Clout

A single lavender-skinned girl sat comfortably in the recesses of a relatively cozy-looking living room. She wore the usual jet-black sweater, but her hood hung off her back, and her multi-shaded purple hair was tied back into a single bun. Behind her ear was a single blunt. The TV blasted a very rhythmic assortment of lyrics and music.

The lavender-skinned girl checked her phone, examining the time. Moments later, she heard shuffling by the door. She saw shadowy figures in the moonlit sky behind her windows’ shades, and one-by-one, three hooded figures filtered into the lobby of the small house, coming to join the lavender-skinned girl.

“Girls, you’re here. Please, get comfortable.” The lavender-skinned girl urged with the smuggest of smirks. The girls exchanged looks of slight confusion or discomfort.

“You know, Twilight,” Sunset Shimmer spoke, walking ahead of the other two girls first, sitting beside Twilight, leaving two spaces on the other couch. She removed her hood.

“Kinda sudden for a summons, wouldn’t’ya say? We just got finished with that shit storm you brewed up at the cafeteria, we’re tired, y’know.” Sunset Shimmer continued, as Starlight Glimmer and Trixie Lulamoon sat on the other couch.

Twilight, in turn, chuckled. “The shit storm I brewed up? You can blame Rainbow Dash for that. I just orchestrated the play.” Sunset Shimmer rolled her eyes, as Starlight and Trixie got comfortable, removing their hoods as well. The eyes looked around the room, before all but Twilight’s eyes fell on the centerpiece they were all sitting beside:

There was an assortment of whiskey, dark liquors and rum, combined with a plate full of neatly stacked blunts. There were also four glasses placed neatly across the table, and an assortment of lighters.

“I figured I’d reward you girls with a bit of a celebration. You’ve all been working hard.” Twilight spoke, gesturing down to the centerpiece ahead of them, that they were clearly looking at.

“Please, help yourselves.” Twilight urged, once more. The girls were relatively stiff, looking between Twilight and the table.

“That good, huh?” Sunset Shimmer commented finally with a small smile, as she leaned forward, and opened a glass of orange-gold whiskey. The label read “67%”.

“Hm?” Twilight hummed, eyeing Sunset as she poured shots for each of the girls in the room.

“We all know you ain’t the sentimental type. This little operation… it go that well?” Sunset Shimmer elaborated, as she picked up a blunt, flicking a lighter underneath its end, before putting it between her lips.

Starlight sipped her whiskey silently, while Trixie reached for a blunt herself.

“I don’t know, you tell me. You girls got them receipts I was askin’ about?” Twilight asked, removing the blunt from behind her ear, and sparking it to life.

“Well, seeing as how we’re being treated this nicely, I can only assume you’ve already got the rap sheet, no?” Trixie inquired. Twilight sent a small chuckle.

“The Crips are willing to work with the RainBooms, and with the footage I was able to attain today off Applejack and Rainbow Dash’s standoff, it’ll only be a matter of time before I’m able to pull Mac out of hiding.” Twilight spoke with a soft and precise tone. She took a deep pull from her blunt.

“Yeah? And what about the graduation ceremony?” Sunset Shimmer asked. Twilight’s smile grew.

“I’ve been left in charge of intel-gathering for Lotus' first task as the young head of the Death Lotus: eliminating the Pirus, namely, their leader, Big Mac.” Twilight said slowly, smoke filtering out of her mouth with each word.

Silence grew as the smoke settled.

“Then, that means…” Starlight began, as all the girls shared enthusiastic smiles.

“We’re in.” Twilight chuckled lowly, as she took up her own glass, and sipped its contents longingly.

“But, that’s not what this summons is about.” Twilight continued, a small wince on her face as she swallowed.

“Yeah, that’s what I told the girls when you summoned us. You’re all business, never a moment of rest with you. By the way, you did an excellent job censoring us on the major media outlets.” Sunset Shimmer grinned. Twilight nodded.

“So, Rainbow Dash, huh…?” Twilight asked with a gentle pause. There was a small silence that followed, before Starlight spoke up, first.

“Girl’s green as grass, you sure she’s the best bet to taking out the Death Lotus?” Starlight inquired, remembering the relative inexperience Rainbow Dash had in the field. She picked up her glass, swallowed it, and then lit her own blunt as well.

“She was enough of an aid to you all to subjugate the Crips, was she not? Give the girl a chance, that’s Windy Whistles’ seed. She’s got fire in her blood.” Twilight said, her mind tracing back to what she knew of Rainbow Dash’s mother.

“You speak so highly of Rainbow Dash, and that woman… Windy… There a reason you kiss her ass like that?” Trixie asked, sucking on her blunt once more.

“Rainbow Dash is bigger than you think. There’s a reason nobody knows her father, and better yet, a reason why the Death Lotus wanted her mother dead.” Twilight mused on.

“You girls showed me some receipts, so I guess I’ll fill you in on some of the details. Do you all recall last night, when I said we’ll have plenty of work in the coming weeks?” Twilight asked. The girls nodded.

“Well…” Twilight began, before pausing, taking a second to pull from the blunt between her fingers, as she tried to find her words.

“Well, that’s because the second the Death Lotus finds out exactly who’s going to overthrow them, their superiors are going to step in.” Twilight stated. The girls shared confused looks.

“The Death Lotus has superiors?” Sunset Shimmer asked, feeling a small lump in her throat -- the most feared gang in the city, had superiors?

“Everyone does, Sunset. You just have to make sure you’re working for the right ones.” Twilight interjected, before continuing on.

“The thing is, Rainbow Dash is the child the Death Lotus never wanted to happen. My mother, Twilight Velvet --”

“Wait, Twilight Velvet? Your mother’s the mayor of Manehattan, and you’re sitting out here living in some shit-hole like this? The fuck?” Sunset Shimmer exclaimed with surprise. Twilight gave a wry smile.

