Author's Note
This is an edited version of the original story which had a whole lot of more strong expletive swearing in it. It was originally written as a bit of an experiment, taking the censor off my gang ponies and see how it went. I decided in the end to edit the story and put my self-inflicted censor back on the characters and use less strong words.
It was fun though writing this story and fleshing out some of my gang pony characters, especially my pegasi brothers, Tornado, Thunder Cloud and especially Rain Storm.
Hope you enjoy the edited version.
Chapter 1
Chapter 1
I really hate two things. When my oldest brother calls my Babyface, just because I still sort of look like a teenage colt even if I’m well in my twenties and when I’m rudely awoken the next morning after some heavy partying. I mean seriously, is it too much to consider that some of us like to sleep it off? So what happens when both of those are combined together? Oh you wouldn’t believe how much I’m tempted to kill my brother.
“Hey Babyface! Get up!” The loud voice of my oldest brother Tornado interrupts my blissful dreamless sleep as he loudly lets a hoof hammer on my bedroom door.
“Get lost, I have a hangover!” I try to speak loud enough to be heard but without causing me too much pain. And it is Rain Storm, you bucking idiot.
“Suck it up and get up. The boss needs us for something.” Tornado shows his usual tenderness towards his youngest brother. It’s almost tempting to just ignore him, but unless I want the door kicked down have him come drag me out of the bed, I had better listen.
“Fine I’m coming,” I grumble and drag myself to my hooves. I wonder what in Tartarus the boss wants with us so early in the morning, I don’t have a shift in the gym until the afternoon and far as I know nothing needed fixing in the building.
Alright, so looking at the clock and seeing it’s seven in the morning tells me I should be in bed. Now I really want to kill Tornado even more, seriously what could the boss be wanting so early? He probably drank the most at the party last night.
Another knock and I sigh relenting to the reality that I really do not control my life. I live here under the good graces of Tornado, I stumble to the door and open it, half ready to tell him to buck off and that I’m coming. It’s not him however on the other side this time, it’s my second oldest brother, Thunder Cloud, the one I like more when he isn’t being too lazy.
“Hey Rain, Tornado was just stepping out, told me to check if you weren’t coming,” he says and chuckles. “Wow, you still look wasted.”
“Gee I wonder why that is?” I snort and push past him, not caring if I’m late or not for whatever our employer wants us for. I go to the bathroom.
“Don’t be too long, we’ll meet you downstairs,” I hear Thunder call after me.
“Get lost, I’ll take as long as I want!” I snap, in no mood to feel polite with this killer hangover. My brother just chuckles and I hear him leave the apartment.
The mirror tells me what Thunder Cloud was talking about. My mane is messy, my coat is messy, I think the only thing that’s not a mess is the bathroom around me. I take a moment to make myself a little more presentable with the brush, after cleaning it since both Tornado and Thunder used it first.
Once that’s done and other necessary business taken care of, I head out. My brothers and I live on the top floor of the apartment building, we don’t necessarily have the best one but it’s still big enough to contain the three of us. I’m just grateful we don’t have the ugly green wallpaper that’s out in the corridors, Thunder and I had painstakingly painted ours white after moving in with Tornado.
I don’t bother with the stairs, one good thing about being a Pegasus is that you can just glide down. Once I’m on the bottom I can see several ponies, including my brothers clearly waiting for me just outside the apartment building. Only Tornado looks impatient, the others look chill enough so I figure I’m not as late as I thought.
As I suspected, only my oldest brother turns to glare at me when I step outside, the others just look up, some nod my way and I hear tired ‘hey Rain’ from others. Tornado looks like he’s about to say something to me but then the dark gray Unicorn standing close by interrupts him. He’s called Barricade, though most of us call him the boss, because he is in charge of everything, the apartment building, the gym and the gang.
“Save it, Tornado, he’s no later than the rest of you,” he snorts and puffs on a cigarette. Looks like he’s in no better shape than the rest of us. Barricade rarely smokes but he can be found with a cigarette when he has a hangover.
“Great party last night, so why are we awake?” I hear someone say, I glance over it’s a dark green Earth Pony, Blazer, I don’t think he lives in the apartment building though.
“Oh believe me Blazer, I wouldn’t mind still being in bed with Goldie, but do you remember what I told you before the party? Don’t drink if you can’t handle waking up before seven and be here. You remember why I said that?” Barricade growls and takes the cigarette out of his mouth using his magic, twirling it as he glares at the pony whose only answer is silence.
“Uh because you want the gym cleaned before it opens?” a big blue Earth Pony speaks up instead, Barricade’s right hoof stallion, Blue. What an original name his parents thought up.
“Blue, remembers it, hang your heads in shame guys, Blue could remember it and none of you could,” the boss berates us. Of course, the party was at the gym and before midday Barricade likes to keep it presentable enough for ponies not in the gang and are just there for the exercise and not hanging out with fellow members.
I notice that Blue didn’t seem bothered by Barricade’s remark, it was no secret the big guy wasn’t the sharpest around, but the fact that he took no offense at the jabs was nothing short of amazing. Have to admit, it is rather bad when it is Blue who is the first one to catch on, he’s usually the last.
“Barbell opens the gym in one and half hour, if you want to crawl back to your beds, you better march over there and clean it up in less than that time,” Barricade growls and flicks the cigarette away, then starts to head down the street. None of us say anything and just follow.
I hang back a bit, walking next to Thunder Cloud. Tornado as usual walks right behind Barricade and Blue who are in the lead. Our dear older brother is always ready to kiss the boss’s ass, probably thought he could get some extra points for getting me and Thunder out quickly.
“Ugh, I can’t believe we drew the short straw to clean up after the party,” I hear Thunder remark with a halfhearted chuckle. I frown, I don’t recall drawing anything.
“Wait, we drew who would have to drag themselves up at this hour to clean up?” I whisper to him; my brother looks at me mildly confused.
“Yeah, don’t you remember drawing the cleanup duty from the basket?” he asks.
“No, no I don’t,” I growl and glare at the backend of my other brother. There was absolutely no need for me to be here, Tornado just dragged me out because he is a prick.
“Look if you didn’t draw cleanup duty, go talk with the boss, I’m sure you can go back to bed,” Thunder says and nods his heads towards the front line.
“Ugh, might as well just tag along,” I mutter. I really don’t want to admit it but, Barricade scares me a little bit and I try avoid having to talk with him too much first hoof. Sure he has given me orders, telling me what to do and stuff like that, but I tend not to address him first unless I absolutely have to.
Thunder shakes his head, yeah I know I’m being a pushover, you don’t have to remind me. Then he unfolds his wings and takes off, flying over to Barricade. Oh please don’t tell me… he isn’t….
“What?” I hear Barricade snort then he glances back in my direction. “Rain, you didn’t draw from the basket?”
“Um… ah… ye…no… not really?” I fumble with the words.
“Buck that, get lost then, go back to bed,” Barricade snaps at and waves his hoof dismissively. “Just don’t forget your shift!”
This stops me in my tracks, I can hear Tornado snort, but Thunder just tells him to shut up and the group continues on without me. Damn, I’m free to go home, Sweet Celestia, I waste no time to fly right back.
It’s eleven when I wake up again in much better mood, but my shift at the gym isn’t for another two hours so I just lay still in bed staring at the ceiling. It’s then I realize how little I actually do these days. I have a shift in the gym either in the morning or in the afternoon. Then it’s really just doing nothing unless Barricade needs help fixing something up in the apartment building, he usually only has Blue and Tornado help him, but sometimes Thunder and I help as well.
Then in the evenings it’s just hanging out with the gang, Barricade’s managed to get a good tight hold on the Hoofington area here in Manehattan, so we don’t get as much trouble as I’m told they always had in the early days. There are other gangs from other areas that sometimes come to cause us trouble, but they are usually beat back quickly. We sometimes retaliate but I rarely take part in that unless they really need more ponies.
I didn’t use to take part in any of that. Heck I used to have a far more respectable job as a weather pony in Manehattan. Thunder was working there as well. The problem was, because I was the responsible brother, our supervisor felt I should keep Thunder in check. Yeah sure why not, I’ll order the guy around who's been raising me since our parents died. That’ll work. Braindead idiot. It worked so well that when Thunder slept on the job one day and I wasn’t even aware of it, he got fired and me too for not keeping an eye on him.
We had been aware of Tornado’s involvement in Barricade’s gang, but decided not to take any part in it before. So, you can imagine how much the bastard laughed his rump off when we had to come crawling to him for help landing jobs and a place to live, because we lost our apartment as well since we could no longer make the rent.
Barricade turned out to be fine though, eh he can be a brash jerk but he isn’t unfair. When Tornado thinks he can saddle me with dirty work, he’s turned it around and had my brother do it instead. It also helps to have Thunder around; he often keeps our brother off my back when he can.
Still doesn’t change that I think that Unicorn is scary as Tartarus. He could probably snap my spine in half if he wanted too. I’ve seen him lift weights I can barely budge and yes I use the gym equipment. It sucks being so small and everybody else is so large. Seriously I’m over twenty and I still look like I’m 16.
The clock is now eleven thirty and my stomach is growling. Food is necessary I suppose, I think I ate something before crashing back in the bed, then again maybe not. I crawl once more out of bed, but hey at least it’s voluntarily this time and head out of my room. I head into the kitchen which actually shares space with the living room. Crashed on the couch is Thunder. Guess he didn’t make it to his own room after cleaning the gym.
I let him sleep, the least I can do after he got me out of cleaning duty. So I just busy myself making a sandwich. I can’t see Tornado, he’s either asleep in his room or stayed at the gym, unless Barricade has dragged him off somewhere to help him.
Wonder how much work he managed to evade, I wonder as I glance at my sleeping brother. As much as I care for him, it can’t be denied that if Thunder thinks he can get away with it, he will skip a job.
Once my sandwich is ready I head to an unoccupied seat and start eating. I wonder what I should do before heading to the gym, it’s almost tempting to just show up early. Thunder Cloud then wakes up in hilarious way, he sort of gives this loud snorting snore sound, then sits up like a spring and looks half dazed around, his wings all over the place and his yellow coat even more a mess than mine was earlier in the morning.
“What the Tartarus was that?” I laugh.
“I’ll get back to you on that,” Thunder mumbles clearly not sure what just happened either, he slumps off the couch and drags himself to the bathroom, he doesn’t even bother folding his wings.
Well this sandwich isn’t going to finish itself so I continue eating. I can hear the shower start so I guess that’s where my brother will be for the next few minutes. Once my breakfast is done, I grab a magazine from the table and start reading, then throw it back because it’s one of Tornado’s porno magazines.
I don’t mind a bit of erotica myself, but Tornado has this habit of recoloring the mares and even draw wings on them. He is fixated on this mare that lives in Fillydelphia he tried getting to by stupidly dating her sister first like that was going to help him, so if Tornado owns the magazines he tries to change them to satisfy himself.
Even Barricade has told him he’s being pathetic about it; he’s also told him to stay away from that mare. Apparently, the sister in question later dated Barricade and they had a kid. They broke up but apparently Barricade still has some feelings for her and has told any of us that we better stay away from both her and her sister, they are off limits to any of us even him.
Carefully I go through the pile of magazines to find something that’s not been vandalized by Tornado. I also ignore Thunder’s because his entertainment has bit too many stallions for my taste. Can’t find nothing that Tornado’s crayons haven’t touched, damn, the bastard even “fixed” some that I know I bought. That does it, I’m keeping mine in my room from now on.
“Horseapples,” I grumble and stand up. Thunder returns to the living room at that moment. “Tornado ruined my magazines.”
“Well crap, I’ll buy you new ones,” he offers as he heads to the kitchen area.
“You don’t have to,” I say and follow since I want to get another soda.
“Eh, need to buy myself something new anyway, might as well use the trip,” he counters me as he begins fixing his own breakfast, though at this point it’s more correct to call it lunch.
“Wish we could get our own apartments or something,” I grumble and lean on the wall as I drink my soda.
“Yeah well you know what the boss says, if we get our own apartment, we don’t get any special privileges, we pay the same as everypony else and we can’t afford it, better stay in this one and split the rent three ways,” he points out. “I know Tornado is a prick, but until either of us can find and land a better job, we need to suck it up and just live with him.”
“Yeah I suppose,” I mutter not really in a mood to argue, besides he’s right. The only thing we’re properly qualified for is weather service. Considering how our last job there went, I doubt we would be getting glowing reviews from our old boss to give a prospective employer.
Would be more tolerable if he stopped calling my Babyface. I finish my drink and throw the can away. “I’m hitting the gym early.”
“What?” Thunder looks at the clock on the wall. “You shift isn’t for another hour?”
“Yeah, but not all of us are lazy asses who come an hour late to their shifts,” I chuckle with a smirk.
“Oh buck off then.” Thunder mock glares at me before grinning and starts digging into his breakfast, lunch, brunch or whatever it would be called by now.
Even if Thunder and I didn’t join the gang until later, we were members of The Barricade as the gym is named. Weather ponies do have to keep in shape and we figured even if we didn’t approve of our brother’s life style, we might as well exercise in the place he worked in. So when Thunder screwed up our old job, Barricade didn’t mind take us on as part timers in the gym since we knew everypony and were familiar with the equipment.
I head inside once I land in front of it, ah love the music they have on now, it’s a classic with Sapphire Shores. Great rhythm in it to work out with. I don’t get very far, the moment I enter I notice Barbell, the boss’s main girl and Blue’s sister, is immediately signaling for me to come to the counter.
“Hey Rain, could you take over here at the counter for a second, I need to go to the bathroom, badly,” she says. Well crap, I had hoped to get in some reps before my shift started. Then again she only has to go to the bathroom.
“Uh sure,” I shrug and jump behind the counter. Barbell immediately runs off to where the bathrooms are located.
The counter is in such a location near the door that you can see immediately who enters, but you can also if you turn slightly see over most of the gym. I can see that Blue is hard at work in one of the presses and Tornado is lifting further inside. I see no sign of the boss, but that could mean he’s either not in or in his office. A lot of ponies are in today but I notice immediately that these are just regular gym members. The only gang ponies in right now is my brother and Blue.
Ugh I’m already getting bored, I don’t like counter duty. I much prefer helping the ponies with the equipment, I might not be a qualified trainer but I can show the newbies how things are done, it also helps burn the energy. Thunder loves being at the counter, then he rarely has to do anything. Typical.
The door opens and a golden brown mare with red stylish mane enters, wearing a black jacket. Gold Shovel, the boss’s other girl, we really just call her Goldie most of the time. She spots me at the counter, smiles and swings herself over.
“Hey Rainy, where is Barbell?” she asks as she places one front leg on the table.
“Peeing, crapping or both,” I shrug and lazily trace a circle on the counter with my hoof. Goldie giggles at my description.
“Is Barricade in?” she then wonders.
“No idea, was just arriving myself when Barbell asked me cover for her while she went to the bathroom,” I say and lean forward until I lay half on the counter now. I glance at her. “I thought you didn’t work on weekends, needed to study.”
“Eh, finished everything, hoping Barricade or Barbell allow me to work a little today, could use the extra money,” Goldie says and shrugs.
“You really think you’ll get a respectable job as a journalist after working here and be associated with a gang?” I can’t help but wonder, Goldie is actually studying journalism and by the looks of it is doing well. Barricade tends to have her work in shifts that don’t conflict with her studies.
“Hey, I don’t have to tell everything about me, besides I have never done anything illegal, I got no record.” She just smirks cheekily at me.
She got a point there I suppose. Then a shadow falls over us as Barricade is suddenly with us. I have no idea where he came from, I was too busy talking with Goldie. I jump back when he slams his hoof on top of the counter.
“Wake up Sunshine, thought you would have been more awake after all this extra bed time I gave you,” he snorts at me but is smirking. Then he looks at Goldie. “What brings your sexy rump in here? Don’t you know it’s Sunday?”
“My sexy rump wants to work for few hours,” she simply responds and wags her rump back and forth.
“Celestia and Luna, if you need money, Goldie, I can just give it to you,” Barricade grunts and doesn’t look too convinced.
“Yeah no, you are behind in those foal supports you still owe to those foals you seem to have all over Equestria, Barbell has told me. I will work for the money,” Goldie says and puts on a far more serious face than I usually see her with, then again she and Barbell seem to know how to handle him.
“First of all, I only have three confirmed kids and one of them lives with me, second…” Barricade halts and seems to be considering, before he sighs in surrender. “Fine, get changed and go see if there are any gym members who need help.”
Goldie smiles, pats the boss on the cheek before heading to the locker rooms. Barricade shakes his head before looking at me, I half expect being berated for having looked lazy on the job, but he just grins before heading further into the gym.
Speaking of the boss’s kids, the door opens again and I see a dark grayish brown filly flutter inside, Cara, Barricade’s daughter that lives with him. She is carrying a saddlebag and I can see it’s stuffed with something. I’ve sometimes been roped into looking after her, even if she declares she doesn’t need looking after.
“Hey kid,” I greet her and she stops to glare at me.
“I’m not a kid, I’m almost twelve,” she snaps, I just chuckle and raise my hooves.
“Don’t shoot, I know how you feel.” I grin. She is small for her age, ponies have often thought she was seven or eight, so I kind of do know she feels.
Cara flies over and lands on top of the counter, she is still glaring at me. It’s really easy to tick the kid off, she really has a temper. Barricade swears it comes from her mother and not him, still it’s amazing how well the two get along.
“I’m sorry I called you kid.” I’m so trying not to laugh, but Cara looks so cute trying to intimidate me with her glare. “Your dad is in here if you’re looking for him.”
“I’ve always wondered, are you dark blue or dark gray?” she asks, that does cause me to look at my coat. I would have personally just called myself dark blue gray or something like that, but we apparently got million and one words for the same color, so apparently on official records I’m dark Persian bluish gray, whatever that means.
“Let’s just go with dark blue gray,” I say, not really wanting to go into color discussion with her.
“Cara!” We look over when hearing Barricade shout. He’s clearly noticed the arrival of his daughter.
“You know you’re not supposed to bother the ponies that are working.” He then pointedly waves her to come over, right now. Cara gives an indignant snort before flying up and heads over to him.
I just wave her as she leaves. Cara then starts talking with her father, but I’m too far away to hear it as now they talk in lower voices. She then struts to the office and disappears inside. Finally, I see Barbell come from the bathroom, must have been one big dump, I’m almost ready to change place with her when much to my horror Barricade calls her over.
Great, I’m going to be stuck with counter duty aren’t I? Oh this is just so typical of my luck, but I just can’t work a nerve to protest. If Barricade wants me to be at the counter, I best be at the counter.
Resigning myself to my fate I just get more comfortable behind the counter, hopefully I can get Thunder to take over when he comes for his shift. Barricade doesn’t care which duties we take care of, just as long as the customers are happy and nobody is complaining to him that they don’t receive assistance from the staff.
“Hey Rain, thanks for covering for me, you can go do whatever, the boss might know if someone needs help.” I’m a little surprised to hear Barbell address me. I look to my side and there is the grayish opal mare.
“Uh sure, I thought the boss already wanted you for something,” I say as we switch places. It’s a little weird sometimes hearing her refer to Barricade as boss, since they live together in the same apartment.
“Nah, just telling me that Cara was here and remind me to take her with me when I leave in an hour,” she says and shrugs.
“Something wrong? He’s never minded the kid being around before,” I ask as I lean on the counter on the other side this time around.
“No it’s nothing, she is just getting older, just a year until she hit’s the teens and she’s already becoming a hoofful and she was that already as little kid, he just isn’t in a mood to deal with her, you know how the boss is.” Barbell rolls her eyes and shakes her head.
Wonder if it had something to do with the backpack she was carrying, I wonder, she didn’t steal tools from the hardware store again did she? Ever since she got her cutie mark, a screwdriver and a wrench forming an X on her flank, I’ve heard she keeps badgering her dad for more tools. She also managed to dismantle one of the machines here in the gym, then put it back together.
Well whatever it was, nothing I need to deal with. Since I don’t need to change, as I’m already naked as most other ponies, I just head to the gym proper. I’m in the process to decide where to do my warm ups when Barricade is suddenly right next to me, I didn’t even notice him standing there nearby.
“Rain, I need the core guys to be around after closing time, so don’t head home when your shift is over,” he tells me and gives me friendly slap on the back. I inwardly cringe, this means something is up and he only wants the core members to be present for it. That’s Blue, both my brothers and I. Barbell and Goldie are also part of the core, but they usually refrain taking part in the more violent part of the gang. Though they will show up when we do a gathering just hang out somewhere else than the gym. I don’t even know how I managed to be part of the core, can’t be because of Tornado like that prick treats Thunder and I at times.
It’s almost tempting to ask what’s up, but I know better. Too many regular customers around to be talking about that, Barricade has a strict rule of no gang related business in the gym during opening hours, even if the gang usually comes here to hang out in the afternoon.
Well nothing much to do but nod and acknowledge that you got it. Barricade walks away to talk to Blue. I decide to go to the treadmills to warm up and get a little exercise going before my shift starts.
End chapter 1
