Clout

Two black SUVs with orange highlights pulled into a rather small-looking ranch, with a quaint home lying on the far side of it.

Their roaring engines died down, and Big Mac was the first to exit either of the vehicles. He paused momentarily, collecting the sights of the farm, spinning around slowly.

“Ahhh… It’s been years since I’ve been home.” Big Mac sighed nostalgically, continuing to examine the ranch in all its glory, reminiscing on simpler times.

“Yeah yeah, save the sentimental shit for later nigga, there’s work to do.” a voice yelled out from one of the vehicles, immediately breaking the mood. Big Mac frowned slightly.

Rainbow Dash stepped out herself, dragging an unconscious Lotus behind her in rope-cuffed hands, not caring for the tumbling of his head along the surface of the car and ground.

“Careful with that, Rainbow Dash. We want that idiot coherent, he might be some use to us yet.” Twilight cautioned, exiting the vehicle as well. The others, too, filtered out, stretching their limbs; the drive lasted for quite some time. They were deep behind allied lines.

“I didn’t know the Apple farm would be so far, ugh…” Pinkie Pie groaned, stretching her back out with several loud cracks.

“You think you had it bad? Rainbow Dash drives like a fucking maniac, that bitch gave me a couple bruises zooming on down here.” Sunset complained, rubbing her body gingerly.

“No cap.” Trixie chimed in agreement.

“But, did you die, though?” Rainbow Dash inquired, laughing at both of the girls.

“I’d say one of us did…” Sunset retorted with a chuckle, gesturing to the carsick Starlight Glimmer, clutching her stomach on the ground.

“Such a drama queen… She’ll be al--”

“BIG MAC!”

All eyes turned to what sounded like the voice of a child. As they did, they saw a short, orange-skinned girl deeply resembling Applejack sprinting down the stairs of the ranch’s house with all the energy her little body could carry.

Big Mac, uncharacteristically, immediately grew a warm smile, walking -- speed walking towards the girl. As their distance closed, she jumped forward, up towards Big Mac, with all the speed and strength her body could muster. Big Mac caught her without stumbling a single step, as she hung over his right bicep; they laughed together as Big Mac spun around, arm out, the girl enjoying the joyride.

“I missed you! I couldn’t believe it when big sis told me you were coming back!” The child cried out, hugging Big Mac tightly.

“Of course. Whatever we got goin’ on has no concern with you, or home. We’re not gonna fight here and upset you, sugarcube.” Big Mac spoke, lowly and gingerly, patting her head and massaging her scalp.

Applebloom’s grip tightened, relief flowing through her body.

“Has grandma been taking good care of you, ‘Bloom?” Big Mac asked. She nodded swiftly, beaming a bright smile, lifting her arms up, as she slinked backwards on Big Mac, hanging horizontally off of his body.

“I’ll be…!” another familiar voice called out. All heads turned to see Applejack stepping out of the same house, in her right hand a rather large looking custom AK in her hand. Its black drum magazine shone in the sun.

She stood at the top of the steps momentarily, gazing over everything -- all the members, the Death Lotus vehicles, and the bound up hostage they had with them. Her mind could make a few guesses, but…

“Well, good shit, Twi. You pulled it off for real.” Applejack continued, slugging the rifle over her shoulders, seeming to avoid a certain person’s eye contact.

“I knew you said to be expecting you sometime within the week, but sheesh, a fuckin’ call or somethin’ next time, huh…?” Applejack hissed, her facial features immediately twisting into subtle anger. She placed the gun beside the wall, before descending the steps.

She walked down and faced Twilight, glaring down at her. She turned her head slightly to the side, staring into her eyes. Then, she began to speak in a growl, low enough so that only the two of them could here.

“You might have them fooled, Twilight, tuh, but not me. Reckless shit like this means you didn’t include everyone on the plan ahead of time.” Applejack said, her growl and features still straight. She grabbed Twilight’s collar slowly and firmly, crunching it with so much strength that Twilight’s back slightly arched towards Applejack -- still, she looked on with no fear.

“Do… you know… where you just drove to with those…?” Applejack went on, with each pause, anger picking up onto her voice, her features beginning to grimace. Her grip continued to tighten, as Twilight arched more and more towards her.

