The Search for Con Mane

"Oh crud." Con Mane said as he stood up and looked around him, as numerous ponies slowly closed in on him.

"Well, look who dropped in." Scarwings said, smirking. "Get him, boys!"

At that moment, the ponies that Con Mane faced two nights ago, as well as the ponies that kidnapped Thunderblast and his friends, charged towards him.

"Bring it on." Con Mane said as he got his game face on.

The emerald green pegasus threw himself at Con Mane to dogpile him, only to get sent flying into some wooden crates by a blast of magic. Just then, Con Mane whipped out a pistol and shot the dark grey unicorn in his hoof, causing him to collapse to the ground and him to scream in pain.

"YOU WON'T GET AWAY FROM US, CON MANE!" An earth pony shouted as he ran up behind Con Mane, only to get bucked in the face.

Con Mane smirked back at the earth pony, still holding the pistol in his magic. When he turned back to face the others, he was tackled by Scarwings, gun being knocked out of his magic field. "GAH." he screamed.

Scarwings continued to pin him down, before headbutting him and knocking him unconcious.

"Ouch..." Scarwings said, putting his hoof up to his head.

"You alright boss?" The grey unicorn asked.

"I'm fine. Just, remind me not to headbutt him again. It hurts him AND me." Scarwings replied.

Elsewhere, Thunderblast, Spear, and Night Shadow were playing poker in a room made for off-duty royal guards in the castle, where they can come and relax and talk. Night Shadow, however, was focused on other thoughts, rather than the game going on before his eyes.

"You alright, Shadow?" Spear asked, looking down at the cards in his hooves.

"Hmm? Oh, yeah, sure." Night replied, snapping out of his trance of thought.

"You sure?" Thunderblast asked.

"Yeah, i'm sure." Night said back, looking down at his cards.

Thunderblast and Spear looked at each other then to Night Shadow.

"You seem pretty distant, what's going on?" Spear asked.

Night looked up at them, not looking as serious as he usually appears. "It's Con Mane, I can't help but think that he DOES need our help." he said.

"Night, you heard him. He doesn't need our help." Thunderblast said, returning his attention to the game.

"But he looked....worried." Night said. "Didn't you see his face when he walked away from us?"

"No, because he was facing away from us, besides, how could you tell he was worried?" Thunder said back.

"Bat pony senses." Night replied.

"Oh come on, Night. We all know your bat pony senses aren't that strong." Spear said.

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Night asked, perking up even more.

"What we mean is, your senses as you call them, are just feelings. That's how you think he feels, it's most likely not how he actually feels." Thunder answered, still looking at his cards.

All Night Shadow did after that, was sigh, then he put down his cards and walked out of the room without saying one more thing. Spear and Thunderblast watched him walk out, then looked at each other and shrugged, before continuing their game.

Outside, Night Shadow walked down the dark lamp-lit street facing down, but he was focused on his thoughts, rather than to where he was going. Right when he was engulfed by his thoughts, there was a loud glass shattering sound, followed by the sounds of a store alarm. When he looked up, he saw the ponies that they fought in the alley running away from a shop, as well as the store owner running out to the storefront and yelling for them to come back. Without another thought, Night was soon following them closely.

"HEY! COME BACK HERE!" Night yelled, turning the stallions' attention to him.

"SPLIT UP GUYS!" The green pegasus commanded, and the three split up, the earth pony going down an alley, the pegasus flying away, leaving the dark grey unicorn with the stolen goods on his own. He was chased by Night Shadow into an alley, where he climbed up a ladder to the building rooftops, and he jumped across them, Night Shadow flying close behind. Finally, he reached the end. The unicorn slid to a stop at the edge of a rooftop which dropped down to street level, which was four stories down.

"Nowhere to run now." Night Shadow said, landing behind the unicorn and slowly approaching him.

The unicorn dropped the bag and slowly backed away, closer and closer to the edge. "P-please. Don't hurt me." he pleaded.

"Give me one reason why I shouldn't." Night said.

The unicorn's hind leg slipped off the edge, and he stopped before going any further, then looking back up at Night, eyeing him closely.

"Wait a minute.... Night Shadow?!" The unicorn said, sounding stunned.

"How do you know my name?" Night asked.

"It's me... Sharpblade." He said, smiling a little.

Night Shadow's eyes widened, and he entered a flashback of him and the unicorn few months before.

"Don't worry bro, i've got it." Sharpblade said, running into a bank surrounded by police officers and royal guards.

"Nopony moves, and nopony gets hurt!" Threatened an earth pony with a mask over his face, aiming a machine gun at a few ponies who had their hooves over their heads, laying on the ground like they were ordered to.

