A few hours went by; all I saw was a blur. I started to wake up, but I was tied up onto a chair with my hooves tied behind my back. “Mornin’ sleeping beauty.” One of the mobsters said.

“No… pop…. I won’t let him take me.” I said.

“Is he ok, Star?” the other mobster asked.

“Bright Wing, you idiot, you hit him too hard!” Star yelled at him.

“I didn’t hit him ok? We electrocuted him, remember?” Bright Wing asked.

“But you hit him after to make sure he was passed out.” Star corrected him.

“What’s your problem, Star? The boss asked us to bring this pony here, whatever the cost.” Bright Wing argued.

“I don’t think he meant brain damage, you moron!” Star yelled.

“Enough with this arugin’!” a big fat blue stallion said as he walked inside.

“Boss! Sorry ‘bout that. This pony over ‘ere sounds like he’s hallucinatin’.” Bright Wing said.

“He’s not hallucinatin’, he’s just gettin’ the wrong impression.” The boss said as he walked towards me and looked down at me.

“I won’t be like my pop! He’s a bad pony! I won’t be like him! GET AWAY FROM ME!” I yelled.

“Relax, Herb, relax. We’re not part of that mob. In fact, we’re his biggest competitors.” The boss said.

“Who’re you? Why did you capture me?” I asked.

“Capture? Capture’s a strong word. Star, Wing, untie him.” The boss ordered them. They did so. I was getting the feeling back on my wrist. “Thanks. Who’re you?”

“Poni Cipriani, don of the Friendship Mafia.” The boss said.

“The what?” I asked.

“We’ve been monitorin’ you for a long time, my boy, and I gotta say, we’re pretty impressed.” Poni said, putting his arm around my back.

“Impressed? Why?” I asked.

“Because we’ve seen what you’re capable of. We know you wanna do some good, and durin’ your 3 years of exile, you proven to be a very worthy holder of harmony.” Poni said.

“Yeah, I wish that were true. All I did was cause disaster.” I said.

“And you learned from your mistakes, didn’t you?” Poni asked.

“Yes, but I don’t think it’s an excuse for what I done to….. him.” I said.

“It’s ok, Herb. Flare will be happy in Ponyville. I know it for a fact. He’ll have the good life, and someday he might return, and you can tell him how yous feel.” Poni said.

“You sure he’ll be happy?” I asked.

“I guarantee it. For now, let’s not worry ‘bout him. It’s time to bring harmony into this town. Your father, Herb Leafhorn, Sr., he’s causin’ great distress throughout Mareami, and we need to stop ‘em.” Poni said.

“And what do you need me for?” I asked.

“My boy, you are his son; yous know a lot more of him than any of us. We need a stallion like you. With yous here, we can make this town a better place, and more!” Poni explained.

“So, that’s why you spied on me, huh?” I asked.

“Please excuse Star Trot and Bright Wing; they love to be all sneaky ‘n stuff.” Poni said. Star and Wing blushed in embarrassment, one of them chuckled, and one of them whistled.

“So, am I part of your little club?” I asked.

“Not quite yet, we have to make sure yous are worthy enough. Star and Wing will follow yous ‘round town. Find anypony that’s havin’ trouble or somethin’. See what yous can do to help them out.” Poni instructed me.
“How do I do that?” I asked.

“Just see if somepony is havin’ trouble, then go and solve the issue. Star and Wing will be there with yous if yous need any help. Do this, and yous will be an offical member of the Friendship Mob. Time to bring justice into this town, my boy, just like you wanted!” Poni said.

“So, wait, what ‘bout that box I was supposed to give to Swinebutt?” I asked.

“I stored it safely. Don’t worry ‘bout that. Just go on and…. make some new friends.” Poni said smiling. I nodded, and I followed Star and Wing outside to their black carriage.

“C’mon, Herb, we’re gonna drive ya to Mareami Beach, there should be some trouble there we can help out on.” Star said, strapping himself onto the carriage.