“Do… you know… what I almost did when I seen two opp packs runnin’ up on this lawn?” Applejack asked, her green orbs glaring with a furious fire, teeth gritting as Twilight looked up at her.

“But, you can’t help yourself, can you? This is who you are at your core. Someone who can’t help but try and use up everyone you come across, no matter what danger you put them in. You’re so…” Applejack continued, pausing, her features twisting into a different downward scale, as she found the appropriate description for her averseness.

“Disgusting.” Applejack growled lowly, a deep frown on her face. Twilight’s brows sunk -- not by much, just a slight amount that was barely noticeable with focus, but the words had struck her.

Applebloom jumped out of Big Mac’s arms, and ran to her sister, and with no understanding of social cues and tension at her age, began jumping and yelling loudly, pointing at Big Mac.

“Look, ‘Jack, it’s Mac! Can ya believe it?!” Applebloom yelled with glee. Her eyes sparkled, and her toothy smile seemed to as well. Applejack’s gaze did not leave Twilight for many moments. Suddenly, she let go of her collar, and Twilight was able to straighten her back once more.

If they focused, they would see Twilight’s jaw muscles flexing, her nerves tightening after Applejack’s dissent.

“Yeah yeah, sis. I got eyes, too.” Applejack said, smiling down to her little sister, before her eyes met with Big Mac.

A long, tense silence filled the air, as Big Mac and Applejack’s eyes met. An aura of hostility seemed to boil the air between them, not a word being spoken. Finally, Applejack broke the silence with a small chuckle, a bitter, crooked smirk on her face. She pointed directly towards Big Mac, not moving from where she stood.

“You’re real fuckin’ stubborn, you know that, Mac?” Applejack spat at her brother. He gave a low chuckle, grunting in response. Arms crossed, he huffed out his response, chin straight, towering over his sister.

“Maybe the stubborn one is the dumb bitch that would embarrass the family by losing to some nameless rainbow-haired street thug.” Big Mac retorted. Applejack’s face turned to an enraged grimace, veins popping into life over her forehead.

“Excuse me? Don’t get me fucked up, I only agreed to work with her because yo’ ass is too fuckin’ stubborn to come see me on some straight shit.” Applejack yelled at her brother between gritted teeth. She was not a loser.

Applejack stomped forward, now standing inches from her brother, her neck craned up to stare him down.

“I had to pull yo’ scared ass outta hiding on some federales shit. A lil pressure from the Orange and you duckin’ out? Whose embarrassing who?” Applejack retorted, her smirk growing wide. Big Mac was silent for some moments, before he too, smirked. He opened his mouth, however, just before he could respond:

“Guuuuyyys!” Applebloom whined, looking up between the both of them with watery eyes and pouting lips, threatening to bawl.

“Stop it, we just got back!” Applebloom pleaded, tugging on Applejack’s pants with her pout deepening. She whipped her head around to look up at Big Mac, tears soaking her eyelashes. Both of her older siblings sighed, watching their young sister carry-on.

“I suggest you listen to your sister, Apples. We need you to open the barn, so we can hide these vehicles and go indoors. If you haven’t noticed, we’ve got Lotus fucking Rich laying on your ranch.” Twilight stated, clearing her throat and gesturing to Rainbow Dash, who, ignoring the commotion and understanding the assignment, was already dragging Lotus’ unconscious body towards the house.

“Ho--ly--shit…” Applejack began, chuckling slowly, a wide grin growing on her face. “How the hell did you guys pull that off?!” Applejack yelled in disbelief, only just now noticing Rainbow Dash lugging the body along towards the house.

“Sun’s sake… can we save this shit for when we’re inside? I don’t know if you realize it, but we don’t have a whole lotta time for real. Lil’ bitch boy’s pops is gonna come looking for his son. Sooner, rather than later. And we wanna be ready for that.” Trixie urged, before rushing forward to help Rainbow Dash drag the body indoors.

“She’s right. C’mon, someone get the other car, let’s take it to the barn… Everyone else, regroup inside. Anybody that was recently associated with the Orange, listen up and listen up closely: keep, your, fucking, phones, off. No exceptions…” Twilight spoke slowly and authoritatively.

