Waters: An Equestrian Gangster

by King Genesis

Rating: teen
Tags: Vice-Principal Luna, Original Character, Equestria Girls, Mystery, Sex, Comedy, Main 7 (EqG), Profanity, Violence, Princess Celestia, Death, Narcotics, Gore, Dark, Alternate Universe, Other
Length: 64466

An infamous mobster sends "W" Waters, a young man born and raised in the mafia, to Canterlot, with the main task of secretly protecting his granddaughter Rarity from her ex-boyfriend and his group of friends, who may be hiding something else.

She's in danger, and he has to save her.

Abraham is a good man trapped in a world of psychos. He tells his son, Hondo Flanks, and his family, he's working at a car store, but is just a facade that hides his real job: a henchman of Eye Patch, an infamous mobster who controls the city of Maretreal. He doesn't want any relative to get into the illegal business he's stuck in, especially her beloved granddaughters Rarity and Sweetie Belle.

However, when Rarity tells him she's scared of her ex-boyfriend Cattle Prod, a mysterious, tough kid with a dark background and a dangerous group of friends, Abraham doesn't know what to do and desperately tries to find a way to overprotect her. One of these ideas is the infiltration of a young adult gangster, "W" Waters, who is in Eye Patch's clan and is also a protégé of his older partners, in Canterlot High as a senior-year student.

Will W be able to protect her? What's Cattle Prod going to do? And most importantly... ... will he put up with the task?

This story is a remake of the 2019 fic. Both stories don't share the same plot. Set up in an alternate universe where the Rainbooms don't have geodes to perform powers. Plenty of OC characters and new cities.

Published 2021-11-04 04:40:00 UTC
Last updated 2022-08-11 19:56:44 UTC

A Cigarette to Enlighten my Morning

Office

The three remaining men inside that room, Jack, Abe and Eye Patch, look at each other. The boss has something to say. He's been keeping that on his throat for the whole morning. He knows it will destroy the whole uncomfortable silence inside the room, covered in some kind of odd peace. "Well," he says. "About that thing."

Jack and Abe raise an eyebrow and look at each other. "What happened?" asks Jack. "Something with the Neighsay task?"

Eye Patch scratches his hair while getting a cigarette out of his shirt's pocket. "No... Neighsay is OK... It's something else... something I don't like..." He takes a breath while the faces of them both begin to show concern. "It's not something really bad, but it clearly worries me. A lot."

"Oh... what's going on? What happened?" now asks Abe. If Eye Patch says that, it's bad. "Do you want me to call W?"

He closes his eye. "No, no... let him breathe fresh air, calm him down, this whole Rarity thing may be tearing him apart... I know he can do it, but he needs to be alone and think for a second..."

"It's a big man now. He just looks like Wade," suddenly replies Abe. "The same manner of speaking and relating to others. It's that Wade we met on the nineties..."

"And I still see him as the boy from the orphanage we had to take care of... um.... sorry, I got out of the question."

"It's OK," says Jack. "What's going on?"

Suddenly, Eye Patch leaves the cigarette on the table and surprisingly takes off his sunglasses, clearly showing why his name is Eye Patch. The scar which left him without his left eye is now visible. Jack and Abe are used to that, so they don't get shocked at it. "I received the call of a man we despise a lot. He wanted to have a talk not only with me but with all of the bosses of Equestria. He was angry."

"Despise?" asks Abe. "A man we despise a lot that wanted to talk with all of the bosses. That could be Sabretooth from Fillydelphia..."

"Sabretooth is an asshole," says Jack. "We despise him a lot, but he has not the power of calling all of the greats of the country just like that. Only one man has the power to do tha---" Jack shuts up.

There's only one man that can do that, and if there is something you should know, is that if that man gets angry... is something so dangerous you have to run away from him. Jack's pupils shrink. Abe opens his mouth. "It is not who I think it is..." Abe whispers. "Right?"

Eye Patch sighs and bites his lips. "Bloodswan called."

Bloodswan.

The worst man you can ever come across.

The worst gangster of them all.

And that means something bad.

Rusty's

The young gangster steps outside, getting out of the office and looking at the cars. He slowly lays his back against the door of one of them and gets out something from his trenchcoat's pocket. It's not the best morning he had, but it's not the worst either. He went through worse, worse things, he thinks, while putting a cigarette on his mouth and slowly pressing the lighter he got out of his pocket. He lights it.

And inhales the smoke.

Tastes it.

Thinking about the morning, he gets out his cellphone while smoking a cigarette. Looks at the list of numbers he has on it.

Contacts

Abe

Charlie

Dreamo

E. Patchie

Fletcher

Jack

Snowblind

Stone Sour

William

He stops and gets out the cigarette from his mouth when he reads that name:

William

He hasn't called him for days. When was the last time he had a chat with his brother? His bro... whose only thing he can relate to him is his blood... they look like, they are two completely different men. William Waters on one side, the forensics dude who was adopted at an early age and turned into a working man... and on the other side, Walter Waters, the little one, the clumsy gangster who was raised in the streets. Sometimes he thinks why does he still have that phone number, and these are the moments when he realizes...

Calling William can be useful to take a deep breath.

How are you? He might ask, but firstly, he needs to answer the call. He may not do it due to being busy at work. How crazy, he thinks, he is busy at work... W's always busy, but he's always there to answer the phone. Always...

When was the last time William called him, instead of him calling William?

WILLIAM

DIALING... 📞📞📞

He puts the phone on his ear while slowly putting the cigarette again in his mouth. It's taking a while.

"Hey."

He actually answered. W blinks. "Hi."

"Um... hey, how you doin'? I'm at work right now, thank me for keeping the cellphone in my pocket because you'd never had listened to me today, you know."

"Working? On a Saturday?"

"Of course, Walt... I'm a freaking forensics doctor who works for the Canterlot Police Department, do you think I've got some holidays?"

"Really?" he says, chuckling. "And what are you doing now?"

"What I would be doing right now, dude? I'm literally looking at a dead body."

"Oh, yeah," he replies. "Is it familiar? A guy of those?"

Pause. He knows what he is meaning to. "No, it's not a G," he replies. "It's a guy who passed away due to an overdose, no idea which drug did he use. We don't even know if it was suicide..." Then, he groans. "Why in the hell I'm telling you what I'm analyzing? Huh... why did you call?"

W releases the smoke. "Um... look, I've got to tell you something."

"Is it something G-related, with the mob and all this bullshit? Please, I don't want my partners to say something about that... and you know I'm sick of being your freaking psychologist with that thing."

"Would you stop calling gangsters G? Firstly, you sound like a cheap, snob imitation of Biggie Smalls, and secondly, you're in the CPD... I don't think you are around loyal, heroic cops. All of them are as dirty as gangsters, just ask your boss," he interrupts. "And no, I'm not calling you because of that..." but then he scratches his hair, embarrassed. "Well, um... a bit."

William stays in silence and then says: "Uh, come on... what now?"

"Bro... could you listen to me with a bit of enthusiasm, at least?"

"And that's what I'm doing right now." He sighs. "Please, be quick... I need to go back to work. Thank Star Swirl I'm alone and my partner's still in the bathroom."

"Um, you see... Abe has been begging me to do something in Canterlot since last week."

"Canterlot?" he says. "And do these guys from, uh... the Syndicate of Canterlot Workers, know about what you are going to do?"

Syndicate of Canterlot Workers. The infamous SCW is only a nest of old, fat-ass gangsters... filled with every kind of mice. "No," replies W. "Big Baby and the Syndicate don't know anything and don't you dare to tell anyone from Canterlot about this. Even your boss, because that only will bring much more problems... and I'm getting tired with just Abe behind my back."

"Uh... come on... don't dare to leave me with that responsibility."

"Come on, William, do you even talk to someone in your job? You literally dismember dead bodies," W sighs and looks everywhere. Luckily no one heard that, no clients are around. That sounded really disturbing. "It's not the first time I tell you to shut up."

"OK, OK! And what do you have to do? It's not something... bad... or bloody, isn't it?"

"No, no," he says, turning around, starting to walk in circles around the car. "I have to get into Canterlot High to take care of Abe's granddaughter from her ex-boyfriend and classmate, who turns out to be a violent douche with an insane group of friends, you know... a grandfather overprotecting his granddaughter."

"Um... I wouldn't say overprotective. It's a bizarre plan, but it's not crazy. It's the mind of a grandfather who tries to take care of his granddaughter... desperately."

"And there's something else," he stutters. "The name of this kid sounds familiar literally to everyone except for myself. I mean, why is this stupid kid so familiar to everyone? His name is Cattle Prod, not fucking Tirek."

A silence from the other side of the phone calls the gangster's attention. "Cattle Prod," says his brother. "It's not the first time I've heard that name."

He clenches his teeth now while shaking his head with the cigarette on his mouth, still. "Really? You too?"

"I mean... the only things I know about him are those you've just told me now... but that name, I may have heard it on a conversation here... but I have no idea about him."

"On a conversation from who?"

He sighs. "I don't know, man. I don't remember." A strange silence between both brothers, until William speaks again: "Um... you said Canterlot High, right? You know, um..."

"What?"

"Celestia is the name of the Principal there, right?"

"Uh... Will," he says, holding the cigarette with his fingers. "I never entered that place in my life... and you ask me the name of the Principal? And why do you want to know that?"

"Well, you know... if my mind doesn't lie to me... I remember that name, Celestia, as one of Mom and Dad's friends in their Acting Class."

Boom. "Holy sh-"

W is now open-mouthed and doesn't even finish his phrase. The cigarette slips from his fingers and falls to the ground, still burning. It crashes against the pavement of the store before W unconsciously steps on it.

His father. His mother.

Wade and Wanda Waters.

Wade & Wanda: Hearts like Sand in the Wind

6 months of life he had when Wade and Wanda Waters mysteriously disappeared from one day to another in 1997. His father was a gangster, just like him. The former king of Maretreal, one of the most important men of the '80s and '90s gangster world, and former best friend of his partners (and also adoptive fathers in a way): Jack, Abe and Eye Patch. Everyone, even Rusty Wrench, would tell him Wade was the funniest and kindest man that they've ever met, along with his wife Wanda, who he met in his teenage years and was also related to the mob. Eye Patch told him she was the most brave woman she had ever seen in his life.

Abe told him that when Walter was born, the two parents branched out, trying to get out of the mob world, by taking acting classes in the Canterlot Amphitheatre. They went almost undercover but presented themselves with their real names. Jack would sometimes go with them and he would tell him years later how those classes were like.

And one day, after another acting class, the two of them get in their car, kissed each other's lips, turned the vehicle on and left the Amphitheatre.

...

And they were gone. They magically disappeared.

And nobody knows why. Jack, Abe, Eye Patch, and everyone else in their circle of friends gave all they had and tried their best to find them. To find an answer to why did they disappear... but they never could reach the word.

Both Waters brothers, William and Walter, were sent to an orphanage after their parents' mysterious fate. William was lucky and was adopted. Walter didn't. An 8-year-old W decided to join the mob to find out where were his parents. Nobody wanted a little child acting like a grown-up man with a gun, but due to so many things that happened in the middle, the world ended up accepting his fate and teaching that little boy how to survive in this hell. Both Waters brothers tried to find the answer together, they spent years asking, investigating, researching information about them.

They still haven't found the answer, and William thinks they will never find them. He gave up. W thought about it, but he doesn't want to. He still believes they are out there, doing something.

He still believes.

Was Celestia in that last acting class, if she was a partner of Mom and Dad? Did they talk to her? What did she tell them? Did she see something strange?

"Walter?"

"Oh," suddenly he pronounces when finding out he's got lost in his thoughts. "Uh... um... really?"

"Really what?"

"Was she really with Mom and Dad on the acting classes?"

"Yeah... I think so, um..." he stutters, while W finds out someone else comes out of the store: A blonde girl named Dko. "Um... don't waste your time trying to talk to her, I mean... if we didn't find anything in all of these years... I don't think she knows much more than we do..."

"Um..." he whispers while raising one hand to Dko. She stops approaching him and nods her head, laying against one of the cars. "I don't know, you said she might have been a friend of Mom and Dad, she may know something if she was in their last acting class."

"Walt, bro..." he says. "I don't know... I was the one who brought up this now but... you know... They have been gone for 23 years, and we tried everything, you know we tried everything to find them, and nothing gave us the answer. It's sad, it's bad, I'm even mad about that, disappointed... but it's that. We can do nothing, not anymore."

"I don't know, man..." he whispers, shaking his head. "I don't know, look... uh..." he looks at Dko. "I've got to go. I've got to end the call."

"Me too, I've got to go back to work, Walt. See you. Don't forget about calling me on the weekends, OK?"

He sighs and stays in silence for a second. "Ok, bye."

"Bye." Will ends the call and W locks his phone. "Yes?"

She raises her eyebrows. "You... you are done?"

He nods his head. "I finished, yeah."

"Were you...?" she stutters. "Were you talking about your pare---"

"I don't wanna talk about that now," W interrupts and the tension worsens. However, he takes a breath. "Sorry... what's the matter?"

A bit of silence before she speaks. "Um," she puts her hands on her pants' pockets and sighs. "I came here to apologize."

Confused, W raises an eyebrow while approaching her. "For what?"

She approaches him. "I think what I've told you about the schools and that you've never been in any... sounded pretty rude, and I know this morning is not the best one for any one of us, so... I decided to apologize for how that sounded, I didn't mean to hurt you. I was mad at that moment and I calmed down now. I'm sorry."

He chuckles and Dko smiles. "Okay, I accept the apologies." Then she nudges his shoulder. "Woah, Woah, Woah... not so fast, Siamese Dream."

"Uh, come on," she says, smiling. "I was trying to be friendly with you and you keep making those stupid Smashing Pumpkins jokes which only you consider funny."

"I mean, Dko... they are funny because you look like D'Arcy Wretzky," he says, raising his shoulders. "And you can't deny that."

"Well," she says. "D'Arcy wants to ask you a question, now that we are talking about that."

"Yeah, my favourite song of your band is X.Y.U., I don't care about the other ones."

"I'm being serious this time, a-hole... and I'm not being rude, answer me... do you feel ready for what you are trying to do? Can you get on with that school alone? Do you feel it? I'm asking you and I want you to be honest."

W stays in silence for a second. "Um, I mean, Dko... it's a school... it's not a war or whatever. Besides, I'm not an asshole, I do know how does a school look like on the inside. It has classrooms, bathrooms... even more classrooms..."

"I'm telling you... Canterlot High is a pretty big school," she says. "I'd say it's the biggest one in the country, but I'm not sure. It's almost like a town, W. It even has dorms, you know that?"

"Yeah," W replies. "Abe told me."

"Ok, look... I think you will get lost on your first day without knowing where you can go, despite the Principals and Teachers tell you which one is the way. You need someone who can help you for real... besides, there still may be this naughty bitch called Sunset Shimmer who will make your life impossible..."

He raises an eyebrow. "Sunset who? And how do you know that?"

She raises her shoulders. "I'm a Canterlot High freshman, dude."

He's now shocked. "Oh, yeah... you said it."

She blinks. "See? I was in that school. I can help you with that. Not with Sunset Shimmer, I don't think she will annoy you, I mean... with the school life. Here, take my phone number."

He raises his eyebrows. "Uh, please!" he shouts. "Are you flirting with me or what, James Iha?"

"I told you I'm being serious!" she also shouts. "And no, I'm not flirting with you. I wouldn't even touch you with a fucking selfie stick. I want you to take my phone number in case you get lost in the school. It's huge and I know what you'll have to deal with that first time passing through the entrance doors. Trust me."

He sighs while grabbing his forehead. "And I call you if I get lost?"

"Yes."

"And... since when do you care about me being lost in a school where you were a freshman?"

"Not only I want to help but also... you know, I may curse you out and call you a stupid son of a gun, but that doesn't mean I don't want to listen to you or help you. I want to help at least." Then, she sighs and gets out her cellphone. "And if you want, I can also take your phone number. You're welcome, Mr Dooby-Doo."

"Woah, Woah, wait a minute," he interrupts while taking out his cellphone again. "I'm mentally processing something, and you are still throwing things at me... OK, I'll write your number, but let yourself know that I don't consider this as something completely necessary. I may call you at midnight to tell you jokes related to Billy Corgan or people named Dick... I mean, is that school really big?"

"Oh, boy. Yes, it is. You'll see you will need me more than you think, and when you find out how much will you need my advice, I'll laugh at you so bad I'm going to be the new Joker." She starts giggling.

W bites his lips looking for his contacts list. "Damn," he says. "You clearly suck at making jokes."

"Stop looking at me. I'm not a mirror, W."

"And you're not a comedian."

"Uh, please," she says, now getting tired. "Write it down, could you?"

W writes Dko's phone number on his contacts list while telling her the game: "I'm going to tell you something. If I don't call you while being there, you owe me a hundred bucks."

NEW CONTACT ADDED ON YOUR LIST!

DKO (GIRL NAMED LIKE A PENIS)

Dko nods her head with a challenging stare while W keeps his phone in the pocket. He hopes she didn't see the name of her contact. "Sure, but if you call me, you are the one who will owe me a hundred," she replies, laughing. She knows he'll call, sooner or later.

"OK, done," he says. "And write my phone number, because you'll need it to tell me who's the best at making jokes from both of us."

Dko raises her middle finger as an answer and also writes W's phone number when she finds out there's something on the ground. "Hey," she says. "Were you smoking that cigarette?"

W turns his head around and looks at the stomped cigarette on the ground, with all of its tobacco spread within the pavement. It's still burning. He bites his lips. "Oh," he says. "Fuck. That was my last one."

"Umm," she stutters. "I can give you one of mine if you want."

"Hell no, your bourgeoisie cigarettes which smell like roses and lavender fucking suck."

She shakes her head and sighs. "You fucking suck."

Suddenly, the doors are open again, and Jack comes out of it, closing the door really fast. W doesn't say anything, but that calls his attention. Jack only does that in a certain mood. "W," is the first thing he says after getting out of the office, without Abe, Eye Patch or Rusty Wrench. "We've got to save time. Come on. We are going to Fletcher's."

"Fletcher's?" he says, approaching his partner. "It's Saturday!"

"You know Fletcher works on Saturdays, W!"

He's now confused. "What? Wasn't the store opened from Monday to Friday?"

"No, W," he says. "It also opens on Saturdays," he goes to the car. "Hurry up, please, Calc only works until afternoon on weekends."

"We've got to see Calc too?"

Jack raises his shoulders. "Of course, W, he's the one who will do the paperwork... Come on!"

Jack is a bit more nervous. It may be because of what happened this morning. "Ok, wait a minute!"

"Wait a minute for what? Come on!"

"Wait!" he says, before pointing at Dko. "Remember, you owe me 100 bucks."

She chuckles. "This hasn't even started."

"But I know our bet has finished," he says, straight before making a one-second dance. "Boom. Catchphrase. Shut your mouth up, Richard."

Dko shakes his head. "That was the most pathetic catchphrase I've ever heard!" However, W does not listen to her. He has already got in the car. "Goddamn it," she says.

Jack's Car

W closes the car's door and sighs. "Man," he says, looking at Jack. "I can't believe Eye Patch literally said Calc, who looks like a laundered version of Rivers Cuomo, is the best forger he has ever known."

"Rivers Cuomo?" asks Jack, turning on the car. "Who in the hell is that?"

"Weezer's singer, look it up," he answers, laughing. "It literally looks like Calc, man---"

"I won't do it now," responds Jack, very fastly. W knows something's odd... but doesn't say anything. It may be what happened this morning. "And he didn't say he is the best he has ever seen, he said he's a really good forger, and you've got to admit, W, he's really good at that. I, honestly, still can't believe it. That kid blew my mind away."

W moves his head. "Well... um, I remember that time he forged a police report for one of Big Baby's workers. It literally looked like a real one."

"You see?" says Jack, taking out the car, a bit faster than normal, and waving at Dko, who only smiles while entering the office. "That kid's good. You've got to admit it."

"Apart from that, talking about Canterlot people," interrupts W, raising a hand. "Um... you said no one of you told Big Baby what we are going to do, didn't you? Sure about that?"

Jack chuckles at that question, something that calls W's attention. "Of course, W... why do you think you are not getting in there with your true face?"

"Yeah, you told me, because someone can recognize me."

"And with someone, we meant someone who is a civilian, which may be something not so probable, but also the workers of that fucking whale Big Baby. They can see you. You know they are everywhere, with the Syndicate bullshit, Fishing Rod, the Dark Spikes, all of those." Jack takes a breath and keeps talking. "Telling Big Baby what we are going to do is the worst thing we can really do in Canterlot. He reminds me of a fat version of a King Sombra with COPD constantly trying to take over the Crystal Empire."

W laughs while nudging Jack's shoulder softly. "Oh, man, King Sombra, Crystal Empire. I missed your magical Equestrian legend stuff. I was thinking which phrase would you say about that this morning."

Jack shakes his head and sighs. "I swear I would kick your ass if I wasn't driving."

"Oh, relax, I was just kidding."

"Instead of kidding me, think about which kind of fake identity you want to make, you have only two days. Besides, fasten your seatbelt. If we crash, you'll fly out of this car looking like a stomped pigeon."

The young gangster takes a breath while scratching his hair. "Man, come on, relax! I still haven't fully processed I have to do this. As you said, there are two days. We have a lot of time to think about that, and about the seatbelt, come on, you know I'm always like this in the car! You're a really good driver and you know that. You always think about the what-ifs, all the time. Relax. Live free, Jack. Live free for a couple of minutes."

Jack shakes his head and replies faster: "You know the thing we can do the least in the world we live in is living free, W."

That phrase shocks W a bit. He closes his mouth. Clearly, something's not OK. "Woah," he says. "That phrase has really shocked me, man... What's going on? You've been having those nerves since you came out of that door."

Jack sighs at hearing that. "Well," he says. "Uh... I don't know why I'm delaying this so... Eye Patch has told Abe and me something. That happened."

"And that's why are you anxious? Of what? What did he tell you?"

Jack bites his lips. "It's... it's not something nice."

"What? It's about this thing we have to do?"

"No, no... it's something else... really bad news."

"Bad news? What?" W stays in silence. "Why don't you tell me? Why didn't he tell me?"

"He wanted to... but said he wanted you to take some fresh air before. I said I was going to tell you this."

"What? But he could have told me to stay..." W's eyes open widely. "Holy shit, Jack, what's going on? What happened?"

"Okay," Jack lowers the car's speed while driving on the street. "Someone called Eye Patch. Really mad."

"Called Patchie, mad? Who? Big Baby because he fell off his chair?"

"It's something serious, W," responds Jack. W raises his shoulders.

"And then? Who called?"

An uncomfortable silence. Jack stops at a red light in a corner and looks at W right in his eyes. "Bloodswan."

W's eyes shrink while feeling a lump on his throat. "What?"

"Bloodswan. Wanted a reunion with all of the bosses of Equestria. No idea why."

W covers his mouth and stays in silence. Jack shakes his head a couple of times, while the young gangster slowly fastens the seatbelt, shocked.

If Bloodswan calls mad, it's not something nice. Not something good.

Not the best day of your life.

"But... where did he want that reunion?" W asks.

Jack instantly answers: "His house." W calms down a bit but remains overwhelmed. "But that doesn't mean it's something great. That Swan son of a bitch never stains his house with blood... but can say whatever he wants. You know that, W."

Both gangsters shake their heads on their way to Canterlot.

There's this old house in the middle of the highway, between Manehattan and Canterlot. It belonged to an old family which was murdered not so long ago.

The house, which was the wealthiest of its time, is now a broken, dirty, moisty shell of what it was before. Nobody dares to touch it due to an urban legend that says the ghosts of that family are still there, floating around and crying for their death. That house has a nickname now.

The Dead House

A car stops right in its front, used by lots of gangsters to do their most gruesome work. It's a favourite place for them to get rid of what he doesn't need or doesn't want to live. Bloodswan's family have used this place for years since the house's residents died, not so long ago.

One of the users of this place is Sharp Baton, the nephew of a powerful man, who is the first one to get out of the car. A lime-skinned man with clear brown hair, smartly dressed, with a swan tattoo on his neck. He shows class when he comes down along with a friend of his, who presses a button in the car which opens the trunk. "Ok," says Baton. "You can get out."

Two young, confused, even scared kids come out of the car. Their names are Snips and Snails. "Oh!" shouts Snips, turning around and looking at the old house. "That's the Dead House... um, we are not going to enter there, right? Uh... you've heard of the legend, right?"

"I've read it on Twist's cellphone," says Snails. "Damn, it looks like ghosts may be living the----"

"BOO!"

"AAAAHHHHH!" Snips and Snails jump from fear before finding out Sharp Baton was the one who scared them, who is now laughing. "You son of a..."

"Woah!" shouts Baton. "Don't you dare to insult your mentor, huh? Rule Number 1: you dare to say something bad to me and you'll turn into Mr Woods."

Both of them look at each other. "Mr Woods? Who is Mr Woods?"

Sharp Baton laughs. "Speedster," he says. "Take Mr Woods out of the trunk."

Speedster comes out of the car in silence and opens the trunk. From it, he gets out a scarecrow with lots of holes. "That one is Mr Woods," replies Baton, while Speedster closes the trunk and takes Mr Woods to the wasteland they are staying in. Not so near the Dead House, just in case.

"And why is it full of holes?" asks Snails.

"That's what you are going to find out today," he says while Speedster puts the scarecrow on its place, standing like a crucified man. "Firstly, I want to ask you something, boys... you came here for something, OK... do you want to gain easy money, right?"

Both of them look at each other: "Yeah."

Sharp Baton didn't like that one. He shakes his head. "Mmm... thought it would be louder... um... that means you don't want easy money, right? You don't want to be buying your favourite sweets with your money, is that what I've heard?"

"NO!" both of them shout loud. "WE SAID YES!"

"That's the attitude I'm looking for!" he shouts, laughing. "Do you want to gain easy money?"

"YES!"

"YOU WANT?"

"YES!" both of them shout much louder, also smiling.

"OK! OK!" he says. "But if you want to gain that, you'll have to learn something first. More like... you've got to try it." Now both kids who were laughing stopped. They look at each other. Meanwhile, Sharp Baton opens the car while Speedster lays against the trunk, looking at Woods. The gangster with a swan tattoo opens the car's glove box and gets a gun out of it. Once both kids see the .44 Magnum on Sharp's hands, they freeze right there from shock. "This," he says, pointing at the gun with a finger. "This is the key for easy money, my children."

"But..." says Snips. "That's a..."

"... a gun," replies Snails right after. "A gun?"

"We are not going to rob anyone..." adds Snips, almost in a whisper. "Or are we?"

Silence.

Baton and Speedster laugh.

"No," replies Baton. "You're not going to rob anyone. We are not that kind of thing, boys. We are not burglars, we are not thieves. We always look for another way for easy money... a much harder way, but better. A lot better. Literally, the only thing you have to do is this..."

Then, Sharp Baton turns around and starts firing the gun against the scarecrow Mr Woods. The sound is so ground-breaking that Snips and Snails cover their ears for a second.

Six shots. Six bullets perfectly shot. All ended up in Mr Woods' chest. Then, he turns around and looks at the scared kids uncovering their ears. "Ok..." he says, smiling. "Who wants to try this out first?"

False

Author's Note

Thanks, Venerable Ro for the name of Calculated Risk. (I know 2 years have passed since that comment but I want to thank you anyway :rainbowlaugh:)

False

Rainbow Dash's House

Rainbow Dash is about to come out of her house. She has already sent a message to her friends' group saying she was going to Canterlot High to help. Celestia and Luna have been busy on this week due to organizing the beginning of the new year. Every one of the girls agreed to help...

... but there's a special case which Dash is worrying about. Twilight said she would go later because she was reorganizing the main structure of her final essay, taken in Canterlot High's College Course. She wants her to take a breath in the beautiful morning sky of today, instead of being in front of a computer for hours, rewriting something that hasn't even started to get developed.

"Twi," she tells her by phone, laughing and getting prepared to help in Canterlot High. "Don't you know Fluttershy told me this final essay had to be done with a team? And you are already doing it alone? Relax, Quicksilver!" she chuckles. "Take a breath! Why don't you go with me to CH to help Tia? I can pick you up if you want... well, I don't have a car but..."

"I would like to, Dash, but I've found an excellent point to write on my essay."

"Twi, are you kidding me?" she says, laughing. "We don't even know what will happen with that essay! What if we go to school on our first day and Ms Cheerilee says there won't be any essays on the CC?"

"Dash, that can't be possible! Canterlot High has never suspended any essays on the College Course! This year won't be the exception. Besides, the new topic I've been organizing now is quite extensive, so that's why I'm taking a lot of time."

"Oh, come on, another topic, Twi? What are you writing about to be it so extensive?" she asks, chuckling. "Your love story with Flash?"

"Oh, shut up, you Dash! And I haven't said anything about your story with Soarin yet!"

Dash laughs louder while passing by the living room and giving her mom Windy Whistles a kiss. Then she waves her hand to her father Bow Hothoof, who was looking for something in the fridge. "Don't forget about your jacket!" shouts Windy.

"Oh, mom, it's not so cold!" she shouts while holding the phone.

"Take it, just in case!"

Dash sighs and grabs a small, blue jacket of hers that was on a chair. "You say something else about Flash..."

"Nah, I was just joking, Twi!" she says, laughing while opening her house's entrance door. "Besides, you didn't tell me what were you writing about. A new topic? Is it that long?"

"Oh, well, you're gonna laugh at me but... my brother told me something about an Equestrian Gang a week ago and really loved the idea... so I started writing about that and found out it has potential. Besides, he told me Mr Parsons does know a lot about gangs' histories. I think he used to work with Edinburgh Tyler, the journalist."

Dash raises an eyebrow, surprised while passing by her door. "Really, Twi? Gangs? Didn't expect that to come out of your mouth... and much less expect that someone like Mr Parsons could know about those... and what did your brother tell you?"

"Things he read in articles and also small pieces of Mr Parsons' anecdotes... there's one he read... that It's kinda surreal and... disturbing. It's an urban legend, though. We have no idea if it's true or not but... turns out there was once a gangster which was treated as a pet... a human pet..."

"What?" says Dash, chuckling. "Are you kidding me? That doesn't sound real at all, Twi!" she starts laughing. "You've got to write about your brother's imagination!"

A Street in Canterlot

"And... think about... think about that..." Jack and W are looking at each other, being inside the car, talking about what they found out minutes ago. A Bloodswan reunion? With an angry Bloodswan? Since when? "Tell me, Jack. Tell me who in that family of Bloodswan is considered mentally sane? Tell me... I don't know anyone! They even have a human pet and they are like---" W raises his shoulders. "Oh, who's my favourite doggy, oh, you...... I mean, he's a human which... walks like a fucking dog! He even sticks out his tongue--!"

"OK, OK, calm down!" interrupts Jack. "I recognize you're right, OK? No one in Bloodswan's family is sane. All of them are crazy, selfish monsters, but let yourself know this is happening in his house... and you know that if there is a place Bloodswan will never stain with blood... is his house. Besides, if he is there... Bloodswan will be standing right next to him, barking like a dog, but not biting and jumping like a monster."

W raises an eyebrow when Jack talks about that he. "He will be there?"

"Of course, it's his house."

"He will be listening to everything he has to say."

"Yes."

W, unsure of what he has just heard, sighs and raises his shoulders again. "I don't know, man. I mean, you know that right now, at this moment, there's no difference between an inexistent, immobile rock and he, Clo---"

"NO!" says Jack while raising a finger. "Don't you dare to say that name in my car."

"Uh, come on," W responds aloud. "You still believe saying that name brings you bad luck?"

"It's not bad luck," he says. "It's a death sentence. I'd have to wash my tongue like ten times after saying that name. Damn monster."

"Well," W answers, while Jack opens the car's door. "I mean, uh... I still prefer Father over his son. Bloodswan is the craziest psychopath we've ever seen in our entire life, and you know you and I have seen lots of psychos."

"And Father is Bloodswan's dad," Jack replies while getting out of the car. "Don't forget that."

Jack gets out of the car and looks at a small, grey-coloured store with a yellow sign on its front:

Fletcher's. High-quality Canterlot Jewellery - Since year 2000.

W, on the other side, slowly opens the door while thinking about that nickname:

Father.

Since he was a child, that nickname really called his attention. The only man who could calm Bloodswan down. In fact, he is not only Bloodswan's father but also the boss of bosses. Those old gangster movies he loved watching as a kid, named Father's role as the Capo di Tutti Capi. The man of men. Holy shit, he actually gets goosebumps right there while getting out of the car.

He imagines that.

How can you be nicknamed Father and deal with it? Deal with the fact that the craziest and most obnoxious men and women of the country actually respect you? Well... you'd have to know you will always have someone (lots of people, in this case) against you... but anyone can't tell you in your face how much they hate you because they will end up in a body bag.

That kind of power really scares him. A lot... and what scares him even more, are those who handle it.

"OK," says Jack, looking at his partner getting out of the car. "Let's go back to the beginning." W approaches him and looks at the jewellery store. "You said you were the only one who could do this, and I understand your point... sadly, you are the only one who can enter that school to do what we want to do and seem credible, but you've got to know we will never leave you alone on this.... I'll be passing by the school often, not all the time. I don't want to call the attention of anyone, but I'll let you know when I'm standing there, and remember you can not only call me, but also Abe, Patch and even Hoppy. You have all of our phone numbers. "

"Um..." he says. "Ok... but that part of you passing by the school... Isn't that a bit useless? How many times will you pass by the school with the car?"

Jack shakes his head. "Not so useless," he replies. "Think... Something may happen and I can tell you while you are inside. However, I won't stay there for so long. You know I don't want to call the attention of anybody, especially Big Baby and his boys."

W quickly puts his hand on his forehead. "Oh, wait..." he says. "This street... didn't the syndicate shit pass by here?"

"Nah... the Syndicate Workers won't give us much trouble. The problems are those three guys," he replies. "Two boys and a girl. You know I'm talking about."

"Yeah," he answers. "Those dudes who work for Big B... The Dark Spikes, aren't they?"

Jack nods his head while crossing the street with W. "Yeah. They are always in the same place, that backstreet in Scorpan Street. Something good for us because they hardly move from there to another place... but you've got to know Scorpan is not so far from Canterlot High, it's actually close to the school. Keep an eye on that."

W only nods his head. "Sure," he adds while reaching to the other side. Jack opens the glass door and enters the store.

Fletcher's

A pretty small store, but has its clients. A 60-year-old, short, skinny and hoary man, smartly dressed in beige pants, a shirt and his iconic pullover, holding his glasses while staying behind a thick layer of glass that separates him from the rest of the store, is attending a customer. A 60-year-old man trying to relax after going through many things in his troubled past as a fence and an illegal accountant. That man's name is Fletcher.

Jack and W get in the store, passing by a couple of clients and windows filled with rings until they show up in the zone. Staying behind the attended client, Fletcher is still in his world. "Oh, here you have another option. Same price, the same scale," he points at the ring he's holding. "Silver... then, the small gem. Jade. Shiny Jade. You also have the same ring with small sapphire, ruby..." Fletcher softly tilts his head to the left and looks at those two familiar men behind the client, who also turns around. "Um..." he turns to the client. "Just a minute... hey, Jay."

"Hi, Mr Fletcher," replies Jack. "Won't you mind if we see Calc for a second? He called us because of something going on with one of the PCs."

"Oh..." Fletcher nods his head. "Oh, yes, yes... You can come in, J, also you, Dub," he says, pointing at W. "How you grew up, boy, since the last time I saw you."

W chuckles, a bit embarrassed. "Thanks, Fletchie. Calc's on the back, right?"

"He's on the back... wait a minute." Fletcher goes to one side of the counter and opens a small, thick glass door with a key. "Come in."

"Thanks, Fletch," replies Jack while W nudges the old man's shoulder, jokingly. Fletcher only chuckles.

"You're welcome, boys," then he opens the door and goes back to the client. "Sorry, you know... we bought a new PC for the accountancy stuff... the boy still does not know some things about it... thank God or whoever is up there we have those experts..."

A small portion of space is behind that glass. Just jewels, jewels on the counter, some photographs of Fletcher with celebrities, even one with Sapphire Shores, and a door that leads to the place.

W and Jack pass by the metallic door that says Employees Only and get in a wide hall filled with a couple of boxes, a closed bathroom and a distant room with the lights on where a familiar song, at a low volume, comes out. "Is that..." W stutters. "Is that Deftones?"

"Deftones," says Jack. "Almost forgot about that band..."

"Yes, it is... horny boy..." he approaches the door. "Hey, Calc!" says while knocking. "Calc!" No one answers. "Calc! It's me! W! I'm with Jack!" No one answers, and W sighs.

Backroom

On the other side, there he is, sitting in front of the computer in a small room filled with papers and files, writing in a couple of receipts, listening to Deftones and singing. Calculated Risk, also known as Calc or Risky, a 20-year-old, skinny, clever boy with black hair, big round glasses, a pullover, jeans and brown shoes. Suddenly, W opens the door without knocking again and the young boy quickly raises his hands, scared. "Shit!" he shouts. "I have a family!"

"Uh, come on, Calc!" W says, laughing. "It's me! Do I look like a gangster to you?"

"Uh... uh... argh!" he blushes while clenching his teeth. "Holy, W! I almost crap my pants!"

"I only opened the door, you pussy!"

"The voice, W!" says Jack aloud while closing the door. "Lower your volume, there are clients outside, and Calc, I want you to pause the song for a bit. We need you."

Calculated Risk opens a tab and pauses the song. He sighs and then grabs a small cloth he has on the desk and cleans his sunglasses. "Um... yes? What's going on?"

"We have something to do here, specifically in Canterlot High," replies Jack, something that drives Calculated Risk's sight to the old mobster's eyes.

"Really?" he says. "Yes, CH... I did sophomore there before going to Everton... what are you planning to do?"

"Uh, come on," interrupts W. "Turns out that everybody went to Canterlot High now? Firstly Dko, then Calc, what... Jack, you went to CH too?"

Jack actually nods his head. "Yeah, I did once. Years ago."

W's eyes widen. He clearly didn't expect that. "What?"

