G5 Adventures in The Bad Guys

Mr. Wolf had never felt so conflicted in his entire life.

His feelings for Diane, being the role model the cubs needed, being there for his friends, including Allura, Twitch and the ponies... they were all getting jumbled up in one laundry pile of madness that he couldn't sort out no matter how hard he tried.

The Gala for Goodness was less than 24 hours away, and so was the plan to seize the Golden Dolphin and this time, the Bad Guys weren't going to let it slip away again.

But the thing was... Mr. Wolf wasn't even sure he wanted to go through with the plan anymore. But he couldn't tell his friends about it-- what would they think of him if he did?

No... the best thing he could do right now was to go to the gala and get the plan over with like he and the other Bad Guys had discussed.

Then... all of their problems would be over before they knew it.

XXXXXXXX

“Wolf? Wolf, wake up! You gotta see this!”

Mr. Wolf’s eyes snapped open as he looked around, seeing Misty and Sunny at the end of his bed, and Mr. Wolf sat up in concern. “Misty? Sunny? W-What is it? What's going on? Are the cubs okay?”

“They’re fine. Actually, more than fine,” Sunny admitted with a truthful grin. “But... you have to get downstairs and watch the news with us. Pipp and the cubs paused the TV on a story you gotta see in order to believe.”

XXXXXXXX

Mr. Wolf followed the two ponies downstairs to see the rest of the Bad Guys, the other ponies, Allura, Twitch and Reva's cousins gathered in the living room, with Pipp holding the remote with a giddy smile. “Oh, good! Wolf’s here!”

“There’s something on TV that you gotta see,” Reva said as Mr. Wolf sat beside her, Shark and Carmine on the couch. “Turn the TV on again, Pipp.”

Pipp pressed the play button on the remote, revealing a story by none other than Tiffany Fluffit about the Bad Guys... but not the usual kind of story. “What up? We are just 12 hours away from Professor Marmalade’s Gala for Goodness, where the legendary Love Crater Meteorite will be on display for the first time ever. But what everyone is really buzzing about is the Bad Guys, whose heart-melting rescue video has made them an overnight viral sensation.”

“And according to a vast source known as the internet,” Zipp said, showing her FlyPad to the others, “the video Professor Marmalade shot last night has over 950,000 views worldwide! And it keeps growing!”

“It’s like the whole world knows who we are now,” Mr. Piranha said after watching the video again. “But... I'm not sure how much I want these people to know about my sensitive soul.”

“Hey, don't worry,” Carmine said, bumping him with her paw. “We can tell people as much as we want to about us when we're at the gala tonight.”

“Oooh this is gonna be so fun!” Zari said, bouncing up and down excitedly. “I've never been to a big party like that before. But... what are we gonna wear? We don't have a lot of fancy fancy party clothes.”

“...actually, Carmine and I have been working together on a little passion project,” Pipp said with a smile. “A passion project that you guys might like.”

Pipp flew over to the hall closet not too far away and pulled out a rack of clothes, including tuxedoes and dresses, of all different varieties, waiting to be tried on.

And needless to say, the others were very impressed with the sight.

“Whoa-ho!”

“So pretty!”

“Look at all of these outfits!”

“These things are incredible!”

“Carmine, Pipp, you girls are incredible!”

Carmine giggled as she hopped down from the couch. “Pipp and I have been working with each other ever since we found out we were going to the gala, and we enchanted them with magic to make them more... us. Do you like them?”

“I'll give you this, kid. You and the pink one sure know how to make some mean disguises,” Mr. Snake commented with a grin. “I'm impressed.”

“Yeah,” Gretchen nodded. “Nice work, cuz.”

“Thanks,” Carmine said with a blush. “That means a lot coming from you two.”

“Well, what are we waiting for, then?” Allura asked, setting Twitch off her back. “I’d say we have a party to get ready for!”