“That bitch never raised me, let’s not get it mistaken. She just birthed me, and threw me onto my brother the second she realized I was a threat…” Twilight said with a bitter tone.

“A threat? To what, exactly?” Trixie asked. Twilight was silent for some time. She took another swig out of her glass, before she showed a toothy smile.

“To her secrets. Twilight Velvet is the one who murdered the country’s underground legend -- my mother killed Windy Whistles.” Twilight stated. The three other girls shared surprised glances.

“But, that’s not the kicker… You see, my mother left her job half-done…”

“Babe, come on, we’re almost there, hold it together…!” Pinkie Pie groaned with annoyance. She had her arm wrapped around Rainbow Dash’s waist, practically dragging her along down the streets. The sky glowed a dull orange, sunset coming to its end.

“Gosh, I’m… I’m sorry babe, I’m just…” Rainbow Dash spoke with a slow drawl, her words slurred terribly. She walked along with severe drag, limping, her high coming down and her pains coming back to her tenfold.

Pinkie Pie huffed, Rainbow Dash’s weight tiring her. She looked up, and relief filled her eyes when she realized they were now only a few steps from home, finally reaching the block where they had lived upon.

She trudged towards the small flight of stairs leading up to their door, and took one final breath, before climbing the steps. She fished her key out with her free-hand, and kicked the door open. She stumbled in with Rainbow Dash, as both collapsed onto the floor immediately, the door slamming behind them. She noticed that Rainbow Dash still had her backpack from earlier this morning, and it felt no lighter.

“She never fenced the stuff off, huh…? Rent’s soon…” Pinkie Pie thought with a huff, taking a relieving breath.

Pinkie Pie’s skin glistened with sweat thanks to the labor of carrying Rainbow Dash all the way home, and the anxiety of being stopped by any troublemakers or law enforcement.

For a moment, she simply laid on the ground with Rainbow Dash -- she looked into Rainbow Dash’s face, watching her eyes stop fluttering, and finally calmly coming to a close, her body finally realizing she was home. Her chest ebbed peacefully.

“So cute…” Pinkie Pie couldn’t help but think to herself, as she finally dragged herself up from the floor. She locked the door, and then looked down at the half-conscious Rainbow Dash, who was now presumably falling asleep.

“I need some bud, the amphetamine’s wearing off…” Pinkie Pie thought, feeling buzzes in her skin, as she realized the comedown was upon her. Her head felt a bit heavy and her body felt unnaturally stiff. She also felt her jaw hurt from the clenching.

She walked over to the table, where she had three spliffs rolled from before she left earlier that morning. She figured Rainbow Dash would succeed today, and wanted to reward her appropriately on her return.

She sat down, and sparked one up, placing it between her lips, as she watched Rainbow Dash, still passed out on the ground, with a small smile. She chuckled, thinking back on the day, admiring Rainbow Dash’s efforts:

The bout with the Crips went well -- they gained a powerful ally with Applejack and her gang, and Rainbow Dash managed to secure a leak inside the Death Lotus with Fluttershy -- not to mention her being able to connect with Sunset Shimmer and her girls, who, in her opinion, truly had Rainbow Dash’s best interests in mind.

Pinkie Pie couldn’t help but to smile down at her girlfriend with glee. She had started her day being beaten to a pulp, and still accomplished this much.

“What a fucking rollercoaster…” Pinkie Pie huffed, as she pulled deeply from the spliff, turning away from Rainbow Dash and leaning over the table. She removed the gun from her sweater, emptied the chamber, removed the magazine, and placed the contents on the table, sliding them to the other end.

She removed her sweater, and simply let it drop on the floor, hearing a loud and heavy thud from the plate of kevlar still within it.

She let her mind wander, as she asked herself many questions: what was the next move? The plan? One way or another, things were surely going to be a little more… tight. The Death Lotus surely knew of their interference at school, and that would make moving around the city a constant mission.

Then, all of a sudden, Pinkie Pie felt something wet and slender slide across her neck, while two hands grabbed her hips from around the chair.

She felt hair brushing across her head and neck, while the hands sloppily and heavily caressed her waist.

Pinkie Pie felt her entire body shudder, and couldn’t help but let out a small, soft moan.

“Were you going to… smoke without me?” Rainbow Dash chuckled lowly in her ears. Her words were slow, and her voice was deep and seductive. Pinkie Pie knew that it was likely just Rainbow Dash still feeling the high of the many intoxications in her body, but her manner of speech was… erotic.

“You sure you wanna keep smoking, Dash? I mean, this is sativa, but--”

“What, you worried about school in the morning, honey bun?” Rainbow Dash retorted sarcastically, before pivoting around the chair, sitting on Pinkie Pie’s lap, and wrapping her arms around her neck. Pinkie Pie struggled to not make the spliff fall onto her.

“Hmhm, fair.” Pinkie Pie chuckled, before her thoughts trailed off once again, feeling Rainbow Dash push her nose into Pinkie Pie’s neck, hugging her tightly, and affectionately.

“You’re definitely still high, huh Dashie? You never let me be mommy like this.” Pinkie Pie giggled softly, caressing Rainbow Dash’s scalp. She felt Rainbow Dash’s grip tighten, as some seconds of silence followed.

“Yeah, I guess I am… it’s not my fault you did such a great job taking care of me today, though. You make me feel…” Rainbow Dash began, before her grip tightened a little more, and Pinkie Pie felt a deep hop breath filter out onto her neck.

“... safe…” Rainbow Dash whispered lowly.