"That doesn't matter right now..." then he turns his head to the young boy on the computer. "Calc... It's a pretty long thing, so we'll go to your task directly... um, could you forge us a diploma?"

Calc's eyebrows rise. "A diploma?" he says. "Um... from where? What?"

"Elementary School Diploma," Jack replies. "And also transcripts from Freshman to Senior Year in... um... you went to Everton, right?"

Calc nods his head. "Yeah."

"Do it with Everton... but you did Sophomore in CH, you said it."

"That's not a problem," replies Calc. "I can duplicate a transcript and do it from zero. It may take me... um..." Calc starts opening a couple of new tabs on the browser. "Luckily, I do have my own transcripts and diplomas on my MeCloud, so it will take me one, two... maybe three hours. Not more than that." W raises an eyebrow and looks at Jack. "Um... Could you explain to me what's the plan... so I can get in the thing?"

Both Jack and W look at each other, then at Calc. "Well," says Jack. "Basically, there's this group of violent kiddos who threatened Abe's granddaughter... you remember Abe, right?"

"Yeah," replies Calc. "The one with the moustache. Orange hair, right?"

"Orange hair, yeah," replies Jack. "And her granddaughter? Do you remember her in your sophomore year? Her name is Rarity."

Calc moves his head. "Maybe I... um... Yes!" he points at Jack with a finger. "She was the one who did the clothes and dresses..."

"Yes, she is," says Jack. "Well, Rarity called Abe and told him she felt in danger because of these boys, which mysteriously the leader of this team has been expelled from the school lots of times, according to what she said, and magically came back with no suspensions or nothing..."

"Wait, wait, wait," interrupts W and looks at Calc's eyes. "Before we keep on with this... Do you know the name of this leader, Calc? Cattle Prod is his name. Looks like everyone is familiar with that name except me. I seriously don't know anything about this guy, but magically its name sounds familiar to everyone else."

Calculated Risk puts a finger on his chin and lays on his chair. "Cattle Prod... um..." he says. "I remember there was this girl, Sunset Shimmer, who would bully everyone... but... a group of violent kids, Cattle Prod? No. When I was at sophomore, there was no one named like that." W takes a breath of relief after hearing that. At least, he's not the only one who doesn't feel familiar with that name. "However," Calculated Risk stands up from his chair and raises one finger. "I've heard that name..."

"Oh, come on!" shouts W. "I'm literally the only one? Who in the hell is him, the Sun?"

"Calm down..." Jack replies. "Where did you hear that name, Calc? When?"

Calc quickly waves his hand. "Here. On the store. I remember hearing it from Fletcher's mouth, some months ago, but I don't remember who was him... why don't you ask Fletcher that?"

Jack nods his head, "Ok... ok..." and looks at W. "I'll go ask Fletcher about the name. W will explain you the rest of the plan."

"What?" he says. "Me?"

"Of course!" he replies, opening the door. "Who would explain that to him, then? Himself?" Jack closes the door and leaves. W looks at Calculated Risk and sighs.

"Ok," Calc adds. "Let me revise the plan... there's this girl, Rarity..." Calc stays in silence for a couple of seconds and then his eyes widen. "You know..." he chuckles and stands up. "She even designed a small bowtie for the Fall Formal... for me! A very generous girl, isn't she?"

Calc looks at W with a smile, but the gangster only widens his eyes. "Calc, dude... I haven't even seen her in real life."

"Uh," he says. "Sorry... it's just... the old times, you know..." then he sits on the chair again. "Could you tell me the rest?"

W just sighs. "Summarizing it, I have to enter that school under a fake identity to take care of Rarity from these assholes."

"You?" says Calculated Risk. "Alone?"

W raises his shoulders. "Well... literally there's no other sane man who can help me... do you remember Snowblind and his group of friends? They are anything but mentally sane. Abe, Jack and EP are old and they don't want Dko to be there because of her father... so I am alone..." he raises an eyebrow. "... unless... you..."

"Nope," he replies instantly. "I have to work here."

W smiles. "Oh, thank you for your help, Mr Rivers."

Calc snorts. "Could you stop calling me like Weezer's singer? I'm tired about that..." then he scratches his hair. "And no, I can't go there with you, I'm sorry. Besides, my fighting abilities are worse than a snail's... but I can help you with something if you want."

W, surprised by that, bites his lips. "Which kind of help?"

Calculated Risk takes his phone out of his pocket and turns it on. "Well, you know that school's huge, right? It has everything you can imagine of, man... it even has dorms, so you'll be there all day... how long are you staying there?"

"Um... a week, or two."

"Uh, not so long... however, it is a pretty big place, so... you may need someone who can help you with the school---"

"No! You too?" he sighs. "What is this, a freaking RPG? Dko has already given me her phone number because of the same thing you are telling me!" He facepalms. "Man, how many XP do I have now?"

"Woah, easy," he says. "I didn't know that. I was trying to help you."

"Yeah, I know," he replies, laying against the wall. "It's just... man, I'm still not sure about doing this, you know? I'm literally jumping onto a swimming pool with no water in it. I have no fucking idea how much water does that have, you understand me? I mean... I'm doing this not because I want to... I'm doing it because you and Dko can't, and I'm the only sane, young being who can do it."

Calc slowly nods his head, standing up from his chair again. "I mean," he says. "We don't know who is Cattle Prod, but you're already taking advantage of something: you," he says, pointing at him. "You are a gangster, isn't it? A criminal."

"Um..." he moves from the wall, nervously. "Look, I don't consider myself a criminal... criminal is someone who hurts someone innocent... I consider myself a worker. An illegal worker who works for the black market. I mean... um... I don't know how to explain it."

"Doesn't matter," he says. "The thing is that you know how to deal with these violent boys. You always told us the same old story about that time when you were a child and managed to beat up four big men, isn't it? When you were 18... didn't you fight in that insane, exaggerating, violent fest and managed to survive?"

W rolls his eyes and laughs, remembering old times. "Um, well... I only fought in what we used to call The Viscera Fest... everyone against everyone... I remember breaking my arm while beating someone up with a tree branch."

Calculated Risk blinks, confused. "Uh... that's kind of... oddly specific."

"Yeah..." W smiles.

"What I'm trying to say is, alone or not, you can show those boys who is the big man out there, don't you? Um... what was the nickname you used when you were younger?"

W raises his eyebrows. "Um... the Bedmaker."

"That one," he says. "You can clearly show them the Bedmaker stuff."

W remembers that name with embarassment. "Uh, man... I haven't used that nickname since I was 20."

"And you're 23 now, it's not a long time."

Suddenly, Jack opens the door and both of them look at him shaking his head. "Fletcher told me he does recognize the name but doesn't remember who was him."

"Uh..." W says. "Is this some kind of movie?"

"He did say... uh... his name reminds him of a reservation on this store... Someone reserved a ring for Cattle Prod and bought it."

W raises his shoulders. "Someone?"

"Yes," he replies. "Apparently, Cattle Prod didn't reserve that ring, but someone else did it for him. Fletcher doesn't remember the name of the one who reserved the buy but does have it registered on the PC. It's something that happened a couple of months ago and he told me lots of jewels are reserved to be bought later very often, so that may take us a little bit of time."

W raises an eyebrow now. "But... the name of that person is on the PC?"

"Yes," replies Jack. "Calc, would you do us that favour of looking that name on your reservation list? According to what Fletcher told me, he bought some kind of ring with a ruby on it."

"Yeah, sure," he replies while opening another tab. "Firstly, let me forge the papers and I'll do that... uh... wait," he says. "Something else... uh... I need a name."

W raises an eyebrow. "Name?"

"Yeah, I can't forge the papers without a student name... shall I put on Walter?"

"No," interrupts Jack. "Anything but his real name... put him... some kind of... I don't know... a generic name, Flash... Flash Lightning, something like that."

W frowns. "Flash Lightning sounds like premature ejaculation, Jack, no."

Jack sighs. "W, come on... don't begin with your tantrums. it's just a freaking name. You'll use it for a week and that's it."

"No, I want a better name," he says and approaches Calc. "Calc, go to namegenerator.com."

Jack is now confused. "What?"

"Oh, you also use that page?" he says, getting into the page.

Both smile. "Hell yeah, best fake-name-creator-related page ever."

"Underrated page," jokingly says Calc. There's a big button on the page that says: GENERATE NAME, which Calculated Risk clicks.

YOUR NAME IS: DIAMOND ZEPHYR

"Diamond Zephyr?" says W. "No, I don't like it."

"Uh, W..." Jack appears in the middle. "Are you really trying to be a perfectionist with a name?"

"It's gotta be a decent name, Jack."

"It's a name, W! It's not like you are going to use it forever!"

"Wait a minute, Jack, there must be a better name."

YOUR NAME IS: GOLDEN LEAVES

"What about Golden Leaves?"

"No, that sucks so bad it makes me vomit!"

YOUR NAME IS: SWIFT ARROW

"And Swift Arrow?"

"No, that..." W stays in silence. "Um... okay, that one doesn't sound so ba--"

"Ok, Swift Arrow," says Jack. "That will be the new name. Done. Calc, see ya in a few hours, we'll be back."

"Wait, wait, wait!" shouts W. "I'm still not sure... uh... well, sounds like a guy with..."

"Come on, we've got to go!" he shouts again, nudging W's shoulder. "Now!"

"OK, OK!" W shouts back. "Put Swift Arrow on it... that's the name. Happy?"

Jack nods his head with a smile. "Yeah," he replies. "See ya, Calc."

"See ya, Jack," he replies while downloading the papers from the drive. "See you, Dubs."

"See ya." Both men pass by the door and leave Calculated Risk alone.

Rusty's

"Are you sure you don't want me to be there with you?"

Abe stands in the office entrance door while Eye Patch gets out, with his sunglasses, heading to his car. "No, Abe," he replies. "He called me and wanted me only, along with the other bosses. You'd better stay here."

"I just... you know..." says Abe. "Don't like where that is going."

Eye Patch grabs the cigarette he was holding in his hand with two fingers a finger and puts it in his mouth. "Me neither." He lights it. "But if it's in the house, there won't be blood."

"And will Father be there too?"

"Of course," he says. "I think. If his son was that angry, he may be there right now. This... this looks like some kind of..."

Silence. Abe raises an eyebrow. "Of?"

Eye Patch gets the cigarette out of his mouth and releases the smoke. "In my opinion, someone tried to mess with Bloodswan, and he's now angry."

"Mess?" asks Abe, now laying against one of the door marks. "Who would mess with Bloodswan?"

"I don't know but... it's not the first time I tell you this would eventually happen... you know everyone is getting tired of Bloodswan's attitude. I said that, in one moment, someone... would try to break the glass... and when the glass breaks... everything will explode into pieces."

Abe feels goosebumps at hearing that. Eye Patch too. "You think..." says Abe. "There would be another Diesel Flame? Another Ashton Family who turned into an urban legend?"

Eye Patch chuckles for a second. "It's kind of different... Both Diesel Flame and the Ashton Family were stupid gangsters who tried to take the world, hijack the game... the only times in Equestrian history where all of the gangs turned against just one. Bloodswan is the son of the most powerful man in this country, who is the boss of the most powerful, evil and disturbing family we have ever seen. Diesel was just one man, everyone hated the Ashtons, both cases were Goliath killing David... Bloodswan is David killing Goliath."

"But David killed Goliath, didn't he?"

Eye Patch puts the cigarette on his mouth again. "I hope he does." He turns around to wave his hand to the Father and Daughter, not before approaching Abe. "Look," he tells Abe, almost whispering, scratching his chin. "This thing... may be a bit long."

"A bit?"

Eye Patch chuckles at the same time he tries not to. "Uh, yeah... I don't know how long an angry Bloodswan will keep us locked in that house... that's why... I want you to do one favour while you're here."

Abe blinks and knows what he's talking about. "Uh, I know..." he nods. "Any news about the Neighsay thing?"

Eye Patch smiles at his partner. "I told him to go to the Lake of Meadowbrook, on the Maretreal Side, at 12:30 P.M." He fixes his black shirt. "The things he wanted are in the jewellery store of Emerald Pick. The backroom. You know he'll let you enter."

"Yeah, yeah," Abe nods. "But... shall I go alone or... with someone else?"

The boss bites his lips. "Uh... I don't think Neighsay is... that kind of guy. Besides, I looked at his eyes the last time we got together. His sight does not have resentment or a backdoor... he is desperate. He is scared."

Eyebrow raised. "Of what?"

"I don't know... maybe he'll tell you if you give him the guns but..."

"And are you sure that means it's not necessary to go armed to that place?"

"Well, I don't consider Neighsay as a threat but... if you want to, I won't argue with you... it's always better to have a plan B rather than nothing..." he chuckles. "And besides, I have just one eye... I didn't have a full look of him."

Abe and Eye Patch laugh for a second. "And who I should call?"

"Well, that's a good question, indeed..." he scratches his hair. "It was always Jack and you at the front, and W and another in the car... um..." Eye Patch raises an eyebrow, touching his sunglasses. "Is Dosh still here?"

Abe, surprised, raises both eyebrows. "Dosh? In Maretreal? Again?"

"Well, you know... His favourite bars are here. He spends the whole weekend drinking and fucking in my town... it makes me a bit mad, you know... but I've got to admit that sack of fats is one of the few guys outside Maretreal that I actually like and get on well." He touches Abe's shoulder. "Don't do it now but... take a look at the Ursa in half an hour, you may find him, he's there 24/7 on Saturdays..."

"And what does Dosh's boss say about this? I mean... Sabretooth? The guy of Fillydelphia? With his thug on Maretreal?"

Eye Patch, before turning around, smiles one more time. "Do you care about what he says?"

Abe raises his shoulders. "Uh... I mean, he never told us anything... uh, and it's Sabretooth... I don't care..."

"Me neither," Eye Patch replies. "And looks like Dosh also doesn't... Well, I've gotta go... keep working here until 11, ask Rusty for a car," he walks away. "Tell him that he has to give you something normal, no attractive colour..."

"Yeah, I know, I know," he replies. "I'll tell him... and give me a call when you are near there!"

"Sure!" shouts Patch while walking away from the store, raising his thumb. Abe goes back to the store, not before taking a long, long breath.

Eye Patch's car

Now in the car, Eye Patch exhales the smoke one more time while checking his cellphone. One of his lots of cellphones. He doesn't even know what is he doing but feels so unsure he has to make sure someone else is in the same situation as him. He has to call someone else to find out... and he knows who is he going to call...

"Fuck." Oh, Seductive, Las Pegasus' Lady and Leader, his friend inside the game, is not on this phone's contact list. He may have confused that phone with this one. Great.

There are no other contacts to call.

ABE

CALCULATED RISK

FLETCHER

HOPPY

JACK

RUSTY WRENCH

SABRETOOTH

W

Talking about Rome... Sabretooth, the guy of Fillydelphia. The asshole in person... looks like not even his thug Dosh respects him. Why does he have him on the list? No idea. He won't call him, he's a freaking ego-maniac.

Wait... W's not the last contact. There's someone whose name starts with Z. Who? He scrolls down to find out.

Z_ BIG BABY

]

No.

Please no.

Everything except for Big Baby. He even thinks about calling Sabretooth instead, but eventually decides to go with Double B anyways. He knows how to deal with that fatass. "Lord, forgive me," he says. "You too, Wade and Wanda, wherever you are, for calling this one."

Z_ BIG BABY

DIALING... 📞📞📞

He sighs, trying not to listen to that whiny, annoying voice.

Suddenly, someone speaks. "Hello?"

Eye Patch closes his eye. "Hi, Big."

A moment of silence before the Big Baby explodes into laughter. "HAHAHAHAHA!!! Look at this, holy shit, if it isn't the Pirate, Blackbeard Eye Patch! So long without looking at you in the eyes... oh, I mean, your eye!"

He grunts. "Look, you son of a gun, I don't have time to listen to the same pirate joke going over and over. I'm asking you directly, did you get a call from Bloodswan?"

Big Baby slowly stops laughing and coughs twice. "Oh, Crazy Uncle, yeah... I did get a call from Crazy Un... I've got to say he was a bit mad... did you also get a call, Thatch?"

"I did, B, and you dare to call me Thatch one more time and I swear I'll kick you in the ass so hard you'll end up in space." Big Baby starts laughing but a massive cough interrupts his fun. He coughs for ten seconds and takes a breath while Eye Patch listens to how someone is helping him. Then, a bit later, he starts breathing normally again. "At least I don't have COPD."

"Oh, shut up... you son of a... bitch," he says, almost whispering. "I did get a call from Bloodswan... he was really mad... and I'm going there... it's that why you called...? Just... to waste my time?"

"I was making sure this wasn't a trap or something else," replies Eye Patch. "Looks like Mr BS is raising the roof."

"Yeah..." coughs. "Mr Bullshit..."

Eye Patch suddenly cuts the call on Big Baby's face while turning on the car.

He's getting prepared for a long, long day.

Swift Arrow?

Hoppy's

In the corner of Cpt. Magnus Street, located not so far from Maretreal's city centre, there's a small white store, with a peculiar sign on his front: HOPPY'S on bold, with a big size, and next to it, a tiny phrasewhich says: Personal Defense, Guns. No shooting range.

Inside the store, there is a red-skinned man with brown hair and a big moustache, checking the news on a paper, alone. The store is filled with small guns and protection, such as vests or belts. Mr Hoppy Flytrap, the name of the owner, is even wearing a bulletproof vest under his grey t-shirt along with his worn-out jeans and brown leather shoes.

A car stops right in front of the entrance door, and Hoppy already knows who he is. He stops reading the newspaper and gets an ashtray from under the counter. He dumps all of the ash it has on a can and puts it over the counter while the man enters the store.

Sunglasses, white shirt, black jacket, pants and shoes and his fair hair. Eye Patch here. "Hi, Hoppy," says the man, opening the door which has a small OPEN sign hanging from it. "Good morning."

"Hi, E," replies Hoppy. "I put the ashtray if you want to try out the new thing I bought." Hoppy gets out from the counter a box with cigars. "Cigars made in Fillydelphia. These ones are excellent despite their price."

"Not today, Hop," replies Eye Patch while crossing his arms and approaching him. "I want you to get me a glass of the oldest whisky you have on the fridge. Today..." he takes a breath while touching his face. "Oh, boy... today's gonna be a great day."

"Great?" says Hop, confused. "I've known you for years, E. That face, that voice... you sound like someone's gonna cut your nuts off... Something happened with the guy I told him to go to you?"

Hoppy begins to unlock a door behind him and the counter. "Nah... Neighsay's OK," replies. Eye Patch scratches his hair. "It's something else, Hoppy. Something worse..." he chuckles. "Freaking worse. Bloodswan called. He wants a meeting."

Hoppy stops unlocking the door once he hears that name. He scratches his hair and turns around. "But you didn't do anything... didn't you?"

"It's not with me," he says. "It's with everyone. He called every big fish around the Equestrian cities. He wants a meeting at his house now. Why?..." Eye Patch slowly touches the ashtray. "No idea."

"But... was he angry?"

He bites his lips. "A bit."

Hoppy facepalms. "Man... that doesn't mean anything nice, isn't it?"

"Well..." Eye Patch scratches his hair. "No... but at least it's a meeting on his house... the place he never stains with blood."

"And are you sure about that?"

"If there's something I can predict of that son of a gun, is that he'll never dirty the places his father built.. and that house is his father's now."

Hoppy raises an eyebrow. "Well, if you say... don't you want one of my guns so you can use it just in ca--?"

"No, no," he denies. "That will only worsen things. Besides, his little henchmen always look at every move you do and everything you have or wear. They find out I have a gun and they'll end up kicking my ass out of town."

He bites his lips. "Are you sure?"

"Of course, Hop," he replies, smiling. "Now give me that glass of whisky before I get late... I don't have much time."

Canterlot High

Rarity is in silence but smiling while helping Rainbow Dash and a recently arrived Applejack to carry the mats to the gym. "And when he tried to take the ball off me, I slowly kicked it and passed by him, right through the middle of his legs." Dash is telling a story to both of them and Applejack laughs loudly while Rarity smiles and bites her lips. She's slowly getting out of her cloud of thoughts and paying attention to Dashie's words.

"You shut his mouth up, lad," replies Applejack. "All that time speakin' and you caught his arse right at the top."

They are near the gym entrance when somebody comes out of it. A tall guy, with spiky blue hair, buttoning his leather jacket. He looks at the girls and smiles. "Hi, girls," he says. "Wait, do you need some help?"

"Hey, Flash! How are you?" shouts Rainbow Dash. "We can do it, no worries..."

"How am I?" he asks, scratching his hair while the girls enter the gym. Flash opens the gym's doors for them to leave the mats over a pile of older pads in the middle of the pitch. Rarity is the last one, being slower than her friends. "Shall I help you, Rarity?"

"You don't have to, Flash, I can do it," she looks at him and smiles. "Thanks anyway, darling."

Flash smiles at her again. "No, you're welcome."

"Flash!" shouts Applejack, stretching her arms. "Sugarcube! So long... so how are you feeling?"

"Oh!" he softly jumps and laughs. Rarity puts the mats on the pile and stretches her arms. "Well, you know... I came here with the boys from the band, Brawly and Ringo... we recorded a couple of demos last summer and we thought about releasing them like an EP, maybe through an indie site or something..."

"Hey, that sounds really cool," replies Dash. "Do you have the demos here? I want to give them a listen."

"I only have one in my phone," replies Sentry. "But you can ask Ringo. He has the other three."

"Sure, no problem," replies Applejack, while approaching him along with Dash. "What about that song you have, lad? You want to play us that a bit?"

"Yes, I also want to listen," says Dash, then she looks at Rarity behind her. "Do you want to, Rarity?"

Rarity smiles again and takes a breath. She's calming down and getting out of that cloud of thoughts about Cattle Prod that's been tormenting her for days. "Sure," she says, with a wink. "I also want to listen to that... what is the song's name?"

"The name, uh?" says Flash, while taking out his phone. "Yes... we named it Vanity with Ringo, but Brawly said a better name for this song is Black Roses... could you tell me which name suits the song better?"

"Sure!" says Rainbow Dash, smiling.

"Here... I found it." Flash presses play on the phone and the song begins. It starts with a guitar playing a progression of chords, then the bass, then the drums. "I composed the riff one night, I couldn't sleep and I... well... started playing."

"I like it," says Rarity. "That guitar sound is magnificent, Flash... and the bass is gorgeous."

"The drums... I'm digging it," adds Dash. "I think Pinkie Pie would love listening to this."

"I agree with Rarity," says Applejack. "The bass sound is great."

"Ringo's magic," replies Flash. "Every time he touches a bass we know he's gonna rock it."

"I'm loving it," says Rarity, with a big smile. She's getting much calmer now, smiling, while Dash softly touches her shoulder. The rainbow-haired girl looks at her for a second, but with a peculiar sight. Despite not saying anything, Rarity understood what she meant. She told her with her eyes to take a breath... and feels goosebumps while thinking about that.

And then, she moves her head and looks at the gym entrance. Suddenly her smile fades away in a second. Her pupils shrink. She clenches her fists and teeth.

There are two men laying against the entrance doors. One of them is Little Ace, a skinny boy with blue skin and turquoise hair, while the other, Duke Starlight, is taller and is orange-skinned with dark red hair. Little Ace starts sarcastically clapping while Duke Starlight lets out a laugh. Rarity takes a step behind but Rainbow grabs her from the back, trying not to let her fall. Applejack's smile disappears while Flash Sentry turns around his head. Once he sees them both, he turns his whole body around, trying to cover Rarity, and pauses the song. "Great performance," replies Little Ace. "Sounded like a crappy, cheap cover of some daddy band of Maretreal but... really great performance."

"You're not going to make me feel bad with your words, Little Ace," replies Sentry. "I'm afraid you'll have to go harder."

"Ok, ok, Flash Shame-try," interrupts Duke Starlight. Then he looks at how the four of them are in silence, just observing them. "Oh, come on, don't act like you saw a ghost... we only came here to grab things and, well..."

"We also want to wish you a beautiful course start, I know we and you will have a beautiful time together," Little Ace says with a fake smile. Then, he waves his hand. "Hey, Rarity!"

Rarity's eyes get much wider and Dash goes to the front. "You said her name one more tim--!"

"Dash!" shouts Applejack, grabbing her from her back. "You know it's not worth it."

"Excuse me?" asks Duke Starlight while approaching them. "We are not worth it? Did you say that? You? The one who literally lives of selling piss-flavoured cider?"

Applejack snorts and her eyes widen. "Oh, y'all can't say such a thing to me-!"

"Enough!" shouts Rarity, who was crossing her arms and biting her lips apart from the spectacle, overthinking what could come out of this situation. She passes by her friends and stands right in front of both rascals, with a thin wall of air between them. "Don't you dare to disrespect my friend in that way... and if he wants to talk to me, tell him to come here, instead of sending his friends as they were dogs."

Moment of silence. Both men look at each other, confused, and Little Ace raises an eyebrow. "What are... what are you talking about... what?" he says, raising his shoulders.

"We came here to get stuff from the gym," adds Duke Starlight. "Not because of you and Cattle Prod!"

Little Ace points a finger at Rarity's face and looks at her angrily. "And I didn't like what you have just said... not even a single word. You dare to call me a dog again and I promise you I will bring some scissors to cut that hair of yours..." Little Ace approaches his face to her. Rarity stands back with a gross sight. "...darling."

Duke Starlight laughs after that imitation of Rarity, but suddenly something breaks all of the tension:

"Mm-hmm." A feminine voice resounds over the gym and everyone turns around to look at her. They easily identify her with her long, dark blue hair and purple blouse. "What's going on here?" asks Vice-Principal Luna.

Everyone gets in silence while Little Ace and Duke Starlight look at each other. Ace bites his lips, scratches his hair and says: "Nah... just a discussion, Vice-Principal," he replies. "We'll go back to carry something else."

Luna's serious face does not change "You dare to talk to another student in that way and I'm afraid both of you will be the first students sent into detention this year... and the course hasn't even started." She closes her eyes and takes a breath. "You two will come with me, I need help in the library. I'd also like to have a chat with you on the way. We need to talk."

Little Ace slowly approach the Vice-Principal. Duke Starlight takes a look behind for a second, and Flash Sentry observes his sight full of hatred.

When both students leave along with the Vice-Principal, all they can do is to take a breath. Rarity closes her eyes... the cloud of thoughts is invading her again... and this time is worse.

Hoppy's

The store is still empty. Not many clients pass by. Hoppy is reading the newspaper again, although he's not paying much attention after Eye Patch told him earlier. A meeting with Bloodswan? The monster in a human body? At his house? With everyone? And he said he was angry... this is not a good thing. At all.

Wait... another car stops. Another familiar car stops. That may be good news... or bad. Jack and W get down from it and Hoppy leaves the newspaper on the counter again. He stands up from the chair where he was sitting and even opens the door for them. Jack raises an eyebrow. "Hoppy?" he says. "How you doing?"

"Come in," he says. "E came here a couple of minutes ago." Jack, W and Hoppy get in the store. "He told me... the guy-"

"He told us the same," Jack replies. "Bloodswan called. It's not the best morning of all and we know."

"Do you know why did he call?"

W shakes his head. "No idea," replies the young gangster.

"What did he tell you, Hop?" asks Jack while approaching the counter.

"Well," Hop passes by W. "He told me he called, he wanted a meeting with every boss of the cities and he was angry."

Jack scratches his hair and takes a look at the newspaper on the counter:

FATAL CAR CRASH IN FILLYDELPHIA: 3 DEAD

"Both of us know the same as you," replies Jack. He turns his head to look at Hoppy. "It looks like Bloodswan didn't tell anyone why did he want to make the meeting."

"I told E to carry a gun just in case but he said no..." Hoppy gets back on the counter. Jack shakes his head.

"And that's the best thing Eye could have said. The worst thing you can do is to carry a gun to that place..." he sighs. "Um, we came here for another thing..."

"Uh..." Hoppy raises his eyebrows. "What's the matter?"

"Well..." Jack looks at W while he approaches the counter. "It's a long story but... summarizing it, W has to enter Canterlot High under a fake identity."

Hoppy didn't expect that. He raises his eyebrows. "Canterlot High? The school?"

"Uh-huh," Jack nods, almost smiling. "It's a long story, I told you... and we came here to look for something that can change his face a bit. Not only to not put his face in a place out of the business but also to make him not recognizable for the Canterlot gangs."

Hoppy blinks while getting out of the counter with a small sign in his hand and pair of keys. "Ok," he says, and then he replaces the OPEN sign for the new one: WENT OUTSIDE. I'LL BE BACK. "Does Big Baby know anything of what you are going to do?" he asks while locking the entrance door. W shakes his head.

"No," replies Jack. "That would get things much worse. We are keeping it secret by now."

"Oh... and it's something... serious?" he asks while getting back to where he was. "I mean... the boy's going to be inside a school under a fake face. Is there a gang in that school?"

"Not really..." says W. "Basically, Hoppy, I have to kick a bully's ass, who is also Rarity's ex-boyfriend."

Hoppy chuckles after raising his eyebrows. That was unexpected. "Rarity?" he says. "Who is Rarity?"

"Abe's granddaughter," replies W. "I still think is a bit exaggerating to send me there but, at the same time... there's something about that bully that... really confuses me."

"What?" he asks. "What does confuse you?"

Jack blinks. "If you are going to ask him about the name..."

"No, it's not only that!" answers W. "You see... Abe told us that kid is problematic, a bully... he has been expelled more than one time from that school, but..."

The gun seller is playing with the keys while looking at W. "But?"

"He always comes back." Silence between the three of them. "I mean... Abe told me he got expelled, returned to the school, we have no idea why... then he got expelled again, and returned again... and the same thing happens, again and again. It's a cycle."

Hoppy looks at a door behind the counter. "What a strange cycle. He leaves, returns, leaves, returns."

"He gets expelled... he doesn't leave on his own," says W.

"And are you sure about that?"

W bites his lips for a second. "Well, not at all but... whether he gets expelled or leaves, the cycle of him getting out of school and then going back is strange in both ways... and that's something I don't like."

"Me neither," adds Jack. "That's why Abe started doing this. Rarity and her group of friends may be able to kick that stupid kid's ass, we don't know, but there's something... we just don't understand."

"Yeah, I also don't understand where is him going on with that," replies Hoppy, looking at the keys. He approaches the door behind the counter. "And you said something about the name..."

"Yes, it's something so strange it's comical," says W. "Eye Patch said the name of the kid sounds familiar to him but doesn't remember why. Abe says the same, Calc says the same... you know Calc, right?"

Hoppy finally finds the right key. "Wasn't he the kid who worked with Fletcher?"

"Yes, oh, and also Fletcher knows the na---"

"So what's his name?" Hoppy interrupts while putting the key in the door. The interruption made W uncomfortable for a moment but once the gun seller turns around, Jack looks at W and answers.

"Cattle Prod."

Hoppy raises an eyebrow and then shakes his head. "Nope. I don't know about that name." W lets out a sigh of relief while scratching his neck.

"Well, at least I'm not the only one," adds W.

"It's not a nice name, though. His name is not Beautiful Rose, or Sparky Butterfly or Pinkie Pie." Hoppy unlocks the door and opens it, there is a hall. "You may enter first."

Backdoor

There is a small, narrow hall that has another door with a small bathroom and an old, odd bookcase filled with books and small, empty packages of ammo. The bookcase seems that it has never been cleaned for decades. "Anyone wants to use the bathroom?" asks Hoppy.

Both shake their heads: "No, we're right," replies Jack. "Shall I help you with that?"

"You want to?" says Hoppy. "I was going to ask the boy for help."

W raises an eyebrow. "Um... to move the... uh..." It's dirty. Really dirty... "Well... alright." Hoppy gets next to one side of the bookcase, while W gets into the other. "Have you ever cleaned this? Once? Or twice?"

Hoppy laughs while grabbing the left side of the bookcase. "I think this still has dirt from the time we bought it. I thought about cleaning it with E but he's always busy."

"And can't you do it alone?" asks W while grabbing the right side.

"I tried once... and I got tired..." he chuckles. "There's too much dirt..." Both men start to move the bookcase. "To the left..." says Hoppy, while both men carry it to the left. Jack also offers help by carrying the bookcase from its back. Once they move the bookcase, they look at what was hidden all this time: a door-shaped gap that leads to a small room.

Secret Room

Hoppy switches on the room's light, which is only an old, thin lightbulb hanging from the roof made of concrete. It is a small place with only a bed, a bedside table, wardrobes and lots and lots of newspapers thrown on the floor. "Son of a gun..." says Hoppy. "E told me he cleaned this place... look at all of these newspapers on the floor filled with dirt."

"Wow..." says W, biting his lips. "I still can't believe E sleeps here sometimes." He looks at the newspapers on the floor, which are filled with dirt and most of them are painfully wrinkled. "Man, I bet there are more rats living in this tiny thing than people living in Baltimare." Hoppy laughs while both Jack and W stop to read a newspaper title which says:

THE CANTERLOT TIMES

October 28th, 1996

TEN YEARS OF DIESEL FLAME'S CASE: WHO WAS DIESEL FLAME? and A BRIEF ARTICLE ABOUT EQUESTRIAN GANGS by prestigious journalist Glasgow Parsons.

"Diesel Flame," says W, almost unconsciously.

"The legend itself," sarcastically says Jack, smiling. "The only time in Equestrian history where all of the gangs and rival mafias fought together against one man."

"He was an asshole," Hoppy laughs. "E told me the story a long time ago," he says while opening a wardrobe and raises his eyebrows, surprised. "Well, I expected much more dirt coming out." The wardrobe is filled with bags of unknown stuff on the upper shelves, and the lower shelf is filled with piles and piles of newspapers. "Diesel Flame thought he could get rid of all and become the man just by saying fuck you to both Father and the... the Clock? Right?"

"Yeah, the Clock of Canterlot," replies Jack. "That old gang everybody knew about."

Hoppy chuckles. "Yeah, and you know, boy," he says, taking out a big bag filled with random things out of the wardrobe. "He thought he was going to turn into the King of Equestria just by whining like a baby and rejecting both big families. Do you know what happened later?"

W helps Hoppy to put the bag on the floor. Despite it doesn't look like it's a heavy thing, it is. "He was killed," replies the young gangster.

Hoppy chuckles. "That's right! Totally unexpected!" W looks that the bag has a zip on it and kneels to open it. While crouching, he finds out there is another newspaper on the floor.

Manehattan Daily: The Voice of the Capitol

December 16th, 1997

Canterlot's Disappearing Couple hasn't been found yet: Still no witnesses on the Waters Case. WHO WERE THEY?

He doesn't say anything and just unzips the bag, which contains several ties, wrinkled coloured shirts and a couple of fake wigs. "Wigs," just replies W. "I didn't expect Patch to have so much..."

"There was a time we used wigs to get in the legal parties of a governor who ended up negotiating with us for a gasoline inversion..." explains Jack, scratching his jaw. "I think it was the mid-90s..." then he looks at a short, dark wig. "Oh, and there's that one... I won it on a bet in Las Pegasus... long story."

W chuckles. "You won a wig on a bet? In Las Pegasus?"

"I told you it's a long story..." Jack smiles.

"It was those times... those weird times," adds Hoppy. "2000s, before coming across the young Walter, and when Jack had a shaved head, no beard and didn't look like a lawyer."

W grabs that infamous dark wig and looks at it. However, now that Hoppy is talking about Jack's appearance, something else came to his mind and now he can't let it go. It's an important thing. "Hey, Jack..."

"Yeah?" says the old gangster while kneeling and grabbing another wig. "Look at this... another blonde wig..."

"You said you were going to be keeping an eye on the school too. Not from the inside, though."

Silence in the room. "Uh-huh," replies Jack.

"Shouldn't you also change your physical appearance to not be identified... just in case?"

Hoppy raises his eyebrows and Jack blinks. "That's actually a..." Jack bites his lips and nods his head. "Good question, W."

"I mean, I don't know if it's necessary for you to wear a wig but... you should, I don't know, wear a pair of sunglasses or... an earring and... you can shave your beard..."

"No, not my beard." Both Hoppy and W get surprised by that response while Jack stands up. "I will use a pair of sunglasses, I may change my clothes a bit... but not shaving my beard."

W also stands up, with the dark wig in his hands. "Man... why? It's not a superpower..."

"It's... um... I can't."

Hoppy and W look at each other now. "But... I understand you like the beard, Jacky," says Hoppy. "It really suits on you, man, but... nothing happens if you shave it for a couple of days, it will eventually grow up again..."

"No, it's not because of that," adds Jack. "I don't have any problems in shaving my beard, but I can't, not because I don't want to... it's because there's something else that doesn't let me do it."

W raises his eyebrows in shock. "Holy shit, Jack... what doesn't let you shave your beard?"

He leaves the blonde wig on the bag. "I'll tell you when we get in the car."

"In the car?" asks W. "How? Why?"

"Hey, I also wanna know," interrupts Hoppy from behind. "I let you in, at least..."

Jack looks at Hoppy and raises an eyebrow. "You know what I mean, Hop."

"I know?" he asks, confused. "What, from everything we know?"

"Do you have some contact lenses?" asks Jack. "Did Eye Patch keep those dark ones he bought a time ago?"

Hoppy snorts. "Hey! Don't change the topic, Jacky."

"I'm not changing it, I'm just asking."

Silence in the room again. Hoppy blinks and looks at a smaller bag in the wardrobe which he opens. W doesn't say anything because of how confusing were those last seconds and crouches again... however, the tension breaks when Hoppy suddenly stops looking for that object he was thinking about in the small bag and slowly turns his head to look at Jack. The gangster with a beard is also staring at him. "You were going to Canterlot High, right?" asks Hoppy.

W nods his head. Jack replies: "Yeah."

"Oh," adds Hoppy while nodding his head. "It's a good point to consider but... don't you think she may have forgotten you? After all these years?"

Jack shakes his head and fastly answers Hoppy's question: "It's not only her but also her sister."

"Wait, what?" suddenly interrupts W. "Who are you talking about? Wait... uh..." He suddenly remembers what he and his brother were talking about earlier this morning:

"Well, you know... if my mind doesn't lie to me... I remember that name, Celestia, as one of Mom and Dad's friends in their Acting Class."