And what better way to handle the fur/hair brushing, baths (except for Zari, who used wet wipes), outfit fitting and final touches than with a song that Pipp herself came up with to use for special parties back home?

Mane 6: This is our big night
We're getting ready
And we're doing it up right

This is our big night
Friendship survived
Now we'll start it out right

The time's right, gonna make it last 'cause it's the first night
That we're ever gonna start to just have fun together
We're so glad, so happy we could never be mad
Did it right now, this is our big night now

Six friends on the way up now
Six friends here to show you how

This is our big night
We're getting ready
And we're doing it up right

This is our big night
We made it happen
Now let's party all night

We're here now and we worked so hard to make it come around
To tonight so let's try to make it last forever
The school lights so bright, beat is pumping through the night
Party's starting, DJ's got the music just right!
Six friends on the way up now
Six friends here to show you how
This is our big night
We're getting ready
And we're doing it up right
This is our big night
We made it happen
Now let's party all night
This is our big night
This is our big night
This is our big night
This is our big night

And by the time the song was over... they were all ready for the gala. Let's all go over the Equestrians' looks first, shall we?

• Sunny's dress was modeled after Princess Twilight Sparkle's coronation dress many moons ago, with a yellow and white skirt, a gray collar with Twilight's cutie mark on it and gray straps around her legs to go with it.
• Zipp's outfit was more or less a fancy white dress shirt with a black shirt underneath it, and a golden pin was attacked to the collar of the black shirt.
• Izzy’s gala outfit was a white long-sleeve shirt with a black bow on the collar and a skirt consisting of three different shades of blue-- a light blue, a medium blue and a dark royal blue.
• Hitch's gala outfit was a fancy tuxedo with a red bowtie.
• Pipp's outfit was a very fancy cape-like dress that was black with golden shoes that complimented her tiara, and her hair was being a bit... poofier than usual.
• Twitch was in a tuxedo that was very similar to the one Hitch was wearing.
• Allura wore a long, flowing white dress with short sleeves.
• And last but not least, Misty’s gala outfit was a stunning dress with a white top, a white to blue ombre skirt and her mane was pulled up into a bun... or at least, a style similar to it.

Now, let's focus on the looks of the Bad Guys and their tiger pals.

• Mr. Wolf was dressed in a dark royal-blue suit over a tucked white dress-shirt with a large cobalt-blue bowtie, a black belt with a silver buckle, and black dress shoes.
• Reva was dressed in a long, elegant red fairy styled dress with a black collar with a diamond on the tag around her neck.
• Mr. Snake was dressed in a dark royal-blue, no-sleeved buttoned blazer over a cropped white collared shirt.
• Gretchen was dressed in a long, golden-yellow fairy styled dress with a black collar with a diamond on the tag around her neck.
• Mr. Shark was dressed in a dark royal-blue suit over a tucked white dress-shirt with a cobalt-blue bowtie, a black belt with a silver buckle, and black dress shoes.
• Carmine was dressed in a long, deep purple fairy styled dress with a black collar with a diamond on the tag around her neck.
• Ms. Tarantula was dressed in a dark royal-blue suit-jacket over a white collared shirt.
• Oran was dressed in a fancy black tuxedo with a dark green bowtie.
• Mr. Piranha was dressed in a white collared shirt, dark royal-blue dress pants held by a black belt with a silver buckle, and black dress shoes.
• And last, but certainly not least, Zari wore a long, elegant light blue fairy styled dress with a black collar with a diamond on the tag around her neck.

Allura had thought of the collars with the diamond tags herself, to make the female cubs look like they were sophisticated and classy... even if it was just for one night.

Carmine giggled as she twirled around in her dress in front of the mirror nearby. “I don’t wanna brag on myself right now, but… we look good!”

“Gotta admit, we do look pretty sharp,” Ms. Tarantula said, also admiring herself in the mirror. “You and Pipp did pretty good work.”

