"What did you say Mr. Exely?" asked Twilight in a horrified whisper.

"I said that the three owners of your paper are Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom. They filled out the permits and as such they are the owners," said Mr. Exely.

"N...no, it must be some mistake!" said Applejack.

"Why is that?" asked Mr. Exely curiously.

"Well...I...uh," babbled Applejack. The truth was, them being Gabby Gums once more was certainly a possibility, however unlikely it was.

"They did it before, am I right?" he asked. "As a matter of fact, as they already used the moniker of 'Gabby Gums' in an official paper, they technically own the rights to the identity and as such, they would need to give written permission to somepony else who wanted to use it. Since I don't have that kind of paperwork and the permit is filled out in their name, as far as I am concerned they are Gabby Gums."

The six friends stood in silence for a few minutes before Twilight spoke up.

"Is there any way we can get the paper shut down?" she asked.

"Good gracious no. Unless you can prove that what they are printing is libel or these three willingly give up their permits, Gabby Gums can print as much as she likes without anypony stopping them. Freedom of speech is one of our rights here. Not to mention the fact that today's story wasn't actually libel, so it is technically illegal to stop her unless you can prove that she has done something illegal."

"But the photo she took of Filthy Rich hitting Diamond Tiara was almost certainly gotten by illegal means! She would have to trespass on their land to get it!" said Fluttershy.

"Cameras are amazing things these days," said Mr. Exely. "Unless it can be totally proven that she did something illegal, Gabby Gums cannot be legally stopped."

Twilight's ears drooped at the sound of this. It looks like the only thing that they could do right now was talk to the Cutie Mark Crusaders. However, there was still the issue of the crowd waiting outside. If they found out the identities of Gabby Gums...after Derpy, Twilight didn't want to think about it.

"Excuse me Mr. Exely," said Applejack. "Does this here place have a back door?" Exely raised his eyebrow.

"Well no," he said confusedly. "I do have a window in my office that--" without a word, Applejack ran into his office and dove out the open window. The six remaining ponies looked at each other confusedly.

"Okay... what now then?" asked Twilight to her friends.

"Well, I don't know," said Rarity. "The second we go out that door the crowd will ask us who Gabby Gums is and after what happened to Derpy today, they won't let us leave without telling them!"

"Do we lie?" asked Fluttershy.

'Who would we say it was?" asked Rainbow Dash. "They know that the pony is still in town so pointing the hoof at any townsponies would be accusing an innocent pony but pointing the hoof at outsiders...well, that's just not fair to anypony." Twilight sighed.

"It would seem that we are stuck," she said sadly.

"What do we do then?" asked Pinkie Pie.

"We've got to protect the Cutie Mark Crusaders!" said Twilight. "I'm still not 100% convinced that they are the ones behind it, but we have to talk to them at least before anything else."

"So should we go out there?" asked Rainbow nervously. Twilight nodded.

"I think it's our only option. They all had a sleepover at Applejack's farm last night and they should still be there if I know the three of them."

"Well, let's go then," said Fluttershy. The five friends said goodbye to Mr. Exely and slowly walked out of the office, receiving a glare from the receptionist as they did. They opened the door to the news office and were very disheartened by what they saw: what seemed to be the entire town of Ponyville was out there waiting to hear the news. When they saw the five of them they crowd immediately began talking amongst themselves before one voice called out.

"So, who is it?"

"Is it those ghastly fillies again?" asked another voice. To the horror of the five friends, The Mayor walked up to them and addressed the crowd.

"Fillies and Gentlecolts, I ask you all to be silent while Twilight announces the identity of Gabby Gums!" said The Mayor before turning to Twilight. "Well Twilight, are the Cutie Mark Crusaders to blame for Gabby Gums once more?"

Twilight froze. She didn't know what to say. She couldn't hoof an innocent pony but to implicate the Cutie Mark Crusaders after what the town did to Derpy...

"Well...I...I can't reveal the identity of Gabby Gums at this time. The situation is complicated and--" The town gave an angry yell.

"It is them, isn't it?" asked a voice in the crowd.

