Hackers

Chapters

The Lost Element
Cracking Crystaller
DedSec at Breakfast
The Bank Job

The Lost Element

Author's Note

Written by FictionFlyer
Inspired by the parody poster and description by Dan232323
Special thanks to LAGGxFITZY, imacrazytwkr, and Rated Ponystar.

The Lost Element

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HACKERS

It was always the same. The screaming, the gunfire, the sound of jets flying overhead, his menacing cackling, followed by his screaming as he was incinerated. It always ends the same, that jet flying towards them. The calls for it to stop are ignored as it drops it's payload. The bombs hit the ground, right near where they were standing.

Twilight was then jolted awake with the sound of the alarm. 6 a.m., it read. Twilight huffed in frustration. Her head was sore. 'Overdid it again.' She thought to herself, as she eyed the hard seltzer cans on the kitchen table. She stumbled down the stairs and immediately disposed of them before turning on the coffee maker and grabbing the carton of FillyaLite. She chugged some of the carton before pouring it into the mug and adding the coffee. She turned on the stove and threw some eggs and bacon on.

"You up Twilight?" Spike called.

"Yeah." She replied. "You want breakfast?"

A few minutes later they were at the table eating. Or rather Spike was eating his. He couldn't help but notice her staring at her breakfast, almost hypnotized.

"You ok?" He asked, sheepishly.

Twilight looked up at him briefly. "Not really." She quietly replied before taking a bite of her eggs.

"Still having those nightmares." He asked.

Twilight nodded. "Every night now Spike."

"Have you talked to Luna about them?" He asked. Twilight was starting to feel a little irritated.

"I have." She replied. "She's tried to clear them, but they just keep coming back." She then pushed her plate aside and laid her head down. Spike got up and walked over to her and put a hand on her shoulder. He could hear her start to cry.

"I don't know what's wrong with me Spike." She said in between sobs. "Ever since the Crystal Empire nothing has been right with me."

"It wasn't your fault." He said reassuringly. "That pilot was the one who disobeyed orders." He then gripped her shoulder. "Honestly Twi, I think that place just made you worse."

Twilight's head shot up. She was looking at him dead into his eyes. Spike's heart skipped a beat.

"I---I---I didn't mean it like that." He nervously stuttered out. Spike winced as he braced for the incoming barrage.

"No." She growled. "You're actually right." Spike seemed to ease as she ranted. "She told me that hellhole would help me, but all they ever did was gaslight and torture me! And she clearly didn't give a fuck!"

She was about to continue when Spike, suddenly, coughed up a scroll.

"Speaking of the devil." He said handing her the scroll. He clutched his stomach. "Does she not get technology? Why does she insist on sending these still?"

"She finds it easier and more personal I think." Twilight said. She read the scroll over before placing it down on the table.

"Well." She started. "Seems like she wants to talk to me." She then turned to Spike. "Pack a bag. We're going."

The two quickly packed a few overnight bags before leaving. As they made their way outside, Spike turned around and noticed Twilight standing in the doorway. He couldn't tell what she was doing, but it looked as though she was talking a final look of the place before finally closing the door. And with that, they made their way to the train station.

As they made their way through town, Spike could feel the ponies staring, accompanied by silent murmuring. He could overhear some of them.

"She's out?" One said.

Another one, "I thought she moved away."

A third, "Somepony told me she was dead."

Spike just listened and kept walking. Twilight could hear them too, along with a few somewhat unsavory comments. Ones that hurt more when she walked by a few familiar places.

Sugar Cube Corner, still bustling with ponies going to get sweet treats. She could see the Apple Farm, surprisingly, still as busy as ever. But the cottage was quiet and a bit overgrown. No animal could be seen on it. Then the boutique, boarded up, abandoned, and slowly showing signs of weathering. He heart shattered once again as she remembered that awful night and what led to this.

Spike put a hand on her back as she tried to hold back her tears. Neither said a thing as they continued on to the station.

The EquesTrak was one of the fastest and most efficient rail lines in the world. The old and slower steam powered locomotives had been replaced with high speed electric trains. It used to take 3 day to travel by train from Las Pegasus to Manehattan. The introduction of high speed lines cut that in half.

Spike and Twilight sat in the car for regular commuters on the way up there. It wasn't a long ride, only an hour and a half. Spike noticed her staring, almost blankly out the window as they pulled away from the town. Twilight watched the world pass by as the train moved up the mountain to Canterlot. The world just seemed to be one big blur as trees, rocks, and houses passed by at lightning speed. It was hypnotic. Calming.

She didn't even realize she had fallen asleep when she suddenly felt Spike tug on her shoulder.

"C'mon Twilight, we're here." He said.

It didn't take them long after leaving the train to arrive at the castle gates, which were opened for their arrival. As they walked through the courtyard, Spike couldn't help but notice Twilight clenching her fists. Looking up he could see her face. It was slowly contorting and twisting into a scowl. He hoof steps were starting to get more angry as they approached the main door. He watched as she seemed to get more and more furious as they walked down the main hall to the Queens Chambers.

Celestia was sitting at a table that had just been prepped for herself, Spike, and Twilight. Tea and cakes had already been set up. She sat calmly sipping some tea reading a news article on her tablet. Suddenly, the doors were blown open with such force it was a surprise they didn't fly off their hinges. The guards were taken aback by the violent entrance and prepped themselves ready to fight.