“Like... my mom did.” Rainbow Dash yawned, her body arching towards Pinkie Pie.

Pinkie Pie’s heart thumped with great acceleration, as her entire body began to feel gooey and warm. “I swear to the Sun, you make me fall harder every day….” Pinkie Pie thought, closing her eyes momentarily as she continued to run her fingers through Rainbow Dash’s hair.

She couldn’t stop the large, goofy smile that grew onto her lips.

“Silly… You’re the one that does all the safe-keeping… But I’m happy I can make you feel like that, too.” Pinkie Pie silently said to herself, gently massaging Rainbow Dash’s scalp.

“Welp…” Pinkie Pie began, looking to her arm with the spliff in it -- it was still mostly unsmoked, seeing as how she only pulled once. However, now being out, she figured it was time to take things upstairs.

It’s a shame that Rainbow Dash was so good at making her horny, she thought, because her behavior today was asking for a night of absolutely no sleep -- but, no, her hero worked hard today.

“C’mon babes. Let’s go to bed.” Pinkie Pie said, with a small huff, carrying the groggy Rainbow Dash bridal style, as she hugged around her neck still.

Pinkie Pie leaned over the table, Rainbow Dash still in her arms, grabbing the lighter and the other two spliffs in one hand, and carried the gently-breathing Rainbow Dash up to their bedroom. She closed the door with her foot as she entered, and gently placed Rainbow Dash onto the bed, and the spliffs onto the small nightstand on the opposite side of the bed.

Rainbow Dash’s body only moved slightly here and there, her body not being able to go fully unconscious, surely due to the intoxications still dying down within her.

Pinkie Pie slowly and carefully removed her clothes, stripping down to just her underwear.

She placed her clothes in the hamper beside the door, and then tended to Rainbow Dash, removing her clothes. She breathed out with a hint of frustration when she pulled her pants off and saw the wrapped up leg, all slashed up inside. She grabbed Rainbow Dash’s hand, before pulling the covers over her exposed body. She decided to leave the leg wrapped up, but began to pull off the bandages over her face and head -- as she unwrapped each lace of the bandage, she winced at the bruises across her face. She was clearly through an ordeal with her meeting with the Death Lotus this morning. Her eyes squinted with anger, as she threw the bandages in the garbage.

“Next time… I’ll be there.” Pinkie Pie swore to herself. But she shook her head, looking back at the resting Rainbow Dash. Next time, things would be better. For now, just like Rainbow Dash had always taught her, it’s time to look at the positives. They made waves today, and that’s what matters. They did good.

Pinkie Pie smiled, relaxing herself, and made her way to the bed, laying beside her partner. She connected her phone to the speaker, and queued up a gentle, romantic music. She once again, lit the spliff to life, and after a few hits, she felt Rainbow Dash roll over, and climb on top of her, straddling her legs. She wobbled slightly, and her eyes hung low, but no longer fluttered.

“Gimme some.” Rainbow Dash said lowly and plainly.

“Are you sure? You can barely stay up.” Pinkie Pie inquired, figuring it would be best for Rainbow Dash to simply sleep, now.

“I can’t stay up, and I can’t fall asleep… Besides, I… really like smoking with you.” Rainbow Dash drawled on, placing her hand on Pinkie’s forearm, and guiding the spliff to her mouth. She caught it between her lips, and pulled.

“Funny. The roles seem switched from this morning.” Pinkie Pie mused aloud, as Rainbow Dash took the spliff between her own fingers, rolling back over to sit beside her.

“Yin and Yang or something, huh?” Rainbow Dash joked, pulling from the spliff once more, as she felt her body steady in pace from the comedowns she was feeling.

“You’re a bit of a demon, you know that?” Pinkie Pie chuckled, nudging Rainbow Dash in the side, eliciting a laugh from her.

“Living with you? The club and rave gal? I have to be, don’t I?” Rainbow Dash retorted, as she blew out a cloud of smoke. Pinkie Pie shrugged.

“You get what you sign up for, Dashie.” Pinkie Pie chuckled. “Anyways, bullshit aside, I must say… You did a great job today.” Pinkie Pie swooned, putting her cheek onto Rainbow Dash’s.

Rainbow Dash blushed momentarily. “Heh, thanks, it was a helluva day for sure.” Rainbow Dash nodded in agreement, before leaning away just enough to pull from the spliff once more, before handing it to Pinkie Pie.

“You can have that… I wanna relax for now.” Rainbow Dash said, exiting the cyph, as she snuggled up under the covers once more.

“Already? So you are tired. Bastard.” Pinkie Pie half-chuckled, as she pulled from the spliff and looked away. Although her back was turned, she could still hear Rainbow Dash chortle, and then pick up into a knowing laugh.

She turned over, facing Pinkie Pie with a smug smirk. Pinkie Pie looked back down with her best attempt at a poker face, smoking the spliff gently.

“... So it’s nothing, then. Goodnight.” Rainbow Dash said, beginning to turn back over.

“Mean.” Pinkie Pie muttered. Rainbow Dash stopped.

“So I’m not trippin’. That’s what you want?” Rainbow Dash chuckled, her smirk growing.

“I didn’t say much. But I mean, if you are tired…” Pinkie Pie said in a very unconvincing manner, as she blew out a small stream of smoke.

“Yeah, right, well…” Rainbow Dash began with a small huff, as she rolled back over on top of Pinkie Pie, straddling her once more.

“I’ve heard that one before.” She chuckled, before she plucked the spliff from between Pinkie’s fingers, and placed it in the ashtray, beginning to lean over on top of Pinkie Pie…

[11 hours later, 7:30AM]

Pinkie Pie sat behind the computer desk in the room, scrolling through some videos.