“I’ll have Rainbow Dash arrange some new ones for you all tomorrow.” Twilight stated, heading back towards one of the vehicles. Applejack and Big Mac headed towards the other, whilst everybody else joined Rainbow Dash and Trixie to help lug the unconscious Lotus inside the building…

However, Rainbow Dash couldn’t help but feel something twinge underneath her skin at the syntax of Twilight’s statement. There was a superiority complex that she thought needed to be ironed out, effective immediately.

The Apples, along with the RainBooms, all lounged inside the living room of the wooden rustic house. Some were smoking, some sharing drinks, but despite the formalities, the air seemed tense; Granny Smith and Applebloom were no longer present, and each member of the room seemed twisted in thought of the moments to come.

Lotus was neatly tied in rope-cuffed ties, further reinforced now that they had a moment of respite. Over the top half of his face was a thick, heavy black woolen bag with markings, tied to his ears to prevent it from falling. He laid on the floor limply, presumably because he was yet to regain consciousness.

“You sure that little fuck’s okay, Dash? He’s been snoring for a lil minute…” Twilight commented, breaking the tense silence that befell the room shortly after settling down. Rainbow Dash looked over at Lotus’ limp body, pulling in a deep breath, a small grin growing on her face for a few moments. Her face lit up in a shallow red light from the ember not far from her lips.

“Actually, Twi…” Rainbow Dash breathed out, a thick gray cloud escaping her lips. She stood slowly, and walked to the next room, craning her finger in a summoning motion as she exited the doorway.

Twilight looked between everyone else in the room, and receiving nods and stares, she shrugged, and arose to follow Rainbow Dash.

Everybody stayed quiet, as they watched Twilight exit the doorway, and soon after, two pairs of shoes beat away into a distant part of the house.

After more moments of silence, Pinkie Pie eyed the room for a few moments, before downing a small glass of whisky.

“Aah!” She exclaimed, breathing out a low burp immediately. Chuckling lowly, she turned to Trixie, Starlight, and Sunset, who all sat next to one another.

She craned her wrist so that her palm faced the ceiling, holding her finger upside down at them playfully. “I wouldn’t suppose there’s any more secrets you guys are keeping from us, is there?” Pinkie Pie inquired, a half-smile tugging at her lips.

“We caught a fish you had no chance of sniffing out alone. You think we’re sus for that? That’s your prerogative” Trixie mocked with a passive-aggressiveness, immediately getting defensive. Pinkie Pie’s half-smile immediately fell, replaced with a small grimace.

“Yeah, without any inside work, your asses would’ve ended up like any other six-foot rockstar.” Starlight agreed, also defensive from accusation. Pinkie Pie’s eyes shot over to Starlight, before she tried to retain some composure, breathing in a deep helping of air from her nostrils, the air whistling quietly.

Pinkie Pie didn’t claim to be smart. But, if there was one thing she truly hated, it was being infantilized; being taken for a fool, as if she were an absolute idiot.

A tense silence grew. Sunset looked around, watching as faces lit up with suspense and expecting faces. She sighed internally, before quickly shooting up from her seat, leaning in between Pinkie Pie and her two companions.

“What they mean, Pinkie… is that we just did what we had to. But regardless, we’re all on the same side. If we weren’t, you should know damn well you wouldn’t even be breathing right now.” Sunset Shimmer spoke, her voice a bit louder than she wanted, having forced herself to unsettle the silence.

Pinkie Pie was silent for some moments, before she relaxed the tension within her body.

“Humph…” Pinkie Pie huffed out, crossing her arms. “You think that lowly of us, huh?” Pinkie Pie trailed on, frozen in silence for a short few moments, before a crooked smile grew on her face.

“Being lied to is just such a bad look, y’know?” Pinkie Pie began, as she walked over, and leaned over into Sunset’s face. Sunset, for the first time, felt unnerved beneath Pinkie Pie’s presence, the two icy blue pupils staring chills into her spine.

“And the shit is, I know this ain’t even close to the first lie you’ve told; there’s a lot more that y’all are hiding.” Pinkie Pie spoke slowly and clearly, her eyes constantly scanning Sunset’s face as she said each word.