"WAIT!!!" Celestia shouted, just as shocked at the brazen entrance. She did settle slightly calm down upon seeing it was Twilight and Spike. However, upon seeing her student and how angry she looked, a new wave of uneasiness washed over her as the two took their seats. She dismissed her guards and told them to shut the, now slightly damaged, door behind them.

For the first few minutes they sat in silence. Spike was sitting, munching on finger sandwiches and cookies. Celestia was, nervously, sipping on a cup of tea, which slightly shook in her hand. She was developing a cold sweat as she looked at Twilight, who just sat there, staring her down.

"Do tell, my teacher," Twilight finally spoke, her tone so cold a Windego could get a chill from it, "why did you invite us here on such short notice?"

Celestia inhaled. "Well, my faithful student," she began, "I've been thinking about you and what happened." Twilight raised an eyebrow. "I know that night was a tragedy, and it was hard to lose them. Believe me, I grew to love them myself." She then seemed to choke a bit, holding back tears. Twilight, however, was stone faced.

"But?" She asked, poking her to hear what was next.

Celestia sighed before continuing. "But I figured it was time to help you heal." She then pulled out her phone and hit send on it. Twilight felt hers vibrate and picked it up. She opened the notification to find a train ticket, open ended to anywhere in Equestria or the Crystal Empire.

"I know you will never be able to replace them." She continued. "But I believe that you can make new friends just as easily as you did with them."

Twilight didn't really respond, just looked at the ticket. Shen then smirked before putting the phone away.

"Where's Luna?" She asked. Celestia nearly choked on her tea as a few drops spilled on her white dress.

"Oh, um." She stammered. "She's away helping the army in Unicornia. Since the surrender, she's needed in weeding out their remaining commanders. Not to mention helping with the upcoming reconstruction."

Twilight almost scoffed in disgust. Celestia took another sip of her tea when her student casually blurted out, "Typical. Sending someone out to do your dirty work while you sit here and stuff your face."

Spikes jaw dropped open as his eyes went wide. Celestia nearly choked as she spit out her tea. Never had she heard student talk like that.

"E---e---excuse me?!" She nearly shouted.

"You heard me." Twilight snarky said. "This whole war, you sat on your fat ass while Luna, Cadance, my brother, my friends, and I were out defending this nation." Celestia nearly spoke up when Twilight put her hoof up. "No! Shut up! I'm talking now!"

Celestia sat back and listened as Spike moved his chair slightly away. Twilight took a deep breath then continued.

"You sent out my brother into that frozen hellscape, knowing that someone tipped the Unicornians off." She began.

Celestia immediately interjected. "The odds were good, and they completed their mission."

"Correction, only three completed the mission." Twilight snapped back, "The other seventeen of your agents you sent out there were killed because of that leak. You almost got Shining killed, along with your best agent. Thank Faust for Private Sentry."

Celestia reflected on that week. The Unicornians, a theocratic regime whose government was an ally of Sombra and Chrysalis, were planning to fire a new rocket towards Vanhoover to show their military capabilities. Their plans failed when Shining and his team were able to sabotage the several of the site's facilities and signal an airstrike on the main missile silo. The base was destroyed, but seventeen soldiers out of the twenty sent in were killed in the initial phase due to a mole in the Inteligence Services. The mere mention of that week always made her breakout into a cold sweat.

"I don't even need to mention what nearly happened to Luna during the battle with the Changelings, or Cadance during our siege of the Crystal City." Twilight sternly said. "But I will mention what happened to me afterwards." The queen held her breath. "I watched that plane come down and drop its bombs right on my frien----no, my sisters, while my brother screamed for them to stop." Twilight held back a sob. "I didn't even get to say 'goodbye'. They couldn't identify their remains, so I didn't know which body was which."

She then looked her mentor dead in the eyes as they went from sorrow to anger.

"Then I come to you for help, and what did you do? You sent me to that hell hole of a psyche ward. I was tortured for eighteen months. I could explain all the horrible things they did to me in there if it was worth wasting the air saying it. And to add insult to injury, you didn't even bother to visit me!!! WHY?!?!" She screamed as she slammed her fist on the table, sending some of the pastries flying. "Because I was no use to you anymore, was I?! Because the Elements of Harmony are useless relics."

By this point, Spike had fled under the table, taking a few finger sandwiches with him.

"Twilight." Celestia, choked out. "That's not true. I care about you, I really do. And I did try to---"

"LIES!!!" Twilight screamed. "All you ever did was lie to me! All you ever did was use me and my friends. All you ever did was make us do your dirty work while you took the credit. And I won't stand for it ANYMORE!!!"

Celestia's heart was beating so fast it felt like it was about to shoot out of her chest. Never in her life had she thought she'd be talked to like this by Twilight. She knew this wasn't like her at all. She looked back at Twilight who was standing in her spot, panting with her head lowered. She could hear her students silent sobs in between her panting.

"What happened to you?" She thought.

"You used me." Twilight sobbed. "All you ever did was use me."

The Queen was about to say something when Twilight put her hand up.

"I'll take it." She stated. "I'll go. Alone."

Before Celestia could say anything, she was briefly blinded as Twilight teleported out of the room. She quickly reached under the table and grabbed the quivering dragon before they took off after Twilight.

