Ponies Meet New York

Chapters

Prologue
Chapter 1: The Big Five-O
Chapter 2: The Storm That Started It All
Chapter 3: Watch The Road!
Chapter 4: Return of the Temper
Chapter 5: Find a Cruiser, Get a Bruiser
Chapter 6: Drunken Clones and Broken Bones
Chapter 7: So They Hired a Mercenary?
Chapter 8: Papa Vinnie
Chapter 9: Rehab, Anyone?
Chapter 10: We're Going for a Ride
Chapter 11: That's Quite the Wake Up Call
Chapter 12: A Showdown for the Road
Chapter 13: Salt City Blues
Chapter 14: Bonding and Buzzkills
Chapter 15: Dead Pony Trotting
Chapter 16: I Ain't Talkin'!
Chapter 17: Escape to the Park
Chapter 18: Which Way is Home?
Chapter 19: The End of a Grand Adventure and the Beginning of a New Family
Epilogue

Prologue

It all happened three years ago. Back then, I was a criminal just trying to ditch that lifestyle and get a fresh start. I had no friends to speak of and I didn't know where I was going or what I would do next. At the time, I was a miserable human being smoking two packs a day and always hoping the next drag would be my last. Sure I had money, a sweet ride and a few broads who meant nothing to me and to them I was much of the same but I was still nothing but a miserable prick. All the cash, Cadillacs and hookers a guy could get his hands on seems all fine and dandy until you really start looking at the big picture and realize that all that shit means nothing. All it is is the extra filler in the cheap, rancid hamburger that life sometimes seems like. It can't really make you truly happy. I learned that when I got lucky one day and fell through a portal to the land of Equestria.

Remember me? I'm Vincenzo Scungilli but I prefer to be called Vinnie. I was an out of shape human when I first came to Equestria. I am now an Earth pony who could easily gallop a mile in five minutes and then turn around and run right back with enough energy left to jump a few fences while I'm at it. I upgraded from the decent apartment in New York to my own three story house a couple blocks west of Sugarcube corner which is now where I work as a general manager with a very good friend of mine as my assistant.

Speaking of friends...They're what made me what I am today. Without them, I would either be dead or still be the lost fool I was before. I started out by making friends with six mares and a young dragon. Over the few years I've lived in the little village of Ponyville, I have literally become friends with the entire town and then some. Yeah, I got to see a lot of Equestria. I've been to Appleoosa, Canterlot, Fillydelphia and even Manehattan which reminded me of home...minus the gunfire, constant wailing of sirens and fist fights on the streets. New York wasn't all bad though. It had it's nice neighborhoods and it's slums and ghettos but really what large metropolitan area on Earth doesn't?

Do I look back and reminisce of the past and the place I once called home? Sure. Do I wish I could go back for a visit? Of course. Do I want to turn back into a human and live there again?...Hell no! The average life expectancy of an Earth pony that I am now is one hundred and twelve years! I live in a world with a fraction of the violence of where I came from! It's a land where the rulers love all of their subjects as if they were their own children! Hell, it'd be like trading a Rolls Royce for an old, run down Chevy Metro that you could fit in the other's trunk...Okay, well the point I'm trying to get across is that it would be pretty stupid.

So in case you're wondering where the Cakes are, my "invention" of cannolis helped them turn Sugarcube Corner from a little bakery into a large and respectable corporation now based out of Manehatten. This in turn, paved the way for me to at long last realize my dream and start doing what I was born to do all along. Retail management. I tried that with an auto parts company back home but that didn't work out too well. Would I have been able to do what I get to do now if I stayed there? Probably not!

"Order up, Vinnie!"

Oh that's my pal The Pinkster! Looks like we've got a full house right now. We're a little short staffed and the customers just keep piling up so all hooves on deck until I hire some new help. This'll have to wait until the end of my shift but in the meantime, welcome to Ponyville, Equestria! The town where I and my best friends call home!

"Alright Pinks, who ordered the fritters?"

Chapter 1: The Big Five-O

"Hey, how yah doin', boss?" I greeted as Mr. and Mrs. Cake entered Sugarcube Corner for their weekly visit.

"Just swell, Vinnie!" Mr. Cake replied. "It's always good to see the guy who helped us get into the fortune five hun-"

"Uncle Vinnie!" The cake twins beamed in unison as they each latched on to my front legs.

"Pumkin! Pound!" I greeted. "How are my favorite kids? You two being good?"

"We sure are, Uncle Vinnie." Pound replied.

"Atta boy! How about you, Pumpkin? Did you ever make friends with that other filly at pre-school?"

"No, I didn't." Pumpkin huffed. "She wouldn't talk to me so I pushed her into a mud puddle and tore up her books."

"Well that's not very nic-"

"Pumpkin!" Mrs. Cake scolded. "I'm disappointed in you! When we're all done here, I'm marching you right over to their house and you'll be sincerely apologizing!"

"But I don't wan-"

"That's not negotiable, donchya know!"

"Anyway, Vinnie." Mr. Cake cut in. "I wanted to wish you a happy birthday! I know it's still a few days away but tonight, I'd like you to join me and the fellas down at the bar for drinks on us. It's not every day that somepony turns fifty. What do you say?"

"Wow Uncle Vinnie, you're old!" Pound blurted out as he climbed onto my back.

"Pound!" Mr. Cake scolded. "I swear, you two are gonna be the death of me."

What a beautiful thing, such innocence. I was always one to try to look tough but I always had a soft spot for the youngsters. Over the few years I've been here, I've been a guy that the kids around here look up to. The Cake Twins aren't the only ones in Ponyville who call me "Uncle Vinnie" and it just warms my heart to have such an honor. *Sigh* I wish I had some foals of my own.

It was true though. I am getting a bit up there, or at least over the hill. Luckily for me and others Earth ponies like me, at this age, I haven't even lived half of my life yet. Like I mentioned before, the average is one hundred and twelve, key word average. Heck, I don't even know how old Jackie's granny is but I bet she's still got a few more decades left in her. Real feisty for her age.

I have the events of three years ago to thank for this though. Some kind of higher being was looking favorably upon me and gave me a chance to start anew. I'll never forget that. I'll never forget how truly blessed I was to get such a life changing opportunity. I'm happier, healthier, friendlier and I plan on sticking around for a lot longer than I had originally planned.

There's just one thing that I simply haven't been able to stop thinking about though. One fact that stands above all the others. The fact that I was anything but deserving of this. If you recall what got me here in the first place, I wasn't exactly a saint. No, scratch that. I was a monster. I was a mean, nasty, bitter, cynical, miserable criminal. For somepony like me to have been blessed with the chance to turn my life around like this is just incredible.

Though I couldn't be happier with how things played out, I can't help but feel kinda bad sometimes. Surely there are others who were more kind and did great things to positively contribute to society who were less fortunate. It seems really unfair. I bet it sounds odd coming from a guy who had a bunch of great things happen to him but I'm telling you what, not a day goes by without me feeling gratitude. I will never take this for granted.

"Well thanks a million, Carrot." I said to the stallion whom I saw as a brother. "It's been a while since I got to have a nice cold brewskie."

"No problem!" Mr. Cake replied. "How about you and Pinkie close up shop and come meet me and the guys down at Berry's Tavern."

"Alright pal, see yah there! Hey yo Pinkster! Let's clean up and blow this joint! Wait-no no no no NO NO NO NOT THE CANNON!"

"Hey Pinkster, I'll catch up with yah!" I called over to my friend as I trotted towards my home. "I'ma go clean up real quick and I'll meet yah down there, capiche?"

"Okie dokie lokie!" Pinkie replied. "See you in a jiffy, spiffy!"

That girl hasn't changed a bit. It's her bubbly, upbeat attitude that makes me feel like a million bits and I hope she never does change. Of all the friends I have made, it's her and the other five who have really made me what I am today. Twilight was the one who encouraged me to open up and pour my heart out to the rest and set the foundation for my new life here. Rainbow Dash reminds me a lot of myself minus the past crimes and whatnot. Applejack completely changed my outlook on the types of people I once despised and she even donated her blood to help save my life. If that doesn't touch your heart, I don't know what will. Rarity was the one who took me on my first trip to Manehatten for my forty-seventh birthday and showed me the true generosity of the ponies of Equestria as a whole. And Fluttershy...my dear sweet friend Fluttershy is the main reason I have started the long path of self forgiveness. It's gonna take some time but I'm on the right track to being truly happy with who I am now and forgiving myself for who I once was.

It was a long, hot day and the heat in the kitchen at work made me sweat a lot so I hurried home to take a quick shower, fix up my hair and douse myself in unnecessary amounts of cologne. Hey, once an Italian always an Italian. There are some habits that you just can't kick. It's a lot like how I wave my hooves around in the air when I rant and rave because I can't remember where I put my pretty lavender soap. I don't really think about it while I'm doing it, it's simply here to stay.

It wasn't a very long trot over to the tavern and with my equine stamina and lack of smoking, I made quick work of the distance between me and where I was to meet some friends for the night. We actually did this quite often. Nearly every Friday evening like this one, it would be just me and some guy friends of mine and a lot of the time, Pinkster would be there too. It's nice to have other guys I can relate to and talk about hoofball with. Big Mac, Carrot Cake and Shining Armor are the fellas I've made close friends with and we hang out every weekend that we have the free time.

Seeming how this was just another Friday night like many before, I expected there to be just me, the gang and Pinkster. I failed to notice that half the townsponies were nowhere in sight so I got quite the surprise when I trotted through the door of my favorite hangout.

"SURPRISE!"

It was a set up! The good kind I mean. All of my closest friends were waiting for me to show up and greeted me as soon as I trotted in. The place was decorated with balloons, streamers and a big banner that read "Happy Birthday, Vinnie!" hanging up in the middle of the room. This was gonna be fun.

"Surprise, Vinnie!" Pinkster beamed. "Check it out! Just about everypony showed up! There's me and Twilight and Rarity and Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash and Applejack and Big Mac and Shining Armor and Cadence and Thunderlane and Cheerilee and Lyra and Bon Bon and Spike and *Gasp!* Apple Bloom and Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle and Babs and-"

"Okay we get it, Pinkie!" Twilight shouted. "Now let's party already!"

"Hey everypony!" I yelled at the top of my lungs. "We're all gonna get wasted!"

And that we did. In a few days, I would be fifty years old but that wasn't about to stop me from enjoying my time with those closest to me. Still though...sometimes I just couldn't help but feel that something was missing. Friends have been quick to encourage me to find that missing thing though. Wow, doesn't that sound selfish? I mean look at me, I'm the luckiest stallion around! I've got a great home, my dream job, friends who love me and...

"Vinnie, I'm tellng you, getting out there and finding a date would be good for you." Cadence said as I polished off a mug of cider. "Just give it a try. What could it hurt?"

For quite some time, my friends, who all care for me very deeply I may add have been trying to get me to come out of my shell and get out into the dating world. They all mean well and Celestia bless them and everything about them but remember, I was once a different species. Right now, to date a mare just wouldn't feel right to me yet. I mean, It's not wrong or sick or anything. I'm one of them now. The only issue is the simple fact that I'm just not ready to take such a step yet.

"Cadence, I really appreciate you and I know you mean well, dear." I replied. "Really I do, but at this point, I think it would still feel kinda weird."

"What do you mean?" She asked. "You've been a pony for three years now. If you end up meeting a nice mare and you two decide to be each other's special somepony, there's nothing wrong with that."

"I know that, hon. The only thing is that I myself still don't feel ready to do that yet."

"And there's nothing wrong with that either, Vinnie. Still though, my offer stands. If you ever decide to give it a try, I'd be happy to help you find a special somepony."

"With the princess of love helping you out..." Shining Armor began. "You'd be sure to nail yourself a hot piece of-oof!"

"Shining!" Cadence scolded as she elbowed her buzzed husband in the stomach. "Watch your mouth! I'm not going to hook him up with a cheap fling! I'm going to help him find something meaningful!"

In all honesty, she was right. I was kind of lonely at times when all of my friends were busy with their own lives and I've had my fair share of cheap flings. Those of which I didn't miss a whole lot. I used to go to clubs and bag myself a broad, take her home for the night, get intimate with her and never see her again. They all played out the same way. Meet, hook up and gone all in that order and after a while, it made me feel very empty. They were all the same...except one. I did once have a very serious relationship with a the only woman I fell in love with. She loved me as well and we even talked about getting married. That all went down the tubes when I could no longer hide my true line of work from her. I just couldn't lie to her and get seriously involved with her without telling her the truth. I confessed to her my ties with the mob.

Her name was Jennifer Sachentov and she rightfully left me after I came clean. I dated her when I was in my late twenties and I have since moved on and continued my fruitless attempts to fill in the void with cheap hookups. No more of that. I was beginning to really consider my friend Cadence's advice. All I had to do was simply try. What do I have to lose?"

"Hahahah! You guys are adorable!" I laughed. "I'll think about that, Cadence, but for now, I just wanna enjoy hanging out with everypony. Yo, Rainbow! How about a drink off? I bet I'll beat you this time!"

Author's Note

Making a few minor changes to a few very small details. You may or may not notice them.

Chapter 2: The Storm That Started It All

Once again, a terrific birthday party with all of my friends was thrown for me. Cake was eaten, drinks were guzzled and laughs were shared. It was my fiftieth birthday but the way I've been feeling, I felt like I was turning twenty-one again. The next few days went by and my actual birthday came and went. Naturally, I got the day off from work and spent time with my closest friends, the first seven I made when I first came to Ponyville.

It was during those few days however, that I was thinking about something a certain friend of mine said to me. I've got a lot going for me but maybe Cadence was right. If I started dating as a pony, what could it hurt? It's not like I'm still a different species. What have I got to lose, right? Well, Cadence had since gone back home to the Crystal Empire with my buddy Shining so she wasn't around right now to ask for advice.

Yeah, I know what you're thinking. Why would a ladies man like me need advice on courting? Hell, I even got Spike laid! Sure, it was a one time thing and he and Rarity couldn't look each other in the eye for a month but I was a real hot shot back in the day. Wow, I sound so old saying that. Anyway, like I was saying, I haven't dated in a very long time so I'm a little rusty. Since Cadence wasn't around, there was somepony else I would need to ask for help. A certain somepony who has always been there when I needed her.

Ding dong!

It was a gorgeous summer day and I admired the beautiful garden as I waited for an answer at the door on Rarity's Carousel Boutique. If anypony could help me out and give me pointers on how to get a date with a mare, it was her. Since she has lived here in Ponyville for her whole life, I figured she would also better know the other mares in town and introduce me to them so it wouldn't be as awkward.

"Vincenzo, darling!" Gem beamed as she answered the door. "Do come in! I just put on some tea!"

"Thanks, Gem." I replied. "You're such a sweetheart, you know that?"

"Teehee, I try, dear. Now, what was it that you wanted to talk about?"

"Well, Rares...Cadence has been telling me that I should get out and start dating again and I'm starting to think I should."

"Oh Vinnie, this is so sudden! I-I don't know what to say!"

"Whoa whoa, it's not like that, Gem. Don't even go there, you're like a niece to me."

"Oh! Right! Of course! I-I was just kidding with you dear! Heheheheh."

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say your nickname is about to change from 'marshmallow' to tomato'."

"Oh look! The tea is ready! You just make yourself at home and I'll be right back."

It's adorable when she does that. Gets all flustered and tries to change the subject like that. So there I was just sitting on her living room sofa waiting for Gem to come back with the tea. I was more of a coffee guy before but ever since I came here, I really took a liking to tea. That and just like clockwork, Gem's cat was there just begging for attention. Opal always enjoyed it when I came to visit.

"Here it is!" Gem Beamed as she returned with a tea pot and a plate full of tea biscuits in her aura. "Alright then, what was it that you needed to talk about?"

"Thanks, Gem." I replied. "I just needed some advice about it, that's all. Like what do mares like that I might not know about? Or do you know any around here who may be single?"

"Ah, but of course. Well dear, based on what you have told me about people from where you originally came from, it must not be very different from here."

"Well that's kinda what I was thinking when I set Spike up with you but I wasn't nervous about it because I wasn't the one going out to get the girl."

"Ah yes, that. That was certainly a night to remember but alas, Spike and I love each other very much but not like that. So let me ask you, dear. How long has it been since you went on a date?"

"Twenty-three years."

"What the-really? That long?"

"That long, Gem. I wouldn't know where to start at this point."

"Don't worry about a thing, dear. I'd be glad to help you out. Firstly, what are you looking for in a potential partner and the relationship you would have with them?"

"I wanna find a girl who's classy, smart, mature and preferably closer to my age. I also want to have something deep and meaningful. I've had worthless hookups and one night stands but I'm done with those. I just want to settle down with somepony and fall in love."

"That's beautiful, Vinnie. Okay, so class, smarts, maturity and close to your age. Though there aren't many mares in town who meet all of those criteria, there is one in particular who is not from here but does come into the area once in a while. As far as I know, she is available and looking to find a handsome Stallion."

"Yeah? What's her name?"

"I'll keep that on the down-low for now, dear. I'll send her a letter and if she is interested, I'll set you two up on a blind date."

"Eh, I've never had a problem with surprises. Okay, Gem, I'll put my trust in you. Thanks for doing this for me."

A few days later, Gem came over to my place to share the news with me. The classy dame in question replied to her letter and the outlook was good. She said she was interested in meeting me and that she would be in Ponyville on the following Friday for a date with me. Rarity wouldn't show me the letter as to keep this lady's identity a secret but I didn't mind. Gem is my friend and I trust her judgment.

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous. It's been a very long time since I had actually had a real date that lead to an actual relationship. I had high hopes but at the same time, I didn't want to get my hopes up so high that if it didn't work out, I'd at least still be sane. So our plan was to go to a pond just outside of the town where something pretty cool would be going on.

Friday was the day of the annual water transport and the pond that we planned on going to was chosen to be the source of that water this year. This was going to be my first time witnessing this which is why my would-be date chose that location and time for us to meet. Basically, we would watch the tornado that my buddies Rainbow, Flutters and even Princess Sparks herself would be conjuring up along with the rest of the local pegasi. Then after that, if she finds that she enjoys my company, we'll take a nice walk around town and just get to know each other.

The day came very quickly and I wasn't afraid to admit that I was pretty anxious. I was to be at the pond by three o'clock where Gem would introduce me to this lovely lady. Though it's been so long since I tried to actually impress a dame, I hadn't forgotten how important a good first impression is. After a good thorough cleaning in the shower, I groomed myself down to every little detail. Even the few stray eyebrow hairs on my face were not spared. My mane and tail were washed and brushed into a neat dazzling shine and I decided to go a little lighter on the cologne than usual. I wanted to impress her, not fumigate her.

After brushing my teeth and fitting myself with a white collar and a blue tie, I was out the door and on my way to meet a lovely lady and witness an amazing spectacle of weather control. I knew very little about this mare and Gem only told me that she was forty-three years old, was a yellowish orange with a blonde mane and tail and would be wearing a purple blouse. I arrived right on time and I started scanning the area for any sign of Gem and the mare she was setting me up with. It seemed like I had seen every square inch of the meadow when I started to wonder if she was gonna sho-

"Vincenzo! Over here, darling!" Gem called out as she trotted towards me with a pretty mare in tow.

"Hey Gem!" I greeted. "And this must be her! I'm Vinnie, Miss. Great to finally meet ya."

"Harshwhinny." My date introduced. "Charmed, I'm sure. I believe I've heard of you. You were once a bipedal creature that saved Ponyville from an attack. That's quite fascinating."

"Well thank you, ma'am. It was nothing, really. Funny you should mention that. This pond right here is the very same one that contained a portal that I crawled out of."

"Oh my! Quite impressive! Actually discovering a portal that connects two dimensions together? Tell me more."

This was going great! I was having a grown up intellectual conversation with a mature, classy mare who was the perfect age! She being forty-three and me being fifty is just fine. The water transport wasn't supposed to start for another half hour so we had some time to talk before it would get too noisy. I told her more about how I came to be and she shared with me what she did for a living along with hopes and aspirations she had. We were really hitting it off but soon ran out of time for talking as the events were about to take place.

"Three minute warning!" Spike's voice blared over a large speaker atop a fifty foot pole. "Get into your positions, everypony!"

"Looks like they're about to start, hon." I said to the lovely Ms. Harshwhinny. "I hear that these things can get pretty windy but I can't wait to pick up where we left off when it's done."

"Likewise, dear." She replied. "I'm enjoying talking with you."

The final preparations were being made and all the pegasi were limbering up and fitting themselves with goggles. This was not only going to be the first water transport I would see but also the very first to have an alicorn participate. Sparks looked to be about as pumped as I was. Flutters was also expected to do well and she had been training hard for this. She may be a shy, timid one but deep down, she's tough and can really show it once she sets her mind to it. As Captain on the Ponyville weather team, Dashie was the leader and overseer of the operation.

Every one of the pegasi were now in place and waiting for the signal to go. Not long after, Spike pulled a switch on the pole and the siren on the top began winding up. It was an intense wail that lowered and and heightened its pitch. Kind of reminded me of tornado sirens from Chicago. I visited there a few times and one time, there was a nasty storm strong enough to knock over a fire truck.

It was on. The pegasi all lifted off the ground and got into formation. All following Rainbow's lead, they flew in a counter clockwise circle as fast as their wings could carry them. It was an impressive sight to behold. Right before our very eyes, the wind began to pick up and a small tornado started to form just above the water. The pegasi were still increasing their speed making the cyclone grow and intensify.

It was really starting to get strong but everypony seemed to be holding up fine. Even Twilight seemed to be going through it like the tough girl she is. Fluttershy was doing the same and it made me proud. In the past couple of years, she has really come a long way. Rainbow was handling it like a born leader. She truly has wonderbolt potential and their captain, Spitfire is a fool for taking so long to see that. All of these ponies working so passionately to create this magnificent wonder was something I would never forget.

Aside from the dark gray clouds forming overhead, everything was going smoothly. Kind of strange though. We weren't scheduled to be getting any clouds until tomorrow. It was especially odd since there needed to be more water in Cloudsdale for them to form, or so we thought. As the pegasi continued their work, these clouds got even thicker and when they started flashing with lightening, we really started to get worried.

"Is that supposed to happen?" I asked my date who knew much more about this than I did.

"It most certainly is not!" She replied. "Something is going wrong here and they'll need to call this off before somepony gets hurt!"

"Do you think they might get sho-"

"Look! Princess Twilight! There's something wrong with her!"

These were not the words I wanted to hear. I looked back up at the ever-building cyclone and sure enough, my friend was showing signs of distress and her horn was flickering and flashing in sync with the lightening coming from the clouds. Being distracted by the flashes, the rest of the ponies started flying off key and were even bumping into each other. This was a disaster and it needed to be aborted before it became a funeral.

It kept getting worse. Twilight was now hovering in place and her mild discomfort turned into agonizing pain. I could see it in her eyes and it was hard to watch and even harder realizing that there was nothing I could do about it. The tornado had gotten so strong that all the pegasi had been blown right out of it and it showed no signs of slowing down. Twilight was right in the middle of it and though it was incredibly loud, I could still hear her screaming in pain as she clutched her head in her hooves.

"Aaahhhh! Somepony help me!" Gem shrieked as she fell to the ground, her forelegs holding her aching head.

Rarity was undergoing the same thing and her horn was flickering just the same as Twilight's. All the ponies who came to watch and the others who were expelled from the twister were all booking it away from the monstrosity. All but me, my date, Fluttershy, and Rainbow had cleared the area. We just couldn't let Twilight get hurt or even worse. Even Jackie and the Pinkster came galloping up as fast as they could to try and help.

"Harshwhinny! Get back!" I said to my date. "I like you! I don't want you to get hurt! Go and get the princesses and tell them what happened!"

After a moment's hesitation, the mare who's company I would have to enjoy later, took off back to Ponyville with the rest. Fluttershy was attending to Rarity and Rainbow Dash was trying to fly into the storm towards Sparks to no avail. Even the strongest flyer in Equestria was no match for this intense of a current. It seemed like things just couldn't get worse until Twilight's eyes started glowing very brightly indicating that she was being overloaded. Rarity soon followed suit as her body slowly lifted off the ground and her eyes began flashing as brightly as anti aircraft spot lights.

Suddenly, a hole opened up right in the middle of the pond. The hole kept growing while the wind current finally started to slow down. Rainbow was at last able to get to our ailing princess friend but all the while, that kooky whirlpool in the middle of the pond was still getting bigger. A sudden realization struck me when bright flashes came from it and the wind changed direction. We were no longer being blown away from the pond. We were getting sucked right back towards it.

It happened so fast. Twilight and Dash were the first to disappear into the water. Fluttershy then followed. Rarity was tumbling on the ground towards the pond about to succumb to the same fate until I Pinkster grabbed her back legs in attempt to save her. Jackie the grabbed onto Pinkster's legs and I onto jackie's. It was all a futile effort as we all were swept right into the waiting vortex and everything went black. I could no longer keep my grip on Jackie's legs as everything seemed to get wet.

There was nothing any of us could do other than close our eyes and hope for the best. Whatever was to happen to us was up to the swirling vortex that now had all of us engulfed. We were completely helpless and at its mercy. There was hope however as I began to see some light through my eyelids. Suddenly, I felt an intense sensation of being forced upwards very rapidly. This was all too familiar. We were all under water and about to be spat out quickly.

With extreme force, I rocketed out of this water and for a moment, I could hear my friends doing the same. As I fell back down, I could hear the girls panicking and frantically darting around trying to find rhyme or reason to the situation. My vision was still a blur and I could see nothing but a few lights here and there and I could tell that It was night. I was also in for a rude reality check as I slammed down onto a hard surface. I had hit my head and I hit it hard. Now I could see nothing at all and the only thing I could hear was an intense ringing in my ears as I drifted off to sleep.

"Vinnie? C'mon Vinnie, please wake up."

"Ugh, ahhh my head." I said groggily as Pinkster gently shook me awake. "Wh-what happened?"

"I don't know Vinnie. I don't know where we are. I *sniff* I'm scared, Vinnie."

"Oh no! Sparks! Gem! Where are they?! Are they alright?!"

"They're gonna be just fine, sugarcube." Jackie calmly reassured. "They're just restin' up. They've been through somethin' mighty fierce and You ain't fared much better, buddy."

"Jeez, I guess so! Okay gimme a minute and let me gather myself."

I winced as I opened my eyes to take in my surroundings and hopefully find out where we ended up. Finally, my eyesight slowly returned and I could tell that we were in an urban environment. As I looked around more, I saw my six closest friends huddled together and they were all in rough shape. I could hear sounds overhead that reminded me of cars driving over a bridge. Looking directly up, I saw what looked like a highway overpass that we were under. The water that we were shot out of smelled terrible and was clearly polluted rather badly. The air reeked of gasoline and asphalt and the nearby streets were covered in all kinds of graffiti. Suddenly, it hit me.

"Vinnie?" Fluttershy addressed me, desperate for answers. "Where are we?"

"Girls?" I said as I carefully scanned our surroundings. "Stay close and don't leave my sight...We're in The Bronx..."

Chapter 3: Watch The Road!

"Okay, look, Vinnie." Rainbow Dash said, trying to calm me down. "We've all been to Manehattan before. What's the big deal?"

"Cloud, you don't understand!" I said as I frantically paced back and forth. "That's only one borough! New York City makes Manehattan look like friggin' ponyville!"

A gasp erupted from my six friends as they processed the comparison I made. It's true though. The city of Manehatten, Equestria is indeed a big town but it's nothing like New York. This place dwarfs Manehattan in both land mass and population density. This was no joke we were dealing with. After three years of living happily in Equestria with my friends, I was back and six ponies whom I deeply cared for were along for the ride.

"Whoa there, just take a seat and calm down, pardner." The level headed Applejack said. "Just how much bigger is this place? Can ya give us a better idea?"

"There are eight and a half million people in this city, Jackie."

"Eight and a half million?!" Everypony gasped in unison.

"But how?!" Rarity asked. "How can one city be so enormous!"

"Incredible!" Twilight exclaimed. "That's Canterlot, Manehattan, Fillydelphia, and Baltimare combined!"

"I told you, girls." I said. "You can't underestimate this place. The sheer size is beyond what any of you are used to. Here, I'll show you what I mean."

I then picked up a small stick off of the ground and proceeded to draw a general schematic of the city in the sand near the river that we got ejected from. Having lived in this city for nearly my entire life, I could accurately depict the sizes of all the different boroughs and they were drawn to scale with one another. Three years away from here wasn't enough time for me to forget anything.

"Okay, girls." I began after I spat the stick out of my mouth. "This is New York City and it's made up of five different boroughs. Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, Staten Island and The Bronx which is where we are right now. These boroughs are broken down into a ton of different neighborhoods. Some of them are nice looking and fairly safe. Others...not so much."

"I-I can't believe it!" The flabbergasted Twilight said. "If these places you've drawn are all properly to scale, then this city is bigger than any other we've ever imagined!"