"Who else could it be?" asked another "They would certainly reveal the identity at any other time!" The crowd began to chatter angrily and it seemed to Twilight like the situation would be out of her control very soon. Thankfully, The Mayor spoke up to calm the crowd down.

"Fillies and Gentlecolts, may I have your attention please?" she said. The crowd quieted down. "Even though the identity of Gabby Gums is indeed the Cutie mark Crusaders, who obviously didn't learn their lesson from last time, I cannot allow vigilante justice to take place under my authority." At that moment, her face darkened. "Unless it produces results. Which it will."

Twilight and her friends gasped as The Mayor led the charge towards Sweet Apple Acres.

"We have to get there before they do!" said Twilight.

"But even if we do, how can we stop them?" asked Fluttershy.

"I don't know, but we have to do something!" said Twilight. "Come on girls, let's go to Sweet Apple Acres! Rainbow, you're the fastest of the bunch and I need you to go ahead of us and warn the Apple Family!" Rainbow Dash saluted and zoomed off towards the farm. 'Come on girls, I know a shortcut!" said Twilight.

The four ponies ran as fast as they could towards Sweet Apple Acres. Time was on their side as the crowd would move slower than the four friends would, but they wouldn't get there first by much.

As the farm came into view, the four friends saw Rainbow Dash talking to Applejack who was carrying a large case of some kind. To their surprise, she didn't seem worried at all about the incoming mob. On the horizon, they all saw the first signs of the crowd approaching, calling for the blood of the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Twilight was very surprised that they had reacted so strongly to this. Anger she could understand, but this...this was something else entirely.

Within another minute, the four friends had reached Rainbow and Applejack. Applejack was calmly opening the case as the crowd drew closer. They would be there very soon.

"Applejack," said Twilight desperately. "What are we going to do?"

"I told the young'ns to stay inside the house for now and I'll get them later," said Applejack. She still looked bizarrely calm.

"But how are we going to stop the mob?" asked Fluttershy.

"Trust me," said Applejack. To Twilight's surprise, she had the smallest hint of a smile on her face.

The mob drew ever closer. Twilight could see the whites of their eyes as well as the look of fury that lay inside of it. The Mayor was leading the charge.

"Whatever you're gonna do, do it fast!" said Rainbow. Applejack's small smile widened and she began quietly counting down.

"Three...two...one." At one, the crowd went through the gate and was just a few feet away from the six friends. Applejack's face suddenly contorted into a look of pure rage and she reached into the case and pulled out a double-barrel shotgun. The crowd gasped and immediately stopped dead in their tracks. Applejack pointed the gun at The Mayor and addressed the crowd. "Now you listen here, I'd like to introduce you to my friend Sweetness! She's a twelve gauge, double-barrel Remington, Equestria's's top-of-the-line. I first met Sweetness in a sporting goods store in Appleoosa. That's right, Sweetness was born in Fillydelphia and I got her for about a hundred and nine, ninety five. She's got a walnut stock, cobalt blue steel, and a hair trigger."

The town stared confusedly at Applejack but they all had decided that they'd rather not meet Sweetness in person.

"Now," continued Applejack. "Sweetness and I both are aware of what Celestia called the 'Make My Day' law. It states that if anypony comes onto your property with the malicious intent to harm, they can see what it's like to meet Sweetness when she's angry and I can make sure it's the LAST thing they'll ever see."

The crowd stepped back a bit at this.

"So in conclusion," said Applejack. "ANY OF YOU BUCKING JERKS TAKE ONE STEP FORWARD; I'LL EXECUTE EACH AND EVERY MOTHER BUCKING LAST ONE OF YA!"

The crowd stepped backwards a few more feet before a visibly nervous Mayor spoke up.

"Well, clearly you and, uh, 'Sweetness' have made your argument, so here is mine: if the Cutie Mark Crusaders print ONE more piece of libel, I will have them arrested and I will give them the harshest sentence that I can, is that clear?" she said angrily. Applejack glared at her and nodded.