Twilight's eyes barely began to dry as she arrived back at the station. She stormed through the concourse towards the platforms where several trains were already boarding. Her eyes darted from one to the next, trying to pick which one to board. Finally, she focused her view on a train at the platform furthest from her. Her ticket at the ready, she bolted over to the conductor. With a quick scan, she was cleared to board. She had only made it up the first step when she heard her name being called out. It was her.

"Twilight!!!" Celestia called. "Twilight please, wait!!!"

Twilight turned around just as her mentor ran up to the car door, a panting Spike in tow.

"That's it?" The Queen questioned. "You're just going to leave everything and everyone behind?"

"No." Twilight flatly replied before turning to Spike. "I'll send for you once I get settled somewhere."

Spike just ran up and hugged her, which she returned.

"I'm sorry," She said, "but I have to be alone for a while."

"I understand." Spike said. "Just be careful. Ok?

"I will." Twilight said with a slight smile. He then backed up off the train as Celestia came forward.

"Where are you going?" She asked, her voice starting to crack.

"Not sure." Twilight replied flatly. "Anywhere I guess."

"Will you at least let me know when you get there?" Celestia pushed.

"Only when I send for him." Twilight said pointing to Spike. "Other than that," She paused, "...this'll probably be the last time we speak."

Celestia's blood froze. "What are you saying?"

Twilight then looked her mentor dead into her eyes. "I'm saying...as of now, I am no longer your student. This'll be the last time we'll see each other."

Celestia began to sob as Twilight turned and walked into the train car. The whistle then blasted loudly as the train began pulling out of the station. The unicorn sat down in her seat, shaking from the adrenaline. She looked out the corner of her eye to see her mentor walk towards her window. She could see tears flowing freely down her face as she walked alongside the train as it slowly pulled out of the station. Soon it began to pick up speed as Celestia, seemingly, tried to keep up the pace with it. The chase was short lived as the monarch slowed her pace. Twilight looked back, just in time to see Celestia and Spike both wave at her before they were out of sight.

Twilight turned back around. The adrenaline had begun to wear off as every emotion began to set in. She put her face into her hands and began to sob loudly, not caring who heard. Not that it mattered, there was no one around to hear her. The train car was empty.

Cracking Crystaller

Fourteen Months Later

In predawn hours, lower end of Manehattan was usually quiet compared to the rest of the city. While plenty of people worked in the towering buildings during said hours, most people were at home sleeping or out partying at the clubs. Moving with the little traffic was a cargo van with the words "APEX SYSTEMS" on the sides. It effortlessly pulled up to the service entrance to the Chrystaller Building. Two ponies, jumped out the back doors before the van drove away.

They walked through the door into a white, brightly lit hall, and up to the security gate. The first pony, a mare wearing a light blue coveralls, long sleeved shirt, and ball cap, walked through the detector with little effort. The second one, a stallion, wearing a drab, grey, standard security guard uniform walked close behind her, only to be stopped by the guard on duty.

"Sorry bud, I gotta check ya." He said before frisking the stallion, grumbling a little. "Stupid faulty fucking system. Couldn't tell a flashlight from a bazooka."

The stallion chuckled a bit while the guard finished up and let him go.

"You guys here for the server?" The guard at the gate asked. At Apex, it was protocol standard for IT workers to have a security escort.

The mare swiftly replied, "Yeah, we got the ticket a little while ago. You know where it is? The idiots didn't put it on the slip."

The guard grumbled, "Sadly you're not the first one's who've asked me that, and you'll sure as shit not be the last, I guarantee it." He then pointed to a nearby stairwell. "Down two levels, take a left and it'll be about three doors down on the right."

"Thanks." The two said, before walking off down the stairway. The two were silent as they followed the guard's instructions to a 'T'. They both smiled as they reached the server room door. The guard put his phone up to the keypad. He heard the door unlock with a low 'click'. As they passed through, he put his phone back up to the device again. The little machine beeped and blinked a few times before going completely dark as the door closed. The two sighed with relief. Now they were alone. The guard turned to the mare and smiled again.

"Well," Record said, "that was too easy."
Vinyl smiled as she took off her hat. "Nothing's ever too easy." She replied. "You remember the spot?"
"Yep. I just gotta take care of one thing first before we get started." He said as he walked down one of the rows of server racks.

Vinyl reached into her duffle bag and pulled out a change of clothes and a small speaker. After a quick wardrobe change, she made her way down another row of servers. She walked through it as though it were an art gallery. The cool, blue neon glow, which matched the cooled temperature of the room, gave Vinyl a bit of euphoria. As she made her way down the row, she opened up her phone, which had an app already opened. It was like a camera, but with a bit of a twist. It showed the main circuits, wires, connection points. She navigated through and saw the first circuit was positioned to where it was blocking the electricity to the target server. With a few taps on her screen, the circuit was realigned. The she realized something.

"Yo Rec!" She called out.
"Yeah!" He called back.
"You all set over there?"
"Yep. Just shutting down the cameras now." He said.

Over at one of the computer terminals, Record, having gone through his own wardrobe change, was finishing his work on disabling the cameras. Within a minute they were down and the whole building was blind and the footage was erased.

"All set." He said, "Let's hit it.

Vinyl then hit the play button on her phone, and the pre-set song began blasting.

"You would play that." Record said, snarkly.
"You expect anything less?" His sister shot back.
"Egotist." Was all he could mutter.