"And that's why I can't let any of you out of my sight. One moment, we're all trotting down the street together and the next, you get caught up in a crowd and end up twenty blocks away from each other."

"Oh my goodness!" Fluttershy gasped. "I don't even want to look!"

"Flutterbaby, listen to me." I said as sweetly as I knew how. "You can't afford to not keep your eyes open here. You need to keep on your hooves and always be aware of your surroundings."

"O-okay."

"Just be brave and do exactly as I tell yas and we'll get out of here just fine."

"Okay".

"Vinnie?" Pinkie asked. "Is this where you went into the portal that got you into Equestria in the first place?"

"No." I replied. "It was a water fountain in Central Park over in Manhattan. Apparently, there are more of these though. Um, hang on a sec."

Just to figure out weather this portal we went through was still active and could be used again, I trotted up to the shore of the river we came out of and looked down into the water. I couldn't see more than a few inches down due to the murky quality of the water so I kicked a small rock over the bank and waited for a flash. If I had learned anything about these portals, it was that they always flashed brightly for a second or two when something disturbs them. There was nothing and because of the smell coming from the putrid water, I wasn't keen to jump in and find out.

"Can't we just get back in there and go through it that way?" Rainbow asked me. "It only makes sense to me."

"Two things wrong with that." I replied. "First of all, this is way too deep and dark to go into which makes it dangerous. Secondly, thi-"

"Um, Vinnie? Pal...have you forgotten who you're talking to here? Danger is my middle name!"

"Lemme finish, kid! I'm getting to that! Did I ever tell you about that city in Eastern Europe? The one where the nuclear reactor blew up back in eighty-six?"

"Uh yeah, I think so. Why?"

"You jump back in there and the next thing you know, you're crawling back out with a big ugly tumor and a third eye...if you crawl out at all. We can't afford to spend any more time than we already have in there. Trust me. That water isn't much safer than the fourth reactor's cooling pond."

"Oookay, point taken."

The fact that we were near a river though, was a big help as it would help me better figure out exactly what part of The Bronx we were in. We were also just under a highway overpass and that was a decent indication. Exactly which highway though was still up for debate and we weren't going to find out unless we got a move on and looked around more. Our only goal was to get to Central Park and find the fountain that changed my life before and still we weren't sure that would work.

"Girls, let's get on over to that street over there so I can get a look at the highway above us." I said. "I wanna see if I can spot any signs."

"Also, everypony." Twilight began. "I'd like to reiterate that we should all stick together. Vinnie knows this place and we need to trust him when he tells us what to do and where to go. Capiche?"

"Heheheh." I chuckled as the girls and I made our way to the nearest street. "I've taught you well, Twily-san."

Me and my friends trotted towards the first street we saw and when we were out from under the overpass, I could get a better look at the road above. I couldn't quite see the street signs up there and the traffic was extremely thick as always which further hindered me from seeing them. I shifted my attention to the street down at our level and luckily, it didn't take me long to find a clue that was a familiar, green sign.

"Hmm..." I said as I read the sign in question. "Bruckner Boulevard...*gasp!* Bruckner Boulevard! And that's Expressway 278! And this is the Bronx River! I know exactly where we are!"

"You do?!" Twilight excitedly asked.

"Yeah! Manhattan is about five miles west of here! Okay, just follow me and we-Pinkster! What the hell are you doing?!"

"What are we waiting for?!" Pinkie Pie hollered back as she jumped over a chain link fence that bordered the road. "If we're gonna get somewhere, we gotta hop skip and-"

Screeeech! Honk! Honk!

"Pinkie!!" The rest of the girls and I screamed in unison. Fearing the worst, we all bolted over to the fence that our crazy pink friend had foolishly hopped over. Before we could reach it however, our worries were put to rest by the sight of a pink blur bouncing right back over and rejoining us on our side of the fence. I have never seen Pinkster this scared before and until now, I had yet to see her hyperventilate out of fear.

"Pinkie!" I yelled. "What the hell did I just tell you?! You need to follow me and not leave my sight! You could have been killed!"

"Vinnie, I-I'm sorry, I didn't kno-"

"Yeah well you know now! That's a freeway on-ramp full of two ton machines going sixty miles an hour! You wouldn't stand a chance, do you understand me?! You would have been splattered! Do you have any idea how stupid that was?! How do you think me and the girls would feel if we had to watch your guts get tossed around that road?! If something would have happened to you, I'd never forgive myself! You need to stop and- *sniff* you can't just-*hic* don't put us thro-"

I couldn't help it. I ranted and raved to try to get my point across as Pinkster hung her head low in shame until I broke down and threw my forelegs around her, holding her tightly. Having lived most of my life not caring about anything, I cherished my friends more than anything and the mere thought of what could have just happened was literally making me sick to my stomach. I was stuck in one of the biggest cities in the world with six mares who I saw as nieces and they saw me as an uncle. Weather I liked it or not, this was going to be a long, tough journey and we couldn't afford to throw caution to the wind like that.

"I'm sorry, Vinnie!" Pinkie sobbed. "I swear it won't happen again!"

"Pinks, for that brief second, I thought you painted the highway. I can't stress this enough...stay close to the rest of us! Capiche?"

"Got it."

"Good. I love you, you know that."

Now that my point was drilled into everypony's head, I trotted over to the fence and used my hooves to push some foliage out of the way to get a good look at what we were dealing with. Not one square foot of road was without a car or truck and every one of them was doing at least seventy miles per hour. Three lanes that unless we could somehow get across, we would be stuck here. Three lanes that had instant death written all over them. If one of us were to get hit by a vehicle, the rest of the traffic wouldn't stop. Our carcasses would keep getting plowed over and over until we were turned to liquid. Crossing this on hoof is out of the question.

"Sparks, Cloud Speed and Flutters!" I said as I suddenly got an idea. "You three will have to carry the rest of us over this. Are you up for it?"

"You heard the stallion, you two!" Rainbow said as she puffed out her chest. "C'mon, let's do this!"

We quickly put our plan into action and one by one, those of us without wings were being carried to the other side by those who did. Gem was the first to be brought over and for safety's sake, I had all three of our winged comrades carry each pony at the same time so in case anypony lost their grip, there were still two sets of hooves holding on. After Rarity, Jackie was next and then Pinkster was carried over and safely placed back on the ground. Now it was my turn.

Dash held onto my right foreleg, Twi onto my left while Doctor Flutters got behind me and wrapped her forelegs around my chest. If I'm honest, it made me a bit uncomfortable as Fluttershy used to have a crush on me. I lost count on how many times I had to gently decline her asking me out. Over time, she seemed to accept that this was more like an uncle and niece relationship and it was to stay that way. Still though, I didn't care for the position we were in at the moment. The poor kid needs to find a stallion. I then made a mental note to talk with Cadence about that when we get back.

"Hey Flutters, keep your hooves above the waist!" I barked as the three slowly lifted me off the ground. "Don't get fresh with me!"

"Sorry, Vinnie." Fluttershy replied.

Slowly and steadily, I was carried over the crowded interstate that would be my death if the girls carrying me made a wrong move. Each second that passed was hundreds of cars, trucks and buses that rocketed down the asphalt. I usually made it a point to not look down but I couldn't help myself. Now that I was directly over the center lane, I even noticed that a lot of the traffic had decreased it's speed and I could see a lot of the passing vehicles had their brake lights flashing on and off. An even closer look at the faces of some of the drivers looking up at us was an indication that we were drawing attention to ourselves and we needed to hurry up and get out of sight.

"Vinnie?" Twilight asked.

"Yeah, Sparks?" I replied.

"Are those big rolling machines down there those so-called 'cars' you told me about?"

"Yeah and I used to have one of my own. I'll tell you about that later though, 'cause if we don't quit distracting the people driving down there, there's gonna be an acc-"

Beeeeep! Beeeeep! Ka-thump!

"Oh Crap!" Twilight gasped. "That yellow one just smashed into the back of that white one with the blue stripes!"

"White with blue stripes?" I repeated. "That doesn't sound good."

Whooop Whooop bwip bwip bwip bwip bwip!!

Oh no. That's a siren. This is bad, this is really bad!

"Alright, pull over, ya moron!" A man's voice shouted over what sounded like some sort of loudspeaker.

"Oh shit, it can't be!"

I looked back down to see the commotion and sure enough, we had drawn the attention from the drivers below and caused an accident as a yellow taxi cab had bumped into the back of another car. This would turn out to be a problem for us as the white sedan in question had the all too familiar slogan "Courtesy, Professionalism, and Respect" painted on the the side. The car also had about a half dozen red and clear light boxes arranged in the shape of an arrow head sitting on the top and they quickly switched on as it pulled to the side of the road and stopped. If the driver gets out and sees us, there's gonna be trouble.

"Girls?" I said as my heart began to race even faster. "Get me down and let's get outta here! It's the NYPD!"

Chapter 4: Return of the Temper

"What, you's gonna tell me yah didn't see dat?!" The unfortunate cab driver said as he argued with the cop on the side of the road.

We seemed to be in the clear. I was set back on the ground before any more motorists could spot us and most importantly, we remained undetected by an authority figure who had the means and ability to harm us. As I peeked through the foliage on the opposite side of the highway we came from, I became more relieved while I watched the conversation unfold. We had escaped by the skin on our asses if you ask me.

"Look buddy, all I know and give a shit about right now is that you slammed inta da back of my cruiser!" The cop retorted. "And what the hell are yah even talkin' about? See what?"

"There was a bunch of flyin' freakin' horses!" The cab driver answered, followed by a long pause from the irritated officer.

"Flyin' horses eh? Arlight, lemme ask yah this, mac...whatcha been smokin'?"

"What?! Nuttin'!"

"Your mouth says nuttin' but your eyes are lookin' kinda glazed, toughguy."

"Hey flat foot, why don't yah get your mind off doughnuts for a second and earn my friggin' tax dollars!"

"Dat's it, prick, you're goin' down!"

Yup, this is New York alright! Don't get me wrong, it's not typical for an average citizen to pick a fight with one of New York's finest but I digress. As much as I'd love to grab some popcorn and watch these two morons duke it out, we've got shit to do and places to go. What we don't have is time to waste.

"Follow me everypony!" I ordered. "We're heading to Central Park! Let's move on out!"

It wasn't like me to act like a drill sergeant but bit also wasn't like every day normality to get tossed into one of the biggest, toughest cities in the world in the form of a mint colored equine. Sure, ponies exist in this world but not ones with wings, horns and colors other than tan or brown or other boring ones like that. Even with normal colors, it was unusual to see unleashed animals walking down a busy city street. If we weren't careful, we were gonna draw a lot of attention that we didn't want. Hell, even if we are careful, I don't see much of a way to avoid it. This is gonna suck.

"So what do we do now?" Rainbow Dash asked as we trotted towards a less busy side street. "I kinda wanted to see which one of those guys was gonna win."

"The guy wearing blue." I replied. "Always."

"Ehh, I dunno, Vinnie. That guy with the yellow car looked a little bit bigge-"

Pow! Pow! "Alright! Alright, you win! I give up, officer!" The voice of the cab driver could be heard in the distance after two gun shots.

"You were saying?" I said smugly to Rainbow Dash.

"Okay, I'm just gonna quit acting like I know everything about some place I've never been to before."

"Oh please do, Rainbow." Rarity pleaded as she rubbed her temples. "Twilight and I are still in a lot of pain from what happened. That portal seems to have interfered with our horns."

"I'm starting to understand why they never had a princess participate in the water transport before." Said Twilight. "I should have seen that coming."

"Hey, don't beat yourself up over it, Sparks." I reassured my discouraged friend. "Nopony could have predicted that. Shit happens."

"Thanks, Vinnie. I gotta say though, it's been a while since you swore this frequently. I think it's safe to assume that your're stressed out?"

"Heheheh. You have no idea, kid."

Our journey had begun. We were now on our way to our destination which was in Manhattan. Now that we were off Bruckner Boulevard, we would head west. As we trotted further, I paused for a moment when we reached the Intersection of Aldus Street and Hoe Avenue just to get a good look at the place I once called home. As an adult I lived in Manhattan but as a kid, I lived with my Ma here in The Bronx. I knew this area all too well but still, there was something different bout it. It's hard to describe, really.

"What a shithole!" I said as I looked around the city. "I don't remember there being so many cars propped up on cinder blocks! This used to be a nice neighborhood!"

"It's certainly much different from what you told us about it, dear." Rarity said as she looked with a grimace at the filthy streets. "Don't they have laws against littering here?"

"Yeah but it looks like the cops have bigger things to worry about lately. Check out what's happening over there."

I then pointed my hoof to a spot across the street where some shady shit was going down. The girls watched in shock as we saw a street hoodlum bust a car window open, grab what looked like a nice gps unit and take off. The punk was clearly a professional as it was less than three seconds from the time he smashed the window to the time he was out of sight.

"Vincenzo, darling?" Rarity said. "Does that happen often?"

"Not in this part of town." I replied. "At least it didn't used to. C'mon, let's keep moving. The longer we stand still, the more people are gonna start wondering why there's a bunch of ponies loose in the streets. Animal control is really strict here."

We resumed our trot down the street at a swift but reasonable pace. If I was nervous before, now I was about to lose my mind. We must have been seen buy hundreds of people we passed by at this point and it was only a matter of time before one or more of them would be somebody we really didn't want seeing us. It would be sooner than we thought that the inevitable would happen and we would find ourselves in some deep shit.

"I don't care if there are bigger problems, just get an officer here." Said a middle aged woman parked in a minivan at the curb talking on her cell phone. "Don't make me have you put your supervisor on. I won't hesitate to make a complaint about you personally. These horses are on Westchester Avenue and they look mutated or something."

"Oh shit, soccer moms!" I said as I quickened my pace. "Girls, we gotta move! Now! C'mon, let's go-"

"Who're you callin' mutated?!" Rainbow Dash shouted as she hovered up at eye level with the woman as she frantically rolled her window up. "Hey! I'm talkin' to you!"

I love Rainbow like close family but she reminded me a lot of my self and the way I was back in my younger days. I often found my hot temper getting me into trouble and just when I thought my heart couldn't sink any lower, she did the unthinkable.

"You'd better..." Smash! "Watch how you're..." Slam! "Talking about..." Thump! "Me and my friends!" Pffsssss!

Rainbow made quick work of the minivan that the busybody with nothing better to do was sitting in. It all just happened so fast and in ten seconds flat, the vehicle was covered in dents, busted glass and a couple of shredded tires for good measure. As much as I would have loved to be able to knock someone down a peg, it was anything but a rational decision on Cloud's part. If we were in trouble before, we were royally screwed now.

My Girl Dashie isn't dumb by any means but being half my age and being a lot like I was back then, she's bound to let her inexperience get the best of her. Being the eldest in the group, it's up to me to keep track of her and the rest of the girls. However, I can't do this all on my own. At fifty years old, all the life experience I have still couldn't prepare me for the shit storm we were about to endure. At this point, I'm about to have a nervous breakdown and I needed help.

"Rainbow Dash! Get over here let's book it!" Twilight shouted, taking charge as she noticed my oncoming anxiety attack. "C'mon Vinnie, lead the way and we can find somewhere to hide!"

Just what I need. A co-leader to step up when things get rough. Here I was still processing the mere fact that we were tossed back into the biggest toughest city in America and here comes my buddy sparks to snap me out of my shock. I swear, that kid was born to lead.

Rainbow soon re-joined the group and after I came back to my senses and we were galloping further down Westchester Avenue as fast as our legs could carry us. We needed to find a place to hide and quickly. We screeched to a halt in front of a dark alley way and it was either this one or nothing. It was then when a worthy adversary in the form of an NYPD cruiser came careening towards us that would end up expediting our decision. It's time to get the hell outta here.

"Ruuun!" I screamed, as I bolted down the ally, the girls following suit. "Find a spot to lie low! If we get cornered, then fight back! There's no other way!"

We all galloped down the alley into the dark in desperate search of something to use as cover. Be it a manhole, a bunch of trashcans or even a dumpster, we needed something. The alley ended up being a dead end and the dumpster full of smelly garbage that sat before us was starting to look like our only hope as the flash from the cops' flashlights and the sound of their shoes tapping against the ground was getting closer.

Wasting no time, myself along with Twilight, Rarity and Applejack jumped into the dumpster and closed the lid while Pinkie and Rainbow Dash each took a garbage can of their own. That only left was...

"The yellow one!" One of the cops yelled. "There it is!"

Fluttershy couldn't find a hiding spot in time and was quickly spotted by the two men chasing us. Like a deer in headlights, Fluttershy could do nothing but stand there in the corner and await what was to come next. We may not have much of a choice but to fight them and outnumbering them two to seven, we would at least have somewhat of an advantage...but they had guns. That's going to be a problem.

One of the officers was a tall, lanky guy with glasses who looked to be in his late twenties and the other was a somewhat shorter, slightly heavier guy around his mid thirties with a goatee. They both had their lights pointed directly at Fluttershy's face as they stood about fifteen feet away, their pistols un-holstered as well.

"Put it away, Ed." The more experienced officer said as he holstered his own weapon. "We don't need to kill it, there's no reason for that."

Well, that was a relief to hear.

"Alright, Glen." The rookie replied. "So what're we gonna do?"

"I'll wait here while you go get the the car so we don't gotta carry it all the way back. I'll try to knock it out. Now get to it!"

"I'm on it."

The younger officer then turned around to retrieve their vehicle as we watched Fluttershy become all the more petrified. She lie on the ground trembling with her forelegs covering her head. It was when the cop pulled his taser off his belt that I really started to get scared for her.

"She's got a weak heart!" Rainbow whispered over to me. "She can't get zapped by that thing! It'll kill her!"

The officer then knelt down and placed his hand on the back of Fluttershy's neck as his handheld electric chair crackled away. Our cover is worth blowing if it saves one of our lives. This guy needed to be dealt with no matter any other cost.

"This ends here and now." Rainbow Dash muttered as she prepared to jump out of her hiding place.

"And I'm the one who's going to end it." I replied as I beat her to it and quietly trotted up behind the guy. My Flutterbaby is a delicate one and a police stun gun would surely stop her heart. I'm sure as hell not letting that happen. Just as the device was about to come in contact with her coat, I gently tapped the cop on the shoulder. "Hey tough guy!"

The officer then switched off his device and turned around to face me. The look on his face was a mixture of confusion and horror that topped any expression I have ever seen before. To be completely honest, the way I was feeling, I loved every second of it. Too bad I had to wipe it right off his face.

"Mettere le mani cazzo di dosso!" I yelled in my old language before I bashed my hoof over Officer Glen's face. I didn't even think about it. It just happened. He was about to do serious harm to a delicate mare I had always been so protective over and I just hit him. I never had any kids or foals but over time I had developed somewhat of a fatherly instinct when it came to the safety of these girls.

"Fluttershy! Let's go!" Twilight shouted as she and the rest of the girls jumped out of their trash cans. "C'mon, we gotta find another place to lay low!"

The downed cop was lying on his stomach as he watched each and every one of us gallop out of the alley with his eye that my hoof didn't pound. His nose was bloody and obviously broken but it had to be done. I once made a pledge to renounce violence and live by the rules of peace and amnesty but in a situation like this, I say screw those rules. Just as I bolted away, I turned around to give him my last two bits before I took off, our eyes locked onto each other's.

"By the way. That's Italian for 'get your fuckin' hands off her'!"

Author's Note

Yes there is a "Hoe Avenue" in NYC. It's a few blocks North of Bruckner Boulevard near the Southeast corner of The Bronx. Look it up :twilightsmile:

Chapter 5: Find a Cruiser, Get a Bruiser

"Vinnie, that was awesome!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed as we left the police in the dust. "You caved that chump's face right in, haha!"

I didn't answer. I wasn't entirely thrilled at the situation and what I just had to do to get us out of it so I had nothing to say. I really wasn't in the mood to celebrate anything and my main focus was to just get us out of there and find a place to hide for a little while. The girls seemed to take note of me trotting down the alleyway with my head hung low in shame.

"Vinnie, what's wrong?" Fluttershy asked. "You saved me!"

"I know, kid, I know!" I replied as I stopped to hug her. "I just...I wish I hadn't hit him as hard as I did. He didn't have bad intentions and he wasn't trying to kill any of us and...I really didn't need to hurt him as bad." I then turned to Rainbow Dash to tell her what I thought about her reaction. "Cloud, I'm disappointed in you. We're peaceful creatures and you shouldn't be so excited about what I just did."

"Wha-wow, Vinnie I'm sorry." Rainbow replied. "I just got all worked up is all."

"It can't be helped now but we shouldn't gloat when we have to resort to violence. I made a vow that I would renounce my old ways but what's done is done. Now we gotta find a place to lay low. We're wanted by the law now."

We were lucky enough to be able to find a less busy street as we left Westchester Avenue and headed South on St Ann's Avenue. It would be a lot easier to dodge the eyes of citizens here and by the looks of it, the old, rusted up cars that sat on the curbs covered in parking tickets outnumbered the people. This part of town was desolate, dark, gloomy, depressing, lifeless and as crazy as this sounds, just what we needed. The less people walking around who can see us, the better.

The weather wasn't looking much better and the dark clouds started rolling in so now we had two good reasons to find shelter. As plain dumb luck would have it, the girls and I were about to get our first big break. If we played our cards right, we could get out of the oncoming torrential downpour and I could take a nice pleasant stroll down memory lane in the form of a familiar eight cylinder friend. Trotting through an empty street often means coming across a fenced off impound yard.

"Vinnie?" Applejack said as she noticed me stopping in front of a chain link fence. "Whatcha lookin' at, buddy?"

Honestly, I wasn't paying a whole lot of attention to my friends. I was staring through to the other side of the fence at something I was glad to see after being away from it for so long. It was a bittersweet moment as the state my finding was in was a sorry one to say the least and I felt my eyes watering up as I trotted up to the fence to get a better look.

"Vinnie, you okay?" Pinkie asked. "What's the problem?"

"It's my..." I began as I stifled tears. "M-my old s-squad car..."

It was a breath of fresh air to see something I was familiar with and find something we could take shelter in at the same time. Never in my life did I ever think I'd end up sleeping in a car but beggars can't be choosers. What we needed was a roof, a couple walls, dark tinted windows and my old stolen Chevy that sat in the impound yard was all that and then some.

"Cloud, Sparks, and Shy!" I began. "Fly the rest of us over there, will ya?"

Within a minute, we were all on the side of the fence we needed to be. The girls and I trotted over to the abandoned machine that would end up being our shelter from the cold, hard rain that was about to pelt us is we didn't get inside soon. Before we did though, I just felt compelled to take a good look at the depressing sight that at before us.

My once proud, tough and fast ex-police car was parked outside my apartment high-rise the day I left New York. Inevitably, I was later considered missing and my apartment re-rented out and my car towed here where it sat to rust for the last three years. The chrome bumper and grille was covered in ugly brown chips of rust, the black paint faded and peeling off, the tires dry rotted and the Chevy bow tie hood ornament it once had was yanked off. Not only was it so worn down from doing nothing but sitting motionless, there was also a parking boot attached to its left front wheel, and dozens of parking tickets were stuck under the windshield wipers. Basically, the city got tired of me not being there to claim the car or the parking fines it was stuck with so they just brought it here to rot. An absolute waste if you ask me.

It was a depressing sight and hard to look at. I continued to stare at what was once a big part of my life and whimper until I felt a hoof gently place itself on my shoulder. I turned around to see my good friend Twilight who was trying to cheer me up.

"I'm sorry, Vinnie." Twilight said. "I know how much this machine meant to you. Though it sits here now, we can at least give it a purpose one last time. We can use it as shelter. It won't decay in vain."

As sad as I was that my once pride and joy was disintegrating into nothing but a memory, she was right. The rain was coming in just a few moments and it was gonna come down hard and it was starting to get dark too. There wasn't any time to dawdle. The thunder was booming and the rain had just started. We had shelter and we were gonna use it.

"Girls, let's get in the car." I said as I reached for the door handle. "We're staying here for the night."

Another stroke of good luck. The door was unlocked and even more, the interior light came on meaning that battery still had some life left in it. If we need it, I could probably hot wire it to start the engine and turn the heater on.

"Oooh, comfy!" Pinkie said as she took a seat in the back.

"Very." Rarity agreed. "It's just like my plush sofas back home."

"Heheh, yeah I yanked out the hard vinyl seats and replaced them with what you're sitting on." I replied. "The car was used to haul crooks to the city lock up so they didn't need anything extravagant."

"Oh my goodness, I could fall asleep any second." Fluttershy said. "These seats are so soft."

"Looks like this is home for the night, guys." Rainbow Dash said.

"I dunno about y'all but I ain't gonna fret." Applejack said. "Sure whoops the tar outta sleepin' on the wet ground."

"Hey girls." I said as I just got an idea to pass the time. "You wanna see something really cool?"

"Sure!" Pinkie beamed.

"Okay, see this thing right here? This is the police radio the cops used when they owned this car. After I *ahem* took possession of it, I started using it as somewhat of a lookout. You know, back in my days as a...criminal."

"You've gotta forgive yourself someday, dude." Rainbow Dash said.

"It'll take time, kid. But anyways, let's just see if this thing still works. Maybe we can hear something juicy."

I then placed my hoof over the main dial on the radio and turned it until clicked and the unit turned on. The green, yellow and red lights blinked on and off as the automatic scanner flipped though the channels. I was about to find out that the seemingly innocent act of switching the device on was about to cause somepony a lot of pain.

"Oww, my head!" Rarity screamed as she held her head in her hooves.

"Gaaaahhhh, make it stop!!" Twilight shrieked in pain as she immediately followed suit.

Somehow, the radio frequency was interfering with Twilight and Rarity's horns and it was causing them a great deal of pain. It seemed to be harming Twilight more though. Rarity was expressing strong discomfort but something was seriously wrong with Twilight. I could do nothing but watch as my dear friend as she squirmed and convulsed in the passenger seat next to me. Few things in life really scare me but when I saw her eyes roll back into her head, I knew this would scar us for life.

"Dude, shut it the fuck off!" Rainbow Dash shouted.

"I'm trying! I'm trying!" I replied as I switched the dial to no avail.

"Man, quit yer messin' 'round and shut that damn thing off!" Applejack shouted. "They're gonna keel over if that shit keeps up!"

I was panicking. I desperately tried to shut off the CB unit that was hurting my friends but no matter what I did, the device just screeched away. I pressed every button, turned every dial and even gave it a few good smacks with my hoof but it was still on. Just when it seemed like things couldn't get any worse, sparks started flying from Rarity and Twilight's horns.

As quickly as the commotion started, it came to a sudden halt. Twilight and Rarity's eyes glowed a bright white as a hush fell over the rest of us. The radio was still on but it was silent as well. The stoic look on the two ponies' faces and their glowing eyes were scaring the shit out of myself and the others. Though the situation looked bleak, we would actually find that we were about to get our biggest break yet.

"He...llo...Twi...kle...can y...hear me?" A familiar voice came from the radio though the static. "...Twil...I'm trying t...pathic...please answ...hello?"

"Is that Princess Celestia?!" I asked as I adjusted the squelch knob to clear the static. I then picked up the microphone and pressed the key down in order to transmit. "Your Majesty, is that you?"

"Vincenzo!" Princess Celestia exclaimed. "How can you hear m...well the better question is, are you all alright?"

I then turned to Twilight and Rarity who seemed to be feeling a little better but still expressing discomfort. Not only was it a relief to make contact with somepony back in Equestria but also that my two horned friends weren't in so much pain anymore.

"I think we're okay for now." I replied. "How are you doing this though?"

"I was about to ask you the same thing!" Celestia answered. "I was trying to communicate with Twilight telepathically. How am I able to hear you?"

"I think your signal got crossed with one from this device I'm using. She's tried to use her horn before but magic doesn't work here too good. I think this is hurting her though so we don't have much time."

"Oh no. Alright, I'll try to make this quick. Is there any way I can talk to her?"

"I'm right here, Princess." A tired and pain-stuck Twilight said as I hoofed the mic over to her. "We're stuck in Vinnie's ahh...native land and we're trying to find the portal that got ow...him to Equestria in the fIRST place."

"Oh my goodness, that's a relief." Celestia said. "That means one of you knows how to navigate through it. Okay, so we have just one option. My sister, Cadence and I will go to the pond and try to reopen the portal."

"Give us a couple of days and we'll be there for it." I replied. "We needed to find shelter for the night but in the morning, we shou-"

"Ahh, it hurts!" Twilight cried while Rarity opened the nearest door to throw up. "Please, make it stop! Please, it hurts so bad!"

"I'm ending the signal now!" Celestia said. "Just hang in there, dear, I'm coming!"

Not wanting to allow my two friends to go through one more second of this than they had to, I pulled the radio from the bracket that mounted it under the ashtray and ripped the wires from the back of it. At long last, the device fizzled out and the pain the two girls were enduring seemed to come to an end.

"You two alright?" Pinkie asked as she embraced Rarity.

