//------------------------------// // Aw, that´s apples, mate // Story: The other End of Balance // by Dostoron //------------------------------// "Yes, i get it, but in the end, bringing back up makes me look suspicious." Coldheart had not yet forgiven you for running off, unfortunately you needed her help. "No one knows your actual face, but this time it IS too dangerous, Apple Cobbler will be Close to her and he knows your voice." "My voice is hardly unique." "Do Journalists believe in Chance?" okay, that was a good Point. "Who else should go?" not everyone was as capable with words as you were after all. "... i guess you could do it, if apple Cobbler is elsewhere in the meantime." Coldheart was thinking, just as Blitz entered, waving a Piece of paper in front of you. "Blitz, for the last time i´m not interested in you going- wait, what´s that?" You took the note from her mouth inside was the biggest Thing fate could´ve possibly given you. "Exile colony, bring the well behaved Thunderwing pegasi to These coordinates, if reasonable, unharmed, make sure you are not followed, Prince Blueblood. The royal seal and everything, Blitz, this is exactly the distraction Apple Cobbler Needs, take as many Boys as you think you Need, Hulk will accompany you, and make sure Cobbler Comes." You were ecstatic, not only did you have the distraction needed to Keep your cover, but you also finally knew what happened to the thunderwings they took out of Cloud Haven. "huh, that was convenient. i will however take a stroll around Manehattan and Keep my eyes on you, can´t afford losing the head and voice of the thunderstorm." Coldheart was dead set on this and you knew better than to argue, as it turned out all the Mares in your inner circle were conspiring, as Gleaming Metal decided to go around town herself. One last preparation to do though. "Splicer, i got a Job for a scientist." "And you came to me anyway, i´m flattered." he really needed to work on his jokes. "I Need you to do some Research, regarding previous attempts to make Celestia Change her ways, she will probably have manipulated the way history called them but that´s why i Need you to do it." "I´ll find something, such occurences can never be silenced completely, even Princess Celestia can´t Keep every secret.""good, i´m counting on the success of this." You left him with that as you made to get into more comfortable clothes and leap into the bustle of manehattan. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Finding the Mare had taken you longer than you thought, then again, it made sense that Mrs. Orange wouldn´t stay at a mansion that had seen bigger slaughter than a griffon raid caused, maybe you and the Boys had gone overboard a bit. She had taken residence in a small, humble Apartment, still Penthouse though, which gave you at least an opportunity to strike up a conversation, without having to deal with any annoying porters turning up their noses at you. Applejack was there as well, this could turn out either good or very bad. "And ah Keep telling ya, ya shouldn´tve let Cobbler get away with broadcasting such a Story, they´re murderers and he made them look like heroes." Applejack was clearly not as done with the subject of Mr. Orange as the rest of the world, good Thing too, that was exactly what you had prepared for. "Umm, excuse me? Delivery for Mrs. Orange Sherbet." You had hovered in carefully, Holding your fragile package in front of you to Keep your face mostly covered. "Huh, i don´t remember ordering anything." Mrs. Orange had left her seat and trotted to the railing, beckoning you to land. "He said you´d know who sent These." You landed and unfolded the Package, revealing a beautiful, and not exactly cheap Bouquet of Black Roses. "Black Roses? who´d send me... do you mean, These are from Thunderstorm?" Mrs. Orange seemed just about ready to faint, she looked, scared. Was that the effect your Name had on People? "uh, order reads T. Storm, Madam. Where should i put them?" you asked as innocently as you could. not innocently enough apparently, as you had to drop the flowers and rush over to catch the Widowed Mrs. Orange. "What in tarnation is going on out here?" Applejack who had entered the Apartment just before you dropped by returned outside to find you and the fainted Mare. "She just dropped when she saw the flowers, could you please help me, miss?" Any questions she had were tabled for the Moment with that. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ It had only taken a few minutes to put Mrs Orange into her bed and the Roses in a Vase, Applejack, ever the hospitable mare asked you to sit down with her for a bit as thanks for catching her, that thanks to Coldheart you had planned it out just like this was best left unsaid. "Unbelievable, T. Storm, that No good Vermin got the gall to send her flowers after murdering her husband." Applejack had figured out that part of the jig at least, then again you made no effort to conceal that. "I dunno, miss, for a vermin he´s rather popular among the Civilians." You did your best to not openly mention anything that could make her figure you out. "Y´all talk like you´re a fan of him too." Applejack gave you a suspicious look. "i wouldn´t go that far, but in many situations i find myself thinking i would´ve done the same." hah, good save. "you would´ve murdered my uncle?" whoops. "... Say, before you you see two stallions, one restrained to a table and helpless before the other, who has a Syringe full of, something, ready to ram into him, it is definitely not a doctor doing his Job, would you run up and stop the one with the Syringe?" "... probably, yeah i guess i would´ve pushed him off, but that guy rammed the needle into Uncle Oranges throat!" "on purpose?" there was no way she could know, there were only two ponies at all that knew what happened in his last minutes and one of them was dead. "... guess there´s no way to tell." gotcha. "Thunderstorms Methods are... questionable if you´re wording it carefully, but i for one don´t doubt his motivations for a second. Equestria isn´t as nice as the princess wants us to believe, if it was the likes of him wouldn´t exist." that was actually rather true, why rebellize when there is no reason to? "ya Sound like you´d join him in a heartbeat if given the Chance." Applejack looked you straight in the face, she got you pinned now. "I do not Need to sign up with him." you dodged the question at least a bit. "lemme be blunt, are you with him?" huh, not a mare to mess around. "so what if i am? just because i can´t stand the way things are and would fight to Change them you´re gonna beat me up? what are you, a royal guard?" maybe you were laying it on a bit too thick at once. yup definitely, incoming hoof. You succesfully duck the first Punch and leap back towards the balcony door. "git outta here, NOW!" Applejack looked just about ready to leap and strangle you. "If you bothered looking further than the brim of your hat just once, you would be on his side too. I hope Cobbler can talk some sense into you when you see just how she treats innocent pegasi, just for having a gift." You leapt out, making sure to get out of her sight before the royal guard would be on your tail ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ You didn´t return to outside manehattan right away, instead you took your place at a Café where you spotted Gleaming. "How´d it go? oh great Manipulator." "I´m not manipulating them, i´m breaking Celestia´s Manipulation." "plenty of ponies might view that differently. top of the list, Twilight Sparkle." "i got something for her, in case it Comes to that." "then maybe for you a break is in order, Splicer´s Research may yet take a while, Apple Cobbler is gone for the next few days, the General mood is calm but cross with the princess, recruitment is run by trustworthy guys and Blitz, after Sapper left her and Hulk here, is in a sour mood. We should do the four of us a favor and head to your home, visit your parents...." "and your two sons, huh? weren´t you calling me manipulative just now?" Still, she had a Point, there was a few days of time you suddenly had no idea how to spend. maybe you´d think of something.