The two got to work realigning the circuits, and boy, there a lot of them. They went from row to row, picking of one circuit after another, dancing with the beat as they did so. And just when they thought they had them all, there was always, of course, one that they missed. Once the last of them were aligned, the mainframe computer at the far end of the room came on.

"That's it!" Record shouted. "Vault's open! Let's see what we got."

The two finally had access to Chrystaller's main computer. Looking through it the two siblings were amazed by the nearly endless number of files they had. Financial records, safety tests, accident reports, recalls, defects that were being covered up. That last one was what they were after, everything else was just a bonus. The two were ecstatic. They had been working on this little caper for the last month, and now they hit paydirt. A few more mouse clicks and keystrokes and the data was copied and being sent to an unknown server. Still dancing to her music, Vinyl turned on her hear piece.

"Crumpet," she said, "this is Thing 1 and Thing 2. We got what we need and were sending it over to you now. You're not gonna believe what the fuck we just found."
"Roger that." Neon replied. "We're getting your transmission now. The Grinch will be outside in 5 minutes to pick you guys up."
"Copy that." She replied. "On our way out." Shen then turned to her brother. "Time to split."

The data packet had just finished sending when Record pulled the circuits out from the computer, sending sparks flying. The two then made a break for the door. Just as they reached it Vinyl took out a pair of bandanas and ball caps. As they put on their new attire, they could hear the sounds of someone banging on the door.

"OPEN UP IN THERE!!!" The voice angrily shouted. The two looked and grinned at each other through their bandanas as Record pulled a smoke grenade out of his white jacket. He pulled the pin and dropped it to the floor, going off almost instantly. The two backed away as the smoke encompassed them, Vinyl then tossing her brother a few "surprises" to him for the security team who were about to burst through the door. The smoke cloud grew bigger as the banging on the door got stronger. By now half the room was filled with a dense, fog-like, cloud, and the two occupants seemingly to vanish into it. Finally...

BANG!!!

The knob and locks to the door were blown off by a breacher charge. The security team, six stallions, all armed with MP-5's and dressed like they were ready to raid a terrorist's villa, stormed into the room, all calling out their usual tactical gibberish. Within seconds, however, the were hit with a blinding flash followed by and even louder BANG.

"What the fuck was that?!" One shouted.
"My eyes!!" Another screamed.
"Flashbang!!!" The leader yelled. Just then, the was a THUMP and an "Ugh" as the team leader was hit by an unseen object before being dragged into the cloud.

"Sir?" The second-in-command called. Just then, there was a loud 'BZZZZ' before he dropped to the floor himself.

"WHAT THE FUCK IS HAPPENING?!?!" A third cried, looking around the room.
"I have no----'BZZZZ'----AHHH!!!" The fourth member could only mutter as he dropped to the floor. The third squad mate only briefly caught a glimpse of his fallen colleague before he was hit over the head with a blunt instrument. He was knocked out instantly. The last two saw the event unfold. It was unreal, like a horror film come to life.

The rear guard yelled out, "Let's get the hell out of here!"
"Works for me." The fifth guard said. But as they made their way out the door, they were suddenly hit by a powerful blast of electricity. They both dropped to the floor, writhing in pain as two figures bolted past them out the doorway. Then there was the sound of something hitting the floor somewhere down the main row of servers. The was a brief buzzing sound before the room and the hallway went dark. Then there was the sounds of popping and more buzzing as the server farm seemed to self-destruct. Getting their bearings, and with the smoke now clearing the room, the two remaining guards located and grabbed their teammates and dragged them out the door as the servers began bursting into flames. Further down the main row, one of the guards, pulling the last of his team out, could see what looked like a simple ball, only it was blinking and sputtering out sparks before suddenly exploding. Then the whole room seemed to erupt into a never-ending shower of sparks, as if someone set of a crate of fireworks inside the room.

Vinyl and Record quickly bolted back up the stairs, past the confused and blinded security personnel who were waiting on standby outside the server room. The guard was still at his station as they jumped over his desk.

"Sorry dude!" Vinyl shouted sarcastically, "That shit's above our pay grade!"
"HEY!!!" The guard shouted, but they were already back out the door, getting into the awaiting black Charger. Before the doors were even shut, the car took off. Guards were rushing out the door, a few firing their pistols, in a vain attempt to stop them. The car zipped around the corner and the driver gunned it, pushing the engine to its max. Suddenly, the lights began to flicker. But not just on the tower, but every building for blocks around. And just like that, the whole lower half of Manehattan was plunged into darkness, save for the lights of cars, who were now coming to a stop. Several of the guards then noticed two, light blue, flames coming from the direction of where the car went, before disappearing into the darkness like a ghost.

For a few minutes, there was nothing but silence, and near total darkness as everyone tried to figure out what was happening. Then, just as quick as they went out, the lights came back on again. While everyone's eyes readjusted to the light, they all had one thing on their mind: who were those ponies?

Author's Note

I meant to get this out sooner, actually I meant to finish this chapter and publish it yesterday but got bogged down by life stuff. But finally, I got this one out. Anyways I should be starting on Chapter 3 real soon.

And yeah, I included Vinyl's brother in this. He's actually going to be one of the leading characters in this story. Also, yeah, I know the fans call him Long Play, but I feel Record was much more fitting of a name for him. And I know I'm not the first one.

Anyways, hope you enjoyed this so far.