"Wait... wait, wait, wait, wait..." He stands up. Jack and Hoppy look at him in silence. "You said..." he points at Jack. "You told me once my parents and you used to go to Acting Classes on Canterlot with someone called Celestia."

And at that moment, some kind of sparkle appeared in Jack's eyes. He chuckles and looks at Hoppy, then at W again. "Yes. Your parents wanted me to present as myself but I went there under a fake name anyway... that's something good if you want to think, but at that moment I didn't have my beard... and she almost recognized me."

W raises his shoulders. "Uh, come on... I agree with Hoppy... she may have forgotten you, almost 25 years have passed since that moment and logically both you and she have grown up and changed your appearance. Besides," W crosses his arms. "You said she almost recognized you... from where?"

Jack and Hoppy look at each other. "You didn't tell him?" says Hoppy. "Even I know that."

"What?" W raises his eyebrows in surprise.

Jack takes a breath. "I haven't talked to anyone about my youth for decades, Hoppy. You only know this because I told you that when I had 18 years old in the nineties. He doesn't know it."

Suddenly, the young gangster has a spark in his eyes. "Oh my God," W grabs his head, open-mouthed. "You had sex with her?"

Everyone's faces change. "NO!" shouts Jack while Hoppy begins to laugh out loud. The gangster with a beard takes a breath while W covers his mouth, embarrassed and almost laughing. "I didn't have anything. I went to High School with her."

Hoppy stops laughing and returns to his task again, looking for contact lenses. "Boy," he says, chuckling. "That absolutely made my day." W blushes for a second and Jack facepalms.

"You went to school with her?" asks W. "But, Jack... you were a teenager when you were with her at school! You're not 18 anymore... your face, your personality, everything changed... now you're a grumpy old man! I don't think she may recognize you if you shave your beard. You can also wear sunglasses!"

Jack shakes his head. "I don't know. It's taking a risk. She almost recognized me on that Acting Class and I had... um... 23 years old, your age right now."

"Jack... you had 23 years old, of course, she would recognize you... but recognizing you at 46?" Jack doesn't answer. "With a mental age of a hundred?"

"I don't know, I don't know..." interrupts Jack, then she raises a hand to W. "Look, I don't want to shave my beard but... at the same time you're right. You have a point. Not only lots of years have passed but also... Big Baby and his boys are now used to looking at me with a full beard." He touches his jaw. "Maybe I'll do some touch-ups."

W, smiling, raises his shoulders. "You see? You can be like Hoppy and be with a moustache."

"Nah, that may turn me into a gun seller." Everybody laughs, even Hoppy until he opens his mouth.

"Nope..." he says. "I think... I've lost that bag of contact lenses."

W lets out a sigh of relief. "Well, at least my eyes won't--"

"We'll buy a pack of them in black." W looks at Jack with his eyes widened.

"You know those things are expensive..." he tells his partner, but Jack laughs.

"Our least important problem is the money, W... and apart from that, it's not a knife, neither a laser beam, it's just a small thing you put on your eyes... I used them a couple of times and doesn't even feel bad."

"What?" asks Hoppy, now closing the small bag and putting it again in the wardrobe. "He's scared of contact lenses?"

W frowns. "No, I'm not scared, it's just-"

Jack interrupts. "A bit."

"No, I'm not!" He raises a finger. "I just feel... they are kind of uncomfortable."

"They're not, trust me," says Jack to his partner. "I used them a long time ago when I had your age. I think both of us have the same eyes, I mean, we are human, aren't we?"

W nods his head. "We are."

"That means you can hold it. Come on," he says. "We should go back to the school."

Park

Those.

Those two kids are sitting on a bench, trying not to tremble and to overthink about what's going to happen next. They were literally thrown away by Sharp Baton, only to be looked after by his younger but more evil brother. At least Sharp Baton doesn't fool or bully them around all the time. "Dude," softly says Snails to his friend. "I just..."

"I also don't understand what's happening."

Silence again between them both, until Snails speaks: "I wanted to say... if there's no other way to have a bit of cash in our hands, dude..."

"I'm still confused... guns? A guy telling us we won't use them to steal? So... what are we going to use it for then...?"

"Maybe we'll hunt deers..."

"Where?" Snips raises his shoulders. "There are no deers in Canterlot, and besides, you remember that time I told you I watched a hunting show through TV? The guy was using a rifle..." he approaches his friend to whisper to him: "Why would we use handguns to hunt a deer?"

"We're still not sure about why would we use them... tomorrow they will tell-"

"Are you sure?" Snips interrupts while scratching his hair. "Did you see their faces when we asked those questions...? They clearly had no idea what to answer." He takes a breath. "I think... Cattle Prod and his brother are into something... weird."

"Weird? Well..." Snails scratches his ear. "Now you say that? Since the first time we talked to Cattle Prod, everything felt... tense."

"But Cattle Prod is stupid, a bully," Snips clenches his fist. "I understand why would we get tense with him, but then we met his brother and that other guy, and they gave us a gun..." He raises his shoulders. "What do you think? Where do you think this is going?"

Snails also raises his shoulders. "I don't know, the only way to find an answer to that question is to keep moving here."

"And what if it's something we don't like?"

Snails bites his lips. "Well, we can get out of that, you know..."

Suddenly, a tire screeching is heard far from the street. A black sports car appears on the street at a high speed... a car they do recognize. "Crap," says Snips, turning his head back to look at his friend. "Should we... run?"

Snails shakes his head. "They'll beat us up later."

Somebody gets his head out of the car while the driver it's lowering its speed. It's a grey-skinned guy with short black hair. He also gets his arm out of the car, which has a bottle of beer. "HEY, YOU!" shouts the guy. "GET IN THE CAR OR WE'LL RUN OVER YOU LIKE STUPID PIGEONS!"

The peace that was at that moment in the park vanishes after that. Snips and Snails freeze from fear after hearing that shout and the loud screeching of the car stopping right next to them. Then, the guy starts slapping the car door with his other empty hand until another voice from the car shouts at him: "You dare to hit the car again and I'll shove that bottle up your ass."

The voice has spoken. He is there. Inside the car... and he's driving... Sharp Baton's younger brother...

Cattle Prod...

A thick, red-skinned arm, with a golden ring that has a beautiful ruby on his ring finger, grabs the grey dude and takes him apart from his sight, crushing him against his car seat. Then, a well-shaped, red-skinned man with blonde-brown hair and green eyes looks at both children, who look at him almost in fear. "Get in the car."

Snips and Snails instantly run to the car and open the backdoor, while all of the people at the park are observing them in pure shock.

Cattle Prod's Car

The car is like a nightclub, the song Negative Creep by Nirvana can be heard not only from inside but also from kilometres away. Snails closes the door and doesn't say anything, neither Snips. Cattle Prod doesn't even talk to them when they get in, neither the grey guy. The red kid only looks at them as an evil bully and looks at his friend again. He slaps him in the face. "Ouch!" shouts the grey guy. "Why did you do---?"

"This is my car, not yours," he tells his friend while pointing at him with a finger. Snips only observes the beautiful ring he has on his hand. "You can do what you did on your car, Silverstorm, but not mine. OK?"

Silverstorm nods his head in silence. "OK." Cattle Prod nods his head, scratches his neck.

"Ok... I'm not in my mood. Today's not a nice day," he says. "I tried to call my uncle, he said he was mad, on a bad day... and the worst thing I can ever imagine... is of my uncle being angry. He's like... I just don't know how to describe it, man... you've gotta see it in real life."

"No, thanks," replies Silverstorm, looking at a fixed point.

Cattle Prod laughs and then changes his face to turn his back and look at the children. "Beer," he only says. "I want one, and if it's not so cold..." Snips fastly grabs a bottle of beer from under the driver seat. Luckily, it's cold but doesn't even lift his back up when Cattle Prod gets the beer out of his hand, almost making the small child fall. Snails only clenches his fists... but doesn't do anything. He laughs while opening the beer thanks to his ring. "I'm going to tell you something... and I'll be clear as shit, babyfaces..."

Snips and Snails look at each other for a second and then at Cattle Prod drinking the beer. Then, he steps on the accelerator out of nowhere and gets the car out of there so fastly both children crash their heads against the seats. Silverstorm and Cattle Prod start laughing. "Ouch!" shouts Snails, getting up and sitting again on the chair. "That was not funny at all!"

"It wasn't for you, but it was for me!" shouts Cattle Prod, while driving at a high speed and with one hand on the wheel and the other holding the bottle of beer. "Look, I only came here because my brother told me to, so if it was for me... you can live in that freaking park if you want. Now, in school, you'll do everything I'll tell you to do... even if I order you to wear ballet tutus, you'll do it because I say it..."

Silverstorm laughs. "Ballet tutus..."

"And if you don't listen to me or you say something I didn't tell you to say..." Cattle Prod quickly stops the car, screeching the tires. Snails covers himself by putting his arms over his head, but Snips falls in the same joke and crashes his head against Cattle Prod's seat. Cattle Prod and Silverstorm laugh again while Snails helps Snips to get up. "You don't do what I do, and you'll end up in the school sewers with your balls inside your mouth," the red young man turns back to look at both kids with a menacing stare. "And trust me, I know where the fucking sewers are."

And Snips and Snails, frozen again, think about that one more time.

Is this worth it?

Jack's Car

The car has stopped in a familiar street, looking at Fletcher's store. The engine is still on, and both gangsters are waiting in silence for something they don't even know. W looks at himself through the rearview mirror. He has a black wig on his head. "This is not bad at all," he says with a grin. "What do you think?"

Jack stays in silence for a second until he lets out a laugh. W's face changes from a smile to a serious gesture. "No, it suits you... it's not bad, but... it's really odd to look at you with that hair colour."

"Yeah... I don't even recognise myself... I always had my hair brown, never dark... is that good, isn't it?"

"Sure," replies Jack. "The least recognizable, the better..." he snaps his fingers. "Good.. we have the wig, the name, the school's open... the only thing we need is those contact lenses and the papers..."

W bites his lips. "And what time is it?"

Jack checks his watch again. "Quarter to twelve. We're about to get in the noon."

"12 PM? Mmmh..." W sighs. "What if the school is open until that time? Are you sure they will be still open in the afternoon?"

Jack shakes his head while opening the car door. "No, honestly. We should hurry up if you want to do this today..." then he looks at the young gangster in his eyes. "But first... are you sure you wanna do this now? There's no way back after doing it... and don't tell me on Sunday you had a better name or a better wig for Swift... Swift what? Which one was the name?"

"Swift Arrow was the name," replies W. "I mean, it's not a bad name... it's like, uh... speed, confidence..." W keeps thinking. "Sounds good... Swift Arrow... that name literally is a way of saying I don't have erectile dysfunction."

Jack stays in silence and closes his eyes without even making a single movement. "That was... the worst pun I've heard in... decades."

W raises an eyebrow. "I didn't mean it as a joke... I said it seriously."

"It's the worst pun I've heard in a long time, anyway..." Jack grabs his head. "Look, there's an optics store on the left corner on this street," Jack now opens the door for complete. "If you want to save time, I want you to go to Fletcher's and ask Calc about the papers."

W looks from outside the car. Fletcher's store is near the car, almost in front of it. "Um..." he says. "Ok... I step in and I... just ask?"

Jack nods his head. "Tell Fletcher you want to see Calc... don't talk about the papers in front of the clients."

"Yeah, I know, I know," W opens the car door, gets out and hears that Jack starts chuckling. He turns around. "What?"

The old gangster smiles. "You can leave the wig on the car if you want."

Oops. W looks at himself on the car window and realizes he still has the wig. He blushes a bit while taking it off and leaves it on the car seat, looking at both sides while closing the door. "Did anybody see that?" he asks while approaching Jack, who is now outside the car.

Both gangsters get nearer to each other. "Well, people often walk by this stree---"

The young gangster puts his hand on Jack's shoulder and whispers to his partner: "I don't mean all people, Jack."

Jack's smile suddenly fades and the gangster frowns. He also looks at both sides, then he shakes his head. "No." He approaches his protégé. "No, I don't recognise anyone," he looks at both sides again while looking for something in his jacket. "Despite I didn't recognise anybody, don't be so much time outside anyway. Once you finish with your thing," he gets out a pair of sunglasses from the jacket and puts it on. "Send me a message by phone and I'll go to Fletcher's."

W nods his head, looks at both sides again and takes a breath: "Sure."

Fletcher's

The young gangster opens the backdoor where Calc is hiding, closing all of the tabs of the PC before turning it off. "Oh, W," he says when he looks at him. "I have already finished. I was about to shut down the apps."

"Let me see," he replies. "You did it with the tools you always use?"

Calc grabs a bag next to the monitor and gives it to W. "Like always... patience, ability... a bit of Photoshop..." W opens the bag and gets out one of the forged transcripts from Everton High School. His pupils shrink when he looks at how real the paper feels. It has his now new name written with pen: SWIFT ARROW and a list of subjects which... wait...

"Wait," suddenly says W. "Wait. Wait..."

Calc turns around to look at the gangster while closing an Internet tab. "What?"

"An A in Maths?" W keeps reading the transcript. "B in Accountancy? A in History? Wait, wait..."

"Um, well... I didn't know how to fill those spots, so I thought it would be better for you if I filled it in with good marks..."

"Man," says W. "I appreciate your idea to make me look like a clever guy, but I don't know where this will take me, dude. What if a teacher looks at this and suddenly puts me in those spelling bee contests where everything smells like shit?" Calculated Risk starts laughing. "I'm not freaking laughing, Calc! Besides... A in Maths? The only maths I know are the ones I've learnt on the mob and I don't know too much else! What if the math teacher asks me to multiply seven by infinity..."

"Man, you can't multiply by infinity," Calc replies, still laughing. "Infinity has an unknown quantity of digits. The answer will be undefined in every case..."

"And this transcript has an unknown quantity of stuff I don't know... a fucking A in Chemistry? Do you want to know how many elements I know from the Periodic Table?"

"Well, there's hydrogen, the first one, then you have--"

"I didn't ask for you to tell me the elements, man..." Calc is still laughing. "And why are you laughing? This is serious!"

"Aw, man, sorry..." Calc turns around and grabs a pen from his desk. "I loved that spelling bee joke."

"Wait... do they really smell like shit, don't they?"

"I don't know, I've never been into one..." Calc's smile slowly goes away while trying to hold his laugh. "Well, look, don't say anything about them... even if you don't know how to explain the things you've learnt... just simulate!"

"Simulate!" W chuckles. "Yes... yes... what if Mr Johnson from Accountancy asks me to do a balance sheet for a company... do I have to simulate?"

"Man, come on!" Calc stretches his arms. "You will never do that on Accountancy, it's a subject where you learn, not a job... look... um..." he touches his face. "There's something else about those transcripts... something important."

W, still shocked, raises an eyebrow. "What?"

"You have to do something else before you go... see those empty spots in the upper part of the transcript?" He points at a blank space in one of the papers. "I've already written the name for you, but you have to fill in your address, date of birth, postal code and ID. You'll have to invent all of that with a pen..."

W scratches his hair for a second and nods his head while biting his lips. Then he chuckles. "Aw, man... you invented the marks... but you didn't invent this? An address?"

Calc bites his lips. "Man, I thought it would be better for you... a good mark is always better than a bad one... sorry."

W, after hearing that, takes a small breath. "Well... it's done. OK..." he scratches his neck. "Can I do this here?"

"Sure, no problem, I'll give you the pen," Calc replies while nodding his head, before making a small jump and grabbing one of the transcripts from the bag. "Oh, I forgot."

W raises an eyebrow. "What? You put me an A in PE?" he asks, while Calculated Risk shows him the transcript he's just grabbed.

"No, I have to show you this." He points at a sign on the right side, which has a black stamp on it:

"MAYOR MARE. PRINCIPAL OF EVERTON HIGH SCHOOL - EDUCATIONAL SUPERVISOR."

"This sign is the most important thing on this transcript. It's the thing that will make everyone believe this is veridical."

W grabs the transcript to look at the sign with more detail. "And... wait... you, you did fake this? The sign?"

Calc makes a small grin while nodding. "Yeah, I did. I also had to fake the stamp... I made it like twenty minutes ago, so the ink it's still fresh. Try not to touch it so much."

W chuckles. "Well, at least you have the talent, I've got to admit..." He laughs and approaches Calc's desk to start filling in the transcripts' blank spaces.

Bear

The Ursa

There's this bar in a street corner that has a certain smell even from outside of its ambience. The smell of alcohol, dirt... the smell of danger.

The name is the Ursa, and its entrance doors are opened revealing the sunlight to all of its customers, covered by the warmth the bar's dirty, dark windows cannot provide. Some of them cover their eyes and others stand up to look at the man who has just arrived, but suddenly sits down again when they find out he's recognizable.

A light-blue skinned man with short orange hair and a prominent moustache. He fixes his shirt collar and proceeds to move. "Hey, Abe," someone says from a table. The man salutes with his hand.

"Blackie," he says. "How you doin?"

The man from the table raises his thumb and smiles, while another man, sitting at the counter while drinking a whole gin bottle shakes his hand with Abe. "Pal... Mister..." he exhales on the gangster's face.

"Oh, man..." Abe closes his eyes and covers his nose while laughing. "Don't you think you drank too much gin, J. J.? You smell like..."

J. J. looks at the bottle which is half empty, and then looks at Abe again, raising his shoulders. "...Maybe?"

Suddenly, a door from behind the counter is opened and a tall, skinny, blonde man with green eyes with a bat in his hands. He crouches and slowly leaves it on the floor and stands up again. Abe looks at him and his eyes flash. "I still think you don't have the face to act as the main guy here, kid."

The bartender's eyes look at Abe and he smiles. "Oh, Mr Flanks!" His accent and manner of speaking are so unique. "So long without seeing ya. Would you like a drink?"

Abe shakes his head. "It's OK... it's OK, I didn't come here to have a drink, I have some work to do... Listen." He sits on the counter and puts his hands over the wooden bar. "There's this guy that spends most of his time drinking shit in here. A big, fat guy. Red skin, hoary hair, sometimes he shaves his beard, sometimes not... do you know if he will come?"

The bartender raises an eyebrow and takes a look behind Abe. He observes the counter, the tables, the darkness around the bar infected by the smell of alcohol, only to turn his head to the right and point at a narrow, dark hall. "A guy like that entered the bathroom some minutes ago but..." He scratches his hair. "Uh... he hasn't left the bathroom since."

Abe makes a small grin. "Huh... maybe he's taking a wild shit so... you don't mind if I ask you for a whisky shot?"

"Of course not," replies the bartender. "I'd be glad... for the man in the zone."

Abe laughs. "Uh, boy, don't call me like that... you know I'm just a man."

The boy grabs a small glass. "... in the zone, aren't you?"

He shakes his head while smiling. "In this zone? There's only one, and it's not me, kid."

Now the bartender grabs the whisky bottle in silence and clears his throat. "Uh..." he says. "You mean..."

Abe closes one eye when a guy comes out of the bathroom. It's not fat, it's not red but comes out laughing. "Man, Ragga was your name, dude?..."

The bartender raises his eyebrows after giving Abe a small glass of whisky. He's talking to him. "Uh... Ragamuffin is my name."

The man from the bathroom blinks twice. "Ragawhat? Uh... there's a big fat guy in the bathroom kicking somebody's ass."

At that moment, Abe grabbed the whisky glass, drank it and stood up.

"No! NO!"

"What did you say to me?"

There's a guy trapped between the bathroom wall and a big, fat, red-skinned man with hoary hair and a three-day, almost invisible beard. "Nothing, man... it was just a joke, dude..." The red man grabs his head and crashes it against the bathroom wall. "OH, MAN! OH! DUDE! IT WAS JUST A JOKE, DUDE! FOR REAL, MAN!"

"I dare you to repeat that shit one more time... huh? What did you call me, you shit? What did you just say to me?"

"Sorry, man! Sorry... sorry, man!"

"You said I was fat? I was ugly? You said my mom what?"

"No, no, man... I was just joking, man... it was just a plain joke, nothing else... man..."

Suddenly, somebody opens the door. Abe scratches an eyebrow before asking for presence: "Dosh?"

The fat guy slowly turns his head around, still grabbing the douchebag by his neck, and recognizes the man. "What? You?" He makes a small grin. "Mr Moustache?"

"I have a name, you know?" he says, putting his hands in his pants' pockets. "And from what I know, you are now in the territory of the man I work for..."

Silence between the two men. The scared third man is looking everywhere, feeling his neck being let go, slowly. "Uh, yeah... I know you work for Eye Patch."

"Yes," he nods his head. "And right here, I'm Abe Flanks."

Dosh slowly raises his eyebrows and nods his head. "So..." he says. "Mr Flanks... I was in the middle of a situation here, what's going on?"

"I was looking for help, I need to do something out there and my boys aren't here now."

Dosh now raises an eyebrow while letting the other man go. He turns around completely while Abe takes a step for the man to run away. "Me? What about your boys? Aren't they here?" he says. "What about all of those guys from outside this... shitty bathroom?"

Abe turns around. The man opens the door with his bleeding head and gets out of there. Then he looks at Dosh again... "Well, turns out this job is not dangerous, but I need some security guy just in case... and what would you do if you need security? Take the thin guy... or take the biggest guy in the place?"

Dosh laughs while scratching his hoary hair. He burps. "You know... I may be big but... well, I don't judge a book by its cover..."

However, Abe shakes his head. "No. I'm not judging you, Dosh. I'm telling you what I know. Your cover is exactly the book."

He didn't like that... he felt insulted. Dosh clenches his fists while looking at Abe with despair. However, the moustache man does not say anything nor make a move. "You said?"

"I know who you are... Born in the barracks of Bloodswan and sent to Fillydelphia to become Sabretooth's personal hitman. Then, your nickname... the sum of dodge and hush... and now hanging out in Eye Patch's territory to drink his favourite glass of something, maybe hiding from his boss..." Dosh snorts but doesn't clench his fists anymore. "May I say something else?"

He frowns. "Not hiding from Sabretooth, actually... he's a friend of mine, but this last time things went... desperate."

Abe raises an eyebrow, getting his hands out of his pockets. "Desperate?"

Dosh nods his head and sighs. The smell of alcohol coming from his breath is horrible. "He spent last week closed in his house, talking to several guys by phone... I've heard from Sharp Baton they want to control the harbour for a short time."

The moustache man stays in silence for a second. He bites his lip and grabs his head. "Damn..." he says. "That is... concerning."

"Yeah, I've got to admit..." he says grabbing his face and about to cry. "I haven't even seen money flying around the place because of this shit, and if the swans start getting too noisy... I don't know where that will go..." He touches one of his eyes. "At least Sabretooth is finally coming to terms with that but... I'd be concerned too if I was in that position." He scratches his neck. "And what is that job you were talking about? Security? What do you have to do?"

Abe makes a small smile. "Short thing but... I have to send gifts for Christmas. My most reliable partners are now busy..." he turns around and looks at the door, he remembers the guys from the bar. "And others are not in their best situation, I mean... besides, you've spent so much time in here... you are eventually turning into another Maretreal worker."

Another silence appears after Abe said that until both of them let a chuckle go out of their mouths at the same time. "Maybe," replies Dosh. "This place is not only a backdoor for my territory but also gives me free alcohol in order to not cause any trouble... tell me if that's not a paradise."

Abe approaches the big man. "Well, if you include the smell, the drunk men messing around the bar and the innocent little kid with a strange accent who acts as the bartender in that..." he nods his head. "And look... this job has money in the middle. We give the gift, we get money. You may have an idea about what is our main thing on Maretreal..."

Dosh squints. "Yeah, I know... guns... it sounds cool but... I'm not sure about the job."

Abe raises an eyebrow while someone enters the bathroom. Both men look at the one who enters and find out it's Ragamuffin holding his bat. "Uh... did I interrupt...?"

Abe shakes his head. "We're about to leave..." he points at the bat. "Why are you holding that in the bathroom?"

"Uh... just in case," he replies. "Silver Shill is now at the counter if ya want to ask for something else."

"Nah, it's OK." Abe grabs a $10 bill and gives it to Ragamuffin, who passes by him and stops when looking at the magical paper. "Your tip."

The young bartender smiles and grabs the bill. "Thanks, Mr Flanks." He waves his hand to Dosh. "Hey, mate."

Dosh nods once while Ragamuffin enters the bathroom and Abe starts leaving. "I'll call Eye Patch for you," he says to the big man while holding the door handle. "I think there will be ten stacks on those hands... what about half a stack for you?" He opens the door.

The big man frowns. "Half?" he asks. "But... we are talking about how much? How much is that stack?"

Abe bites his lips while Ragamuffin starts peeing. They hear the noise and get out of the room. Dosh is at the entrance, about to come out. "Um..." Abe whispers to his new partner, approaching his head. "This guy, the client, is a pretty big boy... he's wealthy. Each stack is 10K worth... or even more. Patch told me he's kinda humble and wanted to give us a tip."

Dosh's eyes widen. "A tip?" he says, chuckling and now walking out of the place. Nobody looks at him. "You are kidding me... where is this guy from?"

"He didn't say anything," Abe keeps whispering. "I think... you know, I met him with Eye Patch, and just by taking a look at his face... I know he's from Canterlot." Dosh and Abe laugh and head to the door. The moustache man waves his hand to the bartender and a couple of partners. "So... you in?"

Abe opens the entrance door of the Ursa, revealing the sun's warmth to everybody inside. "Canterlot, huh?" he says. "And are you sure each... you know... is about ten?"

He chuckles. "You know..." says Abe. "I'll tell you something. This man, this client... is the definition of a man that wants what we offer to do something important... Firstly, this tip thing... Nobody does that, even Eye Patch rejected the offer but said he wanted to. I don't know if that's good or bad, though..." he takes a look at the bar. "Well, I'll explain this to you if you get in the car with me... you in?"

Abe gets out of the Ursa, and once he is about to let the door go, Dosh grabs the handle and closes it. "I haven't seen a bill since last week because of the harbour shit. The money that Sabretooth gives me... has not appeared this week. I'm not joking, Flanks, if those five grand do not appear on my table, I swear--"

"They will." Abe only replies with a big smile. A smile that shuts Dosh up. "They will, Dosh. We the guys from Maretreal never fail. You know that."

Suddenly, someone is starting to get convinced.

Yes! I Am Swift Arrow...

📲 CALLING...

ABE

"Jack?"

After their jobs, Jack and W are now in the car again, about to go to Canterlot High. W fastens his seatbelt again after putting the bag with the forged papers on the dashboard. Jack observes him until Abe speaks on the other side of the phone. "Abe. We are now ready. We have the papers, the name, the other stuff... We were driving around and found out the school's open."

"Oh, yeah. Great... maybe they are preparing things for the course start."

"Yeah, we thought about making the move with W... is it OK? Doing it now?"

A second of silence. "Yeah... I don't see any trouble in that. If we have the forged papers already... if we do it right now it will be better for all of us... but the thing is... is he prepared?"

Jack doesn't say anything and only looks at W holding the wig. He looks at him back too and raises his eyebrows. "Do you want to talk to him?" asks the gangster on the phone.

"I would like to."

"What?" asks W. "What happened?"

Jack gives him the phone. "It's Abe. He wants to talk to you."

A surprised W grabs the phone and puts it on his ear. "Abe? Hi... What's the matter?"

"Uh... I just want to say... firstly, are you sure you want to do this right now? If you present to the principals with your name and your wig and whatever... there's no way back. We can't invent another excuse or any new character."

W swallows saliva. "I know... but yeah... I already have the wigs, the name, the papers... and maybe if we do things the faster, the better... it's like... getting things off your back..."

"Yeah, I think the same... which name did you choose?"

"Swift Arrow."

Jack raises an eyebrow. "Don't you dare to tell him the pun you told me."

"It wasn't a pun," W whispers to him, frowning.

"Very good. Good name... The wig? Which colour is it?"

"Black, dark hair. I've already put it on my head... it's kinda strange. I just don't recognize myself."

"Better... the least recognizable, the better. What about the contact lenses?"

"Jack has bought a box of them. They are dark too."

"Will you wear them?"

W blinks and looks at the bag over the dashboard. "Well... yes, I will."

"Look," he says before sighing. "I've already told you this and I don't want to repeat it to you again and again but... I just wanted to say... thanks."

W raises an eyebrow. "For what?"

"This... um... I'm sorry. I've been smacking your head too much these days, and I know this is like a bucket of ice right at your face... I'm sorry for putting you in that spot. I don't even know what I'm saying right now... but I'm so worried about Rarity, and I know this is something bizarre, out of the pavement, but the more time I spend looking up information about Cattle Prod... the less I like that kid... it looks like he actually hides something."

"You looked up information about him?"

"Yeah..." replies Abe. "But I couldn't find anything useful on the Internet. His social media accounts are all private but he does have a lot of followers... there are very few things about him besides that... and we know all of them. Name, city...."

W sighs. "Hmmm... well, the more I think about this guy, the weirder he gets..."

"Yes... it's not the best plan we have, but at least we have a chance to take a look at that guy... I want to remind you that you are not alone in this... we will be with you every time you need it..."

"Yes, I know, Abe... I know. Jack told me he'd often pass by here... he won't leave me on Canterlot alone."

"Me neither," he adds. "If I have a chance, I'll be there all of the time I can." Abe takes a breath. "Thanks, again... I'd do anything for you if this ends well... maybe we can talk about that Magnus Street house you asked for."

Suddenly, W's eyes widen and light covers his whole face. "Really?" he says, with a small smile trying to get hidden. "Uh, man... but I said that as a joke, dude... I mean, it's a dream for me but I don't know if it's the best for the busin--"

"We can easily afford a house in Magnus, W... that's our less important problem right now... and the business won't be affected because of a small residence..."

W nods his head. "Yeah, yeah... all of this if... this ends up well, as you said."

"Yes. We've got to focus on that... I wish you luck today... and remember, do your best to find out what's the matter with the guy, but I'm sending you there to protect Rarity... take a look at him but don't touch his nose, except if he goes for her. Remember Rarity is your first priority."

W keeps nodding. "OK, Abe... OK. Shall I pass you to Jack?"

"Please. Good luck, W... and thanks."

He makes a small grin while looking at Jack. "Thanks, Abe." He passes the phone to him.

"Abe?" says Jack. "Yes... um... any news about Patch?" Silence while Jack turns on the right, getting closer to the school. W feels a lump in his throat. "Damn... nothing. I also went to Hoppy's..." He raises an eyebrow. "Oh, you are with Dosh? Cool... you are now doing that? Say hi for me and W. It's almost 12, hurry up. I'll later tell you what happened... bye, bye... wish you luck with the thing... yes... bye."

Jack ends the call and gives the phone to W, which he puts in the glove box, along with the two CDs he saw earlier. "Dosh was there?" asks W. "Again?"

Jack raises his eyebrows. "Looks like he is more attached to us rather than Sabretooth."

The young gangster chuckles. "I wouldn't complain about having Dosh at the table."

"Me neither," replies Jack, also chuckling. "What did Abe tell you?"

W turns his head with his bright face. "Uh, yes... well..." He grabs the bag on the dashboard. "We talked about luck, warning, the same things... uh... and he said if this ends up well, we may talk about that house at Magnus Street..." Now he looks at the wig over his legs. He clenches the fist he uses to hold the wig. Presses it and puts it on his tummy.

Canterlot High

It sounds like a stampede.

When they arrived at the school, they parked right in front of the entrance. Silverstorm thought about vandalizing the Wondercolts' Statue in the entrance, but Cattle Prod thought that was just childish stuff. In this place, they are known as the lords of Canterlot High, and anyone who has the holy blessing of Lord Cattle Prod can walk through the halls of the school with new air on his lungs. Special... protected... under the arms of the king.

The king of Canterlot High.

Cattle Prod opened the entrance door with a kick, letting everyone know who has just entered the zone. The king is back and wants to check out his lands, his town... to look up if any one of his citizens is getting out of control. All of the students who went there to help got scared just by looking at him. He buttons his big white shirt and shows his biceps and well-shaped body. He's warning everybody. He's strong. He knows how to put the fist in your face.

Silverstorm goes behind him and once they get in the halls, Snips and Snails stop walking and look at each other. They find out Cattle Prod hitting the locker doors of the hall with his hands literally sounds like a stampede. Then, the other half reencounters the man. Shouts are heard everywhere in the hall.

"Man!" Duke Starlight hugs Cattle Prod for a second and then Little Ace does the same. They begin to speak loudly for a couple of seconds while laying against the locker doors. Principal Celestia. Vice-Principal Luna. Shining Armor. No one is there to look at the spectacle.

Snips and Snails are frozen. They don't know what to do... if they escape from there, Cattle Prod will look for them again just to beat them up with his friends for running away. "I don't know what can we do," whispers Snips looking at his friend. Suddenly, someone else stops right behind him with a bucket of water. Both kids look at the shadow standing behind them and turn around to look at the mysterious man. He's a grey-skinned, skinny young man with short dark hair, yellow eyes and a tiny chin beard. He's looking at the kids too.

"What are you doing?" he asks the kids. "Standing like statues in the middle of the hall?" The voice of the man makes all of the bad boys turn around and look at him. They know that voice. He and the kids look at Cattle Prod, who points at them in silence after making an evil grin.

"Man!" shouts Cattle Prod, approaching the man. "My man, Dumpling! My favourite janitor... So long without seeing you!"

Dumpling's face is now serious while everyone behind him leaves the hall. Snips takes a step back and looks at the door, but Little Ace grabs his shoulder and crashes him against a locker door. "Not so fast, you prick," says Little Ace. Snails gets angry and tries to punch Little Ace in the face, but Duke Starlight kicks him right in the tummy. "You think you were going to run away so easily?"

"Cattle Prod," says Dumpling, looking at the king right in front of him while leaving the bucket of water on the floor. "Since when do you come here to help people? Do you actually help people?"

One of Cattle Prod's hands fastly attaches to one of the janitor's shoulders while his friends laugh. They are holding Snips and Snails like hostages in a robbery. "I wanted to start my thing a little bit earlier... you know? This may be my last year trapped in this stupid pigsty of a school... and I wanted to end it like only the best ones can do it." The other hand of Cattle Prod now touches Dumpling's other shoulder. The janitor's face does not change. He's serious. "Are you ready for another period of time along with your adorable and kind kids flying around the halls and your room? Breaking your mops?"

Snips and Snails now look at the janitor, who has now turned into the one standing like a statue in the middle of the hall. He doesn't even blink. He only squints his eyes and swallows saliva. "Let me grab the bucket."

Cattle Prod smiles. "Sure." He takes out his hands from Dumpling's shoulders and the janitor slowly grabs the water and turns around. He takes a look at Snips, being trapped between a door and a foot of Little Ace right in his tummy, pressing him against the lockers, and walks away. "See you later, honey." His friends laugh again and Cattle Prod turns around, finding something that surprises him for a second.

There's a familiar, silent figure slowly walking right in front of him, in the halls. She's carrying a small bag while holding a little white bunny in her other hand. Cattle Prod focuses for a second on her long pink hair which makes her recognizable to him. She's seen her several times but never managed to speak or even take a look at him. Then, his friends also take a look at her, Snips and Snails do the same and an additional stain of fear passes all over their bodies. "Have you ever listened to her voice?" asks Little Ace to Duke Starlight.

"Never," he replies. "Better for me, though. I really like shy girls."

The girl stops for a second and everybody shuts up. She heard that. Silverstorm, who was laying against a locker all this time, turns his head and snaps his fingers, trying to call her attention. Her body starts trembling and begins to walk faster while the bunny she's holding in her hands looks at them with pure despair. "The fuck..." whispers Silverstorm.

Cattle Prod, without saying a word, slowly touches Silverstorm's hand, which makes him stop snapping his fingers, only to let him go and slowly start to follow her. "What are you doing?" asks Duke Starlight in a lower voice. The big man doesn't stop walking but turns his head to look at his friend with a serious gesture.

"I think I know where is she going." Then he makes a small gesture with his mouth. "She will take me to where I want."

Halls

Fluttershy starts walking faster while her face is absolutely red. "Sorry, Angel, if I'm being too rude..." she whispers to her bunny. "I'm walking too fast."

She passes by a couple of people until she finds that, at the end of the hall, someone she knows opens a door. The door for her. Her beautiful indigo hair can even be seen from far away. She starts to trot and reaches the door while being observed, far from her, by the evil gang. The four guys look at how the door is closed while Snips and Snails are behind them, frozen in fear again. Snails caresses his tummy due to how painful the kick Duke Starlight gave to him. "What?" asks Duke Starlight. Cattle Prod only points at the door. "What's the matter?"

"My first part of the play may begin in that room," he stops pointing at the door with his finger and stretches his arms one more time. "Let's go."

He and his friends begin to firmly walk through the hall while people pass by them, confused and shocked. The red man starts clapping his hands and his friends start doing exactly the same while punching the lockers and windows. "Honey!" shouts Cattle Prod. Snips and Snails slowly walk behind them. "I'm home!"

And the rabbit's been caught. Duke Starlight is the first one to take a look at the room through the entrance door's window. Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Fluttershy and also Sunset Shimmer are there, organising the tables for a new classroom. However, there is someone else in that room, someone that completely catches Cattle Prod's attention. He sarcastically knocks on the door, making all of them react in a specific way. Fluttershy hides behind her friend Dash, who stops doing her task and clenches his fists along with Applejack and Sunset Shimmer, and Rarity also stands up, with his open, bare hands touching her arms. Cattle Prod knocks one more time and everybody is in silence until he opens the door with a kick. He and his friends enter the room and sit on the clean tables, clapping his hands, while Snips and Snails hide outside. "Hello. Good morning... I'm back..." says Cattle Prod.

Sunset Shimmer covers Rarity and stands against the club of men. "If you want to argue, this is not the right moment. I suggest you leave."

The friends of Cattle Prod start laughing until he speaks in a serious tone. "No, I also don't want to argue... I just..." he looks at one of his hand's nails and flexes his arm, showing his bicep, demonstrating his strength. "I just want to say hi. We are about to start our new year, and this might be the last time we will be together inside the same room, so I want things to change a little bit... I want to end things like only I, the real principal of this nasty place, can do. I'm getting tired of the same shit, showing ourselves how much love we give to each other..." he shows a smile to all of the furious girls. "Isn't that true, Rarity?"

