

“I figured that.” Poni said. “I mean, why else am I outside right now? C’mon, Herb! Get with the program!”

“Autumn also said you better watch your back.” I informed him.

“I’m always watchin’ my back, kid, don’t worry.” Poni said. “Now let’s head back to HQ and celebrate! Or maybe we could go to the mall real quick and pick up one of those free samples at the food court!”

Author's Note

It's about time I made this chapter. I wanted to make a crossover with the Welcome to Mareami chapter back in FiE Book 2. In case people read this story before reading FiE, I wanted to let everyone know that Flare and Herb made peace, and in FiE, Herb and the Friendship Mob help him in several situations. Not much happens in this chapter except what happened in FiE's version of this story, but chapters 11-15 are going to be pretty epic! I'll be working on those once I get the FDA story all caught up, as this story will crossover the FDA's story in those chapters!

Shark Attack

Since my pop has discovered the truth, he’s been really testing the Friendship Mob lately. He sent his mob to different parts of Mareami all at once just to keep every one of us busy and separated. Clay Cement was riding his scooter as fast as he could through the streets of Mareami trying to get to his next destination. He’s been jumping ramps, and running red lights, almost causing accidents just to keep Mareami safe. When he got to the Laundromat in Little Hoovana, he saw that the clerk inside was screaming because two of the Sharks mob were inside tossing clothes everywhere.

“HA HA HA! Dirty ‘em up! Dirty ‘em up!” one of the mobsters cried out tossing the clothes out of the washing machine and stepping on the clothes. “That’s right, folks! You paid a Laundromat to dirty your clothes up!”

“C’mon, bucko! Empty all the change out of the machines!” the other mobster threatened the clerk.

“Please! Please don’t do this!” the clerk begged.

“Empty the machines, or watch your customer’s clothes get stained… TWICE!” the mobster threatened as he aimed both a mustard gun and a ketchup gun at the pile of clothes on the floor.

“NOOOOO!” the clerk cried.

“Yo, brotha!” Clay said as he runs over to the front door and was about to make an epic entrance by rolling inside. “Your robbery is about to get- OW!” Clay yelled as when he rolls, he forgot the door was closed so he banged into it. Clay stands back up rubbing his head and tried to open the door, but he was pushing instead of pulling, and it was a pull door. The mobsters, the customers, and the clerk all looked at him and at eachother awkwardly as they all just paused what they were doing and froze in place.

Clay eventually opens the door and walks inside. “Ow!” he said. “Next time, before I roll inside and make an epic entrance, I’m making sure it’s a push door, not a pull! Ow! I think I’m going to feel that in the morning! Anyways… where were we? Ah yes! Sharks mob, your robbery just got… cemented!”

“Are you going to say that every time you stop us? Think of a new ridiculous pun, Clayton!” the mobster suggested.

“HEY! The only ponies that can call me Clayton… are the Canterlot ponies, because they have a good reason to! YOU will call me Clay!” Clay informed them.

“Whatever. Anyways, ONE more move, Clay, and I will stain these clothes with BOTH condiments!” the mobster threatened him.

“I don’t think so!” the clerk said as he punches the mobster in the face and then head-locks him, and forces him to disarm.

“What the?!” the mobster cried.

“I am part of Friendship Mob too, you jerk!” the clerk said angrily at the mobster.

“Whoa! Two against two?” the other mobster freaked out. “We don’t like playing fair! Run away! Run away!” the other mobster started retreating out the back door, and then the first mobster does so too. All the customers started cheering as Clay and the store clerk both bro-hoof eachother.

“Nice moves, brotha!” Clay said. “But I didn’t know you were part of the mob too.”

“I don’t. I lied.” The clerk admitted. “I just know it scares the Sharks when they realize they have fair competition!”

“Amen to that!” Clay said. Just then, Clay’s phone starts to ring the Nokia ringtone. The old one from 1994 to 2001. A very familiar ringtone, huh? “Yeee’ello!” Clay said.

“Clay, its Turnip Orch!” Turnip said from the phone.

“Yo, Turnny! What up?” Clay asked.

“The region of the atmosphere that can give us a view of space depending on the time of day or night, which also reflects and protects us from the evils of space and the sun.” Turnip said.

“In other words… you’re saying… the sky?” Clay asked.

“Yes, Clay, the sky.” Turnip said. “Now I can’t talk long, because I’m in the middle of protecting the Hoof Point Mall, but on the way I saw a hardware store is being attacked by the Sharks, so if you would kindly get to that.”

“Ugh! Another attack?” Clay complained. “Am I going to ever get to sleep?”

“Well if you must know by fact, the Sharks themselves are getting tired as well, so it won’t be long until they stand down…. I hope.” Turnip said as he hangs up and starts using RC cars to chase out the mobsters that are attacking the mall. “HA HA! Eat some fender you Shark chicken-heads!” Turnip taunts them. “There’s plenty more where that came from! Wait… what the?!”

“HA HA!” a mobster laughed as a giant robot body with a mobster in the middle, controlling it by having his hooves in between censor bracelets, breaks through the wall of the tool shop carrying a bunch of weapons and such.

“Whoazas!” Turnip cried out in excitement. “Well then, my friend, if it’s a robo body battle you want, it’s a robo body battle you’ll get! TRANSFORM!” just then, all the RC cars in the mall start driving towards Turnip and start combining their parts so Turnip can transform himself into a huge robo body just like the one the other mobster was using. Then the two of them started fighting, and after one little poke, the mobster’s machine breaks apart into a million pieces. Sorry, no epic battle! Not yet! After the machine collapses, the mobster starts to flee.

“HA HAAAA! That’s right, run away to your mommy!” Turnip taunted him.

“MY MOM’S IN THE HOSPITAL, YOU JERK!” the mobster yelled.

“Oh…” Turnip’s face turned red. “Umm… I… I hope she gets well soon. Maybe I’ll give her a card.” So Turnip expands his robot arm all the way over to the card store, his hand breaks through the wall, and he takes a small Get Well Soon card out of the store, and then he uses his other robotic arm to smash a Customer Service booth by accident, and gets a pen from there. Then he uses the robotic arms to write a message on the card. “I… hope… you… get… well… very soon. Your… son… just… kicked… my… flank… in… a… robotic… battle. Love… Turrrrrrnip… Orrrrrch.”

“Wait, what?” the mobster asked.

“Yeah, I wrote that you won, because it’ll at least help her smile.” Turnip said.

“Awww, thank yous!” the mobster smiled.

“Not a problem! Good battle! Let’s rematch soon!” Turnip suggested as he gives the card to the mobster.

“For sure!” the mobster agreed and he ran off.

Turnip inhaled and then exhaled and he said, “It feels good to do good!” Just then, his cell phone starts to ring. His ring tone was the Chicken Dance. “Greetings!”

“Yo, Turnip, man!” Angel answered. “I got some info, man, on-“

“SLOW DOWN!” Turnip yelled. “You talk so fast, Angel! What are you trying to say?”

“Sharks heading towards the office building near your area.” Angel said.

“I’m on it!” Turnip said as he hung up, and then he goes into his ringtones folder so he can play the Chicken Dance again with his suit.

Over at a club in Hoofington Beach Drive, Angel was getting surrounded by Sharks. “Nowhere left to run… man!” a mobster taunted.

“HEY! Don’t use my words on me, man! I’m nopony to be messed with, man!” Angel said. He then goes through his jacket pocket and takes out a laser pointer.

All the mobsters started to laugh. “What are you supposed to do with that thing?” a mobster asked.

“Yeah! We’re not kitties, or griffons for that matter!” another mobster said.

“You’ll see, man! PEE-CHOOOW!” Angel cried as he points his laser pointer at the disco ball and then the laser reflected on the ball and pointed everywhere. All the mobsters started screaming because they were being blinded by the light. All except the blind mobster.

“What? What’s with the screaming?” the blind mobster asked. “I caught him! I caught, Angel Heartstrings! TAKE THAT!” the blind mobster starts whacking the bartender with his cane.

“HEY! Hey! If you want me to call a cab for you, I will! Just don’t take your drunken rage on me!” the bartender cried.

“Aw yeah, boy!” Angel laughed. “You see that? I used a different word that time, boy!”

“WHY AREN’T YOU SCREAMING IN PAIN?!” one of the mobsters yelled. “Didn’t the laser get your eyes too?”

“These aren’t just regular glasses I’m wearing. These are one of those glasses that turns into sunglasses depending on how much light there is.” Angel said.

Just then, Angel’s phone starts to ring himself rapping about how much he loves the streets and wants to marry it and such. It sucked so much I’m not even going to repeat it. “Yo, boy!” he said as he answered his phone at the very last second.

“What happened, Angel? What took you so long to answer?” Annabelle asked on the other line. “Listening to your ringtone again?”

“Err… no. Just… finishing up a fight, boy.” Angel lied.

“Boy? What happened to man?” Annabelle asked.

“I’ve discovered a new word that I liked, boy!” Angel said.

“Uh huh.” Annabelle said not caring one bit. “Anyways, A, I heard of a problem going on at East Beach. Why don’t you go and check it out?”

“ME?! US?! Why don’t the police handle any of this?!” Angel complained.

Meanwhile at the donut shop, a couple of cops were hanging while eating donuts and drinking coffee. “Shouldn’t we go take care of the many disturbances around town?” one of the cops asked.

“Why? It’s the Sharks mob! Let the Friendship Mob take care of this!” the other cop said. “Let the two mobs destroy eachother and we’ll take care of those that survived!”

“Sounds like a plan!” the first cop said as they both toasted their coffees.

Meanwhile with Annabelle, he was trying to protect the elderly at the Prissy Pines retirement community. “I’ll save you elders! You are the wisest of the wise, and you need protect!” Annabelle yelled as he fights some of the mobsters Matrix style.

“Huh? Why did he say?” one of the old ponies asked.

“I think he said something about selling brochures.” The other old pony said.

“We ain’t interested in your advertising campaign, you whipper snapper!” the first old pony yelled. “Stop spending us flat broke!”

“This is a fun play!” an old mare said as she was eating some corn and watching Annabelle fight off the mobsters. Annabelle suddenly does the classic ‘throw your opponent across a bar counter’ trick; only difference is this bar is an oatmeal bar. Annabellle gets strangled by a mobster that ambushes him from behind and then he flips him over his head down to the ground. Also… the classic Matrix trick. Jump into the air with two legs out and then froze in place, and then after… the two mobsters bump into eachother.

“Woops… too high.” Annabelle said as he lands on top of the two mobsters. “Still effective, I suppose.” And just like that, all the Sharks were defeated. “Woo I’m hungry! Hey, lady, can I have some of that corn you’re eating?”

“Sure, deary!” the old mare said offering him some corn. When he places his hoof inside, he then takes it out quickly seeing his hoof was all wet and buttery.

“AAH! What kind of popcorn is that?!” Annabelle cried.

“Popcorn? Deary I can’t have popcorn, I have no teeth. It’s cream corn.” The old mare said. Just then, Annabelle’s phone starts to vibrate, since he doesn’t like ringtones that much. He finds them unnecessary and annoying. Annabelle puts his hoof in his pocket to get his phone out and then it slips off and onto the floor.

“Oh right… buttery hooves.” He said as he picked up his phone with his dry hoof, but it just slips off again. “Really? Must’ve already made the phone slippery. Hey, do any of you have a napkin I can borrow?”

“I have one!” an old stallion called out.

“One that’s not used?” Annabelle asked.

“Oh…” the old stallion said.

“Here I have one.” A beat up mobster offered.

“Oh thank you!” Annabelle said as he takes the napkin and wipes off his phone, and then the mobster faceplants on the floor. Once Annabelle’s phone was dried off, he answered it. “Hola?”

“Hey, Annabelle! I found my brother near the don’s house. I could use some assistance. I already called the others.” I said on the phone.

“Alright, H! See you there!” Annabelle said as he hung up. “Sorry, wise ones, but duty calls!”

“Can we have kisses before we go?” an old mare asked. “Our grandkids didn’t show up today.”

“Of course! It’s my job to keep folks like you happy!” Annabelle said as he leaned over and- MOVING ON… over near the don’s house, I spotted my brother Autumn causing trouble. Autumn and I have reached an impasse. We were both aiming our weapons at eachother, and stared at eachother, having a nice brotherly conversation.

“What’s up, bro?” I asked. “Trying to capture the don while using your mob to keep us all busy? We’re no fools, Autumn!”

“You are foolish, Herb. Very, very foolish.” Autumn said. “Even though you caught me red-hooved right now, that doesn’t mean you win.”

“I know.” I said. “We don’t win until pop is defeated. Don’t you understand that he’s just using you?”

“I’m your replacement, bro!” Autumn said. “After you were out of the way he needed a new apprentice, and I was next in line for the job! How’s mom, by the way? She hasn’t answered my calls.”

“She’s fine, and away from all this.” I said. “I sent her out of Mareami on a nice long vacation until this gang war ends.”

“For once, you did a good deed, brother. I wouldn’t want her to be a part of this either.” Autumn admitted. “You know how moms are, trying to break up the fights.”

“I too want this fight to end, Autumn.” I said. “Really, I’d rather all of us get along, but pop isn’t making that happen. He’s not going to stop until he converts me to his side, get rid of Cipriani, and end the Friendship Mob once and for all.”

“I like that plan! I like it very much!” Autumn said. “All we want is peace too. Don’t you understand that pop wants us to be a family again? I miss you, Herb! I know we never got along in the past, mainly because you had pop’s attention, but I hope you realize that now I am the favorite, I don’t hate you anymore. I don’t want to get rid of you, Herb, I just wanted pop’s affection just like he gave you. It wasn’t much to ask for.”

“Your jealousy got the best of you.” I said. “As long as pop gives you that affection you think he’s giving you, you’re not going to just accept the fact, that all he cares about is power.”

“You think I care?” Autumn asked. “If he wants power, then let him have it! Think about it, Herb, life was so much easier when pop was the principle, wasn’t he? He helped us skip through school! We’re as dumb as a cow!”

“That is so offensive! Cows are ponies too!” I said. “Some day, the cows are going to roam free, and one day, ponies won’t force them out of their milk! They’re not second-class citizens!”

“Herb, your time in the Friendship Mob has made you delusional, dear brother!” Autumn said. “Why is Cipriani telling you all these lies? He’s your problem, not us!” Just then, a group of mobsters came and joined Autumn and aimed their weapons at me. “Well Herb, it looks like we have the upper-hoof now. Care to let us in the don’s house? We’d like to have a word with him.”

“No way, Josey!” Clay said as my friends as well as a bunch of other Friendship mobsters came and joined us and aimed their weapons at the Sharks.

“It’s no way, José, Clay.” Annabelle corrected him.

“Not on my keyboard, it’s not!” Clay said. “Can’t find how to put that little smudge over the E, so I’m just calling it Josey until I figure it out.”

“Looks like we’re at an impasse again, brother.” I said.

“A fair fight, huh?” Autumn asked. “Well… you win this round, Herb, but I hope you realize that the fight has just begun, despite the fact that we’ve been fighting for months now.” Autumn then turned around and yelled, “Alright, ponies! Let’s fall back!” and so Autumn and all of his Sharks ran away, leaving us in victory once again.

The don’s house suddenly opens, and Star Trot and Bright Wing come out to join us. “Very impressive! The don is most pleased of your efforts and your victory!” Star Trot said.

“Ugh! What do these jerks want?” Turnip mumbled.

“Watch your mouth, geek! We represent the don in most circumstances!” Bright Wing said. “You insult us, you insult him! You wouldn’t want to insult the don, would you?”

“No, of course not!” Star Trot said. “Anyways, all of you are dismissed… EXCEPT… you five.” He points to me and my four friends.

“Why is it always us, boy?” Angel complained.

“Boy?” I asked.

“He found a new word.” Annabelle said.

“Ah.” I understood. “That’s good. Could use a break from the other word.”

“What word?” Angel asked. “You mean ma-“

“YEEES!” Turnip yelled, cutting him off. So the five of us followed the two of them into the house so we can chat with the don. Star and Bright let us into the don’s office and they waited out in the hallway.

“Welcome! Please, sit.” Poni instructed us.

“There’s only two chairs.” Turnip pointed out.

“There’s a sofa back there! Sit on that!” Poni instructed three of them. So Angel, Turnip, and Clay sat on the sofa while Annabelle and I sat on the chairs. “Thank you.”

“What do you need, boss?” Annabelle asked.

“A favor.” Poni said. “Since you five are my most affectionate guardians of harmony, you five are going to go with me on a very special mission.”

“A-and what mission might that be?” Angel asked.

“It’s been taken some doing, but we did it! We earned ourselves a possible seat in the Commission!” Poni said.

“The five families?” I asked.

“About to turn into six!” Poni added.

“That’s great, boss!” I said excitedly. “We’ve been all dreaming about this day for a long time!”

“We have?” Angel asked.

“Shush!” Turnip shushed him.

“We have.” I said. “The Commission, huh? So we’re really doing this thing?”

“Yes we are, Herb.” Poni nodded. “We most certainly are! We’re going to really do this thing! We’re going to go into the Commission, and try to help them use their mobs for good instead of evil.”

“That’s going to take some doing, boss.” Annabelle said. “I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’m not questioning what you’re capable of, because you’re capable of anything! What I mean is… them… they may be a problem.”

“I understand what you’re saying, Annabelle, and I agree with you.” Poni said. “But since the five families are actually accepting us, it’s one step closer for them trusting us.”

“Why though?” Turnip asked. “How are we, the Friendship Mob, able to get into a crime Commission? We use our mob for good, how could they accept us?”

“Think about it!” Poni said. “What does the Commission want more than anything in the world?”

Just then, the five of us all whispered to eachother so we can guess what he’s talking about. “Uhh… power?” I asked.

“Money!” Poni said.

“Told you!” Clay whispered to me.

“You know how much money we’re making?” I asked. “So much money that I was able to buy a mansion on Seastar Island. Not for me of course, for the mob. It’s been renovated right now, so I’m going to be moving out of this little house soon. I’m putting it up for sale.”

“Why don’t you buy this house, H?” Annabelle suggested.

“Me?” I asked.

“Yes! Anypony else here named H?” Annabelle asked.

“Why would I move here?” I asked.

“So you can move out of that dump you live in right now, boy!” Angel said.

“Exactly!” Clay agreed. “You live in a one-room studio apartment!”

“Besides the bathroom.” Turnip added.

“And there’s cockroaches there!” Clay said. “This house is clean, it has more rooms. It’s not too big, so it’s not too expensive. You should definitely move here!”

“Really?” I asked. “You think I should buy this house?”

“Perfecto!” Poni said. “I’ll sell it to Herb for a discount!”

“Really? A discount?” I asked.

“A 2% discount!” Poni said. “It’s very nice here. It even has a swimming pool! Not as big as the one I’m going to have, but… you know… it’s better than nothing.”

“Ok!” I nodded. “Sounds like a plan! I’ve been saving up money for a new place anyway! The Friendship Mob helped me increase funds!”

“How did we get these funds anyway?” Clay asked.

“The city council pays us for what we do.” I said. “They pay us a tad more than what they pay the police, but we actually do a better job than them. More ponies are joining the Friendship Mob more than the MDPD.”

“Probably because we don’t require academy training.” Turnip said as he relaxed on the sofa.
“Poni, I’m a bit confused, boss.” Clay said. “What is the Commission?”

“The Commission is home to the five mafia families of Equestria. Five different cities with five different mafia families.” Poni said. “There’s the Sharks mafia, the mob we have here in Mareami. It’s also their newest mob to join the Commission. They joined the Commission a little over 10 years ago.”

“Who are the other four families?” Angel asked.

“Patience, I was just about to get to that, Angel.” Poni said. “The next mafia family we have is the Fraterno mob family, led by Amore Fraterno. The mafia of Fillydelphia. They’re best known for their great strategies of protection. They know how to make ambushes, and they know what their enemies are planning even before they they do! The Fillydelphia mob is the best organized mob in all of Equestria. They even keep copies of police records, and burn the ones that have something to do with them. The Fraterno mob has the best scouts and couriers. The Commission usually relies on them to plan out strategies if the entire Commission decides to work together on a job.”

“I wouldn’t wanna mess with that mob! No sir!” Clay said. “How can an entire mob organization be THAT organized.”

“Calm down, drama queen, you barely know anything about them.” Turnip said. “There is nopony more organized than I am. Even if they are one step ahead of every other type of organization or police force, I’m TEN steps ahead of them!”

“Next we have the Mela Di Legno mob family.” Poni continued. “Led by the one and only Mela Di Legno. They’re the mafia of Las Pegasus. Las Pegasus is home to have the most smuggling operations in Equestria. The Mela Di Legno have more merchandise than the other four families combined. This mob family is in charge of the smuggling operations that run in Las Pegasus. They pay off the port guards in case there is product useful for them, such as the mysterious merchandise that was delivered to Equestria by the Sphinx Cartel. The cartel has connections with the Commission, only as long as they keep selling their product to them at a discounted price. The Mela Di Legno family is the most useful for supplying items that are useful to the Commission.”

“I’m the same way boss!” Clay said. “If any of the mob asks for any merchandise whatsoever, I can get it! I always pull through!”

“The next mafia in the Commission is the Baltimare mob family known as the Penna family.” Poni continued. “It is led by the don Neon Penna. That mob is best known for their stealth strategies. Nopony can ever see them coming. They are the best ponies for ambushes and late-night heists. They are also the most physically strong and most athletic ponies in the Commission. Former Wonderbolts are even in this family. They’re like ninjas and speeding bullets!”

“So am I, boy! I know a ton of good stealth, boy! You know how I am with these streets! Boy, I’m fast, I’m strong, I cannot be seen! I’m basically invisible!” Angel said.

“And the final mob family, the one that runs the operations.” Poni continued. “This mob family resides in Manehatten. They run the meetings, they run the Commission. There is no greater crime organization than this mob. They have the money, they have the power, and they have the intellect. If you thought every other mob family was bad. If you thought the Sharks were bad, you wouldn’t like this mob!”

“Cut to the chase already!” Angel complained.

“This mafia is known as… the Marmellata mob.” Poni continued. “This mob actually runs the criminal empire in Equestria. For those criminal organizations that decide to ally themselves with the Marmellata family, the Marmellata actually organizes the mob and gives them jobs, in exchange for protection and share of the power and wealth. If we could get the Marmellata family on our side, all other criminal organizations will have to as well; either that, or decide to abandon their alliance with them.”

“Wow.” Annabelle said surprisingly. “This mob seems intense. But usually, I know how to get passed situations. I know good strategies. That’s why I was made capo!”

“Oh shut up, Annabelle!” Clay complained.

“So what is the Sharks mob useful to the Commission?” I asked.

“Their stupidity.” Poni said.

“Makes sense.” I said.

“The Commission is actually using the Sharks.” Poni said. “They provide good distractions, and make the Commission look bad to their enemies, which catches the enemies off guard. If the enemy gangs think the Commission is stupid, they underestimate them, and therefore get shown what they’re made of. The Sharks? They’re just pawns to them. They don’t even have an Italian name. There was one slot available in the Commission after one of the past mobs… decided to… change their ways.”

“So wait, a slot available?” I asked. “Does that mean the Commission needs to have five families?”

“No more, no less.” Poni said.

“But we’re joining the Commission!” I said. “If we’re joining, that means one mob has to leave!”

“Exactly!” Poni said.

“Which mob is that going to be?” I asked.

“Who do you think?” Poni asked.

“Well excuse me, BOSS! You know I didn’t have a very good education!” I complained.

“I don’t think you need an education to know that, H.” Annabelle informed me.

“But what about us?” Turnip asked. “How are WE the Friendship Mob useful to them? Besides money?”

“We’re the good guys!” Poni said. “We’re known around Equestria. We have connections to higher organizations that fight disharmony. The FDA trusts us, the DIF trusts us, city police trust us, even Princess Celestia trusts us! The Commission are going to use us for their advantage, and not as ridiculous pawns like the Sharks. Pawns, yes, but not ones that are stupid. Each of the four families are pawns to the Marmellata family, but they are very useful.”

“So if we’re going to be used for the Commissions’ crimes, how are we keeping peace on the streets?” Angel asked.

“We’ll see if WE can convert THEM to good before THEY can convert bad to US.” Poni said.

“You think we’ll be able to do it ourselves?” I asked.

“Of course not! We have connections that are going to help us out.” Poni said. “We’re going to have a meeting with the Commission soon. The Marmellata family’s Zeppelin is coming here to Mareami tonight after midnight with the other three families. Equestrian airwatch officials have been paid off and they’re going to be landing near the Lunar Space Center. That’s where we’re meeting them. Every don is going to have bodyguards, but each of the family is only allowed a limited amount of bodyguards. The limit is going to be seven.”

“So that’s the five of us. Who’s the other two?” Turnip asked.

“Star Trot and Bright Wing.” Poni said. “You seven are my most trusted allies. Even though… five of you ALMOST betrayed me once, but it’s all a thing in the past. I trust Star and Bright with my life, and you five are the most affectionate of the family. You five do a great job. I am relying on all of you for this mission. We can’t let this fail! This is the most important mission I’m giving you. Can you handle it? If not, you’re free to drop out and I’ll find somepony else more fitting.”

“No way, boss!” I stood up. “I speak for all of us when I say-“

“Did I ask you to stand up?” Poni interrupted me. So I sat back down again.

I then continued, “I speak for all of us when I say that we won’t fail you. If converting the Commission to good is the way to go, then I believe you. We’re going to stand by your side until the very end! Even beyond that!”

“Also, if we’re able to get into the Commission, they can help us against the Sharks.” Annabelle suggested. “Get them to leave us alone and stop robbing these poor places. We can use the Commission to our advantage!”

“Perfect! That’s why you’re the one with the strategies, Annabelle!” I said. Annabelle then smiled and blushed.

“Why isn’t Star and Bright in here with us in this briefing though?” Turnip asked.

“I told them what they needed to do ahead of time. They’re always with me.” Poni said. “They’re my bodyguards. They’re basically my shadows! They never leave my side. There are ponies out there hunting me down. Know anypony Herb?”

“I know what you mean.” I nodded. Have you ever felt that you were being watched? Well I do. I have that feeling right now. Basically because we were being watched.

“It appears you were successful, son.” My pop said to Autumn while looking at a security feed of our conversation.

“Yes, pop! I have successfully planted the bugs inside of Poni’s house while the others were occupied around Mareami.” Autumn said.

“Excellent, and just in time too!” pop said as he stands up from his office chair. “It looks like it’s time to show this footage to the other four families. They’d be most destined to see this!”

“But they’re about to betray you!” Autumn said.

“Not for long!” pop said. “Once they see that the evidence of the Friendship Mob plotting against them, they’ll never invite them to the Commission! Time for them to see how useful the Sharks mob can actually be!” The screen then fades black only showing the evilness of my dad’s eyes, like in those Disney movies. “Uhh, Autumn? Can you turn the lights back on please?”

“Can’t help it, pop!” Autumn said excitedly. “I just love your glow in the dark contact lends!”

Author's Note

This chapter serves as a prologue to the next five chapters I'm going to make. The 5-chapter finale of the Friendship Mob spin-off! After this, you should know everything Herb and his friends have to offer. I've been bringing up the Commission for so long in this story and now it's time for the Commission to shine. They're going to playing a major role in these next five chapters. I'm making up the story as I go to be honest, so I don't even know what's going to happen! We'll see find out!

The Commission

Later that night, Poni, Bright, and Star travelled over to the Lunar Space Center by carriage (Star was driving), and with Clay driving our carriage, he, Angel, Annabelle, Turnip, and I followed them over there as well. Poni’s carriage goes over to the security gate and Star talks with the security guard guarding the security checkpoint. I roll down the window to see what’s going on, maybe I could eavesdrop, but I couldn’t hear a thing.

“I don’t have a good feeling about this.” Annabelle said. “How do we know to trust these mobsters?”

“What do you mean?” Angel asked.

“I mean how do we not know this is an ambush?” Annabelle asked.

“The Commission is home to five families.” I said. “Since the Sharks aren’t very useful to them, it is time for somepony else to take the place. They chose us, since we’re pretty effective. Don’t worry, Poni has a plan. I have faith in him.”

“What if this is an ambush, boy?” Angel asked.

“Then we’ll have to think about a strategy.” I said. “Angel? Turnip? You both claimed to know good strategies. Tell us what you have in stock!”

So the security guard let us both in. The carriages all headed for the center field. This space center courtyard is so big, you could fit two stadiums here, and that’s only on this side of the launch pad. We all go out of the carriages and regrouped. “The Zeppelin should land nearby.” Bright Wing said.

“Hopefully, not on top of us.” Clay said.

“How would we know if it’s coming, holms?” Annabelle asked. Just then, a huge engine roar echoed in the distance, and a giant Zeppelin started appearing on the horizon, and it was starting to land pretty close to us.

“Boy, it would’ve made more sense to land in the stadium.” Angel said. “Blimps are always big shots at stadiums.”

“The stadium is indoors, doofus.” Star reminded him.

“SHUT UP, BOY!” Angel yelled at him.

“Hey, HEY!” Poni yelled. “No arguing! We’re all allies in this. It’s just us and them, and if we’re going to outsmart them, we need to stick together. We have to put our differences aside just this once. This is important.”

“Whatever you say, boss. We’re always on your side.” Star said.
“Indeed we are!” Wing agreed.

“Hmph! Teacher’s pet!” Angel mumbled. And so, the Zeppelin landed in the middle of the field as expected. The Zeppelin doors open and almost a hundred mobsters start walking out in rows. A few of the mobsters walk over to us and they bow. They bow? Wrong nationality, buddy!

“Poni Cipriani.” One of the mobsters said in a Chinese accent. Guess some of these mobs have different nationalities.

“Hello. Which family do you represent?” Poni asked.

“I am a capo of the Fraterno mob family.” The mobster said. “The four of us represent each family. It is good that you came as you did! We’ve been getting tired of those Sharks for too long. Brought shame to our community. You on the other hoof might be able to change that!”

“That’s what we’re hoping for.” Poni said. “We’re very effective. We make a lot of money, make a lot of friends, that’s why we’re called the Friendship Mob.”

“Don’t you have a more… suitable name for your organization?” the mobster asked.

“We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.” Poni said. “For now, how about this meeting? I thought there were only a few of us?”

“The other units are waiting outside.” The mobster said. “Only us are allowed in. The others act as backup, just in case of any… tricks.”

“If you say so.” Poni said. “Lead the way!” The mobster nodded and the group of us all followed the mobsters into the Zeppelin.

“I’ve been to Manehatten. How come I never seen these mobs?” Turnip asked.

“They don’t get out much.” Poni said. “Many ponies don’t think they even exist. They only go out and spread crime in small numbers. Ponies think of them as just separate thugs that have no connections.”

“Clever.” Turnip said.

“Indeed.” Poni agreed. So we were led inside of the Zeppelin, and as it turns out, these ponies don’t like spending their money that much, do they? They buy an airship and they don’t even decorate it. Everything looks metally and depressing. When we got to some big doors on a higher floor, OH now they decorate. We’re in a high-ranking area so it’s nicer than the lower ranking area. If it were up to me-

“Herb, can you tell your inner thoughts to be quiet?” Wing asked rudely. Fine, I’ll cut to the chase. We approached the big doors and one of the mobsters on the side of the door guarding it walks over to the door, faces us, then knocks on the door behind him, and then the big doors open revealing a huge meeting room. One with a giant round table, a big red round rug, chairs all around, and a huge poster with the map of Equestria, each of the five families’ names on it on different parts, and on the very bottom in bronze letters it says, ‘Equestria Commission’. Although, one of the mobsters was white-outing the Shark’s name from the map to make way for ours. The other mob dons, well three of them, were already sitting down with their best enforcers.

“Ah, greetings, Don Cipriani!” Don Amore Fraterno said as he bows to us.

“It’s nice of you to finally join us!” Don Mela Di Legno said.

“Come we’ve saved yous all some seats!” Don Neon Penna offered. So we all sat down and just waited and talked.

“Thanks! I feel welcomed!” Poni said. “Where’s the don of the Marmellata family?”

“Right here.” One of the Marmellata mobsters said while pointing to the TV.

“Uh, that’s a TV.” Turnip reminded them.

“Nooooo really?” a Marmellata mobster asked sarcastically.

“Don Marmellata doesn’t want to reveal his identity to strangers.” Another Marmellata mobster said.

“Fair enough.” Poni nodded. “Good things come to those that wait. I am, though, quite impressed by your don’s ways. Very impressed!”

“Indeed they do! I like your style, Cipriani!” Neon Penna said impressively.

“You’re doing great, boss! Keep it up!” Wing whispered to Poni.

“So how do we know who is who?” Annabelle asked.

“It is a pleasure to meet you, Cipriani.” Amore Fraterno said as he bows again. “My name is Amore Fraterno of the Fraterno family. I’ve served seven honorable years of soldiering in the EUP. I have been gained great honor at serving beside Princess Celestia.”

“So what made you quit?” Annabelle asked.

“There is no greater dishonor than catching off-guard.” Fraterno said. “We were ambushed… by… a squad of changelings. We had no idea they were there. I was one of the three that made it out, and there were seventeen of us. The rest of them… got drained… by their love. It was quite a disappointing time. I thought I failed the princess, so I decided to hang my helmet and become one with the underworld.”

“Catching off-guard? I thought that’s what you’re most famous for?” Angel asked.

“Ah, my friend, don’t you see? Don’t you see how the dishonor has corrupted me?” Fraterno asked. “I feel most ashamed. I disgrace my name even more by absorbing the abilities of my enemies. I punish myself every night by asking Princess Luna to give me the same nightmares over and over. She says she can strongly relate to what I’m feeling.”