DedSec at Breakfast

The Charger weaved between the few cars on the pitch-black road as it made its way northward. The passengers were having a blast as their driver, an orange pegasus with a blue mane, kept his eyes focused on the road. Within a few minutes of leaving the complex, the trio were approaching a well-lit side street up near Midtown. Before they could pull into the lights, the car turned down an alleyway, stopping inside a garage a few yards down. The driver and his passengers all breathed a sigh of relief, followed by a few chuckles from each of them. That was when the lights all came back on. As they got out, Record softly punched the driver on his shoulder.

"Great driving Flash," he said, "you probably outran them by a week and a half."
"Thanks, Rec." Flash replied smiling. "Soooo....does this mean I'm part of the group now?"
"You already are." Vinyl said. "You became one when you showed up with the car." Vinyl and Record both burst out laughing, with Flash joining in soon after. "There's a diner just up the street. Let's get some breakfast."

The trio got into Flash's own car then took off out of the alleyway. A few minutes later, they pulled up to a retro-style diner up near Times Square. There were three more ponies sitting outside, waiting for them. Flash didn't even get one foot out the door before his marefriend, Sunset Shimmer, threw her arms around him and kissed his cheek. Flash just laughed at the affection.

"Great pick Sunny." Record said. "Guy was a pro."
"Told ya." Sunset exclaimed. "They don't call him Flash for nothing."
"Not bad for a narc." Vinyl said.
Sunset and Flash seemed confused. "What do you mean?" She asked.
Vinyl turned to the duo and laughed, "You fully well know what I mean." She then turned to Flash. "Listen. We're not mad but tell your idiot boss if he wants to spy on us, just ask politely next time."

"Yeah," Record said, "we don't bite. Well maybe once." The group laughed as they went inside. Flash and Sunset ran in behind them.

"Wait!" Flash cried, "How did you guys know?"
"Relax Flash." Vinyl said, "You're still part of the crew."
"You didn't answer my question." Flash replied now annoyed.
The two siblings turned around and looked Flash dead in the eyes. "You want the long or short version?" Record asked. "Surprise me." Flash said, now getting frustrated. Vinyl pulled up her phone.

"Flash Sentry
Age: Twenty-Four
Born in Las Pegasus. Parents died in a car accident at the age of twelve. Has a brother named First Base who lives with aunt and uncle in Ponyville. Joined the Junior Royal Guard Cadet Program in highschool at age fifteen. Was fully recruited at age eighteen...blah blah blah." She then scrolled down a bit before continuing. "Ah here we are. 'Became part of Special Ops during the war...yadda yadda yadda. Was one of only three survivors from Operation Bow and Arrow.'" She then looked Flash dead in the eyes. "Damn. Three survivors?"

"Out of a platoon of twenty-five. Rumor mill at home says someone tipped off the Unicornians. We still completed the mission, and I got a busted leg and some pretty nasty nightmares as a fuckin 'thank you'." Flash snarled. He stared at the siblings, his blood already starting to boil. "So, what the fuck are you two yahoos gonna do? Huh?"

Record then got into Flash's face. "First: You're gonna drop the tough guy attitude. We don't need it and YOU don't need it. Second: You're gonna come have breakfast with us. Then we're going to figure out what to do next." The siblings then turned and went into the diner, Sunset following behind them. Realizing he was about to be left alone, he followed them into the restaurant.

Immediately his nose was hit with the smell of omelets, bacon, pancakes, and grilled cheese being made on the flattop. Old rock n roll music was playing on the jukebox near the door. The counters and tables were chrome-lined with white tops. The stuffed seats were covered with red faux leather and the walls were white with splashes of color on it, topped off with pictures of rock stars, movie posters, rockets, and more. Several ponies and dragons were sitting, drinking coffee and having their breakfasts.

Flash and Sunset followed closely behind the Scratch siblings to a corner booth where the other two ponies were already sitting, one of them with his laptop on the table. The four pulled up a spot on the large seat.

Vinyl turned to the blue-grey unicorn typing on the laptop. "Sooo....what do we got Neon?" Vinyl asked quietly, but almost giddy with excitement.

Neon turned to look at Vinyl. "What we got, my dear friend, is a fuckton of data, and most of it is useless bs." He then turned his attention back to the screen. Vinyl was just about to facepalm. 'Great. Another bust.' She thought just as her friend continued, causing Vinyl to lean in. "BUT! Though this pile of useless garbage I was able to pick out a few good gems."

"I'm listening." Neon then turned the laptop towards Vinyl, then pulled up a video.

"Now watch." He said. The video was from five years prior and showed footage of a crash test of a sedan. After a minute of watching the car ram into the wall at full throttle, the video showed a two camera angles from inside the car itself. The others leaned in to take a peek at the screen. As the car impacted the wall, the airbag deployed. As the crash test dummies made contact with the airbags, something shot out the back of one's neck while the other had something shoot through its head and torso. The gang collectively recoiled in shock and disgust.

"This was dated about two days before the car was shipped to the lots." Neon said, before opening another couple pages. This time, the screen showed a statement from the CEO telling the lead developer to release the car anyway.

"There's definitely a lot more, and not just with this car." Neon continued. "There's falsified emissions data, the malfunctioning ignition switches, you name it."

"Shit. That's a ton of data." Record said. "How long before we can release the next video?"