Rainbow Dash was still in bed, laying upon her bare chest, still uncovered from the previous night. Pinkie Pie had on a baggy pajama shirt, and seemed focused on her screen.

After being absorbed by one particular video, she scooped the headset from her head and placed it upon the desk in an urgent manner. She walked over to the closet, grabbed a shirt, and slapped Rainbow Dash’s face with it.

“Uuuggghhh…” Rainbow Dash groaned, turning over. Pinkie Pie snapped her fingers at her.

“Aht aht aht, this is serious Dashie, up-up-up!” Pinkie Pie urged, shaking her back with her other hand.

“Alright, alriiight… Gimme like… 30 seconds…” Rainbow Dash said in between long drawls. Pinkie Pie shook her head -- she’d have to get used to morning-after comedowns.

“Sorry babe.” Pinkie Pie said lowly, before pulling the sheets off of Rainbow Dash.

“Son of a bitch, I get it…” Rainbow Dash sighed with defeat, as she rolled herself out of bed, onto the floor, sloppily. Her head hung, and she simply raised her hand.

“Shirt, please.” Rainbow Dash said tiredly, making a grabbing motion with her hand. Pinkie Pie couldn’t help but smirk, threatening to laugh, but she swallowed her amusement at her clearly hung over girlfriend. She leaned over the bed, and threw the shirt Rainbow Dash had tumbled past into her hand.

“Thank you.” Rainbow Dash yawned, covering herself. “Now, what is it??” Rainbow Dash asked, annoyed that she had been pulled out of her heavy slumber.

“C’mere, check this shit out.” Pinkie Pie said, pulling up a second chair behind her computer desk, gesturing to the monitor.

As Rainbow Dash made her way over, Pinkie pulled out her headphones, and turned up the volume on the speaker.

“You see the top video on our charade yesterday? Of course you didn’t, check this shit out.” Pinkie Pie went on with no pause, as she clicked play on the video.

A young female reporter with gray skin and dark brown hair, stood in front of the school, pointing with an exaggerated expression in the distance, as cameramen shot a blurry but somewhat decipherable shot of Rainbow Dash and the crew running through the crowds to safety. Their flee into the streets stood as the hook of the video, before it paused on a relatively blurry picture of Rainbow Dash’s bandaged face, with her multi-colored hair streaking behind her. The cyan durag she had worn that day was also visible, tied around her neck.

Pinkie Pie paused the video. “Look… You see that?” Pinkie Pie said in a hinting tone, gesturing towards the screen. Rainbow Dash studied the picture momentarily, before she raised a brow, scratching her head.

“Yeah… Someone’s got the picture all fucked up.” Rainbow Dash said, upon closer review of the picture.

“Mhm, someone with some inside access has been changing and distorting the color of everyone’s skin and eye colors across the board, except for you and Applejack. Somebody’s been pulling some strings to save the accomplices.” Pinkie Pie spoke with thorough analysis. For further proof, she scrolled through other media reports and blogs on the situation.

Every picture showed Rainbow Dash and Applejack running with gray, brown, purple, yellow, and all sorts of differently-colored people, with different hair-color patterns, effectively concealing the identities of Pinkie Pie, Sunset Shimmer, and all the other aidees they had during the situation with the police at the school.

“Somebody went through a lot of work to cover our tracks. We have some good allies, this couldn’t have just been the Principals and Cheerilee, you know that, right?” Pinkie Pie asked.

Rainbow Dash nodded in agreement, as Pinkie Pie clicked back towards the video. “I have a feeling I know who might be behind this little stunt…” Rainbow Dash spoke lowly, her mind scraping up a memory of the lavender-skinned girl she had witnessed conversing with Applejack in the cafeteria.

“She saved my ass, then… But who the fuck is she?” Rainbow Dash couldn’t help but ponder upon the girl’s identity. Her mind also returned to Applejack’s words, when they were escaping from the school.

“You might be swimming in the wrong pool, with the wrong sharks…”

Rainbow Dash’s fists tightened. Was there already some inner-turmoil she should be worried about?

“I’m starting the video again.” Pinkie Pie announced, with a click, ripping Rainbow Dash from her thoughts.

The picture zoomed out, now becoming a small frame in the top right of the screen, freeze-framing Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and the censored crew fleeing with them, as the female reporter appeared again, now standing in front of two figures that widened Rainbow Dash’s eyes.

“T-That’s Lotus!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed, immediately perking up, her interest piqued.

The reporter spoke first.

“Over 50 confirmed casualties, an absolutely staggering number in yesterday’s struggle at Principals’ Celestia and Luna’s school. So far 17 are identified gang affiliates, rolling with the Crips allegedly run by Apple Descendent Applejack, and a devastating 33 belong to the local police department, who were under the guidance of Sergeant Hawkes. Standing here, with me, are the well-esteemed Filthy Rich, and his son, a star attendee at the school where this grim slaughter took place, Lotus Rich. Any words on this occurrence at your son’s school, Mr. Rich?” The reporter interrogated, pushing the mic to his face with an outstretched arm, his height much greater than hers.

Both he and Lotus stood in simple black slacks and black blazers. Both had an orange durag with yellow-gradient tips hanging from their breast-pocket. This was a show of power, and status, by both.

Without bothering to grab the mic or lean down, Filthy Rich cleared his throat, before huffing out his message.

“The sergeant in charge who would let a few teenagers wreak this amount of havoc on the school is surely going to be reprimanded for his actions,” Filthy Ric huffed momentarily. “Or lack, thereof, the imbecile.”

“Furthermore, his report of the faculty at the school’s unwillingness to help identify and locate the perpetrators, is duly noted by my associates. And, finally, for the brat who headed this destruction, and consumed the lives of thirty-three good men, well… Lotus has a word for you.” Filthy Rich spoke out with an air of authority in one single breath. He placed his hand on Lotus’ shoulder, nodding.

“Hey, Dashie, I’ve seen the media, and I don’t know how you hid the snakes in the grass, but leaving your face out was a bold move. I dunno if you’re just barking to get my attention after yesterday morning, or if you were really desperate enough to run to the Crips, but either motivation was a stupid, desperate howl from a downed dog. A word of advice? You’re messing with the wrong people. Make your mother proud and lie down quietly in the dirt she left for you, b----.” Lotus said, his words teething with toxicity.

“Excuse me, sir, we can’t have yo--”

Pinkie Pie paused the video, as it was nearing its end. Rainbow Dash’s fists tightened greatly, her fingernails tearing into her skin.

“That motherfucker wants to die.” Rainbow Dash chuckled with animosity.

“Relax. Him calling you out is just an acknowledgement of your Clout. And from the sounds of it, he doesn’t know you’ve got the Crips on your side.” Pinkie Pie reassured. Rainbow Dash’s fists relaxed slightly.

“He didn’t even address it, let’s not get comfortable.” Rainbow Dash sighed, before she stood up, stretching. She walked over to the nightstand, and picked up one of the unsmoked spliffs from the night before.

“Well, that means we’re gonna have to lay low for a while, till I figure out the next move.” Rainbow Dash shrugged, as she sparked the spliff to life.

“Don’t get comfortable, huh?” Pinkie Pie sighed with a smile, as she shook her head at Rainbow Dash, who was now medicating casually.

Just as Rainbow Dash had begun smoking, they heard a few violent knocks at the door. A pause… and then more violent knocks.

Both looked at each other urgently.

“You’re not expecting anyone, are you?” Rainbow Dash asked lowly, as she grabbed some pants from off the floor, and quickly slid into them.

Pinkie Pie shook her head, and Rainbow Dash rushed down the stairs, spliff still in her mouth, puffs of smoke flying into Pinkie Pie, who trailed her.

Both reached the bottom of the steps, and stared at the door.

*BANG! BANG! BANG-BANG!*

“Oh for Sun’s sake, relax! I’m coming…!” Rainbow Dash yelled. She looked to the table, pulled from the spliff once more, and walked towards it.

She loaded the pistol that Pinkie Pie had left there from the previous morning, and held it in her right hand.

“Two more seconds, don’t you dare bang again!” Rainbow Dash called out towards the door, not wanting more knocks offsetting a headache with her grogginess.

She carefully and cautiously unlocked the door with her left hand, and opened it, keeping the right side of her body behind the door. Pinkie Pie watched on with caution, ready for anything.

In a moment, a figure pushed Rainbow Dash back inside the house, the door quickly slamming behind them. Rainbow Dash went to raise her hand, but found it felt much lighter.

“Really? That’s cute.” The figure spoke, wearing an elegant purple dress, underneath a glittery midnight purple jacket with a white fur collar. In her left hand, she held the barrel of the gun between two fingers.

Rainbow Dash stood with her face in shock, looking between her hand and back to the woman.

“Don’t look so surprised. I’m a thief, it’s what I do. I’ll have your valuables gone right off your neck.” The girl chuckled, before unloading the gun, and handing it back to Rainbow Dash.

“How nice of you, Rarity.” Rainbow Dash sighed, as she placed the gun on the table, taking a seat and returning to smoking peacefully.

“Rarity? Why are you here?” Pinkie Pie questioned, tilting her head, as she pulled up a seat for herself and Rarity at the table, taking a seat.

Rarity gave a small smile towards Pinkie Pie, before sitting beside the two at the table, putting her royal purple handbag down onto the table with quite a loud thud.

“The real question is, Pinkie Pie, why is your girlfriend picking a fight with the Death Lotus, namely the son of Filthy fucking Rich, whose Clout way outranks her own?” Rarity spoke with a calm and subtle manner. She turned to Rainbow Dash, who was still casually smoking, her small and graceful smile turning into a deadly grimace.

“Because, y’know, that kind of heat and attention can really fuck up a good business relationship that we have going on, no?” Rarity asked in a low and intimidating voice.

There was a long silence before Rainbow Dash chuckled, and then smiled. Her head slowly turned to meet eyes with Rarity, before she leaned forward, inches away from her face. She pulled the spliff to her lips, pulling gently, before she blew the cloud of smoke directly into Rarity’s face. Rarity scrunched up, leaning away from Rainbow Dash, clearly annoyed.

“Disrespectfully, you can calmly miss me with that bullshit, Rarity. You came to my house, banging with that noise, to come and scold me about some bullshit like that and cut the business off? You coulda just texted me for that; coming here was prolly more dangerous than that.” Rainbow Dash began, taking another pull from her spliff.

“Second, I know you don’t take unnecessary risks, and you know damn well nobody else lifts goods even close to the way you can, like I do. So, did you come here to bitch, or to lift this merchandise off me?” Rainbow Dash asked, leaning back again. Rarity’s features paused momentarily, before they resumed a rather calculated and business-like demeanor.

“... Rainbow Dash, I’d be careful how you speak to those you do business with. This could very well be our last transaction, and while you are a good portion of my goods, I am all of your income.” Rarity spoke with a tone of authority, maintaining her elegance.

“And Rarity, I’d choose what bridges you burn more carefully, too. I’m a bigger fish than you think, you really want to cut such beneficial ties so soon? You think someone like me would upset the Death Lotus without a big return in mind?” Rainbow Dash said in rebuttal, a wild smirk laying on her lips. She was tugging at a string.

Rarity sat quietly in thought, pondering upon her words for a moment. Pinkie Pie simply looked between the two, assessing the situation as it unfolded.

“You speak my language well, for a ruffian, Rainbow Dash. Business and investment is my weakness. Show me what you sorted already.” Rarity instructed more than asked.

Rainbow Dash smiled triumphantly, as she went upstairs, and soon returned with the duffel bag of goods Pinkie Pie helped her secure 2 days back. She unzipped it open, and a shiny assortment of gold accessories and jewelry shined from the bag.

“This is every single one I priced for you, back when I was supposed to meet you before my classes, but I got caught up.” Rainbow Dash said, with a smile, gesturing down to the goods.

“I doubted you when you said this batch would be $8,000, but it all looks legit, at least to my eyes.” Rarity said, notably impressed.

“And I’ve still got a sizable batch of narcos, phones, tax and security cards, y’know, the small contraband.” Rainbow Dash stated. Rarity said nothing, rubbing her chin, as her purple lips scrunched to the side in thought.

“Okay, Rainbow Dash, I think I’ll be making an investment.” Rarity stated, with a large smile.

“Hm?” Rainbow Dash hummed in thought.

“I managed to make a comfortable amount on some… affairs, some nights ago, so, it’s disposable income, if you will.” Rarity stated, before digging into her handbag for something.

“Here’s $20,000, for everything. I’m sure this will more than pay for everything you’ll gather for me in addition to this bag of jewelry.” Rarity stated, dropping stacks of bills on the table.

“I expect that if you make any good of hacking at the Death Lotus, that I have a place with you.” Rarity stated blandly.

“Oh, and Pinkie Pie, dear,” Rarity stated, digging in her handbag once more.

“Here’s an extra $5,000 for you, just to make sure you keep your girlfriend here motivated to remember my investment.” Rarity stated with a smile, leaning over and placing the money in Pinkie Pie’s lap. She brushed their noses together momentarily, before standing, and heading towards the door.

Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie looked between her and the money with wide eyes, before Rainbow Dash shot up from her seat, leaving the spliff with Pinkie Pie as she ran up to Rarity.

“Yo, you for real right now? I mean, no strings, right? And this money is good, right?” Rainbow Dash jammered on in disbelief grabbing onto Rarity’s arm.

Rarity chuckled lowly, before she turned to face Rainbow Dash. “The money’s not counterfeit, and I can assure you it’ll be good for whatever an outlaw like you will be using it for. As for the strings? I believe the best business is done with a level of straightforwardness. I already announced my strings, but I think you’re misunderstanding something--” Rarity began, as she gently displaced Rainbow Dash’s hand from her arm, turning to face her. She sent a warm smile, before continuing.

“I respect you, Rainbow Dash, always have, but we’re partners, not friends, dear. The $20,000 was a generous investment, not a generous gift. I’m happy that you’re excited, but don’t think of this as a favor. If you eat, I want to eat, too, it’s just that simple.” Rarity finished explaining, as Rainbow Dash mentally laughed, assessing Rarity’s behavior.

“We’ve been in business for a while, and you haven’t let me down yet. Call me if you need something, I’m probably more useful than you think. Enjoy the advance.” Rarity said with a shiny smile, before returning to a more neutral smile.

“But, don’t make me regret my investment. I want to see some returns.” Rarity reaffirmed, holding up a single finger.

Rainbow Dash chuckled, before stepping back. “Well, we’ll be trying our best to make good with that. In fact, I think we might already have some good assets. I’ll stay in touch.” Rainbow Dash said with confidence, thinking on what operations and stock the Crips might have for sale through Rarity.

“Help me carry the bag to the chest in my trunk. And I expect the other contraband in a week.” Rarity stated, as she began to open the door.

“You’ll get it long before that.” Rainbow Dash replied, zipping the duffel bag back up and lifting it up over her shoulder with a heavy huff.

“Okay, c’mon, let’s go.” Rarity said, holding the door open for Rainbow Dash, who squeezed through quickly. Pinkie Pie got out of her chair, and began walking back up the stairs.

As Rainbow Dash got out of the door, she was surprised to see a slender figure in a jet-black hoodie waiting for her at the bottom of the steps. Her skin and hair jumped as her peripherals realized the figure.

“Good Sun, you ever think of calling? That you, piss-hair?” Rainbow Dash exclaimed in shock at someone waiting outside her home for her.

Then, Rainbow Dash’s features dropped, as she saw multi-colored purple hair spill out of the hoodie -- that was the same one at the cafeteria, but her features were still hidden underneath the shadow of the hoodie.

“I see you’re in the middle of something. I’ll wait.” The figure spoke, before leaning back on the guard of the stairs coolly, watching on as Rarity walked out and beyond the two, down the stairs.

Rainbow Dash felt her nerves spike, feeling an odd feeling in her stomach at the girl’s very plain tone.

“Rainbow Dash, hurry it up.” Rarity called from the car, before sitting down in the driver’s seat, shutting the door.

Rainbow Dash turned her gaze from the hooded figure, and to the car. Its trunk popped open as she approached it, and Rainbow Dash saw the chest that Rarity always used to transport goods. She opened it, and emptied the duffel bag inside, clicking it back shut.

She shut the trunk, and tapped the back of the car. Rarity honked at her, and pulled into the road, wasting no time in starting her journey.

Rainbow Dash turned back, and headed back up the empty stairs.

“Wait…” Rainbow Dash thought, realizing the girl had disappeared. She swung the door open, and she saw Pinkie Pie passing a spliff to the same hooded girl she saw, her hood now removed, showing her face.

As the door slammed behind Rainbow Dash, both faces turned towards her. Rainbow Dash locked the door behind her, and looked at the gun on the table, closer to the stranger and Pinkie Pie than it was to her. She sighed internally -- she got comfortable because of Rarity’s visit, and now she let a damn stranger into her home, into Pinkie Pie’s home. No less, with $25,000 just sitting on the table.

“Relax, Rainbow Dash, if I was here for smoke, this would be a done deal already, you know that.” The girl spoke, with a small chuckle. The smile she sent to Rainbow Dash was warm, but somehow, Rainbow Dash felt it to be more calculated, and artificial.

“I thought you said you were a friend of the gang?” Pinkie Pie stated, as she placed one hand on the table, now beside the gun. Rainbow Dash’s nerves calmed, Pinkie Pie wasn’t as soft as she thought, and she now secured the distance between her and the weapon, if this person meant ill.

“And I am. You guys are getting tense, cool it. I’m the only reason that dickhead Lotus didn’t paint the wall with your brains in class that day.” The girl spoke, as she unzipped her sweater, dropping it onto the ground. Like Pinkie Pie’s, it made a heavy thud on the ground due to the plate.

As she dropped her sweater, Pinkie Pie loaded the gun and had it trained on the girl in moments, as Rainbow Dash tensed up even further -- below her elbow, was the signature orange durag, with its tips blackened.

“You’re a friend of the wrong gang, bitch.” Rainbow Dash said, walking over to sit behind the girl within her home.

“Am I? Name’s Twilight, you might wanna reconsider before you kill the girl who censored your precious little girlfriend and accomplices in your little show at the school.” The girl chuckled, not bothering to raise her hands, as she calmly smoked the spliff while under the barrel of a gun.

“And also the reason Lotus decided to beat you up instead of jump and kill you like he originally planned. Or why Sunset was able to find you and orchestrate her little posse to help you overturn the Crips. Not to forget how I saved your reckless ass in the cafeteria.” Twilight said with quick succession, as Pinkie Pie’s grip on the gun lightened.

“Or, the icing on the cake, the fact that me, combined with Fluttershy, will net you all the information you’ll need from within the Death Lotus.” Twilight said with a smirk, the spliff drooping between her lips as ash fell over the floor.

“Don’t let that gun limp just yet, Pinks.” Rainbow Dash stated, as she dug in her pocket, and fished out her work phone. She dialed up Sunset Shimmer, putting the phone to speaker. It began ringing.

“What’s your name, chick?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“If that’s my lil homie Sunset you’re calling, let her know that Twilight’s being held at gunpoint by some stupid rainbow-haired bimbo.” Twilight chuckled. Rainbow Dash’s brows twitched.

“I see you and your group got the same lame ass jokes.” Rainbow Dash scoffed, rolling her eyes.

“Yo?” a voice finally spoke on the other end of the phone.

“Hey, Sunset… Got some Death Lotus gal here, claiming she knows you. What you take of this?” Rainbow Dash asked, watching Pinkie Pie hold the gun on Twilight.

“...” There was silence on the other end for a moment.

“Multi-colored purple hair, skinny with a sharp tongue, and icy purple eyes that stare right through ya?” Sunset Shimmer asked.

“Sum’n like that… You know her?” Rainbow Dash asked once again.

“Rainbow Dash, listen up, and listen carefully. That person you probably have at gunpoint right now, is Twilight Sparkle -- remember when I said you’d be learning a lot soon? That time is now. She’s on our side, I promise. I have an idea why you might hate the Death Lotus so much, but you have to trust her for now. She’s the one who bought your girlfriend and my girls a lot of extra time with the censorship on the news. Listen to what she has to say; if we want to take out the Death Lotus before things get serious, we’re on short time. So don’t waste any.” Sunset Shimmer spoke into the phone with urgency, quickly reading into the situation at hand.

“... I’ll call you back later.” Rainbow Dash said into the phone.

“Don’t be stup--!” *click!*

Rainbow Dash tossed her phone onto the table, before signaling for Pinkie Pie to lay the gun down. She flicked it back to safety, and pulled her finger off of the trigger, laying it back down on the table.

“That’s more like it.” Twilight breathed out before untying the orange durag from her arm, and dropping it onto the ground.

“So, Twilight, is it?” Rainbow Dash asked, sitting down once more. “Sunset and her girls did a lot of work for me yesterday. Invaluable help, I’d say. So, if she trusts you, then that means I don’t distrust you.” Rainbow Dash said, leaning over on the table. Pinkie Pie, too leaned forward, as Twilight sat back in her chair still, in between the two.

“That’s a start. Here,” Twilight said, handing Rainbow Dash the spliff that Pinkie Pie had brought down from upstairs.

“So, you’re the reason that Lotus decided not to kill my girlfriend? And why the Death Lotus hadn’t killed Rainbow Dash yesterday morning? How’re we supposed to believe that, your story seems a little convenient to just believe.” Pinkie Pie interrogated.

“Really, now? Convenient? I think you of all people should understand that Rainbow Dash is nonexistent; it would’ve been much more convenient for them to simply kill her, seeing as how police wouldn’t investigate the death of a ghost. Pinkie Pie, you’re one of four people in this city that knows Rainbow Dash isn’t registered on any official government databases.” Twilight stated with seamless analysis. Both Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie raised a brow at the knowledgeable girl.

“I mean, there’s a reason your mother was very selective with who you met, and why she kept you a secret in a little shithole on the edge of this country. Isn’t it funny that the cafeteria never had an account for your school lunches, or that your name never shows up in the school’s grade ranks? Kind of like you don’t exist?” Twilight rhetorically stated with a small shrug.

Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie shared glances, as Rainbow Dash put the spliff out in the table’s ashtray. Both Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie’s demeanors went from curiosity, to caution. This girl clearly knew about them, more than anyone else possibly should. Rainbow Dash's eyes slimmed at Twilight for a few moments, before she spoke again.