Dash puts her fist on a table but Rarity stops her, touching her shoulder. Rarity, now passing by Sunset Shimmer, gets nearer her ex-fiancé. She crosses her arms and looks at him right in his eyes. "You are speaking pure rubbish."

Cattle Prod raises an eyebrow in silence. His smile drastically disappears and everything is pure tension for seconds. Suddenly, he can't hold it anymore. His serious gesture, who's trying to fight against her furious face, gets destroyed by a chuckle and lets out a laugh. "Me?" So I am the one who is speaking pure rubbish now?"

Duke Starlight gets in the middle and touches Cattle Prod's shoulder. "...darling?" All of the friends laugh at that imitation.

"This is enough!" shouts Sunset Shimmer. "We've already pushed out you of our way and I won't do it again this time. You spent the last three months of our previous year trying to intimidate us and play your games only because you were dumped by her... could you stop acting like an immature child and accept she does not like you at all? We are tired of this!"

Little Ace stands up to confront her, but Cattle Prod raises his hand. Like a dog looking at his owner, he sits down again. Now, Cattle Prod's face doesn't show any joy. He's getting serious this time. He bites his lip and squints his eyes while looking at Sunset Shimmer. "You, really? You are going to tell me I have to stop acting like this?" He gets out of the table he was sitting on and stomps the floor with strength. Fluttershy jumps in her shock. "You are the less indicated to tell me that, girl... because of you Canterlot High had to pay a lot of money to rebuild the school front..." he raises his finger and slowly moves it in the direction of her face. "Because someone who could never accept a stupid crown was not meant to be in only one girl's head destroyed it."

Sunset Shimmer whispers near his face: "At least I admit my mistakes and try to do something for the better of everyone... what have you done besides creeping us out and bullying everybody with your group of friends who act like dogs?"

"I didn't like that!" shouts Little Ace, standing up. "Didn't Rarity tell you what I told her? You dare to call me--"

"Did anybody 'round here call ya?" now Applejack gets in the middle. "Ah guess nobody, sugar cube."

"Oh, you don't dare to shut my mouth up, you cowboy mockery!" He grabs a chair but Cattle Prod touches his shoulder, calming him down. Rainbow Dash and Applejack freeze in their places.

"Leave this aside, I need to take charge on something else now," says Cattle Prod, looking at Sunset Shimmer. "You wanna know what have I done besides that? I bet I'd done more things in a day than you in your whole life."

Suddenly, somebody quickly opens the door. A tall man cleaning his sweat on his white t-shirt, followed by Snips and Snails, who hide again outside the classroom. He gets angry and snorts once he looks at that group of men. "What's going on here?" asks Shining Armor. "What are you doing here, Cattle Prod?"

Cattle Prod now changes his sight and looks at Shining Armor with resented eyes. "Hi, Armor."

"Preceptor Shining Armor for you, Cattle Prod," he instantly replies. "May I know what is happening in this room?"

"He came here to creep us out," says Rainbow Dash, without taking his eyes off Cattle Prod. "With his group. It's not the first time and you know that."

Shining Armor sighs and closes his eyes, angrily. "Another time? We are doing this again?" The group of friends stand up while Cattle Prod remains silent. "Do we have to expel you one more time, before the first day? When are you going to behave like a conscious person, Cattle Prod? Aren't you tired of eating the mind and the heart of others?" Little Ace smiles at that and Shining Armor finds out. "Why are you smiling? What are you laughing at?" Shining Armor fastly closes the door, slamming it on Snips' and Snails' faces. "You think this is funny? Think this makes me laugh?"

"He doesn't," replies Cattle Prod, approaching the preceptor once his friends make a gap for him to get out of the tables. "He does not think that."

"I'm not talking to you. I'm talking to him."

"He doesn't need to talk..." Cattle Prod gets nearer Shining Armor. The girls slowly get nearer them in case something happens. "Listen... last time you shouted at me I told you something... Do you remember that? The guy I told you about last year?" he whispers in Shining Armor's ear. A drop of sweat slowly slides over his face. "The one who tried to blackmail my brother?"

"Every time you don't know what to say you bring your brother to the conversation," replies Shining Armor, not even looking at him. "You are just acting like a spoiled child, and do you know something, Cattle Prod? You may get that special help, but the day your brother stops helping you... you're gonna fall like glass to the floor."

Cattle Prod gets a bit shocked at Shining Armor's words... not even his friends make a move. The girls are all static. However, once Cattle Prod moves his head and slowly gets his head far from Shining Armor's ear, he smiles. "Sometimes I have that childish attitude, I admit it... like Sunset Shimmer admitted her mistakes..." He turns around and winks an eye at her. "But there's something in what you said that it's absolutely wrong... I cannot fall..." He puts a hand over Shining Armor's shoulder. "Not even Principal Celestia can remove my ass from my seat and you know why. The day I fall, the day this whole place dies. I am the King."

"The King of Toilets," replies Shining Armor, breathing in his face. "You think you are the king, but you are just a bully who tries to play like God."

"You wish you were the king of toilets..." Cattle Prod squeezes Shining Armor's shoulder with his hand. "Because you think you are the one who rules in this room, but both of us know you are just a little rat who tries to be a king." All of his friends laugh at Shining Armor and start shouting because of how rude sounded, and Cattle Prod approaches Shining Armor's ear. "I don't even have to ask you to know you remember every detail of what I told you about my brother. The guy who tried to blackmail him is now fish food in the sea."

He lets the shoulder go and walks away from the room, being followed by his friends. Shining Armor doesn't do anything. He's now frozen, looking at a fixed point, lost in reality. He slowly touches his shoulder and sits at a table. The girls don't even say anything because of everything that has just happened and Shining Armor doesn't even want to look at them because of how shocked he is. How can he be so evil?

Meanwhile, outside...

At the same time, a car casually arrives at Canterlot High and parks on the opposite sidewalk. W swallows saliva when observing the enormous purple building on his eyes. His pupils shrink and he squeezes the wig against his chest. "Shit and fuck," he says. "I never thought it was such a big building..."

"Don't be scared," replies Jack. "The school is big, but you won't walk around the entire place... once you learn which is the way where you have to be... it's just that way."

W turns around. "And what if that way is the whole school?"

"For a couple of days? I don't think so... besides, you are in a college course, not in a school year... things may get much more simple..." Jack takes a breath and stops his eyes on a beautiful car. "Holy... look at that car."

"What?" W also takes a look everywhere until he stops in the black car on the opposite sidewalk, right in front of the building. "Holy shit..." he puts his head against the window. "That is a special one."

"A sports car... I don't know the model but is an expensive one. Few people can actually buy that vehicle."

"And it's black... it clearly gives it a touch. Unique."

Suddenly Jack turns his head to look at the entrance door and finds out something that widens his eyes and makes him touch W's shoulder with his hand. "Stay out of the window," he tells W with his eyes widened like a reptile. The young gangster raises an eyebrow.

"Why?" W also takes a look at the front door and understands what's going on. "Oh..."

Four big boys get out of the school, running and jumping to the car. One of them actually stops and kicks the big statue with a horse that stands in the middle of the courtyard. "Take this, fucking horse!" he shouts. However, all of the attention of both gangsters focus on just one of the four men. The biggest of them is a red-skinned man, who Jack points at.

"Silverstorm! You asshole!" he shouts. "I told you kicking that statue was stupid! Come on!"

"Come on, Cattle Prod!" he shouts. "It's just a statue! They'll fix it again!"

"And the only thing that won't get fixed is your face if you don't come here, you dumbfuck! Come on!"

Silverstorm immediately goes to the car while another man looks at Cattle Prod. "You should have punched that guy right in the face, Cattle," he says. "It would have been perfect... it may have changed everybody's minds in that room... Shining Armor, Sunset Shimmer, even Rarity... are you sure you don't wanna go back to that freaking classroo--?"

Cattle Prod puts his hand over the other guy's face, shutting him up. "I can wait until Monday... I had enough. Let me go to the bar and have a fucking beer, Ace. OK? I've just been ten minutes in that place and my patience was gone after looking at that stupid blue-haired Rarity and that shining asshole face from Armor." After that, he opens the black car door and turns it on. Everybody else gets in the car and goes away at an incredible speed, ignoring other drivers and almost crashing against another car on a corner.

W and Jack are in silence for a couple of seconds. "Shouldn't we follow them?" asks W, turning his head to Jack. However, his partner shakes his head.

"No. It's too late now." Jack lowers his window. "Those guys really like speed. Besides, he said he got out of the school after looking at Rarity, so she may be inside. Remember you have to protect her... we'll later take a look at that boy." He sighs. "That kid is Cattle Prod, then..." says Jack. "Spoiled child, I see."

"And he even has that car..." adds W. "That means..."

Jack bites his lips. "Rich family, maybe... or it is robbed... or laundered money, I don't know, but he has the car." Now he looks at the young gangster one more time, and then at his hand holding the wig. "Don't forget the papers. Are you sure you're ready for this?" Then he opens the glove box and gets out the bag of sweets.

W remembers something. "Wait, before... Can I leave my phone in the glove box?" asks W. His partner raises an eyebrow.

"Which one?"

"The one with the contacts, you know... just in case."

"Which contacts?"

W raises his shoulders. "You, Abe, Eye Patch, Snowblind..."

Jack bites his lips and makes a decision. He nods his head. "OK," he says. "But do you have another phone?"

"I have another one in my trenchcoat." He takes a phone from a pocket on his jeans and leaves it inside the box. Then, he gets out another cellphone from his trenchcoat and shows it to Jack before putting it in his pocket. "So... the wig, the bag, the name..."

"Take a breath. Take a long breath... Firstly, last time I ask you this... are you sure you want to do this now?"

W raises his shoulders again. "Well... uh, now that we have everything we need, I just, you know... Abe said the faster, the better. Right?"

"There's no way back once you get out of this car with that wig. It will be the first day of Swift Arrow."

W takes his first long breath of the day as Swift Arrow. "Yes, I know."

"You also said we had two days to make this... a lot of time for you. You don't want to revise something again?"

"No, Jack, I mean..." he stutters. "We have the wig, we have the name, we have the lenses, the papers... what else do we need? And I just... I'm feeling this shit like an anvil... I want to get it off my back, OK?"

Jack nods his head. "Well... put on the wig, then. The transformation begins."

W nods back and puts the wig on, looking at himself through the rear mirror. "Don't laugh, OK?" Jack chuckles while looking at him. "I'll beat you up if you do it."

"I won't." He chuckles and raises his eyebrows after W puts on the wig. "I don't recognize you with that. At all."

"Me neither," he says while scratching his neck. It's a bit uncomfortable but he will get used to it. "Okay... I'm feeling nervous. I'm feeling like a gothic teenager."

Jack tries to comfort him. "Calm down, calm down, you know we've done this a couple of times before. Take a breath... close your eyes..."

"That's what I'm doing, man!" he says. "Think... I have to think about good things, um... things that I will get as a reward..." He closes his eyes while trembling. "Uh... the Magnus house, and a nice bathroom with a nice shower and a nice fridge... uh... and this school... this place is enormous but I've seen bigger things, right? Buildings... big buildings..."

"Butter Valley," says Jack.

"Yes! That's right!" shouts W, pointing at his partner. "Butter Valley is the biggest place I've ever seen... and it's way, WAY more dangerous and hectic than this simple, purple, happy little school."

"Yes, yes, yes... The bags? The wig? You got 'em. I'll help you with the lenses..."

W swallows saliva. "Yes... don't be rude, please... I'm--"

"You're scared."

"I'm not scared of them!" he shouts. "Come on! Help me to put those shitty lenses on my eyes!"

Courtyard

At the same time, two sisters are observing the Wondercolts statue in front of them. The lower part of it has now a couple of scratches due to Silverstorm's kicks. Both of them don't even make a comment until Luna breaks the silence. "I've already warned them. Two of them... Duke Starlight and Little Ace. They were talking to Flash and the girls... but it seems they didn't understand what I told them once Cattle Prod arrived."

Celestia, crossing his arms, takes a breath while now looking at the stairs below them. "We are about to fall into this game again, and I just don't want to go through the same thing over and over..." she sighs. "And the year... hasn't even started."

Luna approaches her sister, frowning. "I still don't understand why don't you confront them and definitely expel them from the school. I know, sister, that the envelopes of threats written by Cattle Prod's brother are explicit and dangerous, but everybody has a limit... and mine is about to break."

"Mine too," replies Celestia, "but I always remind myself of how deep goes Cattle Prod in this... I don't want to have the meeting we had two years ago."

Luna's eyes widen. "You mean... wait... the man with--?"

"The man with two different eyes," she says. "Heterochromia. That's the name of his condition... besides, he was with another man who I think it's Cattle Prod's brother. You remember them, don't you?"

Luna, in silence, nods her head. "Of course."

Celestia, on the other side, shakes her head and covers her eyes. "Yesterday I received the first envelope. I haven't opened it yet... but I know it will be a threat to let Cattle Prod be in here."

"And this is completely unfair, Tia," she raises her tone. "We have to look at the kid breaking everything around us and that's it? Behave like spectators in a play? Didn't you say your limit was about to break into pieces? I swear I'm gonna call those men and I--"

"We don't even have a phone number." Celestia looks at her sister with a cold sight. "We don't even know how are they called or where do they live... but they know everything about us and this school." She puts a hand over her sister's shoulder. "Tell me, Luna... what can we do against them if we don't even know where we have to send that envelope back?"

"We have to talk to Cattle Prod."

"And how many times we tried to and didn't succeed?"

Luna doesn't know what to say. She puts a finger over her mouth and blinks. Then, she sighs. "You're right... but, if we do it again..." Her sister only swallows saliva while looking at her. "Oh... oh. What can we do... what can we do."

W looks at himself in the rear mirror of the car one more time. He doesn't even look like himself with the dark contact lenses and starts blinking non-stop. "Don't blink too much, just in case." Jack looks at his face one more time. "My God... I don't recognize you."

W, now as Swift Arrow, shakes his head. "Me neither... I look like I post depressing shit on social media."

Jack chuckles for a second. "Do you remember what you have to ask?"

"For a scholarship."

"Good..." he says. "Ask me."

W gets confused for a second. "What?"

"Ask me for a scholarship."

"Wha... what..." The young gangster squints his eyes. "Why would I ask you for a scholarship?"

"We are practising, W."

"Man," he raises his shoulders. "Relax. I feel ready. You said it..." he points at Jack. "You said we did this a long time ago, but the difference is... well, it's the first time I do this in Canterlot and... this place is, you know, huge and I, well..."

"And you said Butter Valley is way bigger than Canterlot High... and if you do this, you may have your Magnus House and I swear if you come back with everything done and great... I'll pay for our lunch at Sugarcube Corner."

At that moment, W raises his eyebrows. "No shit... you are gonna pay me the lunch?"

"Yes, if everything comes out good... You've got to get out of this car as Swift Arrow, not W... pretend to be a new kid, lost in the city, looking for a place to study and stay."

"Yes, yes..." He touches the car door's handle. "I'm about to come out... and once I come back I'll specifically ask for the most expensive shit to eat." W takes a long breath and opens the door, but suddenly his sudden burst of adrenaline drains out when he hears something:

"Wait," says Jack. "Don't come out with that trenchcoat."

W remains immobile for a few seconds until he turns his head to look at Jack. "What?"

"Firstly, nobody is going to accept you with that trenchcoat. You've gotta send it to laundry, at least... and secondly, every gangster recognizes you because of it. Everybody knows where that trenchcoat is from. You can't use it."

W is open-mouthed. "Uh, man... this trenchcoat is like... this trenchcoat is like a freaking kidney, you know? I've always used it. Always."

"But you are not going to come out as your real you, we have just talked about this. You will have to pretend to be another guy, someone who does not use that trenchcoat. Trust me... I'll take care of it, give it to me."

The young gangster bites his lips while slowly unbuttoning his trenchcoat. "Man... it feels..."

"Remember that it will be just for a week or two... not only do you have different eye colours and a wig but... you also don't wear the thing that gangsters recognize you with."

"You will take care of it every time I don't wear it," he orders his friend while taking it out of his body like ripping off his own skin. It's too valuable for him.

"Of course, I will take care of that, W," replies Jack while grabbing the trenchcoat and slowly putting it on the backseat. Then, he smells something strange and looks at W, confused. He opens the glove box in front of him and grabs a small perfume. "Put this under your armpits, at least."

"Uh, come on..." replies W after looking at himself in the mirror with dark hair, dark eyes and a white t-shirt. "Do I smell that bad?"

"Sweat, blood, smoke... I don't even know what to add to your actual smell."

"Uh, come on..." W sighs. "Give me that." He grabs the perfume and sprays it all over his torso and armpits.

"You're gonna wet the white t-shirt."

"Come on... it's not water or soda. It's just a drop of perfume..." now W grabs the car door handle and takes a breath. "OK... I go. I will go there..." then he looks at two figures at the entrance door. "Wait, there are two women at the entrance..."

Jack looks at the courtyard too and his pupils shrink. He bites his lips and points at the sisters. He knows. "Oh my... I can recognize them from here with those hair colours... I still can't believe they are natural."

"And who are they?"

"They must still be the Principals of Canterlot High, W..." he grabs his young partner's head to turn it around. "Those women are Celestia and Luna..." he nudges W's back. "Then it's your perfect opportunity to present yourself, alone, with the two main authorities of that school talking to you, W... don't waste this one, go, go!"

"OK! OK!" he holds the handle and opens the car door, but doesn't get out of the vehicle. "Wait... let me take a breath."

"Another one?"

"Well... I need to think about what can I say!"

"W, you have to ask for the scholarship... It's the perfect opportunity! Remember that if everything comes out good I'll pay for the lunch for you, you may have your house at Magnus... think about it! Think about that house, W! A house in Magnus Street for you!"

W loudly breathes and stretches his back before grabbing the bag. He's ready. "OK. OK! Wish me luck, Jack. I'm going there!"

"Good luck, W..." he says to his friend before putting a hand on W's shoulder, stopping him from getting out. He slowly turns his head around to look at Jack who takes a breath. "And remember... You're a brave man." A moment of silence where W as Swift Arrow freezes in the middle of the street until Jack shouts at him. "Now go!"

The silent sisters, looking at each other while thinking about the problem with Cattle Prod, suddenly get distracted and surprised when a mysterious boy who came out of nowhere changes his direction on the sidewalk and starts walking on the left side of the courtyard, heading to the Wondercolts Statue. He gets into the square, looking at the women. Dark hair, a white t-shirt, jeans, brown shoes and a bag in his hand. He's going slowly, with his other hand in his pocket. Luna raises an eyebrow and looks at her sister. "Do you know him?"

Celestia shakes her head and moves from her place. "No." She walks downstairs while her sister Luna follows her from behind. The mysterious boy stops, next to the Wondercolts Statue. Both women walking right towards him make him feel much more nervous than he was before. He holds his head still and crosses his arms while they stop walking a few metres from him. Luna lays against the statue, covering the scratches Silverstorm did to it, and Celestia doesn't take her eyes from the boy, who she hears is swallowing saliva and scratching his neck. However, a second later, the boy's back gets firm, pumps up his chest for a second and flexes his crossed arms. "Hello..." she says, raising an eyebrow. "Can we help you?"

"Uh..." Swift Arrow smiles, trying to make something in his head. "Yes, I... I, uh..." he slowly scratches the wig. "I've been looking for a scholarship for... um, this course... um, its name is... the College Course, isn't it?"

Celestia and Luna look at each other, surprised. Swift Arrow clenches his fists due to his nerves, squeezing the bag handle. "Um," says Luna. "I'm sorry but... the school year's about to begin in two days... isn't it a bit late to ask for a scholarship?"

Swift Arrow, while trying to come up with an idea, shakes his head while pumping up his chest again. "Yes, yes, I know. I'm sorry," he says. "I tried to enrol in another school in... uh, Baltimare and I planned this the entire last two months, but... two days ago I had some problems with that place and..." he raises his shoulders. "They have never answered me again. I tried to call for help from the school staff... but they told me I couldn't be in because of a couple of issues and... well, I'm with no course."

Luna squints her eyes for a second. "We're sorry for that," she says. "However, there's something I don't understand... Mister... um..."

A moment of silence between the three. Swift Arrow blinks for a second, shakes his head and understands the thing... "Oh, my name?" he says. "Swift Arrow."

"Swift Arrow," says Luna, nodding his head. "Um, there's something I want to know... Baltimare is almost six miles from here. Are you currently living in Baltimare?"

Swift Arrow shakes his head. "No. I... well, I'm planning to move here, to Canterlot." He looks around. "It's safer and it's nearer the capital city, Manehattan. I've been also planning to look for a job there..."

Luna nods her head. "A job in Manehattan, right? And where do you live?"

"Yes, miss, yes..." Swift Arrow feels his legs trembling while taking a look at the ground. He remembers he has a bag of forged papers with good marks. "Oh, and yes... um... I lived all of my life in... uh, Manehattan until last year. I did Elementary School and High School in Everton. Here are my transcripts and my diploma from Elementary---"

"Yes, yes," interrupts Celestia. "We're glad you brought your papers to us, but... Canterlot High's new year is about to start in two days... the scholarship offers have been also closed on August 10th, so you are not in the best moment to ask for it. We're deeply sorry."

Swift Arrow's eyes shrink and he feels an anvil coming right at him from the sky. He blinks and lowers his head. "You are right," he says. "Um... I... I shouldn't have come in here because well, it's too late, I understand..." He softly snorts with his nose. "I... the one who has to apologize here is me... I came here too late, I recognize it." He turns around, surprising both sisters. "Thanks, anyway... I appreciate it... I'll maybe look for something else outside the school... go back to my home in Canterlor..." he walks away while whispering... "How stupid I am."

One second. Two seconds. Three seconds. He is still walking away. The sisters look at each other. Four seconds. Five seconds. Six seco--

"Wait," suddenly a woman's voice is heard and Swift Arrow stops. "Can I take a look at your transcripts?" He makes a small smile while looking at Jack's car in the distance. He stays frozen for a second and turns around.

Luna is shocked and looks at her sister in silence, her eyes completely widened, while Swift Arrow turns around and raises a shoulder. "Um... yes?" he asks.

"We have just seen our faces for the first time..." Celestia checks her watch. "A minute and a half ago... you seem to be a humble boy, and one of the things I hate the most is when humble people don't get the chance to experiment with the beauty of education and learning, especially in new phases of life, such as the College Course."

"Uh..." says Luna. "Huh?" she approaches her sister. "What in the world are you talking about?" whispers.

Celestia raises a finger and slowly touches her sister's back with it while asking: "Can you give us your last school year's transcript, please?"

Swift Arrow realizes something weird is going on. Luna looks at her sister, visibly confused, while Celestia maintains a serious face while straight looking at his eyes. He feels intimidated by her and slowly opens the bag to look for it. He grabs the first transcript he finds and gives it to her, with his hands trembling. She and her sister look at the transcript in silence for a second. However, the vice-principal says: "This is Junior. Not Senior."

"Oh." Swift Arrow feels his spine is a frozen ice bar now and doesn't even blink. "Wait... I'll give you---"

"It's OK." Both sisters look at the marks, surprised. Celestia raises an eyebrow, almost making a smile. Things are getting weirder. "It looks like you were brilliant in Everton... but didn't they also offer college courses for their students to get well on with university ambience? Did you look that up?"

Swift Arrow's pupils shrink and he feels a waterfall of sweat coming out of his wig. "I asked for them but... um... I found out at that moment there was... uh... a number limit for students... actually few can enrol in the Everton College Course..."

Celestia closes her eyes for a second, trying not to talk. "Oh, really?" Luna raises an eyebrow while speaking. "They actually put a number limit? I thought they didn't have one in Everton... Didn't Mayor Mare tell you there was no limit in it?"

The man thinks he has screwed it already and swallows saliva, but Celestia saves him on time when she grabs her head: "Um... let me think, Luna... I don't remember it so well now..." Her sister raises now both eyebrows, surprised while grabbing the transcript from her hand. She sighs and keeps reading the transcript where she finds something.

"Mmm... an A in Maths?" she chuckles while looking at Swift Arrow. His eyes shrink and his teeth grind. Motherfucking Calc... Why did he put an A in MATHS? "Not too many students can flaunt that..." She looks at her older sister now, who looks at her back with serious sight. "So... what are you thinking?" she whispers. "Why that face?"

Both sisters look at each other in silence... and Luna squints her eyes, blinking. Celestia crosses her arms, frowning, and looks at Swift Arrow. "Would you stay here? We need to talk in private for a minute."

Swift Arrow bites his lips and slowly nods in fear of his wig coming out of his head. "Yes, yes... no problem... thanks. Thanks." He keeps nodding while both sisters walk away but not taking their sight off the young man... Jack, looking at everything from the car window, raises an eyebrow and slowly grabs the car door handle for a second, but decides to stay in silence and keep observing.

While standing in the courtyard's staircase, Luna looks at her sister in shock while holding Swift Arrow's transcript. Both of them can't stop looking at him... but Luna, for a moment, looks at her sister in pure confusion. "What are you doing?" she asks her. "You were the one who always told me we couldn't give any scholarships to students who asked after August 10th... and now you are asking for transcripts from someone that hasn't even sent us a request letter?"

Celestia stays in silence for a second while not taking her sight off Swift Arrow. "You are right, Luna."

Luna raises both eyebrows. "And why are you doing this?"

"I'm trying to do something. There's something about this Swift Arrow... that I don't like."

Luna chuckles. "Now you say that? Me neither, Tia... I didn't like this kid since the first moment we saw him. Why are you suddenly letting him in?"

She blinks. "No, sister, no..." she puts a hand over her sister's shoulder. "I'm not thinking about letting him in... Now that we are once again being chased by Cattle Prod and his family... I..." she rubs her hair, looking at her sister. "I know there's something here that... I, we... need to scrape. There's a spark in me that's getting tired, that wants to dig this. The only thing we don't need now is much more mystery."

"And... you think this kid has something to do with Cattle Prod?"

She bites her lips. "Not sure but... once Cattle Prod left this place, this boy magically appeared out of nowhere in the courtyard, specifically asking for a scholarship when the course is about to start in two days." She puts a finger over her chin. "Besides, he asked for a Canterlot scholarship after being rejected from a Baltimare school... while looking for a job in Manehattan? Why did he choose Baltimare? And if he's living in Manehattan... why would he choose here instead of Everton?"

"He even said he had a house in Canterlot... did you hear that?"

"I did... maybe it was a mistake from him, but..."

"And you said you didn't remember if there was a limit for those courses in Everton."

Celestia shakes her head. "There isn't." Luna's eyes widen again. "I talked about that with Mayor Mare days ago, before the final day of scholarships in Canterlot High. There are no limits for students."

"So..." she blinks. "He's lying."

"Maybe..." Celestia moves his head. "Maybe he is."

"We should get him out of here, then... I don't want a liar in the same halls as our students."

However, Celestia raises her hand and touches her sister's shoulder. Her serious face doesn't change. "Me neither, but..." she says. "Let me do something... tell him to come to my office with you."

"What?" Luna shockingly asks. "You literally said..."

"Trust me," she says while getting her cellphone out of her jacket's pocket. "I'll call Mayor Mare while you do that... I have some questions."

"You're going to tell her about this?"

"I'll ask her if she knows him." Celestia opens the entrance door while Luna takes a breath and approaches the lost kid. "Tell him to pass by my office in a minute. I'll go for Shining Armor."

"And what if he has...?" Luna stays in silence for a minute and does a gesture with one of her hands. "You know... something... that may harm... don't you think you are trapping yourself?"

Celestia stays still while holding the entrance door. Suddenly, a couple of students appear at the end of the hall and walk to her. "Miss Celestia... we've just finished with the lab room... is there anything where we could help?"

Celestia swallows saliva and looks at her students with firm but confused eyes. "Um... let me tell something to my sister and then..." he puts her hand over her face.

"Are you OK, Miss?" asks one of the students but the principal smiles back.

"Yes, I am..." she replies. "I think I haven't seen the students who went to the IT Room... could you check out if they are OK, please?"

The students nod their heads while going there. "No problem, miss," replies another and everybody walks away. Once she looks at them going far from the door, she looks at her sister again.

"You said you were tired of being the spectator of Cattle Prod's disorder, sister... and despite I don't show it so much like you do... I feel much more tired over time because of this situation we don't deserve, neither us nor all of our honourable and respectable students... I just..." she bites her lips. "Want to know something. Besides," she raises her finger. "I've got the pepper spray on the office in case things get bad." She makes a small grin with her mouth while checking her phone.

"And you think that's enough?"

Celestia puts the phone over her ear while biting her lips and taking a long breath. "It will be more than enough if we are together, sister."

Meanwhile, Jack is looking at his partner, who is in the courtyard, staring at nothing for a second until he slowly approaches the car. He stops right at the sidewalk when Jack lowers the passenger seat's window. He shows his blue face through there and raises his eyebrows. W, in response to his gesture, only lifts his shoulders while observing the sisters. Now they're not looking at him, so he takes a look around the street and raises a finger, about to take a step into the pavement, getting near Jack, but the older man shakes his head, stopping the fake man from moving. He bites his lips while something starts vibrating in the car. Jack feels it's coming from inside the glove box and decides to open it. Right there, W's cellphone is vibrating and has a call...

Who is it now? At this right moment? He grabs the phone for a second and the name automatically appears on the screen.

📲 INCOMING CALL

SNOWBLIND

He looks at W but suddenly the situation changes. The woman he recognizes as Luna is now talking to his partner while walking away from there... he is out of the conversation and is left alone with the call... however, once he is about to answer, Snowblind hangs up.

He is left blank with the cellphone's block screen and a notification of a missed call. "Fucking junkie..." Jack sighs while holding the cellphone. He starts speaking. "W, you need to really think about your friends' mental sanity..." he says to himself before laughing. "Including myself, too."

New message from Snowblind: yo

"Uh, come on, Snowblind..." he says. "I won't answer you." When he's about to leave the cellphone in the box, the cellphone receives another message.

New message from Snowblind: got newz bout dream raider thing

Suddenly he stops doing what he's doing and looks at the phone screen.

Dream Raider.

New message from Snowblind: answer me when u can dubs

Dream Raider. That friend from W.

Jack's arm starts shaking while unconsciously reading that message. He, along with Abe and Eye Patch, told him not to mess with what he was thinking. Dream Raider is a stupid child, now jailed because of the unbelievable and overly stupid decision he made.

The thing Jack wants the least is W being inside a stupid plan to get this asshole out of the jail.

Are you sure you are Swift Arrow?

Author's Note

This chapter was unintentionally published on May 23rd, but it was actually released on May 28th.

Trollestia Moment.

Are you sure you are Swift Arrow?

Celestia's Office

The office doesn't even have its lights on, something really strange for a woman like Celestia. She likes everything in her place to be under the light, shiny, but now she feels so disgusted she doesn't even want to turn the lights on. She's under the weather while hearing Mayor Mare's voice from the other side and sighs, reading in her mind the words of the principal of Everton School on the phone. "Yes, Mayor Mare," she responds. "Thank you for doing this for me. I was confused with my sister and decided to look it up..." a moment of silence. "No, please, let me take charge of this situation... I'd do this right now..." another moment of silence where the Principal approaches her door while turning the lights on. "Please... yes." She smiles while slowly opening the door. "Yes, yes... I strongly appreciate it, Ms Mare... yes... and say hi to all of the staff for me, could you?" she chuckles. "Yes, I'll do it here too, of course... goodbye."

Celestia ends the call and instantly facepalms, clenching the other fist. "When is this going to end... gosh..." she whispers to herself before opening the door, at the same time her sister enters the school along with the mysterious Swift Arrow. He seems to be confused and disoriented, looking at the school's ceiling with shrank eyes. Celestia can't take her eyes off him, feeling blue and, at the same time, tired of this. Her sister Luna looks at her and recognizes that sight, so she begins to walk faster and slowly nudges Swift Arrow's arm. However, when the older sister raises a hand, both of them stop walking. She approaches Luna and looks at the fake kid for a second, forcibly smiling. "Um... Mr Arrow?"

Swift Arrow blinks and fills his chest with air, getting firm. "Yes, miss?"

Celestia looks at a blue chair next to the office's entrance door. "Would you like to have a seat and wait a minute there? I need to solve an issue with my sister before we get into our conversation."

"Yes, of course..." responds the kid and goes to the chair. "I'll wait here."

"Excellent." Celestia smiles. "Just in case something happens and we cannot answer, Preceptor Shining Armor is in the hall. You can ask him anything you need." Both sisters start walking into the office. "We'll go back to our chat in five minutes or less."

"Sure, sure." Swift Arrow didn't even finish his sentence when the door was closed. The fake man crosses his arms, sits on a chair, and looks around. He finds out there is a tall, pale man with dark blue hair looking at him, laying against a wall in the middle of the hall. Is that guy Shining Armor? He also crosses his arms and deviates his sight a second after Swift Arrow looks at him. The fake kid, then, slowly makes a move on his chair and scratches his sweaty neck. His hands are trembling. His whole body feels like an earthquake... he thought this would be easier but things are getting much weirder over time, he thinks. Those strange looks both sisters had between each other... he mistook the Senior transcript with the Junior one also... it's a minor mistake but... no. No. Things are weird and may get worse... he stretches his arms, calling the mystery man's attention again, this time approaching him. Both men look at each other for a couple of seconds until something blocks their sights: Vice-Principal Luna gets out of the office, and this time all of the lights from inside are on. She looks at the blue-haired preceptor for a second and winks an eye, leading him to nod his head. Swift Arrow slowly stands up and Luna looks at him: "Wait a minute, Shining Armor... You can get into the Office... Mr Swift Arrow." She makes a small but fake smile while letting him in... and he takes another look at the preceptor standing in the hall and finds out he is once more laying back against the wall, straight looking at him with judging eyes. He feels a bit intimidated because of this but once he enters the Office he calms down... for a second.

Luna enters after him and closes the door, while Celestia is sitting on her chair with his transcript on the desk and a turned-on computer which makes Swift Arrow tremble. What is she doing with that computer? "Sit down, please," says Celestia, and Swift Arrow sits on a chair in front of the lady. Her perfume blinds him while trying to fight with his sweaty head, which is getting much and much hotter because of the wig. He turns his head back for a second and finds out Luna is right behind him, without saying anything. They are trying to intimidate him, aren't they?

"Um..." Swift Arrow stutters and then looks at the Principal. "Is everything OK?"

Celestia crosses his hands and puts them over the transcript. "Yes," she says, in a serious tone. "I just want to clarify some things before."

"Hm-hmm..." Swift Arrow only makes a small sound with his mouth, not even opening it. He slowly nods his head while Luna gets out of his back, approaching her sister.

"Firstly, I want to say we, as an institution and the main, official authority of it, are on the verge of an... administration issue which involves several things that are not necessary to be explained... so what we don't need now is much more mystery and confusion."

Swift Arrow, despite his confusion and shock, holds his air and keeps his body firm and well-shaped, looking at both women. "Um..." he swallows saliva. "I understand and I'm sorry for that but... you mean I am... mystery and confusion because I arrived late? Um... sorry. I'm deeply sorry because of that."

Swift Arrow finishes his sentence, and Celestia slowly moves his head to the computer. "No. It's not because of that." She intimidates the kid with her eyes again. "There is something in the transcript you gave us that... we don't understand."

The fake kid raises his eyebrows, surprised and concerned while clenching his fists. He doesn't want to let the bag go. "Um... yes? Which thing?"

"No, um... it's not something specific that did call our attention, Mr Arrow," says Celestia, while the situation is getting much tenser. "It's the paper itself."

The kid squints his eyes and clenches his fists much harder. "What... do you mean?"

"Well..." Celestia puts a hand over her chin while analysing the transcript with the other one. "I began to doubt when you told us so many city names... you tried to apply for a Baltimare course but they rejected you, so you came here to Canterlot while trying to look for a job in Manehattan... you also mentioned you had a house here."

"Wait," interrupts Swift Arrow, shocked. "I did mention I have a house?"

Both sisters look at each other. "You did," replies Luna. "You don't live in Canterlot?"

"Uh..." Swift Arrow bites a lip. "Well, I moved from Manehattan a year ago and I'm... yes, I'm currently living here."

Luna raises her eyebrows. "OK..."

"But..." Arrow speaks again. "Yes, I know this city thing is a bit confusing but well, I decided to ask in the Baltimare school at first because an older relative recommended it to me."

Once he finishes speaking, Celestia nods her head while her sister puts her hands over the desk. "And you showed these transcripts to the school principals?" asks Celestia.

Swift Arrow stays frozen for a second, feeling fear inside his stomach, but decides to nod his head. "Yes, I did."

Celestia slowly nods her head while biting her lip. She grabs the transcript and looks at it again. "When you gave me this transcript... I don't know why, but I felt there was something..." she pauses for a second. "strange on it..."

Swift Arrow raises his eyebrow while biting his tongue. "Strange?"

"Yes..." she nods her head. "There's something me and my sister just... didn't understand, so I decided to have another voice next to us to solve this problem..."

Swift Arrow squints his eyes while Celestia is slowly grabbing a landline phone on his desk. "Uh... who?"

Both sisters look at him while Arrow looks at Celestia's hand over the phone. "I called the woman who, supposedly, was your Principal all this time."

And at that moment, the fake kid's pupils completely shrank. His back feels like cold ice, and he feels his lungs stop working for a second until he opens his mouth and widens his eyes. "What?"

"I called Mayor Mare to ask her if she knew about someone called Swift Arrow in her school," Celestia is about to grab the phone while Luna crosses her arms. "Surprisingly, the principal told me there has never been a student named like that on her system."

"No, wait..." Swift Arrow raises a hand. "That's... that's, uh... um... impossible." He begins to calm down. "That can't happen. There must be a mistake..."

"I also said the same," Celestia replies while making a small grin with her mouth. "... but Mayor Mare and the staff reupdated the student registration system this year, which has all of the students in Everton's history listed on it, and looked for your name three times. She couldn't find anyone named like you, Mr Arrow." The kid wants to say something, but he feels his whole mind going blank. "I decided to talk to you here so we can have a serious chat about this, with no one interrupting us. My sister and I want you to tell us why are you here... and I'm afraid that if you don't answer our questions, we'll call the police to solv--."