“And these clothes will be perfect for looking classy,” Izzy added, “while also getting down on the dance floor!”

Allura licked the top of Reva’s head to get rid of the little bit of fur sticking up before nuzzling the cub’s head. “I’m so proud of all of us for getting this far-- this is surely a night none of us will ever forget.”

“Oh, yeah… definitely,” Mr. Snake with a smirk, looking to the other Bad Guys, but not exactly ready to reveal their hidden agenda just yet.

It had to be at just the right time.

XXXXXXXX

Later that night, Professor Marmalade revealed that he had ordered two limos to take them all to the gala-- one for him, the Mane 6, Twitch and Allura to ride in, and one for the Bad Guys and the cubs to ride in alone.

But during the ride, Mr. Wolf decided to crack down on the heist plan one final time, to make sure everything was straight. “All right, guys, this is the big one,” he said, and the crew gathered around to listen close. “The Golden Dolphin is inside a titanium case controlled by a randomly generated five-digit code, a code kept safe and secure inside a briefcase handcuffed to the chief of police.”

“Yikes…” Zari groaned slightly, her ears pinning at the sound of this. “She doesn’t mess around.”

“The code is only accessible with her authorized fingerprints,” Mr. Wolf continued, but Mr. Snake only smirked. “Leave that to me.”

“While Snake gets the code,” Reva continued explaining, “Shark will secure the fake Dolphin.”

“I like the sound of that,” Mr. Shark said with a smile. “Meanwhile, the rest of us plant circuit jammers,” Mr. Wolf continued before looking to Ms. Tarantula, who nodded. “Allowing me to hack into the power grid.”

“At the end of the night,” Mr. Wolf began to conclude, “we toast the professor, ‘blah-blah-blah, yada-yada’. And when I say the word Marmalade… lights go out, and we’ll have exactly four seconds to make our move.”

“The old switcheroo,” Gretchen nodded with a smirk of her very own. “Classic heist move.”

“Chief hands Marmalade the fake Dolphin, we get our pardon, applause, applause, exit stage right,” Mr. Wolf finally concluded, “and by the time they realize what happened… we’ll be driving off into the sunset, legacy cemented.”

The Bad Guys laughed at this foolproof plan, while the cubs remained stone silent, unsure of what to say. “Got to hand it to you, buddy,” Mr. Snake told Mr. Wolf. “You’re a real artist.”

“...Wolf?” Reva spoke up cautiously after a moment. “What about the ponies, Twitch and Allura? Do you think… they would be mad at us after we did the heist? Do you think... they would still be friends with us, despite everything?”

Mr. Wolf sighed and rubbed the cub’s head at this. “Aw, Reva… I-I wanna say no, but…”

“Kid, what they don’t know won’t hurt them,” Mr. Snake immediately dismissed. “Besides, we’ll be livin’ the good life and you cubs will be away from that overgrown gecko. Isn’t that enough?”

The cubs spared glances at each other, unsure of what to say for a moment, but after realizing there was no point in arguing, simply sighed and nodded. “Yes, Mr. Snake.”

That was when the limo finally stopped, causing Carmine to gasp and rush to the window, placing her front paws on the edge of it. “Guys, I think we’re here!”

Truth be told, the Mane 6, Allura and Twitch were waving at them from outside the limo, and after a moment, Professor Marmalade (who was dressed in a red with the jacket sporting gold-trimmed lapels and the dress-shirt sporting a large, silk gold bowtie, and he also wore simple white shoes) opening the door to let them out. “Well, Good Guys, this is it. Good luck out there. Remember, all eyes will be on you tonight, not me.”

“Uh, yeah,” Oran said with a nod, gulping in a nervous fashion. “N-No pressure or anything.”

“You guys are gonna do great,” Sunny said as she and Hitch helped the cubs out of the car one by one. “We know it.”

“Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls of all ages,” Pipp said, flying up with her phone in hoof to broadcast everything, “we proudly present to all of you… the Good Guys!”

The Bad Guys and their apprentices stepped out of the limo, looking entirely too nervous for comfort, expecting rejection from the crowd. Then... all of a sudden... the crowd began cheering for them!

Needless to say, no one expected this and were really stunned. “Uh, this is different,” Gretchen voiced her opinion, just as Mr. Piranha turned to Zipp. “Is this a prank?”

“What’s that sound?” Zari asked. “Yeah,” Reva nodded in confusion. “Like screaming but not terrified.”

“It’s called cheering,” Misty giggled. “It’s what people do when they’re happy to see someone… and they’re happy to see all of you!”

“Us?” Carmine looked a bit surprised at this. “Wow… no one’s ever been happy to see us before.”

“Come on,” Hitch offered with a smile. “We’ll take you around so you can mingle a little.”

But as the group began to enter the gala, Allura and Twitch stopped Sunny and Zipp from entering behind their friends. “Despite knowing the gala will have the full police force here,” said Allura, “I want the cubs and their friends to be fully safe, so… Twitch and I are gonna do a routine flybys during the party, just to ensure Safira doesn’t make a movement.”

“Good idea,” Zipp nodded. “It’s better to be safe than sorry when it comes to that dragon. We’ll need to tell Dragon Lord Spike about her in case she ever appeared on the Isle of Scaly.”

“I agree. Do your flybys, you two,” Sunny said as Twitch climbed onto Allura's back, “but be careful. We don’t know what exactly that dragon is capable of.”

Allura and Twitch nodded before Allura flapped her wings and immediately took off into the sky, leaving Sunny and Zipp to enter the party after their friends.

XXXXXXXX

The song "Fly Me to the Moon" by Julie London with a woman singing was playing as the Bad Guys, their apprentices and the Mane 6 walked around the gala, where people was giving out money to help with Professor Marmalade's many charities in Los Angeles... a truly noble cause.

At the same time as many people were having a good time, Mr. Shark and Carmine snuck through the crowd, looking for the fake Golden Dolphin to use in their upcoming heist. “Okay, fake Dolphin, fake Dolphin, fake Dolphin…” Mr. Shark muttered before spotting it on a nearby table. “Bingo.”

“Great,” Carmine whispered urgently, glancing around. “Let’s get it and go before anyone sees what we’re up to.”

However, as they approached, some excited people surrounded them, stopping them in their tracks. “Mr. Shark, Mr. Shark!” a woman exclaimed before a man beside her wanted to ask a question. “Is it true sharks can smell blood a mile away?”

“What?!” Mr. Shark questioned in surprise. “No. That’s freaky!”

XXXXXXXX

At the same time, Mr. Snake saw the case with the code nearby, guarded by Chief Luggins as she closed it and got out her binoculars to keep watch. Seeing this, Mr. Snake snickered and turned to Gretchen. “You stay outta sight, kid. Time for this snake to slither into action.”

“Be careful,” Gretchen said gently. “Who knows what’ll happen if the chief catches you.”

“Psh… she hasn’t caught me yet. Trust me,” Mr. Snake brushed off before slithering away, leaving Gretchen to sigh and head toward the stage to blend in.

XXXXXXXX

Mr. Wolf and Reva were near some tables with Izzy and Sunny, getting ready to get some snacks when a few women caught Mr. Wolf and Reva offguard, practically shoving Izzy and Sunny aside. “Oh, Mr. Wolf! Mr. Wolf!”

“Hey, whoa,” Mr. Wolf chuckled as they approached, and Reva, not used to all this sort of attention, really wasn’t sure what to say. “It is a pleasure to meet you,” one of the women said, and Mr. Wolf smiled warmly at her. “Pleasure is all mine.”

“I loved your video,” the woman then added. “Can I get a picture with you and your tiger cub for my kids?”

“A-A picture? Ohh… that’s so sweet,” Reva smiled. “Sure, we’d love to!”

However, as the picture was being taken, Mr. Wolf spotted Diane (wearing a strapless, open-front, royal-blue split maxi dress with attached pants, and a set of ankle strap sparkly-white high-heels) and Rogue (who wore a dark green tuxedo with a black bowtie) not too far away and felt the need for him and Reva to get away from them. “Uh, hey, just a minute, guys. Let me… let me, uh… I got… we’ll be right back.”

“Wolf! Wait for me!” Reva said before she quickly ran after him, causing Izzy and Sunny to frown at each other-- those two were really falling head over paws for the governor and her little cheetah friend…

…and it was truly a wonderful sight to behold, so... why was Wolf wanting to avoid Diane and Rogue altogether?

XXXXXXXX

At the same time, Chief Luggins was keeping a firm eye on the situation, not knowing that Mr. Snake was sneaking up from behind to get the code from the case. “Okay, Wolf, what are you up to?”

As she spied on Wolf, she put her sunglasses on top of the briefcase, and Mr. Snake came up from behind while the chief kept talking to herself. “Yeah, with criminals like this, you got to be crafty, subtle, invisible.”

Mr. Snake quickly took the glasses, breathed on it to show fingerprints, and scanned them on the case. It beeped and the briefcase opens, making Mr. Snake prepare to grab the code. “And then the moment they let their guard down…” the chief muttered, slamming the case down, “...whammo!”

The slamming of the case then crushed Mr. Snake’s tail, causing him to try and hold back a scream. “You gotta spring the trap! Always one step ahead. I think I’ve earned a tonic water,” the chief said as the waiter brought her a tall glass with the drink inside. “Put it in a fun glass, huh? Ooh, nice.”

Unfortunately, she grabbed Mr. Snake instead, thinking him to be the drink, causing Gretchen to gasp in panic as the other Bad Guys and her cousins took notice. “Oh, no…”

The others began to run toward Mr. Snake to help him, but with the chief around, they had to find a way to act casual. “Uh… h-hey, chief!” Reva said nervously. “W-What’s shaking?”

“That’s right,” Chief Luggins smirked, stirring Mr. Snake’s tongue. “Be intimidated.”

The chief moved Mr. Snake over to her mouth to drink, and the others began to panic… until Mr. Piranha had an idea, rushing over to the stage and over to the microphone.

Mr. Piranha: Loooook at me…

“Huh?” Hitch looked confused as several gala-goers began to murmur. “What’s Piranha doing?”

“Ooh, maybe he’s doing an act for the gala!” Izzy said with delight. “Such a sweet thing.”

However, Chief Luggins was still about to drink from Mr. Snake, making Mr. Piranha realize he needed to keep singing in order for all eyes to be on him.

Mr. Piranha: Tell me what… you see

Mr. Shark, Carmine and Zari immediately joined Mr. Piranha on the stage, and Carmine nervously began to play the cowbell, causing one of the band members that was originally on the stage to nod at her.

Mr. Piranha: Am I good… or bad?

Reva and Gretchen giggled at the sound of this and urged Mr. Piranha to keep going as Oran and Ms. Tarantula crept onstage, with Webs getting to the turntable, scratching the record a bit.

Mr. Piranha: Don’t you judge… so fast

That was when the crowd, including the Mane 6, Allura and Twitch (the latter two still on the lookout for Safira) truly began to get interested, prompting Mr. Piranha to continue the song, this time, accompanied by Mr. Shark, Carmine, Zari and the rest of the band.

Mr. Piranha: Hey, hey, hey

I know you think you know me
You made your own conclusion
You think that I look scary
Well, that's your own delusion

Zari: Listen when I tell you
There's more than meets the eye
So take a closer look to find a real good guy

At seeing the crowd starting to have a good time, Chief Luggins groaned and put Mr. Snake down with a huff. Once he was safe, he got the letter out to reveal the password to the safe (which was 1-2-3-4-5, surprisingly) before he groaned, put the letter back, shut the case and gave the signal to Mr. Wolf, who gave a thumbs up to Mr. Piranha, who winked in return.

Mr. Piranha: We're not the bad guys
We're the good guys…

“Mr. Wolf. Reva.”

“Rogue! Diane!” Reva yelped in surprise as she and Mr. Wolf turned to face them. “W-What a surprise!”

“You know, if I didn’t know better,” Diane said suspiciously, “I’d think that you were avoiding us.”

“Avoiding you?” Mr. Wolf questioned nervously. “W-Why would I do that?”

“...okay,” Diane nodded, deciding to believe this for now. “But I have to say, I’m a little disappointed.”

“Yeah,” Rogue said, slyly rubbing up against Reva as he walked past. “We were hoping you two would ask us to dance?”

“Oh…” Reva seemed to get the message immediately, and once getting the confirmation from Mr. Wolf, the four of them began to dance in the middle of the crowd, with the Mane 6 joining in and Chief Luggins glancing around as the song continued.

Zari: …get up on the floor!

Zari Mr. Piranha: We're gonna be good tonight
Wanna get you feeling right
We're gonna be good tonight
We're the good, good guys

We're gonna be good tonight
Wanna get you feeling right
We're gonna be good tonight
We're the good, good guys

Mr. Piranha: Come on!

By the end of the chorus, Gretchen and Mr. Snake were already up on stage with their friends, with Mr. Snake playing the guitar with his long body as the dancing continued.

Mr. Piranha: Oooh!

“I see. You lost the sheep’s clothing,” Diane said as she and Mr. Wolf continued to dance. “Yeah,” Mr. Wolf shrugged as he spun Diane around. “Yeah. Figured it was time I got comfortable in my own fur.”

It was then that people began to donate generous amounts of money as Mr. Piranha continued singing.

Mr. Piranha: If you’re feeling good in here…
I said, if you’re feeling good in here…
Oh, yeah!

Rogue chuckled as he and Reva continued to dance right near Mr. Wolf and Diane. “I think I like the new Wolf.”

Reva giggled at the remark. “Well, that makes two of us.”

Deciding that she and her friends had to get in on this part of the song, Pipp and her friends got closer to the stage, leaving Mr. Wolf, Diane, Reva and Rogue to dance... unaware that as they were partying, Mr. Snake, Mr. Shark and Mr. Piranha were planting the circuit jammers around so Ms. Tarantula could hack into the power grid from the laptop near the turntable.

Pipp: We're all here to have a good, good time

Zari: Let the rhythm move you and open up your mind!

Mr. Piranha: Next time you see me in your neighborhood
Don't you be thinking that I'm up to no good

Pipp: I just want you to give me a chance
I know your body really wants to dance

Mr. Piranha: So leave your judgement at the door...

“Break out the umbrellas,” Tiffany Fluffit said to her viewers as the party and the Bad Guys’ plan continued as it should, “because it’s raining money. All because of… I can’t even believe I’m saying this… all because of the Bad Guys!”

Mane 6: Wanna get you feeling right!

Mythix Tigers, Mane 6, Mr. Piranha: We're gonna be good tonight
We're the good, good guys

We're gonna be good tonight
Wanna get you feeling right
We're gonna be good tonight
We're the good, good guys

Whoo!

Diane and Rogue laughed as they continued to dance with Mr. Wolf and Reva, feeling on top of the world in that one moment. Then, after a moment, the whole world seemed to muffle out so the four of them could have some time together. “So,” Diane asked Mr. Wolf as she was in his arms, “how does it feel to have everyone not fear you for a change?”

Mr. Wolf and Reva took a moment to glance at the crowd around them cheering for them, and they glanced down at their wagging tails and Reva's glowing cutie mark before Mr. Wolf found the right words to add with his smile. “It feels… good.”

“Yeah…” Reva nodded slowly. “Real good.”

“Diane…” Mr. Wolf began to say before handing her the ring he had taken from her, causing Diane to gasp softly. “It belongs to you.”

Diane and Rogue softly smiled at this, and once the music unmuffled, the four of them headed toward the stage as Allura and Twitch finally touched down after their flyby, seeing no sign of Safira and deciding to join their friends for the last verse.

Practically, everyone was dancing at that point… even Chief Luggins.

It was then that, as Ms. Tarantula finally managed to hack into the power grid, that the Bad Guys, the cubs, the Mane 6, Allura and Twitch sang the final verse all as one while Mr. Wolf and Diane took their final dance up on that stage.

Oran: One, two, three!

All: We’re the good, good guys

We're gonna be good tonight
Wanna get you feeling right
We're gonna be good tonight
We're the good, good guys!

Mr. Piranha: Oh, yeah…!!!!!!

And by that time, the song was finally over, and the crowd cheered wildly as Mr. Wolf and Diane smiled at each other, making it clear to each other about their true feelings.

Rogue and Reva happily laughed and nuzzled each other as the music finally stopped, and the other Mythix Tiger cubs couldn't help but gush over how happy their cousin looked.

By the time that Professor Marmalade had gotten onstage, the gala had raised $999,999,992 for all sorts of charities across Los Angeles. “Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Wolf,” Professor Marmalade began his speech. “As you know, the money raised tonight will be delivered tomorrow to schools, hospitals and other worthy causes across the city.”

The crowd once again cheered at this, and Izzy levitated the microphone from Professor Marmalade and over to Mr. Wolf. “Here, Wolfie-- say something!”

Mr. Wolf cautiously took the microphone and began speaking into it, wanting to address the crowd personally. “I just want to take a moment to recognize the one responsible for our new outlook. Our brilliant mentor, a paragon of enlightenment…”

“Do it,” Ms. Tarantula whispered to Mr. Wolf excitedly. “Come on,” Mr. Piranha urged, just before Mr. Wolf slowly found the words to continue. “…the one and only Professor…”

“Oh…” Carmine covered her eyes in worry. “I can’t look…!!”

“…uh, Professor…” Mr. Wolf tried to continue, but his hands were shaking nervously with the detonator behind his back. Mr. Snake hissed in anticipation, but Mr. Wolf, upon seeing how proud the Equestrians were, how happy Reva and her cousins were and seeing Diane and Rogue glancing at them… just couldn’t do it.

So, instead of pushing the button, Mr. Wolf stood up proudly. “Professor Marmalade!”

The crowd applauded in delight, along with the Mane 6, Twitch and Allura, and while Reva and the cubs seemed somewhat relieved, but somewhat shocked, all in one, the rest of the Bad Guys were stunned beyond measure.

Chief Luggins quickly entered thecombination to open the safe and got the Golden Dolphin out. “Chief,” Reva held up her paws, “may I do the honors?”

The chief nodded and handed the award to the small cub, who then handed it to Professor Marmalade, causing the crowd to cheer much louder.

Suddenly, Mr. Piranha finally spoke up after a moment of shock. “That’s not the plan.”

“W-What’s happening?” Oran whispered in confusion, but also amazement. “Wolf and Reva are going rogue,” Carmine whispered back. “They’re… doing the right thing.”

However, while the others still seemed shocked/amazed (more the cubs than anyone), Mr. Snake glared at Mr. Wolf and Reva in utter betrayal. “Well, governor,” Misty smiled at Diane and Rogue as the cheetah cub nuzzled against Reva. “A deal’s a deal.”

Diane nodded at this claim before turning to the crowd. “By the power vested in me, it is a pleasure to grant the Bad Guys a full par…”

Suddenly, the lights went out and some people in the crowd screamed in surprise. But as Misty and Izzy were ready to light their horns and provide some light, the lights came back on, causing Reva to hum in surprise. “That was kinda weird…”

Suddenly, a couple of cries from the audience immediately got their attention.

“The meteorite is gone!”

“Somebody stole it!”

“Wait, what?!” the Mane 6 looked behind them and realized the crowd was right-- the Love Crater meteorite was gone! But it couldn’t have been the Bad Guys or the cubs… they had been standing right beside them the whole time!

However… the crowd seemed to think that the Bad Guys, their apprentices and their so-called new friends were responsible, no matter what the circumstances.

Chief Luggins growled in anger as she approached Mr. Wolf, who backed up nervously in response. “Chief…”

“Wolf…” the chief growled in anger. “Come on, chief, this is crazy!” Zipp protested as the Mane 6, Allura and Twitch stepped up to protect their friends. “You can’t possibly think we all had something to do with this! We were standing right next to the Bad Guys and the cubs when it happened!”

Suddenly, the screen turned on, showing Mr. Wolf putting on sunglasses. “So long, suckers!!”

Pipp gulped nervously as she stood next to her older sister, chuckling slightly. “I-Is it too late to retract a statement…?”

That left Mr. Snake and Gretchen with only one thing to say in order to protect all their necks at once. “RUUUUUUUN!!!!”

The Bad Guys and their cubs immediately took the lead as they leapt off the stage with the Mane 6 running after them and Allura (with Twitch on her back) getting into the air. Chief Luggins tried to grab Mr. Wolf, but barely missed before shouting out to her fellow officers. “GET THEM!!!”

“GO GO GO!!” Sunny cried out to her friends, unsure of what was going on, but knew that they needed to get to someplace safer. “Head for the gates!!”

The officers immediately raced after the group, but Mr. Wolf immediately split off from his friends and grabbed a charity map as he did so. Mr. Wolf rushed right over to the bar, held the map with his mouth, grabbed two bottles before shaking them, and opened them to knock some officers out with the corks and the drinks. However, when the drinks ran out of power, Mr. Wolf dodged more officers before scribbling something on the charity map and giving it to Diane and Rogue. “Here!”

“What are you doing?!” Diane asked in surprise as Mr. Wolf handed the map to her. “I’m giving it all back!” Mr. Wolf shouted before running off and leaping over a bunch of officers, including Chief Luggins, nearly stumbling at the drinks but scrambled up to join the others.

Once Mr. Wolf had rejoined them, Gretchen looked at her water-controlling cousin and Mr. Wolf in shock. “What happened back there?”

“Couldn’t you tell, cuz?!” Reva panted. “We couldn’t do it!”

“What do you mean, you couldn’t do it?!” Mr. Snake questioned, and Mr. Wolf struggled to find the words to explain. “I-I-I just… I…”

“Sunny!” Allura shouted as she tried to blast ice at the officers to hold them back. “My ice can’t hold them off forever! We need to go before it’s too late for any of us!”

Suddenly, Mr. Piranha stopped right in the group’s path, causing them to stop as well. “No! I do not run,” he said, marching forward as the officers gained on them. “That is not how I roll.”

“Piranha!” Zipp cried out in concern. “Don’t do anything crazy!”

Mr. Piranha only laughed as he brought out Zipp’s grappling hook. “Crazy is what I bring to the party, chica!”

That was when Mr. Piranha fired the grappling hook into the sky, only for the hook to fall down and bonk off Mr. Shark's head, which caused Mr. Shark to groan and fall to the ground, completely unconscious.

The ponies, Allura and Twitch groaned nervously as the other Bad Guys and the apprentices stared at Mr. Piranha in dismay.

Who knows what was gonna happen next? Everyone thought that the Bad Guys and the cubs were guilty of a crime they didn't commit, and since the Equestrians were so close to them, they immediately thought that they had something to do with the theft.

The only question left was... how were they gonna clear their names and get out of this one?