At that moment, one pony decided that she had enough of bargaining and that she would rather see the Crusaders punish now so she bolted towards the house. In a flash, Applejack wheeled around and shot at the ground in front of the pony. The bullet hit mere inches in front of the pony's hooves and the pony screamed and ran back into the crowd. The town was shocked to see that the bullet left what could only be described as a small crater in the ground where it had hit. Applejack looked at the pony that had charged.

"Well shucks, it seems that my aim was a bit off, wouldn't ya say?" she said. The pony whimpered and Applejack addressed the crowd once more. "I think you had all better just leave. I promise that I will have a talk with the Crusaders. So, if'n you'll excuse us," she said.

To the surprise of the six, the crowd did not move, but instead just stood there. Applejack gave them an angry look and she raised her gun up into the air and fired another round just above the heads of the crowd. The crowd immediately screamed and ran off. Within minutes, there was no indication that anypony had been there at all.

Applejack sighed and returned Sweetness to her case. "I had hoped that it wouldn't come to that," she said glumly.

"Uh, Applejack, what was that?" asked a shocked Rainbow Dash. Applejack looked at her confusedly.

"What do you mean? That was me 'n Sweetness runnin' an angry mob off of the farm."

"Yeah but, what's the deal with Sweetness?" asked Fluttershy. "I mean, look at that crater her bullet left!" Applejack rolled her eyes.

"Yeah well, when ya buy a gun for home defense, you don't want to get a gun that'll just tickle 'em when it hits."

"But there would have been nothing left of her head if you had hit!" said Twilight. "How accurate are you with that thing anyway?" Applejack puffed out her chest proudly.

"If she had been movin' twice as fast and was twice as far away and I wanted to hit her, we'd be cleanin' up pony brain and a headless corpse instead of talkin' about this!"

Before Twilight could respond, Rarity piped in.

"Oh girls, as interesting as Applejack and, uh, Sweetness are, I must insist that we focus on the bigger issue at hand. We need to talk to the Cutie Mark Crusaders!"

The other five nodded and they walked into Applejack's house. They found the Cutie Mark Crusaders sitting around the dining room table looking glum. To the surprise of the six friends, they each had their notebooks in front of them. They looked up when the six came in, but they quickly stared at the table when they saw who it was.

Applejack leaned Sweetness against a wall and sat down opposite the Crusaders. She had a grim look on her face.

"Now, would you three mind tellin' me exactly what the BUCK is goin' on here?" she said. At the profanity, the three Crusaders flinched but still stayed silent. "I had to go out there and hold back an angry mob and if I was havin' an off day, I woulda blown somepony's head off with Sweetness. We went to the Ponyville News Office today and the permit for the Gabby Gums paper was under the names of you three!"

"Well, we just thought that we were kind of close to getting out Cutie Marks last time so we...we thought maybe we could try again," said Apple Bloom shakily.

"Don't you three lie to me!" said Applejack angrily. "I know that ain't the reason that you three started this up again. So, why don't you tell me what's really goin' on."

"We...we can't," said Scootaloo. "It's none of your business!"

Applejack's mouth opened in shock and hung open for a second before she looked angrily at the three once more.

"How in the hay ain't it my business!?" she said. "It's my job to make sure that you three don't get hurt from this whole affair! That mob out there was callin' for your blood and they already beat up Derpy so bat that she ended up in the hospital when they saw her with a stack of Gabby Gums newspapers! I need ya to stop or you're literally goin' to get arrested for this!"

Sweetie Belle burst into sobs and Scootaloo tried to comfort her. Apple Bloom tried to steady her resolve.

"We can't stop! We gotta..." she started shaking in fear once more. "We gotta get our Cutie Marks, no matter what the cost is!"

"Are your buckin' Cutie Marks worth prison!?" asked Applejack desperately. "The whole town is after ya, are they really worth that kind of hatred?" Apple Bloom merely looked down at the table silently. Scootaloo shot Applejack an uneasy glance and she took her forelegs off of Sweetie Belle's shoulders and began writing in her notebook as quietly and quickly as she could.

