//------------------------------// // one down, six to go. // Story: The other End of Balance // by Dostoron //------------------------------// "Hmmm, no use engaging them, if anyone other than Luna figures out that we put something into the fog the jig is up and we´re done for." This Situation called for a more subtle Approach. "So, sneaking out it is." Hulk concluded. Splicer pointed out a minor Problem with that: "Luna´s Thestrals can see without any Trouble even in the dark, how do we fool their eyes?" "They´ll see something alright, they´ll see so much they won´t know where to look. Hulk, those steam cauldrons seem awfully overpressured, emergency release a bit so they don´t Pop." "Heheh, got it." Hulk made his way over to the Cauldron nearest to the door and bucked against the emergency valve, the effect was immediate, the Steam rushing out and quickly thickening into a fog, soon everything around you was White. "Hey what, princess Luna? where are you? where are we? where is everyone?" "Quit yelling, i can´t orient myself if you Keep making noise." "AAAAAAAAAAAHHH! I´m blind!" "shut up for Luna´s sake, QUIET!" The guards sure were a shining example of Training and order, yelling at each other to the Point where their strong ears were useless to them. Good Thing you had memorized the surroundings before opening the steam valves. Distribution would begin in a few hours and you had to get your Crew to the shelters outside the City. Off you go. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Huh, that went... well, i guess." You told Splicer who seemed rather pleased with the outcome of this Operation as well. Back outside Manehattan in a set of previously abandoned warehouses, where you had set up shop was a bustle of activity, your inmates and fresh recruits, now from all races and even some other species, were moving the stuff around to set up new Workstations for Gleaming, Splicer and Coldheart. Hulk had disappeared shortly after your Arrival, probably to spend time with Blitz. "Say, Thunderhead, that mare, Blitz, is she...?" Splicer started. "Yes, what about it?" "Well, the preparations are entering the Hot Phase, so to speak, maybe we should get her out of here." "Good luck with trying to get her out, she is from what coldheart told me in the sixth week, if you want her to leave ask her, but Isolate yourself before you ask, i don´t Need you deep fried." "I just meant to..." Whatever Splicer had to say was suddenly interrupted by the phone, and since hardly anypony knew your number it had to be important, you waved Splicer off and picked up. "yes? who is it?" "Boss, message from Apple Cobbler, he thought you should know that Celestia´s Student and five other Mares arrived yesterday and asked him about you. one of them is apparently his Cousin too, so he told them what he knows." "That´s why i made sure he doesn´t know anything too dangerous, relay my thanks for the heads up." you hung up. "huh, Celestia´s Student? Little privileged Twilight Sparkle?" "I know that Name, she lives in ponyville." looking over you see Nurse Coldheart trotting up to you. "she and her friends are always where things get interesting, and they usually figure out ways to stop anything that goes against the Picture Celestia paints." "In short, they´re Trouble, tell me everything you know about them." "Applejack is, as you heard, Cobblers Cousin, getting him and her in for a Little talk might dissuade her or aggravate her further, she is also Mr Orange´s niece so there´s that. Her aunt will likely take her in. Rarity is another Story, she´s a fashionista and will likely hang around the remains of the high Society, however the good News is, she has a while back changed her tastes to detesting pretentious fops with a Passion, she may be hesitant to trust you but she could be counted to the ´good´ ladies out there. Knowing her she´ll stay at the classiest Hotel in the City. Rainbow Dash, she´s brash, stubborn, and by comparison rather aggressive, she will believe anything she decides on and stick with that to the end, reason might not be the best way to get through to her, we should probably avoid her as far as possible. I´m not sure where in Manehattan she would be, probably the clouds above. Pinkie Pie is... unique by any and all Standards we have. she´s just not possible to explain, however she´d rather laugh and get along then openly pick a fight, she´s very much like a Little filly in Terms of mindset, to her the world doesn´t Need to be complicated." "She´s either very wise, or very naive." "that leaves Fluttershy, a Pegasus mare afraid of her own shadow but loving all animals, if she thinks you put someone in danger she may very well make you the victim of her Stare, i´m not sure how it works but it turned a raging Dragon into a crying hatchling once. She´ll be at the central park Zoo, probably asking the animals if they´re fine." "... i swear, i got thunderwings and a mare like that can run free?" "and finally Twilight Sparkle herself, bookworm, number one fan of Celestia, prized pupil and a very powerful magician, she would never see the bad sides of Celestia´s rule even if we rubbed them in her face, however she loves one Thing more than the princess, science and logic, if we could empirically prove Celestia´s negative effect she might have a minor or Major identity crisis, but she´d be out of the way. Personally i suggest we deal with the lot of them as fast as possible." "then i just have to figure out, who first?"