"Wait..." Luna interrupts her sister and takes a look at the transcript again. "Wait a moment. The sign. Mayor Mare's sign is there... did he fake the sign?"

Celestia pauses for a moment while Swift Arrow is absolutely blank. She looks at the transcript and finds out something she didn't focus on. The sign... "This is Mayor Mare's sign. A perfect copy of it... That's..."

"No..." says Swift Arrow, shaking his head. "No. This is impossible... There must be a mistake! I swear I was in that system. Last time I checked that system my name was there!"

"No. You can't check that system," suddenly interrupts Luna, angrily pointing at him with a finger. "Only the Principal and authorized staff from Everton have access to that system... and besides, you said there was a number limit for Everton's college courses when there is no one."

Swift Arrow's jaw starts trembling. "Wait... what... there..." he whispers. "There isn't?"

"No," replies Celestia. "There are no limits for students to enrol in these courses from Everton..." she blinks. "Are you sure you enrolled in the correct course?" The kid wants to keep talking, but he doesn't know what to say. He has already screwed it up... the limits, the system, the fake transcript... everything is about to fall... or maybe has already fallen. "We're being polite and kind enough to let you talk right now... We want to know who are you and why are you here... if you don't answer, I'll call the poli--"

"I confess." Swift Arrow suddenly raises a hand, without looking at both women in her eyes. He touches the wig but suddenly lets it go. He looks at both sisters, trying to come up with something related to what he's thinking. He swallows saliva one more time while thinking about his partners. Jack is waiting for him... and the lunch he bet for is also doing the same... and what about the Magnus Street house? Will that be true? "I'm... uh, I'm a private investigator."

Now all of them are confused, even the one who said it. "Excuse me?" Celestia raises her eyebrows.

"Private investigator?" also says Luna.

"Yes, um... uh..." he facepalms, putting the bag he's holding on the desk. "I... I don't know where to start." He looks at both sisters, trying not to blink. "My real name is Swift Arrow, yes... but... you... you're right... I wasn't at Everton... I'm actually, uhh... a private investigator who works for the Canterlot Police Department."

Celestia squints her eyes, bizarrely surprised. "A private investigator who uses his real name for a fake identity?"

"Well..." Swift Arrow makes a small smile. "This is... well, was, until I screwed it up like the fool I am, a secret investigation we were working for..." he nods his head. "With my partners from the CPD."

"A secret investigation?" interrupts Luna. "On our school? Made by the police?"

"Uh-huh... like you said it. It's a secret thing we are doing."

Celestia opens her mouth: "By letting fake identities enter our establishment two days prior to the beginning of the school year without letting us know?"

Swift Arrow clenches his teeth. He got literally roasted on that. "Well... it was not the best plan, you know... it is hard to understand."

"I agree," harshly replies the Principal. "I don't understand this... I'm afraid I'll call your partners so they can clarify this situation for m--"

"No!" suddenly shouts Swift Arrow, raising his hand, about to touch her phone. "No... no. You put me in this chair, in this office so we could have a serious chat about this... I swear I will answer all of your questions if we talk together, without calling anyone. If my boss Gallantry finds out I screwed it up... he will kick my ass, please."

Both sisters get surprised and feel a strange relief when the kid says the CPD's commissioner's true name. "Well... we were trying to have a serious chat with you when you were playing a fake kid," says Luna. "You will answer all of our questions, CPD worker, without even showing us a police ID?"

Swift Arrow's back freezes one more time. What can he do to justify that? "Um... I never carry my ID... but..." he looks at the right. "There's a partner who does it for me... he's uh..." He's going to do it. "Um..." He's going to do this! "He's waiting for me outside."

Celestia's pupils shrank. "You mean..."

"He's an old man... he's basically my teacher, a veteran cop... his name is..." Swift Arrow squints his eyes. "Tied Shoe."

"And can we talk with your teacher now about this?"

Swift Arrow is silent for a second until he raises a hand again: "Wait, wait... firstly, I want to do what I promised. I will answer all of your questions."

"Why are you investigating the school without our consent, then?" Both sisters ask the same question and scare Arrow for a second until he puts his fists on the table and takes a long breath.

"Well... I think..." he stutters. "I think we are on this table, trying to fight against the same... administration issue, as you called it before on this chat."

Swift Arrow doesn't say anything until Celestia grabs the phone: "Explain further," orders the Principal.

The bomb is about to be released. Swift Arrow makes a small grin with his mouth: "Cattle Prod..." both sisters widen their eyes and feel goosebumps. "Right? Is that your administration issue?"

Surprisingly, Celestia leaves the phone and starts chuckling. Luna does too, a second later. "Now? You magically appear now after all of our calls?" The principal stops smiling. "We've been calling the police for years and the only answer we got from them was Commissioner Gallantry telling us that Cattle Prod was just a normal kid with troubles at his home, and he even said he wasn't guilty of committing such acts..."

"Looks like somebody forgot the fact that this is a school," adds Luna. "One of the most important learning establishments of the country... not the house of a kid who can do whatever he wants. It's completely unfair and we tried to stop him uncountable times, but people from outside this place do everything to keep him here."

Swift Arrow nods his head, listening to everything she's saying. "Hmmm... I apologize in the name of my partners, especially my boss Gallantry, for taking so long... but it's because we were following the rules of our secret investigation about this kid named Cattle Prod... and now we know that it looks like... he has suspicious contacts."

Celestia and Luna suddenly don't feel so tense anymore. "I agree," Luna nods his head and keeps talking. "Sadly, we came across some of them."

Swift Arrow's eyebrows raise while he feels goosebumps all over his body. He's crossing limits, asking things that only the sisters may know. "You did?"

"Yes," replies Luna. "I could say yes because we only talked to them by phone. We don't know any of their faces. Besides, unknown people often send us threatening letters inside envelopes which are usually left in the school."

The fake man is left open-mouthed, in shock. Looks like Cattle Prod is more than just a spoiled kid. "Um... OK, that is something we didn't know about..." he feels surprised. "That's a huge update in the case," replies Swift Arrow. "May I know, in the name of my department, what do these letters say?"

Out of nowhere, Celestia fastly approaches the fake kid with a furious sight, making him lean back in his seat. She stands up and puts his hands over the bag of fake transcripts. "It's what I already told your commissioner and didn't even listen to. Death threats," replies Celestia, angrily. "Not only warning us with our own deaths, but with the murders of several students of this school... we have already received pictures of our own students walking on the streets, stuck to small papers with information about them... names, the names of their parents, address, ID. Every time we expelled this boy and his group of friends, an envelope appeared the next day on the football pitch, with photos of children with futures, passion for learning and love for life, telling us that if we don't reintegrate him into school again, those pictures would be stained with student's blood." Both Luna and Swift Arrow are now frozen in fear after this big woman's rant. A serious, charming and delightful principal shows his anger about this. He sits back on her chair and sighs, not deviating her sight from Swift Arrow. "Is that a huge update for you, Mr Arrow?"

Nobody says anything after the monologue. Luna only lays against the wall, looking at a fixed point. "Tia..." stutters Luna.

Celestia clears her throat. "I'm deeply sorry. I know I sounded too rude, but I had that message in my throat for a long time, Mr Arrow. Anything that involves my own students in this gruesome way really makes me lose my temper."

Swift Arrow rubs his wig and shakes his head. "Uh... it's OK. I... um... I didn't expect this kind of information at all. This is... completely shocking and disturbing." He takes a look to the right and finds out Luna is holding an opened envelope which she is now reading. The Vice-Principal reads the letter with pure confusion and anger, despite not showing it on the outside.

Written on a typewriter, it seems.

***
TO MY BEAUTIFUL STRAWBERRY PASTRIES CELESTIA AND LUNA

YOU KNOW WHAT YOU HAVE TO DO

DON'T MAKE ME WRITE AGAIN OR ELSE YOU WILL HAVE ONE OF YOUR STUDENTS WITH ITS TONGUE COMING OUT OF ITS THROAT HANGING OUT AT YOUR DOOR

HERE YOU HAVE THE NEW COMPETITOR FOR THE LOTTERY

RAINBOW DASH

BOW HOTHOOF; WINDY WHISTLES

84 GALLOP STREET

YOU CAN EVADE A HAPPY FAMILY SLAUGHTER IF YOU LET HIM BE

💧.

***

"Can I, as a cop, take a look at the envelope?" asks Swift Arrow, which deviates Celestia's sight to her sister. Luna almost takes this as an offence but tries to swallow the anger she had while reading the letter. She looks at the fake kid with angry eyes.

"No. It has information about one of our students. I'm afraid we cannot share it."

"Well, wait... I'm trying to help, along with my partners, in this... I won't share any informat---"

"I can't give all of my confidence to a man who literally faked the sign of a prestigious school's main authority," interrupts Celestia. "Or did your teacher Tied Shoe fake it for you?"

Swift Arrow swallows his words and takes a breath. "A forger from the cops did it for us. I deeply regret that... I also confess I never shared any of these transcripts with authorities from Baltimare nor any other school principals or anything. You are the only ones outside the department who saw this."

Celestia and Luna look at each other again... "I still don't understand if you're trying to help," says Luna. "Do you know the same things we know about Cattle Prod? Do you really think there is a way to bring him down... and you want to do it?"

Swift Arrow maintains a serious gesture. He's about to release his inner speaker. "My boss, my partners and also my teacher Tied Shoe and me know a lot of things about this spoiled, stupid kid and we have been waiting for this moment. Despite the original, pathetic plan ending up horribly wrong... this plan B we are creating right now, out of nowhere, can help both of us... me and my partners, and also you." Swift Arrow, with new air in his lungs, stands up. "I came here, along with my partner Tied Shoe, to act like a newbie student from the outside," he starts walking around the office. "However, on the inside, I'm a spy. I'm an intruder... a subject in black, whose main objective is to recollect all of the possible information about Cattle Prod and his contacts. Get to talk to him, the faster and nearer possible. Learn his acts, his manners, his behaviour... and bring him down, once and for all." He stops speaking, raising a finger and standing next to a wall which has a framed picture hanging on it: It is a big group of people, smiling and looking at the camera. He can easily identify, in a matter of seconds, a young Celestia because of her attractive purple hair. Then he reads a small sentence at the bottom of the picture: "CANTER ZOOM'S ACTING CLASSES. YEAR 1997" The classes. The Acting Classes. That means--

"I would like to speak with your partner, Tied Shoe," interrupts Celestia, bringing Swift Arrow back to reality. "Immediately."

Swift Arrow feels a cold drop of sweat slowly falling from his fake wig. "Um... he dropped me here and left for a couple of minutes... uh..."

"Wasn't he outside waiting for you?" asks Luna.

Swift Arrow nods and leaves the wall. "Yes, but... well... he told me he was going to--"

"Call him," says Celestia, speaking like a rock being thrown at his face. "If you have a phone. If not, tell me his phone number."

"No, no," he says. "I have a phone. I have his number."

"OK," says Celestia, with another fake smile. "Call him." W feels scared of her attitude.

Jack's Car

From: Me
To: Eye Patch, Abe

Looks like W's been planning with Snowblind to get Dream Raider out of jail behind our backs. Answer me once you finish so we can stop him... tell us later about the reunion Patch. - J

He can't believe W is actually doing this behind his back... he, along with Abe and Eye Patch, literally took care of him when his parents weren't there. The three gangsters were, in a way, his parents. Adoptive parents in the gruesome world of the mob. They taught him how to speak, negotiate and behave like a mobster, the only thing they knew how to do... they gave him a home, food, a life out of the horrible destiny of a lonely child in a dirty orphanage... what could have happened if Bloodswan and his family took him out of there and used him as what they call a teddy bear... a cheap dealer and defenceless hitman? How long could have he lived? They literally saved him from being that, and he stabs them on his back with this. No. No. He told him not to mess with that... Dream Raider committed a mistake and now he's paying it in the prison. He's paying his lack of respect to the boss in PRISON. "Stupid kid," he says to himself. "Stupid, stupid kid..."

INCOMING CALL

W

Jack is surprised at seeing this. W? Calling from inside the school? What's going on?

He answers. "We have to talk later, once you come back. What's going on?" Nobody answers back and Jack feels paranoid for a second until a strangely appealing but angelical voice starts talking.

"Principal Celestia talking, Mr Tied Shoe."

Jack instantly gasps and touches his chest with his other hand. His heart starts beating faster. What the fuck has just happened? What the hell is happening? "W... What? Where's my part--"

"Hey, T. Tied Shoe, listen..." A familiar voice speaks. Sounds like a young boy. "It's me, Swift Arrow... I screwed it up... the original plan, man, I'm deeply sorry... please, don't tell Commissioner Gallantry about this, please..."

Jack tries to calm himself down when he opens his car's sun visor. "Uh... um..." He starts looking for a card in the middle of a pile of small papers he gets out from the visor. Suddenly, he finds a small police ID with a young Jack's face on it.

"CANTERLOT POLICE DEPARTMENT - BADGE no. 687

SARGEANT TIED SHOE"

Lucky son of a bitch. He remembered it. That stupid fake name he no longer uses. He still doesn't understand what the hell has just happened there but he won't be taken by his own confusion and anger. He takes a long breath and closes his eyes: "What... what happened? May I know what's going on? Is he OK?"

"He has confessed he works along with you and other partners from the Canterlot Police Department on a secret investigation about our problem with Cattle Prod, mister," replies Celestia. Jack is feeling nervous when hearing her voice, but he's trying his best. "May I know why were you doing this... part of a plan, without letting us know and after all of the phone calls we left to your commissioner asking for help?"

Jack stays in silence for a second and deeply thinks about what he's going to say. "We're sorry, Miss Celestia. We intended to do this without involving innocent people. I recognize the idea I made along with Subcommissioner Blunt Weapon of infiltrating Swift Arrow into the school was fastly planned and not fully checked... but we didn't have much time to begin with what was our main project..."

"Can I talk to him about what you told me about the envelopes?" is heard far from the phone. It's W's voice... and he knows something that he doesn't know. "It's something he needs to know."

"Not now," replies Luna, also on the phone. Jack, confused and still with his other hand in his chest, feeling his heart like a machine gun, recognizes that voice.

"What is that envelope thing? Is something important for the investigation?"

"It is," replies Celestia. "However, I wanted to talk to you because your younger partner explained the whole original plan you had in mind and told us that his plan B, which is letting us in your secret investigation to know the truth about Cattle Prod, could be helpful for both the Police Department and the School itself."

Jack begins to think clearly without letting himself go off his nerves. "Well, in my opinion... if we are looking for the same objective, we should work together to reach for it..." He takes a long breath. "We should let my partner stay in that place as a fake student so he can provide information about this man to both of us." There is a really uncomfortable silence between both. "And of course... keep it silent. Only you and... the Vice-Principal, isn't it? should know about this secret investigation. It's more than enough."

Nobody replies To Jack's words and he feels his heart beating faster. Celestia speaks again: "Could you tell me who you are, Mr Tied Shoe?"

Jack blinks twice and feels his heart stopped beating. Is she talking to Tied Shoe?... or is she talking to someone else? To the real him?... He calms down, reading the fake ID he has on his hands that W luckily remembered: "Canterlot Police Department. Sargeant Tied Shoe. Police Badge No. 687. You want more information?"

"How curious... Your voice reminds me of someone I haven't seen for a long time."

Now Jack's skin gets completely pale while feeling his heart exploding into pieces. Swift Arrow, the fake W, on the other side, gasps while looking at Celestia. He finds out she's looking at the same picture he observed minutes ago. The one from the acting classes. "Hmmm, well... that would be just coincidences, Ms Celestia," replies Jack, talking as Tied Shoe, "because I've never talked to you until now."

"Hm," she makes a small sound. "Maybe it was just a coincidence, you may be right..." She looks at Luna, who slowly nods his head while biting his lips. "I'm looking at my sister right now. We will only grant our full consent to participating in this project if you want to call it like that, if you promise we will have a chat with Commissioner Gallantry about this and if you let me and my sister take charge of your... spy while being on this establishment." Celestia looks at Swift Arrow one more time, with an intimidating sight, which makes him lean back on his seat one more time.

Seconds of silence where Jack thinks about what has Celestia said. He mentally processes it twice and says the first thing that comes into his mind. "Done."

Celestia raises an eyebrow. "Is that a yes?" Swift Arrow widens his eyes.

"That's a yes, Miss Celestia," replies Jack. "I'll now arrange a meeting with Commissioner Gallantry as soon as possible."

"Before Monday."

"Before Monday..." Jack sighs for a moment. He feels his whole body trembling.

"Excellent. We will be looking forward to the reunion, then, where I'll explain to Gallantry the envelope problem he didn't want to hear about. I wish you a nice day, Mr Tied Shoe."

"Wish you a nice day too. Goodbye." Jack fastly ends the call and throws his phone into the passenger seat, putting his head against the wheel. He starts breathing heavily for a couple of seconds until he calms down.

Swift Arrow is now paler than a sheet of paper, looking at both sisters in pure confusion. He feels scared of them now, and Celestia only gives him the phone and stands up. Luna snorts while crossing her arms. "You've got what you were looking for, Mr Arrow," tells the Principal to the kid. "Welcome to Canterlot High."

"Now?" asks Swift Arrow, turning his head around, and looking at Celestia. "I will have to... now?"

"The College Course begins on Monday 30th," she replies to the now new student of Canterlot High. "Remember we are only letting you and your partners play this game on our school because we both want to end with the chaos and fear caused by Cattle Prod and his mysterious contacts. I don't want my students to be in danger one more time. We're doing this not for my sister and me, but for all of them."

Swift Arrow nods his head."Of course... I also don't want them to be in danger, miss Celestia. We also want to end with this Cattle Prod thing."

"I still think your help has arrived a little bit too late," interrupts Luna, "but, what can I say... you and your partners literally tried to do it on your own without even telling us."

"Until I screwed it up." Swift Arrow grabs his head and sighs while Celestia grabs the door handle.

"Do you know this school has dorms, don't you?" asks Celestia, turning around.

Swift Arrow slowly nods his head. "Yes, I know."

"We'll get you in a dorm, then... We will let you do what your original plan was meant to be. A fake student, a spy... but every night, between 10 and 11 PM, I want you in my office to tell us everything you've observed. Is that OK?"

Swift Arrow stands up and takes a long breath. "Yes... can I say something else?"

"Yes?" asks Luna.

"I just wanna say... I've met several guys over the past few years... but none of them manages to be scarier than you two."

Luna chuckles while Celestia makes a small smile which tries to hide. "That's why we are the principals of this school." She, after a long time, opens the office's door and finds out Shining Armor is still standing there, but this time talking to Rainbow Dash. Neither of them is happy while talking. Something has happened... maybe Cattle Prod. Once Celestia opens the door, the preceptor looks at her, surprised, and Rainbow does naturally the same. "Rainbow Dash?"

She raises an eyebrow. "Um... yes, I wanted to talk to you, Principal Celestia, about Cattle Prod..."

Celestia bites her lips while hearing that name. She sighs one more time. "I know what are you going to say. Shining Armor has already told me and we will take charge of that."

"Are you sure about that, Miss Celestia?"

"More than sure, Dash," she replies while calling Swift Arrow with her hand. He immediately stands up from his seat and gets out of the office. "I want you to do something to clear your mind for a second." Swift Arrow looks at the girl and gets surprised by her bizarre rainbow-coloured hair. "He is Swift Arrow. He's your new partner on the College Course... may you show him the dorms and the main classrooms to help him to get introduced to the school system?"

Shining Armor's eyebrows raise in shock. He wasn't expecting that at all... when Luna winked an eye at him, he thought they were going to cut loose ends... what is going on? On the other side, Rainbow Dash only swallows saliva while crossing her arms, but a second later he shows a smile to the new kid in town. "Sure," she replies. "Come on... I'll show you the dorms."

Swans

MAIN RULE WHILE VISITING MANEHATTAN: WATCH OUT FOR THE BLACK CARS

Manehattan

Eye Patch was terrified when he found out what was waiting for him on that Manehattan corner.

He was driving to the infamous Butter Valley, house of the Swans, respecting the main rule he invented and taught to all of his workers, including Abe, Jack and W. Watch Out for the Black Cars. Those are the ones driven by the most dangerous people that exist in this country. Those are the cars driven by Bloodswan's workers. He hasn't seen any one of them yet, feeling a strange sigh of relief... until he arrives at that corner.

The intersection between Wildglow Street and Blueblood Avenue. There is a car repair shop which looks small on the outside, but actually hides more than just mechanics, cars, tools and the smell of oil. It's one of the most powerful places in all of Manehattan. Once he arrives at that corner, he lowers his car speed and looks for a second for the name of that store:

The Lake.

Lake of Swans, Eye Patch says to himself.

From out of nowhere, sadly, appears a black car right in front of him, getting out of Wildglow Street and turning to the left with Eye Patch from behind. He only deviated his sight from the street for one second. One. Freaking. Second... and the car starts his march by switching the left turning light on in the middle of the avenue... it's clearly delivering a message. They have already identified his face. "Star Swirl's sake," he whispers. "Fuck."

The black car turns to the left in the corner and enters the mechanics' store. Eye Patch, for a second, thinks about accelerating but knows that would be completely stupid to do... it would be his death. He stops the car and slowly turns to the left, entering right behind the black car.

He enters the shop, being observed by people infested by the smell of gasoline who act as normal mechanics but are actually mobsters and workers of the most dangerous man in this country. Once the vehicle stops in front of him, he does the exact same thing. He expects three or four men to get out of the vehicle and order him to follow them, but gets absolutely terrified when he finds that there is only one man in the car. Once he opens the door and gets out, showing his monstrous appearance, all of the mechanics in the store stop working and throw the tools away to look at him in fear. A big, tall man who looks like a wall of concrete, with clear yellow skin, a brown military haircut and green eyes. His grey smart suit, with a black shirt and a mustard-coloured tie, makes him some kind of scary, intimidating demigod, but what people are most terrified of him is his cold sight and gestures. He never smiles. He barely blinks. He barely changes... that's why he earned the nickname of the Robot, not only because of his cynical and freezing attitude but for his impressive strength and his legendary record of murdered mobsters.

His real name is Maschine, and he is the Swans' most loyal worker and main caretaker of Father. Eye Patch begins to wonder what's going on... Why Maschine is outside the house of the family?... and why did he specifically stop him? "Ma... Maschine?" stutters Eye Patch, getting out of the car and putting on his sunglasses. "What are you doing outside of the Valley?"

"Father and Mr Bloodswan ordered me to look for the remaining mobsters," he replies to the gangster, not even looking at his face and talking like a computer-generated voice. "They have been waiting for hours and they are impatient. You know Mr Bloodswan hates people who arrive late."

Eye Patch raises a hand. "Once he called me, I did nothing but get myself prepared for the reunion. I apologize if I took so long, Maschine."

"Do not apologize to me... apologize to the ones who are angry because of your lack of organization." He literally speaks like a robot, something that terrifies Eye Patch. His voice seems to be just... nothing. It's monotonous. It's dead. It's cold. He doesn't even shout... he doesn't even whisper. He only keeps the same tone... and makes him unable to answer what he's saying. He feels he's talking to a computer who can kill him with a finger. He sighs and opens his car door but suddenly gets interrupted. "What are you doing?"

He turns his head to look at Maschine and raises his shoulders. "I'm getting in my car. I'll follow you."

"No." Maschine opens his car's door. "Mr Bloodswan is not happy today. He does not want any car related to the family or his workers to be parked in Father's valley."

"What?" Eye Patch squints his only eye. "And you want me to leave the car here?"

"Yes." Eye Patch tries to take his sunglasses off but Maschine interrupts him. "Mr Bloodswan is not happy today. He does not want to see the infamous scar that Red Punch left you." Eye Patch closes the car door in silence and looks at all of the workers. "Do not take your glasses off while being in the car."

"I won't," replies Eye Patch while locking his car. Then, he points at the workers. "I want it like this when I come back... not even a small scratch, you've listened?" The workers look at each other, smiling and chuckling until someone else talks for the gangster.

"You scratch the car and I will make you swallow your own bones," replies Maschine, getting in the car. All of the workers stop smiling. "All of you remember what I did to your partner."

Eye Patch parks the car in silence, inside the shop, and then gets in the car looking at the scared workers, next to Maschine. The whole ambience inside it feels... weird. Tense. Strange. He then looks at Maschine, who is observing the scared workers. "Those workers looked like they've seen the devil," he softly says. "What did you do to his partner?"

Maschine looks at the car wheel. "I did nothing." He pauses while grabbing the keys. "I only sent him to the pet."

Eye Patch's skin freezes after hearing that. His pupil shrinks and he gasps. He only knows one person (if you can call it like that) known as the pet... the monster hidden by the family. "You mean... Grey Blackle?"

"There is nobody else nicknamed the pet in the family, Eye Patch."

"But..." Eye Patch stutters. "I thought Father stopped using Grey Blackle because he thought he was too brutal for what he does..."

Maschine snorts, something strange from him. He did something else. "Both father and son missed the peculiar abilities of the human-pet."

The gangster feels his throat is closed due to his nerves. "Damn" is the only thing that Eye Patch can say about it. Maschine turns the car on and leaves the place with Eye Patch.

Canterlot High

Two young adults, recently coming out of their teenage years (well, supposedly) are walking in a school hall. One of them is absolutely confused and shocked because of everything that happened minutes before, in the Principal's Office. On the other side, the girl is not in her best mood... she is getting tired of this guy named Cattle Prod and his group of bullies, but she's now trying her best to talk to this new kid and show him what this school is about, not only to clear her mind but to make him feel included. "Sorry if I'm a bit under the weather," she tells to her new classmate. "Something happened minutes ago and well..." she makes a small grin while looking at him. "Things that can happen at big schools, right?"

Swift Arrow nods his head. "You feel OK, then?" he asks. "Don't do this if you don't want to."

"No, no, it's OK..." she chuckles while scratching her long, rainbow-coloured hair. "I don't want you to get lost... um..." she stretches her hand to Swift. "Principal Celestia already said my name, but well, I'm Rainbow Dash, classmate, loyal athlete, and also Canterlot High Football Team's Captain." Swift looks at her for a second, chuckling and then shakes hands with her.

"Swift Arrow. Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too," she replies. "I've gotta admit you've got quite a midfielder face. Don't you want to try it out? For the football team?"

That was unexpected. Swift laughs while putting his hands on his pants pockets. "I wish I could," he says, "but I'm really bad at sports."

"Uh, don't say that, dude!" she chuckles. "Don't lower yourself. You won't know how great you are at sports until you give it a try."

Swift Arrow smiles, uncomfortably, despite recognizing the girl is actually kind. "Um, well..."

"Dash!" suddenly another voice is heard at the end of the hall. A shy, purple-skinned girl with glasses and a ponytail. "Dash, um... Rarity was calling you, we are in the cafeteria..." Swift Arrow's eyes widen at the moment she mentions that name. Rarity. She is the one... Abe's granddaughter. The one Abe told him to protect from Cattle Prod... but then, out of nowhere, the girl with glasses points at the kid who is in the middle of them both, like a stranger. "Uh... um... hi?" she slowly waves her hand.

Swift Arrow blinks twice, going back to reality and looking at the girl. "Hi, uh..." he takes a short breath. "Hello, my name is Swift Arrow... I'm a new classmate in your course."

"He's my wingman right now," adds Rainbow Dash, smiling. "Celestia told me to guide him into the school, but honestly..." she bites her lips. "Despite the football pitch, I do not know how to go to any other place... and the school is huge..."

"Did Principal Celestia answer to what you said about..." Twilight pauses for a bit, looking at her. "You know?"

Swift finds out both faces turn into a much more serious gesture. "Yes, I did," replies Dash, "but she told me she will work it out with your brother right now... I don't know what are they going to do, honestly..."

"Uh..." suddenly interrupts Swift Arrow. "Something's going on?"

Both girls look at the kid. "No, no," replies Dash, chuckling. Her face changes. "Something that happened this morning, Swift... can I call you Swift?"

"Yes, yes," he nods. "It's OK."

"Um..." Dash stays blank for a second. "We will go to the cafeteria right now with my friend, Twilight Sparkle. She's the nerdy girl."

"Oh, come on, Dash!" she crosses her arms. "I don't call you the sporty girl."

"Relax, I'm just joking, Twi..." she replies, chuckling. "Well, we go... um, and then my friend Twilight may help us to show you the school," she says while looking at Swift Arrow. Twilight rolls her eyes but doesn't say anything. "Do you want to go with us? I mean... me and Twi's friends are there. All of them are kind and cool... 20% cooler than the rest!" She smiles and then scratches her hair again. "Well, but..." she puts a finger over her chin. "Fluttershy is too shy, Pinkie Pie is a little bit too hyperactive and..."

"You said Rarity also," adds Swift Arrow to the conversation. Twilight raises an eyebrow.

"You know her?" curiously asks the nerdy girl.

"Uh..." Swift Arrow stretches his back. "No, no... I was just saying, because she said... uh, that... name." He chuckles nervously. "Her name."

"Yeah, sure," Rainbow Dash chuckles. "You are learning our names, that's good!" she snaps her finger. "Let us show you the cafeteria, dude. I assure you'll get on well with every one of my friends."

"You didn't ask him to join your team," Twilight bites her lips. "Did you, Dash?" Both Rainbow Dash and Swift Arrow look at each other and the girl squints her eyes, smiling. Twilight sighs, but doesn't complain about it. "It's okay if you say no to her. She does not bite."

"But I do kick!" suddenly Dash starts jumping and fastly moving her legs until she stops several seconds later when Twilight crosses her arms. "Uh... maybe I can train later..."

Swift Arrow emits a small laugh after hearing that. He can't believe the spectacle he's looking at, the weird chemistry between these two girls. He became so focused on it that he started slowly walking towards them, unconsciously.

Jack's Car

"Gallantry?"

Jack is desperate.

His lungs feel crushed after learning what happened minutes ago. How did W get discovered and busted? And what did he tell them? What did he do? He doesn't know what to do and started to tie loose ends, to make, or try to, things easier.

"Yes, yes... Commissioner Gallantry?" he says, talking to someone by phone. "Yes... uh, look. It's Jack... remember me? The guy from Maretreal? The worker?"

He touches his forehead, feeling a cold breeze sticking to his hand.

"Oh, you're busy right now, well... I've sent you a message because of something that happened a few minutes ago... have you read it?"

Silence while listening to what the other man, Canterlot Police Department's corrupt Commissioner, has to say.

"You didn't? Oh. Ok... you've been talking to a partner, oh..."

He lies against the car seat, defeated and anxious.

"Please, if you mind, could you open it and read the message as soon as possible? It's about a problem we had with my partners from the city." He slowly gets up from his tomb but falls back again when he hears that name. "No! No... With the city I mean... um, my city. Please, this is a thing between us and you, Gallantry. I don't want Big Baby to know about this... OK?... but, yes, I know, but I don't want you to tell him..."

Long pause.

"Because it's something quite... you know, personal for us. It's a thing... please could you read the message and call me later if you can't do it right now? Yes?" However, his nervous face changes when he finds out the commissioner abruptly ended the call. He sighs and clenches his fists while still holding the mobile phone, but decides to calm down while leaving it on the passenger seat and opening the car window. He breathes and lets fresh air enters his crushed lungs for once, until the phone rings back. "Goddamnit" he only says while grabbing it to read the name of who's calling:

ABE

His partner. He fastly answers the call while trying to calm himself down. "Abe?"

"Hey Jack. I'm waiting for this lazy-ass guy from the jewellery store to give me the boxes I need to sell. What's going on with that W and Snowblind thing? Do they really want to do that stupid, childish mockery? They wouldn't even last ten seconds."

"Abe," Jack sighs while touching his forehead again. "Now I don't have time to talk about that... something much worse has happened."

A gasp is heard from the other side of the phone."What? What happened? Are you OK?"

"We are... I think. W's been discovered by Celestia and Luna but--"

"No," can be heard. "How did he...? Wait... what? The--?"

"I told you he's been discovered... but his youngster booty was so freaking lucky he managed to elaborate a whole plan B with just talking to them... he had a bit of luck because he actually remembered the fake name I used as a Canterlot policeman."

Pause. "He used the Jumping Manner name?"

"Tied Shoe," he answers, shaking his head. "Jumping Manner was the one I used for Baltimare."

"And why did he use that name for?"

Jack sighs, about to tell the truth he was trying to hide. "Well... he presented himself as Swift Arrow and to justify his speech and save his ass, he said I was Tied Shoe, his partner in the police department of Canterlot..."

Nothing is heard from the other side, but Jack already knows Abe is trying to mentally process what he has just said. "He put you and that department on the bowl too? damn this... Was that the best idea he had?"

"At least they let him in... that's the good piece of news." He takes a look at the school one more time, focusing on two adult women approaching the car. "He didn't call me yet, but once he comes back I'll tell him tha---" He observes what he saw again and looks at them both. Celestia, Luna and their confused but tired faces. They were looking at him for how long? And now they are slowly approaching him? Since when? "Holy... holy shit. They are coming."

"What? Who? Who are you talking about?"

"The Principals. Come on, this has to be a dream..." Jack's hands start trembling while opening the glove box. He takes out the sunglasses he took off, just to calm down, and puts them on his face one more time to cover his eyes. "I've got to hang out, bye," he tells his long-time partner and looks at himself in the rear view mirror.

He can't hide the fact he started sweating and can't stop biting his lips, not only because he is about to talk to two of the most important (and innocent) subjects of this plan, but also because he is about to reencounter an old school classmate. The last time he saw Celestia's pretty, soft, pinkish-white face in such detail... he wasn't even 30 years old. They weren't even in the 21st century... W was just a baby held within the arms of his parents. He has to get prepared... he thought about this since his protégé, the spy, Swift-Arrow-man, left the car. What if he had an opportunity to talk to them one more time? What would he say? What would they say? What would she say?

God, or Star Swirl, or whoever is up there, may have given him that opportunity to find that answer. "Excuse me?" one of them asks. Jack doesn't even see who asked. He slowly opens the car door while feeling the slow pace of time kicking him from behind. He takes his head out of the vehicle while getting his fake badge out of the visor.

He turns around to look at them both, putting a hand in his black jacket and the other holding the badge, touching the air. He maintains a serious face before showing the police badge to both of them for a second. "You must be Celestia and Luna."

Both women stop in the middle of the street while looking at the man. They slowly approach his car, nodding their heads. "So..." Luna says in a low tone, biting his lips and walking nearer the cop. "You sent your young apprentice alone into one of the biggest schools in the country... to lie to the two most important members of the Canterlot High system about something they've been begging you to investigate?"

"And," adds Celestia, whispering while laying down against the car front, "without even telling us about it."

Tied Shoe's forehead is betraying him, feeling colder because of the sweat. However, he knows how to handle this... bruh, he handled worse things than this. "Now that I hear the plan I elaborated along with my partner Blunt Weapon coming from a mouth that is not mine, I do understand the whole..." he shakes his head, closing his eyes, hiding in the sunglasses. "... non-sense of this mess. This was a sketch that wasn't finished. An embarrassing idea... I'm extremely sorry." He slowly raises his hand to his neck with the badge on it. "We were desperate of what was this kid hiding behind his back. It looks like there are things... we cannot describe."

"Us neither," say both sisters at the same time. "That's why we asked your commissioner for help," adds Luna, looking at the badge and then redirecting her sight at the cop, "but he decided not to answer, telling us Cattle Prod was just... a troubled kid."

"A kid that was not guilty of committing such mundane acts," says Celestia, still laying down against the car, crossing her arms and frowning. "Could you show us your badge one more time, Mr Tied Shoe?"

"Um... sure," he slowly takes a breath while showing it to the principal. "Sargeant Tied Shoe. Number 687. Six, eight, seven. Right now, dressed as a civilian."

"We see that," replies Luna with a fake smile, only to approach the cop, getting nearer him. He finds out she had, in all this time, a rolled paper under one of her arms. "Tell me, Sargeant Tied Shoe... could a troubled kid, not guilty of committing such acts, be able to do or be related to this?"

Luna slowly gets out the sheet of paper from under her arm and unfolds it for Tied Shoe's eyes. The cop starts reading:

***
TO MY BEAUTIFUL STRAWBERRY PASTRIES CELESTIA AND LUNA

YOU KNOW WHAT YOU HAVE TO DO

The thoughts of a troubled bully are slowly vanishing from Jack's head. Once he keeps reading the strange letter, the theories of a darker background behind all of this... are slowly being confirmed.

DON'T MAKE ME WRITE AGAIN OR ELSE YOU WILL HAVE ONE OF YOUR STUDENTS WITH ITS TONGUE COMING OUT OF ITS THROAT HANGING OUT AT YOUR DOOR

HERE YOU HAVE THE NEW COMPETITOR FOR THE LOTTERY

84 GALLOP STREET

YOU CAN EVADE A HAPPY FAMILY SLAUGHTER IF YOU LET HIM BE

💧.

"Oh, my..." softly whispers Tied Shoe while slowly taking off his sunglasses. He reads the letter one more time and puts the sunglasses on again. "This is... this... Gallantry never told me about this. This is horrendous."

"And why would he never tell you about it?" asks Luna. "This letter is literally a death threat against a student whose eighteenth birthday was just... weeks or a month ago, I don't know, but a whole life on her future... now... Do you understand why my sister and I wanted your help?"

Tied Shoe sighs for a second and slowly nods his head. "Yes. I truly understand... I'm deeply sorry about this plan I made and developed... it would be an eternal stain for me."

"And it is an absolute lack of respect for us," replies Celestia, in a way that makes both Tied Shoe and Jack feel bad. She approaches the cop and starts speaking in a lower tone, making the man shiver on the inside: "This is the last time I will say it because I care more about my students in this situation than ourselves... it's insane that we begged you for help all this time, only for you to answer with a secret investigation on your own and under our noses. As I told your younger partner inside, we don't have any troubles in... collaborating in what was your original plan but... we want to speak to Commissioner Gallantry to clarify certain things."