“And you do a fuckin’ piss-poor attempt at hiding that guilt on your face every time I bring it up.” Pinkie Pie commented, as she leaned back, a small grin growing on her face.

She looked between Trixie and Starlight, placing a single hand on her hip. They all looked at her with features of suspense.

“Not so dumb, am I?” Pinkie Pie chuckled, before she looked between everyone in the room. “I’m not finna sit here and interrogate y’all, but understand this,” Pinkie Pie continued, holding a single finger up.

“You have a lot of trust to regain after that little stunt you pulled. Before, I could’ve made all the lil’ funny shit slide, but this? You’re way the fuck outta line…” Pinkie Pie spoke in an almost uncharacteristic manner. Sunset looked between Trixie and Starlight. All three swore as if their saliva would tear their throats apart at this very moment if they swallowed.

*DOOJ!*

Every participant in the room jumped, their attention immediately dragging to the sound of something heavy hitting the wood inside the house. They looked towards the direction of the noise in confusion, before laughing off one another for being startled.

Although the mood shifted, and Pinkie Pie found herself back in her seat, her mind wandered towards what Rainbow Dash and Twilight could be discussing now, of all times, as she watched Lotus on the floor, still out-cold. Her frown did not disappear.

Rainbow Dash was right to be weary of the sly behavior those girls exhibited, and although Pinkie Pie did not want to worry Dash any further with her concerns, she knew it would be up to her to shoulder at least some of the syndicate’s affairs.

Pinkie Pie sighed, sipping another glass of whisky. Yes, she’d have to keep an eye on the girls. But, then, perhaps that’s something they’ll be expecting. For snakes, you always had to be two steps ahead.

“Hmm…” Pinkie Pie hummed in thought, sipping her glass yet again…

“So, what’d you wanna talk about?” Twilight asked, a knowing impatience on her tone, following Rainbow Dash, who walked slowly and deliberately.

“Just wanted to ask a few questions. C’mon…” Rainbow Dash called back lazily, as they headed up some stairs, and walked down the hall next to a nearby bedroom.

Rainbow Dash stood beside the doorway, and nodded her head inside the room, her arms crossed and blunt burning gently between her lips.

Twilight, remembering their prior conversation outside of the cafe, tensed herself, but walked through the door nonetheless. For her, this was a calculated outcome.

“Another step to endure.” She thought, locking eyes with Rainbow Dash as her head bobbed by hers; an intoxicating mix of hatred and aggression emanated from the tensed girl watching her walk inside the room.

If it meant that Filthy Rich and his flowers would wilter, then every piece of the equation was necessary, Twilight thought, as she entered the room and heard the door slam shut behind her; of course.

If it meant those who nurtured the garden of Flowers would fall, then this was expected.

“Twilight, we’re on the clock right now, so I’ll skip the small talk…” Rainbow Dash began, as she plucked the blunt from between her lips between two fingers. She turned fully to face Twilight now, arms crossed, the blunt ashing slowly, like an incense stick.

“Why the fuck did you lie to me?” Rainbow Dash asked blandly.

Twilight sucked in a deep breath, before exhaling slowly. Then, slowly, in that same calculated manner, began to speak. Of course, this was the inevitable outcome if she were to get exactly what she spent all this time chasing.

“We didn’t lie to you, we did what was necess--mmph!”

Rainbow Dash had stomped forward and snatched her lips shut between two fingers aggressively, pinching them so hard Twilight swore she would begin bleeding.

“Aht aht aht… See, this is problem number one, Twilight. You don’t understand how, fucking, much, I hate being insulted.” Rainbow Dash said, before Twilight slapped her hand off, distancing herself, cupping her lips gingerly.

Rainbow Dash put the blunt back between her lips, giving it a longing, deep draw, a glob of ash falling over the floor. A thick tension began to grow between the two girls, as Rainbow Dash’s magenta orbs began to glow with a small crimson fury.

“I’ll ask again…” Rainbow Dash began, smoke filtering out with each syllable.