"I-I think so." Twilight answered. "I'm just glad we heard from the princess. Rarity, how are you feeling?"

"I'll be fine, darling." Rarity replied as she wiped her mouth. "Please excuse me for that, everypony, that was just making me so sick."

"Don't sweat it Rares." Rainbow Dash said.

"Alright then, girls..." I began. "So it looks like we're all okay. We're all exhausted now so we need to just relax and get some sleep. We've got some traveling to do in the morning so the more rest we get, the better."

"I concur." Twilight agreed. "We're in a safe, dry place now so let's all get some shuteye. Goodnight."

"Good night, everypony." I said. "Don't worry. We'll get through this and we'll be back home soon."

"Goodnight, Vinnie." The girls all said in unison.

Things were starting to look up. We had a nice, warm car to sleep in and we also had a plan and knew what needed to be done tomorrow. Just like the others, I was very tired and it didn't take me long to drift off to sleep. These comfortable leather seats will do that. I'm just glad I didn't tell the girls what these seats were actually made of. I'd never hear the end of that one."

"I had a wonderful time with you, Vincenzo." My beautiful girlfriend, Jennifer Sachentov said to me as I walked her to her front door after a nice dinner. "I told you before though, I'm a simple girl. You don't have to take me to the Broadway Ritz. Especially on a second date."

"And I told you to just call me Vinnie, babe." I chuckled in response. "You say you're simple but that doesn't mean you don't deserve the best."

"And that's why I like spending time with you so much. You're such a sweetheart."

"Thank's babe. Seriously though, I really like you a lot. So are you free on Friday? I was thinking we could go dancing or something."

"I am and there's nothing else I'd rather do."

The two lovebirds we were had ran out of things to talk about and were now just staring at each other in awkward silence. No other girl ever made me feel weak at the knees like this. What I had with Jenny wasn't just another fling. Our relationship had true meaning to it and I wanted to spend every moment I could with her.

"Vinnie?" Jenny asked.

"Yeah, Jen?" I answered.

"You're pretty tall you know."

"Heheh. Yeah? So?"

"So come closer. I wanna tell you something."

"Uh, okay. Heheheh." How's this?"

"Closer."

"Alright, sweetheart. How about this?"

Before she said another word, Jennifer, who was only five feet eight compared to my six feet four pulled me in for our first kiss. In all my twenty five years, I had never met a girl who's side I never wanted to leave. I never wanted this kiss to end and I would need to tell her the truth about what I do for a living once the time is right. It's too soon now and I really don't want to lose this girl. In due time.

"So Friday then?" Jenny asked after we broke our kiss.

"Y-yeah babe." I stuttered, the blush on my face quite apparent. "How about seven?"

"Heheheh. You're cute when you're nervous. It's a date."

"Awesome. Well...goodnight, babe."

"Good night, handsome."

I then turned around to the waiting taxi cab that was to take me back to my place. The date was a huge success and my heart was soaring from what just happened. It almost seemed to good to be true. Just as I reached for the door on the cab, I was just about to find out just how true everything that just happened was.

"Oh, Vinnie?" Jenny called over to me.

"Yeah, hon?"

"It's time to go."

"W-what? We just got back. What are you talking about?"

"Vinnie, wake up. It's morning. We need to get going."

"Ahh! Whoa, what just happened?"

"Vinnie, are you alright?" Twilight asked as she looked intently into my eyes. "Did you have a bad dream?"

A dream is indeed all it was. I was still in my old car, stranded in The Bronx with my friends from Equestria and we still needed to get a move on. We needed to get going if we were to go back home where we belonged. The longer we sat there thinking about it, the more daylight we were burning. It was time.

"Yeah, I was dreaming." I replied as I opened the door. "It wasn't bad though."

"Care to share with us?" Rainbow Dash asked.

That was always something we enjoyed doing. Whenever we had a dream that really caught our attention, we liked to talk about it and share our thoughts about what they might be trying to tell us. Hell, we even got Twilight to spill the beans over a dream she had about this fella she likes. Some Pegasus guy from Cadence's guard squadron I think.

"Well..." I began. "It was about my girlfriend I had years ago. I haven't dreamed about her in over fifteen years and we broke up back in ninety-two. I've thought about her from time to time but I eventually moved on. It's just so weird that I'm dreaming about her now though."

"Perhaps it has something to do with your date with Ms. Harshwhinny." Rarity suggested. "You haven't been on a date in over twenty years so you may have subconsciously brought back some old memories."

"Hey yeah, that does make sense. Jeez, it kinda sucks that I had to get ripped away right then. I hope she's still in Ponyville when we get back."

"So you like her?" Pinkie asked.

"Yeah...I do." I replied.

"Well I'm glad you've finally opened up and gave dating a try." Twilight said. "It'll be good for you."

"Yeah and it'll be good for her too." Rainbow Dash interjected. "I'm telling you guys, that mare needs a stallion in her life."

"How do you figure?" Fluttershy asked.

"I got one word for ya...uptight."

"Eh, I like her." I said as we trotted towards the gate of the impound yard. "She seemed pretty sweet to me. She's classy and that's what I like."

Soon, our winged comrades carried the rest of us over the gate and we were on our way. By the looks of it, it was around seven o'clock in the morning so at least we could cover some ground before rush hour. If we're careful, we can keep the number of people spotting us to a minimum or hopefully none at all...yeah that's not gonna happen. They call it the city that never sleeps for a reason.

We quietly continued down St Anne's Avenue and I decided to take a right on East 137th Street where we would then go left on Willis Avenue. That way, we could try taking the Willis Avenue Bridge that leads right to North-East Manhattan. The further we went though, the harder it looked like it was gonna be. Luckily, we hadn't gone far from the impound yard where we found my car. The more I thought about it, I came to realize we really needed it if we were going to blend in. The cops want us and everybody around has a cell phone.

"Girls, change of plans." I said. "We're not gonna make it unless we take my car. We're gonna need it to blend in or we're gonna get nabbed."

"If you think that will help, then that's what we'll do." Twilight spoke up. "Ok, girls! You heard him! Lead the way, Vinnie."

I then proceeded to cross the street back that led back to the impound yard with the other six in tow. There was about to be a problem though as I had stupidly broken my own rule by failing to pay attention. I was about to find out how big of a mistake this really was.

"Vincenzo darling, look out!" Rarity shouted.

Honk! Honk! Slam!

Chapter 6: Drunken Clones and Broken Bones

I woke up in the middle of the road in a daze after being hit by a car. I wasn't looking where I was going so naturally, I got clobbered. I was fortunate enough though that it was a compact and I probably fared better than its front bumper. Still though, I was seeing stars and little yellow birds so I couldn't get up and run quite yet. Still in my dazed state, I was helpless as the driver switched his hazard blinkers on and opened his door to exit.

"My civic!" The driver who sounded like a young man exclaimed as he got out and examined his car. "I just bought this thing!"

After a brief moment of surveying the damage, though still a little blurry, I could see the kid turn his attention to me. As my eyesight slowly returned, I could see that the guy was indeed a young, very tall twenty something with black hair and brown eyes...and I couldn't help but think he looked familiar. I just couldn't put my hoof on it but I swear I've seen this kid somewhere before. But where?

"Vinnie!" The girls shouted in unison as they galloped over to my aid.

"What?" The young guy said as he turned his attention to my friends. "Did somebody call me?"

Wow, his name is "Vinnie" too? What are the odds? Either way, it looked like I was gonna be alright. The impact just knocked me back a little bit but I was okay. The car was a little green Honda that the cake twins could crush if they wanted to.

"Okay, this is gettin' fuckin' weird!" The kid said as he grabbed a flask out of his pocket and took a big swig. "Candy colored ponies that talk? One of them is named 'Vinnie'? What the fuck is going on in this town?"

The girls just stared at him with their mouths agape like they saw a ghost or something. Maybe they were thinking the same thing I was. Maybe they too know this guy from somewhere. This was getting weird. Maybe I hit my head harder than I thought. Nothing made sense.

"Please, mister." Twilight began. "We're just trying to find our way back home. Please don't report us to the authorities."

Instead of answering, the guy responded by chugging the remaining contents of his flask before he finally spoke, already starting to show his buzz.

"Listen, little purple dude." The kid slurred. "I'm like, the last *hic* guy who's gonna be ca-*braaap*lling the cops around here! That'd be really fu-*urp*cking stupid."

"Don't yah think it's a bit early in the day to get plastered there, pardner?" Applejack said. "It ain't good for yah, yah know."

"Aw, you shaddup! I ain't gonna take that cr-*braaaa*p from you! You're just a hamburger to me! Put 'em up and I'll...oh shit!"

He may have been hammered but he was right about one thing. Police sirens were wailing in the distance and they were getting closer. I don't know who this kid was who stood before me but the both of us didn't wanna deal with the police right now. I was an animal who attacked an officer on the loose and this kid was way too drunk to be out in public, let alone behind the wheel of a car.

"Fuck this, I'm outta here!" The young man said as he got back into his car and peeled off, knocking down a parking meter before he was out of sight.

"Girls, let's go!" I commanded. "We're too exposed without that car! C'mon!"

Luckily, we hadn't gone too far from the impound yard where we found my old Bruiser Cruiser...Yeah, I gave my car a nickname, big deal. A lot of people do it. Still, we needed to get back there and behind the fence as fast as we could before we got spotted by the police. If that happens, we're as good as dead. Every one of us. I wasn't about to let that happen.

The second the last of us was placed back on the ground over the chain link fence, a convoy of three NYPD cars screamed by. Just for good measure, I took a peak over to see the cars go around a corner and they kept going. They hadn't seen us so we were outta the woods...for now.

"Okay, girls..." I began as all of us huffed and puffed to catch out breaths. "I think if we get this car moving, we can get to Manhattan a lot faster and without any more problems from the cops. You with me on this?"

"Of course we are, dude." Rainbow Dash replied.

"You can count on us!" Pinkie replied.

"Vincenzo?" Rarity said. "I agree and I'm one hundred percent behind you on this but...well, I don't know about you girls but I thought that young man who hit him looked...familiar."

"Actually Vinnie, I think she's right." Twilight added. "I don't know where but I just feel like we've seen him before."

"Your guess is as good as mine." I replied. "I dunno, we've just been through a lot lately. I'm sure it's all in our heads. Jackie, can yah help me get this parking boot off the wheel? I bet you could kick this thing right off. Jackie?"

I looked over my shoulder to see what was taking the girls so long to respond or if they were even listening in the first place. They clearly weren't as they appeared to be huddled up in a circle with their heads down as if they were planning a hoofball play or something. I never saw them do that before but I gotta admit, it was amusing and kinda cute to see them do that. But why were they doing it?

Instead of speaking up to interrupt them, I decided to sneak over and eavesdrop on their conversation. As I got closer, I could just make out what they were saying.

"Do you think that guy we saw might have something to do with that?" Fluttershy whispered.

"I don't know, dear..." Rarity began. "But I just have this feeling that we should try to get to the bottom of it."

"Ah just don't git it." Jackie said. "Tall, dark hair, brown eyes, that nose and chin of his...Ah just can't put mah hoof on it."

"I'm telling you, guys!" Rainbow said, slightly raising her voice. "I swear, I think that guy looks like..."

Before Rainbow Dash could finish her sentence, all six of the girls raised their heads and looked over at me. Judging by their confused expressions, I think the fact that they caught me eavesdropping looked to be the least of their worries.

"What?" I asked as the girls stared at me. "Who'd the kid look like?"

The girls then lowered their heads one last time to exchange a few more whispers among themselves. I was getting very confused and honestly, I didn't care for how they were stalling everything. Finally, at long last, they all raised their heads back up and turned to face me.

"Vinnie?" Twilight asked.

"Yes, Sparks?" I replied, in an irritated tone.

"Um, as I can recall, you told me that you had no immediate family when you left New York, right?"

"Uh, yeah?"

"Did you at least have any Aunts or Uncles?" Rarity asked. "Any cousins, perhaps?"

"No, it was just me and my mother, okay? When she died, aside from the whelks that you find in spaghetti sauce, I was the only Scungilli left. Where are we going with this?"

I was getting nowhere fast and I was starting to get very frustrated. I loved these ponies so much but even still, they were testing my patience. They just gave me another confused look and I had to explain something that really wasn't very important.

"Ugh! My last name is a word for a sauce with chopped up sea snails that you put on pasta! Now c'mon, we need to get to work so we can get outta here! I'm telling you, we're all just tired and stressed out! He was just some random guy we'll never see again!"

"Okay, Vinnie." Sparks sighed. "C'mon, girls. We need to get this done. Princess Celestia will be waiting for us at the portal tomorrow."

"Thanks, Sparks. Look, If I act like a dick, it's not coming from the heart. We're in a rough state."

"I know you don't mean it, Vinnie."

"Good. Okay, I think I can get it to start. Jackie, if you would please?"

"Ah'm on it, sugarcube." Applejack replied as she trotted over to the car and readied herself for her task.

If there was always something I liked to see, it was Applejack destroying things by bucking them into oblivion. After briefly looking over her target, she turned around and readied herself for her attack. I've always wanted to see a parking boot fly off of a car after being smacked hard enough and Applejack was the one to make it happen.

Clank!

Or so I thought...This didn't work out as well as I'd hoped it would. The big iron boot hadn't budged an inch but Applejack's kick actually made the car move a little. If this thing is tough enough to withstand blunt force strong enough to move the front end of a five thousand pound car, then this was gonna be a lot harder than I though. However, it would soon turn out that the parking boot would now be the beginning of another problem.

"Applejack! you're bleeding!" Fluttershy exclaimed.

It was just the sad truth. Applejack was glued to the spot, the puddle of blood under her left, rear hoof steadily getting bigger. Her leg began to shake as she stood on it and she then lifted it off the ground revealing a sizable crack on the bottom of her hoof. Applejack is a tough girl. Like, really tough. To see her biting her bottom lip as tears rolled down her face was an indication that she was in an unimaginable amount of pain.

"Jackie, sweetie are you okay?!" I asked as I rushed over to her. I quickly got my answer as she collapsed on the ground and proceeded to bawl as the shock went away. Applejack isn't one to let a little pain or even a great deal of it make her cry like that so we all knew that this was very bad. This was the final straw. I was gonna get all of us out of here with no more harm to my friends come Hell or high water.

"Girls, get her in the car!" I commanded. "There's a bunch of towels in the trunk! Take the ones that don't already have blood on them and wrap up her leg! Give her another one to bite down on! We're getting out of here if I gotta blow this thing up in the end!"

The trunk was popped open and the towels I always kept in there were quickly being wrapped around Applejack's wounds while I searched for the wires I needed to hot-wire the car. In the line of work I was in, it was always a good idea to keep something that can soak up any spilled fluids. What was most important right now was that we were finally on our way to central park and ultimately our ticket out of here. It was either now or never and I didn't care that I was reduced to gnawing wires like a rat and getting zapped in the process.

Finally, the car was started and running. It was an old clunker with stale, three year old gas in the tank but as long as it's got four wheels and moves down the street, it's all we need. My hopes were that I could try to drive the car a little bit so the parking boot falls off and then cruise over to Manhattan so we'd be able to meet Princess Celestia as soon as she gets there.

"Girls, buckle up and brace yourselves!" I said as I climbed into the driver's seat. "We're in for a bumpy ride!...Er-hang on a second...I can't seem to...shift this...Fuck!"

"What's wrong, Vinnie?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"I'm trying to shift this lever but I've never driven a car with hooves before! Sparks, is your horn working yet?"

"Sorry, Vinnie." Twilight replied. "It still hurts to even try."

"Gem, how about you?"

"Much of the same, dear." Rarity replied. "I wish I could help, really I do."

"Alright, I'm just gonna have to...come on you piece of crap! There!"

If the simple task of shifting the car into drive was that hard, I'm dreading trying to steer it, let alone get it moving with that chunk of iron stuck to the wheel. As much as I one loved this car, I loved my friends more and with one of them injured in the back seat, I was more than ready to risk damage to this machine. The engine sputtered and coughed at first when I placed my hoof on the pedal but even with dirt and gunk going through its fuel system, it worked up some nerve. As I slowly pressed the pedal down further, the front end lifted itself off the ground slightly. Since I had it just where I wanted it, I gave it more gas still until the front end was raised nearly a foot off the ground where it reached its peak and fell back to the ground with a nasty bang.

"D'oh!" I yelled as my head hit the ceiling as the car came back down.

"I feel like I've seen this somewhere before." Pinkie said as she observed the situation.

"Not now, Pinkster! There's a place and time for everything but this isn't it!"

The end of the boot was now on the other side of the wheel which would make it easier for it to turn. Just a few more spins and hopefully the boot would fall off. The hard part was over...or so I thought. Just when I started thinking that it would be smooth sailing, the the device got caught on the front fender and proceeded to tear it clean off. Like I said, I didn't care about the car anymore but the issue was that it was making a lot more noise than I would have liked.

Once again, the front end went up and came down with a bang and again my head hit the top and a "d'oh!" escaped from my mouth. Just when I thought it couldn't get any noisier, we now had the chain link fence I had to push over. Luckily, that came down quickly and easily enough but hot damn was it loud! We were now just entering the street when at long last, the parking boot could take no more and flew off as the front end lifted up one last time.

It was getting dark which wasn't something I was about to complain about. It won't help a whole lot but it will just a little. We were now in a car which would somewhat keep us hidden and fewer people are out in the evening...I said fewer, not no people at all. They call this the city that never sleeps for a reason. No matter. It looks like we're all gonna be okay and outta here by tea time tomorrow. Right at this moment, all that mattered to me was the look of relief on all my friends' faces as we drove off into the night.

Chapter 7: So They Hired a Mercenary?

"I thought you knew how to drive this thing!" Rainbow Dash yelled as I once again sideswiped a car parked at the curb.

"I never drove this without fingers before!" I replied. "Cut me some slack, will ya!?"

"No! The more stuff you hit, the more pain you're putting Applejack through!"

"Rainbow, don't ya dare make Vinnie feel bad on mah account!" Applejack shouted after finally recovering from her shock. "He's tryin' best he can to help us all and it ain't right to put more pressure on him!"

"Thanks, Jackie." I said. "I re-*sniff* really appreciate having somepony who's got my back."

"Vincenzo, darling why are you crying?" Rarity asked.

"Girls, I just turned fifty years old. In all those years, I've n-never felt so much p-pressure at one time. I-I mean look, I've got an entire police force after me, six precious lives that I'm responsible for, one of them badly injured, I'm driving a car I can't control, the fuckin' bridge in front of us I was gonna take is closed and now we're almost outta gas!"

It was looking like all the times before when I kept saying we were all gonna be okay, I was just fooling myself. I had never been so close to having a nervous breakdown as I was at this point. The nearest bridge to us was closed due to an accident up ahead and what little dirty gas was left in the tank wasn't gonna last much longer.

"Um, Vinnie?" Fluttershy said as she placed a hoof on my shoulder. "Just take deep breaths, okay? We'll all be just fine."

"Try that breathing exercise Cadence taught us." Twilight said. "Just take it easy, Vinnie. You're not going it alone. Is he, Rainbow?!"

"No, he's not..." Rainbow Dash answered. "I'm sorry, Vinnie."

I can always count on my friends for positive reinforcement. That's one of the countless reasons I'm glad that I have them.

"Okay, okay, gimme a sec." I said as I started to gather mentally gather myself. "Uh, let's see...I bet I could make a three point turn over there...Then I could find the nearest gas station and I bet we could take the Third Avenue Bridge instead. I can see it from here. I don't see any problems over there so I think we can make a go of that."

"See, Vinnie?" Twilight said. "You just needed to take a breather for quiet concentration and already, you've come up with a solution! You're doing fine!"

"Thanks, Sparks! Alright, I'm gonna turn around right here and find a gas stati-ah crap they probably won't accept Equestrian bits! Dammit!"

"Why don't we just write out an IOU on these papers I found?" Pinkie blurted out holding a Benjamin in her hoof.

"What the-where did you find that!?"

"There's a ton of these things in that handy compartment right on front of Twilight! Who is this Franklin guy anyway?"

"He's our ticket to a full tank of gas and getting the hell outta here! Shit, I forgot all about my old cash stash!"

Our endeavor has been full of ups and downs but it seemed that I with the girls by my side could get through just about anything. We're a good team and if we all put our minds to something, the job gets done. We've been through a lot in my three and a half years in Equestria and we have yet to fail to achieve our goals. When a pack of rogue timberwolves started coming too close to the town, we didn't run and hide, we went out there and kicked their asses! When the diamond dog gang came to rob Ponyville's bank, we didn't put our hooves up and hoof over our dough. We banded together and took their sorry asses down! When a corrupt, power hungry tycoon tried to run for mayor, we snooped around until we found what we needed to-

"Is this one of those gas stations we need, dear?" Rarity said as we neared what appeared to be a Shell gas station.

"Yeah, that's it!" I replied. "Good eye, Gem! W-wow, since when did gas get down to two-sixteen a gallon?"

Finally, we were all getting a moment to just chill out and calmly think about where we needed to go next. The gas station we were pulling up into was apparently having a slow day as there were no other customers and I could see the cashier inside the store reading a comic book. Hey, I'm not complaining. We need gas and maybe some food and drinks for the road and we can stand to have fewer people around to see us.

"Okay, Pinks, I need you to go in there and get some snacks and drinks for us. I don't know about you but a couple days without eating is starting to kick my flank. When you get the stuff, hoof this bill to the clerk in there and tell him I'm filling up on pump number two."

"I'll go in with her." Rarity said. "I feel like I need to get up and stretch a bit. Applejack, is there anything you'd like us to get?"

"Some peroxide or somethin' like that and maybe some gauze if'n they got it." Applejack replied. "Thanks, Rares."

Applejack was right. The towel was pretty soaked and the trunk of my car wasn't exactly the most sanitary source to get it from. If we were to prevent her wound from getting infected, we would definitely need an antiseptic and some clean bandages for her. While Pinkie and Rarity went into the store, Rainbow Dash and Twilight got out of the car to keep a look out for trouble. On this particular model, the gas door is behind the rear license plat bracket which shed light on another potential issue. The actual plates were gone if we weren't careful, the cops would see that and pull us over for sure.

Well, we needed the fuel and the food so I just stuck the gas nozzle into the car's backside and started the pump. I planned on completely filling the tank so this would take a little while. For the first time in a long time, I was actually kind of okay with that. To just have a moment to stop and stare felt pretty nice. It was also kind of chilly out on this early spring night and after a day of sweating my flank off with all the running and stress, the cool air was more than welcome. It was also a breath of fresh air to see gas just over two bucks a gallon. I didn't think I'd ever see that again.

Eight gallons in and another eight to go. Call me crazy if you want but I didn't really want it to end as quickly as it was about to. Just as we were getting some time to loaf around and relax in the cool night air, it was about to be yanked away by the cold hard fact that we needed to get this over with. It's a shame. The clerk inside the store seems to be having one hell of a great time at work taking selfies with Pinkie and Rarity. It certainly beats having him call the cops on us.

"It was a pleasure meeting you, Jimmy!" Rarity said to the cashier as she and Pinkie came out of the store with bags of snacks and drinks.

"Thanks for talking me out of buying those so-called hot dogs!" Pinkie added.

"Hey thanks for stopping in!" The clerk called back. "You two really made my day! See ya around!"

Well, it's not every day when a couple of talking equines trot into your store to buy stuff and with a dull, boring life he must lead, I'd probably be pretty thrilled with it myself. Rarity got back into the car to pass around the snacks and drinks while Pinkie joined me by the gas pump to keep me company out there. Good thing, because I was just about to need an extra hoof in a moment.

"There he is!" A familiar voice said from a police car that had just stopped on the curb. "That's the talking horse that pounded my face!"

"Jeez, he musta hit ya harder than we thought." Another cop said. "After this is over, I'll ask the Sarge if ya can take a couple weeks off."

Oh how lovely, our old pal Officer Glen is back for another round. The younger guy who was with him before wasn't here now and the guy who was there looked to be a more senior member of the department. I as well as the girls are in no mood to deal with these clowns right now so I figured I'd let them know when the timing is right.

"I'm telling the truth! That pony talked to me! I-it said something in Italian and then started speaking English again!"

"And I'm telling you that you've probably got a concussion and need to get this through your head! Ponies...can't...tal-"

"Do you mind?" I called over to them. "Some of us like to pump their gas in peace! Deficienti cazzo!"

I love to see the looks on people's faces when things like this happen. Officer Glen looked more smug about proving the other wrong than surprised this time. To see a guy about my age looking like he'd just seen something he simply couldn't fathom and would have a hard time believing for quite some time was delicious. I couldn't help but crack a smug smirk myself as his cigarette dropped out of his mouth as it hung wide open. Sadly, all good things come to an end and after regaining his composure, the older officer grabbed the mic on his radio before slowly driving off.

"Dispatch, this is Car B-182." The officer said. "We got a 10-14 on multiple equines on the loose at the shell station on Third Avenue! We're gonna need a professional for this one! Get a hold of animal control and get the Dark Star over here!"

"Yeah, yeah bring 'em on!" I shouted. "As pissed off as I am right now, nobody wants to fuck with me and my friends! Nobody!"

Who would have thought members of the NYPD would drive away like cowards? I'm three feet tall from the bottom of my hooves to the top of my head and these guys are calling for some kind of pro to deal with me. I know I shouldn't be gloating at a time like this but I couldn't help it. Little did I know however, I was soon to find out that I was once again breaking one of my own rules; Letting my guard down.

"Dark Star? Who's that?" Pinkie asked as the police car drove out of sight.

"Hell if I know, Pinks." I replied. "But whoever this punk is, we can take 'em."

"I dunno, Vinnie. I've got a bad feeling about this and when I've got a bad feeling, something really bad is about to hap-uh, I think I spoke too soon. Look!"

Sure enough, a new formidable foe in the form of a big white van rolled down the street towards us and stopped directly in front of us. As we predicted, the van had "NYC Animal Control" painted on the side along with big amber colored light bars on top. At first I wasn't so sure why Pinkie of all ponies was as nervous as she was but the "KILNPETZ" license plate was enough to make me reconsider a bit. I was actually starting to hope the gas pump was done for once.

The van just sat there as I continued to fuel up our getaway ride. The driver just sat there puffing away at his cigar as if he just didn't care that we were here. I couldn't actually see his face because it was so dark out but being a non-smoker really heightens one's sense of smell. At long last, a big fat cigar butt was flicked out the window of the van and the door slowly opened.

In all my years living in New York, I saw the average, every day, run of the mill animal control officer in action all the time but this creep was something else. He was a heavy but somewhat muscular guy who looked to be in his mid forties with a balding head and a big scar over his left eye. On his belt, hung just about any kind of gadget and wacky little doohickey imaginable and the goggles he had resting on his forehead looked like something out of a 1980s science fiction movie. We were dealing with somebody who was a little overly passionate about their job.

"Who the hell does this guy think he is? Dog the fuckin' bounty hunter?" I said as the guy stood motionless about fifteen yards away.

This guy was making me nervous. He just stood there leering at me and sizing me up. At this point, we were both staring each other down until he finally made the first move. He reached over his shoulder and pulled some kind of baton from behind his back. At first I thought it was a beating implement of sorts until he pressed a small red button on the device making it telescope out into a pretty fancy looking catch pole.

As nervous as I was, it was now my turn to attempt to look intimidating.

"Here, Pinks, finish pumping the gas." I said as took a few steps towards our foe. "I'll take care of this prick."

Just to start off my little charade, I blew a few good snorts out of my nose and began pawing at the ground, making like I was about to charge. It wasn't a complete lie because If I needed to do so, I would. It was his turn again. He reached into one of the several dozen pockets on his belt and pulled out a small, black, cylinder shaped object and it too had a red button on it. As expected, he pressed said button and the object then telescoped into triple its original length and now had two prongs on one end. I had a bad feeling about this one. Well, my feeling was proved correct as the crazy bastard again pressed the red button revealing the device to be an electronic cattle prod.

I know for a fact that I can't top that one but I'm gonna try anyway just for the sake of stalling for time to think. Precious time that I was running dangerously low on. The only thing I could think of to keep this macho man contest going was to stand up on my hind legs and show how fast I could punch with my front hooves. Those boxing lessons with Rainbow Dash just might come in handy here. Still though, I knew who the winner of this "dick measuring" contest was and it sure as hell wasn't me. I never truly won one fair and square but that was mostly because I'd end up cheating by whipping out a gun. Those days are long gone though.

The girls watched as I and our threat took turns making ourselves look tough while Pinkie was still pumping fuel into the car. Jeez, will that tank ever be full? It appeared as though things were wrapping up as the psycho dog catcher began limbering up. He was doing so because he was about to start a chase so I quickly took the hint and followed suit. I did some stretches and started a little gallop in place to warm up for what was to come next.

"Pinks?" I said as I prepared to make a gallop for it.

"Yeah, Vinnie?" Pinkie answered.

"The second the pump stops, put the nozzle back and get in the car, okay?"

"Got it."