“I can’t believe I’m goin’ to be ridin’ in the carriage that’s been givin’ me nightmares.” I teased as I hopped in with Wing. Star started pulling the carriage and we started riding over to the beach area.

“So how long has this mob been around for?” I asked.

“Not long enough it would seem. Poni has been seein’ a lot of bullyin’ and hate goin’ ‘round in this town, so he made this mod so we can stop it.” Wing explained. “He’s also seen all the damage that the Sharks Mob has been up to. Your dad is really a charmin’ pony, you know that?”

“Are there any other members of the mob besides you, Star, and Poni?” I asked.

“There are dozens of us! Not enough though. Star and I are supposed to find some new recruits while you’re tryin’ to make new friends.” Wing said.

“Do you mobsters always look around town for trouble?” I asked.

“All the time! It’s our duty. We’ve been doin’ such a great job at it too. We’ve been gettin’ letters from Princess Celestia, complimentin’ on our job well done. We’re goin’ to the top, baby! It’s ‘bout time we’re gettin’ noticed.” Wing explained. After a while went by we made it over the bridge and over to the beach side of the city. Star and Bright dropped me off over at East Beach to look for trouble.

“Alright, I think I should go with him.” Star said.

“Why? Ain’t it your turn to look for recruits?” Wing asked.

“You’ve been bondin’ with him for a while, now it’s my turn.” Star said.

“If you say so. Catch ya later, Herb, and good luck!” Wing said as Star detached himself from the carriage and Wing attached himself and drove off.

“Sooooo, where’s the trouble?” I asked.

“Be patient, man. Trouble ain’t goin’ to just pop out of nowhere just like that.” Star said.

“OH YEAH?! WELL YOU’RE STUPID!” somepony yelled in the distance.

“HEY!” I yelled back, but when I looked, there was a young couple arguing with eachother.

“I’m not stupid, you’re stupid!” the stallion yelled at the mare.

“Stop acting like a child!” the mare yelled.

“This is your chance, Herb. This is your chance to prove yourself worthy to join our mob!” Star said.

“But their argument ain’t my business though.” I said.

“For any regular pony yes, but if you were part of the Friendship Mob, well that ain’t gonna happen now, is it?” Star asked.

“No, I guess not.” I said.

“Just go on over there and break up the fight. Do whatever you can.” Star said. I didn’t really know what to exactly do, but Star said to do whatever I can, so I went over there to try it the old fashion way.

“Um, excuse me? What’s wrong? Maybe I can help.” I asked.

“Mind your own business, dip-wad!” the mare yelled.

“Really, I could help.” I insisted.

“Ok, how about helping me getting this freako out of my face?!” the mare pointed at the stallion.

“Well, excuse me, but I’m only trying to help you out in getting your financial so we can go on that cruise you’ve always wanted to go to!” the stallion yelled.

“Using MY money?!” the mare yelled.

“You said you wanted to go whatever the cost is!” the stallion yelled.

“I didn’t mean I had to pay for it!” the mare yelled.

“Uhh, may I make a suggestion? Why don’t you both just split the bill of that cruise? It’s both of your vacation. As long as you’re both happy on it and you’re both fair on finances, then what can go wrong?” I suggested.

“Oh sure, why didn’t we think of that?” the mare asked sarcastically.

“Now now, I think that pony just made a good point. If we split the money for our vacation, then maybe we both will be happy. Neither of us will have the greed.” The stallion agreed.

“Oh if you agree with him so much, why don’t you just go out with him then?!” the mare asked.

“Because you’re the one I love!” the stallion said to the mare.

“Yeah, right. You never spend any time with me.” The mare rolled her eyes and said.

“Why else is he payin’ for your vacation?” I asked.

“Yeah, exactly!” the stallion said.

“Ooooh, and now you’re agreeing with a complete stranger, huh?” the mare asked angrily. “I don’t know why I put up with you.” The mare started to walk away from us.

“C’mon, Herb, you’re losin’ ‘em! Think of something.” I said to myself. This sure is a pretty difficult first test. I was so close to just taking out my baseball bat and just threatening them to get along, but Star stopped me.

“Psssst! No! Words are your weapon, Herb! Words are your weapon!” Star whispered.

“Words are my weapon.” I repeated to myself. “Words are my weapon.” I placed the bat back in my jacket, and went to the stallion and whispered into his ear. He nodded.

“HEY! Who do you think you are! You bothered my mom! Can’t you see she wants to be left alone?! I’m spending time with her!” the stallion yelled at me as he was grabbing onto my shirt. “You got that, pal?”

“Loud and clear.” I said with a frightened tone.

The mare sighed and said, “Alright, we’ll both pay for the trip.”

“YAY!” the stallion cheered and ran towards her. I got confused for a second, I thought the mare was his wife, not his mother. Whatever.

“Could’ve gotten better, Herb, but I believe that was a success.” Star said.

“Nice! Am I part of the club yet?” I asked.

“First of all, it’s not a club, it’s a mob; second, not yet, you still have to try to help out several other ponies in order to join our mob. Those are the rules.” Star said.

“Well, if that’s the rule, then what other choice do I have?” I asked. I went on over to the beach to see if there was any trouble over there, when suddenly I saw a couple of beach bullies destroying a colt’s sand castle. Oh, man, I had to do something there, that there was giving me visions of me bullying Flare, I couldn’t let that stand down. “Hey, you!” I yelled.

“Yeah, what are you looking at, butthead?” the bully asked.

“Hey, who you callin’ butthead, butthead?” I asked.

“How about you mind your business?” the bully asked.

“How about you leave that poor colt alone?” I asked.

“Oh yeah, well who’s gonna stop me?” the bully asked as he shoved me.

“Have you been abused by your family?” I asked.

“What’s that got to do with anything?” the bully asked.

“Have you been abused by your family?” I asked again.

Before I knew it, this whole talk turned into a therapy session. The beach bully was lying on a sandy therapy couch and told me everything about his family, as I was sitting next to him, writing stuff down on a notepad. “And then when I was 8, my mom said my turtle ran away. But I knew it didn’t run away. Turtles don’t run!” the bully yelled.

“Uhh, yeah, I see. Well, my boy, just follow my advice and you should be fine. You’re right, and your dad is wrong.” I said.

“Thanks, man! I can’t thank you enough!” the bully said happily, giving me a hug.

“Yeah, yeah, just don’t put your anger on anypony else, alright?” I asked.

“Oh yeah, yeah! Of course!” the bully said, then he turned to the kid and said, “Hey, kid? Wanna build a sand castle?”

“Don’t call me kid, I’m your brother!” the colt corrected him.

“Another success for Herb Leafhorn!” I said to myself. “Now, where should I go next?” I looked around the area to see where else I could help others out, until I saw the Night Club bouncer throw a pony out.

“And stay out!” the bouncer yelled.

“Of course! The Night Club!” I said to myself. “It’s pretty ironic though, since it’s day time, it should be called a Day Club.” So I walked over to the club, and went inside to see if there was any damage that needed to be done. There was a bit, but it was damage done to me. I saw the bartender taking away a pony’s carriage license, and I wanted to reason with the bartender so he would give the license back, but it turns out the pony wasn’t fit to drive, and it was the club’s policy to take away licenses, so I got kicked out of the club as well.

“Yo, how was your party?” Star asked.

“Got the wrong impression.” I said.

“These things happen. The Friendship Mob is still new ‘round these parts, kid. It would take a lot before we get noticed ‘round here.” Star said. “Now as it turns out, you did a good job, Herb, you did really good! I’ll tell Poni about your progress. He’ll give you a call.”

“So this means I’m part of the mob?” I asked.

“Not yet. I have to talk things over with Poni. See ya around.” Star said, as he jumped on the carriage with Bright Wing.

“Nice meetin’ ya, Herb!” Wing said as they drove off.

“Wow, it wouldn’t hurt to gimmie a ride home! My house is all the way on the other side of town!” I yelled, but they couldn’t hear me, so whatever. It was a beautiful day for a walk, regardless. I can feel the salty sea air on my face, the beautiful palm trees blowing in the wind, and of course the hot mares holding up signs for carriage washes wearing bikinis. Wow, how I said that, it sounded like the car wash itself was wearing the bikinis.

During my walk, I met up with Turnip Orch along the way. “Herb!” he yelled.

“Hey, Turnip!” I greeted.

“What are you doing here, man? You’re out in the open. If your father’s mob catches you, you’re cooked.” Turnip said.

“Well, as it turns out, I don’t need to worry much about them anymore.” I said.

“What do you mean?” Turnip asked.

“I don’t wanna tell you out here. Let’s give Clay, Angel, and Annabelle a call, and I’ll tell you in a place a little more private.” I requested. After we gave them a call, we all ended up inside a portable potty near a construction site where we couldn’t fit all in. “Ok, I didn’t mean this private. Let’s go to Applebees.” I suggested. So the five of us all went over to Applebees so we can chat.

“So after I retrieved the shipment, the cops arrived because they were monitoring the whole deal. I dunno why Animal Crackers are illegal in Equestria.” Clay said.

“Maybe it’s because eating meat in Equestria is illegal in general. Even if they’re shaped like animals, man. I realize we’re vegetarians and all, but Animal Crackers are harmless, man.” Angel said.

“I know, that stuff tastes pretty darn good with a little icing on it, bro.” Clay said.

“So, Herb, what was it you wanted to talk to us about?” Turnip asked.

“Ok….” I said as I looked around to see if anypony was listening. “Come closer.” I whispered. They did so. “A little closer.” I said, and they did so. “A little more-“

“I don’t want to kiss you, man.” Angel said.

“Alright, alright, here’s the thing.” I whispered. “It turned out that black carriage that has been followin’ me these last few days were indeed mobsters. They got me.”

“Really? How did you escape?” Annabelle asked.

“Well, here’s the thing, these mobsters weren’t the bad ones. They weren’t part of my dad’s mob, this is the Friendship Mafia.” I explained.

“The Friendship Mafia?” Clay asked.

“Yes. As it turns out, this group of ponies wants what I want, to bring peace and harmony throughout Mareami. The mob is led by a pony by the name of Poni Cipriani.” I explained. “He created this group to fight against the hate crimes ‘round the city, and so I joined their group.”

“Nice, man!” Angel said. “That really sounds like a good idea! I wanna join that group!”

“Yeah, same here, holms.” Annabelle said.

“But the thing is; I haven’t even joined the group yet. I passed a test earlier today, and now I’m awaiting a call from Poni himself.” I said.

“Dude, it would be really an honor if we were to also join the group. The more the merrier, right?” Annabelle asked.

“Well, I’ll have to ask him first. Can you be trusted though?” I asked.

“Yo, man, you know you can trust me, man. I love to bring peace in the streets, man.” Angel said.

“C’mon, bro, we’re your friends! How can you not trust us?” Clay asked.

“I do trust you guys, Clay, but this isn’t my decision to make. I’ll have to talk to Poni. Here’s the stallion in charge.” I said.

Suddenly, my phone started to ring. It was Poni himself. “Hang on, business call.” I said as I picked it up. “Yo!”

“Herb Leafhorn, you ready to prove yourself worthy to our cause?” Poni asked.

“If it means bringin’ peace to our fair city and takin’ down my pop, then yes.” I said.

“Well, bringin’ down your pop will have to wait, kid. Your pig friend is here, and he’s mad as all hay! Get your plot over here, right now!” Poni demanded as he hung up.

“What’s going on, Herb?” Annabelle asked.

“Duty calls. I’ll see you guys later.” I said as I got up quickly and stormed out of the restaurant.

“Can I have his tortilla when it comes?” Clay asked.

Author's Notes:

This chapter shows how Herb met the mob, and this also shows how the mob works. When things start to get violent, you'll find out that on the next chapter. ;)