Magic Gear Solid: Broken Balance

by Barrobroadcaster

Light

"The elevator's busted but the cable still runs down to the bottom." Bullseye said. "We can use it to climb down."

Twilight's gaze was still fixed on the ground. "How are we going to get around the elevator?"

Bullseye held up one of the gauntlets but said nothing. Twilight understood. Using the laser, Bullseye carefully cut a hole in the floor large enough for them to climb down. They both dropped down, grabbed the cable and climbed the few feet from the elevator car to the floor.

"Hey! Bullseye, you're back! Everypony, Bullseye's back!" a voice near the bottom of the shaft yelled as Bullseye and Twilight set down. Dozens of ponies, all of them covered in dirt, some harnessed, some helmeted came running out of the tunnel at the bottom of the shaft to see their rescuers.

"Good to see you too Edge." Bullseye said to the first white pony.

The cloaked stallion noticed Bullseye's wounds. "Bullseye, your leg..."

"I'll be all right. I brought Twilight Sparkle. We're going to get you all out."

"That wound comes first Eye." The white stallion wasn't taking no for an answer. He turned around the cloak he was wearing and tore off a strip of it from the bottom. Using both of his hooves, he wrapped it around Bullseye's wounded back leg. Bullseye winced but he remained standing as the hooded pony finished treating him.

"There. That should do until we get you some more help." he said. He turned to Twilight. "I'm Edge, Cutting Edge. I own the hardware store in Ponyville. Bullseye helps me run the archery range we have setup out back."

"It's nice to meet you Cutting."

"Just 'Edge' please." The white pony said.

"Edge. I'm Twilight-"

"Oh, we know who you are. You've been making a stir ever since you got to Ponyville, you know that?"

Twilight had to admit, she had been involved in a lot. It shouldn't have been surprising that her reputation proceeded her.

"You've saved Ponyville, all of Equestria almost on a weekly basis. You're the best news we could get right now." Cutting Edge said. He was a soft spoken pony with a higher than normal voice. His words and expression though conveyed more emotion than his voice did. "How are we going to get back at these dogs?" he asked.

"First things first." Bullsye began. "We have to get you all out of here."

"How are we going to get out with the elevator broken?" Twilight asked.

Cutting Edge's eyes narrowed as he looked up at the elevator's car. It hun uselessly overhead, unmoving. The white stallion just smiled as an idea dawned on him. "Leave that to me." he said.

Twilight was astonished at Cutting Edge's ingenuity. Along with the other ponies captured from town, they pulled the elevator car down to the floor and were using the dog's laser gauntlets to cut it to pieces. Edge worked quickly, going back and fourth between different teams that were moving and reassembling the elevator into something of his own design. He'd even taken apart several of the gauntlets and was modifying them with pieces of scrap metal and cable. Bullseye flatly refused to part with his own confiscated weapons. He looked a little funny; pony on all fours wearing armored gloves with fingers. He didn't care; he was perfectly fine with his awkward appearance as long as he had a weapon he could use.

Before long, their work payed off. Twilight wasn't sure what they were building until they'd completed it but she had to admit, she was impressed. The three teams manged to to reconfigure the elevator into a single platform. Underneath the platform they placed, of all things, a large spring made from the scrap metal. Using a length of the cable, they pulled the platform down onto the coiled spring.

"All right, so when we cut the cable, the spring is going to launch us up the shaft." Cutting said. A few of the ponies looked at him like he was mad, some didn't care and others weren't even paying attention.

"So, what's supposed to keep us in the air?" Bullseye asked, skeptical.

Cutting put a hoof under his chin. "Well, I figured Twilight could levitate the platform long enough for us to get off."

"I think I can perform a spell that should keep us in the air long to disembark." Twilight said. Levitation was something she had no problem with.

Bullseye shook his head. "Wait, so you can levitate the elevator but when it's falling you can't stop it?" Twilight shrugged. "So when there's a solution and planning involved magic works fine but not when we're plummeting to our deaths? How does that make any sense?!"

Twilight didn't have an answer to that. Bullseye through his hooves up in an exasperated groan.

"Okay then, let's get this show on the road," Cutting said. One by one, the ponies mounted the improvised platform. They were tired and weak, covered in dust from the mine but still they climbed aboard. Finally, the makeshift elevator was full and they were ready.

"On three, we cut the cable. Ready Twilight?" Cutting asked. Twilight nodded. Without another word, Cutting edge sliced the cable pressing the platform to the spring.

"Uhhhaaaahhhh!!!" Ponies screamed, Twilight felt her stomach sink as the platform was propelled through the shaft. The white colt called Cutting Edge had his eyes fixed on the ceiling, his mouth moving but not making a sound. Twilight strained to turn her head to the rapidly approaching ceiling too. The platform began slowing down and finally stopped, the edge of the tunnel to the surface just a few feet above them. Twilight's horn glowed and she stopped the platform from falling, hanging it in mid air through the power of magic alone.

"Everypony off!" Bullseye yelled. With difficulty, the former captives disembarked, pulling themselves into the tunnel. Twilight's levitation spell wasn't perfect; the elevator shifted as she held it in place. Bullsye watched as the platform scraped the side of the wall and shook, threatening to flip them over. He quickly grasped the floor between the grating with one gauntlet and plunged the other into the shaft wall. The colt's muscles flared but he stabilized the platform through brute strength alone. The ponies disembarked safely.

It took almost an hour to get the ponies evacuated. The elevator platform was small and they had to make several trips, reattatching the cable and then breaking it every time. Twilight's magic was continually exhausted in the process but they continued, Bullseye slowly doing more to relieve Twilight of the burden. By the time the last load of ponies arrived at the top of the shaft, Twilight collapsed.

"You're both pushing yourselves too hard," Cutting said. "You're no good to anypony dead, Bullseye."

Bullseye didn't look up at his friend, he knelt down and tried to help Twilight up off the floor of the tunnel.

"We're tougher than we look, Edge. We have to be," Bullseye said back to Cutting. Twilight, Bullseye and Cutting Edge were the last ponies to leave that forsaken cave. They walked out into the light of the late afternoon, the light at the end of the tunnel.

Author's Note:

Levitation versus slowing something down, I enjoyed writing this and wanted a little comedy in there.

Comments

[Soundy The Robot]

.... YEES

[Barrobroadcaster]

2615699
Took me a while but I got him in there. Thanks for letting me use him.

[Soundy The Robot]

2615745no problem

[Agent_Smith]

2615745
Bro. Plasma hits harder than lasers. DEALWITHIT.JPEG

[Starfire Skyblaze]

interesting so far can't wait for more