"Good, because I'm about to show this jackass how us ponies travel downtown!"

We were off! I bolted towards the other side of the gas station in hopes of getting him to follow me and by the time I got back to the car he'd be tired out. The guy's a bit chunky but he's not a total lard ass. Over all, he's pretty stocky and probably does better with power rather than speed and agility. I wasn't prepared for what I saw as I looked over my shoulder and learned that my theory was dead wrong.

"Santo merda!" I shouted as the loop of the man's catch pole narrowly missed getting wrapped around my neck.

What was happening just emphasized the age old lesson of "never judge a book by its cover" and If I didn't pick up the pace, it would prove to be a deadly mistake. Now, when I say "deadly" I mean this crazy motherfucker looks like he wants to mount me on his wall. No joke. I had no choice but to gallop as fast as my little legs would carry me. I had smoke free lungs and equine stamina working in my favor but fifty years of being around working against me. Though my age only affected my speed minimally, this so called "Dark Star" dude didn't seem to have much trouble keeping up.

"For the love of Luna's sweet, luscious flank, somepony help me!!" I screamed as I made it back to the front side of the convenience store, the Dark Star in hot pursuit.

Before my friends could so much as glance at my attacker and I, we darted right past out of their sight once again. As I neared the back side of the store, I took one more look behind me to see that I had apparently outrun the Dark Star. This was it! Back by the front, I saw that Pinkie was finished fueling up the car! All I had to do was hop in when I got back and we were good to go! Just around the corner and...

"Come to papa, pony!" The Dark Star yelled as I came around the corner.

The prick tricked me by turning around and coming back to the front of the building to wait for me to come right back to him. It was sneaky, dirty, crooked but I'll give him that, it was damn clever. The only thing I could do was try my best to turn right back around and hightail it but coming to a stop from galloping at full pace was easier said than done. As far as I was concerned, the bastard's got me. As I slid on my hooves for one last attempt to escape, the Dark Star bolted after me with the loop on his catch pole ready to close around my neck. It would take a miracle to help me out of this one.

As fate would have it, the crazed dog catcher somehow managed to slip on something causing his catch pole to move right out of my path in the nick if time. I finally came to a halt about five yards from where the Dark Star had fallen flat on his face. That's where I saw my savior in the form of the store clerk standing in the front doorway with an empty shampoo bottle in his hand and a mysterious green puddle on the ground that the Dark Star was now lying in.

"Oops! Did I do that?" Jimmy the clerk said as he placed a "wet floor" warning sign next to our fallen foe.

"Thanks, Jimbo!" Pinkie said as I jumped into the car and cranked it over.

"Anytime, Pinks!"

"Don't forget to write, dear!" Rarity said. "And keep the change!"

Within no time at all, we were gone. I looked back in the rear view mirror to see the Dark Star just start to get back on his feet while Jimmy nonchalantly mopped up the spill around him. We were on our way to Manhattan and ultimately Central Park as we were now cruising on the Third Avenue bridge. Once we find that fountain that lead me to Equestria, we're home free!

"Hey Vinnie?" Rainbow Dash asked as we entered the bridge. "What was that that you said back there?"

"What, you mean 'santo merda'?" I replied. "That means 'holy shit' in Italian."

"No, I mean what was that about Princess Luna's butt? Got something to tell us?"

"Oh shut up, Cloud."

Author's Note

Attention, DarkStarz. Senpai has noticed you :twilightsmile:

Chapter 8: Papa Vinnie

"Okay, fine I'll admit it!" I huffed as the girls persuaded me to make a confession. "I think she's hot, alright?"

"Bahahahaha! Did you hear that, everypony?" Rainbow Dash laughed. "Vinnie's got the hots for Luna!"

"Gahaha! What other juicy stuff ya gonna tell us?" Applejack asked.

"Probably more about how juicy he thinks Luna's butt is, am I right?" Fluttershy of all ponies added.

Though awkward as this moment was for me as my blush plainly showed, a moment where everypony could laugh and joke around was much needed at a time like this. Everypony in the car erupted in laughter and despite being embarrassed to no end, I found it hard to complain about. In fact, I even decided to humor them and go along with it.

"At least I waited until I was the same species to start finding her attractive." I chuckled in response causing Fluttershy to blush as her eyes darted around the car.

"Ohhh, feel the burn, Flutters!" Rainbow Dash laughed.

"Oh! Speaking of which..." Twilight began. "I bought a newspaper while you were running from that crazy guy. I find it hard to believe this citrus fruit with a toupe has almost as much political support as this Bernie guy. He seems to have some great ideas."

"Sparks, please." I said. "I'm in a good mood for once, let's not ruin it by reminding me how fucked this country is if the Trump chump wins."

Finally, at long last, we were over the bridge and just entering Manhattan. There it was; The glitz and glamour of the North side of the island. As much as I wanted to just slow down and admire the nice neighborhood, we did look a bit out of place driving an old rusty hunk of shit. All the other cars around were nice new luxury cars that belonged here. My smoking, backfiring mess would draw some unwanted attention from the local well to do so we would need to move it along. Still, I knew Rarity would enjoy seeing Park Avenue and it was nice to be able to show her at least for a few minutes.

At this point, we were getting quite close to Central Park and if I remembered correctly, the fountain that I fell into those years ago was on the North-East side of Central Park. As we went even further down, I even started to vividly recall taking a cab right around here before having the driver drop me off at the park to ponder where my life was about to go.

"Ah okay, if I turn right on East 104th street..." I mumbled to myself. "The entrance to the park should be right in front of us...there!"

We came to the end of the street and stopped for a red light with one of the many side streets leading into Central Park directly straight ahead. As we waited for the traffic to clear and the light to turn green, the girls looked in both directions to see just how long the park was from end to end. Seeming as though they couldn't see either end as it was much too long, they all just stared in awe at the massive spectacle that stood before us.

"This is a park?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"Sure is." I replied. "One of the many wonders of the National icon that is New York City."

"It's huge!" Twilight said.

"That's what she said." Fluttershy blurted out, earning herself the perplexed stares from everypony in the car.

"Not that I mind but what's gotten into you lately?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"I'm just trying to fit in."

"Okay, girls, I'm parking it right here." I said as I put the car in park, shut it off and hopped out. "It's all coming back to me now. C'mon, this way."

I left the car for what would be my last time. It was sad to see it rust and crumple but giving it a purpose one last time made me feel a little better. I looked around a bit more and remembered the area well. The day I left New York, I entered this side of the park and walked about a half mile North to where I was secretly followed by two old rivals. After reaching the fountain, they tried to snuff me out. I wasn't planning on going without a fight so after a struggle, I found myself under water which is how I ended up in Equestria.

We started our trot down the concrete path with Applejack being helped along by Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash as we all hummed among ourselves while we drew ever closer to our doorway back home. We would probably have to wait until tomorrow for Princess Celestia to show up and open the portal for us. On the bright side, there were plenty of places to hide. Lots of foliage to use as cover. The familiar area was so close, we could almost taste it. It was just then when something else that was about to come and throw a wrench in everything.

"Vinnie! Girls! Look!" Twilight gasped as she pointed at someone further down the path. "It's that guy we saw earlier!"

That wasn't something I wanted to hear. We had just outrun a large threat and were so close to our way home. The last thing we needed was more trouble from him. I froze up and looked over expecting to see that crazed dog catcher but instead saw the young guy who ran me over with the little Honda...and he looked like he was hitting the sauce again very hard.

"Yeesh, is that guy smashed again?" Applejack asked. "We only saw him tear off all wasted this morning!"

"Dude's got a problem." Rainbow Dash said.

It was a pitiful sight. To see such a young guy staggering around Central Park with a bottle of whiskey in his hand after getting plastered at eight o'clock in the morning was simply heartbreaking. After watching him for a moment, the kid took one final gulp finishing off his bottle before falling right to the ground and landing on his back. He was out cold.

"This is just sad." Twilight said as she trotted up to the passed out kid. "This poor guy needs help."

"Is he okay?" Pinkie asked."

"Well, he's alive but definitely not okay." Applejack said as she removed her hat.

"Vinnie?" Rarity asked. "C-can we all talk for a moment?"

"About what, Gem?" I replied.

"About...him. Now that he's lying still, take a good look at his face. Are you sure he doesn't look familiar?"

"Now that she brings that up..." Fluttershy began. "I swear we've seen his face before. I don't know where but we all just have this feeling."

"That and what are the odds we'd see him twice within less than a day in a city of eight million?" Rainbow Dash said. "This can't be a coincidence."

"I don't know, girls." I began as I searched the guy's pockets for clues. "All I know is we can't just leave him here like this. Ah, here. I'll see if I can find out where he lives so we can bring him back home in the car. We'll have to come back to meet the Princesses tomorrow."

As I pulled a wallet out of the guy's pocket, a small, wrinkled pink piece of paper fell out with it. I decided to check that first. After I flattened the paper out on the ground, I could see a part of what the kid's problem was.

TERMINATED

Vincent: As you know, you were recently mandated to take a drug/alcohol test after appearing to be intoxicated during a shift at the store. We at Excelsior Auto Parts Inc. regret to inform you that you have failed and are being stripped of your employment status with the company. Nonetheless, we hope that you seek treatment for the issue and wish you the best of luck. It is not personal, we just cannot allow our employees to be intoxicated on the job.

"Poor kid just lost his job..." I said as I looked for a driver's license. "He's having a rough week but that still doesn't explain all the drinking. Apparently he had a problem before he got himself canned."

I ended up finding a license which showed his full name, date of birth, and most importantly his address.

Sachentov Vincent, Joseph

19872 Maple Street Apt C4

Brooklyn, NY

Sex/M Height/6'3'' Eyes/Brown

DOB 04/08/1993

"Sachentov!?" I gasped, ignoring the address. "Th-that was my girlfriend Jenny's last name...Okay, this is getting weird."

"Incredible!" Twilight said. "You must have some kind of connection with him! Keep looking!"

"He was born in April of ninety-three...that's...oh God..."

"Vinnie, what's wrong?" Pinkie asked.

"April of 1993. That's...nine months after Jenny left me...and now that I think about it, this kid looks a lot like..."

Before I finished my sentence, I pulled a small photograph out of the young man's wallet. What I saw in the picture startled me so much I nearly jumped out of my horseshoes.

"Yipe!" I squeaked as I dropped the picture.

I simply couldn't for the life of me comprehend what I had just seen. I nervously reached down to pick up the picture to double take and make sure I wasn't going crazy. I was very close to doing so when I took a good long look at the small photograph that sat on my hoof. It was of a happy looking couple both the man and woman in their late twenties...the woman was my old flame, Jenny and the man was me...

It all hit me like a truck full of bricks. All the signs and everything we've been through in the past few days just rushed through my head. The fact that we were sucked into a portal was for a reason. Fate caused this kid and I to meet for a reason. This kid looks nearly identical to me when I was a human, and the photo he was carrying of me and my girlfriend Jenny was the cherry on top of the clusterfuck sundae.

I Started to feel lightheaded and my back legs quickly gave out before I plopped my ass on the ground. I couldn't take my eyes of the picture but now that I was sitting down, the girls could finally get a look at what was putting me in such a trance. I had described what Jenny looked like to my friends before and they never forgot what I looked like as a human. That being the case, the gasps I heard from the girls after they peaked over my shoulder at the picture I was holding were expected. Soon after, my shock grew worse as I started to hyperventilate.

"Vinnie, buddy, just slow down." Rainbow Dash said as she placed a comforting hoof on my back. "Deep breaths, dude deep breaths."

"Vincenzo, dearest?" Rarity said, following suit. "I think we all know what all these things coming together mean but no matter what, we'll be by your side to support you every step of the way."

"G-girls?" I stuttered. "I don't...*urp* I don't feel so good."

Fluttershy and Rarity escorted me to a spot behind some bushes were I promptly threw up while Twilight, Pinkie and Rainbow Dash helped an injured Applejack and carried the passed out Vincent to the car. Finally, after several minutes of losing the contents of my stomach, I was ready to take some deep breaths and actually think rationally for a moment.

Okay, let's see...I and some friends of mine got forced through an underwater portal and stranded in one of the biggest cities in the world...got the police and animal control trying to catch us...found my old car that I drove when I was a human and now found a kid passed out drunk who happens to be my son I never knew I had. No biggie, right? As hard as I was being hit by all of this at once, I knew what we all had to do as our plans had changed dramatically. I was finally calmed down enough to get back into the car and put our new plan into action.

"Girls, here's what we're gonna do." I began as I started the car with our inebriated passenger in the back seat. "We're taking this Vincent guy back to his place...when he wakes up in the morning, we need to have a very serious talk with him. The princesses will have to wait. Now, we gotta head over to Brooklyn."

Chapter 9: Rehab, Anyone?

"Oh no." Pinkie said as she had a searched through the bags we got from the gas station. "I must have dropped the peroxide and bandages back there."

"Okay, no big deal, Pinkster." I replied as we neared Maple Street in Brooklyn. "I'm sure we'll find something at Vincent's place. By the way, how's he holding up back there?"

"Still no sign of him waking up any time soon." Fluttershy answered.

"Well, we're getting close to his place by now...hang on, I think...here it is!"

We found the place. It was a fairly large apartment high rise but by the looks of it, it was full of cheap one thousand dollar units. For most of the state of New York, that would get you a three or at least a two bedroom apartment but a grand here doesn't go very far. The only nearby parking spaces we could see were right on the curb and sure enough, the green Honda coupe sat there sporting it's new dent that looked an awful lot like my muzzle. Since it lacked plates and was recently stolen from an impound yard, we thought it would be best to hide my old Chevy in an alley next to the building. After getting everypony and our new friend out, we covered the car up with a bunch of cardboard boxes and entered the complex.

The apartment we were looking for was on the third floor and luckily at this hour, nobody else was coming or going so we weren't seen by anyone. It still took a good while with Applejack being hurt and a nearly two hundred pound, six foot three inch drunk guy in tow but finally, we reached the place we were looking for. Once I glanced at the door though, I was about to find out that we had only seen the beginning of this poor kid's problems. The eviction notice stuck to the door was another one to add to the list. On the bright side, at least I could help remedy this one fairly quickly.

"Sparks, sweetie can you do me a favor?" I asked my alicorn friend. "Would you go back to the car, get twenty of those hundred dollar bills, fold this paper around them and slip it in the drop box down at the first floor?"

"Of course!" Twilight replied as she hugged me tightly. "This is all so sweet of you, Vinnie. Taking him home and paying his rent so he doesn't have to sleep on the street. I'm so proud of you."

"Thanks, hon, that really means a lot to me. While you're doing that, we'll attend to Vincent here and see if we can find something to help Jackie too."

We learned that we wouldn't have to look very far to find an antiseptic for Applejack's hoof as we entered the single bedroom apartment. Our guy Vincent here sure has quite the collection if booze and sadly, I wasn't all that surprised to see it. It was all over the place. There were bottles of schnapps, rum, scotch, bourbon, wine, whiskey, and vodka. Dear Celestia was there a lot of vodka. My Girlfriend Jenny was Russian so if there's something our boy inherited from her, it was their love of vodka...My God, I can't believe I'm saying this...our boy...I need some time for this to sink in.

Now that we had our patient safely in his bed, we had to take care of one more thing before we could finally rest for the night. It was almost one o'clock in the morning but Applejack's wound couldn't wait. We needed to properly clean it before it got infected and the liquor here would be perfect for the job. Though it would be painful, Jackie is the type of girl who enjoys being alive so the choice between some burning pain and dying from an infection would be pretty easy.

Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy and Pinkie took Applejack into the bathroom with a bottle of the strongest whiskey we could find and sat her down in the tub. As Fluttershy prepared some clean cloths she found to use as bandages, Applejack took advantage of the chance to take a few hearty gulps of the booze before biting down on a towel to brace herself for the cleaning. Rainbow Dash held Applejack down, Pinkie proceeded to tell her a joke to take her mind off the pain while Fluttershy poured the whiskey on the wound and bandaged her up.

It wasn't looking very good. Applejack's leg was quite swollen and very red. I was worried that an infection had already set in but now that it was cleaned and properly dressed, she could let it heal well. Fluttershy was always good with this kind of thing. I called her "Doc" a lot when I first met her because she fixed my nose back then after an accident with Rarity's door. I still call her that once in a while but not quite as much anymore.

Finally, our work for the night was done. Applejack was a little buzzed from the drink and resting on the sofa. Vincent was tucked in his bed while Twilight and I lay at his feet to look after him and the rest of the girls spread out some blankets on the floor in the living room. It was time to get some sleep that we all so badly needed. Our work was done for the night but a hell of a lot more work was just beginning for me and I'd be getting right back to it tomorrow.

"Twi?" I whimpered as I lay on my stomach looking over at Vincent. "Can I be honest with you?"

"You can tell me anything, Vinnie." Twilight replied.

"I'm scared, sparks. I really am. I'm really not feeling that great at all, really. I mean, look at what's happening here. I just...I just found out that I'm...a father. Me, Vincenzo Harold Scungilli a father. I have so many questions I need answered more than ever."

"And like Rarity said earlier, we'll always be here to support you. In the three and a half years you've lived in Equestria, you've become like a father to us. Vinnie, most of the fillies and colts in Ponyville call you 'Uncle Vinnie' when they see you. Everything will be okay. I promise. No, no Vinnie, please don't cry."

I knew what it was like to grow up without my Dad around. It really sucked but he wasn't around because he died when an engine block fell on him. It wasn't his fault. Still, not having a Dad wasn't good for me as one could plainly see from the life I started living when I reached my twenties. Vincent's situation was a bit different though. I knew my father until I lost him when I was eight years old. This kid never met me and I'm the one to blame for it. Now look at him. He's become a drunk who lost his job and was about to lose his apartment because of me.

There wasn't much anypony could do to make me feel better about myself right now but Twilight, Celestia bless her beautiful soul, wrapped her wing around me and held close as exhaustion finally caught up to me and I cried myself to sleep.

"Vincenzo, son please just listen to me." My Ma said as she tried to talk some sense into me.

When she was around, I swear I had an absolute saint of a mother. She never did approve of my line of work with an organized crime family but really, what mother would? After my father was killed, a lawsuit followed and the company he worked for was ordered to pay out the ass for their negligence that lead to the accident. My Ma saved up that money so she could spend her time bringing me up.

"Mama, I told you, I'll get it figured out." I replied. "I just need to come up with the right approach to it."

"Vincenzo, this girl...she's the best thing that's ever happened to you. I've never seen you so happy before you started seeing her. Please, son, I just want you to be happy. It would break my heart if you lose her."

"So what do you suggest I do? Leaving the mob is easier said than done."

"I know, dear, I know. I wish you had never joined up with those people to begin with but I'm telling you, the sooner you quit, the better. Remember, your Mama always loves you, son."

"I love you too, Ma. Don't ever forget that. I'll...see what I can do."

"Yes, you do that very soon."

I always loved my Mother's thick accent. It was a nice reminder of where my roots where. I remember my Pa having one just like it but I don't think quite as thick. My family came to New York when I was three years old so I adapted to the local accent and always spoke like a New Yorker.

"Oh Vincenzo, one more thing."

"Yeah, Mama?"

"He's waking up!"

All of a sudden, my Mother started talking in this high pitched, almost squeaky voice that honestly scared the hell out of me. I cared so deeply for my Mother so of course the thought of her getting sick and losing her voice got me worried.

"Ma, what happened to your voice!?" I asked. "Are you okay!?"

"Vinnie! Get up! He's coming to!"

"Ma, I'm sorry!" I blurted out as I woke up.

"Vinnie, are you alright?" Twilight asked me.

"Aw shit, sorry, Sparks. I had a wacky dream again. It was about my Ma."

"Given the situations that we've all been put in lately, I think there's something to these dreams you've been having. They must be trying to tell you something."

"I think you're right, Twi. Wait, did you say Vincent was getting up?"

"He was stirring for a moment but I don't think he'll be springing out of bed very quickly. Soon though."

Sure enough, signs of life were shown by the sickly young man my friends and I tucked into bed last night. At first a few twitches and some groans of discomfort were all that came from him but he soon started to move a bit more and mutter a few foul things that even I wouldn't say. After a few minutes of this, the rest of the girls came in to see how he was doing when finally, his eyes slowly opened.

We all could tell that Vincent wasn't feeling very good and judging by his lack of surprised reaction to seven ponies in his bedroom, he probably hadn't regained his eyesight yet. Gradually, he started to look around the room with his eyes half shut until at last the sudden realization that he was not alone hit him. Oddly enough, his hangover decided to hit at the same time.

"Somepony get a bucket!" Twilight said. "Quick!"

"Here, I got one!" Pinkie said as she rushed to the bedside and held it up to the young man's face.

It was gonna be a bit of a process. Just when we thought his stomach was empty, he paused for a moment to catch his breath but quickly started tossing his cookies until the bucket was filled to the top. It still didn't stop there. While Pinkie bolted to the bathroom to dump the bucket, Twilight, Rarity and I guided him to the bathroom leaving a puke trail along the way. He still seemed too groggy to realize who exactly was in his apartment with him. Fluttershy and Rarity stayed with Vincent in the bathroom to give him a back rub while he continued to hurl into the toilet. Pinkie, Rainbow Dash and I proceeded to clean up the spills around the apartment while Twilight searched the bags from the gas station for a ginger ale.

The messy part was finally coming to an end. The piles of vomit were mopped off the floor, Vincent was taking a breather and a fresh can of ginger ale was on its way to our patient. With his head still over the toilet, the young man's breathing finally slowed down to a less concerning pace. I could now proceed to open the can of ginger ale and hoof it over the him. He looked like he really needed it.

"H-hey buddy." I said as I presented the soda. "Here, I got a ginger ale for ya."

"Whoa, dude..." Vincent said as he reached for it. "Thanks, man."

"D-don't mention it."

Vincent hastily took some sips of the soothing soda. After some sips, he started to take some bigger gulps. It was then and there that the fact that someone else was in his apartment just occurred to him. As he continued to chug the soda, he looked over at all of our smiling faces in the bathroom with him. Even Applejack limped her way over to see how he was doing. After a moment of processing what he was seeing, the girls and I proceeded to wear what he was drinking. Even Pinkie didn't see that one coming.

"Whoa, Jesus crap!" Vincent shrieked after spitting out his drink. "Who the fuck are you!?"

"Vincent, just relax." Twilight said. "We're here to help you. We're your friends."

"W-what the fuck do you...where the fuck did you all come from!?"

"We're from another dimension!" Pinkie chimed.

"An-another...dimension?"

"Uh-huh." The girls and I said in unison.

"So...did I die?"

Before we could tell him that he indeed had not died, the look on Vincent's face suddenly changed from shocked and confused to ecstatic. Now we were the ones getting confused when he started laughing like a damn maniac.

"Hahahahaha...Gahahahahahahahaaa! I died! I finally died! Yes!"

"This is even more depressing than I thought!" Pinkie said as here usually fluffy mane deflated. "Girls, I didn't think I could ever get this sad but I've done it."

"Oh shit!" Vincent continued, ignoring Pinkie and the rest of us. "My pain is gone! I'm finally free!"

We simply didn't know what to say or to make of such a horrifyingly depressing situation. This kid is sick and It's all my fault! That's why from here on out, it's up to me to fix his life and make up for lost time. We need to start out by stopping him from recklessly running around his apartment before he...

Thump!

...Bashes his shin into a chair.

"Hisssss...aaauugh..." Vincent winced as he massaged his bruised shin. "Hisssss...aaauugh...hisssss...aaauugh..."

Chapter 10: We're Going for a Ride

"Okay, so where did you guys say you were from again?" Vincent asked as he sat on the sofa with an ice pack on his shin.

"We're from a place called Equestria." Twilight replied. "It's a wonderful place ruled by the two Royal sisters, Princesses Celestia and Luna. Celestia raises the sun in the morning and Luna raises the mo-"

"Okay, okay, look I don't need to hear your life's story, I just wanna know how and why you're here. Now that I've gotten over the shock of there being a bunch of yellow, purple and blue talking ponies in my apartment, I kinda wanna know what you're doing here in the first place."

"Hon, you were drunk off yer hind end when we found ya last night." Applejack clarified. "We couldn't just leave ya there to git robbed er Celestia knows what so we took ya home."

"Wow...thanks. Jeez, that's the nicest thing anybody's ever done for me. Hey, what's up with the green guy in the corner? He's been pretty quiet. What gives?"

"Who, me?" I asked, knowing he was talking about me. "Oh, I'm just minding my own buisne-"

"That's Vinnie." Rainbow Dash said. "He's from New York originally and he's been through a lot but he's a sweet guy once you get to know him."

Rainbow Dash, who I once nicknamed "Cloud Speed" knew just what to say. The girls all knew that I was rightfully nervous and that finding out that I had a son that I never knew about until now was a big deal. I couldn't just come out and say it like it was nothing. I had to come up with the right things to say at the right time and it wasn't gonna be easy.

"You're from here?" Vincent asked. "How come nobody knows about talking mini horses then? I know I've never heard of anything like that."

"I used to be a human." I answered. "So um, look, kid I'm gonna just cut to the chase. You and I are...connected and I need to get as much information as I can from you so we ca-"

"Is 'Vinnie' short for 'Vincent' too?"

"Uh, no my full first name is actually Vincenzo."

"That a fact? Alright, anyways, about needing to talk, I'm down with that. I don't got any friends so It's cool to have somebody to talk to for a change. Anybody want a cigarette?"

Oh jeez, he smokes too? Then again, that explains the waist basket full of butts in the living room. So let's see...he drinks like a fish, smokes like a chimney, is clinically depressed and has no friends. The very thought of getting to him any later than we did scares the shit outta me. This kid-er...my kid is gonna die or kill himself if we don't do something. I refuse to let that happen.

"No thanks, I quit a few years ago." I replied. "I found that I could run a lot faster and hurl up mucus from my lungs a lot less that way."

"Mkay, how about you guys?"

"Nope, I remember when Vinnie smoked." Pinkie replied. "Those things stink."

"I'm an athlete." Rainbow Dash said. "I wouldn't be caught dead with one of those in my mouth."

"Ah'm good, hon." Applejack said.

"I'll pass." Twilight said.

"I'd rather not, thank you though." Rarity said.

"I'll give it a try." Fluttershy said.

"The hell you will!" Twilight retorted. "Do you have any idea what kinds of chemicals I found in those when I first started studying them?"

"N-never mind."

"Hey, more for me then." Vincent said. "Hey you wanna know something funny? Not like 'ha ha' funny but like weird or strange kinda funny."

"What's that?" Pinkie asked.

"My mother told me that 'Vincenzo' is my father's name. Never met the guy. I guess she found out that he was a mob capo or something. Oh shit, I keep getting off topic. So, what did you need to talk about, Vinnie?"

An awkward hush fell over everypony in the room as we sat around to talk to our new friend. Everything this kid was saying was doing nothing but confirming that he was my own kin. At this point there's really no doubt but...how do I tell him? What do I tell him? I just couldn't quite get myself to say "I am your father." I had to tell him at some point but I swear I've never been so nervous in my life.

"Well, Vincent..." I began. "I kinda wanna start by...hearing about some of your...background. Like, where you were originally from, what it was like growing up...among other things."

"Uh okay, I guess. Well, before I was born, my mom moved upstate. Literally right in the center of the state is Onondaga County where I grew up. Things kinda sucked not having a dad but my mom worked hard to raise me the best she could. She had a boyfriend every now and then but none of them stuck around very long."

"Uh huh...so what brings you to New York City?"

"My mom gave me this picture and all the information she had about my father. That's why I'm here. I'm trying to find him...hang on a sec, I'ma get a beer. Anybody want one?"

"Dude, it's not even noon yet! That, and you just got so drunk last night that you passed out! Look, this is another thing I wanna talk to you about."

"Don't judge me just 'cause I like to party."

Vincent then got off of the couch, limped over to the fridge and proceeded to search through beers of all different kinds to find the one he wanted. I couldn't let him do this to himself any more, especially this early in the day. I needed to take action now so I followed him over to the fridge and firmly placed my hoof on the door, shutting it before he could choose a drink.

"What you're doing isn't partying, Vincent." I said firmly. "You're an alcoholic and you need help."

"Dude, fuck off." Vincent retorted as he yanked the door open again. "I let you guys hang out here, I don't need you telling me how to live my life. Just get off it and we can all chill here and get along just fine, capiche?"

"C'mon, do you you really think it's normal to get drunk early in the morning, drive a car and then go and drink so much that it knocks you on your ass in public? You're gonna kill yours-"

"Why exactly do you care anyway? Seriously dude, you're acting like you think you're my dad or some shit."

More awkward silence. This time, the tension in the air was much thicker. The girls were all huddled together watching anxiously as I prepared to come clean and tell Vincent the truth. I knew I needed to come up with the right approach to break the news to him but at this point, he was just unknowingly teasing me. I needed to just come out with it and say it. There was no going back now.

"Vincent?" I began as my eyes started to water. "Buddy? I...I..."