"Probably a week max." Neon confidently said.
"I'll get a script ready." Sunset said.
"I already designed a new mask." Another pony, Coco, added.
"And I'll start looking into the next company to expose." Vinyl said. "I'm hearing novel of horror stories about Everfree."
"Let's just get through this first V." Record said.

Just then the waitress came over, a pot of coffee in her hand. She then set it down before taking out her pen and notepad. One by one, each pony placed their orders.
"And you?" She asked turning to Record.
"I'll just have chocolate chip pancakes." He spoke.
The waitress then turned to Vinyl. "How 'bout you sweetheart?" Vinyl said nothing. Record turned and saw her staring, seemingly, off into space. "Sweetheart?" The waitress asked again.
"Yo. Vi." Record said tapping her shoulder. Vinyl then jolted before shaking her head then turning to her brother.
"What's that?" She asked.
"What do you want?" The waitress asked again.
Vinyl then pointed her thumb at her brother. "Oh. Just the same thing as him." Satisfied, the waitress went back behind the counter. Record, meanwhile, looked at Vinyl with a bit of confusion.

"What's with you?" He asked.
She then pointed to a pony sitting at the counter across the restaurant. "That mare in the grey hoodie." Record turned to see a unicorn mare sitting, hood over her head, drinking a coffee. "What about her?" Record asked.
"Remember Shining Armor, he was the guy with the band of geeks in high school?"
Record turned and nodded. "Yeah. So." He said, seeming uninterested.
"That's his sister, Twilight." Vinyl said, "She lived in Ponyville when me and Tavi lived there."
Record cocked his head to the side. "Wait," he began, sounding confused, "I thought he had a brother. Dust or Starshine."
"He has two older brothers. She's his younger, and only sister." Vinyl replied, getting up from the table.
"You going to say 'hi'?" Record asked.
"Of course. Keep my pancakes warm for me, will ya?" Vinyl said walking off, Record throwing a rolled-up napkin at her head in response.

Twilight starred down at the new mug of coffee, having barely touched her own breakfast. Not a thought passed through her mind as it almost seemed to be in a fog. Her eyes fixated on the creamer as it mixed I to the black liquid as if it had hypnotized her. She wasn't even sure how she got to this point; the last fourteen months had been nothing but a blur. She hadn't made any real contact with anyone since she left Canterlot. Not her parents, her brothers, Cadance, Luna, or especially Celestia. She did write a few letters to Spike and even sent him and the rest of her family a few birthdays presents, but other than that, nothing. While she did attempt to make new friends, they didn't last long, which made things worse for her. At this point all she had was her job at the local bookstore and her apartment. She was already set on the idea of being alone forever. That's when she felt a tap on her shoulder, bring her out of her trance.

"You seem lost." A voice said. Twilight looked up to see a cream-colored pony with strands of light and dark blue hair in her mane. Twilight almost didn't recognize the mare.
"I know you." She said in a slight raspy voice. "You DJ'd at my brother's wedding."
"That's right." Vinyl said. "And you're Pinkies friend, Twilight." Twilight nodded as her gaze seemed to sink towards the floor. Vinyl then grabbed the seat next to her.
"I heard what happened to her and the others." She began, her voice full of sympathy. "I'm sorry. Pinkie was a great friend, and I know she was an even greater one to you."
"Thanks," Twilight said, her voice low and full of sadness, "she was a great friend. They all were. Just---" She then began drifting off into an incoherent mumble as she remembered that awful night. She didn't know how long she had been in her thoughts till she saw a pair of fingers snap in front of her, causing her to jolt back to reality. "Oh! I'm sorry."
"Don't be," Vinyl said. "I was like that when I lost my folks."
"Oh," Twilight said shocked, "I'm sorry I didn't know."
"Eh. It's ok. It happened a long time ago." Vinyl said matter-of-factly. "I don't even remember them to be honest." She then pointed to the booth the others were at. "Thankfully I have that big doofus over there."
Twilight looked over to the booth. She saw the small group of ponies sitting eating her breakfast. A few of them were looking and waiving at her. Twilight smiled a bit and waived back at them. "Your friends?" She asked.
"Yeah." Vinyl said, "The redhead is my brother, the dork on the laptop is my pal Neon, the little creampuff next to him is Coco, and the two lovebirds playing with their food on the end are Flash and Sunset.

Twilight looked at the unicorn with the red and yellow colored mane, who was actually looking back at her. She couldn't put her finger on it, but the unicorn looked oddly familiar to her. Sunset smiled and nodded at her. Twilight became so focused on the other unicorn, that she jolted when Vinyl brushed against her shoulder.

"Woah! A bit jumpy?" Vinyl exclaimed while chuckling.
"Oh. No. I'm sorry." Twilight said. "What were you saying?"
"I was just talking a bit about my bro there and how he raised me after our folks died." Vinyl said, she then looked at the purple unicorn. "Are you ok? You look exhausted."
"I am." Twilight sighed out. "I haven't slept the last few nights." Vinyl looked down at the still full coffee mug before saying, "No offense, but I don't think a cup of coffee is helping you here." Twilight said nothing and just slid the mug over to her. Vinyl picked it up and took a big gulp from it. She looked down at the sad unicorn, as she was starting to play with her food.

"Why don't you come join us?" Vinyl asked. Twilight perked and looked up at Vinyl.
"You sure?" Twilight asked," I mean...I don't want to impo---" Vinyl quickly raised a hand to shush her before taking her arm.