Unfortunately for her, Applejack saw her at it and in a fit of rage, she stood up and grabbed her shotgun and pointed it at the three.

"APPLEJACK, NO!" said a horrified Twilight. Applejack ignored her and pulled the trigger. The notebook in front of Apple Bloom practically exploded when the bullet hit it, sending shredded paper flying anywhere. The three fillies screamed as Applejack cocked her gun and fired at Sweetie Belle's notebook and it too was obliterated. Applejack cocked her shotgun one more and fired at Scootaloo's notebook but only heard a 'click'. She was out of ammo. In a fit of rage, she overturned the table, sending Scootaloo's notebook flying into a corner.

The three fillies began crying hysterically and they ran upstairs to Apple Bloom's room. Applejack seemed ready to run up after them but she suddenly stopped in her tracks and just stood there. The six heard the door to Apple Bloom's room close and silence filled the room. Applejack turned around with a blank look on her face. She faced her friends and seemed to be about to say something when a cyan hoof connected with the side of her head, sending her flying backwards into the overturned table. The farmer pony looked up in shock to see a livid Rainbow Dash standing over her.

"HOW THE BUCKING TARTARUS COULD YOU DO THAT!?" she screeched. "DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT YOU'VE JUST DONE!?"

Applejack sat in silence, blood and tears running down her face.

"WHAT IF YOU HAD HIT THEM?" continued the angry Pegasus whose wings were flared out, making her look twice as large as she normally did. "WHAT IF A BULLET HAD RICOCHETED AND HIT ONE OF THEM!? THEY WOULD HAVE BEEN KILLED INSTANTLY, WHAT THE BUCK WERE YOU THINKING!?" Applejack continued crying but she opened her mouth to speak.

"I don't know," she said quietly. "I just...lost control. After the mob thing I'm scared Rainbow, I'm so scared."

Rainbow Dash seemed to regain some control, but she still looked ready to rip Applejack in half. After a few seconds, she turned around, left the house, and flew away. Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity (all of whom looked very angry as well) soon followed.

Twilight stayed and walked up to her crying farmer friend. She put a hoof on her shoulder and Applejack flinched but didn't pusher her away. In truth, Twilight was just as angry at Applejack as the rest of them, but she had decided to give Applejack a chance.

"Why?" she said quietly. Applejack looked up at her, fear and sorrow in her eyes.

"I guess I just lost my temper," she said. "I dunno, just seein' what those three are doin' not only to the whole town but to themselves as well...I just felt so helpless. When Scoots started writin' in that notebook of hers I just felt that I had to destroy them for their own good. I know that I shouldn'ta shot them. I just...I dunno."

Twilight nodded. True, she didn't even remotely see fear as anything resembling a justification for what Applejack had done, but then again, neither did Applejack. Regret was etched into every pore of her body and it showed.

"Applejack, what you did...I don't know how long it will be before the three of them forgive you, much less trust you again. It's going to take a lot of time for that to happen," said Twilight sadly. "And our friends...I don't even know when they'll even want to make eye contact with you again."

"NEVER!" wailed Applejack. "They'll never want anythin' to do with me after this!" Twilight wanted to comfort her, to say that she was being foolish and that her friends would forgive her for this...but in truth she really wasn't completely sure. Firing a shotgun at three helpless fillies was one of the worst reactions that Applejack could have had.

Twilight sighed and took her hoof off of Applejack's shoulder. She walked over to where Scootaloo's fallen notebook lay. It was open to the page where she had begun writing a few minutes ago. Twilight leaned down and scanned the page. All she saw were a group of numbers:

25-2-4-5-8-3-20-1-23-7-14-9-5-2-5-18-1-5-23-19-21-16-12-5-8

Twilight frowned and tore off the page in the notebook. She would definitely have to think about this further.

She walked back over to Applejack who was still crying where she had fallen. Twilight wanted to say something more, but she didn't know what she could possibly say that would make this alright. Instead, she turned around and walked out the door.

Author's note: I know that the anger levels and reactions in this chapter may seem out of character, but I must ask you to trust me at this time as I assure you that I know what I'm doing. Danke.