"Just spit it the fuck out!"

"Vincent Sachentov, I am your father!"

What had to be said was said and Vincent nearly swallowed his cigarette when he heard the words come outta my mouth. After his coughing fit subsided, he turned his attention back to me with a perplexed look on his face. That expression soon changed to one of anger. He proceeded to light a new cigarette and as he held it in his left hand, his twitching and shaking grew more and more obvious by the second. He continued to puff on his cigarette while his face started to turn beat red. I was getting scared. When I was his age, I was a pissed off punk myself and if he inherited the same attitude from me, I was about to get hurt.

"Look, Vincent, please just hear me out for a minute, okay?" I said.

He just continued to stare at me. The girls and I were getting all the more anxious and just wanted something to break the awkward silence. I decided that I needed to clarify on some things quickly. Still though, I can't blame him if he's mad at me or even if he hates my guts right now. I need to let him know that had Jenny called me and told me that she was carrying our child, I would have dropped everything and came to take care of them. I may have been a criminal but I'm not a deadbeat. I only hope I can find a way to explain it to Vincent because I don't like the way he's clenching his right fist.

Thwack!

"Don't you fucking talk shit about my mom, asshole!" Vincent screamed after laying his fist across my muzzle, knocking me to the floor. "She was a lady! She wouldn't bang a fuckin' horse!"

Ah, okay there seems to be a slight failure in communication here. He doesn't get that I'm telling him that I'm actually his father and thinks I'm just insulting his mother. I'm surprised I'm still alive after everything that's happened in the past few days. I've been hit by a car, zapped while trying to hotwire my own and now punched in the face with all the guy's strength. As I lay on the floor with blood dripping out of my nose, I looked up at him and tried to explain myself and what I was trying to say. I was so scared and shocked that I couldn't get myself to utter a single word and worst of all, he was cocking his fist back for another blow.

"Whoa, cool it, man!" Rainbow Dash shouted as she flew up and grabbed his arm sparing me another punch to the schnoz.

Same facial features and height...check. Same hotheaded temper I had in my own youth...check. Undying loyalty to his mother...check. Yup, he's mine alright. I just need to convince him though and with things going down hill pretty damn fast, that's gonna be a tough one to pull off. It seemed like we were all getting along just fine and it went from zero to disaster so quickly.

"Yo, blue dude..." Vincent said through his teeth as Fluttershy and Rarity helped me off the floor. "If you don't want me to rip your fuckin' wings off and toss you out that window, you'll let go of my arm right fuckin' now..."

"Okay, first of all..." Rainbow Dash began. "Don't call me 'dude'! I'm a girl! Secondly, I'll let you go once I know you're gonna listen to what Vinnie has to say without busting his jaw!"

It still didn't look like he was gonna cooperate as he readied his free hand for an attack on Rainbow Dash. Thankfully, Twilight swooped over and grabbed his other arm before he could take a swing.

"Have a seat." Twilight said firmly as she and Rainbow Dash pulled him down into a chair that Pinkie had placed behind him. "Vincent, listen to me. Our intentions are peaceful and we mean no harm to you nor any disrespect to your loved ones. Vinnie here has gone through so much since we got here a few days ago and he's been working so hard to make sure that myself and the rest of us are safe. All we ask is that you just give him a chance to talk to you without jumping to conclusions so quickly. So please, can you not hit anypony here again?"

"Okay, fine." Vincent replied, seeming to have calmed down a little. "Alright, Vincenzo, explain what you mean by you being 'my father' and make it quick."

"I meant exactly that." I replied. "Please just bear with me, I'm trying my best to get my point across."

"Just start talking, pony."

"Okay...Remember, I said I was once a human. My parents and I originally immigrated here from Italy back in 1969 when I was a little boy. My dad was killed in a work related accident when I was eight. At age twenty, I started working for the same Excelsior Auto Parts company just like my father did and where you recently got fired from."

"Whoa, back up just a fuckin' minute! How did you know I got fired from there!?"

"I needed to find out where you lived so we could bring you home. I had no choice but to check your pockets for your driver's license and I found that pink slip while I was at it."

"Okay, and you're not just making all this other shit up?"

"No, I swear I'm telling the truth but please just let me finish okay? About a year later, I got fired from there for hitting my boss with a bat and then I got arrested for it. A guy who was an acquaintance of my dad's then bailed me out and offered me a new job that would change and ruin my life. I started working with the Zeppargonni crime family as a wheelman at first but I started taking blood contracts soon after."

"So...o-okay, it adds up so far. I know I haven't told you that yet. Go on, I'm listening."

"That's when I met her...Jennifer Anna Sachentov. We started dating when we were both twenty four and we were together for two years until..."

"Until what?"

"Vincent, you've gotta understand that I loved your mother so much. I told her the truth about what I did for a living. She was devastated that all that time she was dating a mobster."

"And when was that exactly?"

"The last time I saw her was July of 1992...Yeah, it's all coming back."

"July of ninety two...my God, that's-"

"Nine months before you were born."

"This just...shit, this just can't be happening."

"Vincent, buddy, I know this must be so hard to believe and a lot to take in but trust me when I say this. If Jenny would have just wrote to me or called me or...something! Anything! If only she would have told me she was pregnant, I would have been there! I would have left everything I had here and I would have done my job as a father!"

"Look, man, I don't doubt that. She always told me that you never knew. I think that's...kinda what she wanted for a while."

"But why!? Why did she keep me from knowing that you existed!? I would have been there for you!"

"Because she wanted to protect me. She didn't want me getting involved in the kinda life you were living. You can't really blame her for that."

"No. You're right...I can't."

I hung my head low in shame. It was all true. The life I was living was incredibly dangerous and Jennifer was wise to keep our boy away from it. Everything that happened was my own fault and I was going to pay for it come Hell or high water."

"Look, Vincenzo..." Vincent began as he continued to sit in the chair. "We'll talk this over, alright? I'm calm now. Think you can have your friends here let me go?"

Knowing that he had indeed calmed himself down, Twilight and Rainbow Dash let go of his arms and allowed him to move about on his own free will. He then began pacing the floor back and forth. We could tell he was thinking about everything I had said and trying to put the pieces together. He continued mumbling to himself over another cigarette until finally he stopped and turned back to me.

"Vinnie?" He said.

"Yeah, Vincent?" I replied.

"I'm sure you understand that everything happening here is pretty fuckin' hard to believe, right?"

"Of course."

"Mostly about you telling me that you're my dad and all. However, I'm over the shock of talking mini horses so I'm in a way pretty much willing to believe anything."

"Okay, I think I get where you're coming from."

"When my mom left here, she moved to another city upstate. She's still there and to prove that you're the real deal once and for all, I want you to come with me to see her."

"Dude, that's perfect! We can go see Jenny!? How's she doing!?"

"Don't ask me that! *sigh* Sorry, It's just...a long story. We'll figure out everything we need to know when we get there. In the meantime, pack up whatever shit you got and be ready to get up bright and early in the morning! We're going to Syracuse!"

Chapter 11: That's Quite the Wake Up Call

It was only half past eleven in the morning when Vincent, the girls and I had a good long talk and we were to wake up early the next day to make the four hour drive from here to the city of Syracuse which sits right in the heart of Onondaga County. With a population of less than one hundred and fifty thousand, it's child's play compared to New York but still by no means a small city. By land mass, it's actually pretty big but its population isn't nearly as dense. I've actually been there plenty of times to do a hit or transport un-taxed cigarettes from the nearby reservation store all the while having no clue that it was where the woman who left me relocated to.

Thankfully, things calmed down here at Vincent's apartment. None of us had anything we had to do for the rest of the day either and laying low wasn't a bad idea. It was a breath of fresh air to actually take a day to catch a breather and relax. Aside from his quick temper that I was also guilty of at his age, Vincent was actually an alright guy to hang out with. Back when I lived around these parts, I used to play video games during my down time and it was great to finally get to show the girls what they were like. When he wasn't spending his money on booze and cigarettes, Vincent told me he was quite the avid collector.

Vincent had a cheap little tv set that Pinkie took great interest in and spent a lot of times giggling as she flipped though the channels and blew up cars in a Grand Theft Auto game. For the most part, we all just sat around and talked. Vincent got to spent some time getting to know my friends and I while he would talk about growing up in the North side of Syracuse. I was glad to hear it was that part of the city he lived in because the South side is pretty nasty and is where most of the city's homicides took place. Syracuse isn't ridiculously huge but it does have its fair share of crime.

Several hours went by and the evening finally approached. By now, the princesses have probably opened the portal but with the sanity and health of my new found son at stake, they would have to wait. There was no way for us to contact them to let them know we needed more time so we'd just have to do what we needed to do and hope for the best. Twilight, the poor kid hates having to just hope for things to work out. With her OCD, she'd rather know for sure what's about to happen but I digress.

One thing that I was particularly happy about is that the girls and I were able to convince Vincent not to get completely shit-faced tonight. We would rather he didn't drink at all due to his serious problem with alcohol but having two beers instead of twenty was a good step. One way or another though, I'll get him off the stuff. It's okay to get a good buzz once in a while at a party or something but when you get trashed every day, that's when one needs to realize that they're sick and get the help they need.

The trip tomorrow would just be Vincent and Myself taking Interstate eighty-one North all the way to Syracuse as per his request. He still wasn't fully convinced that I was legit and wanted to make sure he could find the truth without any interruptions. Still though, it seemed that he was opening up little by little. He said before that he had no friends to speak of and having been in his shoes myself, I can understand why he'd be as welcoming as he was when he calmed down. He just wanted...no, needed someone to talk to.

As ten-thirty at night rolled around, everypony began to wind down and get ready for bed. Vincent told me that he usually stayed awake into the wee hours of the morning when the drink finally caught up to him but since we were to make a long, important trip in the morning, it'd be best to get a good night's sleep. The girls all slept in the living room and I in Vincent's room like the night before except he was able to find a guest cot for me to sleep on. As we lay awake for a little while, we were able to get to know each other just a little bit more. We both had a lot of questions for each other.

"Vinnie?" Vincent asked.

"Yeah?" I answered.

"There's something I just don't understand about you and your pony friends that just really fuckin' confuses me."

"What's that?"

"Why do you guys smell so good? You don't stink like any other farm animals I've met."

"We don't live on a farm, man. We live in clean houses and we bathe every day just like humans do here. That's one of the reasons I was able to adjust to living in Equestria so easily."

"That's pretty sick, bruh."

"Sick? How is that sick? Hygiene is a good thing. Are you drunk again?"

"Nah, 'sick' is the new word for saying something's cool."

"I thought kids quit saying that in like 2006 or something. I haven't heard that in a while."

"I dunno man, I never really hung out with others much. I couldn't really get along with anybody."

"I was there too, kiddo. I didn't have a single frie-"

"Please don't call me that. At least not until we find out what's going on."

"Oh, sorry."

"No biggie."

"Alright then. So...about Jenny..."

"No, not about her. Look, I don't wanna talk about my mom until we get to Syracuse tomorrow. I just can't tell you why either. You're just gonna have to trust me, okay?"

"Okay, Vincent. I trust you."

Every time I mentioned his mother, Vincent clammed up on me. For some reason, he just simply didn't want to talk about her and I couldn't figure out why. Either way, we were going to see her tomorrow so we could sort this whole mess out. I'm anxious to find out how she was doing after all these years but I'll just have to wait and see once we get there. Just as with Vincent, I have so many questions for her. Does she hate my guts? Has she forgiven me? What could I do, if anything to make it up to her for letting her and our son down? It was hard to sleep with all those things rushing through my mind.

"We'll be getting up at eight o'clock, alright?" Vincent said.

"Okay, sounds fair." I replied. "Good night, son."

Oops. A little too soon.

"What did you just say?"

"S-sorry, it just slipped out. That happens sometimes. I once called Twilight 'Mom' when I was really tired."

Vincent said nothing else in response to that and soon, he was asleep. I honestly felt hurt but on the other hoof, he still isn't fully convinced that he's my kin. I guess I understand why he's so apprehensive about it. I mean, there was no DNA test or anything but then again, with me being a pony, would one even work? All I know is that we don't need one for me to be convinced. All the signs point to him being my seed. On my end, there's just no denying it. I just hope he can learn to accept me and we can both go join up with Jenny and be a family. I'll even come back to live in New York or Syracuse as a human again if I have to. No matter what it takes, I'm gonna do my job as a father and be there for them.

"Vinnie?" Jennifer said as she frantically pushed open the door of my apartment. "We need to talk."

"Uh o-okay, what's wrong, sweetheart?" I stuttered, knowing she had found out about my real job.

"Don't you 'what's wrong, sweetheart' me, Vincenzo! When you left your pager at my apartment, your boss Tony sent a message to it!"

"Oh God, Jenny, I can explain!"

"Yes, please explain because I don't even know what the fuck to think right now!"

"Jenny, baby I swear I was gonna tell ya sooner or later, I was just afraid that you wouldn't like the real me an-"

"I fell in love with what I thought was the real you, Vincenzo!"

Those words cut through me like a knife. It was right then and there that I knew I had made the biggest mistake in my life and I realized that I should have quit while I was ahead. As the only woman I fell in love with stood in my doorway with tears streaming down her face, I could see her looking down at the engagement ring on her finger that I had given her. A few months ago, we started making plans to get married and it was all about to go down the tubes.

"Vinnie, just answer me this one thing." Jenny sobbed.

"Anything! Baby, I promise, no more hiding anything! I'll tell you the truth, I swear!"

"While working for the mob...have you...have you ever k-killed anyone?"

I was expecting to be truthful with whatever question I would answer for my beloved Jenny. What I wasn't expecting was to be asked that particular question. As she stood before me waiting for an answer, my heart sank to a knew low. I now knew that it was all over and My wonderful mother was right. I had just lost the best thing that had ever came into my life.

"J-Jenny, it's just...part of the job." I answered. "I was just a hired gun I'm not a murd-"

"Oh my God!!" Jenny screamed as she ran out of my apartment.

"Jenny wait! Please, let's talk this over! Please, don't go, I need you!"

"Just stay the fuck away from me, Vincenzo! I'm leaving town and you can have this back!"

Before getting into a taxi, Jenny did something that simply tore my heart clean out of my chest. She yanked the ring I had given her off her finger and threw it at my feet. I could do nothing but look down at that ring that lay on the sidewalk as the woman who made my wreck of a life complete rode away out of sight. I looked back up to see her in the back seat of the cab and she turned around to look back at the sad excuse of a man I was one last time before she was gone. That was the last time I ever saw her.

"Jenny, come back!" I pleaded as I desperately ran off into the direction her taxi was going. "Jenny, don't leave me!"

"Dude, what are you talking about?" A strange voice said out of nowhere.

I was too distraught to pay any mind to whoever was talking to me as I ran out of breath, came to a stop and fell to my knees sobbing like I never had before.

"Yo, Flashlight Spackle! Does he talk in his sleep often?"

"Twilight Sparkle, and he never did before until we came to New York." I familiar female voice answered. "It's been happening to him a lot lately though. We've all been so worried about him."

"JENNY!!" I screamed at the top of my lungs as I burst out of my sleep.

"Vinnie!" Twilight exclaimed as she hugged me tightly. "Shhh, it's okay. Everything's going to be just fine."

After comforting me as best as she could, Twilight gently let go of me and turned to Vincent.

"Vincent, could I please have a word with you before you two head out. It's important."

"Uh, Okay." Vincent replied as he and Twilight went into the other room.

Twilight was always one to act as the voice of reason and it looked as if she was about to shine at it once more. Curious, I placed my ear against the door of Vincent's bedroom to eavesdrop on their conversation. I felt like I simply had to know what she was about to tell him. After all, we would soon be in a car on an eight hour round trip later.

"Please just hear me out." Twilight said to Vincent. "I understand that you've had it rough but I couldn't even begin to tell you the kind of pressure he's had to endure lately."

"I'm starting to see what you mean." Vincent replied.

"Right, so if you could please just do us all a favor and show some compassion towards him while you take this trip, we'd all be so grateful. Vinnie's our friend and he's really a truly wonderful pony. Please, all that we ask is that you be nice to him and don't add to his stress. We've all been keeping a close eye on him and we're afraid he could have a breakdown or a heart attack. He's fifty years old now and at his age, a pony's body isn't meant to deal with as much stress as he's had to."

"So...I guess knocking him upside the face didn't help then, eh?"

"No. Not only that but over the past few years he's lived in Equestria, he's developed a fatherly instinct towards the girls and I so protecting us has been on his mind a lot since we got here. Also, I know you aren't really convinced that you're related to him but try to see this from his perspective. When he found the picture of him and your mother the other night, we thought for sure that he was about to have a stroke."

"Jeez...I didn't know."

"Please, just keep that in mind. He may have made mistakes in his past but he's worked unbelievably hard to redeem himself. He's come a long way but to this day he still gets depressed at times about his past."

"Alright Twinkle, I'll cut him some slack."

"Twilight, and thanks."

I'm glad Twilight and Vincent had that talk. I wouldn't have been able to explain myself as well as she did. It was all true though. The events over the past few days were not good for me at all and I was a bit worried that Vincent, as hair triggered as he can be might find something to get pissed off about. I've been dealt a lot of blows but I don't think I can get pushed out of a moving car and live to talk about it. Maybe I'm just being paranoid. Yeah, that's another thing my stress has caused. Nice situation we're in. Just great.

After a quick shower, I helped Vincent pack some snacks and drinks into the car and before we knew it, we were on our way to the interstate. Our first turn was a left on Bedford Avenue and then taking a right on Fenimore street which would bring us to Flatbush Avenue next. We were only gone for less than ten minutes at this point but the way Vincent was shifting his car was gonna make this a much more unpleasant ride than it had to be.

"Vincent, can I make a suggestion?" I asked.

"I guess." Vincent replied. "What's that?"

"You'll burn the clutch out pretty quick if you shift too early like that. Try letting it rev up just a little higher before you shift and it'll drive a lot smoother. Trust me."

"The day a fucking pony tries to teach me how to..."

Our drive had just begun and already it was starting to look like it would be hell for me. I only wanted to help by giving Vincent some advice on driving a stick shift but it seemed it was very unwelcome. It did appear that there was still hope though as before Vincent finished his sentence, he stopped to take a few deep breaths.

"Sorry. I'll give that a try then." Vincent sighed.

"O-okay then. Just some friendly advice is all."

"Wow, that did shift a lot better. How'd you know how to do that?"

"I used to be a human, remember?"

"Ah, right. So uh...your friend and I had a talk before we left. The purple one, what's her name again?"

"That's Twilight Sparkle. What'd she have to say?"

"Well, first off I just wanna say I'm sorry I punched you yesterday."

"Thanks. I accept. See, I know what it's like to have a quick temper like that. When I was your age, I was one hell of a spitfire. Oh, I actually have a friend named that believe it or not."

"That so? So Ponyland has some pretty wacky names then? Nobody there named 'John' or 'Bob' or anything like that?"

"Nope. They're pretty creative with names there. It's called Equestria, by the way."

"Ah, okay. So how long did you say you lived there again?"

"About three and a half years."

"Uh huh...that adds up."

"Adds up to what?"

"Oh, I said that out loud? Never mind that."

"O-okay then. So, I gotta know. What happened to this city? It used to be great and pretty safe but it's really gone to shit."

"Yeah, it's gotten pretty bad over the past couple years. I've been here quite a few times before I moved here and it was alright back in the day. The people aren't as bubbly and full of life anymore and any random guy you walk past would crack your head open sooner than look at you. I don't know what happened here but all I do know is that if you wanna blend in here, you gotta walk fast and look pissed off. Make eye contact only if you have a death wish."

"That reminds me of my next question. Why did you act so excited when you thought you died? That nearly made me and my friends sick."

"Vinnie, take a good look at me and my life. I'm twenty three years old and I can't stop drinking, I can't pay my damn rent because I can't stop buying booze, I bought this little stick shift car 'cause it was two hundred bucks and I hardly even know how to drive it...among other things that I can't tell you about yet. Let's just focus on getting there and we can talk about anything we want."

The suspense of not knowing exactly what I needed to know was killing me and the fact that it would take several hours to find out was making it even worse. I do have to at least give Vincent credit for listening to Twilight and trying to be patient with me. Now, we just needed to get to the end of the Manhattan Bridge into the South side of the island and soon we would be on Route seventy-eight on our way to eighty-one which will take us right to Syracuse. I just hope this trip goes according to plan with no problems on the way.

"Uh, Vinnie?" Vincent said as he quickly rolled up his window.

"Yeah, Vincent?"

"I think when we talked about this city going to Hell, we may have jinxed something."

"Why? What's wro-"

Pow! Pow! Pow!

"That's what's wrong, now get down!"

Chapter 12: A Showdown for the Road

If one would have walked up to me and told me that there was about to be a gunfight in Manhattan, I would have told them they were out of their mind. Knowing me, I probably would have slapped them first but really, that just wasn't the norm. Like all cities, crime was alive and well but this is something that would happen in the bad side of the Bronx or the projects in Brooklyn on a really bad day. In all my years of living in New York, I never heard of an all out war in Manhattan and in my mere three days of being back, one was happening right in front of us.

Vincent and I wisely kept our heads down while we were in the car right at a stoplight and by the sounds of it, chunks of copper coated lead filled the air. I wasn't totally sure but it sounded like shots were coming from every direction including up rather than just a lone gunman firing from one spot. This must be gang war going on.

A couple minutes into the massacre, the shots seemed to become fewer and more far between and just when I thought it was safe to poke my head up and take a look, the side view mirror of Vincent's car got blown off right before my eyes. I've seen my fair share of fire fights between rival mob families and Heaven knows I've even taken part in some of them but I'm not the same guy I was back then. Back in those days, I was a miserable, soulless fuck with nothing to lose. I've gone soft since then and now I do have many things to lose including the young man sitting next to me in the car with his head down.

Not much time went by before police sirens joined the mixture of sounds and no sooner did more gunfire erupt too. This was far from over. The minutes just continued to tick by, one right after the other. Five minutes into it became seven, seven minutes became ten, ten minutes became fifteen and so on. Around that time, the sound of gun shots once again began to die down but who could be sure that it would be the end of the war. In between a few more rounds being fired off, the sounds of feet running across the asphalt and tons of shouting could be heard.

"Get that guyyy!" Shouted a voice.

"Officer down! Officer dowwwwn!" Screamed another.

Though myself and New York's finest were never really very good friends, even as a criminal I understood that taking down myself and other criminal scum like me was their job. If someone has a job, you're an asshole if you blame them for doing it. A retail worker is gonna sell stuff, a janitor is gonna mop floors and a police officer is gonna arrest those who do wrong. Aside from the many terrible things I've done in the past, my organization had a code of honor and I can gladly say that I have never killed a cop. That's why I felt so bad about belting one upside the face the other day.

After what seemed like nearly twenty minutes, at last, the gunfire stopped and everything was silent. Vincent and I briefly glanced at each other before we slowly rose back up and looked out the car window to see how bad it really was out there. For what I used to do for a living, it took a lot to make me feel sick back then but nowadays I was much more sensitive. There wasn't a street corner in sight without a wounded person or dead body on it and I couldn't help but start to sob like a baby at what I was seeing. There were even some badly wounded officers and one of them was lying on the ground completely motionless in a puddle of his own blood. Seeing that made my stomach turn.

The way that cop was lying there...it was just horrible. I was quite sure that he was dead and when another officer attempted to take his pulse and then started sobbing as he held his fallen comrade in his arms, I knew for sure. Needless to say, the whole thing was very disturbing to watch and this mess was about to call for a shit load of paperwork for those who survived.

"Okay, you've seen enough!" Vincent said as he shifted his car back into second gear. "If what Twilight told me is true, then this is the last place you need to be! We're outta here!"

"Why?!" I asked as I continued to sob. "Why would this happen?!"

"Vinnie, buddy, rela-"

"This never happened in Manhattan when I lived here! What happened to this city?!"

"Dude, you gotta calm your ass dow-"

"This city used to be so safe! The only people who had to worry about getting whacked were gangsters and croo-"

Slap!

"Snap out of it!"

Okay, this was a bit odd. I'd gotten my fair share of smacks over the years but none of them literally knocked the tears out of me. As soon as Vincent laid his hand across the back of my head, the tears just stopped. After a brief moment, I looked back up at Vincent in the driver's seat to see him lighting up a cigarette. The hand he held his lighter in was shaking as badly as I was so it was clear to me that not only was he freaked out by what happened, he was also trying his best to keep me from keeling over.

"Vinnie look, I'm sorry." Vincent said. "I didn't know what else to do."

"It's fine." I replied. "I just...never thought something like that would happen in the best part of the city."

"I got ya but you need to take your mind off of that shit. That's the norm now and I don't see that changing anytime soon. You just need to find a distraction."

"Easier said than done. How do you suggest we do that?"

"Well, we can start by switching the radio on or something. We're crossing the bridge into New Jersey so we're gonna need a good distraction for the shit we're about to put up with."

"Why? What shit?"

"You must have forgotten about what happens when you drive a car with New York plates into New Jersey."

Splat!

"Ah, okay it's all coming back to me now."

The second Vincent and I exited the Canal Street Bridge into the Newport side of Jersey City, a half full milkshake cup splattered all over the windshield of the car, bringing back some more...not so great memories. From experience, I learned that if you have New York State license plates on your car while you're driving through New Jersey, everyone else on the road is out to ruin your life. Within minutes, the windshield wipers were set on full speed as more milkshakes, sodas and even a few beer cans were hurled at us. Soon, we were on the highway with a pissed off driver on each side, each of them laying on their horns and shouting various obscenities at us. Out off all this shit they could possibly put us through, the thing I hate about them most of all is how they pronounce the word "jerk". They say it like "joyk". I don't know why but that pisses me off pretty badly.

"Alright, let's just see if we can find some sick tunes to take our minds off this shit." Vincent said as he turned the radio on.

"Police in New York are dealing with the aftermath of yet another gang related shooting." The reporter on the radio said. "This one is once again believed to be unrelated to the las-"

"Oookay, let's try another station then. Ah, 97.1 is usually all sunshine and rainbows."

"This just in, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio provided commentary regarding the gang shootout this morning saying that he and I quote, 'doesn't want to live on this planet anymore'."

"Oh come on! What about Elvis Duran and the morning show?!"

"Greg, I can't even begin to describe how sad all this violence in New York lately is making me. Uncle Johnny, your thoughts?"

"For fucks sake!"

He was really putting in a genuine effort to calm me down and I truly appreciated that he took Twilight's request to heart. Though he was trying his best, he wasn't really all that relaxed himself. But really, how could he be after witnessing a massacre and then deal with the people of Jersey covering his car with whatever a Mcdonald's dumpster is full of.

"That does it!" Vincent huffed as he lit the fuse of a novelty smoke ball and tossed it out the window. "Here! This'll fix 'em!"

Being that this state is home to some of the worst drivers in the country, it didn't take long for the little ball emitting blue smoke to really "fix" the attitudes of those who were hassling us. For a brief moment, the blue smoke covered most of the highway behind us and soon after, the smoke cleared revealing a nasty looking pileup. Though it was a more rough method than I would have used but it got the job done and the crazy drivers off our backs.

"Vinnie, you alright?" Vincent asked.

"Yeah, I think I'll be fine." I replied. "Thanks."

"Okay, good. Look, I think we can both agree on something here. Neither of us need more stress piled up on us."

"I concur. It's not just me, we've both been through a lot."

"Alright then so I think what we need to do is just take a breather and relax. I don't know about you but driving always helps me clear my head. For now, let's just try to enjoy the ride and if you think of anything you wanna talk about, feel free to speak up."

"O-okay, I will."

We then continued our quest on Interstate Eighty heading west towards Pennsylvania where we would later merge onto Eighty-One as we passed through the city of Scranton. It was a breath of fresh air to see something new. Living in Ponyville, I started getting used to a less urban setting so going down a highway with lots of trees and mountains nearby helped calm to my nerves. As the minutes and miles ticked by and after Vincent puffed away at a quarter pack of smokes, I finally decided to break the silence.

"So Vincent..." I began. How long ago did you say you moved to New York?"

"Uh, going on about six months I think." Vincent replied.

"And you said you moved there specifically to find m-er...your dad?"

"Yeah. I figured I was old enough to deal with whatever I found out. My mom already told me about him being a mafia hitman so I wouldn't be too surprised...or so I thought. Heheheh, I didn't expect my so called 'father' to be a tiny horse. Yeah, I know you said you were a human but that's still pretty fuckin' weird."

"Yeah I get what you mean. Just try to see this from my point of view though. All the signs point to you being my kin. The dates all add up. From when Jenny left me to you being born, it all comes right together. Vincent, I promise you that man in the picture you have is me."

"We'll find out. So...you really loved her, eh?"

"Are you kidding? I proposed to her and she accepted! We were gonna get married!"

"Mkay...so why didn't you leave the mob when she left you? If you cared about her as much as you say...I mean, that job pretty much ruined your life!"