“Why did you lie to me?” Rainbow Dash asked, staring down into Twilight’s eyes with squinted eyes, looking for something precise to pounce on.

“Because it was necessary, Rainbow Dash. Because that was how we got Lotuuu--uuuusss--nngah!”

*DOOMJ!*

Twilight was swung into the wall with ferocious strength, her back smashing it so hard that she found herself stunned on the ground momentarily trying to gain a grip on the pangs of pain in her back.

Rainbow Dash marched over, grabbed her by the jaw, and lifted her up, pushing her back into the wall. Twilight tried to find something to say, but no matter what she did, Rainbow Dash’s grip was too tight for her to get a single syllable out.

Now, her eyes burned over with a roaring, furious crimson glow, her grip tightening as Twilight struggled; fighting, scratching, kicking, and slapping. But, nothing would shake Rainbow Dash’s furious grip now, and after many moments of struggling in vain, settled down, as if to surrender, feeling her cheeks begin to bruise and pain even further underneath her struggle.

That’s when Rainbow Dash tightened her grip even further; Twilight’s glare burst with fury, but she stayed still, not wanting to exacerbate the pain she was currently in. Her eyes slimmed with anger.

“Now, you get it.” Rainbow Dash began, features lightening only slightly, a low chuckle escaping her lips. “Think about how you feel, Twilight. Right,” she continued, before aggressively tossing Twilight down into the ground, her shoulder bashing the floor violently.

“Now!”

As she yelped in pain, a foot stomped down into her chest, grinding into it, pinning her down. Rainbow Dash stared at her with a wide, sadistic grin on her face.

“Think about exactly how you feel right now, motherfucker.” Rainbow Dash yelled, as Twilight grabbed her calf, fighting with all her strength.

“I feel like I’m gonna fucking kill you!” Twilight choked out in breaths, the air being squeezed out of her. Tears began forming on the edge of her eyes throughout her struggle. Rainbow Dash was pushing her.

“Good. Now we have an understanding.” Rainbow Dash trailed on, as her smile settled, and her eyes squinted upon the girl beneath her shoe. She folded her arms once more, before finding her next words.

“You think I don’t know when I’m being insulted? Why the fuck would you lie to me?” Rainbow Dash asked, her eyes donning a threatening crimson glow, as her fingers sprawled out, her body tensing, as if she had to hold herself back from lunging at Twilight.

“YOU WORK FOR ME!!!” Rainbow Dash roared, crouching down and closing the distance between their two faces. Twilight could only stare into her furious stare.

“Notthe other fucking way around!” Rainbow Dash continued, before straightening and stomping into Twilight’s chest once more, eliciting a pained cough. She stared down at the lavender-skinned girl with no remorse, her chest and shoulders heaving with rage.

She composed herself, if only slightly, nostrils flaring as she regulated her breaths.

“So what was it Twi?” Rainbow Dash asked, increasing the pressure underneath her foot slowly and consistently, Twilight feeling the air squeeze out of her body, her veins beginning to push against her skin in stress.

“Was I too fucking stupid for your plan? Was I too much of a fucking simpleton? Just another piece on the board, huh? You think that lowly of me? Don’t fucking play with me bitch. I’m not them other niggas you take for a joke. Humble yourself. Immediately.” Rainbow Dash continued, her deep, low, and menacing voice deepening in intensity with each sentence, pushing her foot deeper and deeper into Twilight’s chest, as she fought with even more strength just to keep her breath.

Finally, Rainbow Dash sighed, before she let her foot up, turning around and taking two steps away. Twilight immediately rolled over onto her side, gasping for air, as she slowly got up onto all fours, neck down.

As she sucked in one more breath, and craned her neck upwards to scan for Rainbow Dash, she was met by the same eyes, but this time, they had mostly returned to their normal state, just a hint of crimson lining her irises.

“You make me feel all funny inside, Twilight…” Rainbow Dash began, as she held a hand over her heart. Twilight’s brows raised inquisitively -- Rainbow Dash was being more sincere with her than usual.

“I don’t like people that make me think two, three, and four times over about them, y’know? Let me know, right now, that you gon’ stop being shady as fuck. You could be useful. We could be powerful. But not like this. Not like how you actin’ right now.” Rainbow Dash said in a low and angry voice, turning her back on Twilight, struggling to unclench her fists.

Twilight was silent for some moments, a mix of fear and adrenaline slowing down her ability to realize that it was her turn to move the next piece…

“I’m sorry.” Twilight coughed out, struggling to pick herself up. Rainbow Dash was silent.

“I’m sorry that I lied to you.” Twilight said weakly, her air still returning, as she fully stood.

“You’re right… even though I did what I thought was best, I still lied to you at the end of the day, and I can see how that can really damage trust.” Twilight began, holding her arms out to the side in a pleading manner. Rainbow Dash turned back to look at Twilight.

Twilight steeled herself, and she tried to react as naturally as possible to Rainbow Dash’s gaze as she spoke further.

“I’m not tryna have no static between us now, or at any point in the future. I did what I had to do, and what I had to do is done.” Twilight continued in what Rainbow Dash found to be an earnest manner.

“From here on in, I’m playing by your rules. And I’ll make sure my girls got the message, too.” Twilight explained, standing straight, staring Rainbow Dash directly in her eyes.

After a long few moments, Rainbow Dash sighed heavily, turning away from Twilight as she plucked the blunt between her lips once more. Her brows were no longer deeply furrowed into her head, although they still sagged with anger.

“You have…” Rainbow Dash began, her voice still laced with a slight tinge of anger. “Exactly…” She continued, holding up a big ‘O’ with her thumb and forefinger, her head turned back over her shoulder, a single eye piercing through. “Zero, chances left to pull some shit like that again. You understand me, Twilight?” Rainbow Dash asked. Twilight nodded silently, the icy, cold, and unreadable crimson orb staring at her in such a cryptic manner.

No more words were spoken as Rainbow Dash shoved past Twilight, opening the door, and leaving. Twilight, however, could not move, her mind twisting in thought.

Her eyes shot down into the ground, replaying Rainbow Dash’s face just now, over, and over. But, for some reason, she couldn’t quite pinpoint her feelings to assess her next moves. Somehow, in these short moments, Rainbow Dash had become much less of an open book.

She looked up, a small grin appearing on her face. The grin, in just a few moments, turned to a frustrated frown, teeth gritted. Then, it picked up into a smirk, as she chuckled silently to herself once more.

“So you’ve learned that much, huh, Dash?” Twilight thought, picking up into a slow, confident walk outside of the room, towing not far off from behind Rainbow Dash. Just as she pulled into the hallway, she saw the stream of rainbow-colored hair disappear down the stairs.

“It’s no matter.” She thought to herself, forcing the grin off of her face as she approached the stairs.

Rainbow Dash plopped down the steps, dropping her blunt in an ashtray lying upon a small wall across from the stairs, smoking the very last of it as she descended.

As she approached the living room, she whistled, a long, steady puff of smoke leaving her lips as she did. She clapped twice during the whistle, and as all eyes laid on her, the chatter stopped.

Rainbow Dash carried an unfamiliar, looming aura that seemed to tower drearily over the audience underneath her stare.

She placed both hands on her hips, watching as Twilight walked on beyond her, standing beside the group of people in the living room, all now watching her.

“Sunset and ball tuggers, you’re with Twilight. Go take care of those cars for me.” She spoke blandly, pointing back over her shoulder.

A small silence ensued; Sunset, Trixie, and Starlight’s eyes shifted, though they tried to remain calm. Applejack and Pinkie Pie raised a brow, but Big Mac was unchanged. Nobody moved. Rainbow Dash’s brows rose, too.

“I stutter?” Rainbow Dash asked, her eyes slimming. Twilight immediately stood up out of her seat, calm and collected as usual.

“We piss you off that much?” Twilight asked, staring into Rainbow Dash’s eyes. However, just like the previous time, and unlike the times before then, Rainbow Dash’s eyes were steeled, unwavering, and reserved. Rainbow Dash cracked a small smile at Twilight.

“It’s called trust-building, huh Twi? Besides, this?” Rainbow Dash began, lifting her shirt, showing several bruised wounds from the shattered plate and shrapnel.

“Is gonna take some time to take care of. How long do you need to dump the whips?” Rainbow Dash inquired, as she began to walk forward.

“Heh…” Twilight chuckled, watching Rainbow Dash strut slowly over towards the couch. She understood.

“I suppose the question is, how long do you need?” Twilight retorted, a knowing sarcasm lacing her tone.

Rainbow Dash chuckled to herself; today, she had finally realized something -- the cold and calculated mannerisms Twilight displayed, was exactly that. She let off exactly as much as she needed to, and now, Rainbow Dash had a useful tool in her arsenal.

However, it was amusing to see Twilight immediately understand her position. For the time being, they had a lot of trust to earn back. The politics would be rough. Rainbow Dash would have to take things into her own hands. It was clear that Twilight was going to steer Applejack away from her, and she needed all the synergy possible if she wanted to have an easy time growing her empire following this little Flowers endeavor.

“Four hours.” Rainbow Dash finally spoke, holding up four fingers. “We’ll meet back here in four.”

Twilight nodded her head forward, motioning Sunset, Starlight, and Trixie. As the three girls got up to join Twilight, Rainbow Dash put her hand in Twilight’s chest, stopping her.

“Here,” she began, digging through her pockets. She then slapped a wad of cash into Twilight’s hands.

“However many plates you can get with this; we’re gonna be walking ducks, right?” she chuckled, walking on beyond Twilight.

Twilight didn’t bother to look back, and instead simply headed for the door. Just before the girls could catch up to her…

“Starlight!”

All of the girls looked back to who called Starlight: Pinkie Pie craned her finger forward, a puffy, sparkling smile on her face. “How about you stay with us?” Pinkie Pie inquired innocently.

Rainbow Dash looked towards Pinkie Pie with an inquisitive expression, plopping down beside her to sit.

Pinkie Pie simply smiled back at Rainbow Dash, her features unchanging. Starlight, Sunset, Trixie, and Twilight looked between Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie, confused.

Rainbow Dash looked between Pinkie Pie and Starlight, mulling over a decision for some moments. Although, her face remained relatively unchanged.

“Come on Starlight. I guess she likes you.” Rainbow Dash motioned her over with a nod of her neck. Rainbow Dash couldn’t quite pinpoint it, but something in her gut told her to trust Pinkie’s instinct.

Starlight looked back to the girls she was about to leave with, before shrugging, and walking back over to the couch, reclaiming her original seat not far off from Pinkie Pie.

“Alright, guys. Chop chop, we got four hours to kill. Have fun, Star!” Twilight spoke with more sarcasm, rolling her eyes as she slipped out of the room, the two other girls following her closely.

…

More silence ensued, before a lightbulb ticked on above Rainbow Dash’s head.

“Wait a second muh’fucka, it’s been a hot ass minute…” Rainbow Dash chuckled to herself, hopping up out of the couch, grabbing everyone’s attention.

She kneeled next to the limp body beside the end of the couch. “Hey dickhead. I know yo’ ass ain’t still sleep in there. Ain’t no way at this point.” Rainbow Dash chuckled, moderately knocking his head with her knuckle twice.

He did not move. Rainbow Dash then swiftly grabbed his nostrils shut as she saw his chest rise, and managed to get a jerk reaction from one of his hands.

“I knew it.” Rainbow Dash breathed out, giggling to herself. He whimpered slightly, blood running cold knowing that his captors had caught on to his regaining consciousness.

“If you keep being good, you don’t have to nap again, y’hear, Flower boy?” Rainbow Dash smiled down at her hostage. She ruffled his head through the sack on his head.

She laughed, before standing, cocking her leg back, and launching it directly into his ribs. Lotus coughed brutally, with an agonizing groan followed after, as he choked for air.

“Enough fun, babes.” Pinkie Pie called out, standing from her seat. She looked at Big Mac, Braeburn, and Applejack.

“Applejack, why don’t you come with us to see your Granny, we never got a chance to get Rainbow Dash fixed up.” Pinkie Pie requested.

Big Mac’s face seemed to light up, and Braeburn, too, became interested. Applejack looked at Rainbow Dash’s bloodied top, and then between Big Mac and Braeburn, and then to Starlight. Her eyes widened, but only a slight bit.

“Cool it, y’all. I’ll be back. Just stay here.” Applejack requested both of the boys, motioning them to relax.

“Come with me, you two.” Applejack motioned with her hands towards Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie, exiting the room. They both followed behind her quickly…

“So, Granny don’t stay with y’all on this side of the ranch?” Rainbow Dash inquired, walking alongside Applejack with Pinkie Pie across their farm.

“Don’t shit where you eat, kid. Can’t have the people you love living right on top of the business. Shit, if it were up to me, she wouldn’t even be on this farm.” Applejack explained, not bothering to look back at Rainbow Dash.

“By the way, Dash…” Applejack began, as she loosened the bottle she kept underneath her hat. She took a swig. Rainbow Dash looked up at her back.

“You’re smarter than you look. You heeded my words.” Applejack commented, breathing a refreshing sigh from her drink.

Rainbow Dash looked away from Applejack, silent for some moments.

“You said I might be swimming with the wrong sharks, ‘Jack. What you mean by that?” Rainbow Dash inquired, curious as to what the deep-rooted aversion to Twilight related to.

“We ain’t that close, girlie, so I’ll skip the intimate details… But, just know that keeping Twilight at a distance is in your best interest. That gal’s only interested in ‘erself.” Applejack spoke, sighing softly afterwards, as Rainbow Dash saw her neck crane up ever-so-slightly towards the sky.

Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash looked between one another.

“And that bitch is crafty, too. Everything you know, is exactly what she wants you to know. Whatever you know now, ain’t even the half of it, I guarantee ya.” Applejack finished, taking another swig of her bottle.

“In that case… why don’t you help us out? We got some plans for Flower boy, but we can’t trust Twilight to help us move all the pieces.” Rainbow Dash requested.

Applejack kept on walking without turning to look back at Rainbow Dash. Her mind twisted in thought.

“What can a sapling like you even offer me?” Applejack asked, wondering if it would be worth the extra work -- at the end of the day, Twilight clearly wasn’t going back to the Orange themselves, so then, what did it matter who got to have Lotus? It didn’t.

“I need something to offer, for us to do each other a favor?” Rainbow Dash asked. Suddenly, Applejack turned, and grabbed Rainbow Dash by the throat, lifting her off the ground.

“Let’s not get things twisted, Rainbow Dash--”

Applejack was interrupted by Pinkie Pie immediately trying to attack her; she kicked Pinkie Pie square in the gut, knocking her air out, as she thrashed about on the ground trying to regain her wind.

“You came and killed a lot of my people. We’re working together because we have a common enemy, not because we’re friends. Twilight will kill Lotus either way, I’m not gonna waste my time making sure you get to hold the blade. Get that shit through your thick skull before you get me involved in some politics.” Applejack began, as Rainbow Dash watched her between squinted eyes, struggling to fight her grip.

“From what I can tell, you haven’t done shit, yet. Twilight’s been holding your ass up. Maybe when you show me you can carry some real weight, not just shoot a few niggas, then you might be worth some salt. Be a real leader, then maybe I can make sum’n shake.” Applejack continued, her grip tightening.

“Until then, don’t fucking disrespect me with that buddy-buddy act. I hope we’re understood.” Applejack spat, tossing Rainbow Dash to the ground, as she continued walking towards the house Granny Smith and Applebloom stays at.

“Dashie!” Pinkie Pie yelled, running to her side, finally having recovered. Rainbow Dash glared holes into Applejack’s back, rubbing her throat gingerly.

“Are you okay?!” Pinkie Pie asked with great concern, helping Rainbow Dash straight.

“Nng…!” Rainbow Dash huffed, gently but firmly removing herself from Pinkie Pie’s embrace, her eyes slimming on the tall woman strutting ahead of her. Rainbow Dash chuckled lowly, her fists clenching. Pinkie’s brows raised, inquisitive.

Then, she regained her composure, looking towards Pinkie Pie with just a slight curve in her lips, only something she would notice.

“Change of plan, Pinks…” Rainbow Dash trailed on lowly, her knuckles finally releasing as she walked forward to follow Applejack.

“Big change of plans…”