“YAP, YAP, YAP!” Mela Di Legno interrupted. “Listen to you! Nopony wants to hear your sob story, Fraterno! Cipriani wants to hear action! Howdy, Cipriani! Nice to have you on board!” he shakes Poni’s hoof. “I’m Mela Di Legno of the Mela Di Legno family! Ironically I did not found this family. No, no way, I’m the fourth in line for the don position, partner! I am Mela Di Legno IV! Now life in the mob position, woo we! Life is GOOD! Life is real good! We pretty much run the shipments of any type of substance that might be considered smugglin’, but we put ‘em to good use! Just recently we bought of some type of dust that would make Earth pony strength stronger, unicorn magic more effective, and pegasi would fly faster and more affectionately. This stuff is called Centaur dust!” Mela Di Legno opens up a package of the dust and shows it to us. “Who wants taste?”

“No, thanks.” Clay refused.

“No way, not on my streets, boy!” Angel said.

“C’mon, any of you?” Mela Di Legno asked while showing the dust to Cipriani. “This stuff will make a real stallion outta ya!”

“We’re good.” Wing said.

“The don doesn’t like it when strange illegal substances go near his face.” Star said.

“Whoa, such squares you ponies are! SHEESH!” Mela Di Legno complained as he returned to his seat.

“Ok, settle down, Mela.” Neon Penna stopped him. “Please let me apologize to my friends’ rude behavior, Mr. Cipriani.” Neon Penna said.

“It’s no big deal.” Poni said.

“Neon Penna of the Penna family. Very nice to meet yous.” He said as he shook Poni’s hoof. “I’m glad we have friends like you on board. You know, it would be nice if the two of us had a little alliance. These two are crazy, but me… I’m a people-pony, or a pony-person, or a people-pony-person, or a pony-pony. Either or, it would be pretty amazing to have us working together to get rich and powerful!”

“Stop trying to bring our guest into your crazy shenanigans, Penna! It brings shame to our society.” Fraterno said.

“Stop being such a square, Fraterno!” Mela instructed him.

“Quit being so wild, Mela!” Penna instructed him. So the three families began to start arguing with eachother. Reminds us of anything?

“Not what I expected from the Commission.” I whispered to Poni.

“Perhaps it’s time to show them what we’re made of boss!” Wing suggested.

“Perhaps you’re right, Wing.” Poni agreed. He checks his coat, adjusts his tie, stands and was just about to speak.

“Pardon me everypony, but please welcome the don of Marmellata.” One of the Marmellata mobsters said as the TV turns on, revealing a shadow of some sort with a robotic disguise voice.

“Hello, Commission, and hello to our beloved guests!” the shadowy figure said. “I am Don Marmellata, the don of the Marmellata family, which is all you need to know about me. What I really want to know is about you, Friendship Mob!”

“What is there that yous need to know?” Poni asked.

“We just want to know what you ponies do to gain your reputation.” The don said. “Also, how do you make so much money? Yeah, that’s the main question.”

“Figures.” Poni chuckles. “What makes our reputation great is that… is the job we do. We take care of the problems the enemies give us, and the city rewards us for it. What makes our job interesting is that if we stop lowlife criminals like the Sharks from robbing places, we get rewarded money as long as we keep doing it.”

“So… you’re crime fighters?” Marmellata asked.

“Something like that.” Poni said. “I mean as long as we keep putting up our reputation by helping ponies out when criminals attack them, we get rewarded, and we won’t have no beef with the cops.”

“Why not though?” Marmellata asked. “Aren’t you… stealing the police’s jobs?”

“No, because we’re only dealing with the Sharks.” Poni said. “Other criminals? The other cops can handle them. We stopped a bank heist, if you didn’t know.”

“Oh we heard.” Marmellata said. “We all heard about the stopping of the bank heist. It was… quite impressive. Though we don’t really understand. Why don’t you keep some of the money for yourselves without anypony noticing?”

“Because why leave evidence behind?” Poni asked. “How are we going to get rewarded by the city if we end up stealing the money for ourselves?”

“We’re not bad ponies, Mr. Marmellata.” I stood up and said. “There are ponies suffering out there in the streets, and we needed to step in and help! Ponies being beat up and bullied by thugs! No, not again! No more!”

“Hail to the streets!” Angel cried.

“Uhh, what they mean is,” Poni interrupted embarrassingly, “it’s all just good business. It’s a unique way of earning money.”

“Huh?” I asked.

“SHUSH!” Star shushed me.

“What?” I whispered.

“You’re really inspiring your boys of your ways, Mr. Cipriani.” Marmellata said mischievously. “It reminds me… of somepony else. Reminds me of another don that was sitting in that chair where you’re sitting right now. Have you heard of the legends of the first fifth family?”

“Fifth family?” Clay asked.

“What fifth family?” Annabelle asked.

“Before the Sharks, there was another family that took your place.” Marmellata said. “This mob family was known as the Ovest Palma family. There was this don, goes by the name of Alberto Palma. The Ovest Palm family used to be the most powerful mob family in Equestria. In fact, they owned the Commission at the time, and this airship. Whoever holds the Zeppelin owns the Commission. The Zeppelin is the Commission. Without the Zeppelin, there is no Commission.”

“Everypony got that?” Turnip asked us. We all nodded. “Ok good.”

“Not me, boy.” Angel said. “Doesn’t sound very important to me.”

“Alberto Palma was a great don. He was a great leader.” Marmellata said. “We all respected him, and he respected us. He even respected my privacy for my identity, and he was pretty impressed by that. Very impressed. One day though, many years ago, he found Faust, and therefore transformed his criminal ways into good. He thought everypony was suffering from his wrath of crime, and he really wanted to make a difference by fighting crime instead. His mob disagreed greatly, and therefore, rebelled against him.”

“My gosh, holms!” Annabelle said surprisingly. “I just noticed that the TV he’s using is one of those old TVs on a cart, like the ones we saw a lot back in Elementary School when we watched movies.”

“Alberto Palma disappeared without a trace.” Marmellata said. “The mob disbanded, and it was the end of the Ovest Palma family.”

“That’s… a pretty… shocking story, Mr. Marmellata.” Poni said. “But luckily… we’re not that stupid. We’re not using our powers for good, even though it seems like it. We’re just gaining easier business by looking like we’re doing good, but quite frankly, ponies forget that we’ve broken a ton of laws. Gang wars are illegal, but somehow the city council finds our gang wars fine. Ever since the land of Mareami was sold to an unknown source, our efforts were… somewhat legal. It was quite strange, but it was the best way we knew business.”

“Indeed.” Marmellata said.

“Buddy, you have my respect of your ways.” Mela said. “Everypony thinks you doing good, even though you doing bad. Very tricky efforts.”

“It must be very honorable for you to have this much honor.” Fraterno said.

“I didn’t even think of your ways. We’d be lucky to have a pony like you in our Commission.” Fenna said.

“Thank you.” Poni said. “It would be an honor to be a part of this Commission.”

“Watch your tongue, boy. Only use that word wisely!” Fraterno advised him.

“What word? Honor?” Poni asked.

“No, ‘thank you’. Criminals don’t use that word.” Fraterno said.

“It’s two words, bro.” Turnip corrected him. Just then, Turnip quickly ducks as a clever was thrown right over him. “WHOA!”

“Consider THAT a warning.” Fraterno warned him as he bowed.

“We must discuss on your behalf, Mr. Cipriani.” Marmellata said. “We are very impressed of your ways, but me and the three dons need to talk alone. If you please?”

“Of course, no problem.” Poni accepted as he stood up. “Let’s go, guys.” He said to us, and the rest of us stood up and followed him out. The doors then shut behind us.

“This is so exciting, boys!” Angel said.

“Indeed! This will really get us a chair in the Commission!” Annabelle said excitedly. “It’s been a dream of yours, boss! We’re making it on top, holms!”

“Indeed we are!” Poni agreed.

“Mr. Cipriani, I must ask though, why have you lied to them though?” Star asked.

“Yeah, we don’t commit crimes.” Wing said. “We’re not criminals. Is it true that we’re breaking laws?”

“Of course not.” Poni said. “The city allows it. It’s a common Equestrian law, but not every city has that law. It seems very suspicious though about the city being bought out by an unknown source. It makes me… kinda nervous.”

“We’re by your side, boss! Every step of the way!” Star said.

“You almost gave us away though, Herb.” Wing said. “What do you have to say about that?”

“Nothing to YOU!” I said angrily. “But… boss… it just confuses me. Being a part of this mob, are we… actually doing a good thing?”

“Why wouldn’t we?” Poni asked. “We’re paying a debt to society.”

“We?” I asked.

“I’ve done things in the past you wouldn’t understand.” Poni said.

“Would I though?” I asked. “I’ve been through a lot. I owe a big debt to society, but probably not as much as this… Alberto Palma was. Do you… know of a pony by that name?”

“As a matter of fact I do.” Poni said. “Alberto Palma… really inspired me to be the pony I am today. After his disappearance, it made me think… he’s got a point. I should be able to do what Alberto Palma wasn’t able to do… pay his debt to society.”

“And then I came in, and I took after you.” I said.

“Exactly!” Poni said. “And, Herb, my boy…” he puts his hoof around me, “…I know some day you’re going to inspire somepony else to do the same, because you’re better at paying your debt better than I will ever be. I started this mob, yes, but you give the most effort to the gang, and I am proud to have you on proud, Herb!”

“You really mean that, Pone?” I asked.

“I do, son.” Poni said. “I mean that literary, I think of you as a son figure.”

“Well… I think of you as that… fatherly figure I never had.” I said.

“How about me, H?” Annabelle asked. “You think of me as a brotherly figure? The brother you never had?”

“Of course, Annabelle!” I said. “You make the perfect brother!”

“How about me, Herb? How about me, boy?” Angel asked.

“Ehhh… you’re more of that long-distance second cousin.” I admitted.

“Close enough.” Angel said.

“And my pop… I think of him as that abusing uncle.” I said.

“But still… he is your pop.” Poni said. “I may be a fatherly figure to you, but I am not your real father. Your true father… is. He’s not a very good father, but he’s still your father, and always will be.”

I nodded. “It’s true.”

“Very much so.” Star agreed. “Herb, I might not be so friendly to you at times, but I am confident that you will be able to reunite with your father.”

“He’ll realize the bad he’s done and you two will be together again in perfect harmony.” Wing said.

I nodded in agreement. “You two are right. Thanks!”

“Ugh!” Annabelle groaned. He then leaned over to me and whispered, “They’re just being teacher’s pets, holms. Their minds connect to Poni’s. Whatever his opinions are will be theirs. Just remember, we have your backs.”

“Your backs?” Turnip asked. “How many backs does he have?”

“Mr. Cipriani?” Mela got our attention as he opened the doors to the meeting room. “We’d like to speak to you again, but… just you and two bodyguards. We can’t have too many ears.”

“If that’s what they want, it shall be done.” Poni said. “Star? Wing? Come with me.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa! Why them?” Clay complained.

“Because we’ve always been his bodyguards, Clay.” Wing said.

“When it comes to guardian angels, Poni relies on us.” Star said. “He may be a father figure to you, Herb, but let’s face it, he trusts us with his life.” So the three of them walked inside the waiting room, leaving the five of us out here to wait.

“Ok I really don’t like those two!” Clay said. “I know we’re all allies in this, but those two are really jerks.”

“Yeah, boy!” Angel agreed. “Look at them! See how they lick the hooves of our dear boy boss?”

“Let’s not forget though, they’ve been in this mob far longer than we have.” I said. “They’re probably just jealous and think we’re going to steal the attention.”

“I hope they know the true meaning of being a part of the Friendship Mob, H.” Annabelle said. “If things don’t go their way, there’s a possibility of them messing things up and blaming it on us, getting us kicked out of the mob.”

“They worship Cipriani, boy, like I worship the streets.” Angel said. “I’d rat out anypony to keep them safe.”

“Nice.” Turnip nodded. “You’re now my least trusted ally, Angel. Congratulations. You made the very bottom of my trust list. If I fall back, I’d rather somepony else catch me, even one of the other mob dons.”

“You say that now, Turnip, but wait until you actually fall, boy, and then we’ll see who trusts who.” Angel said.

A few minutes went by, and then I suddenly gasped in shock, because my tail was caught on an electric outlet and I got electrocuted, and then I got surprised after I saw my pop walking down the Zeppelin corridor along with my brother and some mobsters. “Pop?!” I gasped.

“Not now!” my pop said grouchy as he just walked by, and they all reached the meeting room door and barged right in.

“Typical dad.” Clay said. “Too busy for his own son.”

“What’s he doing here?” I asked.

“He probably heard the news, H.” Annabelle said. “What puzzles me though is why did they let him in?”

Inside of the meeting room, my pop interrupts the meeting with a hassle. “You have a lot of nerve to be here, Leafhorn!” Marmellata said. “Nopony interrupts a Commission meeting without good reason.”

“Oh but I do have good reason, Mr. Marmellata.” Pop said as he took out a floppy disk. “I have proof that the Friendship Mob is here to sabotage you!”

“And yous use a floppy disk?!” Penna asked as he started laughing. “Nopony uses those anymore! The only ponies these days that ever see them is the save points in certain video games!”

“It was all I had, I use old equipment.” Pop said. “Anyways, four families, prepare to be shocked, because this evidence here is going to bring the Sharks back into the Commission!”

“Fine.” Marmellata said. “But first, we’ll need to convert that floppy disk. My equipment doesn’t support floppies.”

“Says the pony with the old TV.” Mela teased.

“That would mean I need a VHS tape.” Marmellata said.

Back outside the meeting room, I got a little concerned to why my pop was here. “I swear, he’s onto something. He’s going to get us kicked out of the Commission even before we get in!” I said.

“Now calm down, H.” Annabelle said. “We don’t know for sure. The Sharks are pretty much useless with the Commission now, and they need a fifth family, and we were the only ones available for the job.”

“Yeah, man, I mean- oh woops.” Angel said. “I mean… yeah, boy. Just chill out, and everything will go according to plan.”

“I sure hope so.” I said. “My pop would do anything to stop the Friendship Mob. He knows if we get into the Commission, his mob is doomed.”

“And he’s using any means necessary to break our ties with them.” Turnip said as he was messing with some strange device he was working on.

“Exactly!” Clay said. “But we should remember though, that he interrupted a meeting, and boy do we know how mob bosses react when they get interrupted during a meet.”

“How?” Angel asked.

“Oh I have no clue.” Clay shrugged. “I thought you’d know.”

“Boy, I don’t even know what job I’m supposed to do half of the time I’m in this gang!” Angel said.

Just then, I heard a beeping sound on my phone. I took it out and took a look. “What’s going on, H?” Annabelle asked.

“I got a text from Star Trot.” I said.

“What’s it say?” Annabelle asked.

“And you ask before I even open the text. Give me a chance, dude!” I complained.

“Sor-ry!” Annabelle said defensively.

“Ok this text says, ‘Run! Get out of the…’, he spelled ‘ship’ wrong.” I said as I read the text. “’The families are onto us. Run! Save yourselves.’”

“Run?” Annabelle asked.

“We ain’t running! We’re not abandoning the boss!” Clay said. “Plus how can we trust Star Trot?”

“Freeze!” the other mobsters cried as they aimed their weapons at us.

“I guess this is enough proof.” Clay said. “RUN!” So they started firing at us as we started running out of the ship. The Zeppelin’s alarm started going off as we were running to the elevator. When we got to the elevator, Angel kept pressing the elevator button very dramaticly.

“IT’S NOT COMING!” Angel yelled.

“Quick! The window!” Clay pointed to the window at the end, and we start running towards that. Right when we started running though, the elevator door opened with nopony inside. Guess we should’ve waited, but it was too late now. We kept on running to the window.

“Wait are you expecting us to JUMP, C?!” Annabelle cried.

“Yes!” Clay said. “Hoof on hoof formation!”

“What did he say?” Turnip asked.

“GRAB HOOVES!” Clay yelled as he grabbed onto Angel’s and Turnip’s hooves, and Turnip grabbed Annabelle’s, and Annabelle grabbed onto mine. We were all holding hooves and running through the corridors. While this felt epic for us, the other mobsters looked at us like we were weirdos.

“Who do they think they are? They skipping through a flower field or something?” one of the mobsters asked. So we all jumped through the back window and we started to fall, but still holding hooves. Clay then begins spreading his wings and glided us down safely. While that was happening, the Zeppelin started to take off. The five of us safely… well, somewhat safely, landed into the field after Clay glided us down. We were heavy for him, so he couldn’t really fly, but he was able to be a good parachute for us.

The sun was rising and it was shining into our eyes as we laid there in the field watching the Zeppelin take off along with the families, my pop, and Cipriani on board. “No!” I yelled. “No, no, no!”

“Yes, yes, yes!” Turnip teased.

“Shut up!” I demanded. “This is serious! My pop obviously did something! I knew he would ruin this for us! Now Cipriani has been captured, and the Friendship Mob is being left leaderless.”

“Well if all things the same, I nominate you as our new leader, Herb.” Clay said.

“No! We’re not giving up on him! We have to find him!” I said.

“But where? He’s on a Zeppelin! We’ll never catch it!” Annabelle said.

“Yeah, boy, let’s just throw in the towel.” Angel suggested.

“NO!” I yelled. “Look… Cipriani isn’t alone. He’s got Star Trot and Bright Wing with him.”

“Looks like those two got what they want. Personal alone time with the boss.” Clay said.

“Well I’m not giving up on him.” I said as I started walking.

“Where you going, H?” Annabelle asked.

“To Poni’s house.” I said. “When I saw my brother over there yesterday, it looked like he was planting something… a… a bug. I wanted to check it out, but it Cipriani wanted us to go inside the house to talk to him, and after the meeting was over I completely forgot about it.”

“So it was your fault then?” Turnip asked.

“I… DON’T KNOW!” I yelled. “But still… that might prove something. Perhaps my dad was eavesdropping on us. We should observe the bug, and then… we’re going to plan a search and rescue!” So the five of us all went over to Poni’s house to see if we could find any clues. Poni had a spare key in the mailbox so we could go inside. Hey it’s more original hiding place than under a mat!

When we got to Poni’s house, I showed Turnip the bug that Autumn planted, and he observed it. “Mhm.” He nodded. “Yep, this is definitely a bug.”

“What kind of bug?” I asked as I looked over. “A cockroach. They always seem to go out in the middle of the night wandering around houses.”

“Ok…” I said. “How about the virus?”

“Yes it would seem that this virus is a bad one.” Turnip said. “Luckily we were able to stop it in time. We can’t have this virus plague Equestria any longer! With this contained, the scientists will surely find a cure!” Turnip showed me the virus that was safely stored in a containment container. Heh, containment container! Somepony could make a tongue-twister outta that!

“Good job, Turnip!” I said. “How about the little device my brother installed?”

“Yes it would seem you’re right, Herb.” Turnip said as he showed me the device. “Your brother installed this device to spy on our conversation. They knew our plan for the Commission, and he probably showed it to them, ruining our chances to join, and therefore, capture the boss.”

“My pop had to screw things up today of all days.” I said. “He really wants to keep his job in the Commission.”

“So… does this mean we’re screwed?” Clay asked.

“Nope.” I said. “We’re going to find that Zeppelin, and rescue Poni.”

“The five of us or the entire mob?” Clay asked.

“Somepony’s gotta protect Mareami.” I said. “We can do this. The shorter the numbers, the less of a chance for us to be spotted. Besides, remember what Poni said? We’ve got connections. We’ll get them to help us out, and I think I know which one who can!”

“What do you have in mind, H?” Annabelle asked.

“We need to set up the monitor. We’re gonna make a call.” I said.

“I’ll get right on it.” Turnip said as he walks over to the other room to get to work on the monitor.

“What’s your plan, H?” Annabelle asked.

“I’m going to give our connections a call.” I said. “They can meet us over in Manehatten so we can rescue Poni.”

“Manehatten?” Annabelle asked. “What makes you so sure he’s there?”

“The Marmellata family’s turf is in Manehatten.” I said. “The Marmellata own the Zeppelin and the Commission. The Zeppelin is going to be in Manehatten somewhere, and if we could find it, we may find Poni.”

“Or information on where he’s kept, brother.” Clay added.

“Exactly!” I said.

“But what’s going to happen there, boy?” Angel asked. “The Commission is onto us. They’re not going to let us in now.”

“Well… there might be one way.” I said.

“What’s that?” Annabelle asked.

“With the help of our connections,” I started, “we might be able to-“

“Oh connections! Connections! Connections! Who are they, boy?!” Angel complained.

“We’ll get to that in a moment, Angel, calm down.” I advised him. “With the help of our connections, we’re going to attempt to prove to the Commission that if we do good, we’ll be greatly rewarded. So we do some good deeds in Manehatten, and we’ll see how the city will reward us by converting Manehatten’s most dangerous criminals. Have some faith in our organization! I know we can do this!”

“The Sharks are with them.” Clay said. “As long as your dad is there, he’s not going to make it easy.”

“I know.” I said. “Which is why I have to deal with him once and for all. I’ll need to get the Commission on our side somehow. I’m not sure what, but my pop won’t stop until he gets what he wants.”

“But he’s got Poni, H.” Annabelle said. “He’s weakened the Friendship Mob. What else could he want?”

“He wants me, Ann! He wants me!” I said. “I can tell by the look on his eye that he doesn’t want to fight me, and he’s probably going to use Poni to get to me. If we’re going to do this, we need to do it as soon as possible! Once Turnip’s done in the other room, we’re heading out. This might be a really dangerous mission. If any of you wants to back out, this is your chance to do so.”

“No way, H! We’re loyal to you until the end!” Annabelle said.

“No way we’re leaving a brother behind!” Clay said as he placed his hoof around me and squeezed me. “You’ll need all the help you can get! Angel, you in?”

“Well… come to think of it…” Angel stuttered.

“Angeeeeel!” Annabelle mumbled.

“But Manehatten streets aren’t MY streets!” Angel whined.

“Hey if Angel wants to be a big baby and stay behind, he’s more than welcomed to.” I said mischievously.

“Now hang on a minute, boy!” Angel said angrily.

After a little while went by, Turnip called me into the room next door. “I got it. I got the communicator working.” He said to me. “I also got the coordinance to who we want to speak to. I hope you realize that hacking to their frequency like this is illegal.”

“Turnip… these days… I’m not sure what’s legal or illegal anymore.” I said. “I’m starting to have the feeling that this Friendship Mob business wasn’t such a good idea. I mean… even though we’re trying to make peace, we’re still causing gang crime.”

“The city allows us to do it.” Turnip said.

“The city is corrupted.” I said. “I’m not sure who runs the city council anymore.”

“The mayor, of course.” Turnip reminded me.

“Yeah thanks for the info.” I said sarcastically.

“Anyways…” he started typing, “…putting us through… now.” After we waited for a few seconds for the call, some type of pony wearing a tuxedo and sunglasses responds to the call, and he didn’t sound happy.

“This is the FDA Headquarters.” The FDA agent on the screen said to Turnip. “Contacting this frequency is illegal to anypony not an agent or the princesses. Please identify yourself.”

“Yeah hello!” Turnip said.

“Hi.” The agent said. “Please identify yourself.”

“Identify me, the pony, or us the group?” Turnip asked.

“Both.” The agent said.

“Well… we’re part of a peaceful organization and… umm… we’ve got connections to… your organization.” Turnip explained nervously.

“Uh huh… go on.” The agent nodded.

“We have a problem that has something to do with the Commission.” Turnip said.

“Oi! Stop!” a familiar voice interrupted. Just then, a familiar looking pony showed up on the screen. Purple coat, blonde hair, notepad cutie mark. “The Commission you say? We’re trying to track them now, so to speak. What do you know about the Commission?”

“Wait…” I interrupted and went over to the screen to see that pony. “I know you!”

“Oh my Celestia! Herb Leafhorn, is that you?” the pony asked surprisingly.

“Jerry Jam, it’s… been too long.” I said.

“What’s going on? What do you know about the Commission?” the other agent asked.

“Nuh uh! Why are we talking to that pony?” Jerry Jam asked the agent. “He’s bad news!”

“You’re the one to talk! You’re an FDA agent?” I asked.

“What’s it to ya?” Jerry asked me angrily. “After the way you treated Flare Gun? Be lucky he’s got a good life now!”

“Jerry, I… I know what you’re thinking, but it’s not like that.” I said. “I’ve seen the error of my ways. You may not know it, but Flare and I have made peace. But it’s you that should be ashamed! You just let me beat him up! You didn’t do nothin’ to help him! What kind of pony does that make you?”

“Now just calm down! Both of you!” some green Pegasus mare with a pink mane interpreted our argument. “You think arguing is going to solve this?”

“Exactly!” Turnip agreed.

“Who is this?” I asked.

“Agent Merry May. Who is that pony with you, so we’d both be even?” the green mare asked.

“Turnip Orch.” Turnip said. “I’m the technology expert of the Friendship Mob!”

“So is our friend Apple Fritter!” Merry said.

“Friendship Mob? Wait, what?” Jerry asked surprisingly. “YOU! Herb Leafhorn, Jr. You’re part of the Friendship Mob?”

“You’re part of the FDA?” I asked.

“Guess we both did bad things.” Jerry said. “I guess we’re on the same boat here. You joined the Friendship Mob in attempt to redeem your conscience?”

“That I did.” I nodded. “I really felt bad about the bad things I done. So I’m now I’m trying to redeem the bad things I’ve done in the past by doing good things.”

“You and me both, mate.” Jerry said.

“What do you have against the Commission?” I asked.

“What do you know about it?” Jerry asked.

“Loads.” I said. “Why? What are you planning to do with them? We’re trying to convert them to use their organizations for good.”

“Is that so?” Jerry asked. “Hmm… maybe we can work together on this. We’re trying to convert them as well. You think we could work together on this?”

“You’re our connections!” I said. “We should work together on this. A few of our fellow mobsters got captured by the Commission. Probably the leader of the Sharks mob has something to do with it. We’re fighting for the fifth Commission position, you see.”

“Well, my boss has some trouble with the Commission as well. He owes the Mela Di Legno mob some money.” Jerry said. “I’m hoping him and my sister would be able to pay them off, including interests and such. My sister Jelly’s no fool.”

“Well I hope they’re alright.” I said.

“So what’s the plan?” Merry asked.

“Well… since the Sharks have been a problem for us, and the Commission seems to… at least used to trust us, we can try to persuade the Commission to trust us again.” Turnip said. “We can also attempt to find information about them.”

“Where does that leave us then?” Merry asked.

“You’re good with criminals.” Turnip said. “I heard what you’ve all did with the Sphinx Cartel.”

“H-how?” Merry asked.

“I hacked into your software. How could I not?” Turnip asked. “I know it’s illegal, but I heard that professionals like me that hack government software could be useful to you.”

“That is true.” Merry said. “So I guess you work for us now.”

“Temporarily.” Turnip said. “It’s until the Commission is taken care of. What you FDA agents should do is try to get info from the other small-time Manehatten gangs. Maybe that might help providing a weakness or a plan in attempt to convert the Commission.”

“That doesn’t sound like a bad idea.” Merry said. “But where did you get the Manehatten idea from?”

“The Marmellata own the Commission.” Turnip said. “The Marmellata family runs the Zeppelin.”

“And whoever is in charge of the Zeppelin is in charge of the Commission.” I added.

“Right, and the Marmellatas base in Manehatten, so they should be there.” Turnip said.

“Sounds like a plan then.” Merry said. “Jerry, go get Apple Fritter and pack your things.”

“I never unpacked them. I basically just got here.” Jerry reminded her.

“Well then get ready to move out. We’re going to Manehatten!” Merry said to him, she then turns to us and said, “Thank you, Friendship Mob. We’ll try to get as much info as we can from the small-time gangs, and you deal with the Commission. We’re relying on you not to squander our trust. We’re counting on you.”

“As we to you.” Turnip said. “We’ll meet up in Manehatten once we got the information we need. Good luck, Friendship Detection Agency.”

“Same to you, Friendship Mafia.” Merry said.

“Good luck, Herb.” Jerry said. “If you claim to be who you say you are, then we’re not just doing this for ourselves, we’re doing it for Crimson Flare Gun too.”

“Why?” I asked. “I’ve done a lot for him already. I helped him feel welcomed, and I used the mob to help him rescue his friend from Dr. Swinebutt. What did you do?”

“Well I helped him feel welcomed, and… umm…” Jerry stuttered. “Umm…”

“Yeah, well, let me know when you decide to really assist him.” I teased.

“Ugh!” Jerry groaned.

“Over and out.” Merry said as the transmission gets cut.

“You know that one pony?” Turnip asked me.

“That green agent? Merry May? No, I never seen her before in my life.” I said. “Although, Angel did mention something about his cousin knowing a pony by that name. Could it be the same pony?”

“I meant the purple one.” Turnip corrected me.

“Oh, Jerry Jam?” I asked. “Yeah… I met him once. His family actually owns the land of Mareami. His family broke off the fight between my family and Flare’s family. It seemed like déjà vu when I was fighting with Flare, and Jerry tried to break up the fight, until his weird Nashorse racer looking friend stopped him. I never seen him again after that day. Nopony did. He just disappeared. Now that I see him as part of the Friendship Detection Agency, it kinda answers my question.”

“I see.” Turnip nodded. “Well… we have a plan to rescue the don! How do you suppose we try to earn back the trust of the Commission?”

“We have to remind them how useful we are to them, and how the Sharks are just trying to sabotage us so they don’t get replaced for the fifth Commission spot.” I said. “I suggest we all figure out a plan, but at the same time, pack our things. We’re going to Manehatten! Here we come Poni! We’re coming to rescue you!”

“And Star and Bright, right?” Turnip asked.

“Of course.” I said as I rolled my eyes.

Author's Note

This story arc has a few different possibilities. I won't state them though because I don't want to spoil the story. I'll tell you them later. Now I got the Zeppelin idea from Bioshock Infinite, and I thought it would make a good HQ for the Commission, so they can travel in style, and know not to be messed with! >:D Also, at the same time, I don't want the mob to be known by most ponies in Equestria. If everypony knew, then even the Mane Six might've had a part in this, and I don't want them to have a part in this; not Flare either.

Now during the transmission with Jerry, I didn't want to reveal much story events. Like the only reason I made Herb say "a couple of our goons got captured by the Commission", is because this part is in the FDA story. If I spoil events from either story, then it might ruin the other one. If you want to really know what Jerry is up to, you'll have to read the FDA story. Same goes with the other one. I won't be revealing Friendship Mob stories in the FDA story, just in case anyone reads that spin-off before this one.

Killer Princess

In a dark cell on board a Zeppelin, Poni was just regaining his senses from sleeping. He moans as he tries to regain consciousness, and rubs his head while he was at it. “Boss!” Bright Wing said as he and Star Trot run over to him and help him up. “Boss, are you alright?”

“I’m fine.” Poni said. “Where are we?”

“Back into the land of the living!” Wing said.

“What?! Was I dead?!” Poni asked surprisingly.

“Knock it off, Wing!” Star instructed him. “We’re on board the Zeppelin. We got ambushed. The Sharks sabotaged everything. They set us up. The Commission thinks we’re the bad ponies.”

“Wha-what?” Poni asked. “Well… like a typical jealous type. This is going to be harder than I thought.”

“Of course it is, Poni!” my pop said as he and my brother walked inside the cell, along with a couple of their goons.

“Leafhorn Senior!” Poni said mischievously. “How good to see you again! Jealous much?”

“I don’t know what the Commission would want with a bunch of capitalist scumbags like YOU!” my pop said.

“How are we capitalists in any way?” Poni asked.

“You think you’re doing the right thing? You’re not.” My pop said. “You’re a bunch of liars! You lie to everypony, and you even lie to yourselves! Look at you! You’re persuading yourselves that you’re the good ponies, but really, you’re gangsters. Good or bad, it doesn’t matter. You’re law-breakers, Hell-raisers.”

“Ooooo, he said ‘Hell’. Tough guy. Big pone.” Wing said sarcastically.

“What are you talking about?” Poni asked pop.

“We’re exactly the same, Cipriani.” My pop said. “You’re a bunch of criminals, just like us!”

“THAT’S A LIE!” Poni yelled as he stood up, but then my brother tazes him and he collapses on the ground while Star and Bright catch him.

“Is it?” my pop asked.

“Ugh!” Poni groaned in pain. “We don’t steal. We don’t try to ruin pony’s lives. We’re trying to save ponies.”

“That’s not your job.” My pop said. “Of course you’re not thieves, but think about it. You commit to violence as you try to stop us. You send your boys all around Mareami while my goons cause trouble, and you just use your goons to clean up their messes, and the city pays you for it, but really, you’re stealing from the city. You scare ponies. You don’t save them! Everypony thinks you’re criminals!”

“The Friendship Mafia uses their prowess for good.” Star said.

“Prowess, heh!” Wing chuckled. “What kind of word is that?”

“The amount of trouble you put Mareami through. We’re heroes.” Star explained. “We try to make peace in Mareami. We’re trying to tell criminals like you to stay away! This is our town!”

“I don’t think you understand.” My pop said. “Have you ever heard of a protection racket?”

“Yes.” Wing said.

“Yeah.” Star said.

“No you haven’t.” my pop said. “A protection racket is when an organization forces to protect a community or even some shop to pay them for protection.”

“We don’t force anypony to pay us anything!” Poni said.

“But did the city ask for your protection?” my pop asked. “Did the city ask any type of organization not owned by the city to protect them from other criminals? Did the city ask you to stop crime in Mareami? What if we’re not as you expect we are?”

“I always thought that mustache you have was fake.” Wing said.

“What if we actually worked for the government?” pop asked. “What if we do what we do to stop crime? Hmm?”

“Yeah, I highly doubt that.” Poni said.

“Maybe I don’t, maybe you are right about me.” Pop said. “But it doesn’t matter. You’re here now.” He walks over to Poni, looks down and said, “Look at me.” He does so for a few seconds. “You belong to us now. I have a plan to end the- LOOK AT ME!”

“WHY?!” Poni yelled. “I don’t want to see your ugly face!”

“Though the mustache is pretty cool.” Wing said.

“Wing, shhh.” Star shushed him.

My pop then smacks Poni in the face. “DON’T BE SMART WITH ME, CIPRIANI!”

“Hey! Don’t you dare slap the boss!” Star demanded. “Slap us on his behalf!”

“You two are just his goons! You two are nothing!” pop said. “I’m interested in having you and Bright Wing to join us, Star Trot. Plus, Bright Wing complimented my mustache. I can’t slap him for that.”

“Sorry, Mr. Leafhorn, but we’ll have to decline that offer.” Star said. “We’re loyal to our boss until the end.”

“Of course.” Pop nodded. “How rude of me. I gave you two the offer right in front of him. Perhaps we can talk privately.”

“Sorry, Mr. Leafhorn.” Wing said. “As cool as your mustache is, it’s not our duty as Friendship Mobsters to betray Cipriani.”

“I see.” Pop nodded. “We’ll talk about this later. For now, you three better stay comfee in here. By the time I get back, you better give me some info on my son. We can even play dirty if we want to.”

“VERY dirty!” Autumn added.

“Alright, Autumn, settle down.” Pop instructed him. “I need you to do something for me.”

“Anything for you pop!” Autumn said.

“Good boy! I need you to set up an ambush. The Friendship Mob is coming, and we need to get ready.” Pop said.

“Can we use the mobs’ help?” Autumn asked.

“You can try, but Mr. Marmellata has a plan of his own.” Pop said to him. “He’s trying to lure somepony else to him, but we must stay focused on our foes. Can we do this?” Autumn smiles and nods.

Poni was feeling really nervous on what my pop might plan to do to him. But he doesn’t have to wait any longer. The Friendship Mob is coming to the rescue!

Once our plane hit the ground, we weren’t exactly in Manehatten yet. I mean we were in the city, but not on the Manehatten island. We were on the Princesses island. It was home to Meadow Songs Park which housed the Uniglobe and the Pony State Pavilion, and it was where the Celestial Festival used to be located until Magic World and Magic Land was made. Also that’s the first place we’re going. After getting picked up via limo at the airport, my friends and I were discussing our plan.

“Ah, Princesses! It’s not the heart of Manehatten, but I love it here!” Annabelle said. “The great thing about this island is that it’s so quiet and peaceful. I remember when I went on vacation here and went to Meadow Songs Park and relaxed at the Uniglobe water fountain.”

“I kinda smell seafood.” Angel said.

“We’re not at the south port though.” Annabelle reminded him.

“Sorry that was my leftovers in the trunk.” The driver said.

“I’m kinda disappointed.” Turnip said. “When they said limo, I didn’t expect them to send an SUV carriage.”

“Yeah I don’t get that either.” Clay said. “Say one thing when you really meant another.”

“Alright guys, let’s keep focus.” I said. “We need to find the Commission blimp and rescue Poni.”

“Just like that?” Clay asked. “Brother, you know how many mobsters are in that blimp right now?”

“Clay’s right, H.” Annabelle said. “We can’t just barge into the blimp and expect it to be easy-greasy.”

“How about stealth?” Angel suggested.

“Perhaps, we need an inside pony.” Annabelle said.

“Well we might have some luck. I have a contact down here that might help us with what we need.” Turnip said. “She’s a technical expert like me, and she has something we need to hack the blimp. She also has connections to an underground organization.”

“Can you trust this pony though?” Annabelle asked.

“Oddly enough.” Turnip said. “I met her online, but I’m pretty suspicious over ponies I meet online. I dunno if I can 100% trust them. Sometimes I, er, arrange some of my online friends to meet me in person, but all I do is sit in my carriage across the street from them, and… stare at them. Now… they… know a glimpse of my childhood.” We all just stared at him freakily.

“Ok I’m just going to ignore that, boy, and let’s just meet with this one pony.” Angel said. “And I don’t mean stalk her.”

“Oh… ok.” Turnip said. “I guess its better we just…” he clears his throat, “…talk to her.”

“Who is this mare?” Clay asked.

“Mare goes by the name of Sunflower Seed.” Turnip said. “She’s not the type of pony to be messed with, rest assured. You won’t expect much tolerance from her if she’s annoyed, so Angel, keep quiet.”

“Fine.” Angel said. “I’ll keep quiet if you don’t be such a stalker, boy. In fact, boy, don’t even look at her.”

“Well I gotta look at her to tell you what she looks like, and I have to talk to her, but if we go over and talk to her I won’t have much of a reason to be a stalker because the hard part’s already done.” Turnip explained.

“So where is she?” I asked.

“We’re meeting Sunflower at Meadow Songs Park, in the Pony State Pavilion next to the two towers.” Turnip said.

“Why there out of all places?” Annabelle asked.

“Well we need to stay hidden because we have no doubts the Sharks are coming after us.” Turnip said.

“Ah how nice. Same battles, different city.” Clay said sarcastically.

“Well let’s hope it doesn’t have to come to that.” Annabelle said. “Mareami already went through a lot with us fighting the Sharks, and they’re lucky to have a break with them. We don’t need Princesses or any other part of the city to suffer the same way.”

“Right.” I said. “But that’s not what worries me. What could Poni be doing trapped in a blimp full of criminals… with my pop?”

“Drinking tea?” Angel asked.

“Really, Angel?” I asked.

“Why not?” Angel asked. “It’s a street drink!”

“Where on Earth did you get tea as a street drink?” Annabelle asked.

“Well sometimes in Gangsville Ave. I see ponies throw Styrofoam cups out of their carriage windows, littering our fair streets, boy!” Angel said.

“What does that have to do with tea?” Annabelle asked.

“Uh, coffee is close to tea! Duh!” Angel said.

“Well at least he didn’t make a ‘fresh ground’ coffee joke.” Clay whispered.

“You just did.” Turnip reminded him.

“Oh…. sh**t.” Clay mumbled. “Hey! Why did you bleep me out?! I said ‘shoot’!” Sorry about that, Clay. Just kinda had the feeling.

Anyways when we got dropped off to Meadow Songs Park, we got a good few of the Interglobe, and the Pony State Pavilion was just on the opposite end of the park. We needed to walk over there for probably a quarter mile. Might as well burn some calories while we’re at it.

“Ah! Meadow Songs Park!” Clay said as he takes a sniff. “So beautiful out here!”

“I still smell seafood.” Angel said. “Boy, I think that scent is stuck in my nose.”

Over at the Interglobe fountain, I flick in a coin and closed my eyes. Annabelle walked over and asked, “Aww. Made a wish?”

“No, he just wasted money by throwing a bit down a fountain because he felt like it.” Turnip said sarcastically.

“Turnip, does everything need to be a joke for you?” Annabelle asked.

“HA! Tell Angel that!” Turnip laughed.

“Tell Angel what?” Angel asked.

“Don’t get passed Angel and his streets… boy.” Annabelle teased.

“Wow, is that really how I sound?” Angel asked. “No wonder everypony’s asking me to shut up.” During that conversation, it seemed like we were being watched by somepony.

So we walked through the park. It was pretty creepy and foggy out though. We’re going to diiiiiie! Just as we got to the pavilion, we saw a strange looking hooded figure up ahead. I got a little creeped out by it. “Ah, there she is!” Turnip said.

“That’s her?” I asked. “That’s creepy!”

“She likes to blend in. She’s not an all-out kind of girl.” Turnip said.

“The complete opposite of us, boy.” Angel said.

We walked over to her and she looked right at us. I could barely see her face. I could only see her muzzle. The rest of her face was blocked by the dark shadow of her hood. “Sunflower Seed. It is… nice to finally meet you!” Turnip said hesitantly.

“Friendship Mafia?” she asked.

“Yep!” Turnip said.

“Were you followed?” she asked.

“I dunno, were we guys?” Turnip asked us.

“No idea. I mean, we don’t think so.” Clay said.

“Exactly!” Sunflower said. “You could’ve been followed but don’t know for sure. The real question is: do you know you were followed? I taught my little sister that trick. It pays to be clever to those you find suspicious.”

“I like your style!” Turnip said.

“So, Turnip, who are your friends?” Sunflower asked.

“Oh this here is Annabelle, Angel, Clay, and Herb.” Turnip said. “Why? You wearing a wire or something?”

“Do I look like I’m wearing a wire to you?” Sunflower asked as she uncovered her body to show us there’s no wire. “See? Is that enough proof for you boys?” None of us said anything. “Huh? Uh, guys?”

“I dunno what their problem is.” Annabelle said. “Do they want to look long and hard that there’s not a wire on you?”

“I’m sorry what?” Clay asked.

“Whatever.” Sunflower said as she covered again. “Now then, you’re here for the… thing right?” she asked as she flicked her nose.

“Yeah,” Turnip said, “the… beedy-boppy-boo and the biddy-boopy.”

“No, the da-da-da, and the guy with the hat.” Sunflower said.

“No the boopy-boop and the-“ Turnip whistles.

“Oh right, that.” Sunflower nodded.

“And I thought Angel spoke gibberish.” Clay whispered.

“We already made a joke about the way I talk, boy.” Angel whispered.

“What are you two talking about?” I asked.

“We can’t say, not out here.” Sunflower said as she takes out a paintball gun and shoots a pony that was on top of one of the towers up above. The pony begins to freefall until he lands into some bushes. The pony stands back up holding his head in pain.

“What was that?!” Clay yelled.

“So we WERE followed!” Annabelle said.

“Exactly! But we didn’t know!” Angel said. Just then we all figured out it was all an ambush. A couple of mobsters were sneaking up on us from behind. They incapacitated Clay and Annabelle, but Angel was able to catch and flip over the one behind him. “WHOA, MAN- I mean boy!”

A bunch of mobsters begin to surround us from behind the walls and bushes. We all started fighting them right after Angel kicks some of the mobsters off Annabelle and Clay so they could join along. As we fought these mobsters, they had pretty sweet moves, some that the Sharks never had. This was all planned out. It was well-organized. These were not the Sharks. They had moves like ninjas. A few of us were nearly defeated, but not Angel. He has moves far more impressive than I ever imagined. He provided a great distraction as the rest of us were able to stain their outfits. Mustard and black stealth outfits just don’t get along with eachother, do they?

Most of the mobsters have been defeated and retreated, and the rest were on the ground spazing out. Angel places his hoof on one of the mobsters’ stomachs and yells, “And that’s how the streets rule!”

“NICE, Angel!” I said excitedly. “I never thought you had it in you, but those were sweet moves!”

“I’ll say, A!” Annabelle agreed.

“Yep! You provided excellent bait as we finished them off!” Turnip teased.

“Alright, alright, let’s settle down.” Sunflower said as she removed her hood and we finally saw her face. It turns out, she was a pink earth pony with oval-shaped green eyes, straight blonde hair which wasn’t too long and not too short with a daisy in it, and she had white freckles on her cheeks. She blows on her hair and said, “We stopped them now, but no doubt more will be coming soon. I have to take you somewhere, and I know just how to get there to make sure we weren’t followed. Follow me.”

“How do we not know you’re not setting us up to another ambush?” Turnip asked.

“This is no time to be wise, Turnip!” Sunflower said without tolerance. “We need to get to somewhere safe. I have the equipment you need, but you need to follow my instructions! No other way!”

“As you wish, boss.” Turnip said. Sunflower just rolled her eyes as she started walking, and we followed her. The fog started to clear throughout the park, so it was easier to see. There were several ponies in the park at this time – joggers, bike-riders, somepony playing a saxophone for money, but there weren’t any ponies watching us suspiciously, so we were clear for the time being. This would be as good of a chance as any to have a conversation.

“What were those ponies that attacked us? They weren’t Sharks, that’s for sure!” Clay said.

“Stealth? Ninja moves? Wear pajamas at work? That was the Penna Family.” Annabelle said.

“That explains a lot.” I said. “They were faster than a speedin’ bullet.”

“Not as fast as I, boyly-boy!” Angel said as he flexes his muscles.

“Yes, you were an animal, Angel.” Turnip said sarcastically.

“But wait.” I stopped them. “It’s the Sharks that are after us though. Why did the Penna Family come after us?”

“Ain’t it obvious, H?” Annabelle asked. “The Sharks are tricking the Commission into thinking we’re the enemy. They’re bringing the other four families against us, so they wouldn’t lose their seat.”

“Jeez, I didn’t think they’d agree with them.” I said. “My pop is not a clever pony. I dunno how he could get the other families against us, unless he has a trick up his sleeve, or somepony working along side him. Marmellata, perhaps?”

“What does Marmellata have against us?” Annabelle asked. “He wants us to be a part of the Commission. That trick that your dad played against us must’ve been more effective than we thought.”

“Marmellata is not a dumb pony.” Sunflower said. “If he were a dumb pony, the Commission would’ve fell into the hooves of another family, or worse.”

“Or better.” Angel corrected her.

“Correct me again, and I’ll make your eyes over easy.” Sunflower threatened him.

“YO, GIRL!” Angel yelled. “You think you can mess with-“ Clay and Annabelle both covered Angel’s mouth.

“He doesn’t mean anything by it, don’t worry.” Clay said.

“Yeah, he’s an idiot, but he’s still an effective team member.” Angel said.

“I know. That’s the only reason he’s still alive right now.” Sunflower said as Angel was hesitating the struggle that Clay and Annabelle were holding back on him. They released Angel and he calmed down.

“But that was the Penna family that was after us.” I said. “They’re the strongest of the families. It would appear that the hardest is over if each family is going after us.”

“I really wish you wouldn’t say that.” Annabelle said.

“Too bad.” I smirked. “I just did.”

On the way to wherever we were going were ambushed by another hit crew, and it was still the Penna family, so the same family hit us twice. Is it going to be the same family attacking us every time, or will there be more? I have no clue. But within the hour after walking around the streets of Princesses, taking an El-Train through Hooflyn as we saw Marmellata mobsters down on the street walking towards a nearby brick building across the street. It was weird though, but I guess criminal business must continue with some families.

After we got off the train, we went down to a subway and returned to Princesses. When we got out of the subway, we were back at Meadow Songs Park. “Why are we back here?” Clay asked.

“Don’t question me.” Sunflower demanded as she blew on her hair.

“We’re trying to confuse whoever’s following us, I’m assuming.” Turnip said.

“Over here is the entrance to our hideout.” Sunflower said as she pointed to a sewer drain near the Pavilion.

“Well, boy, I’m glad we burned some calories on that walk.” Angel said.

So we headed inside the nasty sewer system and followed the stream to the hideout, along with Sunflower leading the way. “You’re right, Angel. I now have the scent of seafood.” Clay said.

“My nose no longer works at this point, Clayton.” Angel said.

“Shh, your voice echoes through the sewer.” Sunflower whispered. “Wait until we get to the hideout.”

“How far do we have to go?” Clay whispered.

“Until we get there.” Sunflower whispered back. It seems more of a legitimate reason as any. We had to walk a mile and a half in the sewer before we finally made it to a dark passageway. “Through here.” She said. When we followed her in, Annabelle was about to take out a flashlight, but Sunflower said to him, “No flashlights.”

“But it’s really dark in there!” Annabelle whined.

“Too bad. Face your fear.” Sunflower said. “That’s what I always say to my sister.”

“It’s not the dark I’m afraid of, S.” Annabelle said. “I’m just afraid of bumping into something and hurting my very sensitive nose. I bleed really easily.”

“Well stand behind one of your friends and quit your whinin’.” Sunflower instructed her.

“Sweet girl.” Clay whispered.

“Ow! That was my hoof, boy!” Angel said.

“Sorry, that was me.” I said.

“Didn’t have to admit that. Nopony can see anything right now.” Turnip said.

“Ew! I smell something nasty!” Clay said.

“We’re near a sewer, Clay.” Annabelle reminded him.

“Yo, is it the smell of seafood?” Angel asked. “Cause, boy, I’ve been there!”

“No it smells… dead.” Clay said.

“Yeah there’s gold fish in the sewers that later turn into mutant zombie monsters.” Annabelle said.

“No I smell… well, something similar.” Clay said. “Something like…” Just then, the tunnel lights up showing a smelly zombie monster right in front of us. We all screamed, and Clay fainted.

“Will you wimps relax?” Sunflower asked us as she didn’t get startled by it. “It’s only a defense magnesium. It’s not even a real monster, nor is it organic. It’s just a sheet filled with cotton inside and stinky aftershave.”

“Frightening and awful at the same time! I like it!” Turnip said.

“Thanks!” Sunflower said happily. “I don’t take all the credit for it, but I thought of the aftershave.”

“So… may we come in?” I asked.

“Of course! Make yourselves at home, just don’t touch anything, and wipe your hooves on the mat.” Sunflower instructed us. So we did so as we walked in and took a look around.

This hideout was a bit bigger than I thought. It looked like an underground club along with a couple of barracks and appliances, as well as a bar area and lounge games like pool and pinball. “Wow-we! We need a clubhouse like this!” Clay commented.

“Perhaps if we have left over funding after Poni buys his new house maybe we can get a new club.” I suggested.

“Unless his new house WILL be our club!” Annabelle suggested.

“I dunno we’ll see.” I said.

“Anyways, welcome to our hideout!” Sunflower said. “We’re all alone here now, so we might as well introduce ourselves. We’re the Manehatten-branch of the Friendship Mafia.”

I was pretty surprised after I heard that. “Really now? Poni never mentioned we had another branch.”

“Yeah, well, the thing is… we’re not part of YOUR Friendship Mafia.” One of the gang members said.

“Right, Poni didn’t form this group.” Sunflower corrected us. “We were just… encouraged from your group and your efforts in Mareami, and we really wanted to make a difference. Former bullies fighting bullies, which is how we came up with our name – the Anti-Bully Community, or the ABC for short.

“Preschoolers talk about us all the time!” one of the members teased.

“Really? We inspired you to make this group?” I asked.

“Yep!” Sunflower said. “It was going so well at first, but then… something happened. I bet you’re wondering why our hideout is so hidden.”

“Not really.” I admitted. “I mean I don’t feel comfortable hiding in plain sight either, but we’re from a city where underground hiding isn’t much of an option. We live in swampland, you see. Mareami used to be an expanded version of the Gatorglades swamps and the few settlements my family, the Guns, and the Jams lived in.”

“I see.” She nodded as she blew on her hair. “So as I was saying, we pretty much have a problem. You see, we fight the gangs that are causing harm to our fair ponies here in Manehatten as you do in Mareami, but then something happened. As we were fighting a rivalry family, we were surrounded by cops. We thought they were here to help us, and they did, at first. They arrested those we were fighting. We had to fight them. They were smashing a poor china shop owner’s store. But the cops weren’t just there for our enemies… they were there for us too. We came in quietly seeing what the fuss was about, but the city council said they didn’t like us fighting crime for them. It was the police’s job. We were free to go, however, but they didn’t want us doing what we were doing anymore.”

“So did you stop?” Annabelle asked.

“Of course not!” Sunflower said as she blew on her hair again. “We felt we had a job to do. We couldn’t just let these poor ponies suffer the wraths of these bullies. I hate bullies. I hate bullies so much. I’ve been bullied, my friends have been bullied, my family… not just my sister, but my little cousin from Ponyville, so I heard. I can’t just let these bullies get away with their actions and the cops don’t even do their jobs right. They don’t go after the bullies that are smash shops, beat up ponies, and steal their wealth, but instead, I see them chase down a homeless pony who stole a hotdog for his starving family.”

“Well, perhaps that’s your side of the story.” Annabelle said.

“Excuse me?” Sunflower asked insultingly.

“I’m just saying, S. That’s probably your version of the story, but what if there’s something you don’t know about?” Annabelle asked.

“I know what I saw.” Sunflower said angrily. “I’m not an idiot. The city council said it themselves – they don’t want our help. But we can’t just let these bullies take what doesn’t belong to them! Somepony’s gotta stop them, and it might as well be us. The cops don’t suspect a thing though because we’re so sneaky!”

“So wait a minute. Why do your cops have a problem with what you’re doing but our cops don’t mind us?” Clay asked.

“City councils work differently it would seem.” Sunflower said. “Do you boys have a corrupted city government?”

“I don’t think so.” I said.

“I think so.” Turnip said. “The city government was hired by the new owners of Mareami after the Jams sold the land to an unknown source.”

“Hired? Boy, weren’t they elected?” Angel asked.

“They were, but you know what money could do to ponies.” Turnip said. “Whoever this new owner is, he or she is obviously wanting to make Mareami into a worst state than it already is.”

“I don’t see anything wrong with Mareami other than the Sharks.” I said. “Well, that, and the heat, but that’s about it.”

“Exactly!” Turnip said. “These new government officials aren’t just corrupted, but they’re clever and sneaky, just like the ABCs here. It would seem that this newly formed government is rising the crime rate in the city for some reason, and the Sharks might have something to do with it.”

“Or the Commission.” Annabelle added.

“Maybe, but we can’t be too sure.” Turnip said. “I would doubt the Commission would have something to do with it though.”

“Why?” Clay asked.

“Because they’re trying to get rid of the Sharks.” Turnip said. “They want us to take their seat in the Commission, that is, before the Sharks got in the way and excused us for treason, and now they persuaded the Penna family to go after us.”

“And so that’s why you came to us, isn’t that right Turnip?” Sunflower asked.

“Yes. We need to go inside the blimp and rescue Poni.” Turnip said.

“Or you can prove once again you’re useful to the Commission.” Sunflower said.

“What do you mean?” Turnip asked.

“I mean, don’t make bigger enemies to the Commission by breaking into their blimp. We have to prove to them again that you’re useful.” Sunflower explained. “Go out on the streets and take out any bullies that threaten our fair community.”

“Good idea!” Turnip agreed.

“Or- or, I got a better idea.” I said.

“Ideas ain’t your strong suit, Herb.” Turnip said.

“Oh don’t be mean to him! Let’s just hear what your friend here has to say for himself.” Sunflower suggested.

“I have faith in him.” Annabelle said as he smiled at me.

I smiled back and then I said, “What if we did both?”

“Both?” Clay asked.

“Yeah, both!” I said. “We can prove to the Commission that we are useful to them by getting rid of the biggest threat currently in Manehatten!”

“Which is…” Turnip started.

“The Commission itself!” I said.

“Really, Herb? That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard!” Turnip said. “How are we going to be able to work alongside the Commission if we’re going to take them out?”

“No… actually…” Sunflower said as she blew on her hair, “that’s the best idea I’ve ever heard!”

“Huh?” Turnip asked.

“What better way to prove to the Commission that you are useful to them than to take out squads of their best ponies?” Sunflower asked. “You can challenge the Commission to a fight. They’ll send a squad of ponies after you, and if you can best them, they may let you join the Commission, because they’re looking for strong ponies, aren’t they?”

“Exactly!” I said. “The challenge won’t be just fighting the squads though. The five families isn’t just about being able to best your foes in battle, but to steal valuable treasures being held by heavy security.”

“And that’s where the equipment we’re borrowing from you comes in, S!” Annabelle added.

“We’re going to breach the airship and rescue Poni – our most valuable treasure we have.” I explained. “We can take advantage over the disadvantage my pop thought he brought upon us.”

“But what makes you think the Commission is going to agree to this?” Turnip asked. “Plus, you know how shifty they can be?”

“Boy, you gotta chill and make the best of things.” Angel suggested. “Quit being so paranoid. The Commission will not doubt our chance to show them our street moves.”

“He’s right.” Clay said. “It’s the best way.”

“Well…” Turnip thought it over. “I guess I’ll get to the drawing board and think of a plan.”

“My most intelligent pony here can help you out.” Sunflower offered.

“Yeah I’m the most intelligent pony.” One of the ABC members said.

“In the meantime, the rest of you must rest.” Sunflower offered us. “Wow, tongue twist there. So when Turnip is finished with the plan, we can contact the Commission and challenge them. We’ll head out and take out anything the families could throw at us, and then we’ll breach the blimp and rescue your friend.”

“Yeah, our friend and two of his pets.” Clay mumbled.

“Whoa burn, boy!” Angel laughed.

After a while of resting and lounging, Turnip said he was almost done with the plan, so I took this time to challenge the Commission to this duel. Clay, Angel, and Annabelle were with me at the time. We met up with Sunflower in the communications room. “Well that’s unfortunate.” She said as she was on the phone and she blows on her hair. “Fine, I guess it’ll have to do. Thanks for telling me. Bye.” She hangs up.

“Who was on the phone?” I asked.

“My lawyers.” Sunflower said. “They said the name ‘Anti-Bullying Community’ or ABC is taken. We need to think of another one.”

“Oh, I’m sorry.” I said.

“Perhaps after this blows over, we can change our name to the Manehatten-branch of the Friendship Mafia.” Sunflower requested.

“Sure, why not?” I asked.

“Radical! Alright, the phone’s yours.” Sunflower offered. “You do know their number, right?”

“Of course I do,” I said, “it’s… umm… 867-5309?”

“Turnip wrote it down. Here.” Annabelle gives the number on a pad to me.

“Ah, good!” I said as I grabbed it, and then I picked up the phone and dialed the number.

“You know what to say, right Herb?” Annabelle asked.

“I hope so.” I said.

“Good luck, brother.” Clay said.

“Tell them I said hi.” Angel offered. Just then, the computer screen in front of me started dinging. I got a bit confused on why that was happening, but as I looked over, it said ‘Contact request by Comquest101’.

“Isn’t that the username of the Commission?” Annabelle asked.

“I guess that’d rather video chat. Face-to-face.” I said.

“Alright then.” Annabelle said as she clicks ‘accept’. “Accept!” Just then, they immediately started requesting a chat. “Are you ready, H?”

“Just do it.” I said.

Annabelle accepts the call. “Aaaand, accept again.”

“Ah, son. I’ve been expecting you!” my pop said on the video chat of the Commission meeting room along with Neon Penna, Amore Fraterno, Mela Di Legno.

“Pop, fellow family dons.” I said. “I must say Penna, you put up quite a fight.”

“Of course, my friend! Anytime!” Neon Penna said. “It was great seeing your team’s skills put to the test.”

“Where’s Marmellata? Or his shadow at least?” Annabelle asked.

“He’s busy!” my pop yelled. “So you’ll have to make do with us then. Now then… why did you call us? You want a second chance? Before you say anything, I for one would be happy to give you another chance, my son. Just disband yourself from the Friendship Mob, and join the Sharks, and you’ll have yourself a seat in the Commission.”

“Actually, I got something better.” I said.

“Oh yeah? Let’s hear it. Ideas aren’t really your strong suit.” My pop said.

“I’m challenging the Commission to a battle.” I said.

“Say what now?” pop asked.

“I already proved myself against Penna’s family, but I should still prove myself against Mela and Fraterno’s families.” I explained. “To prove myself to the Commission, I should prove myself useful to you once again. I’ll show you how useful the Friendship Mob can really be to the Commission.”

“You wish to challenge us to an honorable challenge of battle?” Fraterno asked.

“Well by all means… BRING IT ON!” Mela yelled out enthusiastically.

“Wait, are you kidding me?” pop asked.

“We accepted the challenge. That’s not a problem to you, is it, Leafhorn?” Fraterno asked.

“Well… I… what about Penna?” pop asked. “He didn’t vote yet.”

“Sure! I’d be happy to challenge an old friend into battle.” Penna said. “I’d really like the Friendship Mob in the Commission, and if this is the best way for it, then so be it.”

“But… but…” pop stuttered. “Marmellata didn’t vote yet.”

“Marmellata isn’t here, and he says we shall not disturb him.” Mela said.

“You must remember, Leafhorn, you’re still on probation, so you think you’re in charge.” Penna said. “Marmellata isn’t even completely in charge, even if this is his airship. We have to remember that this is where us families unite and work together. The five of us lead our families. With Marmellata not around right now, it’s 3 against 1, so we’re going to challenge the Friendship Mob. So I suggest you get your units ready, Leafhorn.”

“Unless of course you don’t want to be a part of this battle, Leafhorn, and there’ll be more of a chance for them to take your place in the Commission.” Mela pointed out. This kinda made my pop nervous. I can see it by the look in his eye. If we take his spot, his organization is doomed.

“Fine.” He said. “We’ll accept your challenge, Junior. But mark my words, it’s our gangs against yours. There’s only five of you and lots of us. I know you left the rest of the Friendship Mob in Mareami to defend, and quite frankly, it’s quite smart to defend our beloved town, but quite dumb on your own safety.”

“Make sure he has a fair fight though, Leafhorn.” Fraterno instructed him. “We’re going to use our best ponies against them, but we’re not sending all of our ponies against them. Let’s not forget, we do have business to take care of.”

“Of course, Fraterno.” Pop said.

“We’ll get our best ponies ready.” Mela said as he and the rest of the dons start walking out of the room. “Let him choose a time he wants us.” They then walk out.

“Are you going to be honest to your word, pop?” I asked. “Don’t forget, the other families have their eye on you.”

“I know what they’re capable of, Junior.” Pop said. “Just remember: we still have Poni with us. Try anything, and he’s going to get it.”

“I understand, pop.” I nodded.

“You better prepare yourself, son.” Pop said. “We’re going to be ready in the morning. You and your gang is doomed. You’ll never join the Commission at this rate. We will prepare for your downfall.”

“I’d like to see you try, pop!” I said mischievously at him.

“We will see.” He agreed. “Also… don’t forget to bring a sweater. It’s a lot colder here in Manehatten than in Mareami, so stay warm. We don’t want you getting sick.”

“Yes, pop.” I nodded. “See ya around.” We ended the call.

“So, first thing tomorrow morning, huh?” Annabelle asked me.

“Yep. We better get plenty of rest, and get our plan in order.” I said.

“Right.” Annabelle agreed.

Meanwhile back in the Commission meeting room, Mela walks inside and asks my pop, “Did he choose the time he wants us?”

“Yes.” My pop nodded. “He wants us to attack right now.”

“In that case, let’s prepare our best ponies for battle.” Mela said.

“Yes… yes good idea.” Pop nodded with an evil smile. It was a wonderful smile, an awful smile, it was a wonderful-awful smile.

Author's Note

Princesses and Hooflyn - not sure if they exist in Equestria, but it wouldn't hurt. There's Manehattan, but why would I want to put gang wars in a highly civilized area like Manehattan? We've been there plenty of times during the show, how about giving an appearance to some of the city's other islands, just like New York? I enjoyed that nice quiet park in Queens, New York with the towers and the globe, and I thought it would be a great area to put a ninja-like battle in it.

Before making this chapter, I wanted to give an appearance to a character from MLP that lives in Manehattan. Now I'm not sure which I wanted to use, so I added in Babs' sister Sunflower! She's not on the show... yet, but she did appear a couple of times in the comics, so that's canon enough to me. When I made this version of Sunflower Seed, I wanted to give some similarities to Babs within her, but also has that sensitive attitude, which I expect in her.

Y'know, my birthday was a couple of days ago. I guess we can call this and the new FDA chapter: MegaSean45's Birthday Weekend Release! :D

Misled Zeppelin (Choices)

The cargo chopper was approaching the zeppelin, but we’re making sure we don’t get too close where they spot us. In fact, we were close to the ocean under the zeppelin so we can be under the radar and not get spotted.

“This is it, boys. The Commission Zeppelin.” Annabelle said.

“Heavens to Betsey!” Clay said surprisingly. “Or whatever that means.”

“Booooooy… we’re gonna cause a real racket tonight!” Angel said.

“That’s the zeppelin my pop and brother are on, and Poni and his guys.” I said. “We’re going into that airship, and we’re going to rescue Poni.”

“Thanks for giving us the obvious info, captain obvious.” Turnip said sarcastically.

“Hey give him a break, Turn! He’s about to be in a difficult situation.” Sunflower said.

“Sorry for correcting you, Sunny, but I’ve always been in a difficult situation my entire life. I never stopped.” I said. “If my situation were to be perfect, I’d make peace with my pop and still be loyal to my organization and friends. The day he would accept me and the Friendship Mob is the day I’d feel at peace.”

“Well let’s save our feelings for later, H. We have an airship to raid.” Annabelle said.

“Indeed we do.” Turnip said. “So, Herb here chose the (left / right) side of the ship, so we’re going to be dropping you off over there. Once you get inside, look for any computer, and then Angel will attach the external device into it and hack the system. Clay, I gave you the radar gun. Let me know if you find a camera and I’ll disable it from here.”

“Yeah, like I didn’t have enough fun with this thing.” Clay said sarcastically. “As if I liked having my arm tired. As if I liked being the last one to get to a place.”

“Alright, holms, we get it.” Annabelle stopped him. “Anything you want me to do, T?”

“You and Herb just need to keep quiet and get to the brig.” Turnip said.

“How about Sunny? What’s she doing?” Annabelle asked.

“Minding my own business of my job, thank you.” Sunflower hinted.

“Whoa, discúlpeme!” Annabelle said defensively.

“Now, it’s time to do this thang!” Turnip said excitedly. “Sunflower here is going to jam their transmissions so we don’t appear on the radar. They also won’t be able to call for help. This will give you an easy entrance to the airship, but it won’t be much time until they find out. When they do find out, we’re going to distract them so it’ll keep their mind off you.”

“HEY!” Brown Fog complained. “I didn’t agree to no distractions!”

“You’re here, you’re doing it.” Sunflower demanded.

“You’re here, you’re doing it.” Brown Fog mocked whisperly as he and the co-pilot both laughed.

“WHAT?!” Sunflower yelled.

“Nevermind, Sunny, let’s just get to work. Jam their transmissions.” Turnip said.

“Ay, ay. Jamming transmissions.” Sunflower said as she pressed a few buttons on her controls. Before the Commission knew it, a giant jar of jam shatters on the satellite dish on top of the airship. “That should do it!”

“I hope you did the raspberry.” I said.

“Like you requested.” Sunflower said. “Why that flavor though out of all others?”

“Oh just for kicks.” I said with a grin.

“Alright, so this is our chance to drop you off. Let’s head towards the airship.” Turnip said. The two pilots start rising the chopper quickly over to the zeppelin, avoiding the view of the bridge, and we headed towards…

(When the music gets more upbeat is the part where the chase is happening.)

CHOICE A: …the right side of the ship.

So Turnip gave Angel, Annabelle, Clay, and I the equipment we needed and they dropped us off at the right platform emergency airlock. He gave us ear pieces so we can communicate with him and each other if we get separated. Once we got dropped off, the chopper flies away to a safe distance.

Clay looks down and said, “WHOA! I think I’m going to be sick!”

“Why did you look down, boy?” Angel asked. “That’s the last thing you should do while up here.”

“I was curious, alright?!” Clay yelled.

“Hey, the bright side is – we’re flying over the ocean. So if we did fall we’d be landing in the water.” I said.

“You think that’ll be a soft landing, Herb?” Angel asked.

“No idea. I never tried it.” I said.

Annabelle pulls the door but it wouldn’t even budge. “Well, anypony have any ideas?”

“I might have a few.” I said. I have a few choices; you want to help me in making sure I pick the correct choice?

How should we open the door?

A: Knock on the door.

B: C4 the door.

C: Acid

D: Giant Vacuum

The results:

A: The guards open the door and aim their weapons at us. “How unfortunate.” One of the guards said. “If you had any filly scout cookies, we would’ve let you in.”

B: The door explodes, opening it, but then sending us flying and plummeting to our doom.

C: I open up a jar of acid, hoping that would open the door, but I forgot to calculate the wind direction and the acid falls on my legs, burning them off and sends me freefalling.

D: The giant vacuum sucks off the door and the guards inside in the process.

“Good choice, H!” Annabelle said as we walked inside. Once we got in, he aimed the vacuum hose towards the opening where the door used to be, pressed the blow button on the vacuum, blowing the door and the guards out of the vacuum, putting the door back in place so the wind doesn’t suck us back out.

“Hey! Let us back in!” the guards cried from the other side as they pounded on the door.

“Say the magic word and we’ll let you in!” Annabelle said.

“Please?” one of the guards asked.

“Wrong magic word, amigo!” Annabelle said.

“Ok, now what?” Angel asked.

“Do you see that computer over there on that desk, Angel?” Turnip asked from the ear piece.

“Uh huh.” Angel said. “You want me to hack it?”

“NO!” Turnip yelled. “That one’s got a lot of malware on it. Go to the one next to it.”

“You shouted right in my ear, boy!” Angel yelled. So Angel heads over to the computer next to the other computer and connects his external device into the USB slot. He then heads to ‘My Computer’ and opens the device.

“You know what to do, right Angel?” Turnip asked.

“Sorry, boy, all I hear from you is ‘ring-ring-ring-ring’.” Angel said as he opens the HackConnect.exe and then searches for the matching IP numbers.

“How long is it going to take?” Clay asked.

“With you complaining, maybe too long.” Angel said.

“Now he knows how I feel.” Turnip said.

“Ah yeah, boy! That’s what I’m talking about!” Angel said as he finishes with the HackConnect.exe and moving to the BruteForce.exe. He stops the scrolling to the marked letters and the passcode spells ‘JELLYBABY’. “Alright, boys! I’m in! And now I’m feeling a little hungry.”

“You got it?” Turnip asked. “Alright good, I got your signal. I’ll be changing the security clearances around the ship from here so you’ll be able to get through almost any door.”

“Sounds promising!” Angel said.

“So which way to the brig?” I asked.

“The quickest way there is through that meeting room.” Annabelle pointed. “But there’s a meeting going on in there.”

“Maybe we should take the longer route.” I suggested.

“No, no, no time. We have to get through this fast, H.” Annabelle said. “We have your chosen items with me. What should we use to get through here?”

I dunno, what should we use?

A: Disguise

B: Glue

C: Transdimensionalizer

The results:

A: “Commission disguises, huh?” Clay asked as we all put on some tuxedos, and really cool facial hairs, ones that are not so scruffy. “Don’t they know what we look like already?”

“Boy, I’m invisible! They won’t even see me without this disguise!” Angel said.

“If you’re sure about this, H, let’s do it.” Annabelle said.

“Just follow my lead, and we should be fine.” I said. So we all walked into the meeting room and walked by as they continued on with their meeting.

One of them, however, notices us and says suspiciously, “Hey, you four! Where do you think you’re going?”

“Uhh…” I said as I didn’t know what to say.

“You four are those Marmellata brothers, right?” the mobster asked.

“Uhh, yeah. Yes we are.” I nodded.

“Yeah fo’ sure!” Angel agreed.

“What are you four doing here?!” the mobster cried out. “Your mom’s in the hospital right now! Take that escape pod behind you. It’ll take you right to the hospital she’s at.”

“Whaaaaaa?” I asked.

“Don’t worry, we’ll tell the boss. He’ll let you off the hook.” The mobster smiled at us.

“Well good! C’mon, bros! We have to see our mom RIGHT NOW!” Clay yelled.

“Oh I hope she didn’t get a liver attack again!” Annabelle panicked as we all climbed into the escape pod. Angel quickly started pushing the button rapidly to make the doors lock and the escape pod launch. All four of us were getting really antsy. We really wanted to see our mom so….. WAIT A MINUTE!

B: So we all put some glue on our hooves. Made them really sticky. “What are you planning, H?” Annabelle asked.

“We’re going to use this glue to climb on the ceiling, over the meeting room.” I said.

“That sounds like a terrible idea!” Angel said as he clopped his hooves together.

“Hey, I’m willing to try anything.” Clay said.

“Alright, let’s do it.” Annabelle agreed. So all of us except Angel placed our hooves on the walls, climbed up to the ceiling, and over the meeting room without even being noticed. Angel eventually followed us once he got his hooves unstuck, and we made it to the other side.

C: Transdimensionalizer.” I read the receipt. “Visit alternate dimensions just by flipping a switch. It’s super easy to use and gives great results. Swinebutt Industries, 2013.”

“Are you sure about using that thing, H?” Annabelle asked.

“What could be easier than just flipping a swit-“ I then flipped the switch and everything went flat. Really flat. Everything was just one big line.

“Niiiice. You just ruined the universe.” Clay said.

“Relax! All I have to do is flip the switch to go up… oh, right.” I just figured out. How in any way was this going to help?

So after we got through the meeting room, we got into a corridor section with a sign. One of the signs says ‘brig’ and it points to the left of us. So we turned left through the long corridor and went as fast as we could to get through there, but without making too much noise. As we were moving, Clay stopped us and whispered, “Wait!”

“What’s wrong, C?” Annabelle asked. He then points up ahead and sees a camera watching over the hallway in front of us.

“Alright, you boys go on ahead.” Clay said as he takes out the radar gun. “I’ll keep the camera busy while you go through. Don’t wait for me, alright? I mean unless there’s another camera.”

“Alright. You know what to do, Clay.” I said as the three of us got prepared to run through.

Clay aims the radar gun to the camera and says on his ear piece, “Turnip, are you getting the signal?”

“Yeah I got it.” Turnip said. “I just froze the footage. The rest of you, run now!” The three of us then quickly ran through, and Clay started to slowly follow us while still aiming the gun at the camera. Once we got to the other side, we waited for Clay.

“Go!” Clay instructed us. “I’ll just slow you down. I’ll catch up.” We did what he said and just ran on. When we got to the end of the hallway, there was a large gap between us and the brig which was on the other side.

“Looks like a bridge opens up here.” Annabelle informed us. “T, there’s a bridge that opens up at the location we’re at. Can you open it?”

“Gimmie a minute.” Turnip said on the ear piece. After a moment of waiting, he says, “Hmm… this isn’t working.”

“Does the ‘out of order’ sign on the panel have something to do with it?” I asked.

“Ah.” Turnip said. “Looks like you’ll have to find your own way to the other side. Do you have anything that might help?”

“No, I don’t think so.” Annabelle said as he checks his bag.

“Back.” Clay said as he catches up to us. “Glad there wasn’t another camera here.”

“I’ll send you something via supply drop.” Turnip said. “There’s a window in the room you’re in, and there’s a little latch on the window for an emergency water landing exit. Perhaps I’ll get something through that. We got plenty of supplies here; just tell me what you need.”

What should Turnip give us?

A: Platform

B: Gravity Bubble

C: Robo Helper

D: Helicopter

The results:

A: “Dropping off a platforrrrrrrrrm… now!” Turnip said as he drops a platform through the latch on the window and it falls on me and Annabelle, knocking us out. “Did you get it?” he asked.

B: “I hacked the gravity systems on that airship.” Turnip said. “I’ll try to lower the gravity so you can float your way to the other side. I just gotta find which button to push…” Turnip was confused between the ‘up’ and ‘down’ button. He then presses the ‘up’ button and asks, “Did it work?” and all four of us laying on the ground like we were being held down by a heavy force. Makes me wonder if ‘up’ actually meant increase gravity, or did it mean we go up?

C: “Alright, here you go.” Turnip said as he sends down a robot to us that looked a lot like Tails from Sonic. “Treat him with care.” The robo Tails with his propeller-like tail started floating in front of us. We grabbed onto the handle, he did stink a bit with exhaust gas, but he safely got us to the other side.

D: “Need a helicopter? Alright, we know just the thing!” Turnip said. “Brown, take us in!”

“Alright, here we come!” Brown said as he started humming a superhero tune as he started flying the helicopter into the airship. “Dah dah dahdah dah dahdah duhduuuh!”

“The door’s unlocked. Head through.” Turnip said as the door opened and we walked through. There was another corridor, but this one was shorter, as we could see the entrance to the brig on the other side.

“Whoooooa!” Annabelle said shockingly.

“Yeah I can see that.” I said. “Those hidden doors in the walls, those vents on the ground. This is a trap.”

“Maybe.” Clay said as he takes out his radar gun again. “But there’s a camera over there. The trap might activate if whoever is in the monitor room sees us. I’ll just freeze the camera, and we can get through. Just like before!”

“Alright, let’s do it.” I said.

Clay aims the radar gun towards the camera and said, “Turn, you got the signal?”

“Yep!” Turnip said. “Aaaaand… freeze! Go now!” The three of us ran over to the other side quickly, and then we stopped once we got to a certain distance.

“Go ahead!” Clay said as he slowly started to catch up with us.

“We can’t. There’s another camera by the door.” I said.

“Oh, ok, I’m on it.” Clay said. Once we caught up to us, he looked over at the camera at the other side and said, “Oooh… I dunno about this. Turnip, there’s a camera on the other side, but it’s facing right at us. I think we’re too far though so it probably doesn’t see us… yet.”

“You can use the radar gun from that distance, but you have to keep even more still than before.” Turnip explained. “The camera is further away from you, which means it’s harder to keep aim at it.”

“Can I walk slowly towards it?” Clay asked.

“You could, but be absolutely careful!” Turnip said.

“Alright.” Clay said. He aims the radar gun at the camera and asks, “Got a signal?”

“Not yet, a little to the right.” Turnip said.

Clay moves his arms a bit and asks, “Now?”

“A little more.” Turnip said. “Ok, right… a little more… a little more… TOO MUCH! Wait, now you’re really far away now.”

“You startled me!” Clay yelled.

“Sorry.” Turnip said as Clay aims the radar gun back to the camera. “Ok, left… left… up… up… a little down… little more… left… ok, good! Now walk slowly, Clay. Don’t move anything other than your hind legs.”

“It’s hard to walk on my hind legs.” Clay said as we all started walking.

“My cousin doesn’t think so.” Angel said. Once we finally got to the other side towards the door, Clay still didn’t move the radar gun. We were closer to it so it was easier for him to aim it.

“Alright, guys, hurry and open that door. My arms are getting tired!” Clay said.

“Alright.” Annabelle said. “T, can you hack this here panel to the open this door?”

“No it requires a keycard.” Turnip said.

“Do we have time to get one?” Angel asked.

“No, but there’s vent right there by the door.” Turnip said. “It goes right through a duct and into the brig, but once you climb down there, don’t move forward yet, there’s security down there.”

“Ayright.” I said. “Annabelle can you help me with this vent?”

“Sure, H.” Annabelle said as we both crouched down and started unloosening the screws to the vent.

“I… can’t hold… much longer!” Clay hesitated.

“Hang on, Clay! We almost got it!” I said. Once we unloosen the last screw, we moved the vent. I jumped down first, followed by Annabelle, then Angel, and then Clay right after. Once we climbed down, Annabelle climbed back up to close the vent.

Meanwhile, in the security room, the security guard got startled. In the monitor which showed footage of the brig’s hallway, right at the same time the monitor got unfrozen, Clay just appeared right in the middle of the footage, and then quickly ran to the vent to jump down, but the footage didn’t show the vent, just Clay appearing and running. It startled the security guard so bad he spit out his coffee. “WHOA!”

“What happened?” another guard asked.

“Must be a glitch or something because I swear I saw a strange pony just pop out in the middle of the screen and run away!” the first guard said.

“You play waaaaay too much Five Night’s at Freddy’s, dude.” The second guard said.

Back with us inside the duct, there was an electric fence right front of us. “There’s NO way we can go through that. Not even one as athletic as I.” Angel said.

“I hacked into their power grid.” Turnip said. “What should I do?”

What should he do?

A: Shut off the power.

B: Relocate the power.

C: We don’t need your help.

The results:

A: The power to the electric fence shuts off allowing us to go through, but then it felt like the whole airship started falling right from the sky.

B: The power to the electric fence shuts off allowing us to go through, and the power to the TV in the lounge room over bursts with power and breaks down, causing the mobsters that were watching TV to complain over the fact that they didn’t know if she would stay with him.

C: “Oh… ok… I… I thought I’d want to be… of help, but… its ok.” Turnip said sadly.

“Alright, we jump through on three!” I said. “One… two… THREE!” We jump through the electric fence and we get burnt up.

Once we got through the duct, we climb the ladder and climb up to the brig where we see the warden and another mobster talking. “Think I should go out to get us some snacks?” the first mobster asked.

“Go ahead.” The second mobster said. “Can you get me some chips? And not the barbeque ones, alright?”

“There are some ponies up here, H. What should we do?” Annabelle whispered.

I dunno, what?

A: Flashbang

B: Sleeping gas

C: Banana bomb

D: Force gun

The results:

A: “Fire in the hole!” some random voice from the radio called out. The flashbang blinds all us as we start running through. Our ears were ringing, but once the flashbang effects wear off, we all crashed into the wall.

B: I throw the sleeping gas into the room and both of the mobsters fall asleep, but the gas comes towards us and we fall asleep as well.

C: I throw a banana bomb in the room, and a little black square with red numbers appears beside it, 3… 2… 1…, then it explodes, and banana splatter was all over us and the mobsters and all over the room, but that didn’t stop the mobsters. They aimed their weapons right at us.

D: I aim the force gun at the mobsters force pushing them right into the wall which knocks them out.

Once the mobsters were taken care of, we climbed out of the vent and the only ones left in the brig was us. “We did it, boys! We made it to the brig!” Angel said excitedly.

“Now all we have to do is find Poni.” I said.

CHOICE B: …the left side of the ship.

So Turnip gave Angel, Annabelle, Clay, and I the equipment we needed and they dropped us off at the left platform emergency airlock. He gave us ear pieces so we can communicate with him and each other if we get separated. Once we got dropped off, the chopper flies away to a safe distance.

Clay looks down and said, “WHOA! I think I’m going to be sick!”

“Why did you look down, boy?” Angel asked. “That’s the last thing you should do while up here.”

“I was curious, alright?!” Clay yelled.

“Hey, the bright side is – we’re flying over the ocean. So if we did fall we’d be landing in the water.” I said.

“You think that’ll be a soft landing, Herb?” Angel asked.

“No idea. I never tried it.” I said.

Annabelle pulls the door but it wouldn’t even budge. “Well, anypony have any ideas?”

“I might have a few.” I said. I have a few choices; you want to help me in making sure I pick the correct choice?

How should we open the door?

A: Joy buzzard

B: Expanding Foam

C: Wait

D: Spinach

The results:

A: I placed the joy buzzard on my hoof, and then I placed my hoof on the panel next to the door hoping it would short-circuit, and it did, however… the whole ship short-circuited and started falling from the sky.

B: I took out a jar of expanding foam from my pocket and started shaking it. I shook it some more because I liked the feeling of it, but I seemed to shake it too much and my head grew 50x the size of my body. Boy, do I feel like an Equestrian Girl right now.

C: “Awww! Do we have to?” Angel whined. We just waited, and waited… and waited… and waited… and after a while the door opens and a mobster comes out for some fresh air, not knowing we were even there, and so we slipped inside and locked the door behind him.

D: I took a big can of spinach, squeezed it and the spinach flew right into my mouth. I gulped it down, held one of my eyes closed, and then I felt a giant bulge inside my body go up to both of my arms, and then my ears started to steam as some type of sailor music played in the background. I then had the strength to grab the door and rip it right out of the socket! I then lost balance and fell off the airship.

“Good choice, H!” Annabelle said.

“Hey! Let me back in!” the mobster cried from the other side as he pounded on the door.

“Sure, for a million bits.” Annabelle teased.

“Are you kidding? I’ll pay double!” the mobster said.

“Really?” Annabelle asked as he was about to press the button, but then I slapped his hoof away and I shook my head. “Ow!”

“Ok, now what?” Angel asked.

“Do you see that computer over there on that desk, Angel?” Turnip asked from the ear piece.

“Uh huh.” Angel said. “You want me to hack it?”

“No I want you to play freecell on it. YES I want you to hack it!” Turnip said sarcastically.

“Ow! You shouted right in my ear, boy!” Angel yelled. So Angel heads over to the computer and connects his external device into the USB slot. He then heads to ‘My Computer’ and opens the device.

“You know what to do, right Angel?” Turnip asked.

“What? I can’t hear you. You made me deaf.” Angel said as he opens the HackConnect.exe and then searches for the matching IP numbers.

“This isn’t going to take too long, is it?” Clay asked.

“Was waiting outside not long enough for you?” Turnip teased.

“Shut your face, boy. I’m working!” Angel instructed him as he was just about finished with the HackConnect.exe. “Ah yeah, boy! That’s what I’m talking about!” He then moves to the BruteForce.exe. He stops the scrolling to the marked letters and the passcode spells ‘ALLONSZEE’. “Alright, boys! I’m in! Allons-y!”

“You got it?” Turnip asked. “Alright good, I got your signal. I’ll be changing the security clearances around the ship from here so you’ll be able to get through almost any door.”

“Sounds promising!” Angel said.

“So which way to the brig?” I asked. “I have some of my chosen items with me if they’ll be any help whatsoever, but we gotta be quick and quiet, so where’s the quickest and quietest way?”

“Both?” Turnip asked. “Well I’m not sure. There’s an elevator in there, and there’s a wind pipe that’ll take you close to the brig, but you can also try out that computer next to you to see if you can find a way there.”

Tough call. Which should I do?

A: Wind Pipe

B: Elevator

C: Computer

The results:

A: We all climbed into the wind pipe, but as we climbed in, we started getting blown in all places around the ship until eventually we fall through a tube that takes us to a hallway. It kinda hurt, but we’re still on track.

B: We step into the elevator and pressed the button, but then Turnip yelled, “Wai- WAIT! That’s not an eleva-!” He was too late. It turned out to be an escape pod that brought us to the hospital for some reason.

C: So I went on the computer and opened the ‘Special Files’ folder. Inside was ‘Secret Files’, ‘Commission Secrets’, and ‘Civilization V.exe’. We played Civilization for about five hours, and then we were caught by some mobsters.

After we got up and tried to forget about our pain, especially the fact that my spine was a bit disordered, we saw some signs on the walls. One of the signs says ‘brig’ and it points to the right of us. So we turned right through the long corridor and went as fast as we could to get through there, but without making too much noise. As we were moving, Clay stopped us and whispered, “Wait!”

“What’s wrong, C?” Annabelle asked. He then points up ahead and sees a camera watching over the hallway in front of us.

“Alright. You know what to do, Clay.” I said as the three of us got prepared to run through.

Clay aims the radar gun to the camera and says on his ear piece, “Turnip, are you getting the signal?”

“Looks like a bridge opens up here.” Annabelle informed us. “T, there’s a bridge that opens up at the location we’re at. Can you open it?”

“Gimmie a minute.” Turnip said on the ear piece. After a moment of waiting, he says, “Hmm… this isn’t working.”

“Does the ‘out of order’ sign on the panel have something to do with it?” I asked.

“Ah.” Turnip said. “Looks like you’ll have to find your own way to the other side. Do you have anything that might help?”

“I think I got something.” Annabelle said as he checked his bag. “What do you need, H?”

“Oh NOW you got stuff! You didn’t have stuff in the alternate path.” Angel complained.

“I’ll unlock the doors on the other side while you figure this out.” Turnip offered.

Thanks Angel for that. So what should we do to get to the other side?

A: Leap

B: Teleport

C: Stretch chewies

D: Magic pencil

The results:

A: “You’re kidding, right?” Angel asked.

“On three.” I said. “One… two… three!” so we leaped off the platform and I expected us to jump that 50 feet long gap, and… I was right! We were successful! Mainly because the whole ship shook.

“Uhh, sorry everypony.” The driver on the intercom said. “Had to run evasive maneuvers. A flock of ducks flew by.”

B: So I so happened to have a teleporter device with me, and I pressed some buttons on it and… it pretty much worked. Worked a little too well. The four of us ended up into the plain of infinite. Also the device stopped working.

C: We ate up some stretch chewie candies that I so happened to have with me, and now our hooves are really, REALLY flexible!

D: I used a magic pencil to draw a bridge, but then it punches me in the face and jumps down into the gap.

“Whoooooa!” Annabelle said shockingly.

“Yeah I can see that.” I said. “Those hidden doors in the walls, those vents on the ground. This is a trap.”

“Alright, let’s do it.” I said.

Clay aims the radar gun towards the camera and said, “Turn, you got the signal?”

“Yep!” Turnip said. “Aaaaand… freeze! Go now!” The three of us ran over to the other side quickly, and then we stopped once we got to a certain distance.

“Go ahead!” Clay said as he slowly started to catch up with us.

“We can’t. There’s another camera by the door.” I said. “Also there seems to be a pony over there carrying snacks, one of them seems to be flaming hot Cheetos. Also the pony seems to be having trouble with his keycard.”

“Shhh! Why you talking so loud? He’ll hear us.” Angel asked.

“No he won’t. He’s listening to music on his headphones, and I can hear it from here!” I said.

“Oh, ok, I’m coming.” Clay said. Once we caught up to us, he looked over at the camera at the other side and said, “Oooh… I dunno about this. Turnip, there’s a camera on the other side, but it’s facing right at us. I think we’re too far though so it probably doesn’t see us… yet.”

“Can I walk slowly towards it?” Clay asked.

“You could, but be absolutely careful!” Turnip said.

“Alright.” Clay said. He aims the radar gun at the camera and asks, “Got a signal?”

“Not yet, a little to the right.” Turnip said.

Clay moves his arms a bit and asks, “Now?”

“A little more.” Turnip said. “Ok, right… a little more… a little more… TOO MUCH! Wait, now you’re really far away now.”

“You startled me!” Clay yelled.

“It’s hard to walk on my hind legs.” Clay said as we all started walking.

“Alright, guys, hurry and open that door. My arms are getting tired!” Clay said.

“What’s wrong with this pony’s keycard?” I asked.

“Let’s see if we can get rid of him.” Annabelle said.

How should we get rid of him?

A: Mind Control

B: Remote Access

C: Knock out

D: Portal Gun

The results:

A: Turnip successfully takes control of the pony, but it would seem controlling a pony is harder than it looks because Turnip forces the pony to swallow his keycard… safely.

B: “Alright, guys.” Turnip said. “I’ve gotten control in that area you’re in. I should be able to open the door automatically from here. Ready? I’m pulling the switch now.” And just then, a trapdoor below us opens and we start falling. “Woops, wrong door.” He said embarrassingly.

C: As I sneak up on the mobster while he’s dancing to his really loud music, he punches me in the face unexpectingly and knocks me out. He then notices us and sounds the alarm.

D: So I took out the portal gun, and I aimed it right over the pony. I was about to shoot one, but Angel stopped me. “Hang on, man.” He said. He took out a bucket of white paint and dumped it all over the area, including the pony. Before the pony could do anything, I shot a portal over him and under him so he can get stuck in an infinite loop. That takes care of him!

We took the mobster’s keycard and swiped it in the slot and the door opened. “Ah there we go! He was just inserting it upside down.” I said as we walked inside. Clay then quickly follows us in relief and we’re all in the brig. But Clay decided to go back and get the snacks the mobster dropped.

“Out of all I did, I needed a little something hot.” Clay said.

“Clay, c’mon!” I called out.

“Coming!” he called out back. He then ran inside after us, and closed the door behind us.

Meanwhile, in the security room, the security guard got startled. In the monitor which showed footage of the brig’s hallway, right at the same time the monitor got unfrozen, Clay just appeared right in the middle of the footage, and then quickly ran into the brig’s entrance, but the footage didn’t show the door, just Clay appearing and running. It startled the security guard so bad he spit out his coffee. “WHOA!”

“What happened?” another guard asked.

“Must be a glitch or something because I swear I saw a strange pony just pop out in the middle of the screen and run away!” the first guard said.

“You play waaaaay too much Five Night’s at Freddy’s, dude.” The second guard said.

Back in the brig as we snuck inside, the warden was sitting on the table in front of us reading a book. “HAHAHAHA!” the warden laughed. “I can’t read!”

“Now what?” Annabelle whispered to me.

You heard the pony!

A: Ninja Star

B: Falcon Punch

C: Spider

The results:

A: I stood three feet behind the warden and I threw a ninja star right at him… and missed completely.

B: I jumped behind the warden and yelled, “FALCON… PUNCH!” and… nothing happened. The warden just sounded the alarm.

C: I so happened to have a spider dangling on a stick, so I wanted to use it to scare this pony. I dangled the spider right in front of him and he says, “Oh, hello, Mister Spider!” I got annoyed and knocked him out with the stick.

“This pony is the first pony I ever seen that likes spiders!” I said.

“What were the odds?” Annabelle asked.

“Yeah.” Clay said as he was nibbling on some flaming hot Cheetos.

“You had Cheetos and didn’t even bother to share them?” I complained.

“Finders keepers, brother.” Clay said.

I then grabbed the Cheeto bag right from his hooves, opened the window and threw it out. “Now nopony gets to have any.”

“You just littered, bro.” Clay informed me.

“Who cares? We did it, boys! We made it to the brig!” Angel said excitedly.

“Right! Now all we have to do is find Poni.” I said. “And no more snacking!”

We now return to our regularly scheduled chapter. Both choices end up here now.

The four of us walk through the brig corridor to see if we can find Poni anywhere. “Turnip, any readings of where he could be?” I asked.

“Hmm… a lot of these brig cells are empty.” Turnip said. “The only cell with any prisoners is number four. Contains three prisoners. It’s gotta be them.”

“Could it?” Clay asked.

“Be swift, you four.” Turnip informed us. “There is somepony heading towards your position.”

“We gotta go fast!” Angel said. “Gotta go fast!”

“Number four, here it is!” Annabelle pointed.

“I think it might be locked.” I assumed. “Turnip, how do we unlock this door?”

“Angel has to insert his external device into the slot by the panel and hack it open.” Turnip said.

“I know the drill, boy.” Angel said as he takes out his external device and plugs it into the panel. He opens up the HackConnect.exe to find the matching numbers. While he was at it, I started knocking on the cell door.

“Poni! Poni are you in there? Poni?!” I yelled.

“Herb?!” Poni called out. “Herb is that you?!”

“I asked you first!” I called out.

“Yeah it’s me.” Poni said.

“Hey what about us?” Star complained.

“Yeah what gives?” Bright agreed.

I sighed and said, “Bright, Star, are you ok?”

“Yeah we’re fine thanks for asking.” Bright said sarcastically.

“We’re here to get you boys out!” Angel said.

“Of course you are! Why else would you be here?” Bright asked sarcastically. “Would you be here just so Poni can sign your paycheck?”

“We can leave you two here if that’s any help.” Annabelle suggested.

“So good to have you all here!” Star said excitedly. “I really mean that! I do!”

“How did you get in here though?!” Poni asked surprisingly. “How did you get into the airship?”

“It’s a long store, Pone. We’ll explain later.” I said.

“Ok. Is the door almost unlocked?” Poni asked.

“Almost.” Angel said. “I’m starting up the Brute Force now.”

“The… what?” Poni asked.

“It’s just nerd talk.” I said. “Tell me, Pone, did they hurt you?”

“Did they hurt me?!” Poni asked. “Worse! They hurt Star and Bright! Tortured them!”

“But what about you?” I asked.

“You know what, Herb, you’re a jerk!” Bright said angrily. “I mean we care about the boss too, but do you care about us at all?”

“Of course I do.” I said. “Poni’s the don though. Without him there is no Friendship Mafia. I hope you two can realize that.”

“Just open the door already!” Star demanded.

“Angel are you almost… DAD?!” I gasped.

“Hello, son!” my pop said as he punches Angel away from the panel.

“OW!” Angel yelled as he collapses on the ground. Clay catches him at just the right time though. “I was still using that! I had one last letter, boy! Also, great catch, Clay.”

“Well I didn’t want my prized prisoner to escape me… boy.” Pop said.

“Wait… that’s how I say it? Is that really the way I talk?” Angel asked. “Oooooh… I’m going back to ‘man’. At least it sounded friendlier.”

“To be honest, A… I liked it better when you said ‘man’ too.” Annabelle said.

“I’m sure we all did, brother.” Clay said.

“Give up, pop, it’s over.” I said. “We’re going to rescue Poni. We managed to get past all that the Commission threw at us. They’d be lucky to have us on their side.”

“You’re just a pawn to them, H senior.” Annabelle said. “Just accept the fact.”

“I do… I always did.” Pop said. “I knew they were using me, so that’s why I used them back! With Mr. Marmellata occupied down at Manehattan, this is my chance to take over the Commission!”

“How? Whoever controls the zeppelin controls the Commission, and Mr. Marmellata has the key.” Clay reminded him.

“Oh… you mean this key?” pop asked as he showed us the key.

“I dunno. We don’t know what the key looks like.” Clay said.

“THIS is the Commission key! I stole it from Marmellata’s quarters. I control the airship now which means I control the Commission!” pop said. “With the other dons distracted trying to test you, it was my chance to sneak in while nopony was looking. Most of the other mobsters are down in the city right now looking for you. The dons have no idea that you’re here! But I did, just as soon as the guard picked up Clay in the monitor room.”

“Ooooh, was I not fast enough?” Clay asked.

“Nope… you weren’t.” pop said. “So now it’s time for me to claim my rightful place. Perhaps the Friendship Mob can still have a part in the Commission. I know for a fact Mr. Marmellata is doomed. The FDA is right on top of him. He doesn’t stand a chance! We’ll need that fifth seat.”

“Ok, stop there, pop, stop.” I said. “You wanted the Friendship Mob to be disbanded, but now you want it to have a seat in the Commission?”

“Junior, my son, “pop places his hoof on my shoulder, “don’t you understand? You’re already the new don of the Friendship Mob! It’s your rightful place! This is your chance to make me proud! You own your own mob, and we can work together! With the city of Mareami trusting you, this will make my operations so much easier! We can have that alliance you wanted! You can still do some good while still making me proud! Isn’t that what you wanted?”

“But what about Poni?” I asked.

“What about him?” pop asked. “He’s where he belongs… in a cell.”

“No he doesn’t. He’s a good pony, unlike you.” I said.

“HA! I get it!” Angel laughed. “That’s what Poni’s name means!”

“A good pony? A good pony?” pop asked as he shook his head. “Tsk, tsk, tsk. Herb, my son… didn’t you listen to your brother?”

“Barely. He’s an idiot.” I said.

“You don’t seem to understand that all you’re doing right now is in vain.” Pop said. “Poni is not a good pony. He’s not a good don. He’s a liar and a criminal.”

“You’re a liar and a criminal!” I said.

“Yes, but I have my reasons.” Pop said. “All that I do, I do for the family. I’m just trying to make the Leafhorn name mean something! The Guns took it away!”

“So if the Guns are your problem, why is Poni your problem right now?” I asked.

“Herb, my son…” pop started.

“You’re starting to sound like a broken record.” Clay informed him.

“I can’t worry about the Guns until I know you’re safe from Poni’s wrath!” pop said. “I want to save you from his lies and deception!”

“What lies and deception!?” I yelled. “Poni is very inspirational to me, just like Alberto Palma was his!”

“Junior, don’t you understand?!” pop yelled. “He IS Alberto Palma!”

Just then I was surprised. I didn’t know it to be true, it never came to me. My heart was pounding hard, and my head was spinning. I felt pretty cold. I felt a bit of rage inside, and I had to let it out. “WHAT?!” I yelled.

“You heard me.” pop said as he crossed his hooves. “Poni Cipriani is Alberto Palma, former don of the Ovest Palma family. He used to run the Commission, until he got corrupted by… friendship… and harmony. He was a threat to the Commission, so the whole Commission AND his own ponies turned against him. All of them! All… except two.”

“Two?” I asked. “Who?”

“Who do you think?” Turnip asked sarcastically on my ear piece.

“Star and Bright.” I mumbled.

“Ah ha! Now we’re not looking so bad, huh Herb?” Star asked from inside the cell. “Poni trusts us because we were the only ones that did not betray him. We know that whatever Poni does he does for his friends… for us. You betrayed him once, and he praised you for not giving in.”

“Exactly.” Bright said. “Poni is lucky to have all of us. Ponies as loyal as us. We may not be the cool ponies you think we are, but do you think you’ll ever get the chance to have the trust that Poni has with us?”

I was silent for a moment. I felt so guilty, and so disappointed in myself. “Poni… is all this true?”

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, kid.” Poni said.

“Star… Bright… I’m… I’m sorry!” I said.

“NO! Don’t apologize to them!” pop yelled. “He was a threat to the entire Commission! He even changed his name so the other dons wouldn’t recognize him, but we saw through his disguise! You think the Commission would ever let him in? The only thing they’d do is use him like they used me!”

“Wait a minute, man.” Angel interrupted us. “I’m not at the hacking panel anymore and it’s been well over a minute.” Just then, the alarm on the zeppelin started going off.

“ALERT! ALERT!” the PA intercom alerted. “Hacking interference detected in brig level, cell 4. Preparing for security lockdown.”

“You HAD to jinx it!” Turnip said sarcastically.

“You boys might as well give up.” Pop informed us. “The Commission knows you’re here. The guards are coming. This is my chance to take over the ship. You had your chance to join me son, and now that chance is long gone!” Just then, he started to run away.

“We have to catch him!” Annabelle yelled.

“We have to rescue Poni first.” I said. “Turnip, you think you can still unlock the door?”

“No! I can’t do anything anymore!” Turnip said. “It’s a security lockdown! All the electronics in that airship have been disabled! You’re on your own now.”

“Seriously?!” Annabelle complained.

“The best I can do is wait for you.” Turnip said. “Once you rescue Poni, get to the hanger, and I’ll come pick you up.”

“Got it.” I said.

“So how are we supposed to unlock this thing?” Clay asked.

The first thing that came to my mind was just… pull it. When I pulled the cell door, it just opened, just like that. “Wait… it was unlocked this whole time?” Annabelle asked.

“Booooy… that’s a mind blow.” Angel said.

“I thought it would be locked!” I complained.

“Yeah that’s what you get for assuming.” Star teased.

“Why didn’t you open the door then, genius?” Annabelle asked sarcastically.

“This is no time to fight!” Poni said. “Are there any other prisoners? There were some next door to us.”

“Uhhh…” Annabelle peeked over inside the cell next door to Poni’s cell. “No, the cell’s empty.”

“They must’ve been moved.” Poni assumed. “Oh well, forget about them. There’s something we gotta do. You boys follow me down to the engine room.”

“Wait, the engine room?” I asked. “Why are we going down there? Turnip’s waiting for us at the hanger.”

“You heard what your pop said.” Poni reminded me. “He’s going to take over the Commission. We can’t have that. The only way we can stop him now is to take down this airship.”

“Take down the airship?” Annabelle asked.

“Boss, don’t you remember? The airship is the Commission.” Clay reminded him. “Without the airship, there is no Commission.”

“Exactly!” Poni said.

“I’m down with that.” Bright said. “Are you boys in or out?”

“Ok now I’m officially tired of that word.” Angel complained.

“Poni…” I started, “if we do this, this will ruin our chances in being in the Commission.”

“The Commission is already done for.” Poni said. “You heard your pop. Mr. Marmellata is screwed and he’s taking over. We can’t have that. Desperate times call for desperate measures.”

“WOO! We’re gonna blow things up!” Clay yelled in excitement.

“For the streets, man! For the streets!” Angel said as he removes his external device from the panel.

“I’m only down if you’re down, H.” Annabelle said. “So what’s it gonna be?”

“Well…” I continued. “I gave it some thought… and I’m in!”

“Then let’s do this thang!” Annabelle said as he takes toilet plunger guns out of his bag and gives them to us. No doubt there’s a bunch of mobsters heading right over here to finish us.

“There they are!” one of the mobsters yelled as a bunch of them spotted us. We shot our plungers right at them and they got stuck on their bodies, limbs, and faces. Some of them got really disgusted since some of these plungers didn’t even get cleaned out. We escaped the brig and saw a bunch of mobsters heading our way, whether they were Fraternos, Melas, Pennas, and even Sharks. At least we were knew what we were expecting when we were fighting them individually. Now it’s all of them together, which makes them a lot more difficult, but at least now we have Star and Bright, and they’re pretty pro when it comes to fighting other mobsters.

“Man I’m glad they’re on our side!” Angel said excitedly.

“We must protect the don!” Star said.

“Protect the boss!” Bright repeated.

We successfully got passed the corridor and we returned to the gap. Since the mobsters were running through the corridor, we knew the bridge was out this time, and it was. “Wait a minute how did they activate the bridge? Isn’t this a security lockdown?” Bright asked.

“The mobsters might have something to give them clearance.” Annabelle assumed. “Let’s search these knocked out mobsters, they might have something.”

“I’ve got something.” Turnip said. “I’ve researched that airship, and with the possibility of a security lockdown, each security panel in the ship has a panel that gives security clearance to only one faction. That bridge had permanent clearance for the Fraterno family, and that door that leads back to the first corridor you were in requires a Penna passcard. The incapacitated Penna there has a keycard that’ll be useful, but just in case, get all the passcards from each faction. The Fraternos, the Pennas, and the Melas each has one, but since the Sharks aren’t trusted that much by the Commission they don’t have any.”

“But how is pop going through the ship freely?” I asked.

“He’s got Mr. Marmellata’s super keycard.” Turnip said. “He’s able to get around the ship as he pleases, and since there are no Marmellata mobsters on the ship, you won’t be able to get any Marmellata keycards, so whatever door that has a Marmellata key panel you won’t be able to go through. That also includes the hanger doors though. The hanger doors requires a Marmellata keycard.

“I’m going to go to the bridge and get that super key.” I offered. “The rest of you can go to the engine room and destroy it.”

“Alone? You’re mad!” Star said.

“Mad? Yes. Crazy? No I’m not.” I said.

“Kid, I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Poni said.

“I have to face my pop.” I said. “I have to. If you manage to destroy the airship we won’t be able to escape without that superkey. I’m going to get it. My dad is my responsibility. The rest of you have to protect the don.”

“Herb, I know we haven’t been on good terms, but I’m telling you, it’s not a good idea!” Bright said. “It’s not safe. Poni wants you to stay alive, and if he wants it, I want it.”

“Me too.” Star agreed. “We’ll come with you.”

“You have to protect the don.” I insisted.

“What about us, man?” Angel asked.

“Yeah we never leave a brother behind.” Clay agreed.

“All the mobsters are going after you guys.” I said. “This will give me a chance to slip through undetected and get to the bridge so I can face my pop and take his keycard.”

“Niiiiice, using us as bait.” Clay said sarcastically.

“So please, all of you just go on.” I insisted. “I’ll be fine.”

“No!” Annabelle said. “I’m coming with you!”

“No, Ann, I’m fine.” I insisted. “You’ll be alright with Poni. Just disable the engines and meet me at the hanger.”

“No, H.” Annabelle said as he walked over to me and placed his hooves on my shoulders. “I ain’t asking for your permission.” Annabelle then… WHOA! WHOA, WHOA, WHOA! He just… he just… he just kissed me! No not like the mwah kind, more like the mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmwah kind.

“Whoa, man! Not cool, man!” Angel said.

I was blushing really badly. Then I said, “DUDE! I mean I like you and all, but not that way!”

“Yeah, but the thing is, I ain’t a dude.” Annabelle said.

“Wait… what?” I asked surprisingly. “WHAT?! You’re not a… but I thought… Angel did you know this?”

“No idea, man.” Angel said.

“You’re a mare, Annabelle?!” I asked surprisingly.

“That would explain the name.” Star said.

“Yeah all this time I thought it was a stallion named Annabelle, and I was like, who would name their colt that?” Bright asked.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, H.” Annabelle said. “But you always seemed to think I was a stallion. So I went with it. I always thought you were cute. But you had a marefriend at the time, and…” He starte- I mean SHE started to whimper. If I say ‘he’ accidently in this story, it means I’m not used to it yet.

“You should’ve! Why didn’t you?” I asked.

“Because… I… didn’t want that to ruin our… friendship.” Annabelle said sadly. I really didn’t know what to say. This was all very new for me. However, in a way, I already seemed to know, and it didn’t bother me one bit. *twitches*

“Annabelle and I are going to the bridge to face my pop.” I said. Annabelle then smiled and jumped up and down full of hype. “The rest of you, head to the engine room and destroy the engines.”

“Wait! I was a mare this whole time too and I love you. Can I come?” Clay asked.

“At least Annabelle has some hints of her being a mare.” Star explained. “She’s got a mare’s face, and what about the ear rings?”

“I’m wearing ear rings too, man.” Angel reminded him. “Well only one ear ring on my left ear.”

“Do what you can, Herb, but please…” Poni places his hoof on my shoulder. “Be safe!”

“Don’t worry, boss.” I smiled. “I’ll be fine. Herb Senior will surely be finally defeated.”

“Surely be finally?” Poni asked.

“Don’t make fun of the way I talk!” I yelled at him.

“Whoa, ok ok!” Poni said defensively. “Just be careful, kid. The Friendship Mob will be nothing without you, or Annabelle, or Star, or Bright, or… umm… Clay, or… I guess Angel.”

“Hey what about me?” Turnip complained on the ear piece.

“Turnip asks what about him.” Clay said.

“Oh sure, him too.” Poni said. “In fact it wouldn’t be the Friendship Mob without any of you! Any of those that joined us.”

“Well we really appreciate that, boss, thank you.” Clay said.

“Fo’ sure, man.” Angel agreed.

“So, H, shall we go now?” Annabelle asked.

“Let’s do it!” I agreed. So Star uses the Penna keycard to open the door and we all ran through. The sign in the corridor pointed us to the different locations we need to go to. To the left was the engine room and to the right was the bridge. Annabelle, Clay, and I went right, and the others went left.

“No, Clay!” Annabelle and I both said to him.

“Awww.” Clay said upsettingly as he sadly walked the opposite direction.

Annabelle and I ran through the corridor, and since the others gave us the keycards, it would be much easier for us to get through this. They said they’ll be able to find more easily because all the mobsters are after them. As Annabelle and I kept running, we passed a camera that we either passed already before or this is our first time passing it. As we passed it I asked, “Don’t we need Clay to disable that camera?”

“What’s the point of that?” Annabelle asked.

“Oh. You know, I just like seeing Clay struggle to keep his arms up as he disables it.” I said humorously.

“HA! Nice one, amigo!” Annabelle said as she “bro”hooved me. After a while of running, Annabelle stops me by one of the sealed doors. “This is a nice seal isn’t it, H?”

“It is! It really is!” I nodded.

“Arf, arf, arf!” the seal flapped his flippers. Annabelle then tosses a fish inside the seal’s mouth and he… or she, I dunno, catches it and eats it. Annabelle then pats the seal on the head and she said, “Good seal.” She then points to the locked door next to the seal door and said, “Ok where we need to go is through there.”

I checked out the keycard slot and it looked like it required a Mela keycard. I swiped the card through, the key slot ding-donged as it unlocked, and the door opens to another corridor. Only this corridor was just one straight corridor. There were no doors on either side, and it seemed darker. “I smell a trap. Be careful.” I said.

“I’m with you, H. Whatever happens, we’re together.” Annabelle said.

“Yeeeeah I’m still new to this whole… you’re the opposite sex thing.” I said awkwardly. We both then walked inside, and the doors closed and locked behind us. We walked slowly through corridor as the only sound we heard was our hoofsteps on the metal floor. “Are you sure the bridge is through here?” I asked as my voice echoed through the corridor.

“Sure, I’m sure.” Annabelle said.

“Famous last words.” I teased. “Turnip, did you hear that? I made a funny!” I didn’t get a response from him. “Turnip? Turnip are you there?”

“T?” Annabelle asked.

“Must’ve lost the signal.” I assumed. “We are going through a cave after all.”

“This ain’t a cave, H.” Annabelle corrected me. “It’s a large dark spooky metal corridor.”

“To be honest, I don’t see the difference other than the metal.” I said.

“Heh, yeah right?” Annabelle chuckled. Just then, from above us, we heard the metal ceiling making tapping sounds. Almost like somepony was running by.

“What was that?!” I asked startlingly.

“We are not alone.” Annabelle said. We just continued to walk through corridor very quietly and rationally. I started singing quietly to myself to ease my worry. I began to sing Sweet Caroline by Neil Diamond, and as I got to the ‘so good’ part, Annabelle started singing along. I felt a smile coming on my face as we started singing louder and louder until we were rocking it! I wasn’t even nervous anymore! I was just having fun with my new… I dunno, is she my marefriend now? As we got to the next verse, we heard a large pounding sound coming from in front of us. “HEY! We were in the middle of having a moment!” Annabelle complained.

“Sorry, Annabelle, but…” My brother Autumn reveals himself from the shadows. “It is time for me and my brother to have some family time.”

“Autumn!” I said angrily. “I was wondering when you’d show up!”

“Did you miss me, bro?” Autumn asked. “I sure missed you! As quoted by Discord.”

“A, what your pappi is doing is a big mistake!” Annabelle said.

“Shut it, transpony! This is between me and Herb!” Autumn said.

“She’s right.” I said. “What our pop is doing is- wait, how did you know she was a mare? Actually, nevermind. Forget I asked that.”

“Then why did you ask anyway?” Autumn asked.

“I didn’t think it all the way through, alright?” I informed him.

“Typical Junior.” Autumn shakes his head. “Thinking is still very difficult for you, isn’t it?”

“Bro, I hope you realize what pop is doing is wrong.” I said. “He can’t take over the Commission. He’s going to run it right into the ground.”

“Isn’t that what you’re doing?” Autumn asked.

“Well, I… umm…” I had a hard time knowing what to say next. “Ummm… Annabelle help me out here.”

“We’re going to disband the Commission the quick and easy way before Senior destroys it slow and painfully.” Annabelle said. “We’re going to save the other mob families by destroying the Commission now. With your pappi on board, both the mob, and the Commission, and himself, and you along with it all is going to all be destroyed.”

“Exactly. We’re going to stop him for all of our own goods.” I said. “I want to save him, and you. I do want us to be a family again, but we have to stop all this hate! Do you know the reason why Flare Gun left Mareami?”

“Because you and Swinebutt ran him out of town, duh!” Autumn said.

“No. It’s because the hate and disharmony is too much for him!” I explained. “I owe him a debt. I created a monster, Dr. Swinebutt, and now he’s trying to ruin him down in Ponyville because of me! I want to help him, but all these operations that pop is throwing against the Friendship Mob and Mareami itself is stopping me from doing so! You want to redeem the Leafhorn name? Join me! We can make a change! Pop is obviously too corrupted to see that, but there is still a chance for you! Pop is not a good pony! Everything you know about him is a lie! He wants the Leafhorns take over.”

“And I’m going to help him make that happen!” Autumn added.

“He’s a coward!” I said. “I mean, why is he making you fight me instead of him? He’s not a good father either! He’s making you do the dirty work!”

“He wants me to be the best son I can be!” Autumn said. “He’ll give me all I want! All I need to do is end you, right here and now!”

“If that’s the way you want to be…” I snapped my neck. “Then so be it!”

“Let’s do this, H!” Annabelle said.

“No… Ann… I gotta do this… myself.” I said.

“O… k.” Annabelle said, mocking me.

“I’m going to yoyo the poop right outta you!” I promised my brother.

And so, I’ve prepared to fight my brother… Earthbound style!

Autumn Leafhorn attacked!

Herb Leafhorn, Jr.

HP: 495
PP: 88

How should I coordinate my first attack?

A: Bash

B: PSI

C: Goods

D: Defend

E: Auto Fight

F: Run Away

The results:

A: Herb Leafhorn, Jr. attacks! 110 HP damage to Autumn Leafhorn! Autumn Leafhorn created a massive shockwave! 510 HP of mortal damage to Herb Leafhorn, Jr.! Herb Leafhorn, Jr. got hurt and collapsed… Herb Leafhorn, Jr. lost the battle…

B: Herb Leafhorn, Jr. tried PSI Flash B! Autumn Leafhorn could not stop crying! Autumn Leafhorn fired a burst from his mustard gun into Herb Leafhorn, Jr.’s eyes! 498 HP of mortal damage to Herb Leafhorn, Jr.! Herb Leafhorn, Jr. got hurt and collapsed… Herb Leafhorn, Jr. lost the battle…

C: Herb Leafhorn, Jr. fired the Multi bottle rocket! 2388 HP of damage to Autumn Leafhorn! Autumn Leafhorn was defeated! YOU WON! Herb Leafhorn, Jr. gained 2266 exp.

D: Herb Leafhorn, Jr. is on guard. Autumn Leafhorn swung wildly at Herb Leafhorn, Jr.! 110 HP of damage to Herb Leafhorn, Jr.! 182 HP of damage to Herb Leafhorn, Jr.! 210 HP of damage to Herb Leafhorn, Jr.! 144 HP of damage to Herb Leafhorn, Jr.! Herb Leafhorn, Jr. got hurt and collapsed… Herb Leafhorn, Jr. lost the battle…

E: Option unavailable

F: Option unavailable

Autumn was on his knees on the floor, catching his breath. “You think… you think… this is going to stop me?” Autumn asked.

“I have defeated you, bro. I’m going to see pop now.” I said.

“No… no… you won’t defeat him! You won’t!” Autumn yelled. Just then, from behind us, some Sharks ambushed us. We started firing at them.

Annabelle got shot in the shoulder by a burning plasma beam by one of the mobsters’ magic spells. “AAH!” she screamed.

“ANNABELLE!” I yelled. I then shot the mobster with my toilet plunger gun and he collapsed on the floor with a stinky plunger on his face. When the mobsters got defeated, I ran over to Annabelle to assist her. “You alright, Ann?”

“Ow!” Annabelle said in pain. “Yeah I’m alright.”

“Does it hurt?” I asked.

“Nooooo, I just said ‘ow’ because I felt like it.” Annabelle said sarcastically.

“You clever girl.” I smiled.

“Wait! Where’s your brother?” she asked. I turned around and saw Autumn has ran off into the bridge with pop.

“A coward, much like pop.” I said. “They have nowhere left to go. Do they?”

“No… AGH! N-not as I know of.” Annabelle said hesitantly. “Well one thing’s for sure… we’re even. I’m hurt, Autumn’s hurt. It’s just you and your papi now, H. Time to finish this once and for all!”

“Yes… yes I will.” I nodded. “And you’re going to be there with me.”

“I’m in no condition to help you though.” Annabelle said.

“Don’t worry.” I smiled at her. “With you by my side… it’s all the help I need.” She smiled at me as well.

“Well?” Annabelle asked. “What are you waiting for! Go get him, Herb Junior!” I nodded, and then I picked up Annabelle and I carried her with me to the bridge so we can face him.

Meanwhile down at the engine room, Poni and the others have taken out the rest of the mobsters that followed them. They swiped the Penna keycard into the slot, it ding-donged, it opened, and there they were. “This is it! The engine room!” Poni said. “Time to smash some engines!”

“Smashing?” Angel asked. “Man, I was actually thinking of more of a… street-friendlier way. I mean, man, aren’t we going to crash this thing into the city, man?”

“He’s right.” Star said. “We should’ve thought this more through.”

“Oh no, you’re fine.” Turnip said on the ear piece. “Herb is in the bridge room now as we speak. We just have to tell him to deploy emergency crash measures. In the event that the airship goes into an unexpected crash landing, there is an automatic that points the airship to the area with the least population. The mobsters are criminals, but they’re not murderers. They know a pony’s life is sacred.”

“It’s not every day you hear a progressive-type pony say ‘scared’.” Clay said.

“So tell Herb to deploy the… whatjamacallit.” Angel said.

“I’m trying, but I can’t seem to get to him nor Annabelle.” Turnip said. “Just start smashing the engines, and I’ll try to get in contact with him when I can.”

“You hear that?” Clay asked. “He said smash the engines. Herb’s got it all under control.”

“If Herb’s got it under control,” Bright said as he takes out a gravity hammer, “then that’s a good enough answer for me! Time to go brutal on these bad boys! AY-YA!”

“WHOA!” Star cried as he started flying after Bright smashed the ground and Star was standing too close.

“Woops.” Bright said awkwardly.

After a few minutes, Annabelle and I made it to the bridge room, but unfortunately it was locked. “Dang it!” I said angrily. “This door requires a Marmellata keycard, but we don’t have one.”

“That sucks. How are we supposed to get in?” Annabelle asked. Just then, the whole ship started shaking.

“Whoa! Earthquake!” I said.

“Impossible. We’re not on the ground.” Annabelle corrected me.

“Then it must be the engine room.” I assumed.

Another alarm started going off and the PA announcer said, “WARNING! Engine levels going critical! Emergency evacuation procedures imminent! Security lockdown sequence disabled.”

“Well that helped.” I said. The door unlocks and opens up automatically, and we now have access to the bridge. Time for the moment we’ve all been waiting for! Right after my bathroom break, please excuse me.

While we wait, let’s check up on the dons. We haven’t seen them in a while. While the ruckus was going on, the dons felt the tremors around the ship. Even Mela fell off his chair, and Fraterno spilled his drink. “Where’s the honor in this?” Fraterno asked.

“What’s going on?” Penna asked.

“WARNING!” the PA voice says again. “Engine levels going critical! Emergency evacuation procedures imminent!”

“Oh… this wasn’t part of their test.” Fraterno said.

“YA THINK?!” Mela yelled as he rubbed his head while climbing from under the table.

“What does the Friendship Mob think they’re doing?” Penna asked.

“Who cares? Evacuation procedures. We gotta get outta here.” Mela said.

“Why? Doesn’t a captain go down with his ship though?” Fraterno asked.

“Tell that to Marmellata! It’s his ship!” Mela reminded him. “We ain’t captains. We’re good to go!” So the three dons escaped the meeting room and were on their way to the hanger for evac.

Back at the bridge, after I walked inside carrying Annabelle on my back (she was lighter than I thought, I guess that’s how love works), Autumn was limping towards the captain’s chair where pop was sitting. Pop turns around from the captain’s seat and says, “You just don’t know when to quit do ya? See how much Cipriani wants to take over? See how corrupted he is? He’s bringing down the whole airship, destroying the Commission, and perhaps a part of Manehattan, depending on where this lands.”
“He’s not taking over.” I corrected him. “He’s stopping you from taking over. The other mobs will be fine without the Commission. In a way we just lowered crime big time. The mobs no longer will have a private headquarters for their criminal operations. They’ll be on their own.”

“You think that’s going to stop the Commission?” pop asked.

“The airship IS the Commission, pop.” I said.

“The rules are made by the leader of the Commission, and since I’m now the leader by taking over the ship, I say neigh!” pop said.

“Booooo.” Autumn said. “Bad pun.”

“I wasn’t making a pun. What are you talking about?” pop asked him.

“Hey it just sounded like one to me, pop. That’s all.” Autumn said.

“Jeez! Listen to you! You’re as dumb as Herb!” pop complained. “I’ve raised a dumb family! Look what society did to my two colts! Ma was always easy on you! Bush was a moron too when she divorced me! I should’ve picked a better mate!”

“Autumn, are you really going to let pop talk to you and ma like that?” I asked.

“I am his second in command.” Autumn said. “And ma… well… I dunno. I always loved ma. I wouldn’t call her a moron.”

“She was the best to us.” I said. “She’s the one that kept us together. Pop is drifting the family apart!”

“No… YOU drifted the family apart, Herb!” pop said. “You and your… pity. Why did you pity Flare Gun, Herb? Why? If it weren’t for you and the Friendship Mob, I would’ve helped Swinebutt in ruining his life for good already! And Autumn, your ma IS a moron! She missed out on the best opportunities in her life! She would’ve been rich and successful like me! Instead… she raised two useless sons!”

“Pa I’ve been good to you!” Autumn reminded him. “I was there for you when Herb wasn’t!”

“Oh phooey! I could get any moron to do my bidding!” pop said. “I just chose you because you the best moron I could find!”

“That’s not true, pop! You’re just stressed out.” Autumn said. “I know you don’t mean that. You’re just upset because you’re not going to take over the Commission.” Just then, the airship shook again. I lost balance and toppled over. Pop used this opportunity to flee. He started running to the door and Autumn was trying to follow. “Wait for me, pop!” But pop didn’t wait for him. He just ran off leaving him behind. “POP!” he yelled.

“You’ve always been a good son, Autumn!” pop yelled out as he continued running. “You’ve always been my favorite! I’ll be sure to remember you! The Sharks would deal with a great loss!”

“POOOOP!” Autumn yelled. “DON’T LEAVE ME HERE!” But it was too late, he was gone.

“Let’s go!” I said to Annabelle as I picked her back up and we started chasing after pop.

“Let’s get him, H!” Annabelle said.

“HERB!” Autumn yelled.

“I’ll come back for you!” I promised.

“No you won’t.” Autumn said upsettingly to himself. His head falls face first onto the floor, and he just laid there in sorrow.

I run through the corridors of the ship, chasing after pop. Even with Annabelle on my back I was still catching up to him. “Go, H! Go! You can do this! You’re amazing, amigo! You are the best pony the Friendship Mob- no, the Commission could ever ask for! Remember that!”

“You really mean that?” I asked as I continued running.

“I do!” Annabelle swore. “It’s his loss that you’re not the son he wanted. You can go your own path. He doesn’t have to make you do anything.”

“But…” I said sadly. “Is it worth it? I mean… all I wanted to do was make him proud of me. I just thought what I did to Flare Gun was wrong. I wanted to make a change, and he just can’t accept that.”

“You don’t have to, H.” Annabelle said. “A father that doesn’t accept his son’s decisions is not a father at all.” I was thinking about what she said, and she was right. She then added, “I mean unless what a son is doing is illegal, or something he knows he’ll regret. A father just needs to be a mentor. The son may not always be right, but then again, neither is the father. They both need eachother to make good decisions. Even after all that your pappi has done for you, you still think there’s good in him, and I respect that in a pony, and I think the boss does too.”

“Yeah… perhaps you’re right, Annabelle.” I agreed as I continued running. “Sweet Celestia… is this corridor long or what? It feels like the Flintstones or something.”

I was really catching up to pop. He was getting really nervous. He takes out a remote control of some sort and starts pushing buttons. “Hurry it up now – activate the doors!” The hallway doors started to close behind me, and it won’t be long until the ones in front of me do too.

“We’re going to make it!” I yelled.

“No you’re not, not with me.” Annabelle said.

“NO! I am not dropping you! He’s not worth it!” I said. Just then, the zeppelin started to tilt forward. The airship was really on the verge of crashing, but luckily for me, as the ship tilted I tripped and fell. How was I lucky you may ask? Well, think of this as one big playground. I started sliding through the tilted corridors with Annabelle still on my back. “WHOA!” I yelled. I was sliding on my stomach as I was really starting to catch up with my dad now. The final hallway door closes the same second I go through it, and I am so lucky I didn’t have a cool hat with me. Otherwise I would’ve dropped it, and I ain’t brave enough to go back for it.

“WEEEE!” Annabelle cried out as her hooves were in the air. “This is fun, ain’t it H?!”

“FUN?!” I yelled. “Your stomach is not sliding on a metal floor! This burns me!” Pop turns around and sees us catching up to him. He should hear me this far, and there’s something I should really tell him. “POP!” I yelled.

“WHAT?!” pop yelled. “I know you hate me! You want to ruin my operations! Don’t think this was anypony’s fault but your own!”

“POP!” I yelled. “I love you!”

“Don’t think your words would make me change my mind of… wait… what?” pop asked.

“I love you, pop!” I said. “I always have! I’m not trying to ruin you! I’m trying to help you! I know you want the best for me too, but your way isn’t right for me! I’m just trying to redeem our family name the right way! Don’t you understand?”

Pop then suddenly turns right to an open door. Annabelle points that out for me. “H, he went through that door.”

“I see.” I said. As we were approaching the open door, I held my hooves out to the right to catch the edge of the opening. Annabelle falls off my back and slides down to my leg where she’s holding on. The airship started tilting even more, and at that time, all the mobsters and dons that were on the ship made it to the hanger where cargo choppers were waiting for them. Most of the mobsters had their own choppers where each family got in. Fraterno, Penna, and Mela all went into one chopper with the rest of their gangs with them, and they flew out of the airship. There was one chopper left and it was filled with Sharks. Poni and the others eventually made it to the hanger.

“TURNIP! Turnip, man!” Angel yelled on his ear piece.

“You don’t need to yell! I can hear you!” Turnip yelled back.

“We need evac, man!” Angel said.

“Ok, I’m on my way.” Turnip said. “Is Herb with you?”

“No, he’s not here yet.” Clay said.

“Ok, we’re coming in to pick you up, but I’m not taking off without all of you.” Turnip said.

“You know, in a way, we may not have much of a choice in a few minutes.” Clay said.

“Why is Herb taking so long?!” Bright complained. “The airship is going to crash any minute now!”

“Don’t worry, he will come.” Poni said. “We ain’t leaving without him.”

“Like I said – we may not have a choice eventually.” Clay said.

“Herb’s better than that!” Star said. “Right, boss?”

“Absolutely!” Poni agreed. “He will come! Just give him one minute.”

“Are you sure that’s enough time, man?” Angel asked.

“Clay did say the ship will crash in a few minutes.” Poni reminded him. “All Herb needs is ONE minute.”

“But-“ Angel stuttered.

Poni then interrupts him as he leans down on Angel’s face and says, “ONE… MINUTE… ONLY!” My buddies were too busy talking that they didn’t notice pop heading towards the Sharks’ chopper.

“Climb aboard, boss!” one of the mobsters called out in the open latch behind the chopper as it started ascending.

“HEY!” Star pointed. “It’s Senior! He’s getting away!”

“Get us outta here!” pop ordered his pilots right after he jumps on. My friends started to chase after the chopper. As it was about to fly off, my friends started shooting all the weapons they had at the chopper. Even though it made quite a mess, it didn’t do any damage to it. The chopper flew off, and pop got away.

“Are any of you thinking that these condiment or appliance weapons are useless?” Angel asked, speaking the truth.

Back with us, I kept trying to pull up. The airship was tilting a lot more and the city wasn’t too far below now. The ponies from down below in Manehattan saw the ship falling. They all started to panic. As I kept attempting to pull both Annabelle and I up, Annabelle yelled, “LOOK OUT!” Debris from the upper end of the corridor started falling down, forcing me to dodge them all and making it harder to pull up. The next debris that was coming down was explosive boxes. When they fell to the lower end of the corridor, they exploded and a hole appeared. “HHHHHHHH!” Annabelle cried. The hole was starting to pull us in like a vacuum cleaner, but I didn’t let go, but I can’t say the same for Annabelle. “H, I’M SLEEPING!” Oh woops, autocorrect. She meant ‘slipping’.

I started to slip too, but I couldn’t give up. I couldn’t! I can’t! I’m not going to die for nothing! But it may seem that way pretty soon, because eventually I started to slip. “I… can’t… hold on… much… LONGER!” I yelled.

“Herb!” Annabelle yelled. “No! You can do it! You’re awesome!”

“No… I…” I stuttered. I then slipped and we started to fall. We were both screaming. Well, it looks like it’s the end of Herb Leafhorn, Jr. and- WAIT! Does my hoof deceive me? Annabelle and I continued to scream, even after my hoof was rescued by something. Annabelle stopped screaming, but I continued.

Annabelle glared at me said, “HERB!”

I then stopped, just like that, and I said calmly, “Yes, Annabelle?”

“Look!” Annabelle pointed up. I saw Bright Wing holding on to my hoof.

“This is not the way you’re going to go, Herb Leafhorn.” He said.

“That’s right!” Star said from behind him. Star started to pull Bright, and Bright started to pull me, and… well I would say I was pulling Annabelle, but quite frankly she was holding onto my leg.

Once we were pulled up, we were catching our breaths, and Bright asked, “Are you too ok?”

“Yeah… yeah we’re fine.” Annabelle said.

“Wow.” I said surprisingly. “You two saved us. I… I misjudged you two.”

“This is not your time, Herb.” Bright said.

“Yeah, the boss needs you.” Star agreed. “We need you.”

“Wow… thanks!” I said.

“Don’t mention.” Bright said. “Now c’mon, the others are waiting for us!”

We all ran over to the other end of the hanger where Sunny’s pilots land the ship, and the latch opens where Turnip was waiting for us. “Come on! Hurry!” he yelled. Poni jumped into the chopper first, followed by Angel, and then Clay, and then Star and Bright helped bring Annabelle on. I didn’t hop on though. “Alright Herb, your turn.” Bright said.

“Hang on, I left something behind. I have to get it.” I said.

“Herb there’s no time! Get on!” Star demanded.

“I HAVE TO get this! It’s very important!” I said.

“We can’t wait for you much longer!” Turnip called out.

“Go on without me then! I’ll be fine!” I said.

“H, no!” Annabelle yelled.

“Don’t worry, A. I’ll be fine.” I said as I smiled at her. “Trust me!”

Annabelle then smiled back. “Ok.”

“Herb, be careful, kid!” Poni called out.

“I will!” I said. So I ran off through another door. Since the corridor was not really an option, I have to take another path to where I need to go. Ok, I really don’t have to keep making hints. You know exactly where I’m going to! I also know what you’re thinking: I could’ve just told them I was going after Autumn, but that would’ve ruined the suspense, like what I’m doing now.

Over at the bridge, Autumn was struggling to get up. He places one hoof on the counter, and then the other hoof. He looks out the window and sees that the zeppelin was approaching the city fast. “Oh no!” he said nervously. “No, no, no! If I’m going out, I’m going out the right way.” Autumn then turns the steering wheel left, like all the way left, and the zeppelin began to turn. It was still crashing, but at least this time it was pointing to the ocean. “There. Let only one pony’s life be lost today. I ain’t like my pop. I ain’t a coward.”

“No you’re not.” I said as I was standing out by the bridge door.

Autumn turned around and looked at me surprisingly. “Bro… what are you doing here? Save yourself!”

“I am not leaving here without you.” I said.

“Why? You’re not the idiot here. I am.” Autumn said upsettingly. “Let me sacrifice myself to save Manehattan. It’s what ma would want.”

“No.” I said as I walked over to him and picked him up. “What ma would want is for us to save Manehattan, and you to get out alive.”

“Well… you do make a good point. Maybe you’re not as much of an idiot as I thought.” Autumn admitted. He then pushes the automatic button which will keep the zeppelin into the direction of the ocean.

“Real quick, is there a parachute in here?” I asked.

“Yeah I believe there’s one in that emergency cabinet.” Autumn pointed. I went over to the cabinet and opened it. After I opened it, a bunch of plastic gag snakes popped out and startled me. “HA! Gotcha!” Autumn laughed.

“BRO! Our lives are at stake right now!” I reminded him angrily.

“Totally worth it!” Autumn laughed. “But still, there is a parachute in there.”

“Got it!” I said as I grabbed it out.

“Are you planning to jump and carry me too?” Autumn asked.

“That was the plan.” I said.

“You’re usually a butterhooves, if you forgotten.” Autumn reminded me.

“I won’t drop you this time.” I promised as I put the parachute on.

“You said that as you carried ma’s expensive china cabinet.” Autumn reminded me.

“I wouldn’ve dropped it if that mosquito wasn’t buzzing around my face.” I said.

“Whatever, just hurry! We’re about to crash!” Autumn yelled.

So as I escorted Autumn into the corridor right before the long broken one, everything was falling apart. Debris started falling from the ceiling, and walls started to explode. The engine failure must be really serious. When we got to the end of the corridor, I stuck my head out and saw the hole at the end of the corridor getting bigger. Though I was so distracted, I didn’t see the desks falling over from the other end of the corridor, but luckily Autumn pulled me in and saved me. “WHOA!” I gasped. “Wow… thanks, bro!”

“I owe you, bro. I owe you big time.” Autumn said.

“Right.” I said. “Well hang on to me, bro. We’re going in!” I held my hooves up in a hug-like position.

“Are you sure this is the right time for a hug?” Autumn asked.

“Just… COME ON!” I grabbed my brother with both of my hooves and then I jumped without hesitation. Autumn started to scream as he held my neck tight. He was kinda blocking my view but that didn’t stop me. We went right through the hole and we started to freefall right out of the zeppelin and down, down, down, until I pulled the parachute string and it was easy going from there on out.

As the parachute opened, Autumn stopped screaming, and he started to feel a startling relief. “Oh Celestia! Oh Luna! Oh Cadance! Oh Twilight! Oh all the princesses! I think I peed myself!”

“You didn’t.” I said. “That’s just your sweat, which is probably not much different. It’s still disgusting either way.”

“Herb… why did you save me?” Autumn asked. “I’ve been such a fool, following pop’s hoofsteps. All this time I was jealous of you of getting his attention and affection, and when you finally left, I wanted to take advantage over the attention he gave me. I believed everything he said just so I could impress him, but it turns out… he’s the idiot in this family… just like me.”

“No, shhh, you’re not an idiot, Autumn.” I corrected him. “You were just blinded by your will to impress pop. Now you see him by his true colors.”

“I do.” Autumn agreed. “I am going to get him for this! He’s going to pay!”

“Revenge isn’t the best solution, bro.” I said. “Don’t worry. He will plot his own downfall. Now that the Commission is gone, he’s no longer a powerful mob don. He’s probably scared poopless right now. He’s going to be spending a majority of the time now trying to find other powerful ponies to protect him.”

“Yes, he’s vulnerable now.” Autumn said. “The Sharks won’t last long without the Commission. But… if they find out you were the ones that caused the Commission to collapse, they’ll go after you.”

“We’ll take our chances.” I said. “I just couldn’t allow pop to take over the Commission. Poni’s a very wise leader. I know he had his secrets, but… don’t we all?”

“I know Poni wants to do good.” Autumn said. “And… I do too.”

“So… are you interested in joining the Friendship Mob?” I asked.

“Maybe later, man.” Autumn said. “There’s still something I need to do.”

“What?” I asked.

“I… I can’t tell you right now.” he said. “All I know is he’s plotting something. Something very big. He’s been in contact with Dr. Swinebutt.”

“Oh… it must have something to do with Flare. I have to warn him.” I said.

“Later, bro.” Autumn said. “No need to worry him. You’ll know it when you see it. But still, my point is, I’m really sorry for everything. I haven’t been a very good brother.”

“Remember on Sundays? Ma brought the whole family together with some of our favorite foods she made.” I explained. “We then played board games and watched movies. We… we were happy. It’s like greed and begging for attention didn’t matter. We were a family.”

“What are you trying to say, Herb?” Autumn asked.

“I mean… all I want…” I started to whimper a little. “I just want those days to come back. I want to be a family. But look at us. Pop brought the whole family apart because of his beliefs, and his greed.”

“And you’re the one that’s going to bring us back together.” Autumn said. “Once I do my time, pop will be stopped, maybe we can prove to him that there is a better way.”

“I know pop will change back. I know it.” I said. “Wait… do your time?”

“I’m turning myself in, Herb.” Autumn said. “I can’t forgive myself knowing of all the criminal activities I been through. But when I turn myself in, it’ll be in Mareami, so we can be close together. Please… visit me often.”

“You don’t have to turn yourself in!” I said. “You redeemed yourself! Pop is the bad guy, not you!”

“I have no choice!” Autumn said.

“You always have a choice!” I said. “How about ma? With me being so busy with the Friendship Mob, how about… how about you take care of her? She needs somepony, and if I’m around her, it’ll put her life in danger. I don’t want pop anywhere near her right now.”

“Won’t he find me with her though?” Autumn asked.

“Pop’s not after you.” I reminded him. “He doesn’t even know you’re alive. For all he knows, you’ve crashed into your doom along with the airship.” Autumn and I both looked over at the airship as it already crashed into the ocean, and it started to sink. “Perhaps we can make that to our advantage. Take care of ma, lay low, and when the time is right, we’ll both take care of pop.”

“You know what?” Autumn smiled. “That is a good idea, Herb! You’re not an idiot at all! You’re a genius! I mean, despite your bad grades though.”

“Oh shut it with that. You want me to drop you?” I teased.

After a while went by, Autumn and I landed at the pier in Hooflyn. I gave Poni a call so we can meet. We met over at the beach where the cargo helicopter lands, and everypony was relieved to see me safe. Annabelle gave me a big hug and said, “H! I am so glad you’re ok!”

“We all are, brother.” Clay agreed. “That was a very brave thing you did.”

“Yeah, man, I mean after all Autumn did to you, man, what made you want to save him, man?” Angel asked.

“He’s my brother.” I said. “Not to mention pop betrayed him.”

“I was foolish to earn his respect.” Autumn said. “I now see the coward and liar that he is, and he’s going to pay!”

“He will, A! We promise you that!” Annabelle swore.

“Herb, it was an honor to serve by your side!” Sunflower said. “You taught me a lot, and after all we’ve been through, I feel I’ve been neglecting my sister. She’s been interested in what I’m interested in, but I felt she couldn’t take it. Maybe perhaps… she will.”

“Well that’s a positive attitude, Sunny!” Turnip said. “I mean, it’s not every day ponies are interested in what you’re interested in!” Sunny glares at him and punches him in the shoulder. “OW!” he yelled. “Can’t you take a joke?!”

“Regardless, Herb, you’ve been an inspiration to us.” Bright said. “We won’t forget that.”

“The boss was right about you.” Star said. “But still… don’t get cocky. You did ruin our chances to be in the Commission.”

“Excuse me?!” I yelled angrily.

“Did you forget that it was Poni’s idea to destroy the airship?!” Annabelle yelled. “What is wrong with you two?!”

“I know you saved Herb’s life and all, but c’mon!” Clay complained.

“Wow.” Autumn shook his head. “Don’t tell me these two are licking the boots of your fellow boss!”

“Ok man, we won’t, but it’s pretty much self explanatory.” Angel said.

Autumn sighs and shakes his head. “I can already see how their downfall is going to be.”

“I can see YOUR downfall too, smart-allic!” Bright yelled.

“HEY!” Poni yelled. “Enough! Enough!” Poni then walked to me and said, “Herb… kid… good job! We are lucky to have somepony like you. We didn’t have a choice. We couldn’t allow the Sharks to take over the Commission. We did the other families a favor by doing this.”

“Actually, we will be the judge of that.” Mela said as he and the other dons showed up and walked over to Poni.

“Stop right there!” Bright stopped them as he and Star protect Poni by walking in front of him.

“Yeah, you got a problem with the boss? You have a problem with all of us!” Star said.

“Relax, relax.” Penna said as he chuckled. “We don’t have a problem with him! We’re here to thank him!”

“Thank me? For what?” Poni asked.

“We were slaves to the Commission.” Fraterno said. “Marmellata was a complete jerk! He took advantage over all of us!”

“Yeah. He always took 15% of our jobs’ funds as a protection fee.” Mela said. “It was communism in that Commission! We thought we were equals, but Mr. Marmellata felt like he was more equal than us!”

“He never he showed us his face or his identity!” Penna said. “And yet, he has to know all of our secrets. Now that Mr. Marmellata has finally been arrested, his gang is scrambled and unorganized, and now that the Commission is gone, we’re free! Thanks to you Poni Cipriani!”

“Oh, well, I couldn’ve done it without my pals.” Poni said. “I know we don’t have much in common, and I know doing good doesn’t pay as much as being criminals, but it pays just to be good. We love seeing ponies happy and free from hate, and that’s rewarding enough for us.”

“It is.” Fraterno agreed. “Which is why we want to follow in your hoofsteps. We want to do good too. Crime… all that money we got from stealing… we’re rich, but it made us miserable. Seeing as you make other ponies happy, well… it’s more honorable than anything!”

“We all want to follow in your hoofsteps, Mr. Cipriani.” Mela said. “You saved us from an awful fate. Both Leafhorn Senior and Mr. Marmellata are both fools. Now that Mr. Marmellata is taken care of, it’s just Leafhorn, and he won’t last long.”

“So like we said, thank you so much for everything Mr. Cipriani! It was a pleasure serving along side you!” Penna said as he takes his hoof out, and he shakes Poni’s hoof. “You have yourself a very noble family. They put on quite a fight. They are just what Equestria needs to end the misery that crime has given this peaceful kingdom.” Penna looked over at us and he smiled. “Farewell, Mr. Cipriani.”

The dons said goodbye and they headed back to their choppers and headed off. “Wow.” Turnip said impressively. “We were lucky that time. Little did I know the other dons would be thankful for us, and I’m supposed to be the genius here.”

“Regardless, it feels good to do a good deed.” Poni said.

Just then, a courier pony started running over to us, and says to Sunflower, “Telegram delivery for a Miss Sunflower Seed.” He gives Sunny a letter.

“Oh, what’s this?” Sunny asked as she looked at it.

“Uhh, it’s a telegram. Didn’t you listen to him?” Turnip asked sarcastically. Angel then punches him in the shoulder. “OW! Angel?!”

“Thank you, Angel.” Sunny said thankfully. She then reads the letter, “Dear Miss Sunflower Seed, You are needed in City Hall. You have broken our laws for far too long. We have told you time and time again to stay out of police cases. We’ll explain everything once you get here. Sincerely, the Mayor.” Just then she got angry. “Are you kidding me?! After all we done! We took out a crime syndicate!”

“You need our assistance in this?” Poni asked.

“No, Poni, you’ve been through too much.” Sunflower said. “Me and my team will handle this. All of you just head back to Mareami. You’re done here. Friendship Mob, it’s been an honor.”

“Thanks for your help, Sunny!” I said.

“Not a problem.” Sunflower smiled at us. After she turns around and walks away with her teammates, she then mumbles, “Well, maybe a bit of a problem.”

“Bright Wing? Star Trot?” Poni asked.

“Yes, boss?” they asked.

“You two have pilot experience. Fly us home.” He ordered them. They both ran into the chopper and they started her up. He all followed them inside, and they flew us back to Mareami. Our work there was done. Our mission was successful. Poni has been rescued, and even though we didn’t join the Commission, rather than destroy it, there was a lot of good that came to this. I have always been proud to serve under the Friendship Mob.

The next day came, I was packing my things in my apartment so I can move into Poni’s old place. While I was doing that, I was watching the news. Live in Manehattan, over at city hall, Sunny was having a brief with the mayor.

“And even though we thought the Friendship Mob were just a bunch of troublemakers stealing jobs from our fair police,” the mayor started, “it is with great pleasure that they make a great counter-crime syndicate!” The crowd cheered.

“We just wanted to help our fair ponies.” Sunflower said. “We want to free this world from hate. It’s what the princesses would want.”

“Yes it is.” the mayor agreed. “However, you still stole a lot of jobs from the police, and they’ve giving a lot of angry emails. So we cannot allow you to fight crime in Manehattan anymore. On the other hoof, there is still hate around the streets of Manehattan. Perhaps, you can still provide harmony, by getting rid of the major legal disharmony problems around our fair streets. Provide an example for our precious foals.”

“We wouldn’t have it any other way! I mean, as long as it pays!” Sunny teased. The crowd all laughed.

“Heh!” I chuckled. “I guess she does have a humorous side after all!”

Just then, my friends all opened my front door and barged inside. “Yo, man!” Angel said excitedly.

“What’s up, my sweet baby H?” Annabelle asked.

“AAAH!” I yelled. “Don’t you all have knock?! I could’ve been naked!”

“Cool!” Annabelle said.

“That’s silly, you don’t wear clothes.” Turnip reminded me.

“Uhh, yeah I do.” I corrected him.

“Well… not pants.” Turnip added.

“What are you four doing here?” I asked.

“We have a surprise for you, brother!” Clay said.

“Oh yeah?” I asked. “Is it a new box of deodorant? Because I think you could use it right now, Clay!”

“Oh, har har.” Clay said sarcastically.

“No, man, we got something really cool to show you!” Angel said.

“What is it?” I asked.

“It’s a surprise, man! C’mon!” Angel demanded as he pulled my hoof. “The streets wait for nopony!”

“Hey!” I yelled. “Alright, alright! I’m coming!”

“You won’t be disappointed, Herb!” Turnip said. “I mean, who knows? Maybe you might be a little bit… upset… in a way… because… you might feel… too overpowered?”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“Nevermind, I said too much.” Turnip said. “You’ll find out when we get there.”

“I hope it’s not far.” I said.

“You won’t need to catch a plane to get there that’s for sure!” Clay said. So we headed over to Little Hoovna, over to Poni’s place. We got out of the carriage, and I was feeling a bit concerned.

“What’s going on? Why are we here?” I asked. “If I would’ve known we were going to be here, I would’ve brought some boxes.”

“Come on! Inside!” Clay said as we walked over to the front door.

“Hey by the way, H, how’s Autumn doing?” Annabelle asked.

“He’s fine.” I said. “Ma is really happy to have him back. I’m happy too.”

“All because of your bravery, amigo!” Annabelle said.

“If only Cherry Pop saw me now.” I said. “She would’ve been really happy.”

“Yeah, well, she’s not your marefriend anymore, remember?” Annabelle reminded me as she gave me a kiss.

I blushed, and then I said, “So… what’s this about?”

Clay opens the front door and holds it open for me, and then he says, “Come inside!”

“Wow… that’s creepy the way you said that.” I said.

“Yeah, I agree!” Turnip said. So we all walked inside Poni’s house. It was really dark in there. Once we got in, the door shuts behind me. I got a bit startled.

“What’s going on here?” I asked nervously. “Poni? Poni you home? What is this?”

“Hello, Herb.” Poni said as candles started to light the room, and Poni, Bright, and Star were wearing dark robes right in front of me. Behind and beside me, I saw my friends wearing the robes too.

“What’s going on here?” I asked again. “Was the Friendship Mob a cult this whole time? Because I joined a mafia, not a cult.”

“No, kid, you’re missing the point.” Poni said. “You have been really good to us. You’ve saved my life multiple times, which make up for the fact you almost betrayed me.”

“I dunno how though.” Bright said.

“Shush! The boss is talking!” Star ordered him.

“Herb Leafhorn, Jr.” Poni started. “You are one of the greatest things this mob has to offer, and for that I am going to reward you with something really big!”

“And what’s that?” I asked.

“Herb Leafhorn, Jr.” he said again. “Today is the day… you’re being made!”

And so, we end the story there. Flare should be really satisfied knowing that you got to know me well. I’m going to be making a large impact on his life soon, and he’s going to have a large impact on mine. Thank you so much for reading my spin-off! This is Herb Leafhorn, Jr. signing off! I’ll see you on Friendship is Epic! Now make like a bus-boy, and take off!

Author's Note

I did it! It's done! The Friendship Mafia is finally done! Well, not completely. I'm going to be making chapters featuring them alot in Frienship is Epic. I just wanted to use this opportunity to get to know them, as I stated many times already. But I'm really proud of myself for getting this done! This information is well needed for the Friendship is Epic Movie Book I'm going to be making after Book 3.

In this chapter I wanted to give alot of plot twists and character development. Also like all of my other stories, I wanted to give the readers choice on how the mob should execute their plan. Special thanks to the Raiding the Airship game by Stick Figure Games for the ideas of making these choices! They are geniuses.

Finishing this story was perfect for the 5th anniversary of MLP! The events of Crusaders of the Lost Mark, well at least one of them, was pretty similar to the relationship between Autumn and Herb Senior. Autumn redeems himself, and Herb Senior remains the bad guy.

Originally, the betrayal between Herb Senior and Autumn was going to work out a different way. In fact, after the choices stage, there were so many different options on how I wanted to play this out, until I left what you see here now.

Anyways, thank you so much for reading! Be sure to finish reading the Friendship Detection Agency story as well, and Friendship is Epic if you haven't read that yet!

The Bully

My name is Herb Leafhorn, Jr. I live in Mareami with my parents, Herb Leafhorn, Sr. and Bush Leafhorn, and my brother Autumn Leafhorn. I was raised by a family that likes to fight a lot. My dad comes home late after overdosing the apple cider, and smashing the trash bins across the neighborhood. My mom never talks, and my older brother used to beat me senseless. Luckily for me, I’m dad’s favorite. He’s trying to teach me to be just like him, an abusing father, and a loan shark. In the daytime he works at Mareami Elementary, and at night he spends his time at the cider tavern, ‘getting busy’ in so many levels. When I started Elementary School, dad introduced me by somepony by the name of Crimson Flare Gun. He told me all about the Gun family, how much of what they did to us in the past.

“Son, the Gun family are not the type of ponies to be horsing around with.” My dad said. “A thousand years ago, during the Disharmony Wars era, Mareami used to be a cow pasture, a church, a swamp and two different colonies. One of those colonies were ran by our ancestors led by your great-great-great-great…. Uhhh, I dunno how many greats grandfather, Weed Leafhorn the Great. The other colony was ran by our rivals, the Guns, led by retired Equestrian soldier, Colonel Machine Gun, who was proven to be a war hero during World Party II.”

“The Leafhorns and the Guns were never friends, mostly because Colonel Machine Gun has stolen Weed Leafhorn the Great’s title as a war hero. This colony and his family was all Weed had to make life worth meaning to him. It was until the Guns came and stolen the other half of his land for their own. The Guns had no right to be trespassing on our property. The Leafhorns asked the Guns to leave, but they wouldn’t, they declared war on our family to fight for the land. We tried to be reasonable to them, but they just wouldn’t listen. Machine Gun murdered Weed Leafhorn the Great, and took away our land. The Leafhorns had no choice but to run. We were just heavily outnumbered.”

“After that, the Guns decided to get other ponies to set hooves on our land and decide to create a town. Since the Canterlot area wasn’t safe anymore, ponies had to gather around Equestria and that’s how they made cities such as Manehatten, Baltimare, Fillydelphia, and the town that destroyed our land which is now known as Mareami. This city belongs to us, Herb Leafhorn, Jr., and it’s because of the Guns we now have to share this land with those who don’t deserve it. You’re almost in Elementary School, my son. I’m going to teach you everything you need to know to make Crimson Flare Gun’s life miserable during his school years. I’ll guide you the way, my son. You can be the most dreadful bully in the whole school. Make sure his life is torn to shreds.”

“Yes, daddy! He’ll for sure make like a baby, and haul buns!” I said mischievously.

My dad smacks me in the back of the head with a newspaper and corrects me, “It’s make like a bread truck and haul buns! If you’re going to make stupid remarks, he’s just going to tease you, like his father before him, and his father before him, and his father before him, and his father before him, and his-“

“And his father before him, and his father before him, and his father before him.” I joined with him.

“Stop being such a moron! You’re five years old, man! Act your age!” my dad yelled at me.

“But isn’t this supposed to be my age?” I asked.

My dad started knocking me on my head and said, “Hello? Hello? Anypony home? Think Junior! Think!” I knew what my dad was saying. It was time to stop being such an idiot, and start redeeming my family name from those awful Guns. Elementary School is about to start, and I’ll do all I can to make sure Crimson Gun’s life is miserable, and I think I might know the way. I’ll be just like my dad!

SHROOM FILMS PRESENTS….

A FRIENDSHIP IS EPIC SPINOFF…..

STARING HERB LEAFHORN, JR.

THE FRIENDSHIP MAFIA

A few years went by, I’ve been bullying and beating up this Flare Gun fellow, doing what my father asks me to do, doing all he taught me. Like I remember this one time I got him, I got him real good! It was in fifth grade, I was sitting with my friends at the ‘cool table’. When I saw Flare sitting alone on one of the tables. I wanted to take action, for my dad’s sake.

“Hey man, look. It’s that weird red pony, Crimson.” One of my friends Angel Heartstrings said.

“Yeah, I see he’s eating Baked Ziti. What prank should I pull on him today?” I asked.

“Just dump it on the floor and say its vomit.” Angel suggested.

“Whoa, dude! Others are eating right now. I’m only ruining the lunch for one pony.” I said.

“Alright, just dump it on the floor, and sarcastically say you’d pay him back, and for whatever bits you owe him, just punch him in the stomach.” Angel suggested.

“Doesn’t seem all that funny, but whatever.” I said as I walked over to Flare’s table and dumped his lunch on the ground. “Aww, did I ruin your lunch, Crimson? Don’t worry, I’ll pay you back.” I lied.

“Alright ,that costed me 3 bits.” Flare said holding his hoof out. Then I spat on his hoof. “Uhh, that’s not bits, unless this saliva is actually worth something.”

“That saliva is worth three punches in the stomach.” I said as I punched him in the stomach three times. “One. Two. Three.”

“Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow!” Flare yelled.

“That was four ows, one too many. Here I’ll add an extra one so we can be even.” I said as I punched him again.

“Ow!” Flare cried. “You think you’re trollin me bro? Do you even lift?”

“Of course I do.” I said as I picked Flare up and threw him in the trash can. The whole school started laughing him. I felt pretty good somewhat of doing that, that was so amusing, and yet….. I feel a disturbance in the force. I don’t know why, but Flare was actually laughing along with all of us.

“Why are you laughing?” my friend Annabelle asked. It’s pretty funny his name is Annabelle and he’s a stallion.

“Because this was funny!” Flare said. “I’m not worried about a little trash. I can shower it off. As long as my vest doesn’t get stained, I’ll be fine.” I gotta say, Flare is a tough little colt. Not tough as in muscle, but tough as in it’s hard to bother him. I was so envious of him at the time. I had to do what I had to do, so I just squirted some mustard on his vest, staining it. “AAAAAAH! Surprise face! MY VEST! How could you, Herb?” he freaked out. “How could you, Herb? You’re more annoying than-“

I had the feeling he had enough, but I remembered when my dad taught me that ‘enough is never enough’. “Your stupid cutaway jokes aren’t going to save you THIS TIME!” I said angrily at him before I took the trash bin he was in and rolled it down the stairs in the hallway. “Thank you for riding trash role. Please collect your belongings and watch your step as you walk out of the bin.” I teased. “Thank you for riding with us, and have a nice day.”

“Thanks!” Flare said as he had a banana peel on his head.

“You’re welcome.” I said with a mischievous smile.

“AAAAAAAH! TEACHER! TEACHER! TEACHER!” he yelled after he crawls out of the trash bin.

“The principle is my father you little twerp.” I said to him.

“Hey! I’m not a little twerp! I’m a big twerp! I don’t like to be called little!” he yelled at me.

"I’m bigger than you, LITTLE boy.” I said mischievously.

“Yeah, I bet you like little things don’t you?” he teased.

“WHAT DID YOU SAY?! WHAT DID YOU SAY TO ME, SON?!” I yelled at him walking closer.

“I’m not your son, and if I was, you’d be the worse mom ever. HA!” he teased.

I grabbed him by the vest and smashed him into the lockers. “You do not want to be a smart flank with me! Because if you’re gonna be smart with me, then somepony’s gonna have their face in the toilet!” I yelled.

“Who? Yours?” he teased. I was really doing my best to hold in my laughter. I gotta say this dude is pretty hilarious. I had to punch him in the nose to get him to stop joking around.

“Feel smart, LITTLE boy?” Herb asked.

“NO! I’m getting beat up a pony whose family held a grudge on mine for generations! Get over it, man!” I yelled.

“Your family has stolen our land from us, my dad said so. Your ancestor, Colonel Machine Gun killed Weed Leafhorn!” I yelled at him.

“I keep telling you, brah, it’s self-defense.” he corrected me.

“LAIR!” I yelled in anger as I punched him in the stomach. I really wasn’t having fun doing this. Believe me, I’m not.

"OW! I’m relieved that I didn’t eat my lunch or I would’ve been sick after that kick. You know, the teachers will find out about this!" he yelled at me.

“That’s why I won’t pound you here. When you leave school today, that’s when I’ll turn your face upside down!” I threatened him.

“I thought you said you were gonna stuff somepony’s face in the toilet?” he asked. I threw him to the lockers on the other side of the hall.

“You’ll be eating those words, Crimson!” I said angrily at him. “Now why don’t you make like a tree…. And get outta here?”

“Isn’t it ‘make like a tree’ and ‘leave’?” Flare asked.

“Want another beating?” I asked him.

“No, you should be thanking me. I’m trying to save you from sounding stupid.” He said.

“Later.” I said as I was making a weird cutting noise while sliding my hoof across my neck and I walked away. While I was walking away, I met that annoying Jam kid that goes to this school. I forgot his name though. “What are you looking at, butthead?” I asked him angrily.

“Oi, mate. Is that really necessary?” the Jam pony asked.

“You Jams are all the same. If it weren’t for your family, the Guns would be outta here by now. You’re next if you keep pestering me about my business!” I threatened him. “This is between the Leafhorns and the Guns, none of you Jam clans are going to get in our way!” I said angrily at him as I walked away and shoving him with his shoulder while I was at it.

“That’s exactly what my family is trying to do, greaseball.” The Jam pony angrily said to me as I walked out of his range. The Jams were actually the ones that stopped Guns and Leafhorns from fighting, because it was the Jams that came to Mareami first.

“Ugh! Help me, brah!” Flare begged the Jam as I eavesdropped on what was going on.

“No, Jerry, he’s a Gun.” Another pony said to the Jam.

“But this ain’t right. This guy is having a tough time. Shouldn’t there be somepony out there to help? Like an agency keeping friendship at ease?” Jerry Jam asked.

“Jerry, don’t worry about it. I don’t want you getting hurt. Herb did enough damage to that pony; I don’t want him doing the same to you.” The pony said to the Jam. The Jam just looked at him upsettingly and then he walks away, as he should. Those darn Jams! They’re such buzzkills to my ancestors! Which I like!

As I thought I was done, I heard Flare say, “Yay! The tooth fairy is coming tonight!” Even if I didn’t want to be a bully, I couldn’t help but just steal his tooth. “Ew, you’re sick, brah.” He said. It was kinda true, I should’ve put on rubber gloves first before taking it, but at least I’m going to be a bit richer tonight. That night I was over at my friend’s house, gambling, because my dad said it was cool and what not.

“And then I said ‘Cheerios? Do I look British to you, pal?’” Annabelle joked and laughed, and Angel and I laughed along.

“Annabelle, man, you gotta tell that mom of yours to grow a brain, man. I mean, cheerios, that a British cereal, man. They say its name all the time, man. Gotta learn to speak Equestrian for once.” Angel said.

“Says the unicorn. If we were speaking Equestrian, we’d probably be speaking like the natives, which we’re not native. How about you grow a brain, holms?” Annabelle asked, tapping on Angel’s head.

“Did you just touch my head, man? Did you just touch my head, man? You don’t touch this here, man. I have ideas, I wanna save the streets.” Angel said.

“Calm down, Angel. Just listen to you, talking like a rapper or somethin.” I said.

“’Ey, Herb. How did it feel kicking that wimpy red pony’s flank today? Bet that made you feel alive, didn’t it?” Annabelle asked.

“Made me feel like a tough guy, for sure. I gotta say, doing so made me feel on top today, but somehow I got this strange feeling.” I said with a low tone.

“What strange feeling, Herb?” Annabelle asked.

“I dunno. My dad says it’s right, but it don’t feel right.” I said.

“Don’t let that bother you and your Italian ways, man. What is right comes from within. You do what makes you happy, and if you think it’s right, then nopony is to judge you, man.” Angel explained.

“I suppose you right, Angel.” I said. “If it’s in my family name, I have to redeem it from those awful Guns.”

“Redeem it?” Angel asked.

“I told ya this story a million times.” I said.

“Yeah, but that doesn’t mean we actually listen.” Annabelle teased and chuckled.

“Yeah, well forget you. I still owe that Gun a beating. He left the school pretty hasty today.” I said.

“I don’t know for sure, but that fella seems so innocent. Just look at his face.” My mare friend Cherry Pop said as she walked inside our little club.

“Cherry Pop? What are you doing here, babe?” I asked her as I went up to her and hugged her. “You know at this time I spend time with my friends.”

“I know, Herb. I know. But I’m quite upset with you right now. I heard you beat up that red pony in the lunch room today.” Cherry said upsettingly.

“I know, I know.” I said.

“But why are you doing it? It’s bad enough he doesn’t have any friends.” She said.

“Look, babe, I’m just defending my family name’s honor, alright? My dad said it’s our best chance of redeeming ourselves against the Guns.” I said. “I would’ve finished him if that idiot Jam pony didn’t get in the way!”

“But is it right? Are you actually doing what’s right? Think, Herb, think!” she advised me.

“Now you’re starting to sound like my dad.” I said grouchy as I sat back down with the others.

“Starting to sound like you too, holms.” Annabelle said.

“What? You really think so?” I asked.

“You should really listen to yourself, man. Record your voice and listen to it. That’s what I always do.” Angel said as he turned off a tape recorder he had on his lap.

“Look, Herb, I know your family name means a lot to you, but I can’t stand the violence.” Cherry said. “If you really want that Gun colt out of your life, then how about try getting him expelled instead?” I thought over what Cherry said, and it actually doesn’t sound like a bad idea. Instead of beating the guts out of him, I thought of actually tricking him. So for my daily beating tomorrow, I’m going to let him beat me. Even though I don’t think he has the muscle or magic to do so, I might as well just fake it.

The next day came, I was waiting in the hallway for Flare to show up. I saw him coming him with a mischievous smile on his face. What is that little rascal up to? Probably up to his daily tease. I had to take action now, so I jumped in front of him and blocked his way, then I said, “You were lucky yesterday, Crimson. I decided it was no problem to give you a break yesterday, because I think yesterday you had enough. Now today is a new day, but don’t worry, this will only hurt for a second.”

“Ah, reference reference!” he said still looking at me with that evil look in his eye. “Wait, Foster’s Home For Imaginary Friends wasn’t around during the 1990s.”

“You’re a weirdo. Luckily I’d be doing them a favor by doing this.” I said as I grabbed his vest and was about to give him a buck in the face.

“I got a better idea, how about you do us both a favor, and put me down, and leave me alone. Or we can be friends.” Flare suggested.

I started pounding on his head yelling, “Hello? Hello? Anypony home? Think Crimson, think, and besides nopony would want to be friends with you anyway.”

“Wow, that was harsh. You could’ve just said ‘no thank you’ and left it at that. Now please put me down.” He demanded. Wow, he’s growing some. He’s growing some indeed. This plan will come along perfectly.

“Sure. Right after I pound ya.” I said to him.

“I’m warning you, brah! You’ll regret this. Put me down!” he demanded.

“Was that a threat? Were you threatenin’ me, Crimson?” I asked him angrily.

“I’m giving you one last chance. Put….. me….. down.” He ordered me calmly. Wow, he was really serious. That’s a first.

“You’ll regret saying that.” I said angrily.

“Well, don’t say I didn’t warn ya. I hope you brought an extra pair of pants.” He said. I don’t wear pants though, but I was a bit afraid of what he was going to do next. He became unexpectedly brave overnight. Just then, water squirted out of his horn real hard, I mean REAL HARD, and I became soaked. Ok know I didn’t, he just squirted my waist area. It didn’t really hurt, in fact I was just about to laugh, but I was really embarrassed. This is probably the best harm he’s ever going to give me. I dropped him and then I ran away as I teared up. “Hey Herb! Remember this word: karma!” he reminded me.

I know what he meant by that, and he’s pretty clever. I’m just an idiot doing an idiotic things. I ran over to my dad’s office, and I was hoping all that was filmed on camera. It sure looked pretty dramatic. I hope my cowardness looked realistic, but at the same time, I hope it doesn’t make me look like a fool to the other students that saw it.

I made it to my dad’s office, and he was looking at the security footage of what happened in the hallway. “Son, please sit down.” He said. I did so. “What was that?”

“What was what?” I asked.

“Don’t be smart with me, boy. What happened in the hallway?” he asked angrily.

“I got soaked by Crimson Flare Gun.” I said.

“And you let a little water make you a coward and run straight to me? I thought I raised a son, not a baby?” he asked.

“Isn’t that the same thing?” I asked.

“QUIET!” he yelled and slammed on his desk. “I asked you to do one thing, ONE thing in particular! Ruin the life of Crimson Gun, and all I saw there was a coward, and a wimp that scared off the coward only by squirting a little water at him.”

“Dad, it’s the best way to get him expelled!” I informed him.

“Expelled? You’re supposed to knock ‘em to next week, every day he’s at school!” dad yelled at me. “You’re supposed to do that until his family decides to leave town!”

“What if he’s not at school, dad? What if we can just ruin his life by not committing to violence? We could ruin him that way. He won’t have the brains he needs to go on at a life. He’d be just a bum in the street. This is only Elementary School in town, dad. He won’t a choice but to move out.” I suggested.

My dad turned around on his chair and thought to himself. “Hmmm….. that is a good point. If he were expelled, then he’d either not get the decent education he needs and just be a bum on the street, or he’ll decide to leave town and find a new school.” He turned back at me and said, “Alright, Herb. Looks like you are a Leafhorn after all. I really don’t like the idea you decided to be a coward over a little water, but…. it’s too late to do anything about that now. Let’s expel the colt, and we’ll worry about your reputation later.” He turned to his microphone and yelled on it, “CRIMSON GUN! IN MY OFFICE! NOW!”

I really didn’t think he’d agree to go through with it, but he did, and my plan worked. A few minutes later, Flare came in and sat down. “How ya doin, Principle Leafhorn?” he asked.

“Don’t speak until spoken to.” My dad said to him angrily.

“Well you spoke to me now.” He said. “So what’s my…”

“SHUT UP!” dad interrupted him. Wow, this is going to be easier than I thought. “So it comes to my attention that you were being a bully.”

“Lawl what?” Flare said surprisingly.

“Don’t you deny it, Mr. Gun!” dad yelled at him.

"For all due respect, Principle Leafhorn,” Flare attempt to explain, “the info-“

“For the last time, Crimson! CALL ME SIR!” he yelled at him.

“I really don’t like saying that actually, Principle Leafhorn.” Flare said to him.

“Too bad!” dad yelled at him

“Ok, SIIIIIIIIIR,” Flare yelled at him. “The info that you had on me being a bully isn't true. I'm the one that's being bullied."

“Oh yeah? TELL THAT TO MY SON!” dad yelled, pointing at me. I wasn’t sure what to do so I decided to fake a weep.

“H-he…. He made me all wet!” I said as I continued to fake cry.

“I was only trying to defend myself!” Flare complained.

“IT’S SIR!” my dad yelled.

“Didn’t call you anything!” Flare complained.

My dad smashed his hoof on the desk and yelled at Flare, “I don’t wanna hear another word out of your mouth, mister!”

“FRIEND FRIEND FRIEND!” Flare yelled.

“Something you obviously don’t have!” my dad said.

“But, zir!” Flare yelled.

“Say it right! SIR!” he yelled at him

“Principle Leafhorn, I get bullied by Herb, ALL THE TIME! He stuffed me into a trash can yesterday and made a fool out of me!” Flare yelled.

“But I was only playin’.” I said in a squeaky voice.

“That’s a lie!” Flare yelled.

“I had enough of you Crimson! YOU’RE EXPELLED!” my dad yelled at Flare’s face.

“Uhhh…. Who cares? I past final exams, and there was only a few days left of school, sooooo….. SO LONG SUCKERS!” Flare yelled. Wow! How could I forget that there was only a few days left at school, and we were both in 5th grade? Flare was going to leave anyway. How could I be so stupid? All that cowardness for nothing!

Later that night, my dad had a dramatic conversation with me. We was pretty angry over what happened earlier today. “Nothing, and I mean nothing! No words can express how disgraced I am at you right now!”

“How was I supposed to know it was the end of the term?” I complained.

“You know why I past you out of these grades?” he asked. “Because you were too lazy to study so you can pass out of them yourself. I had to give you this assignment of Crimson having his daily beatings, and because you so foolishly thought that expelling him at the end of his last term was a good idea. How can you not think?”

“You didn’t think of that earlier.” I corrected him.

“EXCUSE ME?!” he yelled at my face and held on to my mane. “I’m transferring to the middle school to be your principle. IF you think it would be wise to set up an alternative plan after I gave you a direct order, you will have to start passing classes yourself! YOU GOT THAT!”

“Yes.” I said frightened.

Dad let go of my hair and placed his hoof on my shoulder. “Herb, I’m only doin’ this ‘cause I care, alright?” he said to me calmly. “Look at me. I’ve been there for you since the day you were born. Be lucky you’re the one I want to teach everything I know to, instead of that fool Autumn. Now, don’t betray my trust. When you start middle school, go back to the daily beatings. No alternatives, got that?”

“Yeah.” I nodded.

“Look at me, boy.” He said, moving my head making sure I face his. “Disobey me again; I won’t be there for you anymore. I’ll disown you.” Wow, I can’t believe my dad actually said that. He’d disown me out of something stupid like this? The Guns must’ve really got him mad. If this is what it takes to keep his blessings, then so be it.

I went to go meet with my friends over at the club house, and we had a conversation as we were playing some cards. “HA! Row of Jacks! In your faces!” Annabelle yelled excitedly, about to take the money in the pot.

“Yo, man. I wouldn’t be too hasty if I were you, man.” Angel said as he placed down his cards. “Full house of kings!”

“Man, you cheated!” Annabelle complained.

“Unless you have any evidence of it, I won’t believe a word you’d say, man.” Angel said.

“Will you two shut up, please? I’m not in the mood with these useless jokes!” I complained.

“Are you alright, man?” Angel asked.

“Great! Never better!” I yelled sarcastically.

“What’s been going on with your dad lately, Herb?” Annabelle asked.

“How’d you know it was my dad?” I asked.

“He’s pretty much the only reason why you’re ever in a bad mood.” Annabelle said.

“Well, I got Flare taken care of, but he seemed pretty ungrateful of it. He only wants me to commit to violence. I’m sure there are ways ‘round the whackin’ to ruin a pony’s life.” I said.

“Look, man. I really don’t care about your family traditions. Just don’t ask for my help, man.” Angel said.

“Don’t worry. My pop will think of me as a bigger wuss if I ask for help or somethin’.” I said. “So I guess it’s settled. I’m just goin’ whack ‘em. Do it the borin’ way.” I said upsettingly, but little did I know that Cherry Pop was in the room with us.

“Sweetie, you actually feel good by just whacking a pony?” Cherry asked.

“Not really. Been doin’ the same exact thing for 5 years. Flare’s been learnin’ to defend himself. It’s gonna be harder to whack ‘em every single day ‘till we graduate.” I said.

“I think I might have the perfect solution. My friend, Blueberry Pie, the most popular filly in our school. She also loves to hang out with my sister. She might have an idea of what you can do.” Cherry suggested.

“How can I talk to her? She’s always surrounded by a bunch of colts, and she only hangs out with the School Hoofball Team.” I said.

“Tell me about one show-off of a mare that doesn’t get herself involved with the sports teams. It’s always the same in these public schools.” Annabelle complained.

“Blueberry’s a friend of mine, I’m sure I can get her to help you out. She loves to get herself into pranks. Maybe she might have one that might get Flare to leave the school, and maybe even the town.” Cherry Pop suggested.

“Well if you say so, babe.” I said. My pop really doesn’t like it when I ask for other’s to get involve in our family affairs, but sometimes we have to break some rules in order to get what we want. The next day went by, I went over to the high school hoofball field, I sat on the bleachers, and the time was noon. That was the time I was supposed to meet up with Blueberry. I waited, and waited, and waited, and waited, but she was nowhere in sight. I’ve been waiting for hours, when suddenly I decided to just forget about it and leave.

“Where have you been?” Blueberry asked me while looking down at me from another set of bleachers.

“Where have I been? Where have you been?” I asked.

“I’ve been here waiting for you for 4 hours! I had to skip my daily hairdressing because of this!” Blueberry complained.

“You hairdress every day?” I asked.

“That’s not important! Now come and sit down.” Blueberry demanded. I walked up the bleachers and did so. I suppose I was waiting in the wrong bleachers, because I too was waiting 4 hours for her.

“So, Herb Leafhorn, Jr., the school bully that’s been trying to ruin the life of a single colt, all because of a past family matter.” Blueberry started.

“I hope you understand. I can’t always commit to doin’ the same violence every day. Flare doesn’t have the muscle to give me harm, yet, but by the looks of his magic, he’s actually thinkin’ of somethin’. I wouldn’t want to wait for the last second to have him put me down.” I explained.

“I know, Cherry told me everything. Your dad’s a moron. Violence isn’t going to ruin the life of a single colt. He’s going to learn how to defend himself, and get you back.” Blueberry said.

“So what do you suppose I do?” I asked.

“Give him a friend. Somepony he’d trust with his life. Somepony that’ll make him the happiest colt in Equestria.” Blueberry suggested.

“Wouldn’t that just give him better odds of staying?” I asked.

“Patience. To get what you want, you need patience.” Blueberry said. “I know of a student. He gets picked on too at the school. If we can give him a bargain, we can make him one of the cool kids, as long as we get him to work for us.”

“How is this goin’ to help me though?” I asked.

“He’s going to rat Flare out at the last day of high school. With his betrayal, Flare would have no other reason for being here.” Blueberry explained.

“You think that’ll be enough?” I asked.

“Of course not. I’m going to go out with him, but it’s not going to be a real relationship. I’m into evil ponies. Then I’ll betray him in the last possible second. He won’t have any reason to go on in life. He’d have no other reason but to leave town.” Blueberry explained.

“Seems a little much, doncha think?” I asked.

“HEY! You want me to help you out with this or not?” Blueberry asked impatiently.

“Of course I want you to help me. It just seems a little harsh doin’ somethin’ like that.” I said.

“It’s the only way I can help you. Take it or leave it.” Blueberry said. This mare sure can drive a hard bargain, but do I have a choice?

“Alright, you got a deal.” I nodded and shook her hoof. “So who’s the pony working for us?”

“Well, that’s the thing. He’s not a pony, he’s a pig.” Blueberry said. “His name is Porker Swinebutt. He’s the only pig in the school, and is probably the one that gets bullied more than Crimson.”

“Okay. You think he’s going to go with this?” I asked.

“This pig would do anything for attention. He’s also a genius. The intelligence of Steven Hawkwing. He could be at the same time useful to us in both getting rid of Crimson, and his inventions.” Blueberry said. I gotta say, this wasn’t a bad idea, not a bad idea at all. We went over to junkyard, because that’s where the pig hangs out in, so we can discuss our set-up.

Author's Note

The first chapter of the spin-off! I thought of this to be quite a success! A nice little prologue to the story of how Herb joined the mob in the first place, and why he bullied Flare. This chapter connects to the FiE - Book 2 chapter: Flare's Backstory - Part 1, so I recommend reading that first.

Uniting the Family (Choices)

Back on the Zeppelin, Poni was just sitting there in his cell waiting for Star and Wing to return from questioning. As Poni was laying on the mattress catching some zees, he hears a screech from one of the other prisoners next door.

“Mobsters return! They kill us all!” the voice next door yelled. “Please don’t take me! It was just a debt! A debt I tell you! Is it worth taking somepony’s life over! I have so much of my life I still need to do! I can give you passes to the VIP lounge in my club! Just please! Please don’t hurt me!”

“HEY!” Poni yelled as he knocked on the wall. “Will you pipe down in there?! It’s bad enough I have to suffocate in this small dark room waiting for my enemies to gain power and my organization to lose power! The last thing I need is to hear whining!”

“Quiet, hater!” the voice yelled.

“Shut up!” somepony in the room yelled. “I agree with him, dawg! You need to pipe down!”

“Yeah, holms!” another voice said.

“Well sor-ry!” the first voice yelled. “I don’t need one of my ex-manager’s gangster friends to make me feel worse than I already feel!”

“Ugh!” Poni groaned. “Why do I have to be next door to a bunch of babies?!”

“I heard that!” the first voice yelled.

“Yeah, fool! Want me to mess you up!?” the second voice yelled.

“SHUT UP! The boss is trying to rest!” Star yelled from outside.

“Yeah, buddy! You just askin’ for somepony to be sleepin’ with the fishes!” Bright yelled.

“I love fish though.” The first voice said. “I mean, I love them as pets in bowls, but not to sleep with them!”

“All of you be quiet!” a mobster yelled from outside as he opens my cell door and he throws Star and Bright back inside Poni’s cell. “You stay here and stay quiet.” The Marmellata mobster ordered us. “I have to deal with your neighbors first.”

“By all means, take care of them.” Poni insisted.

“JERK!” the first voice at the next cell yelled as she pounded the wall. Or at least I think it was a she. Sounded like a she.
“Ugh…” Star and Bright both moaned in pain.

“Star! Bright! What happened?” Poni asked as he helped them to the mattress.

“The… the… the Sharks…” Bright stuttered. “They… they…”

“Shh, shh, rest.” Poni insisted.

“Boss! We’re… s-sorry.” Bright said in pain.

“What did those haters do to yous?” Poni asked worringly.

“They… they… tried to… make us talk.” Bright stuttered. “They… wanted us… to do something… we didn’t… want to… AAGH!”

“Bright!” Poni cried.

“They wanted us to tell them Friendship Mob secrets.” Star said in pain. “B-but… we didn’t… we didn’t tell them a thing… except to… go… STUFF IT!”

“Yeah, you tell ‘em, Star!” Poni said as he smiled.

“No matter what happens, boss.” Star said as he coughed. “What we do… we do for yous!”

“I know… I know… you boys do a great job.” Poni said. “Right now, just rest. Your duty is done. If they want to torture somepony, they torture me!”

“Oh but this is torture to you, Cipriani!” my pop said mischievously as he walks inside the cell. “It’s torture seeing your closest associates in pain.”

“Go away, Leafhorn. This is your doing.” Poni said angrily at him as he comforted Star and Bright.

“Hey it wasn’t JUST me, Cipriani.” Pop informed him. “There was also Mela, and Penna, and Fraterno… the whole Commission is against you and your organization now, my friend.”

“I’ll believe it when I see it.” Poni said.

“They know your plan.” Pop said. “They know you’re trying to convert them, but really, all you’re doing is trying to make yourself look better. You think you’re the best mob Equestria’s ever known. You’re trying to take over the Commission, and by extension, the kingdom. The Friendship Mob must be dealt with.”

“You just don’t understand the good we’ve done.” Poni said.

“The good, huh? HA!” pop laughed. “Is that what you tried to do in your LAST organization?” Poni didn’t say anything. He did not know what to say. “The great Poni Cipriani, trying to make a change, when he all he’s doing is just causing his own downfall. Seeing his old associates suffer his own consequences. You think you could just undo all you’ve done, but quite frankly… you just went full circle.”

“I don’t want to talk about this anymore!” Poni yelled.

“Oh but you don’t have to talk, but listen…” pop whispered. “Shhh… listen, Cipriani. Listen to those little voices in your head. Who are they? Who are those voices?”

“Shut up!” Poni yelled as he held his ears. “Just… SHUT UP!”

“Think about it, Poni! Who are they?” pop asked with an evil grin.

“Lalalalala, can’t hear you! Lalalalala!” Poni ignored him.

“Ah, yes, Cipriani, yes!” pop nodded. “Those voices… they’re your old associates. All of them… gone. All gone. They left you. Some of Alberto Palma’s curse somehow rubbed off on you it would seem.”

“SHUT UP!” Poni yelled. “SHUT UP, SHUT UP, SHUT UP!”

“YOU SHUT UP!” the voice next door yelled. “YOU SAY I’M TOO LOUD! LISTEN TO YOU!”

“Th-that’s enough Leafhorn!” Star said in pain. “Y-you know how sensitive he is in that subject!” He then lays back down on the mattress.

“Of course, how silly of me.” pop said. “I’ll cut him some slack for now. He’ll be really feeling the guilt once his organization crumbles to shreds! My son and his friends are on their way here to once again prove themselves to the Commission. Pffft! Like he has a chance! Once they’re defeated, I’ll have my son back, your organization will be disbanded, and we’ll once again have the peace that we deserve! Isn’t that what you wanted, PC?”

“Oh yeah, he has the initials of that.” Wing nodded and laughed. “That’s funny and the same initials as Princess Celestia too!”

“Wait… they’re here?” Poni asked. “Herb, Annabelle, and the others are here?”

“They are, so you better pray for them.” Pop said mischievously as he chuckles and backs out of the cell. “You better pray for them!” He then closes the cell door.

“They can’t do this. They’re going to get captured too!” Poni said. “We need them to run the organization out of my absence.”

“B-but perhaps it…it’s for the best, boss!” Wing said. “We’ll be rescued.”

“This zeppelin is too secured.” Poni said. “They won’t make it!”

“Have confidence in them, boss!” Star suggested as he coughed.

“Yeah… you’re probably right.” Poni agreed. “I hope they know what they’re doing… for all of our sakes.” I hope so too, and I know the answer. Well, not then, but now when I’m making this.

Back at the hideout, I walked over to the briefing room where Turnip and Sunflower were preparing our plan to raid the zeppelin. Blueprints, photos, and notes were all over the board. “Ah, good, Herb! You’re here!” Turnip said. “We’re in need of our temporary leader in an effort to rescue Poni.”

“Temporary leader?” I asked shockingly. “Wow… I… don’t know what to say!”

“Hey all you friends seem to speak highly of you, so for now, I’ll trust you to lead us too.” Sunflower agreed.

“Oh please, y’make me bloosh.” I said as I blushed.

“Bloosh?” Sunflower asked.

“Don’t question my way of saying things!” I demanded.

“Don’t yell at me, punk!” Sunflower yelled.

“CALM DOWN!” Turnip yelled. “Both of you! How can we fight the Commission when we start fighting amongst ourselves?”

“You’re right, Turnip.” I agreed.

“Sure, whatever.” Sunflower said annoyedly as she glares at me and moving her hooves toward her eyes and to me hinting that she’s watching me.

“Yeah, you have nice eyes.” I said.

“Alright now pay attention Herb, because, umm, Sunflower and I looked at the plans very carefully and I see we have two options.” Turnip said.

“Lay ‘em on me.” I insisted.

“Ok, look over here.” Turnip said as I walked over to the board and looked at it. “Now, the zeppelin spends a majority of the time in the air to avoid trespass. It overlooks the city. The zeppelin disguises itself as an advertising blimp that flies over the Manehatten Huges’ hoofball stadium for most days or nights if there’s a sporting event on. During the night hours, the zeppelin bases at the airport. The Commission paid off officials to have clearance to land there every night for refuel. Unfortunately, the airship will be locked down every night with heavy security, and with airport security to deal with too, there’s no way we can sneak inside in time.”

“That’s too bad.” I said. “I was hoping for a sneaky ninja stealth raid.”

“Well that might still happen.” Turnip said.

“Not at night though.” I said.

“Hmm, well then.” Turnip continued. “So we’re going to have to raid the airship while it’s in the air. Most of the families are going to be out on business though, unless there’s going to be a meeting going on. I would assume all the dons are going to be there since they’re going to be monitoring us while we’re fighting their families on the streets, but hopefully they won’t spot us when we attack. This will require something that flies though to get to the airship.”

“Fly? Aren’t they going to spot us?” Sunflower asked.

“That is, if you’re going.” Turnip teased. She glares at him. “So, anyways, for them not to spot us, we’re going to need to get something they won’t suspect a raid from. The mobs use cargo helicopters to move their families to and from the airship and ground level in case the airship is in the air. Heh, I guess that’s why they call it an airship. Anyways, we’ll need to take one of these cargo helicopters in order to gain access to the ship without getting spotted.”

“But the mobs check their choppers before they’re able to let anything out and wander about the ship.” Sunflower added.

“Which brings me to the choices.” Turnip said. “But one more thing on the helicopter subject: we’ll need to take one of them without any of the families knowing that we got them. We’re going to need to be swift in order to take the helicopter, so when they drop off some of their families, we’re going to capture them all and disable their radios. All but one though. We’re going to use one of their radios to ask for a pickup. Once that’s done, we’ll capture the pilot on that chopper, and then commandeer it. Ok, now those choices!”

“How difficult are they going to be?” I asked.

“It depends actually.” Turnip said. “Are you better at being swift, or are you better at stealth? More or less, both of these choices are going to be similar. They both involve getting on the ship and not getting spotted. Now we’re only there to rescue Poni.”

“Not Star and Bright?” I teased.

“No, leave ‘em to rot.” Turnip teased as well and we both chuckled.

“Yeah, sure, laugh at your suffering friends.” Sunflower complained.

“So as I was saying, Herb, you’re only there to rescue Poni. We’re not trying to start a fight with the Commission.” Turnip informed me. “We will have to defend ourselves, but we’re not trying to take over. We have to prove to the Commission that we are useful, and that way they’ll let us back in, and the Sharks will once again be kicked out.”

“I know, but… if my pop is going to be at the airship. I might as well end things with him there and then.” I said.

“No, don’t let your grudge against him distract things.” Turnip instructed me. “Leafhorn Senior will fall, but the Commission is going to do that, not you. Don’t let revenge get in the way, ol pal of mine. We’re not just trying to stop your father, but we’re trying to reform the Commission.”

“Uh huh.” I nodded. “I understand. But what about the FDA? What are they going to do?”

“No idea.” Turnip said. “They may join in at assisting us, but I hope it doesn’t have to come to that. Let’s just focus on rescuing Poni, and then getting out of there. There should be plenty of cargo choppers in the hanger. That is, unless they lock everything down, but don’t worry. If it comes to that, we’ll find a way inside and rescue you using our chopper.”

“And if things go wrong from there?” I asked.

“We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.” Turnip said.

“How about the choices?” I asked.

“Right, right.” Turnip remembered. “So I see two choices: the left door or the right door. The zeppelin’s got two doors, one on each side, both leading to different areas of the ship. Those doors are the less secure entrances, so it shouldn’t be much of a problem. I mean unless somepony opens the door and spots you, or if somepony faces the door when you go inside, or there’s a ton of them in there or somethi-“

“I think he gets it, Turnip.” Sunflower interrupted.

“What about the security cameras?” I asked.

“I was about to get to that. Can you be patient please?” Turnip complained.

“Sor-ry!” I said defensively.

“So I’m going to be hacking the security cameras from the chopper. Rely on a signal relay.” Turnip explained. “But I’m not disabling them. No, no. I’m going to be freezing the security footage monitors, so the guard covering the monitors would think nopony’s in the room, but I’m only doing a few cameras at a time to avoid suspensions. Oh, and nopony has to be in the room in order for me to temporarily freeze the monitors. If the monitor freezes and somepony’s in there, the guard will get suspicious and raise the alarm. If the alarm goes off, you’re finished.”

“So… the only choice you’re giving me is which door to go in?” I asked.

“For now. You can choose what equipment you want to bring as well.” Turnip said. “Each door is going to lead somewhere different. The left door is going to lead to the meeting room, and the right door is going to lead to the communications room. I’d tell you to study this map, but… umm… you know…”

“Yeah… I know.” I agreed.

“So I’ll talk you through it.” Turnip said. “But whichever path you choose, you may end up at the same area, but perhaps going a different path. It depends. So… which path do you want to take? Left, or right?”

“Can I choose when we get there?” I asked.

“No, because I have to know what supplies to bring.” Turnip said. “Just choose and we can get on with it!”

“Anypony coming with me?” I asked.

“Yes, you will have Annabelle, Angel, and Clay with you the whole time.” Turnip said. “If Angel keeps quiet he won’t be a problem.”

“I HEARD THAT, BOY!” Angel yelled from the other room. “I’ve been quiet this whole time you were talking!”

“What about you?” I asked Turnip.

“I’ll be at the chopper looking after you boys.” Turnip said. “Now all you need to do right now is choose a side to enter in, and we’re done.”

Alright, readers, you help me out with this. I’m not good at choosing. Since Flare and Jerry did this in their stories, I might as well do this too. So choose a side for me to enter in, and later I’ll be actually doing it, and I’ll show the possibilities.

CHOICE A: Right Side

“I choose the right side.” I said.

“Alright, I’ll look for some tools that’ll help you.” Turnip said. “I’ll need to get some different choices of tools for you, help you study the maps so you can choose the tools, and we’ll be set to go. After we’re done here I’ll debrief the others while you rest, and after a good night sleep we’ll be ready to take on the Commission!"

“Let’s go to Denny’s for breakfast tomorrow.” I suggested.

“If you really want to, we’ll do it.” Turnip said.

CHOICE B: Left Side

“I choose the left side.” I said.

“Let’s go to iHop for breakfast tomorrow.” I suggested.

“If you really want to, we’ll do it.” Turnip said.

Whatever choice you choose will affect the story later. So after I studied the maps and chose my tools with Turnip, I’m ready to get some rest so we can head out. Turnip was discussing the plan with Angel, Annabelle, Clay, and the rest of Sunflower’s gang. I was lying down on one of the bunk beds, thinking about the fact that I may meet up with my pop and I could finish this. But Turnip did said he’s already going to create his own downfall. All we have to do is prove ourselves to the Commission.

Meanwhile, outside the hideout, some dark shadows sneak through the dark sewers. It was one of the families. Which one, you’ll find out. One of them whispered to the rest of them, “It’s clear, let’s go!” The rest of the shadows looked like they were bringing in something big. They bring it through the passageway where our hideout is located. “Is the device charged?” one of the shadows asked.

“Yes. These ponies won’t know what hit ‘em!” another shadow said.

“Hey does anypony smell that?” another shadow asked.

“Yeah I smell it too. Yuck!” the first shadow complained. “Well, it’s a sewer, what can yous expect?”

“I don’t think it’s a normal sewer smell, boss.” The third shadow said. Just then, the corpsey zombie monster that scared us before scared these mobsters.

“WHAT IS THAT?!” the second mobster cried.

“KILL IT! KILL IT WITH LASERS!” the first mobster yelled. So the mobsters immediately fire the cannon at the scary and quite disturbing distraction, and the fake zombie monster explodes with cotton flying everywhere. We all immeditaly heard it from inside.

I suddenly woke up, bumping my head on the bottom side of the top bunk. “Ow!” I yelled.

The others from the other room heard it too. “What was that!?” Clay cried.

Back outside, the first mobster, the capo, got pretty angry. “Great! We wasted energy on a distraction! Now we have to recharge it!”

“Well that’s a bummer, boss.” The third mobster said.

“DON’T TALK! RECHARGE!” the capo demanded. So they began to recharge the device.

I ran to the briefing room to ask what happened, and then Sunflower said, “It’s the Commission! They sent one of the mobs to attack us early!”

“Is it morning yet?” I asked.

“No! It’s only 2:14 AM!” Sunflower said. “Ugh! I hate it when ponies call back on their word!”

“Technically that is still morning.” Clay informed us. “Just saying.”

“WHATEVER!” Sunflower yelled. “We have to get out of here! We’re putting our plan in affect right now!”

“Which family is it outside?” I asked.

“Judging by the tough-looking laser weapon they have outside, it’s the Mela Di Legnos.” Turnip said as he observed the security footage of outside. “Yep, definitely the Mela Di Legnos.”

“Ok, so that means they mainly rely on their technology to do the job for them.” Clay said. “The family themselves aren’t that strong in the physical sense.”

“How did they find us anyway?” Angel asked. “We below the streets. Waaaay hidden below the streets.”

“Why aren’t they firing again?” Annabelle asked.

“Trying to jinx it, Annabelle?!” Sunflower yelled.

“It’s a recharge weapon.” Turnip said. “I feel we have approximately five minutes to get out of here.”

“Well, we can’t get out the front door. There’s too many of them.” Sunflower said.

“Do you have a secret passageway out of here, Sunflower?” I asked.

“No! How stupid of us!” Sunflower said angrily as she bucked herself on the head. “Stupid! Stupid!”

“Hey, HEY!” I yelled as I ran over to her and stopped her. “Calm down!”

“NEVER tell a girl to calm down, Herb!” Sunflower yelled at me. “You’re just gonna get the opposite of what you want!”

“I know we’re in trouble now, but we can go through with it.” I said. “I was once at the same position as you. I lost all hope of redeeming myself to society, until I joined the Friendship Mob. All I want is peace, and we can’t get that peace if we’re going to panic. Do you trust me, Sunflower?”

“I told you I did before.” Sunflower reminded me.

“Then you know where I’m getting at, right?” I asked.

“I…” Sunflower looked down and thought about it. “I… I guess.”

“Turnip, you think you can do something about their weapon?” I asked.

“Not remotely, but I have a device that may short-circuit it if I can get to it.” Turnip said.

“We don’t have time to wait around, boy! What should we do?!” Angel yelled.

“Cause a distraction. Lure the mobsters away from the weapon, and I may be able to get to it.” Turnip instructed us.

“And how do you suppose we do that?” Clay asked.

“Use your imagination of course!” Turnip said.

“That’s your answer for everything, man.” Angel said.

“And that’s how we get stuff done!” Turnip said.

“I can create a smoke screen, T, if that’s good enough.” Annabelle suggested. “It’ll give us the advantage to ambush them.”

“Good call, Annabelle!” I said. He smiled.

“Alright, if we have this planned, let’s do this.” Turnip said.

“C’mon team! Let’s help ‘em out in defending our headquarters!” Sunflower instructed her group. So we all headed over to the front entrance and prepared for our attack. Sunflower then instructed her group, “Ok, Annabelle, Angel, Clay, Herb, I’m going with you outside to take care of them. The rest of you, protect the headquarters and make sure Turnip has a clear path to their device.”

“Is everypony ready?” I asked.

“Ready when you are!” Sunflower said.

I took a deep breath, and then I said, “Unlock the doors.” Sunflower starts unlocking the doors and opens the hatch, and right when she opens it, Annabelle throws out a smoke grenade.

“HEY!” the Mela capo yelled.

“Yeah, hey, amigo!” Annabelle responded.

“Hey, hey, heeeeeey!” the Mela capo panicked as the smoke screen started blinding him and his guys.

“GO, GO!” Sunflower yelled as the five of us ran outside to ambush the Melas.

Once the smoke cleared, we attacked the Melas, but when Angel suddenly socket punches one of them, he yells, “YeeeeeOW- boy.”

“What the?!” Sunflower gasped in surprise.

“Is that Black Adamant armor?!” Clay asked in surprise.

“Yep! You should think twice before messing with those with the ARMOR baby!” one of the mobsters yelled as he pelvic thrusted. “Now it’s our turn!” So the mobsters started to attack us. They were a bunch of weaklings. They didn’t know good enough moves to stop our defensive blocking, but attacking them back is a challenge.

“You’re a buncha wimps! Take off your armor, boys!” Angel dared them. “Give us a fair fight!”

“Yeah we don’t like to fight ponies that don’t have honor!” Annabelle said.

“How shameful. We like to fight ponies who are easy to beat!” one of the mobsters said as he punches Angel in the head and knocks him out instantly.

“A!” Annabelle cried as he gets knocked out too. They were about to knock me out as well, but as one of them was about to punch me with both of his hooves, I blocked using mine, and I started grunting as I pushed against his metal hooves. He wasn’t struggling; he seemed to be going easy on me. Either that or I’m stronger than I thought. My physical strength might make up for my ment-

“CLAY, HELP!” I yelled, interrupting my own narrative.

“Don’t worry, brother! I got a little something for them!” Clay said as he sits down on the ground.

“Yeah, ok, I don’t think that’s helping.” I said.

“Shhh, trust me brother.” Clay insisted.

“Trust you? I trusted you not to get the last piece of cake at Annabelle’s birthday! Last time I trusted you I said!” I said. Ooo, I said it twice. Ooo, now three times! Clay didn’t say anything back in return, but the Melas thought he was an easy target so they went over to him fast.

After they surrounded him, one of the Melas said, “We all punch him… together! On the count of three. One… two…” Just then, Clay uses his hooves and his wings to place EMP devices on all of them Melas’ armor, and they started to short circuit. “WHAT THE?!” one of the Melas cried.

“I can’t move! I can’t move!” another Mela yelled.

“See, brother?” Clay asked mischievously. “You can’t rely on technology all the time. They just fail out on ya.” The last Mela I was fighting, the capo, got distracted over Clay’s performance, and I so happened to have an EMP device in my pocket, so I placed it on his armor and he short circuited too. He started to vibrate as his armor was shutting down.

“Huh. Why didn’t I think of that?” I asked.

“WOO!” Sunflower and I both clapped our hooves.

“That was amazing, Clay!” Sunflower said.

“Yeah, I did not see that coming!” I said excitedly.

“I did.” Sunflower said.

“Ugh!” Angel and Annabelle both moaned as they rubbed their heads.

“What’d we miss?” Annabelle asked.

“WE MISSED SOMETHING?!” Angel yelled angrily. “Boy! Do that again! I wasn’t paying attention!”

“Too bad, so crying.” I said as I helped Annabelle up, and Clay helped Angel.

“Isn’t it too bad so-“ Sunflower was about to correct me.

“Nopony likes a square, Sunflower.” I interrupted her.

“Hmph… I suppose you’re right.” Sunflower agreed with an attitude as she blew on her hair.

“Well then, it would seem after Clay’s performance, I don’t have to sneak through to plant this charge.” Turnip said as he walks over to the device and shuts it down with his own EMP, which was different from ours.

“Yeah, I’m like that.” Clay said. “Sometimes fighting ain’t necessary. Sometimes I just gotta sit down, and wait for them to come to me. The Melas are idiots. They’re no trouble.”

“We heard that!” the capo complained.

“Ok, now that that’s done, there is no doubt more will be coming after hearing that the Melas aren’t checking in.” Turnip said. “We should get moving, right now.”

“But we barely rested, T.” Annabelle said.

“Do you want to still be able to gain a chair in the Commission? Or do you want to end up taking the easiest way to the Commission in a prison cell being laughed at by Herb Senior?” Turnip asked.

“He does make a good point.” Clay nodded.

“What about these boys?” Angel asked as he pointed to the Melas.

“What is there left to do to them? They’re trapped.” Turnip said.

“Wait, Turnip, what about the plans?” I asked. “They’re still in the hideout.”

“I burned them.” Turnip said. “No need to have these ponies eavesdrop on what we’re trying to do.”

“I am impressed.” The Mela capo said. “You are a smart bunch. Smart and effective. No doubt you’ll soon have Don Di Legno’s vote on having you back on the Commission.”

“Yeah, we’ll hear him personally when we have his vote.” Clay said as he leaned over to the capo’s face. “What if there’s more to come? Hmm? Hmm?”

“I’ll let the don know of your actions in this battle.” The capo said. “Also get off my face.”

“I dunno, this is comfee.” Clay said as he sat on the tip-top of the capo’s glass helmet.

“Let’s go, Clay.” I said as we all started walking out.

“I left some stuff in there.” One of Sunflower’s ponies said upsettingly.

“We’ll come back for it after this.” Sunflower promised.

“You always say that when we move hideouts.” The pony whined. We escaped the sewers and returned to Meadow Songs Park. It was pitch black out. Luckily there was a full moon, but unluckily, fog started coming in.

“What’s with this city in fog?” I complained.

“So where are we going now, T?” Annabelle asked.

“It’s too dark to do anything; the zeppelin is still at the airport. We’re not going to be able to get to it.” Turnip said.

“So we’re going to find a new place to hideout until morning.” Sunflower said.

“Is that wise? Wouldn’t the families… y’know… find us?” I asked.

“Which is why we need to be extra vigilant.” Turnip said. “We have to stay on the alert. Any of the families could be hanging around out there. Like… THAT PONY THERE!” Turnip yelled as he shined his flashlight on a pony sleeping in a box.

“WHAAA?!” the pony yelled. “Mother?!”

“That’s just a hobo, T.” Annabelle said. “They’re not going to be a problem to us.”

“You may think so.” Turnip said as we all kept walking through the close to empty Princesses streets.

The hobo then took out his communicator and said, “Boss, they’re at Fashion Drive.”

As we kept walking, a carriage rides beside the sidewalk we were walking on, and they drive through a puddle and wet Angel and Clay. “WHOA!” Clay yelled.

“YOU COME BACK HERE AND DO IT TO MY FACE, TOUGH GUY!” Angel yelled.

“He did do it to our faces though.” Clay corrected him. “And our bodies, and our legs, and our clothes!”

“And even my cousin’s necklace!” Angel said as he looked at the lyre necklace around his neck. “I have the feeling he did that on purpose! Putting these strange streets against me!”

“Calm down, A. It was an accident pretty sure.” Annabelle explained.

“An accident?!” Angel asked angrily.

“Nah, dude, the water was too close to the curve.” Clay said. “I’m pretty sure I agree that what that jerk did was on purpose.”

“Ok, well… karma’s gonna bite ‘em in the flank for it.” Annabelle said. “No need to put our grudge out on some poor sap like him.”

“That’s the spirit, Ann!” I said excitedly. Annabelle smiled with his teeth and squeed.

“Hmph, karma my flank.” Clay mumbled to himself.

“Yeah fo’ sure.” Angel whispered. As we walked through the Fashion District, it was nearly dawn already. We wandered around for a long time, and moved pretty slowly because we were exhausted.

“Can we have breakfast?” Clay complained.

“Yeah, how can we move along without having energy in our systems?” Annabelle asked.

“There’s a 24-hour donut shop nearby. Why don’t we give that a try?” Sunflower suggested.

“Who would want a donut in the middle of the night?” I asked.

“Thank you, my dear friend.” Princess Luna said to the shop owner nearby. “I really need that energy in my system. I’m about to go lower the moon.”

“Any time, princess!” the donut shop owner said as the princess took off.

“Ah, makes sense.” I nodded. So we walked over to the donut shop and headed inside. There was only one other customer inside the shop. It was a beige one with blue hair. She was wearing some kind of blue collar with a red ribbon.

“Donuts for breakfast? Are you sure?” Annabelle asked.

“Might as well.” Sunflower said. “You kept complaining that you’re hungry.” So we all took a seat at a big round booth so we can all fit.

“Is it ok if I sit at the end?” I asked as we all sat down while I was sitting on the left end, and Sunflower was on the right.

The manager walks over to us and asks, “Anything to drink? Coffee, I assume?”

“Decaf, please.” Sunflower said.

“I’ll take a Dr. Hooves please.” Clay said.

“Diet Dr. Hooves for me.” Annabelle requested.

“I heard diet soda is worse for you.” Clay said.

“Iced tea for me please. Half and half.” Angel requested.

“Same.” I said.

“I’ll take a cappuccino.” Turnip said.

“Coming right up!” the manager said as he walks back to his counter to get his drinks.

“Always like to be unique, huh Turnip?” Clay asked.

“Of course! How else did you think I thought of this plan?” Turnip asked.

Sunflower saw that some of her ponies were giving pretty angry looks. “You guys ok?” she asked.

“Are we just part of the background or something?!” one of Sunflower’s gang members complained.

“Yeah! We didn’t place our orders!” another one complained.

“It’s a good thing they invented a great way to show waiters you’re dissatisfied.” Sunflower said. “Know what that is?”

“To just walk away since we’re the Friendship Mob?” one of them asked.

“Dock their tip! Duh!” Sunflower reminded them. “Ain’t it obvious, fools?”

“Yeah, fools!” Angel said.

“Shut it. Only I can talk to them that way, Angel.” Sunflower informed him.

“And you think it’s ok to talk that way to us.” Angel said.

Sunflower sighs and facehooves herself as a bunch of stallions start walking inside the shop. “Please, don... please don’t test me, I didn’t have my decaf this morning yet.”

“So what are you pones thinking of getting?” Annabelle asked.

“It’s a donut shop. What else is there to get?” Clay asked.

“Hey as long as they make an egg white omelet, boy, I’m alright with it.” Angel said. “Gotta save these pecks to save the streets.

“Pecks? You’re 230 pounds!” Annabelle reminded him.

“And?” Angel asked.

“If you don’t know by now, A, I’m not saying it.” Annabelle said.

“Hmm.” I thought to myself.

“I’m big boned, boy!” Angel informed her.

“Hmm.” I said again, still thinking to myself.

“HA! Whatever helps you sleep at night, holms.” Annabelle said.

“HMM!” I said a little louder.

“We can hear you, Herb. We just don’t care.” Angel said.

“FREEZE!” the customers that walked inside the shop yelled at us as they aimed jelly squirters at us. We all raised our hooves up.

“See what happens when you don’t care?” I asked my friends teasingly.

“Ah, nice ambush.” Turnip said impressively. “You must be the Fraterno family.”

“Smart kid!” the Fraterno capo said. “But not smart enough to notice our little… err, planned out… surround… hit.”

“You could just say ‘trap’ y’know.” One of the Fraterno mobsters suggested.

“I know, but we’re cleverer than that!” the capo said mischievously.

“I hope you realized you’re outnumbered by three ponies.” Turnip informed the capo.

“So it’s a good thing we’re here after all!” one of Sunflower’s ponies said happily. So quickly we stood up and we all took out our weapons and aimed them at the Fraternos.

“Well thought out plan?” Turnip asked mischievously. “I think not!”

The Fraterno capo was a bit nervous, so he went to Plan B. He takes that one other costumer that was in here and puts her in a headlock. “Put your squirters down, or this pony GETS IT!”

“Gets what, without being too violent?” Clay asked.

“Umm…” the capo thought it out. “Hmm… not too violent, huh? Umm… how about-“

“If they don’t do what you say you’ll squirt that jelly squirter in my mouth and keep squirting until I get a stomach ache?” the pony suggested.

“Good idea!” the capo agreed as he puts the squirter in her mouth. “What’s it gonna be, Friendship Mob? What say ya this?”

“What I say is where’s my drink. My parched!” Clay complained.

“Here’s your drinks.” The manager said as he steps out of the kitchen with our drinks, just noticing the commotion. He then awkwardly puts the tray down on the counter and walks back into the kitchen. With the Fraternos distracted, this gave Annabelle a chance to punch the capo in the face, and freed the pony from distress. With the capo unarmed, Annabelle picks up the squirter and aims it in the capo’s mouth.

“Do the right thing if y’know what’s good for him.” Annabelle suggested.

“Ok, ok, we don’t want any trouble.” One of the mobsters said about to lower his squirter. Just then the capo suddenly shoves Annabelle’s squirter on his face which forces him to release it, and the capo grabs it again.

“Ah ha! Not so smart now, huh?” the capo asked mischievously.

Annabelle then punches the capo in the face and takes his squirter as he was vulnerable, and aims it at him again. “Heh heh heeeeh! Now the horseshoe is on the other hoof!”

The capo then steps on Annabelle’s hoof which causes him to yell and hold his hoof in pain, and then the capo grabs the squirter again. “Now the horseshoe is back on the first hoof!” he said.

“Oh what’s that over there?” Annabelle asked as he pointed behind the capo.

“I ain’t falling for that!” the capo said.

Just then, Clay punches the capo from behind and takes his squirter. “Now the horseshoe is on the third hoof!” Clay said mischievously. Just then, he got curious as he asked Annabelle, “Wait, how many hooves do we have again?”

Just then, one of Fraternos kicked Clay in the butt and took his squirter. “Looks like I’m in charge here now!”

Afterwards, I smacked the Fraterno in the back of the head and took his squirter. “Budda-been budda-boom! Hey, Boo-Boo! I smell a picnic basket!”

Just then, Angel knocks me in the head with a cup and takes the squirter. “The streets, boy!”

“WHOA, dude! Same side!” Clay said.

“Sorry I got confused!” Angel confessed. “I am so sorry, Herb!”

“Ow!” I said painfully as I rubbed my head. “That really hurt, man!”

“I am so sorry!” Angel said worriedly.

“Really? You’d hit him in the head with a cup? What is wrong with you?!” the capo asked Angel. “You might give him a concussion!”

“Am I gonna die?” I asked worriedly.

“No, no, just take a seat, H.” Annabelle informed him as he and the capo helped him to the booth.

“I’ll go get you some ice, Herb.” Angel offered.

“I think you done enough helping for today.” Turnip said.

“No I insist.” Angel insisted as he ran over to the kitchen to get some ice. “Stay right there, I’ll be back.”

“Alright, H, alright. Just sit down. Relax. Angel will be back with the ice.” Annabelle informed me.

“Ok.” I said as I rubbed my head. “Ow!”

“Yeah I didn’t expect this to happen.” The capo said.

“None of us did, P.” Annabelle said.

“Yeah.” The capo agreed as Turnip gave me a bottle of water.

“Hey wait, why are you helping us?” Annabelle asked the capo.

“C’mon. I’m a pony of honor.” The capo said. “He’s in no condition to fight right now. He was just banged on the head with a heavy object. C’mon, that’s not fair.”

“You got that right.” I agreed.
“Are you sure you’re in any condition to go on, H?” Annabelle asked.

“Of course I am.” I said. “Just let me take a break.”

“I’m back with the ice.” Angel said as he gives the ice to Annabelle so he can put it on my head.

“Thanks, A.” Annabelle said.

“I apologize again for doing this to you.” Angel said. “I got overly excited, and I wanted to be part of the action.”

“Don’t worry, Angel, but… maybe next time you should focus on making sure you aim for the Fraternos, or any other member of the Commission we’re fighting.” I suggested.

“And no cups.” Annabelle added.

“Right.” Angel said. “Here, to make it up to you, I’ll… I’ll give you an hour of silence from me.”

“Coming from you, that means a lot.” I teased. Angel then nodded.

“Is there anything I can do to help?” the other customer in the shop that was the first hostage asked.

“Yeah, just stand over there by the bar. We need to do a restart.” The capo instructed her. “I need you to be my hostage again.”

“No, wait, that’s not where we were before.” Turnip said. “Last we left off, Herb had the squirter and aimed it at the mobster.”

“Or technically, Angel has the squirter now.” Clay added.

“No, no, that was a foul.” Turnip said. Angel then shrugged. “Yeah so, Herb’s got the squirter.”

“Ok.” I said as I stood back up. “I’m ready for us to continue.”

“Are you sure?” Annabelle asked.

“Sure, I’m sure.” I said. “I’m not feeling nauseous, so it was just a bump in the head.”

“Ok, so we ready to continue?” Sunflower asked. We all nodded. “Ok, so if I recall correctly, Herb, you were over here with the squirter gun.”

I walked over to the spot Sunflower asked me to go and I held the squirter. “Over here?” I asked.

“Not like that.” Sunflower said as she walked over to me and aimed my hooves a little lower. “You were a bit lower. Riiiiight, here. Ok, you’re good. Now you, goon, you were on the floor here in front of him.” The mobster that I knocked the squirter out of walked over to where we was last and he laid on the floor. “Your hooves were a little higher, buddy. You have to be laying like you’re a turtle on its back trying to use its legs to get back up.”

Just then, a bunch more Fraterno goons started arriving at the donut shop to ambush us. “Hold it there, Friendship Mob!” one of them yelled.

“No, no! We’re not ready yet!” the capo said to his reinforcements.

“What’s going on, boss?” one of the reinforcement goons asked.

“We had a bit of an accident. We’re not ready yet.” The capo said. “Just go back out, and I’ll let you know when we’re ready.” The Fraterno reinforcements went back outside and awaited further instruction.

“Do you still need me in this?” the customer hostage asked. “Because I need to be at work soon. Suri’s going to kill me.”

“We’ll get this done as fast as we can, just hang on, missy.” Sunflower said to her.

After 20 minutes of Sunflower directing where we were last, we were finally back to where we were before. So… as where we left off, I have the squirter now. “Alright, everypony!” I yelled. “Let’s handle this like gentle ponies. Free the hostage, now!” I instructed the capo who still had the other customer hostage.

“Alright, alright.” The capo said as he released the hostage from his grasp. The hostage coughed as she stood back up.

“Are you alright, miss?” Clay asked as he helped her.

“I… I’m fine.” She said.

“What are you doing out here so early anyway?” Clay asked.

“I have to be at work really early to help my boss out with her outfits for the next Bridleway play.” She said.

“Well we’ll make sure you make it there quick.” Clay said. “What’s your name?”

“C-Coco Pommel.” She said.

“Sunny, can you send some of your ponies to take Coco here to work fast?” Clay asked.

“Of course.” Sunflower said as she orders one of her companions to assist with Coco.

“Be safe now.” Clay said to her.

“T-thank you!” Coco said happily but still feeling a bit spooked.

“Don’t thank me, thank the entire Friendship Mafia!” Clay said. “Well… technically I am part of the mob, so you’re thanking me AND them.” So after Coco leaves with the escort, the rest of the Fraterno ambush rushes inside and surrounds us.

“Aaaand here’s the rest of them.” Turnip said in a suspecting tone.

“Well, they win this round.” Sunflower said as we all dropped our squirters.

“You may have beaten the Melas, and the Pennas, and the Sharks many times, but you don’t have the determination and skillful actions that the Fraterno family holds!” the capo said to us. “But you are willful opponents, and you put the faith in other ponies before your own. Perhaps we’d learn a thing or two from you. Stand down, boys.” He ordered his goons.

“Wait… what?” Sunflower asked curiously.

“Of course you couldn’t beat us in this battle. We completely had the upper hoof.” The capo said. “But you do admit defeat, and you make sure other ponies are safe from harm before all else. There is no better honor than that. You’re not any ordinary ponies. You get defeated like horses, and coming from our species, that’s a huge compliment.”

“Wow… thanks!” Sunflower said.

“Yeah, never thought of it like this.” Annabelle said.

“You have our vote for the Commission.” The capo said.

“So… that means we’re in now?” I asked.

“Not yet.” The capo said. “You still have one other thing to do. You can sure defend yourselves against ponies as strong as the Commission, but will you be able to set up ambushes for yourselves? Will you be able to get us by surprise? Can you take something from us without us even noticing? It all depends on your determination. If you can handle yourselves in that category, then maybe, just maybe you’re ready for the Commission!”

“So… what do we do now?” I asked.

“You’re asking your opponents a question only you can answer.” The capo said. We all nodded in agreement. “See ya around, Friendship Mob. I’ll let the others know about your progress.” The Fraternos then turn around and exit the shop.

“I suppose you all understand what we need to do now.” Turnip said.

“Time to find a cargo helicopter.” Sunflower said. “But where can we find one?”

“The Commission is probably dropping off families all over the city. They could be anywhere.” Clay said. “We’ll ambush them, sabotage their communications, and we’ll arrive at the airship before they notice it’s gone missing.”

“Too risky.” Turnip said. “They’re all expecting us to attack them. The Fraternos, the Pennas, the Melas, the Sharks, all of them. All… but one though.”

“Wait, what about the Marmellatas?” Annabelle asked.

“Exactly!” Turnip said. “The Marmellatas are not participating in this test. They are the family to least expect us to ambush them. If we can find a cargo chopper somewhere in the city that drops off Marmellatas, we can ambush them, and use that to raid the airship.”

“But how are we going to know which chopper is for who?” I asked. “All the choppers and all the families look exactly the same.”

“Before this mission even started, even before we met with the Commission with Poni, I’ve been researching the other four families, and what I picked up is that every one of the families own a number of fronts around Equestria.” Turnip explained. “The Marmellata family owns a museum in the Manehattan Island somewhere, and every morning, a squad of Marmellata mobsters show up at the building to open it for business. Some of them even stay there for security measures. The chopper that drops the security off even stays in the helipad at the side garden, so we can wait until security gets dropped off and we can ambush the pilot and take the chopper for our own.”

“Doesn’t sound so bad.” I said.

“Don’t jinx it, Herb.” Turnip said. “We’re not there to go sightseeing, and that museum is heavily secure. Let’s head over there and see what we can pick up. The chopper usually arrives at 6 AM.”

“That gives us just an hour in a half to get there and plan everything.” Clay said.

“Yes, Clay, you know math, well done.” Turnip said sarcastically. “Now let’s get moving, and if we can move fast, we can beat the morning traffic.”

“Alright, let’s get outta here, before the store owner comes back.” Sunflower suggested. We all agreed and ran out of the store the same second he comes back furious at the mess we left the place in.

“Could’ve at least paid for your drinks.” The store owner complained. Oh that’s right, we didn’t even have breakfast yet. Well hopefully there’s something close to the museum if we have time.

We got ourselves a cab, or, more like two cabs because we couldn’t all fit in one. I mean there is one of those van cabs, but we didn’t find any, so we had to rely on the regular ones. When we got to the museum, Turnip and Sunflower scouted the area for a strategy, while we got some breakfast at a Denny’s nearby. When we were done we brought Turnip and Sunny back some breakfast. Sunny did obviously complain about hers of not having enough butter and such.

When Turnip got his meal, he started to explain the plan to us. “Ok, so, the helicopter is going to land over on that helipad behind that fenced area in the garden. It should be arriving any minute now. When it lands, we wait for the security to go out. The helicopter is going to wait there until some of the security comes back. We have to be swift and silent. That fence has a camera watching the helipad. Luckily, I have a technique here that I’m also going to be doing when we infiltrate the airship. I’m not so much is to shutting off the camera, more like, I’m going to be freezing the footage. This is a moving camera however, so we hope the security doesn’t notice.”

“Why don’t we just play over an old recording in the security room?” Angel asked. “Also, my hour’s up.”

“I like that idea, but that would involve being in the security room and replacing tapes.” Turnip said. “It might be useful in a future raid, but for now we’re sticking to this.”

“So when is the chopper coming?” Annabelle asked.

“There it is!” Turnip pointed as a biker on a chopper rode by.

“Hahaha, you stink.” Sunflower said sarcastically to him.

“There it is.” Clay pointed up to see the helicopter was coming right to them.

The helicopter was flying overhead and it began to land at the helipad at the garden, but as that was happening, there was a carriage moving extremely fast towards us. We knew it was towards us because it parallel parked right in front of us, just like in those action movies, that carriage puller was not afraid.

“Wow that was amazing, brother!” Clay said.

“Thanks.” The driver said. “We’re here, agents. Come on out.” The carriage door opened, and immediately stepped out was a beige earth pony in some sort of green ponytail. I looked at her jumpsuit, and I saw she was an FDA agent.

“Howdy!” the agent said.

“Uhhh… hiiiiii.” I said awkwardly.

“Agent Fritter, FDA.” She said as she showed us her badge.

“Sorry to tell you this, boys.” Another agent popped out of the carriage, and this agent was actually one of the agents that I talked to a while ago back at Poni’s place. “But we have this area… oh it’s you guys again.”

“Again?! I don’t recognize you one bit!” Angel said.

“Oi, Herb Leafhorn.” A third agent popped out of the carriage said. “I knew you we’d meet, but I didn’t think here.”

“Jerry Jam. How are things with the local gangs?” I asked.

“Pretty well, mate. Pretty well.” Jerry said as he removed his sunglasses. “You must be the rest of the Friendship Mafia. How are things with the Commission?”

“We need to get that helicopter that just landed on that helipad over there.” I pointed. “We need to get the Commission airship, and that’s our best way of doing it.”

“So you’re going to steal a helicopter to get there?” Jerry asked.

“It’s a complicated story.” I said.

“I see.” Jerry nodded. “Agent Fritter, Agent May and I need to sneak inside this museum. We hear that Mr. Marmellata is in there, and he’s got some explaining to do.”

“That must be why the Marmellata family is too busy to deal with us.” Turnip said. “We’re dealing with the other four families right now, but the Marmellata family had no part in what we’re doing now.”

“Yes, the Marmellata family is mainly after me.” Jerry said. “We need to get inside the museum and see him.”

“Maybe we can help eachother out.” Agent May suggested.

“In what way?” Annabelle asked.

“We can help you with security.” Agent May suggested.

“No need, I have everything all planned out.” Turnip said. “I have all the equipment right here in this case.”

“Ooo, is that an F24 Quad?” Agent Fritter asked curiously.

“F24.5, I made some upgrades.” Turnip said.

“Niiiiice!” Agent Fritter nodded. “You should show that to mah stallionfriend. He, like me, is an expert in electronics.”

“Really? You look like an Appleloosan type pony to me.” Clay said.

“What gave that away?” Agent Fritter asked.

“Your accent mainly.” Clay said. “I’ve been to Appleloosa before.”

“Eeyup!” Agent Fritter said.

“Anyways, good luck with Mr. Marmellata. At least one of us is dealing with him.” I said. “Me… I’m going to deal with my pop, Herb Senior. He made me into the pony I didn’t want to be back in school.”

“Ugh!” Agent May groaned. “Flare told me everything.”

“Flare? As in Flare Gun?” I asked.

“No, Stormy Flare.” Agent May said sarcastically. “Of course Flare Gun! He’s the sweetest, funniest, and most awesome pony anypony could ever want!”

“Really now?” I asked. “Are you and him…” I whistled.

“Yeah I was wondering that myself, love.” Jerry said to her.

“Don’t we have things to do right now?” Agent May asked impatiently.

“Right, right.” Jerry nodded. “Anyways, best of luck to you, Herb. If we don’t see eachother again during this mission, hope to see you again in the future.”

“Same to you, Jerry.” I said.

“And Herb, if you see your dad…” Agent May started calmly, she then angrily went up to my face in a threatening tone, much like how Trevor Philips would talk, and said, “…you tell him… that if he EVER… tries to ruin the life of my Flarey again… oooo… he’d be begging for mercy. His mercy would be begging for mercy! Even after he passes away he’ll be begging for mercy! Because Flare deserves MUCH BETTER!”

“Whoa, whoa! Ok, ok!” I said defensively and feeling a little uncomfortable. “Easy! Alright? I’m going to be teaching my pop a lesson, but I ain’t trying to be brutal to him.

Agent May then takes a deep breath. “You’re right. You’re right. My apologies.” So as the agents went on to the museum entrance, it was time for us to sneak inside and steal their chopper so we can rescue our friends.

“So what’s the story, Herb?” Clay asked. “What do you know about those ponies we just met?”

“I used to go to school with that purple one.” I said. “I don’t know who those other two are.”

“Did you know it’s not right to call ponies by the color of their coat?” Clay asked.

“Something puzzles me though. If Flare might have a thing with that pink haired one, what happened with Crèmepop?” I asked. “Did those two not hit it off after the situation with Swinebutt?”

“I dunno, H.” Annabelle said. “But for now we gotta focus. T, what’s the plan?”

“We’re going to be sneaking in by going through this gate lock.” Turnip said. “I’m going to see if I’ll be able to hack the lock without triggering the alarm.”

“Well, hurry it up, Turnip.” Sunflower complained. “I’m not sure how long it’ll be until anypony sees what we’re up to.”

“Just keep an eye out for the Marmellatas.” Turnip instructed us as he took a look at the lock. “Or the police.” Turnip starts hacking the digital lock by connecting his laptop he had to it, and the desktop pops up. He accessed ‘My Computer’, and then he clicked ‘External Device (E:)’ There were two little icons in the file. One of them said HackConnect.exe and the other was BruteForce.exe. He clicked on HackConnect.exe and there were a bunch of numbers that popped up in the screen.

“What is that program you’re using, boy?” Angel asked as he looked over.

“I can’t concentrate if you’re breathing down my neck. I need to find the correct numbers on the program that match the network’s IP. I only have one minute to figure it out so hush!” Turnip explained.

“And you spent half that minute explaining this to me.” Angel teased.

“SHUT UP! If I don’t do this the alarm will trip!” Turnip yelled.

“Alright, alright. I’ll leave you be. Startiiiiiiiiiiing… now.” Angel said.

“Gee thanks. Now I have 30 seconds left.” Turnip said sarcastically.

“Then quit talking and do it, boy!” Angel demanded.

“I am!” Turnip yelled as he had a few seconds left to find the matching order of numbers. At the very last minute, he finds it. “There. Found it! Next time, Angel, if you interrupt me while I’m trying to hack something, if the alarm goes off, I’m smashing your head on the lock so it’ll break.”

“A little comeback for after the cup thing, huh boy?” Angel asked.

“Alright I’m connected to the software. Now I have to unlock it using the BruteForce.exe.” Turnip said as he clicks on it. There were rows of letters scrolling down pretty fast. Some of the letters in the program were red, which was the letters Turnip had to click to stop a row from scrolling. There were nine rows of letters scrolling down and each row had a red letter that Turnip had to choose to get the password right. The M on the first row was red, so he clicked on the M and the row stopped scrolling, but the other rows on the right of it were still getting scrolled. He eventually got the other red letters chosen, and the word it spelled was ‘MAGICWORD’. The gate mechanism goes offline and the gate unlocks. “Perfect!” he said as he opens the door and walks inside. “Were any of you watching?”

“Did we have to?” I asked as we followed him inside the garden.

“Hey, boy! I thought you said you wanted space?” Angel complained.

“Yeah, from you.” Turnip said. “I hope some of you were watching. You’re taking the little device that’s plugged into my laptop to the airship with you. You’re going to use it to hack the mainframe. You’re going to be doing the same procedure I just did, only the IP numbers and the password is different.” My friends and I were all silent because we had no idea what he said. Except for Angel though.

“Yeah, the IP hack would work better if we froze time and searched for it, boy.” Angel said.

“Well, that answers my question.” Turnip said as he unplugs the External Drive from his laptop and tosses it to Angel, and he catches it. “Angel, I’m trusting you with this device since you’re the only one that actually watched and probably knows how to use it. More than the others anyhow. DON’T lose it!”

“I’m the streets, boy. I don’t lose anything!” Angel said.

“I hope so.” Turnip said as we were close to the helipad. “There’s the helipad with the chopper in it. The pilot’s still in there and left the motors running so that’s good.”

“How about the camera?” Clay asked.

“I got a device that works just for that!” Turnip said as he takes out radar gun and gives it to Clay. “Hold this. Aim that radar gun towards the camera.”

“Like this?” Clay asked as he does so.

“Yeah. Hold completely still.” Turnip instructed him as he takes out his phone.

“Does that including blinking, breathing, and talking?” Clay asked.

“No, you can blink and breathe, but… sure, let’s add don’t talk to the list.” Turnip teased and Clay grumbled. Turnip starts up a Camera Freeze app on his phone, matches the frequency to the radar gun, and he was just about to press the button that turns it off.

“Can I move now?” Clay asked.

“Not yet.” Turnip said. “Although… perhaps would’ve been the better time to start not moving. I had to set this thing up first.”

“Oh you are kidding me!” Clay complained.

“Luckily that was a good test for you. Now for real, hold still.” Turnip instructed him. He presses the button on his phone and the text pops up on his phone screen that says ‘Camera Froze’, and the font looked like it was frozen. Even had little icicles on the bottom. “Ok. Clay, continue not moving a muscle. Keep the radar gun aimed right at the camera to keep it frozen. Don’t move or it’ll unfreeze. Everypony else, let’s get in there and take control of that chopper.”

“Ok let’s do it!” Sunflower said as the rest of us ran over to the chopper, snuck up on the pilot and Sunflower knocked him out by bashing his head on the steering wheel.

“Well done, Sunny!” Turnip said. “Tie up our little friend, and- wait… one of your goons is a trained pilot right?”

“So he tells me.” Sunflower said. She turns around and calls out one of her ponies. “Brown Fog? Brown Fog? You said you’re a trained pilot right?”

“I didn’t say that.” Brown Fog said. “I said I was a pilot, but I didn’t train to become one. I was self-taught.”

“Close enough.” Sunflower said.

“But that was for an airplane, not a cargo helicopter.” Brown said.

“Flying a helicopter is just as easy as a plane. You’ll do fine.” Sunflower said as she pats him on the shoulder.

“No it’s no- oh nevermind.” Brown said as he sits on the pilot’s seat, and the other one of Sunflower’s ponies sits on the co-pilot’s seat. We all headed inside the helicopter and Turnip quickly began to set everything up.

“Wait a minute, what are we doing with Clay?” Annabelle asked. “He’s still outside.”

“Oh right I forgot about him.” Turnip admitted. “Ok, go out there and tell him that it’s his turn to come in, but tell him to go very slowly while still aiming the radar gun at the camera to keep it frozen.”

“I’m on it.” Annabelle said as he runs outside to tell him.

“Brown! Get the engines started up quickly.” Turnip instructed Sunny’s ponies. “Once Clay hops inside the chopper, the camera will unfreeze, and security may be on its way.”

“If security is on its way here, it may be a good distraction so Jerry and his agents will be able to get to where they need to be.” I presumed.

“Either that or the whole museum would lockdown.” Sunny added.

“For a runaway helicopter?” Turnip asked. “Nah, I don’t think they would.”

“Runaway? We’re flying away, T.” Sunny corrected him.

“I never took you for the humorous type.” Turnip said surprisingly.

“I don’t know how long I can keep this up!” Clay said painfully as he slowly strafes towards the chopper while still holding on to the gun.

“Just hang in there, C. You’re almost there!” Annabelle called out as he jumped back into the chopper.

“The engines are on, we’re ready to take off!” the co-pilot called out.

“Good!” Turnip said. “Clay! Jump in, now!” Clay did so, and the camera unfroze. When Clay jumped in we immediately ascended. When we got up to 100 feet, we started to get a call from the museum on the radio.

“Museum Control to Bird 3, where are you going?!” the security asked on the radio.

“We have your priceless artifacts and we’re heading out of town.” The co-pilot said on the radio. “Come and catch us, boys!” He then shuts off the radio and both pilots start to laugh.

“Good call!” Sunflower nodded pleasingly. “Perhaps they’ll think we’re trying to leave town with some of their priceless artifacts. Well, if they’re stupid enough to believe that. What do you think, Turnip?”

“I just hope they don’t suspect us raiding the airship.” Turnip said. “I’m setting up my equipment right now, so just fly around for a bit, we’ll look for the airship and we’ll be ready to go.”

“Needle Stack would’ve loved this mission.” Brown Fog said. “But nope, you had to use him to escort that poor mare from the donut shop home.”

“Relax, Brown, he wouldn’t be much help. There’s no more room in the chopper for him.” Sunflower said. “Turnip and I will be handling the devices while you two handle the chopper, and the rest are going down to the airship to rescue the don.”

“I suggest now would be a great time to relax.” Annabelle said. “If you need me, I’ll be catching some zees.” Just then, my cell phone started to ring. I took it out of my pocket and saw who it was. “Who is it?” Annabelle asked.

“It’s Autumn.” I said as I answered it. “My bro! How’s the high life?”

“So the other families seem to be impressed on what you’re doing, bro.” Autumn said. “I must admit, I am quite surprised.”

“Aren’t we all?” I asked. “The Friendship Mob is going to be taking the seat in the Commission, dude, so you better give up while you can.”

“You think you’re doing the right thing by getting the Friendship Mob a seat in the Commission?” Autumn asked. “You think you may be doing right by doing all this just for Poni, but he’s not the pony you think he is.”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“Time to face the facts jack.” Autumn said. “He’s been lying to you. Lying to you all. Poni Cipriani is a criminal; a criminal that lost his ways.”

“He’s not a criminal, Autumn. I won’t listen to the lies pop tells you to tell me.” I said.

“Pop is not a liar, Herb.” Autumn said. “He may be a criminal, but he’s not a liar. Pop has been truthful to you every step of the way. At least you know who pop is. Poni, on the other hoof, he’s not just a criminal, he’s a lying criminal. He tells ponies what he does is good but all he does is do bad. He wants to take over the Commission.”

“No he doesn’t. He just wants to convert the families.” I said.

“Yes, convert them to doing his bidding!” Autumn said.

“I had enough to say to you.” I said.

“Whatever, man.” Autumn said. “Just think about what I said. I’m just trying to be a good brother and save you from doing things you’d regret.”

“If you say so, bro. Bye.” I said as I hung up. I knew for a fact what Autumn told me wasn’t true, but why do I have the feeling that there’s a possibly of what he’s saying is the truth? Nah. It can’t be… can it?

Author's Note

Almost done with this spin-off! I'm putting all my focus on this spinoff right now. The FDA will continue when this story is finished. Speaking of which, I wanted to get the Friendship Mob and the FDA to crossover mainly because so Merry May can make that threat to Herb. You'll find out why later on, unless you read chapter 13 of FiE Book 3 before reading this.... if that chapter is released by the time you see this. Most of what you see in this chapter was just thought of and wasn't planned. There was a bunch of other ideas before this final one.

Since we were in Manehattan, might as well give Coco Pommel a cameo. You all love her, right? Well originally it wasn't a donut shop. Originally, the Friendship Mob had to ambush a squad of Fraterno mobsters and steal their chopper to get to the airship, but then I thought it would be too soon to go to the airship. Coco Pommel would've been walking down the street and got captured by the Fraterno capo on the way to work, and then after the Friendship Mob gets surrounded, the FDA comes to the rescue, but then that ruins the Fraternos of having their honor and not wanting the Friendship Mob to be in the Commission, so I changed it to how it is now. Angel hurting Herb was just a slight gag that I thought of in the last second to make the segment a little longer, I wanted a little more time with the Fraternos. The battle was supposed to be much shorter than that, and not have the FDA have too much time in this story because they have their own spinoff, and I can't spoil that much of the other story because then you probably wouldn't read the other one.

Gotta read both the Friendship Mob and FDA stories before reading the FiE Movie Book because contents in the movie book is going to spoil the events of EVERYTHING that happened before then, except for the events of Equestria Brahs, that story is optional. I mean, all these stories are optional, but why would we ruin the fun by reading future stories before these?