"Leaving isn't easy, especially when you're made. When that happens, the only way to get out is to get a blessing from the boss or die. I tried talking to my don for a blessing but he double crossed me and hired some guys to snuff me out."

"And that was before you got pushed into a water fountain and ended up in Equestria, right?"

"That's right. It's a long story but to make it short, I first met Pinkie and then the rest of the girls and they volunteered to help me get back to New York. They said it would take a week and over that time, I made friends with them and tons of other ponies in this little town there. When the two royal sisters tried to open the portal for me to go back, my boss and his hired thugs came in and shot up the place. They threatened to kill my friends and the girls and I banded together and stopped them."

"Kick ass, man. So did you turn into a pony right when you got dropped into that place?"

"Nope. After all that, I realized that the girls and the rest of the ponies were the only friends I ever had so I decided to stay. The princesses then turned me into a pony so I could fit in and be happier there. I didn't think there was anything left for me on Earth...but I know now."

"Wow. That's some pretty crazy shit."

The more Vincent and I talked, the faster time seemed to move by. Before we knew it, we had already merged on Interstate Eighty-one, crossed back into Southern New York and passed through the city of Binghamton. About another half hour later, the car was getting low on gas so we exited the highway in a small city called Cortland to fuel up. I convinced Vincent to let me pay for the gas as he surely didn't have a whole lot to his name. After he filled the tank and got back into the car, I noticed that he had bought something rather lovely and spellbindingly fragrant in the store.

"Hey, who are the flowers for?" I asked as we reentered the highway.

"Oh these?" Vincent replied. "They're for...my mom..."

"Oh man, that's nice of yo-uh...you okay?"

"Y-yeah, I'm fine. Let's just go, alright? We only got about thirty miles to go."

Author's Note

To those of you whom are from the state of New Jersey: Please just know that the references to the fine folks of New Jersey in this chapter are NOT what I actually think of them and in no way, shape or form represent my opinion of them. :twilightsheepish: I am well aware that they do not behave in the way that was portrayed in this chapter :scootangel: I just thought it would make a good chapter to this story to feature a road trip with a whole lot of trouble along the way. :facehoof: Thank you for understanding. :heart:

Chapter 13: Salt City Blues

"We're almost there." Vincent said to me as we crossed the line into Onondaga County.

"This sure brings back memories." I replied.

Within five minutes, I could see the skyline and before we knew it we were there. Syracuse, also known as salt city because of its many salt mines in the area. This city is home to one of the state's best college basketball teams, the worst hockey team, the biggest mall on the East coast, the New York State Fairgrounds and the most polluted lake in the world. I remembered everything so well yet a lot has changed since I was last here but some things remained just the same. The mall was renamed and made a lot bigger since I last saw it but the putrid smell emitting from Onondaga Lake was as strong as ever. The big billboard said the dredging project was complete. Yeah, right. That lake's still got a long way to go. A body of water can only recover so quickly from having puddles of mercury sitting on the bottom.

"It does feel kinda nice to be back." Vincent said as he looked around. "I see the city's school district uses the same buses they had back in the nineties. I don't think they'll ever replace those old shit wagons."

"Ah, politicians giving themselves raises instead of investing in education, eh?" I said. "Go figure. Some things just never change."

"Amen to that, dude."

After finding something we both agreed on, Vincent suddenly did something that really took me by surprise. He made a fist and held it in front of me expectantly. At first, I didn't know what to make of it but after a few seconds of holding it there, it dawned on me. He wanted my to bump his fist with my hoof. It was a wonderful feeling of making progress and getting along and may hopefully lead to bonding later.

"C'mon, don't leave me hangin'." Vincent said.

"Oh yeah, my bad." I replied as I bumped his fist. "So, where are we headed?"

"Right where my mom is. We'll be there soon."

"Oh man, I haven't been this excited in years. I can't wait to see Jennifer again. Hey, why are we heading back South? I thought you said you two lived in the North side."

"Oh...Yeah I did, didn't I? Well...I guess I was mistaken then."

"Uh, yeah. But how can you forget what part of town you lived in when you've been in this city your whole life?"

"Shit happens, I guess."

"Vincent, buddy you're starting to worry me. You're acting weird. What's wrong?"

Vincent said nothing in response and just clammed up on me for the remainder of the drive. He was really confusing me by driving in a direction that didn't make sense and his demeanor changed so quickly I would have thought he was bipolar. My only hope was that he would start talking again once we came to a stop at this gate we were pulling up to. It was an old looking iron gate that appeared to lead to some kind of park. Vincent then stopped the car, got out and opened up this gate before getting back into the car and continuing to drive us through. I thought I couldn't get any more confused before but I was proven wrong as we drove past a large sign that made me worried and irritated at the same time.

Oakwood Cemetery
Bring out your dead!

"Vincent, if this is your idea of a joke, this is too far!" I yelled as we drove further.

Again, he said nothing. He in a way just froze up and stared forward with a zombie like look on his face.

"Hey, I like a good joke as much as Pinkie but this isn't funny!"

After a few more twists and turns down the path, I was starting to get incredibly pissed off. How could he pull such a sick joke and about his mother of all things? He then stopped the car, deployed the parking brake and shut the engine off. We were about to go for a little walk.

"Follow me." Vincent said quietly as he opened the door and stepped out with the bouquet of flowers he bought earlier.

"Vincent, listen to me." I said as I followed suit. "I like to think that I have a good sense of humor but I'm not fucking laughing!"

After walking for about a minute or so, we came to a stop where Vincent then proceeded to light a cigarette. He just stood there puffing on his lung dart, his hand starting to shake more and more by the second. I stood just behind him waiting for him to say something...anything at all. I just wanted him to tell me what the meaning of all of this was and why we had to be at a Cemetery of all places.

"Vinnie, come over here will ya?" Vincent finally said.

I did as I was asked and trotted up next to Vincent as he continued to stand rooted to the spot. The past half hour was full of surprises, both pleasant and unpleasant. Just when I though I'd seen it all, Vincent flicked his cigarette butt away, lowered his hand down towards me and gently placed it on top of my head. A few seconds later, he actually started stroking my mane. I couldn't believe it. He was petting me.

"Vincent?" I asked. "Why are you petti-"

"Shhh, just cool it, alright?" Vincent said quietly, cutting me off. "Vinnie, I need you to listen to me very carefully. Can you do that for me?"

"Okay, Vincent. I'll listen."

"Okay. We both know we've been through a lot. Your friend Twilight told me everything and I understand...but you also need to understand why I brought you here. This was the only way I could think of for you to prove that you knew and loved my mother."

Vincent then began slowly taking a few steps forwards as he started gently scratching behind my ears.

"Look, you seem like an alright guy." Vincent continued. "I just wanna let you know how fuckin' shitty I feel about what I'm about to show you but I just have to know. Vinnie...my mom is *sniff* m-my *hic* my mom is right here...I'm sorry buddy."

After letting go of my head, Vincent then knelt down in front of a grave stone and gently placed the flowers on the ground in front of it. This stone in question belonged to the only woman I truly loved and the mother of my son. According to the engravings on it, my beloved Jenny had been gone for seven months.

Of all the things I had been through in my life, nothing could even compare to the pain I was feeling right now. They say what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. That may be true to an extent but what Vincent was showing me was about to break me very badly. After putting the flowers down, he returned his hand to my head and continued to pet me. Vincent, bless his soul was trying to comfort me at a time where he needed someone to comfort him. Still though, all the petting and ear scratching in the world couldn't keep me from having an inevitable breakdown.

At first, I simply went numb as I read the name on the tombstone. The numbness was quickly replaced by all four of my legs shaking followed by me biting my lower lip. With my eyes shut tight and my legs beginning to shake more violently, they finally gave out and I fell to the ground in a sobbing mess of a pony at the base of the stone.

"Jenny!" I sobbed. "I'm sorry! I'm so *hic* so sorry!"

"Vi-Vinnie, it's okay." Vincent said as he sat down next to me and continued to stroke my mane. "Vinnie, it's all good, she forgave you."

"Jenny, I let you down! Ah fuck, I'm so sorry!"

"Vinnie, listen to me! Before she died, she told me she forgave you! You're both at peace, I promise!"

Vincent's attempts to comfort me weren't working. I barely heard what he had said about Jenny forgiving me so he then decided to change his approach and instead to try to get me to stifle my emotions, which isn't good for you to do, to just lay there and let time take its course.

"Vinnie, just let it out." Vincent said as we both continued to weep. "We've got all day, we're in no hurry. Don't bottle it up, just let it all out."

Vincent and I continued to weep for what seemed like an hour or so until we both finally started to quiet down. With my head now on his lap as we sat by the gravestone he kept petting me and scratching behind my ears to help comfort me. The pony in me couldn't help but be pacified by his actions. Even if it hadn't worked, the thought alone was enough to bring some peace and quiet to the situation. I could tell that he felt bad about having to tell me that his mother was gone but I would have found out sooner or later anyway. Now that we were both exhausted from all the crying though, we needed to talk about it.

"So how did she die?" I asked as I picked my head up to look Vincent right in the eye.

"She had cancer." Vincent replied. "I gotta tell you though...when we found out a couple years ago, she tried to contact you. We found out that you were classified as a missing person so for a while we thought that the mob life had finally caught up with you. When she was on her deathbed, she told me that she forgave you and made me promise that I'd keep looking for you in case you were still around."

"Sh-she tried to call me?"

"Yeah but just trust me. She left this world peacefully and without a single regret...well...she did regret leaving in the first place because she knew I wasn't gonna do well without her. She was all I had until...wow man."

"What?"

"Until I met...my dad. That was my proof right there. If you didn't really know my mom, you wouldn't have broken down like that. I can't believe I'm saying this but I'm talking to my father right now. I'm gonna need a moment for that to sink in."

"Take all the time you need. I felt that way the other night when the girls and I found you passed out drunk. Hey, that reminds me..."

"Of what?"

"Vincent, it just breaks my heart to have met you in the state you're in. Why did you start drinking so much?"

"People aren't usually supposed to grow up without a dad and then lose their mom at twenty-two, dude. I found that it was the only way I could deal with it without..."

"Without what?"

"Nevermind."

I had a hunch on what Vincent was about to tell me but I couldn't be sure unless I got him to just come out and say it. I knew for a fact that it was gonna hurt but I panned on turning my kid's life around and I needed to know about all of his problems if I was gonna do it.

"Vincent, please." I asked. "Just tell me. My number one goal now is to help you get better."

"On more than one occasion...I've thought about killing myself."

"Okay well since you just told me that, I just want you to understand that I'm not letting you leave my sight. I've already let you and your mother down and...Goddamnit, I'm not doing that again! I failed to do my duty before and from here on out, I'm gonna take care of you!"

"Whoa, dude. That feels...great to hear somebody say that. I know I'm fucked up and need the help so I don't think I can bitch about that. Look, why don't we get outta here and get us something to eat, eh? I dunno about you but I'm pretty hungry."

"Same here. We need to talk about our future as father and son and It'll be easier on a full stomach. What do you have in mind?"

The two of us thought for a moment on what we were hungry for. There were a lot of great places in Syracuse to get a bite so we wouldn't have to go very far. I've always liked having breakfast food during any time of day. I was going to let Vincent choose but not without making a suggestion first."

"How about Funk 'n Waffles?" We both said in unison.

"Whoa." Vincent said. "Yeah, actually that sounds awesome."

"It's on me, buddy." I replied. "Let's go."

Author's Note

I thought this chapter would be a good way to shed some light on a few real issues that affect a lot of people. My heart goes out to those of you who's lives have been impacted by cancer, alcoholism, depression and suicidal thoughts or actions. All of these things are simply awful to have to deal with and I truly understand and can relate to those who have lost a loved one or had to endure any of these things head on. Just remember that you are not alone and there are plenty of people who love you. If you ever have thoughts of harming yourself, please don't keep it to yourself. Tell someone. If you feel ill or get shivers when going long periods of time without alcohol in your system, you're suffering withdrawal and you need help. Tell someone. I could go on all day about these things but in short, just know that people in your life care about you. Don't give up. Don't EVER give up!

Chapter 14: Bonding and Buzzkills

"So what's this Equestria like, Vinnie?" Vincent asked me as we each enjoyed our waffles to go in his car.

"Oh my God, Vincent, It's beautiful!" I answered. "It's so vibrant and colorful, the sun is out more than it is here and everypony there is so friendly! Vincent, it'd be perfect for you!"

"Perfect for me? How do you figure?"

"Buddy, it would help you so much with your depression and it could make it way easier for you to get off booze! You would have so much support from everypony around you! Ponyville is where I live now. It's not like the little meth lab towns like Pulaski or Fulton either! It's a tight knit community where everypony knows and loves each other!"

"That...does sound pretty great if I'm honest."

"Vincent...please, come with me and the girls. You can live with me at my place and I'll take care of you. You're...y-you're sick, Vincent...and I plan on helping you get better. I want to have the father and son relationship with you that you deserve. What do you say?"

"No."

I had to double take for a moment there as I simply couldn't believe what I had just heard Vincent say. I was shocked and confused at him just flat out declining my offer to bring him to a better place and be there for him. I needed to know why. I wasn't about to just take a flat no for an answer. One way or another, I'm going to be there for my son no matter what I may have to sacrifice.

"B-but why?" I asked as my eyes started to water. "Vincent, are you saying that after all these years of wondering where you father was...after all that time and effort you spent looking for me that you don't want me in your life?"

"Whoa, whoa back up a sec, man." Vincent began. "That's not what I was trying to say. I mean I don't wanna go to this equo pony land or whatever you call that place. It sounds like a little girl's dream with tea parties and cupcakes or some shit like that. That's not me. Oh and another thing. Do they have meat there?"

"Well, uh...no. No we don't."

"I like my steak, I like my burgers, I like my bacon and I fuckin' looove the fried chicken I got with these waffles. I'm not about to give that up."

"Oh...I see. Well, I am glad to hear that you at least want me around."

"Hey, I'd be willing to stay with you somewhere in New York but I'm just not planning on crossing through some whack-ass portal."

"Whatever I gotta do, I'll do it. Like I said, I already let you and Jenny down over all these years and I'm never gonna let that happen again."

"Jeez, of all the ways I envisioned my dad being like, I wasn't expecting you to have that kinda personality."

"What do you mean?"

"You're really hard on yourself. Everybody makes mistakes but you seem to beat yourself up more than you should."

"If you think I'm too hard on myself, then you don't know half the shit I've done."

For at least two hours, Vincent and I talked and got to know each other more in his car. I told him details about certain mob jobs I was hired to do and how badly I wished I could have gone back and erased them. He told me a lot about his life growing up and what his childhood was like. From his struggles with making friends to the day his drinking problem started, I learned just about everything there was to know about my boy's background. When it was my turn to speak again, he learned everything about my own childhood to what my father was like. I told him everything, even about the day I decided that I was going to leave the mob.

We were both on a good start on getting to know each other very well. Weather he wants to come to Equestria or not though, I'm going to do my job as a father and set things right. I just hope the girls understand and take it well if I can't convince Vincent to come with us. It's true, the place would do wonders for him but I'm not about to make him do something he doesn't want to. Aside from getting him to quit drinking that is. His life depends on that and his liver's got to be in rough shape. All I know is that over time, he and I could be the family I kinda...always wanted. Who knows? Maybe he'll even start calling me "dad" someday.

"So like, did you guys go around robbing and killing or uh, or what?" Vincent asked.

"No, we were more organized than that." I replied. "We had rules and codes of honor. We had an agenda in mind that was more deep than spray painting brick walls with swear words. We were out to make quick cash. We pay the boss some tribute and he makes sure nobody messes with us."

"Criminals who follow rules?"

"Oh yeah, there were lots of them! Never kill innocent citizens with no mob ties, never kill cops, don't be late for sit-downs, two made guys had to have a third party there to introduce them. Stuff like that."

"So if you're made, you can't just walk up and talk to another made guy?"

"Not without a friend who knows both of you to introduce them. It was more of an etiquette thing."

"Cool."

"Yeah, in a way I guess I could see that. It still didn't make the things we did right but at least we didn't walk around with our pants around our knees and call ourselves 'gangstas'. Al Capone would be rolling in his grave over that."

"True. So what exactly made you quit?"

"Time made me quit. It was killing me to keep doing what I was doing. Usually, a mob guy doesn't think too deeply about his job, he just does it. That was always my problem. Usually if you want to quit, you can get a blessing from the don but it depends on how much of a scumbag he is and if you're made or not."

"So then he tried to have you whacked?"

"Yeah. He wasn't the kind of guy who'd let anybody leave on their own terms. I had to find out the hard way."

"Hey, it's getting dark. How about you and I go somewhere where we can see the stars better? It always helps me clear my mind."

"Uh, sure. Let's go."

After pausing for a moment to finish our waffles, Vincent started his car and started driving down the street where we soon merged back onto interstate eighty-one heading North. There was never much going on North of Onondaga County and the biggest town before crossing the border into Canada was Watertown in Jefferson County. With only twenty-seven thousand living there, it's a little playground compared to Syracuse.

We continued our way North and soon crossed into Oswego County. The further North we went, the smaller the towns we passed by got and it wasn't long before the interstate went from having three lanes to two. After a day of driving all the way from New York City in order to prove that Vincent and I were related to each other, we were getting tired and it was nice to have some peace and quiet for little while. It did get a little awkward just riding in silence though so Vincent decided to switch the radio on. It may not have seemed like much at first but we were just about to have our first moment of real bonding.

"Hey, this is my jam!" Vincent said as Vance Joy's Riptide started playing. He immediately began singing along to it. "I was scared of dentists and the dark...I was scared of pretty girls and starting conversations..."

"Alllll my friends are turning greeeeen!" I sang as I joined in.

After looking each other in the eye for a brief moment, the two of us went all out and passionately sang along with a song that we both shared as our favorite.

"You're the magician's assistant in their dream! Oooohhhwhoooaaawhoooaaa! And they've come unstuck!"

As we continued to sing, Vincent put his arm around me and held me closer. I followed suit and put my hoof around him. This was something I nor Vincent ever felt before. Real, actual bonding as father and son...and it felt wonderful. Just when we thought our tear ducts were tapped out for the day, more tears started running down our faces. The tears of sorrow and grief we shed earlier were replaced by tears of joy.

"Lady, running down to the riptide, taken away to the dark side, I wanna be your left hand maaan! I looove you when you're singing this song and I got a lump in my throat 'cause you're gonna sing the words wrong!"

"Wow, will you just look at that." Vincent said as he pointed at a shooting star whizzing by.

Our short journey lead us to a small town baseball park where we lay in the grass and stared at the night sky. It was a clear, warm spring night without a single cloud to block the beautiful view. Vincent told me that coming here just to gaze at the stars was something he liked to do to clear his mind and just relax.

"Y'know, when I started living in Ponyville, I really found out what I was missing." I said as I stared up at the sky. "In the city there's too much light to be able to see the stars."

"Hey Vinnie?"

"Yeah?"

"Tell me more about your friends."

"Oh, dude you have no idea how glad I am that you wanna know about them. Without the girls, I'd be nothing. They made me what I am today."

"Wow, man, that's...wow. Are they like family to you or something?"

"You bet. I see them like I would a daughter."

"That a fact? They do seem really cool and I'd be lying if I said I didn't think they were really cute."

"Oh my god, aren't they just adorable?"

"For fluffy little colorful ponies, yeah."

We continued to stare up at the stars in silence for a while. Though we were both quiet, we were still immensely enjoying each other's company. It had been a long day so of course we were both exhausted and honestly, I wasn't opposed to the idea of falling asleep and heading back to the City in the morning. My eyelids started to get pretty heavy but it was when I heard something going on with Vincent that I decided to stay awake to deal with it.

I looked over at Vincent to see him on his hands and knees heaving like he was about to throw up. As I got up to my hooves, he tossed up the waffles he had earlier. As I started to rub his back, I noticed his shirt was wet with a cold sweat. I didn't know what to think of it at first until I remembered that he hadn't drank any alcohol today. I've been keeping an eye on him the whole time and I made sure he didn't pack any booze. This could only mean one thing. He was suffering withdrawal and very badly at that.

"Just breath, buddy." I said as I continued to give Vincent a back rub. "We're gonna get through this and I'm gonna be here for you the whole way."

"Oh, fu-herp!" Vincent heaved. "Okay I think...I think it's all gone. We've got another problem though."

"What? what's wrong?"

"Look over there."

Vincent pointed towards the road where a large, dark blue Ford sedan with a bright horizontal gold stripe down the side pulled onto the dirt path of the ball park. As the car came closer I jumped back into Vincent's coupe before the headlights caught me. Finally the car stopped in front of Vincent and now that it was close enough, I could see who it was. There was an emblem from the New York state flag on the door and a red light bar on top of the car. Before the driver got out, I began to talk Vincent through the situation in hopes that the state trooper would go on his way with no trouble.

"Psst! Vincent!" I whispered from the car. "Just tell him you're out here to relax and clear your head and everything will be fine. Okay?"

"Okay." Vincent replied.

"Hey, what's going on over here, bud?" The trooper said as he got out of his car, his flashlight shining right at Vincent's face."

"Oh, I was just watching the stars here, sir. Had a stressful day so I just wanted to relax."

"Yeah, you sure looked relaxed with all that sweat gushing outta your pores."

This shouldn't be too much of a problem. Vincent hasn't been drinking, it's not illegal to be at a ball park at night and there is no contraband in Vincent's car. Worst case scenario, he sees me and I talk my way out of the situation. Most likely he'll probably get freaked out, jump back in his car and head off to the nearest bar. The only thing I couldn't quite put my hoof on was how familiar the guy's voice sounded.

"Sir, I'll be honest..." Vincent began. "I have a drinking problem and I'm trying to get clean. I've gone a while without a drink and I'm out here to take my mind off of it."

"Uh huh..." The trooper said. "You here by yourself?"

"Yessir."

"Where's the pony, kid?"

Wait, what did he just say? I know I punched a city cop the other day but how do the state police know about it? Something's not right here. I continued to listen to the exchange between Vincent and the state trooper that came to hassle him as I hid in the car. The familiar voice, the fact that he was looking for me...that voice, where have I heard that before?

"With all the farms around here, you're bound to find ponies all over the place, man." Vincent retorted. "What's it to ya?"

"I'll ask you again..." The trooper said before I heard the click of a holster being opened. "Where...is that fucking pony?"

"Whoa, don't shoot! Uh, look man, what do you want with him?"

"You want me!?" I shouted as I jumped out the window of Vincent's car. "Then come get me! I'm right here!"

I wasn't about to let Vincent take heat for me so I let my instincts similar to the ones I developed towards the girls take control. If the police wanted me so badly that they have the entire state of New York looking for me then they can have me before I bring more trouble on my boy. He's had enough of it for one lifetime...or several.

I just stood there frozen in the beam of the state cop's high powered flashlight. I couldn't see a whole lot with the light right in my face but I could see that he now had his service pistol pointed right at me. As a former criminal, I actually got to know a lot about laws the police are required to follow and drawing his gun on an unarmed Vincent the way he did was a clear violation of protocol. Hopefully, this guy would get busted for this misconduct and Vincent and I would be sent on our way.

"Ah, the little bastard that got away." The trooper said. "I'll give you that, you were quite the worthy adversary but I always catch 'em eventually. Heheheheheh...Boo!"

The trooper then placed the flashlight under his chin revealing his face. Now, unlike equines on Earth, us Equestrian ponies don't shit wherever we stand but when the guy revealed who he was, I was just about ready for a visit to the bathroom.

"You!"

Author's Note

Disclaimer: I do not own the lyrics to Vance Joy's song "Riptide".

Chapter 15: Dead Pony Trotting

"You know this guy?" Vincent asked me.

"Stay outta my way punk!" The Dark Star who was disguised as a New York state trooper yelled. He then proceeded to firmly lay his heavy flashlight across Vincent's jaw, knocking him straight to the ground. It was right at that moment when he hit the ground and lay there, something really dangerous in me was triggered and about to explode. In the back of my mind however, I knew very well that this overly gung ho dog catcher was after me, not Vincent. With the adrenaline rushing through me, it was getting difficult to think rationally.

"Ho intenzione di cazzo ucciderti!!!" I screamed in my old language as I charged after the phony cop with all my might.

It's been a long time since I just up and let loose like that. In my younger days, I wouldn't have thought twice about throwing punches first and asking questions later. As I got older though, I became more of a thinker than a fighter and now I was about to throw that out the window. I galloped towards the Dark Star and when I got close enough, I jumped up to lunge at him, my hooves ready to connect with his face. Little did I know that he too was ready for me.

Just as I came within an arm's length of him, the Dark Star grabbed the baton out of his belt and used it to block my attack. I landed back on all fours and readied myself for my next move. I was planning on charging at him again but instead of jumping up to hit him in the face like he expects, I'd hit one of his legs. He proved to be one hell of a problem as he once again saw through my strategy and used the baton to block. He was a stocky, heavier guy but he's got the agility of a cat.

"What else you got, little horsey?" The Dark Star taunted as he and I stared each other down.

"Buddy, when I get my hooves on you, I'm gonna crush your fucking skull..." I said through my teeth as he and I kept staring while walking in a circle.

"Oh yeah? Why don't you do it then? Looks to me like you're all talk."

I saw my next opportunity and went for it. I darted to my left like I was about to gallop away from him. Just as he began to follow I changed my course and darted to my right, taking my foe by surprise. I then made a circle around behind him and once his back was turned towards me, I bolted over to him and slid in between his legs. After I stopped just in front of him, I then bucked my hind legs to kick him in the shins. I was expecting him to fall to his knees where I could then turn around and knock him out. What I didn't expect was to feel a strong hand wrapped around each of my back hooves.

From the bottom of my hooves to the top of my head, I'm not much more than three feet tall and I weigh about sixty-five pounds when I'm soaking wet. The guy who was about to lift me up by my rear hooves is about six feet tall and must outweigh me by nearly two hundred. Now that he had a death grip on me, I didn't seem to have any more odds in my favor, assuming I actually did to begin with. Just as I expected, he effortlessly lifted me up but he didn't stop there and before I could give him any choice words, he slowly started to spin around. As he quickened up his spinning, the realization that he was planning to launch me like a rocket hit me and it wouldn't be long before I was going to hit something.

"Here, I'll teach you how to fly like those winged friends of yours!" The Dark Star said as he continued to spin me around.

"Dude! Stop!" I pleaded. "I'm gonna puke! I got a bad heart! C'mon, put me down!"

The crazy dog catcher cared about what I had to say as much as the last U.S. president cared about the lower class and a few more three-sixties later, he released my hooves launching me into the air. I knew I was about to get hurt badly and without wings or unicorn magic, I was helpless and could do nothing as I sailed through the air to wherever I was about to land of which I had no choice. The last thing I saw before everything went black was the word "Excelsior" on the seal plastered on the side door of the state police car that the psycho star used to get here.

"Units be advised, stolen cruiser spotted." A strange voice said as I woke up in a daze. "State police car number sixty-three last seen near Liverpool going Southbound towards Syracuse."

"And it's about to be at the bottom of a lake, you chumps!" Another, more nearby and familiar voice said.

"I don't know who you are but you better bring that car back! If we have to come to you and get it, there's going to be a heap of trouble!"

"Heheh. You state cops are a bunch of pussies! You want your car back? Bring a crane to haul it out of the water! Over and out, bitches!"

"Wha? Am I...?" I stuttered as my blurry vision very slowly came into focus.

I was in a rough state as the immense pain in my head made clear. Now that I could see the familiar type surface I was laying on, I could see that I had done a good deal of bleeding. I could tell that whatever I was laying on was a firm plastic or vinyl that was often used to line the back seats of cop cars. As things kept coming into better focus, I could see the balding head of the guy who knocked me and my son out, bound all my legs together with duct tape and took me Celestia knows where.

"Well, look whose awake!" The Dark Star said as he saw me stirring in his rear view mirror. "Good thing too, we're gonna need to ditch this ride."

"Why are you..." I stuttered. "Wh-what do you want with me? You followed me all the way from New York just for a dog catcher job?"

"Hold that thought, little guy. We're dumping this thing."

Before he said anything else, the Dark Star put the cruiser in park and got out. I had no idea where he was going or what he was about to do. He said he was about to dump the ride but why with me still in it? About two whole minutes passed before I heard another peep from him but then he finally did come back having changed from the gray trooper uniform into his black animal control garb. He opened the back door of the car, dragged me out, placed me on the ground and went back up to the front of the car. After a few seconds, the car started rolling forwards and down a steep hill where it soon fell into a large body of water. The Dark Star had left the windows down so within seconds, the blue Crown Victoria was resting on the toxic bottom of the vile, putrid cesspit that is Onondaga Lake.

As I lay on the ground all tied up, I looked over to where the Dark Star had walked off to and saw his white van pulling out from behind a fence in an alleyway where he had apparently hidden it. He then parked it, got out, lifted me up again and walked me over to the back of the van where he opened the back door and set me in. The guy's an asshole but hey, he was at least gentle enough not to toss me in like a bag of garbage, I'll give him that. I was about to find out why though. If you're about to sell something, usually you'd want it damaged as little as possible.