"I'm positive." Vinyl said. Twilight then picked up her plate and followed the other unicorn over to the booth. The other occupants shuffled and moved about to make room for her. When she got to the table, she was expecting there to be groaning and moaning about having to move.
"Gang," Vinyl announced, "this is Twilight Sparkle."
To Twilight's surprise, they all smiled and warmly greeted her. Vinyl sat back down next to her brother, Twilight taking a seat on the other side. Most of them, those who could reach, stuck out their arms to shake hands with her. Twilight began to smile as she did so. It was then she began to feel something inside her, something she hadn't felt in a long while. She felt warm, welcome, happy. Twilight happily sat and finally began eating her breakfast and chatting with the group.

The sun was finally coming up in Manehattan. A new day for the city. And for Twilight, maybe, the beginning of a new chapter.

Author's Note

I'm not really happy with this chapter and how long it took to write. I suck at slow scenes. The next chapter, and a few after will be imported from the original version of the story. Because not only will it make up for lost time quickly, but they work with the storyline. The club chapter will be a bit rewritten.

The Bank Job

Author's Note

Imported from the original story. Gave me an excuse to look over and rewrite some stuff here. Seriously one paragraph was cringe and over expository. For the inevitable question, the characters here will appear two or three chapters down the road.

The Bank Job

One Week Later
9:15 a.m.
Chicacolt

The streets were still coming to life as Friday began, the sun had long since raised. On this particular morning a small, armored car was making its rounds. It was a large box like truck with steel plating painted in red and black with the company name painted towards the back. Inside the three guards were looking over the route and keeping tabs on how much money was in the bags in the storage boxes. Unbeknownst to them, trailing a few yards behind them was a small white cargo van with crème white pegasus stallion with a blonde mane and brown eyes behind the wheel. He, along with his passengers wore black suits, each with a white undershirt and a red tie. The four passengers all had black ski masks on, each one holding weapons. Two were holding shotguns while the other two were holding rifles, and the driver had a pistol. As the armored car approached its destination the van turned right down a side street. The leader of the group, a male earth pony, who also had a crème coat but had a red mane and green eyes, spoke up.

"Alright does everypony remember the plan?" The leader said.
"Got it."
"Ready."
"Good to go."
"All set."
"Alright so we're ready, now remember we're on a clock. We go in hit the target, grab the box, and we're out the door in 90 seconds." He spoke.

"Don't worry Blitzkrieg, we got everything down." The Unicorn mare across said. She had a dark blue mane and eyes to match as well as a chocolate brown coat and a cutie mark with a sniper's crosshairs on it. Her name was Graceful Aim, one of the best hired guns in Equestria, as well as Blitzkrieg's wife. The two met each other in a blind job 5 years before and were inseparable ever since. The van had just stopped in the parking lot of the bank as the armored car pulled up. One of the guards of the truck was just getting out will a dolly in his hooves, a large bag of money sat on it with several boxes on top of it. The guard was a middle aged dark blue stallion with a blonde mane, wearing a black jacket, pants, and hat. Both the jacket and hat had the company name, Secure Gallop Services, in red.

"Ok. Then, we're ready to go. Just one more thing." He said as he pulled out his phone, quickly sorting through the apps till he got to where he wanted. The app with the symbol AP on it. He scrolled through the app until he reached a green button that said OPEN on it colored in red. He looked up to his crew with a smile on his face.

"I dedicate this job to my dearly departed little brother Music Master. My you rest in peace." He said as he tapped the button. "Alright team, let's move."
Quickly the 4 occupants got out of the van leaving the driver inside as he put his mask on. As the guard made his way through the door he was suddenly blindsided by the robbers as they pushed him inside. Customers and employees were in shock at the sight of 4 masked ponies all with guns in their hands. Two of the robbers stood by the door and pointed their weapons at everyone in the bank, while the other two rushed around gathering everyone up.
"Everypony pay attention and nopony gets hurt!" Blitzkrieg barked.
"You! OFF THE COMPUTER!!!" One of the robbers shouted.
"Hand over all your electronics!!" Graceful said. Suddenly a noise from the back behind the now empty teller stations made the crew turn their guns.

"What the fuck is going on out there?!" It was the manager, in the vault area wondering why the door was now open. The manager was a dark blue earth pony stallion with a light blue mane, light red eyes, and a gold key for a cutie mark. He wore a grey suit with a white undershirt, and a red tie. As the remainder of the hostages were being rounded up Blitzkrieg and another robber, a Pegasus stallion named Drill Bit, rushed into the vault where the manager was. Drill Bit had a green coat, dark blue mane, and magenta eyes and unseen because of the pants a cutie mark that was a drill. The sight of the two assailants with guns gave pony a shock as he suddenly dropped to the floor.

"Oh shit. Don't shoot me please." He said, worried. The robbers didn't pay attention to the manager as they got to work. Blitzkrieg began loading up the bags of money on the table in the center of the room into a large black duffel bag. As he was loading up Drill Bit grabbed a large drill from his bag and walked around the vault, looking at the safety deposit boxes. Finally, he stopped at the one they wanted #167. Meanwhile outside another robber got to work on the cash drawers while Graceful kept an aim on the hostages from a corner, not one being let out of her sight. Back in the vault Drill Bit was already drilling through the lock of the deposit box, beads of sweat rolled down his face as he continued to edge the drill forward ever so slowly. Blitzkrieg finally just got the last of the bags into his bag as he heard the sound of the lock giving away. Looking over he saw his friend place the drill back into his bag, followed by opening the door and taking out the deposit box and placing it into his bag.

"That's it #3 let's get going!" He shouted. The manager watched as the two left him alone in the vault, too scared to move. He could hear the voice of the lead robber as he ordered his crew out. Back out in the lobby the crew assembled aiming their guns at the crowd still on the ground. Then without a word they turned and fled through the door they came through, taking the money, the deposit box, and even the armored car guards' bag, which contained the money for the ATM's, with them. The last thing they all heard was the sound of a van driving away from the bank, then it was silent. The whole ordeal lasted 80 seconds.

Just a couple of blocks away the crew parked the van. Inside they all ditched their clothes and transferred the money from the bags into luggage bags. Meanwhile the driver, Quick Pace, was keeping tabs on his radio that sat next to him, making sure the cops didn't know where they were. As soon as all the money in the bags were cleared out, they were stuffed with the clothes and masks from the job. Blitzkrieg had just finished stuffing his suitcase as he assessed the situation, he watched as #3, a grey unicorn stallion with brown eyes and mane named Hot Shot, emptied his part of the score.

"You sure you didn't pick up a dye pack Shot?" He asked. "You know what nearly happened the last time."
"Oh, fuck off Blitz." Hot Shot replied, annoyed. "At least I tossed it before it went off, unlike when Drill Bit had one go off in--"
"Oh yeah, let that one live forever!" Drill shouted, angrily.
"Not so loud." Pace shushed the two, "You two dunderheads wanna go back to the joint?"

Blitz got out, not paying attention to the three crewmembers bickering, as he grabbed a rose from his bag and walked into the nearby alleyway. Coming to a spot further down, he noticed bits and pieces of burnt metal and plastic, along with a spot of dried blood still on the asphalt, the sight of which made him cringe and nearly tear up. He placed the rose on the spot and took a deep breath as he remembered his brother. It had been over a week, but it had been the longest week in his life. At least to him. Letting a sigh escape his lips he turned around and walked back to the van.

As the crew jumped out of the van Hot Shot and Quick Pace dumped several bottles of bleach into the bags and all over the van. Then Hot Shot pulled off the tarp next to him to reveal a five-gallon water jug with several wires coming out of a box on top. He pressed several buttons on the box until the timer came up with the time left till the bomb exploded. Satisfied he jumped out of the van with the others.

"Alright the timer is set. He said we got half an hour." He said, noticing Blitz coming out of the nearby alley.
"Alright then. Let's all split up and we'll meet at the train station." Blitz said.
Everyone then proceeded to walk away from the van, all except Blitz and Grace went in different directions. As they walked away, he looked back towards the alley as a feeling of sorrow went through his heart. Grace gave him a nudge and a smile as a reassurance. He smiled back at his wife as he said: "What would I do without you?"

A few minutes later they were at Breighmont Station waiting on the platform for the train to arrive. Down the street they could see about a dozen cop cars around the area where the bank was. On their faces their expressions were neutral but inside they were cheering, relishing their success. They were lost in thought on everything, so much so that they didn't hear the PA announce the train arriving. The sudden sight of the Red Line passing by gave them quite the jump. As soon as the train stopped and the doors opened, they all boarded with Grace and Blitz taking the one car and the other three in the car behind. The crew continued to look at the action unfolding as the train pulled out of the station.

15 Minutes Later
As the gang made their getaway the cops surrounded the bank. Reporters and rubberneckers were being held back by barriers and police. Detectives interviewed everyone who witnessed the crime. No one got a good description of the robbers other than their genders. Even the bank manager who was scarred out of his wits couldn't give a good description despite being stuck in a room with two of them. The armored truck driver was the only one who was able to give them any leads in the case. The only thing he told them is that he saw a white cargo van pulling out of the parking lot and taking off down the street. Immediately the detectives went looking for any van matching the description.

Down the street a patrol car was surveying the area. As procedure he was to look around for anyone or anything suspicious. Pulling down a side street near the tracks he noticed a white van matching the description. Not taking any chances he got on his radio and called for backup. Within 5 minutes several patrol cars had surrounded the parking lot, officers got out with their guns drawn. A few of the officers as well as one of the detectives crept towards the van, it's blacked out windows making it hard to know if anypony was in there. Approaching the back doors, the officers held their breaths as the opened the doors with quick succession. The sigh of relief quickly turned to a sigh of disappointment as they realized no one was in there, some of them were taken back by the smell of bleach coming from inside. Suddenly the lead detective noticed something near the front on the passenger's side. A five-gallon water jug with a box on top, the timer counting down from 20. In a sheer state of panic, he and the officers ran back to the patrol cars.

"RUN!!" He shouted. "BOMB!!!"

Everypony ducked behind the patrol cars as the others ran back. After what felt like an eternity the timer reached zero, setting off the trigger. An electric charge ran down the wires to the small detonation charge in the gasoline. A ball of orange and yellow flames jetted from the van as parts of it were ripped off. Bits of metal flew in all directions, landing on cars, ponies, and the general area, several of them even flew as far as the nearby alley way. The police checked on their wounded, thought nopony was really hurt. Within minutes the reporters were all over the place covering the story. Unbeknownst to them they informed the culprits of their success as they boarded their train, the final stop of which was Manehattan.