"Put the gun down, and you won't get hurt." Sharpblade said to the stallion, standing by the door, slowly approaching the earth pony.

The crook then held up a remote with a button, and turned a knob which made small black boxes around the shop turn on and flash red. "If you come any closer, I will blow us all to hell." he threatened.

Sharpblade stopped in his tracks, narrowing his eyes onto the stallion. "What is it you want?" he asked.

"I want what I came for." The earth pony said.

"And that is...?" Sharpblade asked.

"One million bits." The earth pony replied.

"Fine, come with me. I'll get your bits." Sharpblade said, walking around the earth pony, and leading him to the back of the building to a large vault.

"Open the door." The earth pony said, aiming his gun at Sharpblade's head.

"I don't know the combination." Sharpblade said back.

"You're a unicorn. You can still open it." The earth pony said.

Sharpblade lit up his horn, and put his strength into his magic, forcing the door open and revealing a large room flooded with bits.

The earth pony lowered his gun and ran in, filling a bag with the money he came for, then walking back out.

Sharpblade followed him into the main room in the bank, not knowing what was just about to happen.

The earth pony stopped Sharpblade from stepping any further. "You know what, guard? I'll let you go. You helped me out a lot today, but I didn't say you were going to walk out of this shop." He said, holding up the remote which was activated.

"W-what?!" Sharpblade stuttered, hearing a loud beeping sound, then looking around him and seeing the red lights on the bombs flash more frequently.

Outside, the royal guards and police officers ducked for cover, Night Shadow watching in horror.

At that moment, the glass on every building in the area shattered, and the bank exploded into a massive explosion, destroying two other buildings in the process.

Night Shadow watched as the bank, everypony inside, and his friend were blown up.

"GET DOWN!" A royal guard shouted, tackling Night Shadow behind a parked car, and a large piece of debris flew just above them, striking the shop behind them.

Just then, Night Shadow snapped out of his flashback.

"B-but. I saw you die." Night stuttered.

Sharpblade sighed, and came up to Night, resting his hoof on his shoulder. "I thought I was dead too, but when I was pulled out of the rubble and taken to the hospital, I did die, but Scarwings revived me. He put something into my IV which must have jump started my heart. I didn't remember much after that, then he trained me, took care of me, and now this."

Night Shadow slapped his hoof off of his shoulder and backed away slightly. "So now you're robbing stores and serving him? Do you even know what he's planning?" He asked.

"Yes. I do. I don't think it's right either, Night, but I can't bail from him now. I wanted to, but he put a knife to my neck and threatened to kill me if I didn't stick with him." Sharpblade said.

Night Shadow didn't reply to that, but instead, turned his head and looked down.

"Hey, look at me." Sharpblade said. "Look at me."

Night turned and looked at Sharpblade.

"I missed you bro." Sharpblade said, followed by a lung-crushing hug.

"I....missed....you too..." Night said, struggling to breathe.

After the hug, they smiled at each other, happy to see each other again.

Meanwhile, Con Mane finally woke up, vision slowly fading until it was crisp again. When he looked over, he saw his hooves were strapped down to a bed by steel straps. "Ergh..." he struggled, before giving up.

"Ah, you're awake." Scarwings said, walking over to Con Mane.

Con Mane narrowed his eyes onto the pegasus, glaring at him.

"What is it you want, Scarwings?" Con Mane asked, struggling more.

"I've already told you. I want a new Equestria, an Equestria without the princesses rule." Scarwings said.

"You do know what kind of chaos that would throw us into?" Con Mane said.

"Chaos? More like peace. We also wouldn't have a use for the elements of harmony anymore." Scarwings said back, trotting over to a computer with multiple cameras from across Canterlot, as well as some cameras with views of other city skylines.

Con Mane eyed him closely. "No, Scarwings. Without the princesses, there will be nopony to control the sun and moon! It would be eternal day or nigh-."

Scarwings came over to Con Mane, taping his mouth shut. "No there won't, not with this baby." He said, holding up the Alicorn Amulet. "I can't thank you enough for stealing it for me, but you really shouldn't have kept it on you if you want it to be safe."

Con Mane's eyes shrunk, remembering he forgot to put the amulet back in it's unbreakable case back at this lab.

"Now I can finally carry out the plan." Scarwings said. "Say goodbye, Con Mane." he said, flipping a switch, turning on a laser which very slowly burned away a part of the bed Con Mane was strapped to. He struggled and struggled, but nothing worked. He was in deep trouble now.