“Okay, so what? My mom was a fucking outlaw, keeping me a secret from everyone only makes sense. How do you know any of this, anyway, what’s your deal, kid?” Rainbow Dash asked with an air of aggression -- there was something that bothered her about this woman’s calculated speech.

Twilight turned to Rainbow Dash with a smile. “Rainbow Dash, what if I told you that our parents were great friends? Long before the day we were destined to meet?” Twilight asked, her grin widening. Rainbow Dash was quiet...

“I’d say cool story, my mom did a lot of business, both in-state and out.” Rainbow Dash said after some seconds of thought, breathing out a small huff of air.

“Your response is nonchalant, but that initial silence tells me you’re curious to know what information I might have on the mother you got to spend so little time with.” Twilight said with a knowing smile.

Rainbow Dash’s brows furrowed as she stared down directly into the table. She didn’t like this girl’s hyper-intuition -- it was dangerous that she could be read like this.

But, she knew a lot about Rainbow Dash, and yet, here she was, still standing, still alive -- a woman with blackened tips on an orange durag could've had her killed at this very moment if she really wanted.

So, for now, Rainbow Dash decided she would trust Sunset's word, and get things rolling along.

“Sunset said we’re short on time, so how about we save the sentimentals for later, and get to work. I want to take out the bastards that murdered my mother, and I want their heads on the platter for breakfast. How are you going to help me do it?” Rainbow Dash said, changing the subject -- she decided she’d figure out what this girl knew of her mother when there were less pressing matters to attend to.

Twilight chuckled. “Business, are we? That works better for me, anyhow, but you’re asking for a feast that could be much bigger than just the Flowers,” Twilight said. The line flew over Rainbow Dash’s head, but garnered special attention from Pinkie Pie, which Twilight noted.

“You girls managed to get Applejack and the Crips on board with the RainBooms, did you not?” Twilight asked, already knowing the answer.

“Thanks to the help of Sunset Shimmer and the two ball-tuggers, we pulled along. But I get the feeling they won’t be so willing to pull weight for us before I do something for them, first.” Rainbow Dash explained. Twilight hummed.

“Applejack’s brother, Big Mac, right? In hiding from the Death Lotus and the police putting pressure on the Pirus?” Twilight said, to the surprise of the two other girls.

“You’re an informed gal.” Rainbow Dash commented.

“When your goal is to overthrow a syndicate with such a large veil of power, you kinda have to be.” Twilight responded with a small, smug smile.

“You’re pretty smart, yourself -- Sunset and her girls let me know how you planned to make contact with Big Mac. Your analysis was spot-on, he does have quite the soft-spot for his younger sister. He absolutely will come looking for you.” Twilight explained, as Rainbow Dash gave a small smile at the compliment.

“What’s even luckier, is that being in Lotus’ inner-circle, his father has tasked him and I with cutting the head off the Pirus -- he wants to finish the job on one of the descendants of The Apple Family. Subsequently, Lotus has personally tasked me with finding him, and setting up the drill. I’m sure you know what that means…” Twilight trailed on with a hinting tone. Rainbow Dash processed the information briefly, before a glowing smile grew on her lips.

“Then, that means we’ve got a lot of options here to set that lil’ pussy up, don’t it?!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed, feeling her heart pump with adrenaline -- she couldn’t help but wonder what benevolent god in the sky had worked things to her favor like this??

“Exactly. And it seems your meeting with Miss Bejeweled earlier seems to have given us a budget to work with. How much is it?” Twilight inquired about the money that had been sitting upon the table the entire time.

“Miss Bejeweled? Is that someone else, or are you referring to Rarity?” Rainbow Dash asked, confused at her wording. Twilight paused for a moment, a surprised look on her face, which looked almost out of place, before she returned to neutral.

“I suppose she trusts you enough with her real name, seeing as how you’re not gang-affiliated. How intriguing…” Twilight hummed in thought.

“You know her?” Rainbow Dash inquired, knowing Rarity to be a rather secretive person.

“Not directly, but we’ve dealt before in the past, though, she probably doesn’t know it.” Twilight confessed.

“I see. Well, she netted us twenty-five bands for our goods. Think that’ll be enough for what we need?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“No, that’s just a small fraction of what we’ll be needing, especially seeing as how we’ll need to be buying outside of the Death Lotus’ jurisdiction, which will be expensive considering the risks on such trades. But twenty-five thousand is a small inconvenience for Miss Bejeweled, if you can get her on board fully, we’ll be able to generate the cash we need quite easily.” Twilight said, indirectly encouraging Rainbow Dash to further her allyship with Rarity.

“Hm, understood. By the way, I have a question -- why is Applejack so suspicious of you?” Rainbow Dash questioned, remembering Applejack’s eerie advice to her.

Twilight paused momentarily, choosing her words carefully. “I’ve been playing a game of chess for a long time, and unfortunately, my dealings with the Death Lotus soured our relations in some cases. But, she’ll come around.” Twilight stated finally, with a deep sigh. Rainbow Dash could sense the regret in her voice, as she hummed in thought.

“Well, whatever differences you two have, it’d better not strain this operation. Can you keep it under control?” Rainbow Dash asked. Twilight simply nodded, not giving it much thought.

“What’s important, is that we have some starting cash, which will be more than enough for the set-up. Now, here’s the part where we pull some strings. We need to get your face around, let Big Mac think he knows where to find you, while I keep the Death Lotus on a wild goose chase, so listen up, and listen carefully, because we’re only going to have one shot at this, and it has to be done right, from start to finish, no screw-ups… If we play our cards right, we’ll have Lotus on our plate within the week…” Twilight began, leaning over, as she began to lay out her plan for Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie...