"Heh, knew you weren't just gonna give up." Rainbow Dash was about to leave the room, when she remembered something. "Hey, what about Circuit's dad?" she asked. "Oh, him," said Winter, "That won't be much of a problem. I've handled worse hostage situations than this back in Australia..." Winter sighed. "They just... haven't involved one of Crim's friends before... not that he ever really had any to begin with. Except for... well..." Rainbow Dash stared inquisitively. "Well, what?" she asked. Winter sighed. "Well, there was this one girl..."
"This was many years ago, mind you." Winter started. "The two kinda grew up with each other, practically inseparable." "What happened?" Rainbow asked. "Someone else liked her. He got jealous, so him and a few of his pals managed to kidnap her and get their way." Winter told Rainbow sadly. "These kids could have been about thirteen at the time, so I don't suppose they knew about the birds and the bees. But they let her go, after at least eight hours in captivity. Poor girl was shaking like a leaf. I don't think she was ever the same after that..." Rainbow was about to say something until Winter decided to finish. "Those two loved each other. Her parents, feeling unsafe for their safety and for the girls safety, moved to another city. Crimson was going to ask her out on the same day she left...even copied what he'd seen in the movies with the whole 'chocolates and roses' thing." Winter sighed sadly. "He'd lost more then a friend that day. He lost someone he'd loved for quite a long time....
"Well... damn..." said Rainbow Dash. She couldn't have imagined how it must have felt for Crimson to have lost his only childhood friend and flame.
"Now....when you see him, be very careful" Winter warned her. "He was home alone before all this went out of control. If the Pink Cloud went to attack his friends, they'd be weakening him on purpose with no contact, so the house wouldn't be touched. But I can't imagine how he's feeling right now..." Rainbow nodded. "Alright, miss." "Please, call me Winter." Winter smiled before sitting up. "I'll take the patrol car if anyone wants to check up on him personally. If nobody wants to go, that's understandable considering what everyone's been doing. I need to stay back at the station and track down the location of where this transmission. I swear I've heard a background noise somewhere..."
Circuit was panicking, and he was tempted to curl up into a fetal position and cry out for the mother he never knew. Thoughts were racing through his head at incredible speed, his life flashing before his eyes. That horrified, existential stare upon his face would be enough to clue any onlooker into his emotions at the moment, yet somehow, the same expression didn't convey it entirely. This was a kind a fear that was new to Circuit: fear of losing a loved one. Though he had never known his birth parents, and he didn't care about those running the orphanage, Rugburn had never put himself in any graver danger than surfing along the California coast, and never really got into trouble with gangs before. But this was different. It was a kind of fear so intense that Circuit would have needed to change his pants if his bowels were weaker. "He'll be fine..." said Circuit repeatedly, with each repetition sounding less sincere, and increasingly doubtful and deranged.
Winter had hopped into a patrol car and offered anyone a chance to speak to Crimson directly about this entire mess. However, nobody knew the state of which they'd find him in. The poor kid was most likely scared out of his wits and freaking out, possibly being diusional on purpose in order to escape the current reality he was facing right now. The emotional state that Winter had warned about would have been fragile and overprotective. He advised those brave enough to visit him with caution. The police officer couldn't stay for long, but if she could, she'd help deal with things herself. Unfortunately, she had to stay behind so she can at least break a location of the transmission before time ran out. It was now up for Crimson's friends to deal with him, and asked any of them to "volunteer" themselves to talk some sense into him...
Suddenly, to everyone's surprise, Pinkie Pie stood up. "I'll go," she said, with a determined look on her face, "I don't want Crim to get hurt, because friends don't leave friends behind." "I'm going too," said Rainbow Dash. "Y'all can count me in," noted Applejack. "I shall go as well," said Rarity. "Don't forget me!" said Sunset. "I'm also going," said Fluttershy. This left only Circuit, who by now had fully embraced the urge to enter the fetal position and suck his thumb, earning awkward stares from everyone around him. "Hey, Circuit, you coming?" asked Rainbow Dash. Circuit did not respond. "Circuit?" He remained unresponsive. "Well, someone needs to keep an eye on him," said Winter, "Poor boy has clearly been traumatised out of his wits by this whole ordeal." "Maybe he should come with us," said Fluttershy, "we don't want him to get hurt." Winter smiled softly at Fluttershy. "I appreciate your concern, but I think he'll be much safer here at the station," said Winter.
Winter looked over at Circuit. "I'm going to ask one of the officers to watch over him for now, I'd be dropping you kids off at home. Hope you can talk some sense into Crimson...." She smiled meekly at the others, still showing signs of heavy concern. "I'll come back and watch after Circuit. Everything is going to be alright, I'm not going let anything bad happen....especially since this is now personal" In the corner, Circuit curled tighter into a ball. "Um.....Miss Winter" Applejack asked. "I understand you have a job to do, but do you think you can help Crimson?" She shook her head sadly. "Unfortunately I can't. I need to return back to the station and track down the location of the signal, plus watch over Circuit. This means that it's going to be a one-way trip. Are you sure that all of you girls want to go?" All the girls nodded approvingly in unison especially Pinkie and Rainbow. Winter smiled proudly, never being happier that her son was blessed with such great friends
---- As Winter left the girls at Crim's doorstep, she drove off into the night, in the pursuit of justice. "Well, here goes nothing," said Rarity as she opened the door.
The door was opened on the other side, almost creaking open as the girls slowly made their way into the house. Everything was quiet until they walked into the next room, where they found Crimson sitting on the couch, who seemed to have been taking things incredibly well. Next to him was a half-empty glass of liquid, presumably soda. The loungeroom was virtually completely black, minus the artificial glow coming from the television set that served as the only beacon of light in the room. The kitchen light was on and dimly lit up the next room for it to be visible, but it was still very dark. On the television, every channel was going completely bonkers about the mysterious transmission that was broadcasted a little while ago, and who the identity was of the man they wanted. Crimson sat on the couch, virtually emotionless as he flicked through the channels. Every Channel was the same thing. Who was Rugburn and Crimson? What did they have to do with this? Some of the news reports tried to paint a negative picture against him, comparing him to some disgusting human beings and how nobody should feel safe around him. Some tried to paint a positive note in what was already a bleak dark period. Whatever it was, things were bad. "It's all my fault..." Crimson said to himself, audible to everyone in the room. He looked over at the others before his emotions finally caught up to him. "Don't say that Crim..." Rainbow told him before calmly walking over towards him. Crimson tried to shake his head, before he suddenly burst into tears and hung his head low.....
"Everything is my fault. You guys are getting attached and hurt because of me, I'm putting everyone's lives in danger, and now Circuit's dad is going to get executed if I don't hand myself up to these punks" Crimson said to him, sobbing. "Oh dear. This is just out of your control. Don't feel re-" Rarity responded before suddenly being cut off. "No!" Crimson suddenly raised his voice. "This is my fault...and I'm going to fix this mess"
"We're going to fix this mess," corrected Applejack, "because it don't matter whose fault it is, we're in this together. Right, girls?" The other girls nodded.
"These bastards have threatened my friends, my mother and the lives of everyone around me whom I hold dear. This is beyond personal right now...." Crimson said before suddenly storming across the room and heading upstairs. "I'm going to get changed." "What are you going to do, Crim?" Rainbow looked at him nervously. "Something unorthodox..." He told her before suddenly vanishing upstairs.
Crim soon came back downstairs in a black leather jacket, black gloves and a light brown T-shirt. His bottoms were almost completely unchanged had it not been for the new sneakers. He looked frustrated and annoyed, but at the same time, he looked like a walking battalion. For Crimson, it was easy to smile when you are armed to the teeth. Almost immediately, the girls tried to restrain him by trying to pull him away from the door. It was foolish, suicidal maybe, but Crimson managed to keep walking towards the door before soon being overcome and stunned by Rainbow and Applejack, who punched him in the gut. "You're going to get yourself killed, you idiot!" Rainbow grumbled. "This is what they want! For you to overreact!" Crimson cursed. "I've found them...." "What?" Applejack said before signalling the other girls to let go of him. "You know where Rugburn is?" Crimson looked at the others seriously. He had a look in this eye that shared Winter's determination, although at the same time, those same eyes were saying different things about himself and what he had been through. "Underground..." Crimson took a deep breath, still slightly sore from the punch to his gut. "They've mentioned something underground. It's one of the abandoned tunnels in the subway...."
"We should probably let your mom know, then," said Rainbow Dash. "Let her know what?" asked Crimson. "About Rugburn's location, silly!" said Pinkie Pie.
"Someone get her on the phone. Let the whole department know about where Rugburn is. Maybe keep Circuit in the loop as well" Rainbow Dash said to the others. "On it." Sunset Shimmer said with determination before pulling out her phone and walking into the next room. "How did you find this out?" Rarity asked. "Let's say that one-night, I happened to follow them home before I came here. They like to think that they are the baddest group on the surface, so why should the locals look down?" Crimson told them. "Isn't it public knowledge that the subway system around here closed down in the 80's?" The girls nodded. "Yeah. The city ran out of funds. They cancelled the project as they tried to make a train-line from here to Denver." Crimson smirked. "Just what I thought. Make sure the police are kept into the loop. If they want me, then I'm going to give them as much of me as they want....
"We're going with you," said Rainbow Dash. Crimson's eyes widened. "Are you sure?" he asked, "Because like you said, this is practically a suicide mission." "Listen here, Crimson," said Applejack, putting a hand on Crim's shoulder, "We may've only known you and Circuit for a couple months, but in that time, we've become close friends, as if we knew y'all our whole lives. And really, that's what all o' this is about. Friends stick together till the bitter end, no matter what."
Crimson looked touched but Applejack's words for a moment, before wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her into an incredibly tight hug. The big girl looked surprised at such a reaction, until remembering that Crimson never really had any true friends for nearly his whole life. Pinkie Pie almost seemed to cry at the cute reaction, before she leapt over and joined the two's affectionate display of friendship, squishing herself into the middle of them like a sandwich. "Don't forget about me!" "And me!" Fluttershy said meekly, although she had a smile. One by one, the girls came together in this tough time to help save a life. Although for the boy that had now been squashed between the girls, he felt as if he found more then friends. He found a family....