"Okay, where were we?" The Dark Star asked through a small open window between the cab and back of the van.

"Why are you doing this?" I whimpered. "What did I ever do to you?"

"It wasn't personal until you made me look like an ass the first time we met. But that's just the icing on the cake. Do you have any idea what science will pay for a green talking horse?"

"Of course. In the end, it all boils down to greed. Look man, we're not just a bunch of dumb animals. We think, we have feelings, we can love. Hell, I even used to be a human."

"That a fact? That just might fetch me a few more million. That and a six more wacky colored ponied with horns and wings."

"What!? No! Not my friends too!"

"And you're all from another universe too. If I can find that portal between here and there, I could sell your entire kind."

"Are you out of your mind!? Dude, our currency is pure gold! A half ounce gold coin is like a dollar to us, we can give you all the money you could ever want!"

"Oh, how generous of you. So after I clean out the ponies and ship them off to labs, I can go in and clean out some more dough."

"What the...you're sick! You're a fucking psychopath! You'd destroy an entire civilization of innocent creatures for money!?"

"Hey, it's not like I'm doing it for pocket change. Hell, I could buy out Donald fucking Trump with the payload. Now about that portal..."

"I'll never tell you where it is! I'd sooner die so you might as well skip the hassle and put a three fifty-seven in my skull!"

I wasn't joking about that at all. If it meant keeping all of Equestria safe from this lunatic, I'd let him torture me until I was dead. My friends, the princesses, all the citizens and foals of Equestria depended on my keeping my mouth shut so sacrificing myself to save many is what I'll do if I have to. On the other hoof...Vincent also depends on me. I promised I'd never let him down again. Maybe Equestria could defend themselves against one crazy bastard and whatever goons he has go in there with him. It's not like he can get the U.S. army to attack. We've dealt with worse. My old boss' cronies had machine guns and weren't too hard to take down, why should this guy be?

But what if he actually gets enough money to hire a private army? With millions of dollars, he could actually pull that off. In all my fifty years, I don't think I've ever had to make such a hard decision. In any event, I had nothing to say to the monster driving me off to who knows where and I was hurt, sore, exhausted and on the verge of a mental breakdown so I could do nothing but cry myself to sleep in the back of the van heading to Hell.

Several hours later, I was woken up by the light of the sun coming through the small window on the back of the van I was tied up in. I couldn't see anything else as the window was too high out of my reach but by the way I could feel the van moving, I could tell we were going through stop-and-go traffic thick enough for none other than the Big Apple. After a little while of that, the van stopped and the engine shut off. I figured unless some kind of miracle happens, I was about to be dragged out and made to squeal on my friends. It would turn out that they wouldn't have to make me say anything as I heard several familiar female voices and sounds of a struggle outside.

"No, no! Please, don't hurt us!" Pinkie Pie pleaded as the back door of the van was opened.

As I lay on the floor, I could see Pinkie with the loop of a catch pole around her neck and some animal control goon pulling her towards me. When they were close enough, the man then lifted her up and shoved her in. Seeing that I was there with her and in a rough state, a shivering Pinkie Pie held me tightly as one by one the rest of the girls were hauled into the van. After Pinkie, a sobbing Fluttershy was tossed in and then Rarity next as she gave the men a few choice words. Next to be tossed in was Applejack who couldn't fight back even if she wanted to. Not with her wounded leg. Twilight put up a fight as two men had to hold her down with their catch poles but she too was violently brought to the ground and thrown in to join the rest of us. Rainbow Dash would be the last one in.

The girls and I knew that Rainbow Dash was not one to go quietly and sure enough, we could see her outside bucking her back legs in any direction she could. She violently shook around as three guys each had a loop around her neck and even with all that team effort, they were still struggling to control her until something happened that made me feel more helpless that ever. As Rainbow put up a valiant fight against the animal control officers, the Dark Star walked up and laid the sole of his boot across her face as hard as he could and we were all powerless to stop him. As our friend lay unconscious on the pavement with blood pouring from her muzzle, the goons then tossed her into the van with the rest of us and closed the door.

"Girls..." I sobbed as they attended to Rainbow Dash. "Whatever happens, just know that I love you all so much!"

"We love you too, Vinnie!" Twilight whimpered.

"Girls, listen to me very carefully. I think...I think they're gonna try to get me to tell them where the portal is. I'll never tell them so...I think I'm going to die very soon. I need you all to stay strong and-"

"NO!" Rarity shouted. "You're not going anywhere! They'll have to kill me too if that's what it takes! Or we could find a way to escape! We always do!"

"Gem, listen, try to understand. They want to go to Equestria and sell out everypony they get their hands on! I'll die before I let that happen! I just...girls, if you can get out of this, I just want you promise me one thing."

"Anything, darling."

"Vincent's not gonna live long if he keeps poisoning himself the way he is. Please, take care of him for me."

As the girls ripped the duct tape from my hooves, we all huddles together for what was about to be our last group hug before I was to be tortured and made to give up my friends back home. I meant every word I said. I was going to sacrifice myself if it meant saving Equestria and giving my friends a chance to escape. I so badly wanted to be there for my son though but he's survived his whole life without me. He's not going to survive drowning himself in booze much longer.

Author's Note

Translation: "Ho intenzione di cazzo uccidrt" means "I'm going to F :flutterrage: King kill you"

Chapter 16: I Ain't Talkin'!

"Alright, little horsey dudes!" The Dark Star said as he jumped out of the van and opened the back door. "We're here!

Looking out of the van, I could see that the Dark Star and his cronies had taken the girls and I to some sort of warehouse. It looked abandoned with its many busted windows and graffiti all over it so I figured they must have yanked the girls from Vincent's place and taken us to the South side of The Bronx. In my past line of work, this could only mean a few things. Either one or more of us were about to die or be slapped around until we gave them any information they could be looking for. I had a pretty good idea what we had in store for us.

Before we could hold each other, the girls and I were dragged out of the van, put into a cage of our own and loaded up on a little cart and pushed into the building. Most of this warehouse was just one huge room with some doors leading to a few small offices but other than that, it was just a concrete floor, a ceiling and four walls. On the side farthest away from us, there were a couple overhead style garage doors with a white box truck in front of each and there were dozens of various boxes and crates stacked in a few spots.

The girls and I were all being wheeled into a small side room where the Dark Star then placed the cart in the corner. Sitting at a desk on the opposite side of the room was some dorky looking guy with huge glasses and a white lab coat. The Dark Star did mention something about selling us to scientists so this must be what he meant by that. The man in the lab coat proceeded to turn around in his office chair and look at me and the girls expectantly.

"Hmm...Zese colors are quite interesting." The scientist said in what sounded like a thick German accent. "Horns and vings too? Incredible! And you mentioned before zat zese ponies can speak, am I correct?"

"Yup." The Dark Star replied. "And once I have a little chat with this green one, there'll be plenty more where these came from."

"Vell zen, vhy don't ve have a little chat vith ze rest of zese ponies zen. Come on now, ponies, go ahead and speak for me."

"Yeah, I got something for ya." I said to the scientist. "Come over here, open up this cage and firmly wrap your lips around my di-"

"Shut up!" The Dark Star shouted as he punched my cage, leaving a sizable dent behind.

"Ah, vonderful!" The scientist said. "Aside from ze dirty talk, zese ponies vill fetch us quite ze substantial bonus!"

"Sounds good. Now I'm gonna go out there and have a little talk with the one with the mouth here and I'll see if I can get him to tell us how to get to their world and get to know more of their friends."

"Ah, yes. I'll be going out to take a break now. I'll contact some of ze others and tell zem ze great news!"

"Alright and when you get back, make sure you bring that briefcase full of cash I'm supposed to get. I gotta have six million after getting these ones and then another half million for each pony I get from their little dimension."

As the scientist left the room, the Dark Star opened my cage, reached in and grabbed me by my neck before pulling me out, setting me down on an office chair and wrapping me up with duct tape. This was it. This was the point of no return and things were about to go downhill for me very quickly. The worst part of it was the look on my friends' faces and the buckets of tears rolling down their cheeks as I was wheeled out of the room where this psycho was about to do Celestia knows what to me.

The degenerate then placed the chair with me taped to it in the center of the warehouse and walked away to retrieve a small cart that he then placed a few feet in front of me. The things that were on the cart were the "implements" he would use to interrogate me. There were pliers, hammers, scissors, scalpels, cigarette lighters and even a baseball bat.

"So..." The Dark Star began as he lit up a cigar. "You have some information that I'd like to have. I expect you to give me that information." He then proceeded to pick up a tack hammer and take a few practice swings with it. "If you feel like you wanna withhold this information from me, I'll make you wish you were never born."

"Do your worst, fucker." I retorted, prepared to die to protect Equestria.

"Suit yourself. Smoke?"

"I quit, asshole."

"Nah, I insist. Here."

His first move of information extraction was to firmly press the lit end of his stogie on my chest. I could smell it burn through my coat and it quickly made its way down to my skin. After a few seconds, It even started to sizzle and soon, I could smell my own flesh cooking. It hurt like a motherfucker and this was just the beginning of my ordeal. I was in for a world of hurt.

"Alright, lemme ask you." The Dark Star said after removing his cigar from my chest. "If the legends are true, there should be this portal that links this world to yours. Where is this portal?"

"Do I need to repeat what I said to the egghead?" I retorted. "I ain't tal-Gaaaaahhhhh!"

Once again, he pressed his lit cigar on my chest, burning another hole through my fur and then down to my skin. As agonizing as the pain was, the worst part of it was the thought that the girls could hear me scream from the other room they were in.

"Maybe I hadn't quite gotten the point across." The Dark Star said as he again removed his cigar from my chest. "I wanna know where that portal is and you're gonna tell me."

"I'd rather get oral from a crocodile." I answered. "Try again."

The Dark Star then turned back to the tool cart to select the next device he would be using to inflict pain on me. Not knowing what he was going to do next was the worst part. The long seconds ticked by and it left me very anxious until he picked up what looked like an electric cattle prod. I was in for a shocking experience...Nope, nope that was pretty bad. I'm no comedian and I never will be.

"Woulda cute widdle pony tell me where da widdle portal is?" The Dark Star teased with his insufferable baby talk.

"Would the sad widdle bald fat fuck call his mommy and tell her Big Vinnie's raring for another go?" I teased back, earning a nasty zap.

"You oughtta know not to talk shit about a guy's mom."

"Hey, it ain't my fault she likes a guy who's hung like a horse."

"Wrong answer."

He cranked up the power dial on his cattle prod and really let me have it this time. At this point, The Dark Star was starting to get frustrated with me so he decided to jam the device into my stomach and hold it on me for an agonizing half minute or so. As the cattle prod crackled away and burnt my fur, my whole body convulsed and twitched just as much as my duct tape prison would allow.

"We can do this all day but I'm not that patient." The Dark Star said. "There's no way you can take much more of this so why don't you just tell me what I wanna know before I end up killing you."

"That all you got!?" I shouted back. "I've been through way worse! This is nothing new to me! Pull something else outta your little bag of tricks!"

"Hmm...speaking of pulling..."

"Wha-what are you doing with that?"

His response to that was well timed, I'll give him that but I really didn't like the look in his eyes as he grabbed a pair of pliers off of the cart and came at me. Things were starting to get real and the Dark Star was about to inflict some permanent damage on me.

"Nice set of choppers you got there." The Dark Star said as he stuck the pliers in my mouth and clamped onto one of my teeth. "You'll wanna answer me quick. The portal. Where is it?"

I actually had to think about this one. He was about to rip a tooth out of my head while I was wide awake and with rusty tools. On the other hoof, all of Equestria would be in danger if I ratted them out. I've lived my life making terrible mistakes and letting so many people around me down so if I have to die to save countless others then I guess I'd be okay with going out like a hero. Let the torture commence.

"Thuck you, athole!" I said with the pliers in my mouth.

"You wanna play dentist?" The Dark Star said. "Okay, we'll play dentist!"

"Waaaahahhaaahaaaa! AAAAAHHHH!"

Now I was starting to feel some real pain. With one of my front teeth firmly clamped in the jaws of the rusty tool, the Dark Star proceeded to twist and pull and soon I heard the crackling sound of the roots breaking. He then placed his free hand on my muzzle for more leverage and after a few more tugs, the pliers flew out of my mouth with a blood covered tooth stuck in its jaw.

"Wow, you must brush and floss a lot." The Dark Star said as he glanced at my tooth that he had just ripped out of me. "Too bad. All that effort taking care of your mouth just to have me yank out these nice pearly whites. Look, you could lose every single one of them so you might as well quit while you're ahead and tell me whe-"

"Ptooey!"

While the crazed bastard was yapping on, I then spat out a pretty big glob of spit and blood and it landed right below his left eye. Like I said, I was willing to die to keep Equestria from being sold out and it looked like that lugie the Dark Star was wiping off his face was the signature on my death warrant. As he grabbed a pipe wrench from the cart, my only last wish was that the girls didn't have to hear me scream and that I could just say goodbye to them one last time.

For what seemed like hours, the psycho star continued to use his various tools to torture me. After he was done working me over with the pipe wrench, he picked up the bat and started whacking my legs with it. He tossed that aside shortly after and started knocking a few more of my teeth out with nothing but his fist. Over time, he switched back and forth between giving me more cigar burns and shocking me with the cattle prod again. I've been in a lot of life and death situations but never before did I really honestly think that I was so close to dying.

As the hours went by, I went in and out of consciousness more times than I could count. Finally, I woke up and was able to look around and instead of a bright beautiful light, I saw the same dull warehouse the girls and I were taken to. The scumbag who was torturing me was pacing back and forth puffing on a cigar and mumbling to himself. On the other side, the door of the room that my friends were being held in was still closed but there was no sign of the scientist anywhere.

"Damn it, doc..." The Dark Star muttered. "Where the fuck are you? It shouldn't take you three hours to get lunch."

Not a single inch of my body was without screaming pain and I'm sure I didn't look much better either. I didn't have a mirror handy but I was about to find out just how bad it was. Just when I thought my pain couldn't get any worse, I felt a strong hand grab my mane and start dragging me and the chair I was bound to towards the other room. I Didn't know the exact extent of my wounds but I did know they were pretty bad and letting my dear friends see me in the state I was in was the last thing I wanted.

"Wait..." I squeaked as the Dark Star placed his hand on the doorknob. "Please...I don't...Don't let my friends see me like this."

He heard every word I said as he was looking me right in my bloody eyes but he just didn't care. He just rolled his eyes and continued to open the door. After he let go of my mane and shoved me into the room the girls all let out a gasp at the mangled, bloody pile of flesh that used to be me bound to an office chair. The room was dead silent for several seconds until the girls could process what they were seeing.

"You...bastard..." Twilight said quietly before screaming at the top of her lungs. "You bastaaarrrd!!"

"Have you no soul!?" Fluttershy sobbed. "What kind of monster would torture somepony like that!?"

"Do you have any idea how wonderful of a pony he is!?" Rarity squealed as she started to sob. "He doesn't deserve this!"

"Shut up! All of you!" The Dark Star shouted. "I don't have time for this shit! I'm taking a break but I'll be back...and when I am, I'll put your little friend here out of his misery and you can all watch!"

With that, the greed crazed man slammed the door and within seconds, the sound of the engine of his van cranking over could be heard before he sped off. He would come back soon and probably put a bullet in my head once he did. There didn't seem to be any way out of this and if Twilight or Rarity's horn had started working, they would have used them to fry the lunatic and help us all escape by now. The only thing for us to do was spend my last moments with my six best friends. I have lived for fifty years and have done a lot of things in my life that I'm anything but proud of. I've robbed, stolen and killed for a living for most of my life...but then I started doing good deeds. My life changed forever from then on and as I continued to make amends, I started feeling better about myself. At this point, I think I can say I'm at peace and the only thing I regret now was not having the time to get to know my son better.

After only a few minutes, my moment finally arrived. It was a lot sooner than I thought it would be but the Dark Star was back. I could hear foot steps coming up to the door and they were coming up pretty fast. Just as they reached the door they stopped for a moment but then soon I could hear the door being pushed open behind me. I was waiting for what would be the final blow that would end up killing me but instead got turned around in my chair to come face to face with...the scientist from earlier?

I wasn't sure what he was up to but as he eyed me up and down and looked at what the Dark Star had done to me, he looked like he'd never seen anything so horrible in his entire life. Maybe we could talk him into helping us. Maybe unlike his comrade, he could have some decency. What struck me the most odd was that for some reason, the wrinkles that were on his face before were gone...that and he looked like he was now a foot taller.

"Wha-hey, look man, you gotta he-" I began before being cut off.

"Shh, Vinnie, I'm gonna get you guys outta here." The young man said as he pulled a toupe off of his head, revealing his thick, black hair. "It's me. Vincent."

Author's Note

Please don't hate me for this chapter :applecry:

Chapter 17: Escape to the Park

"At first, I was just pissed about him knocking me out..." Vincent began as he unwrapped the duct tape from me and the chair I sat in. "...but after seeing what he's done to you, I'm about to commit my first murder."

After I was freed from the binds of tape, Vincent then proceeded to cut the locks on the cages the girls were in with a bolt cutter he'd brought with him. If I was ever proud before, seeing my boy infiltrating a guarded warehouse while in disguise to rescue the girls and I topped anything I've ever seen. Within less than a minute, my friends were out of their cages and Vincent gently lifted me off the chair and carried me out of the room towards one of the vans. He carefully set me down on the floor where Pinkie and Rainbow Dash held me up on my hooves and opened the back door on the box truck.

"Okay, everypony get in." Vincent said.

"Oh my gosh, Vincent you're a lifesaver!" Twilight exclaimed.

"Our hero!" Fluttershy squealed.

"Uhh, Doc Fegelein?" A voice behind Vincent said. "What, um...why are you taking the ponies without giving me my money?"

He came back a bit earlier than expected. The man who tortured me and completely destroyed my body and probably my mind too was standing behind Vincent as he gently placed me in the back of the van. The only thing I could do was lift my head up just enough to see what was going on and by the looks of it, Vincent seemed like he was about to carry out what he said he would do just a few minutes ago.

"I thought I said I wanted that case of cash." The Dark Star continued. "Where is it?...and why the fuck are you a foot taller?"

"The only salad you're getting is a lead one!" Vincent replied as he turned around and yanked the toupe off his head. "You dropped something before you left the other night! Here!"

When we're angry, we all tend to say things we don't really mean. After we calm down, we start thinking more rationally and realize that what we said we wanted to do would have been a dumb idea. When Vincent mentioned something about committing his first murder, I thought it was just that. That was until I saw him standing with his back turned to me and his arm extended out with a standard state police issued forty caliber glock pistol in his hand pointed right at the Dark Star's face.

"Heheheh, okay look, man I get it." The Dark Star said as he took a few steps back with his hands slightly raised. "I'll admit, the flashlight upside your face was a bit extreme bu-"

"You think I give a fuck about that!?" Vincent interrupted. "You know what? I'm not even gonna waste a bullet on you...I'm gonna make you suffer."

There was about to be a fight to end all fights between Vincent and the Dark Star. Vincent placed the gun in the back of the truck and stepped forward. He then took off the stolen glasses and lab coat proceeded to roll up his sleeves. The enemy took the hint and he removed his utility belt and tossed it on the other side of the room. At least he has some honor.

"Hold onto this gun, you guys." Vincent said as he slowly walked towards the foe. "I'll take care of this prick."

"Shoulda just shot me when you had the chance." The Dark Star said as he put up his fists. "Big mistake."

As much as I'd like to be optimistic, the odds were certainly not in Vincent's favor. Hell, even I had no chance to beat him when we duked it out the other night. I couldn't even land one strike. From recent experience, I can honestly say that Vincent can hit hard but seeing how much more experienced the Dark Star is, I'd say it's not looking good. Still though, I'm incredibly proud of my boy for wanting to use bare fists instead of taking the easy way. What a brave kid.

Okay so standing on one side is Vincent at six foot three and probably no more than one hundred and eighty pounds at twenty three years old. Standing on the other side was the lunatic at I'd say about an even six feet tall, at least weighing two-fifty and about thirty something. Late thirties, I think. As the two slowly walked circles around each other and stared each other down, the tension in the air was as unbearable as my wounds. The girls and I just wanted to see the end of this whole ordeal.

It was on. Vincent made the first move by charging in like he was about to go for a low kick but then faking it and going for the enemy's jaw...and it was a disaster. A smart move on Vincent's part but as the Dark Star proved in my own fight against him, he seems to see it coming every time. The first swing resulted in a miss and the second one was blocked. Vincent's foe responded by sweeping his foot across the floor knocking him off his feet once they came in contact.

"Need a hand?" The Dark Star asked as he smugly offered to help Vincent off the floor.

I could see that this one was a trap from a mile away but unfortunately Vincent grabbed his hand and got pulled up and was met with a firm headbutt right to his face. Vincent's not dumb by any means, it had to have been more or less of a reflex. In any event, my son's reflexes were about to be slapped right out of him if he couldn't change the tide of the fight soon. If I wasn't so badly injured, surely we could take this guy down two to one. The girls could help the odds but they were too weak from the lack of sleep and some of them suffered blows of their own.

For several more minutes the fight raged on and Vincent was losing badly. Getting tortured and shipped off to Celestia knows where was one thing but watching my son get the shit kicked out of him to save me was sickening to watch. Everything he tried, Vincent couldn't get a single strike to land and every time he tried, he got himself pummeled. At this point, I didn't even care if Vincent could beat this guy, I just wanted him to stop taking a beating of his own.

Still, Vincent kept on fighting and showed just what a truly brave and tough young man his mother brought him up to be. None of us could believe what we were seeing. As badly as he was getting pounded, Vincent would just get right back up and keep trying. Even the Dark Star himself was starting to sweat profusely as he began to show obvious signs of fatigue. After a another few swings and kicks, the foe's breath even started to pick up the pace until one last blow left our savior crashing down onto the concrete floor.

"You thinking...about giving up yet?" The Dark Star panted as he tried to catch his breath.

"Hahahahahahahah..." Vincent laughed as he wiped blood from his lip. "Gahahahahahahahahahaha!"

"What, did I break you or are you just that fucking crazy?"

"Ha! My nerves have been dulled by years of drinking! Either that or you just fight like a little bitch!"

As the Dark Star gave Vincent a look that only somebody who was legitimately freaked out would give, the latter pulled a flask out of his pocket and downed the contents. After the flask was empty, Vincent tossed it behind him and signaled to the enemy to come back over and continue the fight. Once again, The Dark Star was the first to land a strike but it would soon turn out that there was hope after all.

"What are you trying to do, tickle me?" Vincent taunted as he was punched in the gut.

Another blow to the face.

"Looks like we have an invasion of invisible butterflies!"

A kick to the side.

"Hey, if I wanted your grandma to work me over, I would have called her! My turn!"

Without any warning, Vincent charged in and thrust his fist into the Dark Star's face, knocking him right to the floor. As soon as he stumbled back to his feet, he was presented with another one with yet another already in the works. This was finally becoming a two way fight with our hero making an amazing comeback. After several more punches to the face and kicks to the gut combined with tiring himself out, at long last, the fight was over with my son Vincent Sachentov as the victor.

"This one's for knocking me out last night!" Vincent shouted as he punched The Dark Star in the face, rendering him unconscious. "This one is for busting into my place!" Thwack! "These six are for my friends!"

"Vincent, I think he's out." Twilight said while Vincent continued to cave the Dark Star's face in.

"And these ten are for what you did to Vinnie!"

"Fer cryin' out loud, hun, he's probably dead by now!" Applejack said.

"And here's another twenty for having the balls to leave a floater in my toilet!"

"Vincent!" The girls hollered in unison.

"Oh...right. We should probably get going now huh?"

Finally, we could all leave this horrible place and get me some medical attention. After the girls were all settled in at the back of the van, Vincent closed it's overhead door and carried me to its cab. He then very gently sat me down in the passenger seat and fastened the seat belt around me. With the door on my side now shut, Vincent then walked to the driver's side, opened the door and proceeded to firmly tug at a bundle of wire under the steering column. After ripping some of them apart, he then began touching the bare metal together.

"What the-? Where'd you learn to do that!?" I asked as Vincent started the truck by hot wiring it.

"Vinnie, there are a few things about me I haven't mentioned." Vincent replied. "Mom did everything she could for me but growing up was still tough. I ran with some guys on the South side of Syracuse and learned a lot of crazy shit from them. Man, we gotta get to know each other better."

"We'll have plenty of time to do that, buddy. Let's go get the girls to that portal but I've decided that I'm staying here in New York."

"Oh yeah?"

"Of course! Vincent you need he-"

"Oh, hold that thought."

After strapping himself to the driver's seat, Vincent pressed the clutch and shifted the lever into reverse. He backed the truck up about twenty feet, slammed it into third gear, and let it rip. The rear dual wheels screeched for several seconds, filling the warehouse with smoke before the truck careened forward and smashed through the large overhead door.

"Okay, where were we?" Vincent asked as our getaway truck barreled down the street.

"I've just gotta know..." I began. "How did you know where they took us?"

"One of my neighbors noticed them busting my door down. He got the plate number off the van they were driving and I got the DMV to trace the fleet address."

"My god, you're incredible! I never would have guessed that you knew how to do all that stuff."

"There's still a lot you don't know about me but one thing I'll tell you now is that I don't let a favor go without paying back somehow."

"What do you mean?"

"The super of the building told me that somebody paid off my back rent that I owed. That was you, wasn't it?"

"Well, yeah...yeah it was."

"I may be a drunken loser but when somebody helps me, I make up for it one way or another."

"You're not a loser! Don't talk about yourself that way! But wait, what did you do with that scientist?"

"I followed him when he left the warehouse. I hid in an alley and mugged him for his lab coat, glasses and toupe when he walked by. I knew he'd rat on me so I stuffed him into a garbage can so he couldn't go anywhere. There were a few guards around the warehouse so I needed the disguise."

"Oh man, that sounds like something I would have done."

As we went further down the street, I noticed that we were on heading West on East Bay Avenue. Once Vincent got to the end of that, he drifted and made a hard right on Tifffany Street. With this type of driving, we would have normally had attracted the attention of the police department but for some reason, there wasn't any of New York's finest anywhere in sight. Weird, there's usually a cop on every street corner. Don't get me wrong, it's great that we don't have anyone getting in our way but it's just unusual.

We got to the end of Tiffany Street, merged onto Highway Two Seventy-eight and after passing through the North side of Brooklyn, we made our way back over to Manhattan. Things were getting pretty weird though. None of the officers at the toll booths we passed through asked why Vincent was driving a box truck with a mangled green pony in the passenger seat and seemed to be more occupied by their radios. At this point, we were heading North to Central Park where I would say my goodbyes to six of my best friends and send them back home.

My decision was etched in stone. I met the son I never knew I had and now I'm going to do my duty as a father to make up for lost time and help him quit drinking before it kills him. As much as we'll miss each other, I'm sure the girls and everyone back in Ponyville will understand. Who knows? Now that I know this portal can be activated more than once, maybe we can find a safer way to trigger it on command. That will have to wait until another time though. I have my son's life to save.

"Hey, you girls wanna see Times Square?" Vincent asked as he opened a small window between the van's cab and cargo box.

"Oh my, it's so beautiful!" Rarity beamed.

"Awesome!" Rainbow Dash said.

"Wow, these bright lights actually don't scare me!" Fluttershy said. "These make Manehattan's lights look like a tea li-"

"What...the...FUCK!" Vincent shouted as he slammed on the brakes. "Who the hell is that!?"

With the truck now stalled and sitting motionless, Vincent pointed up to several buildings at what must have caught his attention. Times Square has several large tv screens that show advertisements, live news coverage and the like. Normally, whatever was on the screens wouldn't be very important in a situation like this but in this case, it certainly was. The live footage looked like it was being taken in Central Park and after double taking, the girls and I took a good look at it and simply could not believe our eyes.

"People of New York!" Princess Luna said to a large crowd of camera wielding citizens. Princess Celestia, Cadence and a few guards were with her too. "We come in peace! We merely wish to find our lost subjects!"

Chapter 18: Which Way is Home?

"Hang on, we're almost there!" Vincent said as he drove the girls and I towards Central Park in a stolen truck.

It was finally almost over. The Princesses were here to bring the girls back and I could finally move in with Vincent so I can make up for lost time. Oh shit, I never told the girls I was planning on doing that. This will be one of the harder things I've had to do but Vincent is my flesh and blood. My friends from Equestria will understand. Who knows? Maybe we'll find a way to stabilize the portal so it works on command. Thinking realistically thou-"

"C'mon, outta the way!" Vincent shouted at pedestrians in the park as he laid on the horn.

"There they are!" Twilight exclaimed from the back. "Celestia, Luna, and Cadence! They're just ahead!"

