The Kings of Clopton

"SURPRISE!!!!"

All of the ponies in the room yelled simultaneously, shattering the group's eardrums. After the first minute, the screaming had died down substantially, and Ulfric even found time to laugh at it a little bit. However, all sounds stopped when they heard sobbing coming from one of the corners. Traz, was in the fetal position, crying like a newborn under a table.

"... Mister Traz, you simply must see the situation from our position. It's been three weeks since our last payment, and even then you hadn't managed to pay us in full." Spoke Regal Masquerade, the current godpony of the largest mafia gang in the lower districts of Clopton.

"But sir, all we need is a little more time! Ulfric just got a job at the local warehouse, Shock finally managed to afford his instrument, Lightning got a job at the local flight school to teach the kids how to fly properly, and I found a job in the local bakery! Things are looking up!" Traz pleaded, this wasn't the first time he had displeased the mob, although it was the first time he had been "Escorted" by two very large Earth ponies with makeshift weapons. Traz cursed himself mentally for allowing himself to drift to far away from Ulfric, he had always been able to scare or beat off the mob's cronies.

"That's what you said last week, Mister Traz. We're getting quite impatient with you. I think you all might need to have an example made of you...." Regal ended his sentence, snapping his fingers. Traz prepared himself for a beating, but instead found the two mob ponies backed off, no longer guarding the entrance.

"Wait, you're not gonna beat me up? Or kill me? Or even shake me down?" Traz said, still stunned by the showing of generosity.

"Not today, Mister Traz. You have until 10P.M. tomorrow, or we will extract the money from you... with alternative methods..." Traz gulped audibly at this, and quickly proceeded to scamper out the door, leaving a smiling Regal and two laughing mafia ponies in his wake.

"Oh nonono, I have to tell everyone... we have to skip town or something... we gotta go!" Traz screamed to himself, flying as fast as his wings would take him towards the house the quartet currently shared. When he finally arrived, he saw them all chatting in the "living room" through the window, which was really the only room in their current abode. He crashed through the door loudly, spouting gibberish at the ponies that currently resided on the couch.

"Traz! Traz? Where have you been! It's been like an hour since you left!" Yelled Ulfric, not at all happy with the sudden disappearance of one of his best friends. Traz, breathing heavily, tried to calm himself, but to no avail, at least until Lightning Runner walked over to him and placed a kiss on his lips. He immediately calmed down after that, it was funny to him, how his marefriend could always calm him down with the simplest gestures.

"Wanna tell us what's wrong Traz?" Lightning asked, smiling lovingly at her coltfriend. Traz took a deep breath, much to the annoyance of Shock, who was already bored of waiting, and began.

"It's... It's the mob. They said we only have until tomorrow at 10 P.M. to get our cash that we owe them, or else they'll get the money from us another way..." The room suddenly became quiet, all the color quickly being drained from its occupants. After a long, awkward silence, Ulfric was the first to speak up.

"We have to leave Clopton. The mob knows that we aren't very high-valued targets, but they won't hesitate to make an example of us." Everyone, again, was shocked at first at this realization, but they all began to nod their heads, Clopton wasn't safe anymore, and it was obvious.

"Tomorrow's Friday, and we all have jobs. We go to work tomorrow, get our paychecks, meet up here at around 6, and then we'll leave together. That'll give us a 4 hour head start before the Mafia starts looking for us, and we should be long gone by then." The room again, nodded in agreement.

"Well... about that... I may have actually gotten fired for hitting on one of the waitresses at the place I was playing for...." Shock said, rubbing the back of his head with a hoof. Naturally, the three facehoofed.

"Well.. I think that's good, that way you can pack all our stuff during the day while we work tomorrow. So what do you all say? Get some shuteye and then get to it in the morning?" Lightning said, yawning audibly to get across her point."

"Sounds great Lightning, let's get off to bed, and hope for the best." Traz spoke, finally regaining his composure. He and his marefriend embraced each other for a few minutes, and headed off to bed.

"You sure we're gonna be alright, Ulfric?" Shock asked, when the couple were out together like a light. Ulfric sighed heavily, and spoke calmly.

"I don't know Shock, I just don't know." Were the last words the giant uttered, before he too, fell into the heavenly white that was his pillow. Shock sighed, and decided, he'd hope for the best.

The next day they all headed off to their respective work zones, minus Shock, who began to pack. Not long after 5, Traz and Ulfric showed up, and gathered what they would be carrying for the trip. Naturally, since Lightning wasn't there, Traz began to freak a little bit, but Ulfric assured him she had just been held up. This thought calmed Traz, at least until the clock struck 6 and she still hadn't showed up. Despite his warnings, Traz left the house, to search for his love.

"Ok... Ok... She's probably just at the schoolhouse, still held up by some kid who's complaining or something, right?" Traz asked himself, still freaking about the fact that his marefriend was nowhere to be found on the way back. He finally made it to the schoolhouse, and it was dark. Traz lost it at this point. He burst through the front doors, and was immediately hit by the stench of... death. Almost as soon as the stench hit him, and the lights burst on, Regal standing in front of a chair that looked as if a figure was sitting in it. Smiling, Regal simply said the word,

"Surprise."

Regal backed away from the chair, and what was in it made Traz stop in his tracks. There, laying in the chair, was his beloved, Lightning. She had been cut openly across her body, and blood continued to gush from these openings. Her eyes, those beautiful, fiery golden eyes, were lifeless. The realization hit Traz like a train pulled by the world's strongest stallions, as he turned and flew off into the night sky, sobbing, trembling, and flying like he was the drunkest pony in Equestria. When he finally made it back to his home, he said no words. He only said that it was time to go, and that Lightning wasn't coming. The two were shocked by this truth, but noticed the pain that was in Traz's eyes. They asked no questions, and they all headed off into the night, with one of their eternal friends, gone, forever. When they were on the edge of the city, Traz turned, and fished out his most prized possession from one of his bags. It was a locket that held a picture of him and Lightning, smiling and in each other's embrace. He shed a single tear, and resumed his trot, away from the city that had held him for so long.