"Firstly," fastly interrupts Tied Shoe. "Firstly... now that we are talking about clarifying things, Gallantry may be the commissioner, but I'm the main mastermind of this. I take all of the guilt for this... stupid project. By the time I was making this along with Swift Arrow and other partners and workers... he was helping and raising hands in other cases we are not into."

"We understand," replies Luna, "but we want to talk to him anyway... tomorrow. We are busy now."

He raises an eyebrow, nervously. "About what?"

"Well... you told us you didn't know anything about those letters we receive almost all the time, which appear in the school's pitches because he did not tell you." Luna bites her lips. "We wonder why."

The cop only raises his shoulders. "I don't know, miss... um..." he shakes his head and slowly approaches his car's door. "It may have been a mistake... Gallantry would never do this on purpose. These last weeks have been very heavy for him... we had three big cases in which he focused on... and has never left his chair since... um, look..." he shakes his head. "Could we go back to the letter, please? Could I take it to the department? As evidence?" He sighs and keeps his badge in a pocket, about to take off his sunglasses.

Both sisters look at each other until Luna stretches her arm: "Show it to your boss, please." Tied Shoe slowly grabs the sheet of paper from the Vice-Principal's arms while she takes a look at the school. "I'm afraid we have to go back to school. We've still got a lot of work to do before Monday. As we recently said and if the chat with Gallantry is checked, your younger partner will begin his course in two days, as Swift Arrow, a new student coming from Manehattan. Every night, he will inform us everything that he does inside our establishment."

"Wait a moment."

Both Luna and Tied Shoe redirect their eyes to the one who said that: Principal Celestia, who is now crossing her arms, looking at them both, about to step in on the street. "Tia?" Luna says while raising an eyebrow. Jack, hiding behind his sunglasses, feels goosebumps one more time. "What do you want to say?"

"There's something..." she whispers while approaching her younger sister and the cop. "There's something we didn't tell your younger partner."

Now Luna raises both eyebrows. She remains in silence while the confused Tied Shoe looks at the Principal. He feels her perfume slowly covering his whole body. "Yes?" he says. "What is it?"

She slowly breathes. "I told your partner neither me nor my sister saw the faces of those who may be behind Cattle Prod's back."

"Tia..." Luna is almost covering her mouth with her hand. Tied Shoe raises an eyebrow. "Are you sure about this?"

She touches one of her younger sister's shoulders, while not taking her eyesight from Tied Shoe.

Her eyes... her purple eyes are like spotlights. His old friend from High School, Crescent Bunny, told him they were like stars in the sky. At night. His whole skin and existence begin to slowly move and rise one more time. "Yes?" slowly says Tied Shoe while taking off his sunglasses.

"We lied." Celestia closes her eyes. Luna does not look at them both, but at the school. "We actually saw two men related to Cattle Prod, but we have absolutely no idea about who they are..."

"Is there anything you can describe from them?" Tied Shoe blinks, slowly hiding his eyes again while moving the sunglasses. "Anything you can remember?"

She slowly nods her head and looks at Tied Shoe again. "One of them, the one I remember the least, had short brown hair, clear green skin, some kind of tattoo on his neck he tried to hide from us but was barely visible..."

Jack begins to clench his teeth, nervously. The neck tattoo means something that he does not even want to process. He feels his throat closing, about to explode in pieces. "A-and... what else?" he asks, clenching his fists. "Do you remember the physical appearance of the other man?"

"That's the one we remember the most," interrupts Luna, still looking at the school. "It had some kind of appearance and elegance... that we've never seen on anybody else." Tied Shoe squints his eyes, trying not to listen to her and find out the truth. "He was petite. I don't remember it but... maybe he was 5'3'' or 5'4'' tall. He was wearing a weird, shiny suit coloured in purple and some kind of yellow that completely drove me and my sister out of focus... he had a white hat and..."

Luna pauses when both find out Tied Shoe is feeling lost. He blinks twice, puts on his sunglasses and takes a breath. "Are you OK, Sargeant?" asks Celestia, raising an eyebrow, while the man lays down against the car.

"Don't tell me..." he says, crossing his arms. "This... this petite man you've been telling me about..." he closes his eyes hidden in the dark glasses. "Did he have two different eye colours?"

At that moment Luna looked at Celestia and the older sister, in fear, blinked once. "Yes." Tied Shoe clenches his teeth stronger. "Yes, he had two different eye colours..."

"Who is he?"

...

"Do you know him...?"

Butter Valley

The top of the world.

Butter Valley might be one of the most visually attractive places in Equestria. Huge green spaces constantly living and being under the hottest sun, holding the foundations of some of the most beautiful chalets and mansions of the country, surrounded by pure luxury: cars, decoration, furniture... everything in Butter Valley rains gold, power, money.

People tend to think that Butter Valley is an excentric town, whose inhabitants are the richest of the richest, but what they don't know is that all of the mansions, cars, furniture and every building inside the valley is actually owned by just one family.

A special one.

The main mansion's entrance, located in the Valley's centre, is made of big golden bars which shine under the sun, like the gates to heaven. In its upper part, there is a beautiful sign made with marble and artistically carved with detail, which reads:

"We live together until destiny takes us to our end."

Below the beautiful marble sign, there is a smaller one:

"The Magic of Friendship."

Eye Patch always had goosebumps while reading that sign, despite never admitting it. It's not only a sign, a phrase... it's advice, a warning... something that wants to tell you which kind of people actually live inside.

Two armed men open the gate and the car enters the most powerful place of Equestria. A long path of bricks is run by the car, being the witness to the beautiful landscape of green, trees and the magical blue sky that feels lighter and warmer than any other place. Eye Patch doesn't enjoy it, though. The beautiful land contrast with the horrible human beings inside... he still can't believe those are actually human beings. "What did you do to that tree?" says Eye Patch, pointing at a tree with all of its branches cut in half and with no leaves. It's the only one that is not healthy and feels... different.

Maschine takes a really empty look at the tree. Feels... soul-less. "Mr Bloodswan did not like how that tree was looking at him." Eye Patch raises his eyebrows. "So he sent some workers to cut its branches. To watch it suffer."

A basic representation of the family. "It?" asks Eye Patch. "Goddamnit..."

The beautiful path suddenly gets interrupted when one man gets in the middle of it, like a thief waiting for its prey. A lime-skinned man with formally combed short brown hair and a swan tattoo on his neck. Behind him, there is a huge mansion surrounded by lots of black cars. Eye Patch sighs when looking at that man and turns to Maschine: "Can I get out of the car?"

The robot blinks. "Not yet," he replies. "Wait, until I turn off the car engine."

"Well..." Eye Patch bites one of his lips. "Do it, then."

The gigantic gangster slowly turns his head to look at Eye Patch. "Do not order me to do things, Eye Patch."

The Maretreal man's eye shrinks but does not fall: "I'm not ordering you to do anything... just, I'm waiting."

"You said--"

"Well, it was a saying... I didn't say it as an order, OK?" You understand?"

Maschine, however, does not take his sight off Eye Patch while turning off the car. Once the engine is off, Maschine opens the car door while slowly getting out. Eye Patch slowly opens his door, trying not to get insulted or attacked, and sighs while looking at the man he has been trying to talk to for thirty seconds: "Sharp Baton." Both of them have a smile on their faces. Both of them are fake smiles.

"Eye Patch," happily replies the grandson of the man while Eye Patch closes the door. "Had a nice chat with Maschine?"

He raises his eyebrows. "Pretty good. It was fun."

"Sure..." says Sharp Baton, changing his face into a more serious gesture, approaching the gangster. "Did you tell him why were you getting late to... the meeting, you know?"

Patch only makes a small smile after that. "I prepared myself since the first moment he called me."

"Everybody says the same excuse to the man." Sharp Baton shakes his head and turns around. "Don't waste my family's time and enter the mansion." He starts walking into the house. "Besides, someone else is waiting for you and asked for your presence."

Eye Patch raises his eyebrows while fixing his jacket. "Someone else, who?" he chuckles. "Grey Blackle?"

Sharp Baton stops and turns his head to him. "I'm being serious, Eye Patch." He starts walking again, stepping on a marble slab which heads into the entrance door. "An old friend of yours has asked for your presence twice. He was impatient."

Maschine walks into them both and opens the door for Sharp Baton, in silence. Eye Patch, being stuck in a thought, stays in his position. "Tell me..." he says. "Tell me it's not who I think it is."

Sharp Baton laughs next to an immobile Maschine. "Uh, ha... I knew you were thinking about him..." he only says before entering the mansion in silence. Eye Patch sighs and starts heading to the door. Maschine, he is just standing.

Entrance Hall

The door leads to a long, narrow hall illuminated by a path of ceiling lights. Everything it's delicate, clean and merges Eye Patch into a wave of peace... until he hears a raspy voice at the end of the hall. There is a closed door there. "What are you waiting for?" asks Maschine. "Keep walking."

Eye Patch only sighs while walking to that door. However, once he is about to open it, someone else does it for him: Sharp Baton presents to him the one who has been waiting, who is sitting on a chair, holding a box of pills in one hand.

A mundane man from the first point of view. A big, obese, dark blue-skinned man with short black hair grossly covered in gel, recently shaved and with a big black suit, a gigantic white shirt and a tiny bowtie. Once he looks at the man who passed through the door, with only one eye, he smiles. However, Eye Patch doesn't feel the same. "Did you sit on that chair alone?" he asks seriously. "Or you needed help to stay straight for more than five seconds?"

"Oh, don't be rude, honey," the fat man laughs. "Aren't you happy that you are looking at your father one more time in real life?"

"Just like you," replies Eye Patch. "Did you miss me, son... Baby?"

"Big Baby," replies the fat man. "Big Baby for you, Patchie Patch."

"I'll call you the way I want until you stop mocking my--"

"Well," suddenly interrupts Sharp Baton, who was there the whole time. "I've got to admit I enjoy watching your childish discussions, but my grandfather and my uncle wanted everyone to be silent for a couple of minutes... until everybody arrives."

Both Eye Patch and Big Baby remain silent until the one-eyed man realizes something. "I am the second one who arrived?" asks Eye Patch.

"Yeah," replies Big Baby, chuckling and mocking his rival. "Always the second one."

"Shut the fuck up..." Eye Patch closes his eye and then looks at Sharp Baton. "Can I get a glass of whisky, at least?"

"No," replies Sharp Baton. "Alcohol in this house is only for the family."

Eye Patch sighs while Big Baby can't stop smiling.

Tables

Maretreal

Meanwhile...

"This son of a bitch is killing me on the inside." Abe facepalms while holding his phone. "You have some alcohol left in any of your pockets, Dosh?"

Both workers sent on a mission by Eye Patch, trying to sell a box of something, are now in a narrow, empty and lonely parking lot located next to a jewellery store. Both of them are waiting for a black door in front of them to be opened by the owner. Dosh, laying back against the wall, next to the door, shakes his head while crossing his arms. "No," he replies. "I have my own sweat if you want to."

Abe, sitting in one of Rusty's cars' backseat, with the door left open, chuckles. "I wish I haven't heard that." He stands up and laughs louder. "This is fucking crazy. This day... must be some kind of joke."

"A fever dream," says Dosh, also laughing. "I don't even know why in the fuck I am here... but money smells so good."

"I'm laughing because I don't wanna cry, man... firstly, the reunion..." Abe points at the partner. "You know what I am talking about, right?"

Dosh nods his head. "Yes, that reunion. That's why I came here to drink... the last thing I wanna see is an angry Bloodswan. Once my boss left, I ran away."

Abe facepalms one more time, concerned about everything. "Damnit, man. I'm worried about Eye Patch... and then this W thing... between his stupid plan with Snowblind and now that he got caught by these two women... this boy is gonna drive my mind mad."

"I understand the thing with him and Snowblind trying to get his friend out of jail but..." Dosh raises his shoulders. Why would he be trapped by two school employers?" He laughs. "What was he doing there, in the first place?"

Abe chuckles back, but only says while raising his shoulders, lying with no remorse: "He had some task... Eye Patch told him to go there, maybe to look for a dealer of some kind..."

Dosh raises an eyebrow. "How strange... dealers in schools?" He bites his lips. "And a Maretreal guy going to Canterlot?"

"You can't express your opinion about that..." Abe laughs. "You are a Fillydelphia guy in my city."

Suddenly, the black door is slowly opened by a short, green-skinned man. "Um..." he says. "Uh, god... Would you help me? This bag is heavy, please..." Dosh appears to the rescue and grabs a black bag from the man. Once he looks at the big red man, he smiles and looks at his associate: "Now you are hiring big boys for your work, Abe?"

"Might be right," Abe crosses his arms after scratching a cheek of his face. "We'll call you later, Emerald Pick. Eye Patch will give you the price we told you last week. Now we are a bit busy, you know... reunions and reunions everywhere..."

"Yeah, I know," he chuckles. "The life of the man in the street, am I right? Grabbing hidden things in the dark of the parking lot..."

Abe opens the trunk with a button from inside the car for Dosh to leave the big bag inside. "Yeah, you missed the part where I have to take care of my own ass."

Emerald Pick laughs while closing the door. "Goodbye, Abe." He does not get any answers and locks the door to never come back.

"The man in the street..." Dosh chuckles while closing the trunk. "Is that how you call yourselves here?"

Abe checks the phone while getting in the driver's seat. He checks his phone... not even a text message from Jack. He sighs and looks at the time: 12:15 P.M. "It's a saying... these dudes don't tend to call us like what we really are."

Dosh gets into the car, sitting in the passenger seat. "You say... they don't call you... mobsters?"

"Not in that way," Abe grabs the keys. "Lake of Mage Meadowbrook, uh... I think I have to go to the right and then turn on the left... yeah," he turns on the car. "I mean, not only in that way, Dosh... they don't call me like what I really am... a worker."

Canterlot High

"Oh, and here it is." Rainbow Dash shows the new kid an enormous, green pitch outshined by the yellow sun.

"Dash." Twilight is inside a hall, laying back against one of the doors which lead to the soccer pitch. "This is not the cafeteria..."

"I know, I know!" replies Dash, stretching her arms and a smile. "I'm showing him the places I know."

Swift Arrow focuses on the weird shape of the pitch's circular goals for a second, distracting himself from everything and softly laughing on the inside until Rainbow Dash softly nudges his shoulder: "You have to come here in February and watch us play the yearly local soccer cup. Last time, we were only 4 teams but the matches were..." she stretches her arms, closing her eyes due to the emotion. "Craaazy! The crowd went nuts every time! Isn't it, Twilight?"

"I remember it," she smiles. "However, those last matches where everyone went crazy... I couldn't be there because I was in my room studying for that incredibly hard Maths test..."

Both Dash and Swift Arrow turn their heads around while the girl shakes her head. "Twi!" she says. "Not all of the time has to be spent on reading and studying..." she starts walking into the hall, while Twilight follows her. Swift Arrow does the same, passing through the door and looking around the long hall. He observes the countless green lockers, the calm beige colour of the floor, and the smooth blue of the doors. Everything seems innocent and peaceful. An absolute amusing ambience.

However, he finds something specific that calls his attention. Not many students, including the two girls and, supposedly, him, are walking through the hall and looks like almost all of them have the same age and appearance. Adolescents which are on the verge of the adult world... but he says almost all of them when he stops his eyes and observes two kids, pre-adolescents, getting out of a door with a scary sight. His eyes feel like they were made of glass, due to their shine and lack of soul in them. They don't seem to be scary, but scared of something. The taller kid, an orange-skinned boy with cyan hair, has a cloth on his head which he also passes to his friend, a shorter, plumper boy with brown hair and smooth light blue skin. Both of them look at each other for a second while the shortest kid passes the cloth over his head.

Their sight, their eyes... are they afraid of something?

"Hey, Swift!" The kids listen to that shout and turn around. Swift Arrow slowly turns his head to Dash and Twilight. Rainbow smiles at him. "We thought we lost you, dude! What were you doing?"

He blinks, going back to reality, and tries to justify himself. "Uh, sorry... I was..." he is about to say something, an excuse, but shuts up when he turns his head one more time and finds out the kids are gone. They have disappeared... like an illusion. He has to come up with something quickly and takes a look at the ceiling. "These halls are beautiful. I've never seen anything like that..."

The three of them now look at the ceiling. "Yeah, I agree with you..." says Dash, smiling. "Once you see what the cafeteria looks like, there's no going back."

"Speaking about dorms," suddenly mentions Twilight, slowly heading to another place. Rainbow and Swift unconsciously follow her. "Have the Principals told you which will be your room, Swift Arrow?"

Swift remains silent for a second, looking at both girls, and puts a hand over his jaw. "Well, they told me about the dorms but... they didn't tell me which one would be... I don't even know what they look like, honestly."

"Well... we can show you how they look like if you want," says Dash, then looking at her friend. The nerdy girl only raises her shoulders.

"If you want to, we can show you the place," she adds. "The dorms are apart from here, in the building behind the school. It's not far."

Swift Arrow thinks about what she says for a second and comes up with a conclusion: firstly, he nods, then smiles and says: "Sure... a quick tour, then."

"Great!" Rainbow Dash nudges his shoulder. "Let me present to you the rest of my group and then we'll go to the dorms..."

He finds out he has been unconsciously walking, following them for almost a minute and a half, messing around halls and halls, until they stop in front of two huge brown, windowed doors. He can see through the glass a big space filled with students cleaning tables and chairs. He also finds that strange big man, with white skin and blue short hair, standing in a corner. Preceptor Shining Armor was his name? He looked at him with those eyes... "You want me to present you to everyone?" Dash looks at Swift Arrow, and the boy feels his whole body shrink. Seconds later, after looking at a confused Twilight, she laughs. "Just kidding..."

Cafeteria

Rainbow Dash opens the door and all of the students look at who is entering: once they look at Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle, everybody goes back to their tasks, but when Swift Arrow dares to cross that door, everybody stops again and looks at him for a second, which he feels like endless years. He takes a brief, quick look at all of them, not focusing on their reactions, but on their faces for less than one second, except for that guy who's been observing him since he entered the school. The preceptor is observing him with cold eyes, but he does his best to ignore them. He slowly waves his hand to everyone, makes a small smile and magically one by one goes back to what they were doing. A few of them answer him back, waving their hands, and then there is a special case. One of them, a girl with pink poofy hair and a round pink skirt is standing right in front of him, coming out of nowhere and at just a footstep of distance. She fastly stretches her hand and makes a smile so big that scares him: "Hello!" she says. "I'm Pinkie Pie! What's your name?"

"Pinkie!" shouts Dash, who is now sitting at a table, surrounded by her friends. The poofy-haired girl grabs the boy by his shoulder and fastly carries him to them. He, in fear, puts a hand over his fake hair just in case it falls to the floor.

All of the girls smile, and the boy does the same, although being uncomfortable due to how Pinkie Pie reacted. He looks at all of them, but focuses his attention on two girls: one of them, a pink-haired girl with a white tank top and a green skirt, that seems to be insecure, due to her trying to hide behind another girl which shows another kind of attitude: a classy, pretty girl with white skin and beautiful, shiny dark blue hair. Her appearance brings elegance to the table. "We apologise," she says with a not-so-bright smile, caressing a small, purple dog who is sleeping over her lap. "Pinkie Pie is always enthusiastic about meeting new people..."

"It's OK," replies Swift Arrow, quite nervous due to all of the new things and people around him. "Um... yes, a bit too enthusiastic... but OK."

The girls chuckle, and Swift Arrow feels the preceptor is slowly getting nearer to them. "Celestia told me to show him the school," says Rainbow Dash, looking at them all. "He's Swift Arrow, our new classmate."

"Hello, Swift Arrow," fastly replies a girl with orange skin and red and yellow hair. She waves her hand at him. "My name is Sunset Shimmer. Hope you have a great course..."

Sunset Shimmer. Didn't Dko told him she was a naughty bitch? She doesn't seem to be so naughty at first sight... what did she mean? "Oh, thanks." He smiles back. "Thanks. Nice to meet you."

A blonde girl with clear orange skin, freckles and a cowboy hat stretches her hand to him. "Hello, fella," she says. "Welcome to the school," He, smiling, shakes his hand with hers. "I'm Applejack."

"Swift Arrow," he replies. "Nice to meet you."

Once he and Applejack stop shaking hands, a pink hand appears in the middle and grabs Swift's. "Hello, Swift Arrow!" she fastly shakes her hand for a second and lets him go, with a smile bigger than the previous one. "Pinkie Pie is my name. It's nice to meet you!"

"Uh..." Swift Arrow doesn't know how to react and smiles. "Nice to meet you too, Pinkie..."

"Rarity," now says the classy girl, triggering something into Swift Arrow's mind. He slowly turns his head to look at her. "Pleased to meet you, darling."

"Pleased to meet you too, Rarity," he stretches his hand to her and she does the same, shaking hands. At that same time, the insecure girl, hiding a part of her face behind her pink hair, slowly raises a hand and softly waves it to him with a smile. He, confused but not shocked, does the same. "Hi... hello."

"She's Fluttershy," replies Dash, before approaching his ear. "Don't worry, she's just very shy at first but then she will open to---"

"Dash!" a soft voice in a really low tone, almost sounding like a whisper, is heard on the table. All of them look at Fluttershy who is blushing.

"Aw, Fluttie!" she says, with a cute gesture. "I didn't say anything..." She laughs and then the rest of the girls begin to chuckle for a second.

Swift Arrow sees something in them... all of them chuckling at the same time shows the strong love and care they have for each other. A strong friendship... Everyone seems to be very kind but there's something in the middle of the table he does not see but can feel. A tension... something not solved. Something that may be worrying all of them.

Now she knows the face of the girl his long-time partner and protector ordered to protect and is actually surprised at how different both grandfather and granddaughter are from each other. He would never have believed this classy girl with her beautifully fixed long, dark blue hair is actually related to a bossy, moody guy with a big orange moustache, squared shirts and some of the dirtiest hands he's seen in his hometown.

"And you live here in Canterlot, Swift Arrow?"

That question brings him, one more time, back to real life. He feels lost for a second, trying to find out who actually asked that question, and blinks to calm down. "Um... if I'm currently living here?"

"Yeah," replies Sunset Shimmer, smiling at him. At the same time, Rainbow Dash approaches Rarity, who leaves the dog to her friend Fluttershy, and both of them sit in two chairs at a corner of the table. Swift Arrow looks at them for a second but tries to focus on Sunset, trying not to call attention. "I mean..."

"Yes, yes," replies Swift Arrow, looking at her. "Um... well, I've been planning to move here, to Canterlot, you know, but I have... quite a complex story about my living residences... I lived almost all of my life in Manehattan, but I did some days in Baltimare... and a whole year in Maretreal."

"Huh... well..." Applejack nods her head. "You got a look in almost every place, sugar cube... Manehattan, Baltimare, even Maretreal..."

"Maretreal..." whispers Fluttershy, holding the sleeping dog, but she gets interrupted when somebody else speaks, feeling guilty.

"I'm sorry," says Rarity, getting back into the team. "Before you came here, I was talking to Rainbow Dash about something personal..." a second of silence. "...and we have just finished. Sorry if that made you feel..."

Rarity doesn't know what to say, but Swift Arrow answers: "No, it's OK," and smiles back. "You were sharing a private thing... I have my own things too, it's not a problem. You have your personal stuff to talk about too," he chuckles. "I'm just a newbie talking to you."

All of the girls chuckle, surprising Swift, until Sunset Shimmer says: "Do not feel like a newbie, Swift Arrow..." she looks at him with kindness. "You've got to feel welcome... we are open to everyone in this school, and everyone else is and should be too."

There is a moment when all of the girls look at each other with a glimpse of confusion. It didn't even last a whole second but felt like a really long, uncomfortable moment. Maybe what Sunset said, thinks Swift Arrow, doesn't feel so real after all...

"I agree with her," then says Dash, and nudges his shoulder, "You're welcome to Canterlot High and we also welcome you to us, and maybe everybody else..."

"Feel like this is ya new house, sugarcube," adds Applejack with a small chuckle. Swift Arrow, from out of nowhere, feels warm on the inside. He doesn't understand what is going on now, and makes a small, unconscious smile, showing his teeth.

Apart from that small group of friends, a man cleaning a table is still observing him. He can't take out from his mind the fact he walked into the room behind his little sister Twilight Sparkle. Shining Armor is still asking himself... who is, really, this mysterious man?

Jack's Car

Wow.

On the other side, Jack is hiding under the sunglasses that present him as the fake Sargeant Tied Shoe, laying his head against the car seat headrest. This day must be some kind of joke... or a dream. He has to wake up.

He has to wake up.

Of all the men that could have possibly been behind Cattle Prod... why the worst and most dangerous choice has to be near the one? He says to himself, to calm down, that they don't know if that weird, small man is actually that man... but falls again when he thinks about the other thing...

Two different eyes. Two different eye colours. He only knows two men in this world with heterochromia, the name of that condition. One of them is a crippled old man rotting inside a wrinkled yellow skin. However, he is not any old dork... it's Father. The boss itself. The other one, the one who matches best with Luna's description, is none other than his heir, his remaining son: Bloodswan.

He doesn't even react to what he was thinking, because it seems that whoever it is up there, in the skies, it's just laughing at him. This can't be possible... this must be also a mistake he's just making in his mind, appearances do match sometimes... do they?

He looks at the school entrance again. The purple building. No one he knows or recognises is standing at the entrance and tries to calm down, but then he looks at something weird in his rear mirror: a car stopping right behind him.

It's a car he has never seen in all of his time in Canterlot: an old but well-kept brown one, and observes the man on the inside. He doesn't know him. He hasn't seen him anywhere. The mysterious man slowly gets out of the beautiful vehicle, hiding his eyes with sunglasses. He is using a smart brown suit which matches his dark yellow skin and dark brown hair. Besides, he is holding in his mouth a small wooden pipe. Once he closes the car door, he takes a bit of his time to take a full look at the school. He observes the building while getting a box of matches out of his pants pocket, lighting one of them to turn the magic pipe on. Jack doesn't say anything and keeps observing the man, completely surprised by him.

Who is him? Who is this man? What is he doing right here? Jack slowly touches the car door, about to come out, but decides not to do anything when the mysterious man turns around and releases smoke from his mouth. He whispers something to himself: "Oh boy, here we go..." and softly puts a hand over his car's roof for a second to cross the street just later. Jack doesn't stick his eyes from him. He may not know him, but there's something in that guy... which makes him doubt his appearance.

Hall

"And you keep him in the school?"

"Yes. I left him to my parents once and didn't end so well... they overfed him and got a bit sick after that." She pauses. "Oh, how foolish! I didn't tell you his name... he's Spike." Three of them are on their way to the dorms. Twilight is now holding her dog, named Spike, in his arms. He seems to be still sleeping, but has one of his eyes barely open, looking at Swift Arrow. The boy, having no experience getting on well with pets, looks at him with confusion. "Do you want to caress him? He does not bark... even less biting."

"Nah, it's OK..." Swift Arrow stutters. "Um... I'm not a pet guy."

"Oh, really?" asks Rainbow Dash. "Wait until you see my pet Tank. He's a turtle..." Rainbow Dash pauses for a second to chuckle, "...but the best turtle on this planet."

"And everybody's minds changed when they met Angel," adds Twilight.

Swift Arrow raises an eyebrow. "Angel?" he asks.

"Fluttershy's bunny," she replies. "She is always playing with him while hanging out in the dorms. He's so cute! It's the prettiest." Suddenly, Spike starts growling slowly while opening his eyes and looking at his owner. "Well," she corrects herself. "After Spike, of course."

The three of them pass through a big grey door at the end of the hall and find themselves in a small green space located in the middle of both big buildings. Once they come out of the purple school, Swift Arrow looks at a place he couldn't see while being in the car. A quite smaller but still big beige building filled with front windows covered by white curtains. Right at the entrance, two big brown doors welcome everyone who enters the Canterlot High dorms. "These are the dorms," Rainbow Dash says. "This will be your home during the week."

Swift Arrow feels no air in his lungs for a second until he lets it go. He calms down and observes the building with a vague glimpse. "Wow," he only says, shocked due to the new presence... "I have never seen this part of the school."

"It's because the purple building is more visually attractive for the cameras," Rainbow Dash jokingly replies. "You want to take a look at one of the dorms for men? They're all the same but..."

"I'd like to," replies Swift Arrow. He, for a moment, turns around to look at the school's backdoor, thinking about Rarity. He wants this to be faster, before time or the day itself eats both Jack and him for granted. "I'd appreciate it, girls."

"Sure..." says Twilight, smiling and caressing Spike. "There's not too much to show you, though. The normal stuff you would see in a dorm, such as shared beds, a small bathroom..." Swift Arrow's skin freezes when he hears those two words together: shared beds. Will he really end up sharing a room with other students? "Oh, Professor Dry Law!"

Twilight Sparkle stops and approaches an adult man who was walking in that small space between both buildings. Both Swift Arrow and Rainbow Dash look at him, and the boy gets attracted by his unique appearance: a pretty brown suit, cool and shady sunglasses and what most calls his attention: a small wooden pipe in his mouth... and he's actually smoking from it! "That's Professor Dry Law," Rainbow Dash tells him. "He teaches Law in Junior and Senior year of Canterlot High... and I'm afraid we will have him again on this course, one more time..." she sighs.

Swift Arrow looks at her. "And what are you afraid of...?"

She closes her eyes, yawning. "Yike... students, except for Twilight, not even participate during his classes because everybody falls asleep by just looking at him..."

"Well, I don't know..." Swift Arrow responds. "Law is not my thing but... that pipe is actually really cool."

Dry Law and Twilight Sparkle laugh at the same time while having their conversation. "Gosh, don't tell me they are talking about..." Rainbow Dash facepalms and sighs.

"About what?"

"Well, let me put you in context..." she touches one of his shoulders and shows him her other hand. "Do you know that the College Course has a final essay where you have to make an exposition about a free topic, right?"

Swift Arrow gets surprised at that and doesn't know what to say... will he be unlucky enough to fall into this? Or maybe, by the time he disappears from Canterlot High, teachers wouldn't even have mentioned it. "Yes, yes," he says, unsure of himself.

"Well, Twilight has been obsessed with this final exposition since we finished Senior Year a couple of months ago... and is literally typing anything she hears or thinks about as a possible topic." The boy makes a small chuckle. "I don't judge her because even I know that is a bit hard... but I already told her it's not necessary to over-analyse topics and make scraps of something that hasn't even started... what if the Principals decide that this essay is not necessary this year? And all of her effort... you know..."

"Yeah, I understand..." Swift Arrow feels Dash's hand getting out of his shoulder. "She may have done all of that because of nothing."

"Yes, yes..." she says, and facepalms one more time. "And these last few days she came up with some really bizarre topics. Yesterday she was talking to me about..." she chuckles. "I'm embarrassed to tell you because it's a topic you will never see in an exposition."

Swift Arrow smiles, trying to find out what she's meaning. "What? Why?"

"Well, it's..." she laughs. "It's quite bizarre but, I swear my friend never investigates things like this..." she bites her lips, still chuckling. "She wanted to make an essay about the equestrian mafia."

Rainbow Dash couldn't see him when his face changed completely. From a sudden curiosity for finding out what she meant and a small chuckle, everything for Swift is now concern and shock. The boy remains confused, with a serious face, slowly turning around to look at Rainbow Dash. "Really?"

"Yeah, big surprise, isn't it?" She raises her eyebrows and shoulders but doesn't feel what Swift Arrow is actually feeling right now. Confusion. Shock. Is she really gonna do that? "I swear Twi was never interested in this but saw potential in it because one of our teachers used to work with this journalist, um, I don't remember his name..."

Swift Arrow's skin begins to feel goosebumps again. Which journalist may she be talking about? He is only thinking about one. Just one journalist. "A journalist who wrote about the mafia?" asks Swift Arrow. "Don't you mean?"

"I think his name was Edinburgh," adds Rainbow Dash. "You know him?"

Swift Arrow sighs after hearing that and doesn't know what to say. This is the day where everything magically connects with everything else. "Edinburgh Tyler," he says, chuckling. "Yes, I know who he is... or was..." he takes a look at the school's backdoor. "My... friend used to read his articles and stuff... such a shame he died. And you said there was a teacher here who worked with him?"

Rainbow Dash nods her head. "Mr Parsons... he's now our kind but also monotonous and a little bit boring History teacher... I think we will have him again on the Course."

Things are being clarified. Edinburgh Tyler. Mr Parsons... maybe Glasgow Parsons? The infamous duet Jack always talked about?

"Oh, jeez." Twilight Sparkle returns after her quite long conversation with Professor Dry Law, who only waves his hand to both Dash and a mysterious Swift Arrow lost in reality and enters the school. The boy looks at the nerdy girl now, raising one of his eyebrows, a little bit surprised. "We have a long conversation about the law."

"Rainbow Dash told me you were going to write an essay about..." he pauses for a moment. "...gangs?"

Dash raises her hands, trying not to say anything, while Twilight only bites her lips. "Well... it's one of the options I have for my final exposition but I don't think it is the one I will choose, honestly. I truly don't like this kind of thing, I prefer topics related to numbers and science, but I decided to type it in my notebook because I can write huge paragraphs from it." She takes a breath. "I've been structuring arguments against the horrifying crimes committed by the late gang Clock of Canterlot in the past... and analyzing the behaviour and reaction of the equestrian society at that moment to verify and conclude in several things I've been writing about." The three of them are approaching the beige building. "Besides, Mr Parsons, who worked with Edinburgh Tyler in the '80s and '90s, told me that I have his support."

"Hmmm," Swift Arrow stutters, looking at the door, trying to sound helpful but not too evident. "Seems interesting, Twilight..." he looks at her. "Can I call you Twilight?"

She smiles. "Yes, sure."

When he's about to say something, Swift finds out the dog, still lying in Twilight's arms, has now both eyes open, and is straight looking at him. "Seems good, it may have potential, but I don't know how the Principals will react to someone speaking about illegal business and crime organizations for an exposition. It's... I don't know, it sounds... unappealing."

Both girls get silent while walking through a small stairway to arrive at the entrance. "Well..." Rainbow Dash appears again. "I'd lie if I say I don't agree with him..."

Twilight only nods her head. "That's what I've been thinking this week... it's a possible option I can choose but... I always think about how Celestia and Luna will feel when her student Twilight Sparkle speaks about... guys in suits who make crimes and live in the dark."

"That doesn't sound Twi to me," replies Rainbow Dash, chuckling. Swift Arrow opens the door.

Dorms

The entrance is a small room which breaks in half, leading to two wide halls. The left one has a sign that says: MEN and the right one has another that says WOMEN. Both halls have doors on both sides of their walls and finish with a large white stairway on their end. "I'll think about it." Twilight looks at Swift Arrow. "These past few days I've been investigating and researching lots of scientific stuff... and I get on better with that."

"Well, I'm not telling you to leave it definitely but..." Swift Arrow swings his head. "I'm saying that it may be a bit out of what the school staff is expecting to... you know."

"Yes, you're right" Twilight Sparkle nods her head again, and looks at the room in front of them, observing the halls. "Um... This is the entrance of the dorms. All of the students sleep here and all of the floors are divided according to our school year. Apparently, we are going to sleep on the last floor this year."

"And all of the rooms are basically the same?" asks Swift Arrow. "According to what you told me."

"Yes, in fact," replies Rainbow Dash while looking that one of the rooms in the hall of men has its door opened. "And look, there is one right there, which is open. Do you want to take a look?"

"I don't know," says Twilight Sparkle, unsure. "Can we, as women? We will cross the halls of--"

"Twi!" interrupts Rainbow Dash, about to hug her friend. "The world is not going to end because of you stepping into a hall meant for a different genre..." Swift Arrow only chuckles while approaching the door. However, Rainbow Dash runs and passes by him, being the first one who arrives at the door. "I won!"

Room 5

Rainbow Dash knocks on the door, barely moving it, and finds out there is actually no one in. She decides to enter and shows both Swift Arrow, Twilight Sparkle and a now woken up Spike a normal dorm room from Canterlot High: a calm ambience, with a smooth blue floor and cyan-coloured walls. There are three double-deck beds in the room, two stuck to the wall, opposite the entrance, and the third one next to the door. The three of them are also separated by two big cupboards and another brown door inside. "These are the beds... which are really comfy." Rainbow Dash touches one of the pillows. "I'd admit that I prefer sleeping in one of these beds rather than my actual mine."

"Well, there are not too many differences in comparison to our old room..." says Twilight Sparkle and then looks at Swift Arrow. "We had Room 25 last year. Three double-deck beds just like here, and we even convinced the Principals to add a single bed for our friend Sunset Shimmer. We made the best parties in that room." Her eyes start shining. "Gosh..."

"Let's take a look to the bathroom to see if these boys know how to keep it clean," says Rainbow Dash while slowly opening the brown door, but suddenly her joking way of speaking fades away: "Oh. No."

Twilight's eyes stop shining and raises an eyebrow. Swift Arrow moves away and enters the small bathroom, only to find Rainbow Dash looking at the bathroom sink full of burnt cigarette butts. He approaches the small bath hidden by curtains, passes by the narrow hall occupied by the sink and the toilet, and finds the cigarette box inside the bathtub. He grabs it and reads the name of the brand: "Crazy Stickmen."

"Ew... how gross," says Twilight while looking at the burnt butts in the sink. Spike, now on the floor, smells the burnt tobacco and starts growling. "Who was smoking here? In the dorms? And dared to leave the cigarettes in the sink?"

"Here you have the box," says Swift Arrow, giving it to Rainbow Dash and laying back against the bathtub. "From what I know, uh... Crazy Stickmen is a pretty expensive cigarette brand..."

"I think these are the ones Duke Starlight and Little Ace smoke together," replies Rainbow Dash before putting her head against the white ceramic of the sink. "Gosh... every time we turn around... these guys... this guy, is ruining everything..."

A tense moment until Swift Arrow unconsciously lets something go from his mouth: "Who? This guy?" he says, "Cattle Prod?" and at that moment both girls stick their eyes to him, feeling like nails touching his skin. He gets surprised at their reaction.

"You know him?" asks Twilight. Spike growls at Swift Arrow now, and he looks at the dog.

He blinks and then looks at the girls. "Well... the Principal mentioned it to me... he looks like someone people are afraid of."

"Yes," Rainbow Dash replies, shaking her head. "Most students and teachers are afraid of him... but I'm not." She puts her hands over the sink, looking at herself in the mirror. "I'm not and I won't be. He's just a silly little bastard, a foolish bully."

"And watch out for yourself," adds Twilight, looking at him. "He has a certain thing with the new students."

Twilight expects Swift Arrow to reply with concern, but he only lets a chuckle out of his mouth and makes a smile. "Thanks, Twilight. Looks like we have a special case here..." He shakes his head. "Well, if I've got to be honest... I've already dealt with this kind of people before."

"But..." Twilight raises a finger. "He's not any kind of guy... he's a special guy. He doesn't want to mock you or make your life impossible... he truly wants you to feel scared of him. He wants to be over everyone else. The new student we had last year... Cattle Prod put his head in one of the toilets... and flushed it while he and his friends were kicking him in his legs."

Spike growls one more time, while the three of them get surprised at hearing that. Swift Arrow feels actually shocked... how could they let something like that happen? How could the Principals keep him in the school after what he had done? "Well... that's not going to happen with me," replies Swift Arrow, gaining new air on his body. "If he tries to intimidate me... I'll defend myself."

"That's something I'd do," replies Rainbow, looking at him now, "but he has a group of friends who follow him like dogs... and they are very dangerous. If there is something that I can't stand, I'll confront it..." then, she closes her eyes and shakes her head. "... sadly, even I can't challenge four bullies alone. You'll need help with that."

"I hope not." Swift Arrow bites his lips. "I truly hope not... but if he tries to say or do something to me or any of you... I'll stand up."

"I'd do the same, then," replies Dash while stretching her hand to him. "Together if we stand up?"

Swift Arrow looks at her hand and then at Twilight. The girl only takes a breath while looking at both. Spike is silent while Arrow stretches his hand too and shakes with Rainbow Dash. "Together."

Once they both stop shaking their hands, somebody else opens the door. A thin, grey-skinned man with short black hair, holding a mop. "Oh, excuse me," he says. "Am I interrupting something?"

Spike growls at him, something that makes Twilight look at the dog angrily and calm him down. "No, nothing," Dash smiles and points at him, looking at Arrow. "Swift... he's Dumpling, one of the school janitors."

Arrow smiles at him and stretches his hand, wondering if he heard something they were talking about. "Hello," he says. "I'm Swift Arrow... new student."

Dumpling shakes hands with him. "Hey, nice to meet you..." he smiles and looks at the girls. "Mind if I clean here? You can come back later if you---" he stops talking and lets Arrow's hand go when he looks at the burnt cigarettes in the sink. His kind smile fades away. "You... you were smoking?"

Rainbow Dash shows him the cigarette box and he understands what happened. "I think they did it... again," she says. Dumpling sighs while looking at himself in the mirror. His tired face really shows Swift Arrow what he has been dealing with.

"These kids," he says, and then looks at Swift Arrow. "You truly got in a quite special rats' nest."

He chuckles. "Don't worry. I told them I'll defend myself."

"If you say..." Dumpling looks at himself in the mirror again and chuckles. "Wish you luck, then."

Dorms

The three students and the dog walk out of the room, not so talkative as before. Twilight bites her lips looking at the new kid and tells him: "Sorry for... you know, the cigarettes on the sink. It may have felt like an... unappealing welcome."

Swift Arrow smiles on the inside for Twilight's use of that adjective he said before. "You don't have to apologise for anything..." he tells her. "You did nothing wrong, Twilight."

"Yes, we know," replies Dash, shaking her head, "but... who leaves burnt butts on the sink? It's not only gross... it's insulting."

Swift observes how Spike is looking at him again while being held one more time in Twilight's arms. "Don't care about that, I know you didn't do it..." he smiles at both Dash and Twilight and they understand what he meant.

When Twilight opens the dorm's door, they find out there is a man sitting on the stairway, reading a sheet of paper which is inside a folder. When he turns around, Swift looks at him on his whole: an old man who literally almost looks like Fletcher. A grey-skinned man with white short hair and a grey goatee, wearing a clear brown pullover, grey smart pants and black shoes. He kindly smiles at all of them and Twilight, surprisingly, fastly waves her hand to him. "Mr Parsons!" she says. "Hello!"

Dash smiles at her reaction, but Swift Arrow freezes when he hears that name. Is he the guy? "Parsons?" asks Arrow, surprised. "Glasgow Parsons?"

Once Twilight and Mr Parsons stop waving their hands, the kind old man gives a look to the new boy. "Yes," he chuckles, standing up and keeping his folder under his arm. "Glasgow Parsons itself... and you are?"

Gosh... this has to be a joke. Swift Arrow laughs because of all the weird casualties and things he and his partners have found on this day... what else do they need to worsen this already over-stressful noon? Now Jack's father's old partner is teaching classes at school? Just wow. "Wow," he replies. "I never met you in person... I-I-I'm Swift Arrow, a new classmate in school." He wants to say something else. "A... friend of mine used to tell me a while ago the articles you wrote along with..." Swift Arrow decides to pause right there, in order to not make things feel tense. "Well, that person."

Parsons' smile fades for a second but rises up again. Swift Arrow looks at Spike for a second, but he doesn't even react. He's only observing Parsons. "Yeah, I know..." looks like he is holding that smile for too long. "I know what you're talking about... it was a time in my life that it's already over, but sometimes I tell stuff about that in my classes so... oh," he looks at Twilight curiously while approaching them. "Speaking about that, how are you going with your project, Ms Sparkle?"

Twilight's reaction is a little mixed. He gets happy but concerned when she looks at Swift Arrow. "Uh, well... I've been thinking about it and, um..." she chuckles. "I've been talking to Swift Arrow and Rainbow Dash about the project and... they told me that they didn't know if it was the best idea to be presented to the Principal and Vice-Principal..."

Parsons chuckles but at the same time, he feels they are right. "Well... it's always good to take a risk but... I think those stories you wanted to analyse... may not make Ms Tia and Ms Luna feel too comfortable..." he smiles at her. "I said you had my support but it was... a tricky choice to write."

"Yeah, Mr Parsons," adds Dash, getting into the conversation. "She started investigating those disturbing stories... Today she was telling me about that urban legend that has been spread around Equestria during these last few years," she laughs while Twilight looks at her seriously, trying to tell her not to say something that may embarrass her in front of the professor. "About... about a human pet!" She chuckles. "It doesn't make any sense."

However, Swift Arrow forcibly smiles while hiding his true reaction: fear. She mentioned an individual which is actually pretty real rather than fake. He is one of the things he fears the most in this whole world... every time they name it, gangsters got scared and beg for their lives...

Grey Blackle...

"Uh, I was just investigating, you know," fastly replies Sparkle looking at Mr Parsons, trying not to blush. "My brother told me that urban legend he knew, and I looked up his name on the Internet... um..." she touches her forehead. "Grey... I don't even remember the full name because of how confused I was while reading the story..." she squints her eyes. "Grey Master was its name?"

Mr Parsons tries to answer, but somebody else does it for him faster: "Grey Blackle," unconsciously replies Swift Arrow, not having any conscience of what he has just done. He became so focused on the memories and stories his older partners Jack and Abe told him about the fearful human pet he forgot he was standing in that stairway. A surprised Mr Parsons looks at him while the girls do the same seconds later. "Oh, yes," he smiles quickly. "I remember that story from an Internet forum... it's so weird."

"Oh," Mr Parsons laughs before the girls chuckle with him, leaving the tension aside. "I was wondering where you got that name..."

"Internet magic, Mr Parsons," replies Swift, and then a cellphone starts ringing. Parsons raises his eyebrows and checks his pocket.

"Oh! I've got a call." Parsons gets out his cellphone and looks at its small screen. His kind smile breaks for a second and his pupils shrink but his lovely attitude is born once again when he looks at the students. "I've got to go... it's a thing from my family... see you around!" he fastly turns around after waving his hand for a second and fastly walks away with his folder under his arm.

"See you later, Mr Parsons!" shouts Twilight. Swift Arrow, however, still remains focused on how that smile did break for a second while he was looking at the phone screen.

It may be something irrelevant but... what if it wasn't?

Who called...?

Bathroom

A knock is heard from the other side of that beautiful small bathroom surrounded by white and yellow tiles and decorated with a golden-coloured toilet, a red sink, and a mirror, whose border is covered with gems of different colours, where one of the main gangsters of the country is looking at himself: Eye Patch is observing his injured face, with just one eye.

Somebody knocks again. "Five seconds," orders a robotic voice from outside, something that makes Eye Patch react quickly, fastly washing his face with cold water, putting his special glasses on, hiding his scar behind a dark, opaque glass and getting out of the bathroom. Maschine is in front of him, in silence, covering the whole entrance. He slowly makes a gap to let him barely come out of the bathroom in one piece and turns off the lights.

The reunion is about to get started. He passes by another narrow hall of the big mansion and stops at a door where Sharp Baton is standing, looking at a phone. "Hurry up," he tells the one-eyed man. "My uncle's impatient."

Living Room

Sharp Baton opens the door and reveals the whole scenario to Eye Patch: a wide rectangular table standing opposite a small stairway which leads to a room upstairs. The big white room is filled with beautiful furniture decorated with golden statues of everything, even a golden severed head of someone standing over a cupboard. There are three chairs on both sides of the table, confronting the actual bosses of the six cities of Equestria. Eye Patch sits in the middle chair on the right side, in front of Big Baby and with his best partner on his left: an old but really attractive woman with purple hair and soft lilac skin, wearing a pink dress. Her name is Seductive.

All of the bosses, except for one, are already sitting at that table:

Eye Patch, Maretreal.
Big Baby, Canterlot.
Seductive, Las Pegasus.
Sabretooth, Fillydelphia.
Splinterbone, Baltimare.
Bloodswan, Manehattan.

Bloodswan hasn't appeared yet, so his chair is still empty. Big Baby and Eye Patch look at each other in silence, with pure hatred. Next to them both, on their left side, Splinterbone and Seductive try to distract themselves from their own impatience, closing their eyes. Alone, next to Eye Patch's right side, Sabretooth is waiting for the final men, putting his hands on his pockets. In the table's corners, outside from the chairs, three workers of Father and his son are waiting for everything to get started. Sharp Baton is next to the door, Maschine is near the stairway, and Speedster is unfolding a clean, new steel wheelchair on one of the front sides of the big table.

Nobody speaks. Nobody says anything. Eye Patch, not trying to take his glasses off, slowly moves his head to look at Seductive. She slowly opens her eyes to look at him back. They don't say anything but try to communicate their feelings about this in silence until they hear a chuckle. He fastly moves his head to the one who made that sound: none other than Big Baby, making a small smile in silence. Eye Patch clenches his fists because of his anger but gets distracted when Splinterbone, Baltimare's owner, a pink-skinned lady, still old but younger than Seductive, opens her mouth, looking at Sharp Baton. "Are you really sure that Equestrian Intelligent Agency did not hear our phone conversations when you told us to come here?"

Everybody looks at Splinterbone, wondering why did she take an effort in asking that... in the house of the crazy rulers. Sharp Baton, surprised, looks at his partner Speedster who is still unfolding the wheelchair in silence and then at Baltimare's boss again. "Ms Splinterbone," he says. "If the EIA heard what we said on the phone, we would have already found out and this reunion would have been cancelled... and all of the EIA workers could have been dead at this moment." All of the bosses stay in silence while Splinterbone raises her eyebrows in pure shock. "Does that answer your question?"

Her hands tremble for a second and then she blinks. "Y-yes... it does."

Suddenly, the door from upstairs is barely opened and everybody in the room points their eyes at it. A dark yellow hand covered in a white suit gets out from it. The gangsters already know who he is, and feel shivers all over their bodies. They are scared but, at the same time, resented and frustrated. "Maschine," says the mysterious man with a raspy voice, pointing at the worker. "Come up here and help my father to go downstairs."

"Yes, Mr Bloodswan."

"RAAAAGGHH! ARRGH!" the shouts of what does not even sound like a man scares everybody at the table. Another... thing that they already recognize. Some of them knew it returned because Father and son wanted to. The human pet.

"Shut the fuck up!" shouts the mysterious man upstairs, which makes the strange sound stop. "And you dare to shout like a beast while poppa is speaking... I'll put you in the lake at midnight. Naked."

"Not lake! NoT lAkE!" Maschine starts walking upstairs while the mystery figure finally opens the door. A small man with yellow dark skin and wine-coloured short hair, dressed in a white suit with a red tie and showing his peculiar thing: his eyes have two different colours. The left one is blue while the right one is green. Everybody looks at him holding a chain in his hand, which is from a big steel leash attached to a man's neck... or the scraps of a man. A turquoise-skinned man with a worn-out black jacket, a ripped dark grey shirt and dirty black pants from an old tuxedo suit. He's barefoot, drooling and one of his eyes has a pupil that can be barely seen because of how small it is, compared to the other one which has a normal, human size. He's sitting like a dog, observing all of the disturbed gangsters with his monstrous sight while his master, the white suit man waves his hand to everybody.

"Greetings, partners," says Bloodswan in a white suit, slowly walking downstairs while holding his human pet, Grey Blackle, with the leash. "So long without observing some beautiful faces." Maschine stops walking to salute his boss, raising a fist in silence, without even changing his dead face. Bloodswan looks at him and starts laughing. "You're always with that stupid statue face, Maschine. Cheer up a bit..." he laughs louder while looking at his partners. "Cheer up! Today's a sunny day! A sunny day for everyone, isn't it?"

He looks at his partners while getting downstairs and leaving the leash to Sharp Baton, who greets his uncle by giving him a kiss on his left cheek. His uncle hugs him back and slowly kisses his forehead. Everybody else doesn't say anything while he sits down next to Big Baby and in front of Sabretooth, showing a wrinkled paper ball he has in one of his hands. "So..." somebody else breaks the ice. Sabretooth gets the hands out of his pockets and puts them on the table.

"So what?" asks Bloodswan, raising an eyebrow and looking at everyone. "You didn't tell me if it was a sunny day or not."

"It is, indeed," replies Eye Patch.

"Yes, it is a sunny day," says Seductive.

Splinterbone only nods her head.

Big Baby chuckles in silence, nodding his head.

Sabretooth snorts while looking at the boss. "It is a sunny day, Mr Bloodswan," he replies to him. "However, something has been the cause of my concern since this morning... and I'm wondering why you did call us for."

Bloodswan, eager to answer, puts the wrinkled ball of paper on the table and points at it. "This is the cause," he says. "You may ask yourselves... how can a stupid paper ball be able to make up an emergency reunion, asking all of the members of the Equestrian Commission to show up quickly?" he smiles like a child for a second to all of them until he changes back to an angry face. "I'll answer your questions and solve your doubts once my father sits on that wheelchair."

At that right moment, Maschine comes out of the room, calling everybody's attention by holding in his big arms an old man with dark brown hair and pale yellow skin, covered by just a grey dressing gown. Once the gangsters see that old man, they stand up from their chairs, except for Big Baby, who can't do it and only observes from behind. Maschine slowly walks downstairs and helps the old man, along with Speedster, to make him sit down in the wheelchair. He softly moves his arms and adjusts his painfully aged back into the chair and looks at everybody who has just sat down. The old crippled man, squinting his eyes with two different colours (red on his left and green on his right), looks at his smiling son and then at Big Baby, where he stops. "You didn't stand up," he tells his guy.

Big Baby only grinds his teeth. "Sorry," he says. "I've got a problem with moving and standing up fastly... I'm extremely sorry, Father."

Father slowly nods his head. "Next time I'll tell Sharp Baton to do it for you." Then he looks at everyone at the table. "I called all of you because... something terrible has happened." He closes his eyes to take a breath and everybody looks at him now. "This morning, when I read what my son Bloodswan is going to show you... I felt my whole legacy was insulted. The respect and appreciation I have for each one of you... was damaged, while reading it. The lack of respect that I felt today ran over my whole body, my sack of bones." The gangsters begin to show more concern due to this. What is he talking about? What did he read? Is it something worse than they think? "I arranged this meeting because... I truly want to know who dared to send me something like this. I want you to tell me the complaints you've been hiding from me and my family because, right now, I'm totally eager to hear all of them."

His slow but grave, menacing voice scares everyone at the table, including his own workers, except for Maschine, the human pet Grey Blackle, standing like a stone next to his master the Father, and his son Bloodswan, who is impatiently waiting for his moment. Once he stops talking for more than a second, his son grabs the paper ball and shows it to his father: "Shall I read it now, father?"

The boss of the bosses only nods his head in silence.

(sic)

Author's Note

This is a remake of a story I published on FIMFiction in early 2019. Despite the original one it's a story I like and it has a surprising number of likes (which I still cannot believe how I reached that, dude), I found better ways to polish it, now that my writing skills (and also organization skills) have improved since that year. Both stories don't follow the same plot, so I won't erase any fic.

Important: Some OCs have human names. I tried to name them like ponies, but honestly, none of the names I came up with convinced me, so I decided to leave them like that.

Thanks for reading and I hope you like this. :twilightsmile:

(sic)

Day 1

August 28th

Bormoth Street

"Crisis. The business is in crisis."

A car stops on a corner where the infamous Bormoth Street of Maretreal City can be seen. An important place for the local mob: A street filled with a huge backstory of drugs, violence and blood on its veins. The place where the Bormoth Fest is often celebrated, almost every weekend, organised by those endangered, damned souls who live there and are still alive. A violent contest where everyone fights until death.

Two are inside that 1989 Volkswagen Gol in black. A blue-skinned man in his forties, always with short dark hair, a full black beard, sunglasses, wearing his white shirt, black jacket and shoes, and worn-out jeans. His name is Jack Tyler. On the other side, a blonde girl in her twenties named Dko, a thin, pale, blonde girl with big brown eyes.. because of her appearance, friends often call her D'Arcy, because of his look-alike with a bass player of some 90's alternative rock band. She hates that nickname. Absolutely.

She slowly grabs a cigarette and puts it in her mouth. Then she looks at her friend Jack in the eyes, who gives to her his cold lighter. A small beam of fire burns the cigarette head and the flavours are released. "Your father knows you smoke?" asks Jack to her.

She chuckles. "Of course," she says. "I could say he knows I've been smoking since..." She thinks for a second and raises her shoulders. "Well... um... No idea, honestly."

Both of them chuckle. Jack says, almost whispering: "I've got to admit I still cannot believe your father let you be here on Bormoth."

She laughs and scratches her hair, interrupting Jack. He doesn't say anything. "Oh, yeah..." However, she's there for something else... she's been waiting to say something since the moment she entered. A lump on her throat that has to get out. "Um... I've been thinking about something," she says, observing Jack slowly opening the car's door. "You know, Jack, uh... this is about Abe's thing."

Jack raises an eyebrow. "Abe?" he says. "What's going on?"

"Um... well... I know what's going on with Abe's granddaughter... what he told you and W about her..." she says, turning her head to Jack. "He said he needed someone young, clever, conscious of what he or she has to do..."

"Yes," he says while smoking. "That's why he also told W. It's our only pick... He's the sanest young man of us. All of us are old stinky men, W's friends are stupid junkies who don't even know how to go to the bathroom and well, then you have W."

"But... come on," she says, after a sigh and a smoke. "I think you skipped your best option."

He blinks once, confused, and slowly closes the car door again. "What do you mean by that? Our best option?"

"Yes."

Jack moves his head and then looks at Dko again. "And who are you talking about?"

She raises her shoulders and extends her arms. "Um... me."

Once he hears that answer, Jack closes his eyes and sighs while turning off the cigarette. It's not the first time Dko falls into this. He really thinks she has a lot of potential for this, but eventually, it will be like putting someone into the lion's cage. Someone who shouldn't be there. "Dko," he says. "It's not the first time you say this... you know what does getting in this mean?"

"What?" she says. "What are you going to say now?"

He shakes his head. "No."

"Why?" she says aloud.

"The last thing your father would want is you getting inside our problems. I recognize you are clever, strong, an encouraged person, everyone recognizes that... but... no."

She clenches her fists. "But... you think I'm weak? I'm not, Jack!"

"No, you are not weak, I've just said you are strong," he replies. "Of course not. You are a tough girl... I know the winner in a fight between W and you... will be you."

"So?" she asks. "Why don't you want me to do it? Besides, you know I did freshman in Canterlot High, right? I have an idea about how the school looks like."

He shakes his head again. "Look... Your father wouldn't want you, but besides, I know you. I know you since you were a little girl... I know what you are thinking. You think about doing this, protecting Abe's granddaughter, kicking that stupid young kid's ass and then going back to the car store, a normal day begins again."

She, in silence, nods her head. "Yeah."

He waves his finger. "It's not like that, Dko." He is about to stop the car.

"What?" she exclaims. "Then... How?"

The gangster's fingers start trembling while trying to prepare his speech. "I understand what you are telling me but... getting inside that school under a fake identity it's not something easy, even if you know how does it look like on its inside. You've gotta know how to play fake... and secondly, the most important thing... if you heard Abe talking to us, then you've must have also heard this as well. He said something about that boy. It looks like the guy who's scaring Rarity is hiding something. It seems that he has been expelled, kicked out from that school several times... but magically, after a couple of days, he is back in school again every time, and nobody knows why. Principals, School Authorities don't answer. That's what Rarity told Abe... and who knows what that guy may be hiding."

Dko, a bit confused, raises her eyebrows. "Maybe he is back because the Principals gave him one more chance to be there."

"And do you know if that's true?"

Dko tries to keep talking but clenches her teeth when she finds out she can't argue with that. She doesn't know the answer, and puts the cigarette on her mouth again. "No."

"You see," says Jack. "You don't know if that's true. I don't know if what I think about the kid is true. Nobody knows why is he coming back. Moreover... Eye Patch said the name of that kid sounds familiar to him... and that doesn't mean something nice. Who knows, Dko, if this kid has something big taking care of his back and suddenly looks at you crawling in the middle of the situation between him and the girl... Rarity told her grandfather he had a violent, monstrocious group of friends who may do anything for him. Who knows, Dko..." he says while scratching his hair. "If those guys are some kind of street gangsters. You may be in danger if you were there."

Dko remains in silence while laying her head against the car seat headrest. Now she's confused. If what Jack says it's true... can she confront that? "And who's the name of the kid?" she asks.

"Um..." Jack takes a look at the Street one more time. Nothing's going on. How strange. "Cattle Prod is his name."

"And..." she says, almost stuttering. "You say that it may be dangerous for me to be there?"

"We don't know if he's a gangster or not," he says. "But I'm sure it will be confusing for you. I mean, you never got so deep inside that pool, Dko. W has already done this with me a few times, not so long ago. Besides, if these children turn out to be a stupid street gang, W will know how to handle them."

"But..." she says. "Are you sure... tell me, with the honesty you have on your heart, Jack... are you sure W can handle all of that on his own?"

Boom. That question really caught him... he doesn't know what to answer. He raises his eyebrows, shocked at that question, and also lies his head against the car headrest. "Well," he says. "Honestly, girl, I think..."

CRASH!

Shouts are suddenly heard everywhere. What Bormoth Street was five seconds ago, does not exist anymore. The strange, odd peace that was around the place and which called Jack's attention, is replaced by a flying, almost naked man covered in blood and bruises coming out of a window and crashing against the ground filled with glass shards. "What the---" Jack says, while fastly opening the car door. Dko facepalms after throwing the cigarette away due to her jumpscare.

"WOO! WOO! OH MY GOD!" shouts are heard from inside the house where the flying man came out. Lots of men suddenly get out, looking like cavemen discovering fire, getting around the man, who may be dead or agonizing, nobody knows. One of those crazy, insane men is a young, yellow-skinned kid in his twenties, with short brown hair and a golden earring on his right ear, using worn-out jeans and shoes, a white t-shirt and a worn-out but still beautiful brown trenchcoat.

His name is Walter Waters, but everyone calls him W.

"COME ON! COME ON! LET THE BIG ONE COME OUT!" shouts someone, and another bleeding man, almost naked, with some worn-out, dirty slips covered in blood, comes out laughing and raising his arms to the sky. The crowd pops and W starts dancing like an idiot. A grey-skinned man with short dark hair, with his bare chest covered in blood and dirt, starts the count, due to the falling man not responding to anything. "1! 2! 3! 4! 5!"

"HOLY SHIT, THE WINNER!"

"6!"

"OH MY GOD!"

"7!"

"LOOK AT THIS DUDE!" shouts the counting man looking at the dead dude. "HIS FACE LOOKS LIKE FUCKING SMASHED CONCRETE!"

"SNOWBLIND!" shouts W, now holding a lent bottle of wine. "DO THE FUCKING COUNT, MAN!"

Snowblind, the counting man raises his middle finger. "You can suck my dick latah', Dubs!" he shouts, and then he keeps counting. "8! 9!"

"THE FUCK IS GOING ON HERE?!"

No. That didn't sound like a voice from a crazy young dude from Bormoth Street. Everybody stops shouting and dancing and look at Jack, who they instantly recognize, especially W, who raises his hand and smiles. "Hi, Jack."

"Hi, what?" he raises his shoulders. "You son of a bitch, it's Saturday morning, and you're already doing this crazy shit?"

Snowblind stands up and raises his shoulders. "I mean, dude... we have free time---"

"Oh, you shut the fuck up," Jack interrupts while pointing to Snowblind. "You know your words don't have any value when I'm here, baby boy."

"Woah," says Snowblind, confused and also scared. "You called me Baby Boy?"

Jack sighs. "No, I called you Chicken Sandwich, asshole. Come on! Stop this crap!" he shouts. "I don't care who won, I don't care who lost, I don't care who is now lying like a piece of rotten meat on the ground, take him out! I have to talk to W!"

W rolls his eyes and sighs. "What now?" he says, approaching Jack. "Come on, it's Saturday! Weekend!"

"Weekend my balls," he answers to his partner, before touching W's shoulder. "I want you now in the car, Abe and I have to talk to you on Rusty's."

W's mouth now shuts and remains silent. Jack's being serious this time. Well, he's always serious, but this time he's getting tough. Really tough. "Um..." he says. "I'll be there."

"Now," says Jack, and turns back, going to the car. "NOW!"

"Just give me a minute!" he says, before approaching Snowblind, who's helping his friends to take the falling man out from the ground and make him enter the house. "Hey, Snowblind."

Snowblind turns his head around. "Man, how do you know if he's dead? You have to check his temperature?"

W nods his head, biting his lips. "Ambulances don't pass by here. They are too scared to take a look over here, isn't it?"

"W!"

"A MINUTE, JACK!" he shouts, and then he goes back to Snowblind. "I forgot to tell you about the Dream Raider thing. Um... the plan, you know, any news?"

"Not yet," answers Snowblind. "But if there is... I'll give you a call."

"Sure, man," he says, and nudges his friend's shoulder. "See ya."

"See ya."

Now W turns around, scratching his hair, shaking his hands covered with sweat and buttoning his characteristic, unique brown trenchcoat. He observes how Jack hasn't entered the car yet. "What, sunshine?" he says, smiling. "Waiting for your Valentine?"

"I'm not in the mood now," he says. "Get in the car. I'll talk to you about what's going on in the trip."

"Um..." he stutters, turning to his left. "Something happened?"

"No," he replies. "Wait, you have to be in the backseat. Dko's on the passenger."

W, at the same time, finds out she, who waves her hand, is sarcastically smiling on the passenger seat. HIS seat. At that moment, he felt his whole existence being insulted. "What is Dick-O doing here?"

"Fuck you!" is heard from inside the car, while W turns around and Jack opens the door. "It's pronounced Deck-O, not Dick-O, you prick!"

"Yeah, whatever, penis," he says, while passing by Jack. However, once he's about to get in the car, his elder partner stops him by holding his chest with an arm. He sighs. "What now?"

"You are supposed to lead those boys for the business, not me. I personally don't care if your stupid junkie friends fight each other as if this was Ancient Rome, but what I do care about it's you."

He smiles. "How romantic from you..."

"I'm not fucking laughing," Jack interrupts. "Next time I see you inside those clumsy, exaggeratedly violent fights, I will kick your ass and you'll have to go from here to Rusty's on foot."

"And it's a freaking long way," says Dko. "I didn't remember how far was Bormoth from my dad's store."

W's sarcastic face now changes into a serious one while getting in the car and sitting in the backseat. "Uh, this feels like a freaking mice cave... can we swap seats, Dko?"

"No," she answers while Jack gets in the car.

"I mean... D'Arcy."

Now the girl quickly turns around and raises his hand, but Jack stops her by touching her shoulder. "You two, don't you dare to fight like two little kids in my car, OK?"

Jack turns on the car while looking at Snowblind and his friends entering the house with the injured guy. "What's going on, then?" asks W. "You seem to be much more serious than other days."

"Abe wants to talk to you," he replies. "It's about what we talked to you last week."

W's eyes widen while he scratches his ear. He feels like a statue for a second. "You mean... um... what was the name of this girl... um..."

"Rarity," replies Jack, while fastening his seatbelt and turning the car around. "She was the one who told Abe she was scared of this guy, Cattle Prod, and he wants someone to keep an eye on him during these days."

"Uh, come on," interrupts W. "I don't know. I've heard Patchie say the name of that dork boyfriend of Rarity sounds familiar to him but that doesn't mean he's something dangerous... besides, Jack, this whole idea is... I don't know. Isn't too overprotective sending a guy to spy on that relationship? I don't wanna be a third wheel."

"I don't see it in that way," suddenly says Dko. "Looks exaggerating if you overlook it, but think if you were Abe and suddenly your granddaughter calls you and tells you her violent ex-boyfriend who has a dangerous group of friends are mocking her... you would want to do something, even this kind of plan."

"Uh, man..." he says, almost chuckling. "Still sounds bizarre to me. I mean... She does know how to defend herself, doesn't she?"

"Of course," replies Dko. "But can you defend yourself from a group of violent dudes?"

"Come on, D!" he says aloud. "How old is Rarity now? 15 years old? When I was at that age, I would defend myself from 30-year-old gangsters carrying rusty knives, you know that? Come on! Can't she defend herself from four, five virgin kiddos?"

Jack suddenly stops the car. The traffic light is red and cars pass by. Then, he raises two fingers. "Two things," he says. "Rarity's not 15, but 19 years old."

"19?" W says, raising his hands. "But... I used to fight in the Bormoth Fest when I had that age! Come on!"

"Let me finish," he interrupts. "And don't remind me of those times... you are talking about how Rarity is 19 years old and doesn't do the things you did when you were young." He turns around, with his cold eyes looking at the young gangster. "Remember that you are not Rarity. You've got to know you and her are completely different. You grew up surrounded by a specific kind of people, people who you learned from, with the darkest backgrounds you can imagine, but there are others who have another point of view of life, a different way of dealing with things. She does know how to defend herself from anything, but nobody who is normal can handle with a group of violent dudes around your head, constantly threatening you."

A car horn is heard behind them. The light is green now and Jack keeps going on. Dko and W are both in silence. W felt his skin ripping out and breaking into pieces in the ground. "Uh...," says Dko, turning around to see W's lost sight.

"Um..." he says, with sweat coming out of his forehead. "Jack, uh... that thing you said... about normal... well, you're right but... that hurt a bit, I've got to be honest."

Jack sighs and closes his eyes for a second. "Yeah, I know it sounded rude but... it wasn't my intention, I'm sorry if it hurt you," he says, just before: "But it's not the first time I tell you this..."

He slowly nods his head. "Yeah."

Rusty's

The car stops and enters Rusty's Car Store, passing by the entrance and the cheap cars on sale. Dko finds there's something wrong. His dad, Rusty Wrench, has his round sunglasses, which he never takes off to cover his crow's feet, on his hand. He doesn't have a happy face while standing at the office's door. "Oh, snap," she says.

"Why the long face?" asks Jack. "What did you tell your father?"

"I was going with you."

"Yes, you did..." he says. "But did you say where?"

"Um..." she nervously smiles. "Canterlot."

Jack closes his eyes for a second and sighs. "Come on, Dko," he says while parking the car. "You didn't tell him we were going to Bormoth Street?"

"Of course not!" she says. "He wouldn't have let me, and I wanted to talk to you in private about that thing."

"What now?" asks W in the backseat while Jack parks the car. "You told Jack you have a crush on somebody? Who, Billy Corgan?"

"Shut the fuck up, you Rod Stewart," replies Dko, and then she points a finger at him. Jack turns off the car. "And you dare to say something to my dad while we are talking, I'll fucking kick your ass."

W is confused now. "Rod Stewart?" he says, while Jack and she get out of the car. "What's that kind of insult?"

Dko closes the car's door and the shouts begin to raise the roof: "You told me you were going to Canterlot!" shouts Rusty Wrench to her daughter. "You know how mad I am right now, girl? You lied to me! Abe told me you went to that street I told you not to be in!"

"I didn't even come out of the car, dad!" she shouts. "Besides, Jack was next to me the whole time!"

"And you still lied to me," replies the father. "How could you?"

"Dad, even if I had the whole Equestrian army behind me, you wouldn't let me step in Bormoth Street..."

"Of course!" he shouts. "That place is the most dangerous thing I know, girl, and I don't want you near that place, never!"

"Ok, Ok," interrupts Jack, getting in the middle. "Dko, next time, don't you dare to lie to your father like this and I'm afraid I won't take you to Bormoth anymore."

Dko's face goes blank. "But..."

"No buts," Jack says. "What you did it's wrong, and Rusty, she was with me the whole time, nothing happened to her. I thought she told you we were going to Bormoth to look for W, but well... turns out she didn't."

Suddenly, a man comes out of the office's entrance, passing by the doors. The old man who always uses those stupid squared shirts and never ever shaves his signature orange moustache. Abraham Flanks is his name, but people call him Abe. "What's going on?" he asks.

"Abe," says Jack, while W gets nearer the situation.

"W," suddenly says Abe. "Please, I need to talk to you. Come inside."

Office

Abe, Jack and W are the only ones sitting in the car store's backroom. Meanwhile, Rusty Wrench is waiting for clients and Dko is between the store and the conversation, working with her father on silence but also listening to the office's inside. W swallows a bit of saliva while being at the table and looks at the two other men, trying to say something. "We already talked about this last week," says Abe, looking at W. "And also I told you I wanted to give you a bit of time to think about that..." He is now looking at a notebook where he wrote everything he has to know about the plan he made. "I know the plan I did it's a bit crazy, I know, I recognize it, but it's the best thing I came up with. Rarity is now in something in her school called College Course, which starts on Monday. There are two days left."

"Um..." suddenly says W, which makes Abe raise an eyebrow. "Uh, nothing... I've been thinking about it," he says. "I still believe... I don't know, though, I'm not sure about that but... when Eye Patch said the name of the guy sounded familiar to him... um... I don't think he is related to something from the mob just because Patchie knows his name."

"Yeah," replies Abe. "You may be right, but we don't know if it's true. The only things we know about that rascal is his name, that he is violent... and he magically returns to the place that's been expelling him this whole time like nothing."

"That's what calls my attention, that's what I don't like about this," says Jack. "I mean, that kid is anything but a good student. He's violent, may cause chaos in classrooms... you logically expel him from your school... but why would you register him again? And expel him again? And then going back?"

"It doesn't make sense," says W. "Are you sure that's true?"

Abe nods his head. "Rarity told me by phone. Her friends asked the Principals why is he coming back. They only answered her once, and said it was due to bureaucratic issues."

"Mm-hmm," Jack grabs his forehead. "Damnit... bureaucratic... How mysterious, isn't it?"

Suddenly, someone opens the office's door. A man with short, mustard-coloured hair, who always uses the same black sunglasses, frayed white shirt and worn-out black jacket, smoking a cigarette while listening to what his pals are about to say. He is the man responsible for everything that's been happening in this car store and this whole city's dark side. The man who is responsible for W, Jack and Abe's jobs. The boss. His name is Eye Patch, and he's the King of Maretreal. "Yup," he says while closing the door and waving his hand to Rusty, who also does the same. "How mysterious is this thing, huh? Really calls my attention."

"Hi, Patchy," says Abe. "What are you doing here? Didn't know you would come. We were talking about the school plan."

"Uh, passing by, I was going to tell you something but, you know," replies Patch, sitting down on a chair.

"What were you going to say?" asks Abe.

The boss bites his lips. "Nah, nah," he says. "I'll tell you once we finish talking about the Rarity thing, this is something serious... Are we defining the remaining things? What about the scholarship?"

W raises an eyebrow. "Scholarship?" he says. "What... you mean...?"

Jack, Abe and Eye Patch now look at the young man. "I mean," says Abe. "How can you enter school then?"

"Um... but..."

"We talked about this last week, W," says Abe. "Did you really forget that?"

"Oh, man... um, I don't remember, I swear..."

Abe sighs while raising his eyebrows. "You'll need the scholarship to be in the school without calling attention. We told you you had to be and behave like one more student in that school, you remember that... do you?"

W nods his head, confused. "Yes, I do remember that..." then, shocked, he opens his mouth. "Oh yes! I remember!" Eye Patch chuckles while W's face remains serious. "But... wait... didn't you tell me that school had dorms or something else in it?"

"It does have dorms, yes," replies Abe. "But don't care so much about that... everybody here knows you're not going to spend the whole year there, it will only be a week or two. Besides, I don't wanna be bossy but... you really should keep an eye on the dorms at night."

"At night?" asks W. "I don't think the dude may do something at night. Everybody must be sleeping."

"We don't know, W," replies Jack, "but just in case."

"But..." the young gangster interrupts. "We are talking about the dorms and everything else... but don't you need something else to have the scholarship?"

Abe nods his head and starts talking. "I've been looking up for information about the scholarships in Canterlot High," says Abe. "Firstly, you need to send a request letter... obviously we'll skip that step. The school asks for an Elementary School diploma and transcripts of previous High School Years, which will be examined by the school authorities. Then you will have to fill in an inscription file which will be also examined."

"And what if they examine that and they don't accept me?"

Abe chuckles. "Trust me. Do what I tell you and they will end up accepting you."

W raises his eyebrows. "If you say... besides, I didn't send any request letters so..."

"They'll accept you anyway, trust me."

The young gangster rolls his eyes. "Ok... and what about the diplomas and transcripts? I don't have anyone..."

"Easy," replies Abe. "We'll call Fletcher and his friend Calc."

The young man opens his eyes widely, almost in fear. "Oh, man... are you sure about that? Are you sure they will accept me just by reading falsified papers?"

"Of course..." says Eye Patch. "That freaking kid, Calculated Risk, never fails at his job. By now, I've never seen better papers than the one little Calc forge."

"I've got to admit he has the thing," says Abe, while Jack nods his head. "The talent."

"Mm-hmm," only moans W before a short silence comes into the room until Abe asks something else:

"And have you been thinking about what I told you about the fake identity?"

W raises an eyebrow. "Fake?" Then he closes his eyes, remembering what they told him last week. "Oh, yeah, you are right."

"You can't enter that school as yourself... Firstly, you'll use your real name, and your real name outside the business is not something good. Secondly, Big Baby, the King of Canterlot, and his henchmen may recognize you and keep an eye on you. We didn't tell him anything about this and we won't... that wouldn't be good for us. I've been thinking about a fake wig, a fake name... and fake eyes."

W gets shocked at that. His eyes widen and his pupils shrink. "What? Fake eyes? You mean..."

"Contact lenses," replies Jack.

"Oh no, come on... you know I don't like those. I hate putting those things. My eyes are sensitive, don't you know?"

"Everyone's eyes are sensitive," replies Eye Patch. "We also put on contact lenses in the past for these things and didn't like it."

"But... uh, come on--"

W gets interrupted when Dko opens the door. "I can put on those contact lenses if you want," she says. Jack closes his eyes, not again.

Rusty Wrench turns around and looks at his daughter. "Dko!" he shouts. "Please, don't you dare to get your nose into that stuff, I've already told you!"

"But... dad!" she says. "I've been in Canterlot High, freshman year! Do you even know if W ever stepped inside a school? Inside Canterlot High? It's not a school where you can put up with easily."

"Woah, Woah!" shouts W, turning around. "Are you saying I can't put up with that? Really?"

W stands up and Dko asks: "I mean... have you ever been to a school?"

W's angry face suddenly melts and turns into a colder gesture. "Um..." he says. "The orphana--"

"A school that hasn't been the orphanage where you stayed as a child, the street or Eye Patch. I'm talking about a real school."

"Uh..." W scratches his hair, making this a really tense and uncomfortable situation. "No."

She raises her shoulders: "You see?"

Eye Patch stands up. "However, that doesn't mean you are capable of going to Canterlot High under a fake identity. I truly understand what you mean, Dko... but no. I won't let you do the job. Your father wants you here and I can't disrespect his decision. Besides, no one knows what does this Cattle Prod have on his back. It is better to send W, who may haven't been inside that school, but knows how to deal with this kind of people and also street gangsters." Silence again. "You understand, Dko?"

W turns around to look at Eye Patch and then at Dko, while she looks at her father and then turns around to look at Eye Patch. Both of them are really serious this time. She bites his lips before looking at W and then blinks. She's embarrassed about how did she talk to the young gangster. "Well... um... I think I... understood," she pauses. "OK then," she says. "But call me if you need help."

Rusty Wrench rolls his eyes and Dko slowly closes the door. Jack says "Sure," and silence comes into the room one more time. After a couple of seconds, W turns around and looks at his cellphone. It's 10 AM.

"Um," he says. "I'll think about the plan... might need to take some fresh air outside... can I?"

The three of them nod their heads. "Don't ask us," says Eye Patch. "Just do it, you are big enough."

"And... what about that thing you were going to tell us?" asks W.

"I'll later tell you," replies Jack. "Take a breath. Breathe some fresh air."

W chuckles. Everyone chuckles a bit when W opens the door. However, Abe opens his mouth one more time: "W."

W is holding the door handle while turning his head back. "Yeah?"

"I know you are not so sure about this... and I want to say I'm sorry for being so annoying, insisting and pressing you with this... I understand how you feel... but there are things about that Cattle Prod which I don't like, and I don't want my granddaughter to be in danger... and unfortunately, you are the only person I know in this shitty world who can do something alright without ending up wrong."

The young man only makes a small gesture. "Sure, no problem, Abe," he says, and closes the door.

The Dream Is Always the Same, Pt. 1

Author's Note

This chapter has references to two music albums.

You can listen to them using these links:

Loveless by My Bloody Valentine
Grace by Jeff Buckley

The Dream Is Always the Same, Pt. 1

Jack's Car

"Do me a favour." Jack looks at W while pressing the cigarette end on a small ashtray in the car. He releases the smoke.

"Yes?" asks the young gangster. "What?"

"Look up for a mint in the glovie... this last cigarette was awful. Almost choked me."

He chuckles while opening the glove box in front of him. "You had them on a bag, right?"

"Yeah, a small one. It's plastic."

"Yeah, yeah, I found it," he says, but once he takes the bag out of the box, he finds there was something behind it. Something purple-coloured which he recognizes.

This.

Suddenly, his eyes widen. "Wait, what?" he lays his head against the seat headrest while Jack grabs a mint from the bag. "You... you have this CD on your box?"

Jack raises an eyebrow and puts the mint on his mouth. "What? The Jeff Buckley one?"

"No, no, not that one... the... the purple one. Bloody Valentine?"

Jack smiles. "My Bloody Valentine. That's the name... and yeah, I was passing by here last week and bought it."

W looks at him and raises his shoulders. "What? You are kidding me."

Jack now chuckles. "No, I'm not," replies Jack. "I used to listen to My Bloody Valentine when I was young, you know? I was 17 years old when that CD came out. I remember when a high school friend showed it to me for the first time... it was... wow."

He chuckles while touching his hair. "I swear, Jack," suddenly says W, "I thought you could listen to anything, even rap... but My Bloody Valentine?"

"You clearly don't know me, then," he says with a smile. "And how do you know about the CD? You never told me you know that too."

W raises an eyebrow and bites his lips. "Well, William made me listen to it once... he said... um... he said mom liked that kind of music."

An uncomfortable silence appears in the middle. "Well," says Jack after sighing, lowering the car speed while approaching to a corner. "I remember your mother wanted to buy me a CD of this band on my 20th birthday... she told me that time she wanted to buy me this one, but it was so hard to get it, that not even the biggest record stores in Equestria had it," he laughs softly. "Goddamnit, those... those were strange, but oddly beautiful times... I miss them..."

W finds out, one more time, that familiar look of his partner. Jack is looking at the street where he is driving with a certain sparkle on his eyes. A melancholic feeling W recognizes. "Yeah, again," he says.

"What?" says Jack, confused before blinking. "Again what?" He blinks again.

"Um... you know, that sight of yours. That look. I don't judge you, though... I also have that look when I remember the past."

Jack chuckles. "You truly recognize my gestures... Do you know why did I buy it? I could have easily left the store with my hands empty... but I didn't." He finds an empty spot on a sidewalk and decides to stop right there, catching W's full attention. "You know... I've been looking for that CD for a long time because it was one of the last things I listened to before getting into the mob. Um... I remember listening to songs like Sometimes to overcome my father's fate, my father's death because of the mob... and my wish of avenging him, finding the one who committed such act... those days were the last days of an old era, W. My young life."

Silence in the car. Both men swallow saliva while W grabs the CD inside the glove box. "And... you never found it."

Jack raises an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"Well, sorry if I sound rude, but sadly..." he looks at the cover. "You never found your father's murderer."

Jack shakes his head. "Uh-huh... how crazy, isn't it? I never found him, or her, or whatever... not only because I didn't have a clue... but also, so many things happened in the middle, from Eye Patch to Abe, you, others... that I slowly forgot my father overtime. And now I consider that something else... something I just don't care about as before." W puts the Loveless CD in the glove box again and finds out there's another disc inside. He takes it out. "And the fact that I don't care about that now... scares me a bit."

W's eyes widen again. "Wait... I thought the Buckley thing was a joke. You still have it? Wasn't this scratched?"

Jack looks at the Grace CD from his spot and nods his head. "It's my four-leaf clover. It brings good luck to the car."

W raises his eyebrows, chuckling. "Uh?..." He lies his head against the car seat headrest. "A four-leaf clover... um..."

"Considering everything we had to deal with." Jack chuckles.

W bites his lips and nods his head after hearing that... He has something to say. "Man... um... I... you know... talking about this..."

"The CD?"

"No..." he shakes his head and touches his face. "You know... uh, I haven't mentally processed this yet."

Jack raises an eyebrow. "What?"

W looks at Jack. "I mean... the school thing..." he takes a breath. "Just by thinking about that... it's hectic as hell. I don't want to admit it but... I know, deep inside me, I'm the only one who can do this."

Now the gangster takes a breath and bites his lips. "And what about Calc? Can he help you?"

"Nah," W replies. "He didn't want to go to school with me, and it's OK, not only for him..." he surprisingly says. "... but also for me. If that Cattle Prod sees Calc next to me we may be fresh fish instantly. He's like that typical nerd everybody beats up on movies."

"Nah... I don't think he's that punchable."

"You say?" W raises an eyebrow.

Jack nods his head and gets a cigarette out of his pocket. "Well... he's busy at his job, I know, but I was saying... he can help you while working, maybe he can counter back those guys with some kind of techy idea but..."

"No. That's what I don't need... I mean... we are talking about big bullies, Jack. This Cattle Prod... you know, if he wants to kick your ass... he won't do it online or through text messages, man... you know what I'm talking about, right?

Jack nods his head. "Yeah, yeah, I know what you mean."

"And besides, now... at this moment... we have only two days... but now I'm feeling this like an eternity. A decade."

He raises his eyebrows and stretches his arms. "Well... look at us now." Then, he puts his hands on the steering wheel, not before getting a cigarette. "This, I think, is a bit of free time," Jack puts it in his mouth. "Maybe the school is open today, but I'm not sure. We can check it out now if you want to get into this safely and quickly. Sure it will be open on Sunday, to get ready for the new year..." he smokes. "Calc said those papers were going to take an hour."

W stretches his legs. "Damn," he says. "When was the last time I've heard those two words?"

"Which ones?"

W nudges Jack's shoulder. "Free time, man."

Jack raises his eyebrows when he hears that. "Well, you know... Nowadays those two words hardly come out of someone's mouth." He gets a lighter out of his pocket. "We've gotta celebrate we have this piece of free time... you know, working in this business..."

Jack makes a small smile, but W doesn't. He only raises his shoulders and grabs his head. "Yeah. The oath. No way to say stop. To retire."

Jack sighs while taking out of his pocket the car keys. "You know that... This place, this business is like a door. You open it, you enter, but when you want to get out..." Jack stretches an open hand which W looks at while crossing his arms and laying against the seat. "Boom. There's no handle. You can't leave. It's a stain that attaches to you and there's no way to get it off your skin... and even if you escape, it will still be with you... You die or get jailed. There is no way to retire."

"Hm-hmm," emits W before turning his head to look at Jack. "But... didn't you tell me there were some who actually did say bye?"

He only chuckles and turns off the car with the keys. "W..." he says. "Those who said bye, bye to everyone... They had your age... 22, 23, 24... I don't know how did they get in here but they did... and they left. They told their bosses... I'm out, that's it... and boom. Next day..." Jack's open hand is closed, turning into a fist. "Ran over the oath? Dead in a bodybag. All of them were cleaned."

W's eyes widen again and bites his lips. "Yeah, I know, it reminds me of..." There it goes. That song which gives him goosebumps plays again in his head. "Remember what I told you last month? I mean, it's something I thought about when I was 15 years old... and I wrote it on a notebook, found it last year and has been replaying over and over in my hea---."

"No, no, no," interrupts Jack. "If it's what I'm thinking, no... that's not a way to get out! That's not even a way! It's an idea! A fantasy... don't begin with---"

"Jack," W replies to him. Jack facepalms. "How many times did Abe say he wanted to get out of this shit? And you? And me? Even Eye Patch said it once... to get out of the mob, of this business, you understand? Ran over by the oath of staying here forever... The dream is always the same. However, if we do that, Father, his son Bloodswan and all of his guys may bury us alive even before we touch the door... so, how can we do this without being caught by the family of Bloodswan?"

"No, no... that's suicide!" shouts Jack. "You literally wrote on that notebook we had to kill the boss to get out! Do you know how insane and senseless sounds that? It's not only impossible but a completely stupid idea!"

W raises his hand. "Wait... I never said we had to kill Father and his family..."

"And what did you tell me a month ago?"

"But that's because I was just telling you what I read in that notebook! I wrote that when I was 15 years old, but I didn't mean it at the moment I told you that! I grew up, you know?" He scratches his hair. "Maybe we can... have a meeting?"

Jack's eyes widen and laughs. "Do you know what you are saying? Are you conscious of what you have just said? Firstly, the Family never has meetings unless he makes them. Secondly... how do you think they will react if we go to his house and tell him we are out?"

W bites his lips. "... Well... it will definitely not be the best reaction but..."

Jack's concern is getting bigger. He even puts a hand over W's shoulder. "Listen... You know who do we work for, right? We work for Eye Patch, but, at the same time," the young gangster wants to talk but Jack stops him by raising his finger. "We work for Bloodswan and his family. They are the bosses of Eye Patch and everyone who dares to carry the nickname of gangster on this country... We are business for him, and if we get out, that means... a part of their business, a part of their money and power also gets out. We'll end up dead even before we arrive at that house," Jack grabs the Loveless CD from the box and opens it while W gets silent. "Look at how you make me mad, man... I have to put this to calm myself down."

"Hey, don't get so angry," he says. "I'm not planning to make this true... I only told Abe, Eye and you this to find out what you thought about what I wrote..."

"And you know what we told you, what I've just told you... no." He shakes his finger. "No. No. Never. Never Ever... and I find out you are trying to do that with Snowblind..."

"Uh, come on, Jacky!" he shouts. "You think I'm going to do that with Snowblind and his friends? Of course not!"

"I expect not to come across those junkies trying to go to Manehattan, then," replies Jack while getting the CD out of its box and turning on the player. "Need a bit of this to relax..."

"Relax?" replies the young gangster. "Man, the whole album is literally an explosion of guitars."

The player registers the CD.

READING

"I know... but it takes me back."

■ 1-11 /// 48:36

W sighs and looks outside. "So... we'll take a look at the school?"

Jack raises an eyebrow. "Well, I don't know if it's open, but if you want..."

W shakes his head. "Uh, well... just to take a look... if we still have a free hour..."

Both gangsters look at each other and Jack raises his shoulders. "Ok, then," he says while chuckling. "Let's go."

He turns on the car.

▶

Now Playing: Track 1 - Only Shallow by My Bloody Valentine

Canterlot High

A rainbow-haired girl arrives at the place where she wanted to be after so long. A sigh of relief gets out of her when she looks at the enormous purple building she sometimes hates to be in due to the amount of homework she gets every day but loves because of her friends and kind people inside. There's no better place to socialize and make friends than Canterlot High.

"Hey, Dash!" she turns back to look at the one who said that. A rarely-seen Shining Armor wearing jeans and a plain white t-shirt. "Thought Twily would come with you."

"Uh, hi, Shine!" Rainbow Dash waves her hand and hugs Twilight's brother, better known as one of the school's preceptors. "Are you sure is this you?"

Shining Armor, surprised by that question, raises an eyebrow and looks at Dash in her eyes. "What do you mean?"

"I mean... it's the first time I look at you wearing normal clothes, dude."

Shining Armor laughs. "I'm doing the hard work now, Dash," he turns around and points at a pile of gym mats. "I have to carry those to the school gym now. They have just arrived, a couple of minutes ago."

"Oh, no problem! I can help you with that," Dash stretches her arms. "You know I'm the one for carrying these things."

"Do you mind if I help you with that?"

A feminine, cosy voice sounds behind her and Shining Armor makes a smile. She turns around and looks at a chuckling Rarity, always wearing her purple skirt and boots, and light blue shirt, always with her beautiful purple hair. She lets out a sigh of relief when she sees her friend. After what she has been dealing with due to that failed relationship with that bastard named Cattle Pr... no, she doesn't even want to spell that name on his mind.... finding a Rarity who is not shocked or completely paranoid on this day is something good, magnificent. "Hey, my favourite fashionista."

Rarity and Dash chuckle and then hug each other. "Good morning, Dash."

"Good morning..." then she looks at her face. "I was going to carry the mats with Shining Armor to the gym..."

"Sure, I will help you," replies Rarity without letting her finish. "How many of them are there?"

"Um..." Shining Armor scratches his hair. "I think there are ten, fifteen, but I don't know if there's more... Cel told me she bought even more because there were almost no mats... although those pads we always had on the gym are still standing. If I were her, I'd still be using them."

"Those pads? The blue ones? How long have those pads been here?" Dash asks him while getting nearer the mats. "The ones we always used in the gym..."

Shining Armor chuckles. "Uh... I don't know... they have been here for a couple of years but they're not so old, Dash!"

"And are you sure about that? Hahaha!"

She's hiding it again. She shouldn't be doing it.

It's not the first time Rarity gets stuck in her thoughts after what happened with Cattle Prod. She doesn't even know why did she fell into his game. She doesn't even know what did she see in him to do that. She doesn't even know why didn't she tell her friends about that at first. She wasn't sure of it in the first place and still feels guilty, despite their friends having already accepted her apologies for keeping it a secret. They went on for a few odd dates where he wanted to take control of everything they were doing together until, on their last date, she said no and left. He told her something was going to happen to her on the first day of the College Course. Something bad. What was he talking about? He's capable of everything.

She tried to dodge that and hide her feelings but looks like it's going to explode again. Despite not showing it, she's clearly worried and needs a shoulder where she can talk and be safe. She has already talked to her grandpa, but Abey is far from Canterlot and is busy on that car store he always talks about. Her parents... Dad is also out of town and Mom is always busy working on the Carousel Boutique. She didn't even tell them both too much, she feels a bit ashamed for not doing it.

She looks at Dash from behind.

She was always a good shoulder to stay on.

Car

Only four persons are inside that car and the ambience is tense. Speedster is driving, Sharp Baton is on the passenger seat, and Snips and Snails are in the backseat, looking at each other. "Well, as I told you before... this world, this place, this job..." he begins to move his hands while explaining. "It's kinda dangerous, I'm not gonna lie. It's rough, tough... A rusty one. Isn't it, Speedster?"

"Yup," he only replies. Sharp Baton turns around and looks at both children.

"The scarecrow was just the beginning... we have a long way to walk together... and despite it's a cruel place to stay... it gives you easy money. A lot... We just pretend to be like normal people, but, in fact, we are ten times wealthier than Canterlot's Mayor."

Snips and Snails feel goosebumps while hearing that. "Is that true?" asks Snips. "Are you that rich?"

Sharp Baton and Speedster laugh. "Sure we are," says Baton, chuckling. "Think about it... we are the only ones in the country who can save your booties and give you easy money. You said you had a scholarship and lived in a cheap motel, right? And now look..." he touches the car's roof. "Look at you now, inside the car which belongs to the cream of the crop and protected by my brother in every place of your school."

Both little boys tremble a bit when they hear that word... brother. They almost forgot this guy is the brother of a bully... and being protected by that guy, despite sounding like something cool and safe, is not that nice in real life. The big bully and his friends consider both kids as boulders, obstacles, things that only interrupt their path. They kick them around, shout at them. They don't see Sharp Baton too often, and when they try to tell him how his brother behaves with them, he barely gives them an answer. Just one phrase: "He's not bad. He just wants you to do what he tells you to do." That's what he said, and the bully dared to kick them both on their booties and put them to do his homework... He wants to let them know who rules, not only in that room, in that relationship, but also in the whole school, in their new home.

The car suddenly stops in a small park located in one of the main squares of Canterlot. "I'm afraid we'll have to leave you here," replies Baton. "But don't worry... my brother will look for you and will pick you up for school... he has to do something there, he told me. You just have to wait for... a couple of minutes, nothing else."

No. What they just don't want is them inside the car of that guy. "Um, sir..." suddenly interrupts Snails, getting between the front seats, looking at Sharp Baton. "It's no problem. We can go to school on foot."

Speedster and Sharp Baton laugh at the same time. "Oh, come on!" shouts Sharp Baton. "We're being gentle! Don't forget you are entering the world of fantasy I've been telling you for weeks... and in this world of fantasy everything goes by car! Never on foot! Walking is for normal people!"

A tense silence appears in the car. Snips and Snails get confused at the use of the word normal. "I mean," replies Speedster. "People do often walk and go on foot to several places, but we don't, because everyone has their own car... you know why?" Speedster suddenly gets his hand in his pocket and gets out a $50 bill. Snips and Snails look at it with bright eyes. "Because we have enough money to buy a car for everyone. Enough money to not walk... Do you want this one, boys?"

Snips nods his head. "Oh, we do." Speedster slowly moves his hand onto them, but when Snails is about to grab the bill, the gangster suddenly gets the hand out of there and keeps the bill in his pocket again.

"No, no! This is my bill," shouts Speedster. "If you want to get yours, you've gotta learn what we taught you this day... OK? Now get out... Sharp Baton's brother may be waiting for you."

Snips and Snails still don't like the idea of being in the car of a bully. "Oh, we want to go on fo-"

"No!" suddenly interrupts Sharp Baton. "We told you that in this world of fantasy we go to the places we want by car... the foot is for those who don't do the hard work we do... and you've got to understand that. I want my brother to take you to the school by car... OK?"

Speedster and Sharp Baton look at both kids with cold, bitter eyes. The two boys look at each other, not before swallowing saliva. They feel observed, intimidated. "Uh... OK," replies Snips.

"And what about you?" asks Speedster. "The orange one..."

"Yes, yes," replies Snails, scratching his hair, while Snips opens the car door, desperately. Snails comes out after him but doesn't close the door. He looks at his friend Snips, who is standing straight in the middle of the open park sidewalk, looking at the green field, benches and people having a good time on a Saturday morning. "Um..."

"I have a--"

"I do have--"

Both kids interrupt each other and look at each other in silence. Looks like both of them have a question for the two grown men. Speedster lets out a laugh. Sharp Baton turns around. "What?" he asks. "We don't have much time."

"I have a question," fastly responds Snips. "You said we were going to do something else with the gun and... uh..."

"The scarecrow," replies Snails, looking at his friend. "So..."

Silence for a second. "What..." asks Snips. "If we won't do the... well... what would we do with the gun, then?"

The kids expect a quick answer from them both, but surprisingly the gangsters look at each other in silence. Speedster raises an eyebrow at Sharp Baton and then bites his lips before looking at the kids. "We don't have time now. We'll tell you about that tomorrow. See you." Once he finishes that sentence, the car is turned on again and leaves the park, leaving both children alone.

Both gangsters are now in silence. Sharp Baton looks at the lost kids looking at the car, through the rearview mirror. "Well... this was pathetic. Absolutely pathetic. I want to ask you a serious question," speaks Speedster. "What the hell did happen?" Sharp Baton laughs, which also makes Speedster laugh. "Firstly, how did those kids manage to talk to Cattle Prod and you?"

Baton bites his lips and gets out a cigarette from his pants' pocket. "Well, I think a classmate told them Cattle Prod gave easy money to anyone who dared to do things for him and looked they were desperate for it and bit the bait. Besides, my brother told me they liked acting as minions. They helped another girl called Sunset... Sunset something, to do something bad on their school. A rascal thing, maybe."

"And why in the hell did your uncle let them in?"

Baton smiles at Speedster. "Well, my brother told my uncle these minions thing both of them had and made him laugh, and you know that my uncle never misses the opportunity. He told Cattle to take them to the Dead House, then he called me..." Baton laughs again. "You know my uncle doesn't reject anyone. Any new guy that wants to work... come on in! Welcome to the society!"

Speed shakes his head while Baton grabs a lighter from his pocket. "That's something.... uh... I mean, everyone can be on the table but... two kids that seriously don't look like they were involved in a gang?"

"Oh, Speed... Don't be so rude! Not being in the world as a child, like you and me, doesn't mean you can be a bad gangster... Not all good boys are born in the mob..." Baton lights the cigarette with a lighter and puts it in his mouth. "My uncle told me that, you know?"

"I know he told you that," replies Speedster. "But tell me..." the traffic light is now red. The car stops. "Answer, Sharp... your uncle literally ordered us to bring that stupid, idiotic scarecrow to the Dead House. We never used that piece of wood from the garden to help any new rookie... How long do you think those kids will last on this?"

Baton maintains the smoke for a second and then releases it, not before taking the cigarette out of his mouth. He opens the car window and gets his arm out of the car. Then, he nods his head and looks at Speedster. "Well, it's kinda hard."

"Kinda hard?"

"Well... nobody knows what will happen on the day of tomorrow, Speed... I'm not a time traveller or a---"

"I know, I know... but... from what you've seen today... from that scarecrow we used... how long would you think they will last?"

He chuckles. "Come on... it's literally their first day."

"I know, but... I told you... the scarecrow thing, the minion behaviour you told me about, these are facts we cannot deny... and I know that you are not ignoring them... not at all."

Sharp Baton's smile fades while he raises an eyebrow. He feels exposed. "Now? If I've got to be honest?"

Speedster nods his head. "Yeah."

The traffic light is now green and Speedster crosses the street. Baton takes a breath. "Well, I don't know... their faces, their attitudes, their use of words... I'm sure they may change their behaviour over time but... if I've got to send them to work with those faces... even with what they've seen today." he denies his head. "They wouldn't even last ten minutes."

Speedster nods his head. "You see?" he bites his lips. "I do think the same... and I know it's their first day, we don't know the future, blah, blah, blah... but there's something about these kids... that makes me think they will never survive in this world. They just can't be part of this, man."

"Speed... I think this is normal, man. You were born and raised in the family... you had a different kind of innocence in your childhood that these kids may never have had... Relax, turn on the radio."

He keeps smoking.

Jack's Car

"Don't you dare to begin with that dream thing again..."

Jack took off the Loveless CD out of the player and put it on the glove box. He just wasn't in the mood for that, so he decided to just turn on the radio and keep breathing while driving to Canterlot High, the place where they have to work.

And now, in Canterlot FM... the best hits of an old era everybody wants to go back... ladies and gentlemen, a song from the '80s... Billie Jean by the absolute King of Pop, Michael Jackson..."

"Is Billie Jean your lover?" jokingly asks W to Jack. "And is that kid your son?"

"No, and no," boringly answers the man. "I ain't got no lovers and sons... I don't even have time to make a cup of coffee to myself."

The young gangster sighs. "Uh, man, I was being funny... don't ruin it so harshly..." W scratches his hair. "And well... I mean, I honestly knew you were going to answer that... you were never a big lover, isn't it?"

"Uh... no... and from what I remember, neither you," replies Jack. "From what I know you never had a date on your whole life."

"Yeah, but I'm 23, I'm still young," he says. "You are like 45... and you never... you know, even had a crush on someone, man?"

Jack laughs. "How many times I've got to tell you this, man? I don't have time to have a crush on someone, W. I've been working for Patch, for Bloodswan and his family. You also work for them... tell me, when was the last time you had a crush on somebody, uh?"

W raises his shoulders. "Well, um... remember that time I was in love with one of Seductive's adoptive daughters... uh... what was his name?"

"I think... uh..." Jack bites his lips. "Adagio Dazzle?"

W stretches his arms and claps once. "Yes! There it is! That name!"

"Adagio Dazzle... you were 8 years old when you fell in love with Adagio, W... you are 23 now. No other crush has been on your mind since?"

He bites his lips. "Well... honestly, I don't remember. Maybe I talked to some girl who thought I was hot and ended up in bed... but nothing else after that. It was just..."

"...sex," he replies. "Yeah, reminds me of the old me. My young me."

W raises an eyebrow. "Your young you? Were you young at a time?" he chuckles. "Just kidding."

Jack doesn't even laugh but makes a small, almost invisible, smile. He just looks at W. "Yeah, there was a time where I was a young douche wearing silver earrings and rock band t-shirts, just like you."

"Hey!" shouts W, offended. "Firstly, this earring," he says, pointing at his earring. "...is steel, not silver. I'm not that rich, you know... and secondly, I don't wear rock band t-shirts..."

"And what are you wearing now?" asks Jack. "Under that trenchcoat..."

W unbuttons the trenchcoat and reveals the white t-shirt he's using is completely plain. "See? It's plain. No rock bands. See it?"

"Yeah, I'm not blind, I do," he replies, chuckling. "Well, you don't always wear rock band t-shirts but you used to..."

"Yeah... in the past," he replies. "I used to wear t-shirts of bands like... uh... I don't know... remember when I was using that black Slipknot t-shirt every day?"

"Oh, damn, don't remind me of that."

W laughs. "Man, I was a stupid teenager kid at that time but... now I've got to admit I even wanted to be buried with that t-shirt... It smelled so freaking awful."

"You smelled awful..."

"Yeah, how many times did I take the shower per week? Um..." Suddenly, the young gangster looks at that enormous purple building, that always called his attention but never cared of finding out what it was, from far away. "Man... that building is big as shit."

Jack smiles. "It's the building where you will stay."

What? Now W's eyes open widely and feels all of his hair getting spiky. They told him it was a big place, but not that it was in that building is specific. "That one?"

"Yes."

He scratches his hair. "But... is that a school or a freaking country?"

"We told you it was a big place. It has dorms, classrooms and whoever knows who. It's one of the biggest schools in the country."

"Dko told me it could be the biggest one in the country."

Jack bites his lips. "I'm not so sure if it's actually the biggest one but... I don't think she's wrong. It's a pretty huge place."

"Man, but you didn't even show me a picture of the school! I thought it was just a little pla-"

"But Abe did show you a picture, didn't he?"

W's face is now blank. He gets pale while laying his head against the car window. "Did he?"

"Yeah, I think he did. I wasn't with him when he talked to you for the first time... I think I found out later when he told me..." Jack frowns and lowers the car speed. "You're always as distracted as a fly."

"Oh, please!" he shouts. "I just... don't remember about that. Maybe I was..."

"Distracted."

"I'm not always distracted! Sometimes I am, but other times I do forget some stuff because my week is filled with... other things."

"Such as watching fights to the death with Snowblind and his group of babysitters?"

"Oh, shut up, you know that's not the only---" Suddenly Jack stops the car and W turns around to look what's behind him. There are a couple of young boys and girls carrying things to the school, entering by the main door. "It's open."

He turns his head to look at Jack. The old man is silent until he says: "Yeah."

"Um... what... should we enter, as we said..."

"Right now?" he raises an eyebrow. "Weren't you telling me that you weren't sure and we had two days to think things?"

"Yeah, but... what else do we have to think?" says W. "The name? We finally said it's Swift Arrow. The papers? Calc is forging them... what else? Um... maybe a wig or something to change my face?"

"Yeah, you're right," Jack replies, nodding his head. "We can get that on Hoppy's."

W raises an eyebrow, confused. "Hoppy? The guy from... but he is a gun seller, Jack."

"Hoppy's like a treasure chest, W..." he replies while stepping on the clutch. "Everything you want, Hoppy has it twice."

"Well, I expect Hoppy to have two buckets of fried chicken at the moment we arrive." W laughs and Jack lets a small smile, but suddenly the young gangster's laugh slowly fades out. "Uh, man... am I literally the only one who can do this?"

Jack bites his lips while turning on the left corner. Canterlot High is now behind and W knows that while turning his head around and observing a purple wall with just a plain glimpse from his eyes. A giant purple wall surrounded by a green field. Looked like a pitch. "Sadly yes. You literally told me that minutes ago. Snowblind and his group of friends? No. Just no. Dko? She's not a gangster and her father also doesn't let her. Calc? He's working... is there any other young gangster who can do that work?"

W scratches his hair. "Well... if you want to put Sharp Baton on the list--"

"Any other young gangster on Maretreal..." interrupts Jack. "And besides, Sharp Baton would never do something for us. Even buying groceries."

"Well, on Maretreal..." Seconds later, W shakes his head. "No. I think I'm the youngest dude in our place."

"... 23 years old. And besides, not only you are the youngest of all of us, but also... I think there's no other guy better than you at dealing with assholes. Even I..." a second of silence. "Even my young me... I didn't have the tongue you have."

W gets surprised at those words. A compliment? From Jack himself? That was so unexpected for him that he even blushes a bit. "Oh... didn't expect that to come out of your mouth."

"Oh, come on," he roughly says. "I'm not that rude. You know I'm very kind to you, but sometimes you make me mad. You are like a bright rose covered by rocks."

"Uh..." W gets confused again. "That was... an odd saying. Was that a compliment or--?"

"A compliment of my style," replies Jack, turning on the left. "We are going back to Maretreal for Hoppy. He must have something to cover your face..."

"What time is it?" asks W. Jack checks his watch while stopping the car in front of a traffic light.

"Almost 11," he replies. "The kids on the school were carrying things. They might be helping the staff for the new school year. I don't think they'll close soon, they may be there the whole afternoon."

"Yeah," W opens the glove box. "But we should come back here the faster we can... just in case." He looks at the Loveless CD one more time.

"Yeah, of course." Then he looks at his partner, who is observing the pink CD. "You can play it if you want. From here to Hoppy's may be only 15 minutes by car, though."

"No, thanks," replies before chuckling. "Man, I still can't believe you used to listen to this... I never expect you to be listening to My Bloody Valentine..."

Jack makes a small smile. "Younger ages, kid."

"Man, that makes me think... I never asked you about your younger self. I mean, I always looked at you like someone older than me, even I mocked you with your age a minute ago, literally... but seriously... I never thought about you at my age, or even younger than me right now."

Jack takes a breath and chuckles. He never thought about that (for a long time). "Me? When I was younger?" The traffic light goes green. "Well, I was like you, I used to wear stupid earrings..."

"... and stupid rock t-shirts, yeah. You said it." W chuckles, also Jack.

However, the old gangster's eyes get lost in something for a second.

Memories.

Old memories.

1991

Everton High

A young, blue-skinned boy is looking at himself in the mirror of a bathroom. He washes his face several times before looking at himself again. His eye bags are big. Everybody notes them, he didn't have the best night of his life.

His father, Mr Edinburgh Tyler, was always a strange man. A criminologist who is known for his articles about the Equestrian Mafia. He received several threats, warnings about them, and even survived two murder attempts planned by gangsters to take both his and his partner Glasgow Parsons' heads for being sneaky rats smelling their business and telling everyone about it, but, despite all of that, he always kept walking. That was something that always caught his son's attention. Despite all of the hatred and havoc from those men around him, he, as a civilian and criminologist, ignored all of the curses and keep writing. Not any man or woman could do that.

However, sometimes you've got to pay the price. His father was a brave man, but also very reserved and overprotective. He hardly came out of his house and spent all day and night reading, writing and talking to his friend Mr Parsons by phone. His only son, Jack, was his only connection to a real person. He is the only one who can feed his own father by buying all of the groceries due to Edinburgh's denial to come out of the house. He always said... "Who knows if someone can recognize me in the streets?"

Jack is now a big boy. He's 17. He has his tastes and dreams about, one day, travelling to somewhere that isn't the house or the school... but his father can't accept that. He just doesn't want to... he tells him to stay home, to don't risk his life at getting further from his hometown, Manehattan. He told him the city of the mane is the core of the mafia and the wolf's mouth for everyone.

They had a discussion last night. Jack wanted to go outside... he told his father he was a prisoner. A prisoner in liberty.

A phrase that has shocked him.

"Dude," suddenly says a friend, bringing him back to reality. "And what are you going to do with the Iron Will thing?" asks the pale kid with pink hair. "He is still mad because you didn't help him for the Maths test. He promised he will beat you up sooner or later."

Young Jack takes a breath. "Whatever he does or whatever I do, whether he beats me up or not... I am right," he replies, touching his face. "It's not my task to help him on a test. If he didn't study for it, it's his fault. Not mine..." he clenches a fist. "My God... I had the worst discussion with my father in months... and you think I'm worried about some douchebag with muscles?"

"You know he's not an easy guy to deal with. Iron Will has that mood, you know what I mean."

"Yeah, I know, Bunny," he replies to his friend. Now he lays his back against the bathroom sink. "I know."

Suddenly, a third kid enters the school's public bathroom and both Jack and Bunny get out of there.

Everton High Hall

Both teenagers get out of the bathroom and began to walk to their classrooms in a narrow hall filled with students. "Hey," whispers Bunny to Jack, almost near his ear. "Did you listen to the cassette I borrowed you like... three days ago?"

Jack raises an eyebrow. "You mean... Loveless by uh... this band's name was..."

"My Bloody Valentine," replies Bunny. "It's loud stuff, I know, but once you get used to its sound... you'll find out it's gorgeous... odd, but beautiful."

"Um... well," says Jack, looking at him. "I'm afraid to tell you I couldn't finish it... it was... something strange... I heard noise, whales and a small, petite voice I couldn't manage to understand... it sounds oddly nice, although I literally have no idea about the lyrics and what is the singer saying... besides, my walkman broke after listening to a part of it."

Bunny's eyes widen. "Wait, really?"

"Yeah," he replies. "It was time. I had it since 1985..."

Jack and Bunny find the entrance door for their classroom and Bunny are about to grab the handle, but somebody else opens the door: A tall, thin girl with purple hair. The brightest purple hair anyone has ever seen, which perfectly matches with her pinkish-white skin tone. Her purple eyes look at them both, feeling like stars.

Despite everything he does to hide it, Jack can't take aside his feelings for her. She is, for him, the most beautiful girl he has ever seen, and he's been thinking that since she entered this school in Sophomore Year, but could never manage to talk to her due to feeling inferior. He is the son of a criminologist and a late mother whose husband even admitted to him that she was just a transient, temporal love. On the other side, this girl is the daughter of a father who is a prestigious educational supervisor and a mother who is an excellent lawyer, according to what the rumours of her spread by lots of students have said. He will never, ever be at her league. Not miles, but lightyears ahead of her.

She makes a small smile, almost a grin, to them. Jack's pupils dilate while blushing. Bunny, on the other side, smiles and scratches his neck. "Hi, Celestia," he says. "Good morning."

"Good morning," she says. "You want to enter? Come in."

Gosh, she's so humble. Bunny thanks her while stepping into the class, and there's an odd moment where Jack and Celestia look at each other for a second. A second which he feels like an eternity. The boy puts his hands in his jeans' pockets, makes a small smile and nods his head while fastly entering the room without saying anything.

Then she closes the door... "That eye contact felt like something else," he thinks.