"Vincent, buddy, thanks fer all yer help." Applejack said. "But do ya think ya might wanna be a little more subtle? Yer drawin' a heap of attention on us."

"I think it's a little late for that now." Vincent replied as he glanced at a side view mirror. "We've got somebody really important behind us and it looks like they wanna know what's going on."

Just as we got close enough, Vincent stopped the truck and went to the back to let the girls out. All the while, I was still strapped into the front passenger seat to see a black limousine pass by and park even closer. The crowd around us was massive and everyone had a camera or cell phone that they were taking as many pictures of the princesses as they could. I remember when I first saw them too. It's not often that you see such majestic and mythical creatures that really until then you didn't think even existed. Just the sight alone of a beautiful alicorn is enough to just give you this indescribable feeling of happiness. Maybe even a little bit of hope too.

Finally, the girls were all out of the truck trotting towards the fountain and the princesses as fast as their tired, weary legs could take them. In the past few days, they've been through so much. We all have, even me. Well, especially me. Getting tossed into a ghetto in New York, finding out that I had a son, dodging cops, fighting a psychopath and then getting tortured by him. Yeah, I'd say that's quite the eventful week.

As Vincent carried my broken body over to where the princesses were standing, I had to double take at what I saw over there. I couldn't believe my eyes, it was the city's head honcho himself who was riding in that limo. Shaking hooves with the princesses one by one was none other than New York City's Mayor, Bill de Blasio. It looks like he wanted to see them up close and get to know them a bit.

There had to have been a couple hundred police officers keeping the crowd back and the chief of the NYPD was next in line to get a hoofshake. The senior officer with a very decorated uniform was just extending his hand when he turned to look at the girls trotting towards them and Vincent just behind them. Out of curiosity, the Mayor and the three princesses all turned to look over and all their eyes were soon glued on to me. Every one of them looked as if they had never seen anything so horrible in their entire lives.

"Vincent?" I said. "I need you to put me down. I gotta talk to the princesses."

As Vincent gently placed me on the ground, the crowd went completely silent and the pain I was going through was a clear reminder of why. As I struggled to stay on my hooves, Twilight and Pinkie each came to my side to help me along. I was intending on trotting over to the princesses to discuss my plans to stay here but they all rushed over to meet me halfway. The mayor, the police chief and a guy in a highly decorated animal control uniform followed suit.

"Who did this to this pony?" The mayor asked.

"One of your guys did this!" Vincent yelled as he pointed a finger at the head of the animal control department. "Some nutcase who calls himself the Dark Star!"

"Oh my God!" The animal control captain cried out. "We wanted him to just catch the ponies, not mangle them! Where is he!?"

"Last I saw him, he was in some warehouse in The Bronx with his face caved in. He deserved every single blow."

"Mister Mayor..." Princess Celestia said. "Is this typical? Do your people often treat other living creatures like this?"

"S-sadly it is..." The mayor replied as he tried to stifle tears. "The violence is my City has become the every day norm and it makes me sick to my stomach. Rest assured though, the man who did this to your subject will face justice!"

"Let's worry about that later." I interjected. "I'm just glad that the princesses are here and you all finally get to go home."

"Whatcha mean 'y'all can go home', Vinnie?" Applejack asked. "Ain't ya coming with us?"

It looked to me like they all sort of saw it coming. The girls all looked at me expectantly and waited for me to explain what I meant by what I said. The six girls, even Cadence and Shining Armor who was still back in Equestria have been my best friends over the past three years. Leaving them behind wasn't ever what I wanted to do but Vincent said he wouldn't be happy in Equestria. My choice was clear.

"I'm not." I replied as tears streamed down my face. "Vincent, head back to the apartment, okay? I'll meet you there. I just need to say goodbye to my friends."

"Girls, it's been good." Vincent said as he started to walk away. "You take care, alright?"

"I hope you all understand. You know Vincent's got some serious problems and now that I know he's my son, I need to be there for him. He's depressed, suicidal, and he's the worst alcoholic I've ever seen. I need to stay here and take care of him or he could kill himself. If he doesn't jump off a building, his liver will quit on him and I'm not gonna let that happen."

"W-we und-*sniff* we understand, Vinnie." Pinkie said.

"Vincenzo, just know that we will never forget you or all the things you've done for us." Rarity said.

"Hey, it's not the end." I said. "Maybe we'll figure this fountain out and come visit sometime."

"Either way, it's going to be a long time before we see you again." Twilight said. "But you're doing the right thing by being there for your son. He really does need you and to stay behind to do your job as a father...I can't think of anything more noble."

"I love you all! Don't ever forget that! Princess Celestia? Before I leave, I have just one last request."

"Anything, Vinnie." Celestia replied as she gave me one last hug. "Name it."

"If you can, I need you to turn m...Oh shit!"

My sudden outburst of cursing caught everyone around us off guard but what got me was the man with blood all over his face who stood about fifty yards away. The Dark Star had come back for one final attempt to take me down. This time however, he wasn't looking for my information leading to the portal to make him rich. He was armed with a rifle and was out for blood. After having to deal with him torturing me the way he did, I was too scared to move or even say anything but broken gibberish as I tried to point at him. The people in the crowd were too busy gushing over how magnificent the princesses and the rest of the ponies were. I could almost feel the cross hairs of the scope burning me between the eyes. There was however one very large problem that may not have occurred to him though. The mayor was standing five feet away from me.

Pow!

I winced as I heard a shot come from the direction where the Dark Star was standing. Either he wasn't aiming for me or he had missed as I knew I was still alive and had no new holes in me. I looked around a bit more to see that the princesses and the mayor were unharmed. I then found out what happened when I looked back over at our attacker. All the color in his face quickly drained away he lowered the rifle still holding it in his right hand and stared back at me through a newly acquired hole in his left.

"Jesus fuuuck!" The Dark Star screamed as he continued to stare at the hole that was blown clean through his hand.

"Snipeeerrr!" A police officer shouted as he and nearly a dozen others tackled him to the ground.

"Get the mayor outta here!" The police chief shouted.

As quick as Rainbow Dash rushing to visit Applejack's brother after a stressful day, about six or seven cops swarmed around Mayor de Blasio and rushed him back to the limo where they shoved him in before it tore off just as fast. The crowd finally noticed the commotion and everyone fell to the ground and covered their heads. After a brief moment, thing quickly calmed down and everyone started to get back up. That's when I realized what had just happened. Vincent was casually strolling away from the scene and I saw him toss the stolen Glock pistol over his shoulder before he turned around to toss in his last two bits.

"Look on the bright side!" Vincent shouted over as the police proceeded to cuff and beat the Dark Star. "That's another hole you can use to make friends with your fellow inmates."

Now our ordeal was finally, at long last over. I had said my last goodbyes to my friends and given them all my last hugs. I heard talk that city officials were planning on building a security fence around the portal fountain and assigning officers to guard it twenty-four seven to prevent any lunatics from doing what the crazy bastard Dark Star was going to. The portal leads to Equestria but it's still unstable and unsafe to use without first finding some way to harness its power and channel it to work on command. The princesses were able to make it work but even they found it difficult.

My only regret is that I couldn't say goodbye to my other friends back in Equestria but I did what I had to do. The idea of never seeing the girls or the others again really pains me to think about and I'll miss them to no end. The girls and even Cadence were like the daughters I never had and I even got pretty close to Celestia and Luna during my time there. I'll miss them and everything about them. There was just this "motherly" way Celestia had about her and in a way reminded me of my mother and how she would have done anything for me.

I can't be tormenting myself with those thoughts. The friendships I had in that beautiful, magnificent world were the best blessing I could have ever asked for. Now, I need to attend to another precious blessing. I sent Vincent back home to his apartment in Brooklyn where I would soon join him. I was brought over to the building by taxi and since the princesses had patched up my wounds for me, I could easily make my way back up the stairs. After climbing a couple floors, I reached Vincent's apartment, placed my hand around the door handle and walked in on two legs. All six foot four of me.

There was my son Vincent standing at his kitchen sink staring wistfully at a bottle of vodka before breaking down in tears and proceeding to pour the contents down the drain. That was actually a good sign. Vincent desperately needs to quit drinking and he just showed that he has the determination to do so. With me by his side, he'll do just fine and I intend on staying there every step of the way.

"Son?" I said, prompting Vincent to look over at my familiar face.

"Whoa." Vincent said. "Uh, hang on a sec."

Vincent then proceeded to reach into his back pocket where he pulled out and unfolded his wallet. After opening his wallet up he pulled out of that the picture that got me so worked up the other night. He then held the picture of me and his mother in front of him to make the obvious comparison.

"Wow, man." Vincent said. "You weren't kidding, huh?"

"Of course not." I replied. "That's not something that anyone with a heart kids someone about. Now, Vincent, let's have a seat in the living room. Let's talk, okay?"

"O-okay."

Vincent then sat down on the reclining chair in the living room and I then took a seat on the sofa in front of him.

"Son, I want you to listen to me very carefully. Even though we've only known each other for a few days, I just feel this connection with you that only a father and son could have. I really don't know how to explain it but it's like...these parental instincts I developed towards the girls. Catch my drift?"

"Yeah." Vincent replied. "I think I get it."

"Good. Now, I don't know if you feel the same way about me but either way I'm gonna be around a lot. I'm going to do what ever I can to give you the father and son relationship that you deserve and have been missing all these years. Remember what I said. I already let you and your mother down before and that will never happen again."

"Hey, it's all good. I'm not worried about it, I'm just glad to actually get to know my dad."

"I couldn't have said it better myself. Well, lastly and most importantly...we have a lot of work to do to help you get better. Vincent, buddy...you're so fuckin' sick. If you keep drinking, you'll poison yourself and die. I've failed at so many things in life but taking care of you is my number one priority while I'm here. I'll tell you what we're gonna do."

"What's that?"

"We'll get outta here and get a better place than this. We could get a luxury apartment over in Manhattan! I'll pay for every therapy session for you and we can both live together and be a family! Doesn't that sound great?"

"Yeah but how are you gonna get the money for that?"

"Did I ever tell you what Equestrian currency is?"

"I don't think so."

"Pure gold coins about the size of a nickel. I had a ton of them in my bank account in Ponyville. I withdrew as many as I could fit in my pockets. We're rich, I'm telling you! Everything's gonna be just fine, son!"

"This all just happened so fast. I mean, a few days ago I was thinking of killing myself but now I feel better than I have in years."

"That's the spirit! Here, we can start out this new chapter in life by dumping out all this booze. Do you really need all that shit?"

"Hell no!"

"Then let's get to it!"

Vincent and I began to open up each and every bottle of liquor he had in his apartment and proceeded to dump it all down the drain of his kitchen sink. As we continued to get rid of the poison that ruined Vincent's life, I could tell something new was on his mind. He just had that look about him, it told me that he was a bit worried. Then again, being as dependent on alcohol as he is, this is going to be a long, bumpy road to recovery. It's not going to be entirely pleasant but it's necessary. Still though, I just felt compelled to ask.

"What's on your mind?" I asked.

"Remember the other night when I had withdrawal problems?"

"I know, son, I know. Did I ever tell you about when I quit smoking though?"

"No, I don't think you did. How'd you do that?"

"Well, I had a little help with that. When I first got to Equestria, I had to make a pack last me a whole week. Twilight being the super science nerd she is wanted to figure out why I was so hooked on cigarettes. Well, it didn't take her long to find out how harmful they were. On the day that was supposed to be my last day there, she gave me a nice little parting gift."

"What's that?"

"She came up with a magic spell that she used on me and just like that, I never wanted to smoke again."

"Whoa, back up! She just cured your addiction with magic!?"

"Yeah."

"No shit. That's pretty cool. So...you really love the girls don't you? Tell me more about that, will you?"

"They're like daughters to me, Vincent. I love them and everything about them. They're the type of kind souls that will go out of their way to make everyone around them happy. Always thinking about others. That's why I'm going to miss them so much."

"When are they leaving?"

"The princesses and the mayor went somewhere a bit safer and more quiet to talk for a while. If I didn't know better, I'd say they were trying to establish some kinda diplomatic alliance. I think they'll be going home any minute now though."

"Do you think we'd have enough time to catch up with them and join them?"

"I dunno. Why do you ask?"

"Because, Dad, I've been doing some thinking sinc-"

"What did you just call me?"

"Whoa. I just called you 'Dad'. But hey, you know what? I like your friends. They seem really sweet and aside from you, I don't have any. That and after all you've done for me and say you're gonna do for me, I'd feel like an asshole if I made you leave them behind."

"Vincent...are you saying..."

"We'd better hurry before the portal closes."

"Oh my God, Vincent, I swear you will not regret this!"

Chapter 19: The End of a Grand Adventure and the Beginning of a New Family

"You really mean that, Vincent?" I asked my son as we ran down the stairs of the apartment building. "You really wanna go to Equestria?"

"There's nothing here for me, Dad" Vincent replied. "That and judging by what you've told me about Equestria, I really wanna see it."

He called me "Dad" again. Wow. Every time he does that, I just get this warm feeling that I've never had. It's hard to explain, really. Either way, Vincent changed his mind about staying here in New York and If he and I could make it to Central Park in time, he could get to experience the beauty of Equestria. I've had my share of depression issues myself and from experience, I can tell that the place will help Vincent with his tremendously.

Once we reached the bottom floor, we dashed off the front stoop where I then proceeded to make my way to the alley where I hid my car with Vincent close behind. Despite my best efforts to cover the nearly eighteen foot long piece of government property I'd stolen over fifteen years ago with boxes and garbage bags, it was found and most likely towed away. That only left us with one other option.

"Shit!" I cursed as I kicked a cardboard box out of frustration. "Okay, Vincent, We'll need your car."

"Uh, yeah..." Vincent said. "About that."

"Aw fuck, don't tell me..."

"It shit the bed as soon as I got to the warehouse. The thing wasn't going anywhere."

"Then how did you get back here?"

"How did you get here?"

After giving that some thought and Vincent looking at me waiting for me to put the pieces together, he and I both turned to face oncoming traffic and each raised our right hands in hoped that a bright yellow car would come to our aid. Much to our misfortune however, Brooklyn isn't an area where taxis are common and the few that did pass us by already had a fair in their back seat. Still though, things weren't looking good. Even if we could get a cab to pick us up, the driver would have to bring us through several miles of stop and go traffic. To top it all off, it was rush hour. Every odd that could be stacked against us was. The ponies would soon depart and close the portal until further noticed and there was no way Vincent and I were going to make it on time. We needed a miracle.

"You fellas need a ride?" A familiar voice said from a police cruiser that stopped next to Vincent and I.

It wasn't who I was expecting to ever see again but weather I like it or not, there he was. Sitting in the white and blue NYPD squad car was the tall, young rookie, Officer Ed whom the girls and I had a run in with a few days prior. As awkward as the moment was, I wasn't about to turn down a ride in a vehicle that could make other traffic move to the side. Beggars can't be choosers.

"Yeah!" I replied. "Think you can get us to central park?"

"Hop in!"

"Sweet!" Vincent exclaimed as he opened a door and got into the car. "Let's blow this joint!"

"Right behind ya, buddy!" I said as I followed suit.

As soon as I shut the door, the car tore off down the street, its siren and air horn blasting away. While we cut through traffic as fast as the late model Ford Fusion cop car could take us, I thought some more about weather Ed knew exactly who I was. In any event, I felt compelled to figure that out.

"So, um..." I began. "Have we met before?"

"Oh, I'm pretty sure I've seen you somewhere before." A somewhat older officer in the passenger seat said as he turned to face me. It was none other than Officer Glen who's face I had introduced my hoof to the last time we met. It appeared as if he was still recovering from that judging but all the bandages on his nose and the patch over his eye.

"Ha! Don't kid him, Glen." Ed Chuckled. "You and I both saw him get turned from a pony into a human with our own eyes!"

"And what a spectacle that was!"

"Uh, look man, about that, uh..." I began. "Jeez, I'm really sorry about bashing your face like that."

"Don't sweat it." Glen replied as he waved his hand dismissively. "I probably would have done the same if some dude came up to my friend with a stun gun."

"Wow, you're taking that surprisingly well."

"Are you kidding? A little smack on the face was a tiny little price to pay for what you and your pony friends have done for this city!"

"Huh? What we did for the city? What are you talking about?"

"Hope." Ed answered. "By showing the people of the entire city of New York that magic exists, you all have given everyone new hope. Crime has come to a complete stop today!"

"Did you see the tears of joy from the people as they snapped pictures of those princess ponies?" Glen asked. "Fellas, this just might be the miracle this city needed and I don't think anybody will be forgetting it soon."

"Hell, even the mayor himself plans on keeping in contact with your princesses. Said something about setting up some kinda diplomatic partnership."

"He already signed a bill making it a felony with a minimum of twenty years for harming a talking pony! They're a protected species and we've only known their existence for a few friggin' days!"

It was certainly a lot for Vincent and I to take in but it did all make a lot of sense. The more I thought about it, looking back, I probably would have gained a new feeling of hope after the shock of talking equines wore off. I even remembered the time I had seen the divine alicorn princesses for the first time. It's true, I did experience a very warm, optimistic feeling when I first met them. To top it all off, seeing the tender love and care they treated all their subjects with was enough to make my once icy heart melt.

Finally, we reached a bridge that lead from Brooklyn to Manhattan and once he had an opening, Officer Ed let the throttle rip sending us over the river faster than Shining Armor pouncing on his wife once he gets a look at her new lingerie. As glad as I am that they're a happy couple with might I add, a very healthy sex life, I didn't need to see that. Those two aren't exactly very subtle about it...Ahem! So we were just getting down to the end of the bridge and finally ended up in Manhattan!

"Just hang on, you two!" Officer Ed said as he put the pedal to the floor. "Almost there!"

"I see it!" Officer Glen exclaimed. "The beam from the portal! They're opening it right now!"

We were so close but we still needed to hurry. Just a couple more miles to go! Only a few more minutes before the princesses and my friends were to leave through the portal for who knows how long before we can see them again. After dodging a few cars cutting us off and blowing through some red lights, just one more mile to go! Thirty seconds later, we were down to a half mile! Now a quarter! The entrance to the park was now within our reach! There was a new problem though. There were too many people standing by to watch the whole thing. We couldn't just drive through the park at seventy miles an hour and expect not to run over an innocent bystander. We had no choice but to slow down to thirty but we were almost there! We could fucking smell the flowers on the other side! There it was! Right in front of us, Princess Celestia followed by her two guards were the last to jump in and disappear into the swirling abyss. The car then finally screeched to a halt right in front of it. It was now or never.

"Celestia bless you, officers!" I said as Vincent and I bolted out of the car and sprinted towards the portal as it quickly started to fizzle out. "Vincent, son!"

"Yeah, Dad?" Vincent answered.

"Grab my hand and Don't let go!"

"Ooohhh Shiiittt!"

This was it and there was absolutely no going back at this point. Vincent and I were falling fast and before we knew it, we were completely enveloped in water. This was something that I was expecting and getting used to but this was all new to Vincent which is why I told him to hold onto my hand with all his might. Once again, just like before, I found myself swirling around in a torrent but this time, I had my son with me. Soon, we were quickly floating back upwards towards a bright light where we then finally broke the surface. We were home.

The pond wasn't enormous so Vincent and I were able to swim to shore rather quickly where we were both greeted by the sight of our lives. Just about every emergency and rescue crew in Equestria from the Ponyville Fire Department to the Royal Guard was waiting to render aid to the exhausted girls and the Princesses as they were all brought to shore. Even the Wonderbolts were there attending to Rainbow Dash who was being gently loaded onto a stretcher by medics. Everypony needed medical attention aside from me as Princess Celestia had already healed my wounds. The girls were all exhausted, thirsty, starving, battered, and bruised so the hospital was their next destination.

"Vincenzo!?" Princess Luna exclaimed as she watched Vincent and I crawl out of the pond. "You came back!"

"Your son changed his mind!?" Princess Celestia asked.

"Yeah, I figured I'd give this place a try." Vincent replied.

"I'm so glad you made this decision. Oh, I don't believe We formally introduced ourselves. I'm Princess Celestia and this is my sister, Princess Luna."

"Nice to meet yas. So...wow. You weren't kidding, Vin-er, Dad. This place is really colorful."

"Heh, what'd I tell you?" I replied. "Just wait til I show you Sugarcu-"

"Oh my god, It's so beautiful! That blue sky! This grassy meadow! The flowers all over the place! Where has this been all my life!?"

"Dry your tears, dear subject." Luna said. "Your father has spoken of your ailments both physical and emotional. Come hither. We shall go to the Ponyville village office and prepare your citizenship papers."

After telling the girls the good news before they were taken to the hospital, Princesses Celestia, Luna, and Cadence all brought Vincent and I to Ponyville's town hall. After doing some paperwork, the princesses asked for a moment alone with Vincent so they could better get to know him. Before I left the room, Celestia lowered her horn onto my forehead as she did three years ago and after the bright flash subsided, I could see that I was once again the light green stallion I was before.

As I waited outside the room, I realized that this was the first time in a full week that I could actually relax and think at a normal pace. A lot of crazy things had happened in such a short time but we got through them. The girls and I always made and good team and now we had a new member. I honestly don't think I've ever been this happy. I was about to show my son our new home where we could then be a happy family...and yet...I couldn't help but think that maybe, just maybe I could be forgetting something. But what?"

"Vincenzo!!" A female voice squeaked as the front door of the town hall swung open. "Oh my gosh, I'm so glad you're back!"

"Harshwhinny!?" I said. "You're still here!?"

The mare I went on a blind date with but barely knew then galloped over to me and wrapped her forelegs around my neck where she then proceeded to shed tears of joy. She must like me more than I thought.

"Vinnie, I was so worried!" Harshwhinny said.

"Hey, don't you worry about a thing, hon." I reassured her as I hugged her back. "I ain't going anywhere."

"Oh, that's just wonderful! Look, if you want to, I'd like to give it another try with you."

"You mean you wanna try going on another date?"

"Vinnie, let me tell you something about myself. I'm a very lonely mare. Yes, I know, it sounds pathetic but It's not often that I get time to meet a nice, mature stallion like you. I'm in my forties now and I'm getting to a point where I'm so...*sniff* I'm scared, Vinnie! The idea of me ending up alone for the rest of my life scares me so much and I just...I really like you..."

"Wow...uh, hey who turned the a/c off? I didn't know you felt that way. I think we...connected pretty well back there, didn't we?"

"So you'll go on another date with me?"

"I'd be honored to! There's just somepony I'd like you to meet first."

Almost as if on cue, the door to the other room where the princesses and Vincent were slowly opened. The princesses all stepped out and parted revealing Equestria's newest citizen. Standing behind the princesses was a young, dark blue Earth stallion with a black mane and tail who was checking out his new body.

"Harshwhinny, meet my son, Vincent."

"Oh, I didn't know you had a son."

"Neither did I until about a week ago."

"Whoa!" Vincent exclaimed as he looked down underneath himself. "That's mine? Nice!"

Rainbow Dash always described Harshwhinny as uptight but quickly following Vincent's comment, she burst out laughing and the princesses and I quickly followed suit. As we all shared a hearty laugh together, Vincent continued to look around and observe the new world he would be living in. His eyes darted around the room just a bit more until they soon landed on Harshwhinny.

"Hey, my Ma had a hairdo like that." Vincent said. "Only difference was that she was a brunette."

None of us were expecting to hear that. This whole thing was the definition of the word "awkward" and to top it all off, it was just followed by at least a minute of awkward silence. I could see tears begin to build up in Harshwhinny's eyes as she had just heard Vincent say that she reminded him of his late mother. Harshwhinny is a smart girl and even though nopony told her that she was gone, it didn't take a genius to figure that out as Vincent said "was". Not only was this awkward, this was getting straight up sappy...not that I had a problem with it.

After getting Vincent settled into his own room at my place, we all took advantage of the nice, warm beds we had waiting for us. The past week was very hard on all of us so the first thing we needed to do was catch us on sleep. Afterwards, we were able to just take a seat and make the necessary plans to get on with our lives. Harshwhinny was temporarily staying with Twilight at the castle as she and I were in the process of making plans for our next date that hopefully wouldn't be so rudely interrupted. The girls were expected to all be discharged from the hospital very soon and mentioned showing Vincent the town and what being a pony is all about while Harshwhinny and I were to spend time together. One thing I really wanted to do first though was introduce Vincent to the fellas at the bar. Since Celestia had turned him into a pony like she did for me, I just needed to be sure of one last thing.

"Shining, Carrot, Big Mac..." I began as I trotted up to my bros. "I'd like you guys to meet my son, Vincent."

"Welcome to Equestria, pal." Shining Armor greeted as he bumped Vincent's hoof.

"It's an absolute pleasure to meet you, guy." Carrot Cake said as he followed suit.

"Y'all are gonna love it here, bud." Big Mac said.

"Yeah, this place is actually better than I was expecting."

"Hey, new guy, what'll ya have?" The Bartender asked as he approached us at the table.

This is why I brought Vincent here. I needed to know weather he still wanted to drink or not. I've been keeping an eye on him and I have yet to see him smoke or complain about being out of cigarettes so it seemed like he was in the clear on that end. I just needed to know that it was over and that he no longer wished to drink booze.

"What do you have for soda around here?" Vincent asked. "I'm thinking maybe a Doctor Pepper (R)."

"Uh, we have Doctor Salt." Sudsy, the Bartender replied. "How about one of those?"

"Alright, that sounds great."

I got the answer I so badly needed to hear. From here on out, everything was going to be just fine. I now had my son with me, he was cured of his terrible illness, the girls were safe and sound, and I even have my first date in over twenty years coming up soon. What more could a guy ask for? Vincent and I can live in peace and start making up for lost time. That was my top, number one priority.

The girls and all the other friends I've made in Eqquestria have all made me who I am today and I will never forget that. There is however another thing I really need to be grateful for though. If not for that portal tossing me back into New York City, who knows what may have happened. One thing I know for sure is that Vincent would either be in a mental institution or worse. And that city. It's seen its troubles over the past few years but it looks like it'll bounce back just fine.

With five huge boroughs, over three hundred square miles, eight and a half million people, and being the biggest hub of commerce and world economic activity, New York City is an icon of sorts. The name alone is only unknown to those who lack a functioning brain. The Big Apple, The city that never sleeps, whatever you wanna call it, that city's always got something great to find within its boroughs. I mean look at me, I found my son.

THE END

Author's Note

Brief epilogue coming soon

Epilogue

One year later...

"Okay, that's the last of them!" Vincent said as he placed a box of Harshwhinny's belongings on the floor of our living room.

"Oh, thank you so much for helping move my things in, dear." Harshwninny said.

A full year had passed since I brought my son to Equestria and everything was truly going wonderfully. Harshwhinny and I have now been dating for the entire time and she and I had decided to take our relationship to the next level. It took some time but Vincent, Harshwhinny and myself are that much closer to finally being a true family. There's just one last thing I need to take care of.

"Hey, son." I said. "How are things going with Fluttershy?"

"Oh, it's going great!" Vincent replied. "She's such a sweetheart and I really like her a lot. Which reminds me...she and I actually have a date later. I've been sweating a bit so I'm gonna go freshen up and get ready. I'm planning on taking her to that ritzy place downtown so I wanna look good. If anypony needs me, I'll be in the shower."

"Alright son, if I don't see ya when you get out, have a great time!"

So here we all were. Myself, my beautiful marefriend and my son all living together and for the first time since I was a young boy, I was actually part of a happy family. Now that Harshwhinny and I had a moment alone together, I could ask her a very important question. I was more nervous than I ever was before. It'd been a while since I'd done anything like this.

"I'm so glad to be moving in with you two." Harshwhinny said before kissing me on the cheek.

"Same here, sweetheart." I replied. "So, um...can we talk?"

"You silly guy. You don't even need to ask. What's on your mind, dear?"

"Well...Okay, here goes...The past year you, Vincent, and I have been spending so much time together...I truly can't think of any other time when I've ever been happier. I have something I'd like to ask you and I got you a little something to go along with it."

"I couldn't agree more, Darling. I, um...I also have something I need to show you too though. It's...kind of a big deal."

"Oh, okay. Uh, how about this. Let's you and I show each other at the same time?"

"Ready, Vincenzo?"

"Ready, Harshwhinny."

At the same time, Harshwhinny reached into the pocket of her blouse and I into the pocket on my neck tie. I presented my marefriend with a small, black box and opened it up revealing a diamond engagement ring. As surprised and ecstatic as she looked to see the gift that I got for her, the object she was holding in front of me topped that tenfold. Clutched in Harshwhinny's hoof was a small, white, plastic stick that looked somewhat like a pen. I then took a closer look. The object in question had a small screen on it, kinda like one you'd see on a calculator. This little screen had a thin blue line in the middle and the word "positive" in blue text. Honestly, I couldn't think of any way this day could get better.

Author's Note

*Takes a bow* Once again, a bittersweet end to my work on another somewhat decent story I slapped together. You know the drill by now. To those of you who read and comment on my work, you are helping me more than you know. Thank you so much. I love you all! :heart: