(2nd person) You don´t know who or what you are, but Fate seemingly has plans for you, evil plans that pit you against the princesses of Equestria, a choice driven story of being a bad guy.
(2nd Person) You are, that is really all you know. A spooky voice wants you to do bad things, claiming that it is to Keep the Balance between good and evil. You are to be unleashed on Equestria. as what, how and why is your decision.
Idea and all due Credit goes to ChillDude78 and his Story The Ultimate Evil this Story follows the same General Idea, of being semi interactive and Holding the same starting Point. first fic too, let me know my mistakes, Rating may Change later on
Nothing, that was all you could see. Maybe someone would hear you instead...
“Where am I? And… who am i? Oh this can´t be good.”
Those were your first thoughts when you awoke. Not exactly poetic, but that wasn´t really a concern seeing as you couldn´t see, well actually you could see, there was just nothing to look at, not even your own body. Finishing that realization gave you pause once more.
“I don´t have a body, am i… dead?”
“You are merely not alive yet, or rather not with your life.” Another voice replied.
“Who´s there?”
“I have no name, if you need to call me something, call me Fate. I am merely to assign you your duty, everything else is your choice.”
“What are you even talking about?”
The spooky voice from seemingly everywhere was beginning to gnaw on your nerves.
“Balance, it is a fickle thing to maintain and has leant too far towards good and harmony down on the world of Equis. If it is left like that all life would stagnate, wither and die. Equis needs a counterweight if you will, it needs a driving force of bad things happening, it needs something evil, you.”
This was all a bit much to take in; you were supposed to do bad things, cause bad things, all because too much good things were happening. Apparently, fate took the whole balance thing rather serious if he would unleash you and tell you to be Evil just to make it even.
“Me? I have to be evil? Do I get a say in this matter too by any chance? What if I don´t want to be bad?”
“Balance must be kept, the nation of Equestria is a gleaming beacon of goodness, the princesses resolved conflicts peacefully and either rehabilitated or destroyed any form of disharmony or evil, they ended strife, conflict and even crime has lowered to near non-existence. This nation must experience conflict in order to survive, in order for Equis to keep alive this life must be threatened. You were made to choose how this threat would look, to give it the power to function and to lead it towards its goal.”
“But how? I know next to nothing about that world, I have no body I have no directions and I’m not even sure if I have a mind.”
Fate continues, seemingly not surprised by your doubts.
“You are right now a driving force; you have no beginning and no Goal. That´s why you have no perspective and no desire to be what you will become. You will have to choose the life of someone that has Goals and is ruthless in achieving them. You will be brought upon the world of Equis, and live that someone´s life. You will also adapt their knowledge, their Goals and traits of their personality, in short you will become that Person, I will supply you with the tools, but you must use them well.”
“I have to choose a Life? What from?”
“There are many choices that will appear before you, not all of them while you are here, but the most important of your choices and your preparation will happen here, in the emptiness. This first choice will define your Origin, and the powers at your disposal, see to it that they suit your abilities, you will have a long, difficult struggle ahead of you but if you are to succeed it may pay off quite handsomely. Nations may bow down before you begging for your favor, or at least your mercy, you will either be loved as a leader, feared as a threat or hated as an enemy. I will now show you, what you would have if you were from within Equestria´s borders…”
Before you an Orb becomes visible, yellow around the Edges, the transparent inside letting you see a scene, apparently from the near future. A wall is visible, multiple posters as if for an election pasted to it. Many that look official have been ripped off, a spray painted word stands out instead , ”Revolution” you read out. The street before it is littered with trash and a few dried out red puddles make it clear that there was a fight here.
Fate continues:
“You would be known to the authorities, the princesses and their loyalists as a traitor, a terrorist seeking to destroy their beautiful nation, you would live in the shadows of the big cities from where you and your like minded would strike out at every opportunity to destabilize the government and start a Revolution to overthrow the Princess. The ponies would experience you as one of them, the simple fact that you are against the princesses will make them doubt their rulers and you would splinter the nation.”
“That sounds like something bad alright; inner disputes tend to get ugly rather quickly.”
“There is also the possibility for being an enemy from outside Equestria…”
A second orb appears this one with blue edges. Inside you see a wide open field, and across it an Army, the banners they hold let you guess, that they are Equestrian. And they charge towards you.
Fate speaks again:
“You would have a nation backing you up in a war, which may be for conquest, riches, resources, many reasons are possible. The ponies would experience you as an Invader, they would stand together against you and the weaponry your army wields, you would not be restricted by pity for them, but neither could you expect their mercy, should you fail. You would fight them at every turn, seeking nothing other than complete dominance over the Kingdom. Why depends on a later choice, as is the case with the other option.”
Finishing this monologue, Fate puts on a harsher tone, “Your goal is this. Threaten Equestria, bring them to their knees, end the Age of Harmony before it ends the whole world. Your success will not do this beautiful nation good, but it must happen.”
“So, I can either be the leader of a Rebellion, or a warlord from outside. Whatever happens I can´t take the choice back and I have to see it through to the end.”
“Indeed, this first choice defines your way the most, and is thus the most important. So choose: The yellow orb, the way of the Rioter; or the blue orb, the way of the Warlord?”
"I take the way of the Rioter, i will bring the Princesses down with those that serve them."
"An interesting choice." Fate sounds almost surprised at this. "I would´ve expected a less subtle Approach, but I have given you free reign. As the first tool, you are given the power of speech,so that your words can conquer the minds of your listeners and the innate ability to make a Pony, especially one that is easily swayed, see things from your Point of view, you will find this ability to be excellent for negotiations."
Fate continues speaking in a tone that sounds alarmingly teacherish: "As your first choice defined your future, your next choice will define your past, ponies come in many forms, and even in Equestrias current state there are those that seek to Change things radically, those dissatisfied with the princesses, be it their laws or personal Vendetta. and three of those might just start to make plans if given incentive. which of them, is up to you."
As before, three orbs materialize, you look into the first, an orange hue surrounding it, and see what you know to be an earth pony mare, she talked about something or another with a stallion behind a desk was seemingly rejected, despair evident on her face she seems to beseech the stallion. this continued for a bit until a pair of security guards came in and threw her out.
"Her Name is Gleaming Metal, she is divorced, a blacksmith by Talent and she was just told that she had no visiting rights to her own foals, an archaic law that was never even brought to the princesses Attention is giving the stallion siring them full custody in case of a divorce, the lawyer of her ex is abusing every loophole and the officials refuse looking into the matter, something has to change and while she may not have flight or magic, she has a burning, contagious passion."
you nod, no matter what, a lot of things would Change once you were down there. you peer into the second orb, surrounded by a red glow. Inside you see a unicorn stallion. packing up his belongings hastily and apparently fleeing a City on a mountainside... Canterlot is the word that Comes to the Forefront of your thoughts.
"He is known as Gene Splicer, a scientist with great ideas and little restraint in terms of ethics. He conducted many experiments, hoping to build a better future for ponykind, after a small accident involving one of his test subjects, princess Celestia cut his funding. He continued experimenting on his own and the result caused quite a bit of damage. He has been sent out of Canterlot to never return and he swore to Show them all."
hmm, simple vengeance, sometimes simple was better... you decide to wait with your decision until after you saw the third Orb. This one is surrounded by a blue glow and inside you see a pegasus stallion, in an orange Jumpsuit, he is being escorted out of a cell and under cheers of the other inmates, apparently he is popular in there.
"This one is called Thunderhead, a weather Pegasus brought in for performing the falsely illegalized art of lightning control, he made a lot of friends in the Pegasus prison and he is convinced that the current System must be replaced with a better one, he will see to that, and to his friends´ freedom as soon as he has the Inspiration."
intriguing, a tried and true criminal for a crime that isn´t even one...
"So, i can unleash the fire in a mothers heart, the genius of a slightly mad unicorn, or the repressed anger of an oppressed pegasus?" you were beginning to like this.
"After you enter the life of your choosing there will be no going back, you won´t even remember that you were ever here. you will be them, with their memories, personality and their goals."
"and i will do anything to achieve These Goals too, right?"
"you will pursue them with all you can, your methods will be questionable at times and at others undoubtedly cruel. you will be faced with more choices along the way, but this is the last one you will be Aware of. Choose wisely, because this is the second most important choice."
It was indeed time to choose, you would take on a Life and live it out, or die trying.
"hmm, the way i see it, Gleaming Metal would immediately have the People, their adoration their Support, she has the Civilians, Gene Splicer is a Genius, not really much restraint but a damn good scientist, both Sound pretty neat, but Thunderhead has an army, pegasi are slightly militaristic by nature already and here´s a prison full of them. This is not an easy choice, but i´ll have to make a big strike fast, and for that i Need Thunderhead and his inmates, he is my choice."
Fate speaks once more to you, for the last time: "I have arranged for all three of them to meet, but Thunderhead will now be you, The drive behind the Revolution and the leader of the triad, the skills of the others will eventually join your cause, but that is for a later time. when you arrive it will be just another day at Clouds Haven for you and the Inmates, you must make your escape and turn to safe hiding. This was the last Exchange between us, from here, all is up to you."
Around you the orbs vanish, a greenish light envelops your Vision before it all goes black.
"Hey Thunderhead, enough laying around, it´s your two hours of sunshine, GET UP!"
you groan as you stand up, you had almost managed to ignore the Warden´s ever so pleasant attitude.
"five more minutes mom, i´ve been a good colt ever since i was brought in, did as i was told, ate my peas, tidied up my room-"
"don´t get smart with me, Thunder, you get up right now or you´re off to the hole." The Guard seems to be on an especially short fuse today, did he catch wind of your plan? maybe he felt the Tension in the air today.
you decide to Play nice a Little longer, after all, this evening you´d finally get a proper meal rather than... whatever that Grey stuff was, you were pretty sure it wasn´t the promised Oatmeal.
"so, anything Happening outside we poor sods in here should know about?"
"we both know that you aren´t going to see outside anytime soon. you practiced a form of weather Manipulation that goes against the law, and wield a power in your wings that is to dangerous to release upon the world."
"As if it was so difficult to just make me keep wearing these highly itchy wingclasps and let me out, i never hurt anybody, this isn´t justice."
"only half the ponies here are in for justice, Boy, the other half, like you, is to dangerous to be free."
The sad Thing is, that colt probably even believes the utter Griffon crap he´s telling. Yeah, being able to generate lightnings in your wings was a bit scary, but this power could be used for good just as well. At least, if someone was willing to give you a Chance to prove it. you pleaded to the judge with These exact words, well that´s what you get for trying to find a peaceful solution. In hindsight, you should thank him though, being brought here got you a lot of knowledge about the pegasi perceived to dangerous, they in turn learned about you, after the director you were the one that really had the inmates under control.
"you know, i´m gonna miss this place when i get out, it´s been a while since i got in, it´s almost my home now."
"and it will stay that way until you die, nopony in their right mind would ever release you."
by this Point you had reached outside, the wingclamps in place to restrain your flight, were put on by a friend you made among the guards, he believed you were well behaved enough and listened to your complaints. he put them on a bit looser just so much that you still couldn´t get out, or so he thought. the courtyard was nice enough for a fortress on a clifftop. provided a nice view to the sky far above framed by the walls of the prison and at one of the four Corners a Radio antenna to call guard reinforcements. you passed a few cells and some inmates on the way to work, as well as one on Janitor duty near the master cell controls, you could tell they were waiting for your Signal.
"something wrong?" your guard was the last Problem.
"just lost in thought, remembering how i used to love flying. after so Long i believe i´ve earned at least a slight breeze through my feathers."
"yeah right, we both know that the second your wings are free to move you send a hail of lighnings on us and then Equestria" he is a smidge sharper than average, that is indeed the General idea.
"it´s just that being cooped up in here is making me feel *cough cough* feel *hack* Sick! ooohh!" you made a Show of coughing and hacking as pitifully as you could muster, all the while letting your Body shake and your wings wiggle against the restraints.
"oh shit are you okay?" a smidge sharper than the rest, but still dumb enough.
"i feel like... a FREE STALLION!" as you yell the last part you quickly snap your wings out of their restraints before using what you learned about your powers to let the antenna experience the first lightning from you in years. the Sound of multiple of i´ts pieces overloading and exploding is the agreed on Signal, soon enough you hear the fire alert and the emergency release of the cell doors. You quickly leap at the guard and bring your hooves down on his forehead.
"nothing personal, i just had to Stretch my wings. the chains are broken, time to break the chainers."
As you enter the building again the prison revolt is in full swing already, the strongest of your inmates bending the guards armor like cheap tin while the faster ones do everything they can to intercept those guards that try to rally help. The secluded Location of Cloud Haven is working to your Advantage now, tomorrow a new squad of guards would arrive, but today and without the Antenna it was you and about 800 Inmates against a Garrison of 80 guards, most of which too old or too bad at their Job for real fights.
"Hulk, Blitz, you are with me, time we paid a visit to the Directors´ Office!" two Pegasi separate from a guard that is currently making an effort to breathe, his armor bent inwards and definitely too tight for him now. Hulk is in every sense of the word monstrous, if it weren´t for his bright green and intelligent eyes one would think he really was just an animal, he was however strong, much more intelligent than one would think, and dangerously cunning, furthermore he was the big brother you never had, he kept you safe in the beginning and is among the most trusted friends of you now. Blitz was a mare, kept in a separate wing but you could talk to her through the courtyards fence every so often. That is, you could talk to her and she would use sign language which Hulk would translate, she was a born mute and the guards would pointedly ignore that and call her uncooperative whenever possible. She was here because of the same ability that you wield, she was your twin in all but blood and unfortunately taken. Hulk was her coltfriend and got here when he defended her against Arrest, he revealed once that he was protecting you so much because you reminded him of her. That night you did not sleep too well, knowing that your cellmate was reminded of his girlfriend by you. You always referred to the pair as your left and right wing, they were irreplaceable parts of you that allowed you to do great things and now it was time for the biggest thing yet.
the other Inmates could handle the guards, the director felt safe behind the reinforced door of his Office and the mandatory two guard Escort you had seen were rookies that failed selection for the actual Guard.
You approached his secretary, an old mare and evidently scared out of her mind, you decided that she had no part in the whole mess and that you would Play nice. She was apparently still trying to figure out why no one responded to her Radio alarms. "Hello? HELLO! this is Cloud Haven, we got a Situation that is completely out of control we Need immediate reinforcements! REPEAT CODE BLACK WE NEED REINFORCEMENTS NOW!"
"the line is deep fried and dead Lady, you´re wasting your time." you spoke calmly, almost polite, you were in control now and she should know it
"EEEEEEEEEEEK! stay away from me!"
"we will, after you tell the director his last appointment today is here."
the trembling old mare reaches for the intercom: "sir? uh, there´s some ponies who would like to speak with you, last appointment today i was told"
the Speakers around the prison pipe up, releasing the most hated voice of cloud haven into everyone´s ears. "What exactly am i paying you imbeciles for? get those scum back in their cells, you have been given Equipment just for this Occasion!" you grab the intercom from the secretary. "you should have given them Equipment they know to use, and their armor is really more of a disadvantage, one hug from Hulk and they are stuck whilst getting their lungs squashed. do your guards even lift?"
"Thunderhead, you were always such a good colt, in fact i am willing to overlook your part in this if you send your friends to their beds now, Boy."
"Aww but Daddy, we´re having so much fun, we were just about to Play seek and Hang the bastard that thinks clipping wing feathers is discipline!"
"You are here because you are threats to equestria, i will Keep you contained, even if it means harsh methods."
"We are threats to equestria because we are here and we will get out no matter how many Guards we have to walk over"
"Reinforcements will arrive soon, and the barrier outside can´t be broken by you, i have the offswitch safely in here" he sounds a bit uncertain.
"I don´t plan on getting out, in fact i plan on getting in." you toss the mic at a nearby wall, hoping that the Feedback gets his ears ringing, before you turn to the secretary. "duck beneath your desk, the guards will pick you up tomorrow." satisfied that she does so, you look to the door of the director´s Office, solid metal opening inwards as well as an electromagnetic seal, when sealed an Ursa couldn´t break that open, but two thunderwings and Hulk might just stand a Chance. The seal was on both sides, a powerful electromagnet keeping the door in its Frame, you nod to Blitz, both of you charging the energy the clasps had supressed and unleashing the rawest form of power on the Magnets, effectively disengaging them. Hulk takes his Chance and uses the full power of his wings and hooves to propel himself at the door, turning at the last second and kicking it in.
"Knock Knock. anypony home?"
Inside you see two positively mortified guards and the tip of a mane poking out from under the desk. Clearly none of the three expected anything to breach the safest room inside this prison. The guards immediately throw down their weapons, clearly their cowardice was why they were here. Hulk wastes no time in banging their heads together a few times, just to be safe. Next he pulls the director out by his mane.
"So nice to finally get to speak with you face to face." You grin as you say this, today was shaping up to be a good day.
"You are crazy if you think you can get away with this. when the reinforcements come-"
"They will find a prison that is empty save for a bunch of failed guards and wardens, the barrier field. how do we shut it off?"
"I will not tell you!" he apparently found his balls down under his desk.
"Hulk, can we overcharge the barrier by shoving his face into it?"
"Maybe, if you and the other thunderwings electrocute him at the same time." this was of course a Stretch to assume that the barrier made to deep fry any Pegasus that tried getting out would break if you sacrificed him and the guards for it. But Hulk knew that you worked with intimidation here and played along perfectly.
"Waitwaitwait! the controls are under my desk, the red Switch is to deactivate the barrier, the green is to Close it again."
"for your sake you better tell the truth" you say darkly, making it as clear as possible that you were done joking. "because you will be our test candidate, Hulk, get him outside after you put some wingclasps on him. and toss hm at the barrier."
Hulk left, you saw Blitz at the controls, by her concentrated Expression you could guess that she really wanted the director to suffer. Hulk hated him too but he wouldn´t make it longer than needed, he would probably snap the directors neck when all was done. You couldn´t really blame them, the old greasebag was directly responsible for a whole lot of abuse, some of the prisoners here even had been "volunteered" into dangerous medicine experiments and there was a reason why Blitz and the other Mares in here wanted him and every guard at least gelded, if the screams were anything to go by, some of them apparently started the gelding without your consent. Let them vent, they need it. You had a passing idea yourself though, humilate him a bit and let him make the big announcement of his failure to the princesses, the justice System would have something more suited to his Situation and with an empty prison there was no escape for him.
Make it quick, make it painful, or let his colleagues handle him... decisions, decisions.
You decided, time to make sure it was being followed. You grab the microphone of the prisons intercom.
"Attention to everyone in the prison, we have won, the guards would be well advised, for their own sake, to drop any resistance immediately. The director is right now being brought to Isolation-" you added emphasis so Hulk would understand it as an order. "and all of you will be put into cells as well, tomorrow the guards will let you out and kick your incompetent flanks, we have no reason to further soil our hooves with you trash. Okay, with that out of the way, guys! i´m as proud of you as i can possibly be, grab your stuff and then everypony is free to go. We talked about where we would meet in case you wanted to stick with our little Family. Looking Forward to Meeting you again there. Thunderhead out."
You shut off the intercom to Blitz giving you a harsh look along with a sharp whistle, she had picked up whistling loudly to get Attention before signalling. this time she Need not move her hooves as the message was clear Why do we let the greasebag get out scot free? i want him to suffer! "Relax, sis. You will have him suffer, go to Isolation and kick him a few times" she raises one eyebrow and points a hoof between her hindlegs. "Yes, there too." she gives you a hug before skipping out of the office, sometimes her rapid switches of emotions were scary. "three, two, one..." you count down as you listen "YEEEEEEEEEARGH!", ew, that hurt in sympathy pain, even if it was just the director learning soprano.
You decide that you wasted enough time and begin looking around the office, the guards´ salary arrived a few days ago and you heard one of the guards complain about not getting it yet, that meant director Greasebag had it stashed somewhere in his Office, a safe or something like that. you look to the wall, a painting of the director adorning it. "Cliché much, Greasebag?" sure enough the safe was behind the painting. "If you hid the key under the plant pot i´m going to be really disappointed, director." you indeed find it there, well, guess he thought better hiding places unnecessary with the powerful door. "that´s an F director. let me just get this open and.... JACKPOT!" the safe was apparently a bit bigger on the inside and full with every Guard salary of the entire Garrison. "Let´s see, 60% for our funds and the rest is for everyone."
Not too Long after your find you stand in front of the Inmates, now out of their Jumpsuits and all wearing saddlebags wih the bits for a fresh start.
"Alright everyone, this is it, we are free!" a round of cheers and roars rises up. "The ones keeping us here have gotten theirs but we all know that´s not enough! we have to go to the root of all of this! we have to go to CANTERLOT!" the Applause rises again, this time however a bit subdued. "I know what you are thinking, `how will we take on the princesses?´ we will not yet, we will go into hiding first, we Need more muscle to bring down the walls, we need plans to Counter the Magic thrown against us and most importantly we Need the People behind us, for a free Equestria can only persist, if the ponies realize the wrongdoings of the princesses, if they are free, the princesses are powerless. so, those with me do i hear your BATTLECRY?!"
It was already late evening when you and your two wingponies arrive at Manehattan, most of the Inmates scattered over the countryside, hiding in various places, some of which had once been abandoned. the bits they had with them would provide for them, and if that failed, well, some where in Cloud Haven for being criminals, they´d get by.
Manehattan, if you didn´t have Hulk with you you´d probably think twice about coming here, the good hing was, for the right Price the Innkeepers would Forget to ask your Name. it also meant the criminals best at their Job ruled the streets and the City at large. it was a mostly quiet evening, but as you turned your Attention to the News you heard that a scientist unicorn of canterlot, called Genie or something apparently was expelled from the City for dangerous experiments and had set up shop in manehattan, you also heard about an earth Pony mare making a ruckus over losing her foals due to some outdated law, she was at the Police Station and held there until someone would pay the fine.
You should probably look into those matters, but which one first?
Hmmm, the scientist had an established lab and would likely stay where he was, but if you had the other Scene correctly, that mare, gleaming....Metal! Gleaming Metal was her Name! She knew how to Rally a crowd. When you saw the newsflash and heard her yell her accusations you wanted nothing more than to fly over and help her with all you got. She had a drive, a passion, no, she was both of that incarnate. you needed to talk to her while you still knew where to look...
"Hulk, find us a good hiding spot and get a few of our Boys into town, i got the Feeling that our Revolution is at the right place at the right time. Blitz, be a dear and accompany me to the Police Station, word has probably not gotten out yet and i would like to Keep a low Profile, ideally with someone that doesn´t look murderous, no offense, Hulk."
"If you say so, brother." Hulk had learned a while back that your decisions are best left unquestioned, you had yet to make a REALLY bad one... A whistle draws your Attention towards Blitz That newsflash with the mare, are you planning on being her Knight in shining armor with a pouch full of bits? as she makes the last few signs she grins widely.
"you´ve heard the way she talked and i´m pretty sure you felt the effects she had as well, somepony like her is perfect to get the good honest ponies on our side, because let´s face it, they will see us and yell criminal. Now let´s go, i wanna get ther before my wanted letter does."
As you reach the Police Station you are fortunately not greeted by armed guards, apparently Cloud Haven was still fine as far as they knew. You decide to waste no time with the average drunks and thieves and walk over to the front desk.
"Excuse me? I am here to pay a fine for public disturbance, a mare named Gleaming Metal has been arrested here."
the stallion at the desk lightens up as he hears who you are here for, apparently they would be glad to get rid of her. "Oh, finally! I swear i would´ve gone crazy if i had to listen to her any longer. the fine is 2000 bits and try to Keep her in line, next time she WILL go to jail."
2000 bits? That guy was overcharging more than a tailor, and you were pretty sure the actual fine was no more than 200. You lean over to Blitz and whisper: "Blitz, i would´ve hoped otherwise, but we´re dealing with the bad cops here. be alert, once i paid there is no stopping us, we can´t let them hold us up in here." Blitz just nods, this might just get complicated.
"Alright, i got just about enough for that here, i would like to take her home now." you decide to Keep the act at least until the cell door was open. The Guard nods and leads you to the Holding cells, there she is, Gleaming Metal, tan coat, silvery mane and both with a kind of shine to them. Heh, guess names are prophetic after all. As she sees you she seems surprised. "Huh? Who are you supposed to be, i didn´t ask for a lawyer." her voice was melodic, despite it´s harsh tones. you had to interject quickly though, lest the guard gets suspicious. "Oh come on Gleaming Metal, don´t you remember your own schoolfriend? it´s me... Thunder- struck, when i saw the News i felt compelled to get you out of here and back home, especially since you were always so nice to my sister here." on her cue Blitz puts on a big smile and waves excitedly, to any bystander it would look exactly as you described and Gleaming Metal caught the hint too. "Oh, right. Thundy! it´s been so Long i almost didn´t recognize you, thank you so much for coming."
the Guard pipes up next: "Do me a favor and make sure she stays out of trouble for a while, i don´t want to see her in here again"
"Oh don´t worry, you won´t see her in prison ever again, I´ll make sure of it." apparently satisfied with your answer the guard opens the cell and let´s her out, you walk up and hug her while whispering to her "I´ll answer your questions once we are far enough away from the Station, just Play along for now" as you release her, you speak to the guard, "I left the pay on your desk, we´ll be going now." as you walk out you twitch your wings once to give Blitz the Signal. she let´s a quick jolt into the fuzebox and all lights go out. you make sure to run as fast as you can, Blitz knows what to do and where to meet you.
A few streets down you finally stop and turn to the Metal mare. She, of course is None too pleased with the last stunt you pulled. "what the bloody horseapple crap was that all about? we were already in the clear and now we are wanted!"
"I am wanted already, and they won´t catch us. Do you believe even for a second that they would leave you alone? You are uncomfortable to the Mayor, that´s why the media has you denounced as a madmare. You can take the opportunity I offer you and directly go against everything wrong with the System, or go back home and wait until the brutes from the looney bin Show up and toss you into a padded room."
She is clearly shocked that anypony would do something like that. "They wouldn´t, they couldn´t. that fucking BASTARD! He keeps my own foals away from me and now he´s slandering my Name just so i can´t fight back!"
"I can help you fight back, if you are willing to trust me and i would honestly like to get to know you better as well."
"There you are!" a thankfully familiar voice speaks up behind you.
"Ah, Mrs. Gleaming Metal, may I introduce, Hulk the strongest Inmate of Cloud Haven" Hulk gives a Brief nod towards the mare before talking to you.
"I got the safehouse set up, the Boys said we´d Need some real armor to make it safe though"
"You are being serious about helping me and about the Revolution, aren´t you? Alright, i´m coming along, i got a few ideas for Equipment too, this is Kind of exciting to be honest."
"Seems our newest member has found her inner rebel. Blitz will meet us there, let´s go."
Things were running better than you could have hoped, you already had an army and now you had a way to arm them as well, not to mention she was a genuine mare, wears her heart on her sleeve and is not above swearwords, you liked her.
The safe house was, all things considered quite nice, apparently the storehouses had been empty for a Long time, but sterilised and clean. No rats or rodents, in fact with only a negligible bit of work you could easily house yourselves and any and all Equipment in here. When introductions between Gleaming Metal and the rest of your current crew were finally out of the way, you had sent a squad to her house to pack everything up and bring it here, you also set to think of a way to explain the sudden Business going on in here and make room for the unicorn and his stuff, as well as any assistants either he or Metal needed.
You were looking at the Newsflash, speaking about the utter chaos at the Police Station last night, and the Trouble the guards had with catching all the escaped criminals, there was also a Report on Cloud Haven and director Greasebags failure, according to the media the biggest screw up by an official since the Mayor of Baltimare accidentally declared war on the Griffons, after that an entry about thunderwings and how they were kept in Isolation in Cloud Haven for the sake of Equestria, how only the worst pegasi in existance were sent there, and that every Pegasus could turn out to be a Monster, it baffled you, that the media was openly telling the unicorns and earth ponies to be racist. "We have to tear the whole System apart and start over, if stuff like this gets approved for broadcast it Shows just how bad things are"
"I´m surprised you care for the crap the media spit out. And you hold still Hulk, i need to get these armor pieces to sit right or they´ll harm you more than help" Gleaming Metal had taken to outfitting your helpers who would mostly fight with a few simple pieces of protection, you had opted for an easy to wear mask decorated with lightning bolts and a Slim Fitting bodysuit instead for the sake of movement.
One of the inmates had also submitted his idea for a Symbol of the Revolution, a Lightning driving itself between the half-sun half-moon seal of Equestria. it had met your approval, the stylised lightning Bolt would be your sign of recognition and the sign of the cover Company "Lightning Express" definitely a good idea to explain all the traffic. Yes, your Headquarters were established, guarded and thanks to the royal guard salary as well as a few pulled strings with old acquaintances from canterlot Nobility well supplied. It was time to make further plans now.
When later that day Blitz finally returned she was clearly distressed about something Bad News, Bad News! the unicorn isn´t a his lab anymore, his Equipment paperwork and everything was there, as well as a bomb i had to throw out but he was gone! "Grr. of course, first they disappear from the public eye and then they disappear for good. any leads where we can find him?"
"Maybe I can help with that." you look to the door to find a unicorn mare Standing in it. if her attire was anything to go by she was probably working in a lab before too.
"My Name is Coldheart, I have been cooperating with Dr. Splicer before and followed him here to manehattan, the goons that broke into his lab didn´t know i was there. They were talking about him having to respond to those he wronged, and here in manehatten that might be one of the families of his former `volunteers´."
I thought she might know something so i brought her here.
"Tell me more, what exactly happened to his volunteers?"
"well, he was working on ways to improve a ponies Body, endurance, strenght, natural abilities, cybernetics, his volunteers were for testing any Long term effects, and they did help him with finding out that he has to carefully give the bodies a hormone treatment first or else the entire thing would collapse."
"collapse as in-"
"Death, yes. You should know about him that there is always a price for advancement to him, it is a perfect scenario where he doesn´t lose his test subjects, but perfection is something no one is capable of" Miss Coldheart definitely lived up to her Name, she might as well read a phone book.
uh, brother? do we have to help him?
"i know most about his Equipment and can assist you in his stead, his work must be continued, even if not by hmself" Coldheart was actually making plans in case you left him to die? sheesh Lady, you scary.
"Maybe we should go get him and just hear him out ourselves, taking it from the stallion´s mouth so to speak" Gleaming put in her own Suggestion.
This doctor was perhaps not as good a guy as you thought, but if he impressed someone like Coldheart enough to follow him around like this, maybe he was worth it... your choice, as always.
"All right miss Coldheart, while i appreciate your... offer, I think it would be better if we got the doctor himself, i mean, who knows what else he has in store? But i would of course gladly take your help as well, why don´t you Show some of the Boys around the lab and Show them how to bring the Equipment here, ideally without catastrophe."
"hmm, i see your Point, we should be able to move the Equipment from the old lab soon, if you want to take the risk and save him, i´d suggest speaking to the oranges, just introduce yourself as a Cousin of Screw Loose and say you want to watch." this mare had a plan for every scenario, it seemed.
The oranges, distant relatives to one of Equestria´s heroes, firm supporters of the current System, upstanding honest businessponies, if your friends in canterlot weren´t in Trouble because of them you might overlook them, as it is they were on your list, you were, in Addition to getting an able helper, given a Chance to strike another blow against the government. Wait, who was that Pony she mentioned?
"Screw Loose?"
"Another volunteer, Gene tested a brain booster on her, it might have worked, if she had been a dog instead of a Pony, she is in ponyville General under Treatment now, in case they ask."
"uh huh... Hulk, get dressed, we´ll be at a fancy place this evening. Now, Miss Coldheart please do tell me more about my estranged cousin..."
good News was, you couldn´t possibly miss the oranges´ mansion. bad News, there were guards everywhere. You opted to bring along Gleaming Metal under the guise of Mr. and Mrs. Steelbeam, along with Bodyguard and victim of the doctor, Blitz did indeed look helpless, with being naturally mute ruffling her hair a bit and staring straight ahead, if you didn´t know better you´d pity her, Hulk looked absolutely perfect as well, both him and you in suits but he also wore the easy to identify Bodyguard shades and an earpiece. A few pieces of chromed jewellery on you and Gleaming perfecting the Illusion you definitely looked in the right place for the oranges´gathering of the doctor´s victims and their families, actually Blitz was the only "victim" present, most others that survived didn´t want to come or were left at home so that the grown ups could do Business. These families cared more about their good names than they cared about their well being.
the bouncer didn´t much bother with your Story and waved you right in when Blitz was seemingly having a Panic attack... "Man Blitz, you´re doing great, if i didn´t know better i´d believe it no doubt." Gleaming Metal was just about to voice her opinion when you managed to stop her, "We are not in your Workshop and not among friends, you can look the part but you must be a Lady tonight." "Hehehe, don´t worry, honeylump, swearing is reserved for when i´m being honest."
~~~~ mingling with the guests got you nowhere, apparently most of them didn´t know why the oranges insisted on inviting them, you saw a small Memorial towards their lost family member though, Dr. Splicer had apparently tried to give him a limb he had lost back, by stimulating his bodies´ Regeneration, at first it had worked, but then a brain Tumor was diagnosed, it regenerated faster than the doctors could fight it and finally it was his death, the doctors agreed if Splicers Treatment hadn´t been administered there might´ve been a Chance. Judging Gene Splicer for that seemed unfair, that would´ve worked like a charm on any healthy pony.
"Ladies and Gentlecolts, your Attention if you please?" the call rang out through the ball room, snapping everyone´s Attention towards the far side of the room where Mosely Orange was Standing next to something covered in a blanket.
"I just know with all of my being where this is going" you deadpan. "Oh honeylump? I really think i should take a breath of fresh air." your code for getting to the fence and telling your Boys to move in. "Don´t be too long, Sweetheart, I get the feeling we´re getting to the main Event here." you lower your voice before adressing the rest of your entourage, "Blitz, i need some loud noises when the party is about to start, Hulk, Keep the fans i´m about to make off the stage, tonight´s an execution, but it will be his Hairgel bathed head rolling.
On the stage meanwhile Mosely had finished ranting about the evil unicorn that treated his son like a Guinea pig. "And now, without further ado, we can finally serve justice!" with that he pulls the blanket away, revealing None other than Dr. Gene Splicer strapped down on a table, his mouth gagged and a few quite painful looking instruments around him. "Raise your hooves if you saw that from a mile above and away" you mutter as you and Hulk push through to the front.
"HEY HOLD ON A SECOND!" your yell had the desired effect of catching the Attention of everyone present, now you spread your wings and flew onto the stage, looking everyone over. These were all wealthy families, business friends of the Oranges no doubt, this whole thing was never meant for the victims, had you pretended to be poor they would´ve kicked you out too. "I was just wondering where the families of the other volunteers were, this Looks like another Cocktail Party of yours, Mosely." "It´s Mr. Orange, and These are friends of my Family that were invited. the others weren´t, and actually neither were you. Not everyone has the stomach for Justice, they didn´t even want to hear about him." "Ah i get it, you pretend justice to excuse your desire for revenge" your retort apparently caught everyone off guard. "I thought you were here because you could handle it, what about your sister? She was rendered an invalid by him!" "She was Born that way, thank you very much, and missing voice strings aside she is a very valid Pony who will now help me free the good doctor before we leave." "NO! The bastard dies tonight!" "The bastard dies tonight indeed, I won´t miss you." you had inched closer to the doctor´s table while talking and now you just threw the first sharp Thing in reach at Mosely. This evening would forever give you a new appreciation of what a simple Syringe could do. the pencil-thick needle had embedded itself nicely into Mr. Orange´s throat and before the guests even knew what was happening your party crasher backup had already arrived. "No Holding back Boys, only moneybags in here, no Innocents!"
~~~~~~~
You were just examining the last few pieces of unbroken furniture. The sign of your Revolution now adorning the wall, as the dead businessponies were stripped clean of anything that could possibly sell. The Orange mansion was being razed for anything useful, and a few Inmates looking over the doctor, making sure he was alright.
"To think that my Sound Goals of Progress could lead to this sort of barbarism..." you felt the urge to defend your troops "Well, Ill let the Boys know about your gratitude anyway-" "I was talking about Orange and his yes-ponies, if These are the examples of high Society i am glad for being sent away from all that." "Society can Change, and I plan on making that happen, sometimes you have to crack skulls for that too I guess."
"I wonder, how did you find me? i mean those goons didn´t speak at all when they took me." "Some mare named Coldheart told us it was the Oranges" "Coldheart? That heartless nag is here in Manehattan? Oh, I cannot possibly face her. you must remove her, YOU MUST!"
Okay, not what you expected his reaction to be, but there was apparently something between those two...
You were beginning to lose Patience with those two, quite an achievement considering you barely met them. "Alright, listen up doc, you owe me your life, meaning your ass and everything attached to it is mine now. You come along on your hooves or crawling on your belly, if i have to keep you and her a building apart i can arrange for that but i will not throw either of you away in favor of the other. You can either both cooperate or kiss a Train at full Speed, that clear enough for layman´s Terms?"
"Crystal..." Gene Splicer was probably regretting being saved right about now, he´d get over it... at some Point.
"Alright everyone pack up! I don´t wanna be here when the Cops arrive, this suit is borrowed and bloodstains are a bitch to remove." A few of your Boys chuckled at that, and with a last Oorah got everything of value loaded up and left. Now alone in the Dining hall with nothing but a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood. You take a look around and think a few things over. Justice, that word was abused way too much These days, there was None in this world. If a stallion could turn murder into Party Entertainment just by being rich it was high time to place a warning. You walk over to Mosely Orange, surprised to see him still alive, he was busily keeping the Syringe in place, apparently taking care to neither get its Contents into him nor the needle out and the wound open. "Huh, night´s almost over and you are still alive? I´ll have to Change that, won´t I?" he wheezes apparently not quite willing to let go just yet. "You... what are you doing? Why are you doing all this? What have i ever done to YOU?" "You seriously ask me why? I probably saved your Soul from Tartarus if you believe in it, you were about to murder him. Okay you´re not buying that, I can tell. The truth is, it´s nothing personal, at least not until you tried to kill Gene, I need him for my plans and you were in the way. And now you will be just another 1 in my bodycount." "You don´t have to do this, call an Ambulance, i can change." Seriously? Did he just beg for his life? "Listen up, if director Greasebag wouldn´t face worse punishment by his former colleagues i would have no doubt ripped his pieces off and choked him on them." You walk up to him and press on the Syringe. "Besides, i want to see what this stuff does when injected." He goes into a wide-eyed Panic and struggles to get anywhere, at least you think that until his veins grow thicker. Whatever was in that Syringe was not designed for quick and painless. He struggles on like a fish out of water for a few minutes longer until he collapses foaming at his mouth and muscles still twitching. You walk up to his corpse and yank out the Syringe. "Hmm, this homebrew is definitely worth a recommendation, i´ll ask Gene or Coldheart to replicate it" You look around the ball room one last time. "Mrs. Orange might Keep a few companies busy with the cleanup. Personally i would recommend TNT..."
Back at the base the first Thing to greet you was yelling. "And how, pray tell, did you know WHERE to look? You ratted me out to them in the first place, didn´t you?" Gene Splicer had apparently found his `fanmare´. "I knew the second i saw Mr. Thunderhead in that Bar that he would spare no expense to get you out, and just look at all this, you are surrounded by an army and can do your Research without further harassment." "You gambled with my life, you bitch, and that top Terrorist Pegasus has us both on probation, and i HATE Trains." "Top Terrorist Pegasus? I´m hurt Doctor Bodycount." Your remark sent Gene nearly to the ceiling from jumping in shock. "Gah! I-I mean SIR!" his quick and haphazard Salute was athropied, but apparently once very practiced. "At ease, you were clearly out of the guard for a while now. And what do i hear Coldheart, you were planning on me saving him and making a Scene all along?" "Well, the making a Scene part not so much, but yes, i saw the fire in your eyes, you have big plans for Equestria at large and i want to see how they carry out. If it isn´t too bold to ask, we´ll Need medical Equipment sometime soon as well, we can hadly Show up at the Hospital with wounds from fighting the Law." Hulk walks up and quickly joins the subject of needed stuff. "I got the housing and the feeding covered for a good Long while, but Gleaming said she´d Need materials, too. I´ll Keep you up to Speed with anything the Crew needs, brother." Funny, the muscle of the Company was also ist mother, but you knew that he and Blitz were the only ones you would ever trust with this. a whistle brings your Attention to Blitz, as usual There´s a Train scheduled to arrive tonight filled to the brim with Raw materials for the local industry, the nice Thing about manehattan, it´s got it all "The Hospital is having a slow week, and we don´t Need to take everything from it, we just clean out a few ORs, maybe a few pieces of expensive lab Equipment. the medications can be acquired from a few other places later." Coldheart gives her request. "since we´re making a Shopping list, there are a few chemicals that could really Speed up my work, not easy to obtain but the University got a few locked away and is the easiest to get to." Gene Splicer is apparently getting in the swing of things. You´ll have to tackle all three anyway, but where would you take Point?
"Hmm, the chemicals are unlikely to run away, and the Hospital is probably on high alert after last night." you state. The Party definitely didn´t get boring, but it was over too fast, businessponies are not exactly putting up a good fight. "Besides, we might need better equipment pretty soon, so we´re going to get the materials from the Train first."
You look over to the News, and see the Headline, "Massacre in Manehattan, unknown culprits murder almost all of Manehattans high Society. The Mayors statement: While murder is not unheard of, even in our peaceful times, the amount of violence, dare i say it, barbarism displayed here, clearly hints that the culprits are among the most rotten and vile creatures on this world. we do not know their identity nor their species, but they left a sign that clearly identifies them as enemies to our country. A lightning bolt Splitting the Equestrian Eclipse apart. If you see this sign anywhere, Report to the nearest guard Station immediately."
"Looks like the Mayor is now Aware of something being wrong." Gleaming said behind you.
"Good, and thanks to the media the public is now as well, time to make ourselves known. BOYS, full gear, we´re showing off our Colors tonight! Let them know what´s in store for them."
the Train Depot was quiet, the high Alert went out for buildings integral to the town, banks, hospitals, the town hall of course and the public Transport stations too, no one seemed to think of the cargo stations, and your Train was, unlike the public ones, right on schedule.
"How many guards? I wanna get this over with and get out of this costume." the mask was actually comfortable enough, clearly a masterpiece, but Gleaming insisted on adding a few extra pieces on your suit, claiming this was a great opportunity for showing off. So there you stood, decked in an overly Elaborate outer armor with a barding that would conceal your legs completely. You were to just stand by and oversee your troops doing their stuff.
"Two guys, Standard security issue, and currently in major concussion dreamland" Hulk was as always doing his Thing excellently. Your other Boys were getting giddy about smashing stuff, as always, Blitz disappeared without a trace as usual and you had set up every carriage available to you in the depot. Now you just had to wait for the Train to arrive.
"How much longer do you think we´ll have to wait, Boss?" "About 15 minutes or so... hmm, you´re not from Cloud Haven, when did you join us?" "I followed the mute one after i got out of the Police Station, actually everyone that got away is now getting their paid jobs in your business" the unicorn replied. "Huh, could someone fill me in on the kinds of ponies i get from time to time? Next i might end up making a Mission for Flyers and you all drop like Stones." "Uh, we´ll introduce ourselves next time, Boss." They were definitely like the inmates, little thought, much enthusiasm and the heart just where you need it.
TOOOOOOOOOOOOOOT "Right on cue and punctual like a Clockwork, recommendable." The Train pulls into the Station, apparently only the 2 engineers in the front and a conductor in the caboose. "You´re right on time, we´ve been awaiting These materials. Now kindly put your hooves up and let my Boys do their work and we can all have a pleasant evening." The three Train ponies are apparently shocked to hear you, and definitely afraid once they see you, they put up no resistance and are quickly tied up and laying in the Corner. They had apparently taken a closer look at you because the conductor speaks up: "That sign, i´ve seen the News, the Manehattan Massacre, you did that!" "Yes, and the Boys live on short fuses, I advise against pissing them off." that seems to shut them up nicely.
Your Goons were halfway through with loading when you heard from your captives again. "Why? Why do all this, why murder so many?" "I could go off on a speech about how they deserved it, but i guess they were as good ponies as they knew to be. Actually, they just didn´t run for cover at three. As for why all this, tell me, what do you know about the justice System, about archaic laws no one even Needs anymore, about rich ponies abusing their power?" "That such mistakes do not exist in Equestria." he spoke with a firmness that only believers had. "The sad Thing is, you actually believe that, don´t you? Let me tell you, I am not after the money, I am not after revenge. What i want is to Change the world. To break the chains no one else bothers to see. Tell me, do you fear your Boss getting upset, the guard showing up, the opinion of others? You are slaves to the system."
"I´m sure Princess Celestia will let that excuse Count when i drag your hide to her and lift your mask" A new voice pipes up. Looking behind you you spot a Group of royal guards, that seemed to be entirely ignorant to the fact that your Boys were still busily emptying the Train. The Office where you and two of your Colts had brought the hostages was a bit away from the main Depot where the rest was working. "Good evening officer, i was just having a friendly Chat with These fine gentlecolts, nothing worth your time." "The leader of the Terrorist Group not worth my time? HAH! Shield, call reinforcements just in case. as for you, you are under Arrest, any attempts to resist will be met with force." he was a smidge smarter than average because he sent for reinforcements, and a bit dumb for having the remaining five stand too Close to each other, a forgivable oversight was, that the two Bodyguards you brought along were thunderwings like you. You quickly use the one latch on your armor and throw it off, together with the barding, now free to move you nodded to your companions and let the energy visibly ripple through your wings. The guard leader was apparently surprised, but not afraid, he believed in strength in numbers, "A little light Show is not scaring me! SEIZE HIM!" Your Bodyguards were not about to let that happen and each zapped a guard which would in turn scream in agony and go down. Now the Odds evened out they each leapt for a guard and left their leader to you. "If this is Celestias finest, this won´t take too Long." The Leader Proved to be rather Adept at blocking or evading you, landing a few painful blows against you in Close combat. but you were an Inmate, and you were the leader of Inmates, as such you learned to fight the hard way and you learned to fight without any form of restraint. He throws another Punch just as you decide you had enough of fighting above the belt line, a swift kick and he folds in on himself, squirming in pain on the ground. "Oh sorry, I just didn´t want to waste time with you anymore." You move closer to look in his face. "Your friends won´t be arriving soon, knowing Blitz she probably just waited till your friend was alone. And now i will Show you the Job Hazard of being a guard." "WAIT, he is just doing his duty! you won already you don´t have to-" A sharp look from you silences them immediately. The fight was over, you won. But should he really get away?
"You know, just for the part where you bragged about dragging me to Celestia i should really just off you right now, but in the end you are only Pony too. And first impressions aside i am not a Monster. You get to live, once you wake up."
You learned where to aim to knock a Pony out without causing to much damage. "They´ll help you out of your binds when they wake up, tell the News what I told you, and for your sake they´d better not try to spin the Story." News companies had a nasty Habit of doing that, but they wouldn´t risk other ponies over it, bad press and all.
"You will be repeated word for word, sir..." apparently they were not so keen on crossing you after seeing your wings bristling with electricity. "Good. Boys, you about finished out there? Blitz probably got the runner but i don´t want to find out the hard way if she didn´t! Let´s go!"
Typical Blitz, she did shoot him down halfway from the Station but still Close enough for someone to notice, good Thing too as that got him medical attention as well. She said, signalled, she checked out the Hospital, high alert was an understatement, the place was a bucking fortress. You instructed your Boys to try and stay unhurt until you find an alternate way to get medical supplies.
After such a tiring evening it was Long overdue for you to get some sleep, except that your sleep was probably gonna wind up just as tiring.
Shortly after you fell asleep you dreamed, at first as usual about your life before prison, your fathers screaming when the storm hit both of you and you were struck by lightning, your mothers relief when you somehow survived and your own surprise when you found out it was because the lightnings were your friends. Shortly after that, word spread about you and one day the guards showed up and put you in chains, no word about why, no word about who ordered it.
"You have been wronged for certain, Young stallion, but doth that be your only reason for turning against your own People"
The surprise of this other voice almost wakes you up. "I heard of the last creature in this world who talks like that, what do you want, princess Luna?"
The Scene around you changes, now surrounded by stars on all sides, you find yourself face to face with the princess of the night. "We wished to ask about your motivations but everything was taken from you, so you needn´t answer that." "Neither is it my sole reason for doing this, you will not find the truth anywhere outside a prison, I´ve seen the faces of the doomed and the criminals. And you know what, those are ponies too, the way they were treated was a clear sign that something needed to happen. Until now I´ve seen the dark side of order well enough to know that without a proper cleanup every once in a while, justice becomes a hollow word used by the powerful to Keep the weak in chains. You were once the very Symbol of Change, the phases of the moon, the Tide, you let them stagnate to please your sisters Obsession with control-" "QUIET INSOLENT CUR! You do not realize what Celestia has done for you. She has assured peace and prosperity to everypony. She-" "...Helped the ponies with influence to increase it so that they would do as she says. Face it Luna, she is no different from after Discord, she is no different from before Nightmare Moon. She is a control Freak, her peace is based on flase belief, obstruction of historical Facts and wearing the mask of benevolence while ordering everything that could bring Change or Innovation silenced, destroyed or killed. If she was as powerful as she Claims to be, the injustice as it happened to me, would not go unpunished. Neither would i be alive now, after what i did."
"She seeks the best for our ponies, she tries to Keep them safe." She sounds unsure, you struck a nerve by pointing out a few holes in Celestias Version of history. You had filled them with speculation but it seems you were right. You press further.
"She is failing, and it´s not `your´ little ponies, it´s `her´ little ponies. She is afraid of the inevitable Change, she knows she can´t stop at but she still tries to fight it, you don´t have to be like her, you should return to the good sides of your old ways, not Abandon it together with the bad. You can probably stop me now, but believe me, something worse than destruction is waiting down her path. just don´t follow her on it if you care at all for Equestria."
"Do you realize what you are asking of me?" She clearly doesn´t know what to do now. "I ask you to do nothing, i ask you to Keep silent about who I am, about why I am doing this, i ask you to remain neutral, because Change Needs to happen and you know it. When it all is over, Celestia will have to face the truth about herself and her Nation. And she will inevitably break. Then Equestria will Need you, the princess of the night, to assure them, to let the tides rise and fall, to let the moon take all its shapes and to let the day be followed by night. You don´t have to heed my word, but i want you to consider what is at stake and i want you to look more closely at the world your sister has created and ask yourself: Is this the world i want to live in?" You let your words sink in, knowing full well already that you have shaken the faith of the princess of the night in her own sister, you would be ashamed, but you knew you were right and so does she. "When this all is over, what would you do? Take control, arrange for a new order after the ponies´ wishes or would you just set Equestria ablaze to see it burn?"
"When this is over, I will be not Equestria's Leader, nor an Evil to see it burn. After I tear down the System that falsely claims Justices. After I right the wrongs that go unseen in this world. After I see your Sister break.... After all of this." I wave my hoof to emphasize everything, Equestria, the Revolution, Me, Her... "I will just be another Cog on the Wheel of life. Go back to visit my Mother, my Father. Find a nice Mare and settle down somewhere. Maybe get a Job that shows the reason of my Imprisonment, these Thunder wings, can be used to help Ponies.
"I don't wish you harm Princess, nor your Sister and all her subjects. But Equestria need to change! And Nopony will stand in my way to change it! I ask you to keep my identity, and those of my Revolution a secret. Or help support us in anyway you can. If you so choose to run to Celestia and tell her of everything. Know that it will only slow us down. Change is coming, and she cannot stop it..."
Following your answer, Princess Luna remains silent for a Long time. When she finally speaks she sounds saddened. "You are really not a Monster, that makes this rather difficult. I hoped that i could confirm you to be a beast, a threat. But all i see, is a stallion that wants nothing more than to better the world. I shall take no Action yet, but you have to prove yet, that you can work with something other than force. Now awaken, for a new day is beginning, and it may very well define your future."
before you have time to ask what she is talking about, the sight of her is replaced with that of your bedroom ceiling
Work with something other than force... of course she was right. You had neglected the bigger Goal, to win the hearts and minds of Equestria over for your cause. The massacre was inexcusable, but maybe salvageable. you would Need the News to listen without the guard nearby though.
Come to think of it, you were the Kind of top Story a Reporter would sell his Soul for, maybe you could arrange an exclusive Interview. The newsreport of the Train raid has given you a pretty good idea which stations would be best suited for that.
You were just about planning your next few steps when Gleaming Metal interrupted you "Thunder, there´s a bunch of Teens out there that said they saw the Train raid first and want to talk to you" "WHAT? ... alright, we can do this, lead them to warehouse four and have a few of our guys around, just in case. Now where did i put my mask?"
A few moments later you entered the warehouse, flanked by Gleaming Metal and Gene Splicer, Hulk was already inside blocking the door. What you saw were three Colts, probably around sixteen each, punky Looks, a self declared street gang you guessed, looking closer they were probably not too bad off, all well groomed and they definitely rolled in dirt to get mommys shampoo smell out.The one in the middle seems to get his balls back together as you Approach. "See, i told you this was the right place, you there with the mask. we want to join up with you."........................ one look over at your guards and you know what must be done. "Permission given Boys, no Need to hold back" the following uproar of laughter goes on for a few minutes before you wave to silence it. "Kid, this isn´t a field trip, we are going all the way to canterlot in here and you and your friends really should go back to playing hoofball in the streets unless you wnat to find out that the pointy end of a spear hurts. I´m building an army here, no use in that for foals." "We ain´t foals, chummer, we´re the Street Sharks, the best gang in all of manehattan." "Hulk? is that true?" "Street Sharks... i think one of the prison bitches was from there, lowest end of the Foodchain though he was in for a burglary, nothing to write home about, did do nicely in the showers though." at this the three definitely aren´t so tough anymore. "Didn´t he say he was respected while he was in?" one of the goons says. "He lied, big whoop." you finally catch their Attention. "Now as i said, there´s no use for you in the army, but i like your initiative, how many are you street sharks?" "Around 20, 30 if you Count the fillies." "What drove you to us?" "We have been learning about sociology and history and stuff and most of us agree we don´t like it, the way Mares and stallions rights are treated is just bad and then we informed ourselves about thunderwings, you get locked up for something you can´t Change. You are fighting the power, man, that´s about as cool as it gets and we wanna help." "I see..."
These Kids were clearly way useless in battle, but maybe you could think of other ways for them to make themselves useful. Test subjects for Splicer? Yelling voices in the crowd for Gleaming? maybe a whole new Student uprising?
"You´re a smart kid, especially if the reason you want to join us is really changing the world rather than trying to look cool. And that´s why i want you to stay out of Trouble from now. You have to go back to School, Show your fellow students what´s wrong around here, make them realize that things can be different, Revolution is always about Change, Show them that this one is Long overdue, that they can make a difference, that WE WILL make a difference. I´m about to talk to the press, i want you to spread the word before that, i want everyone to know that we are not Monsters, but rather the first ones in a thousand years that are against Celestias rule. Can you do that? Can you put together your own Revolution, a peaceful Revolution? Do the Street Sharks have the power to Change the world?"
"Yes, we do..." "I CAN`T HEAR YOU!" "YES, WE CAN CHANGE THE WORLD!" "Good, now go out there, stay out of Trouble so they have no excuse and do it!" "Yes sir. Thank you, sir."
"I told you he was cool." "Yeah, like, the Kind of guy you read about in superhero Comics!" the last comment you caught as they left, soured your mood just a tiny bit. "Gene, Gleaming, be honest, am i a cliché superhero?" "Hmm," Gleaming pondered this for a few seconds, "nah, you lack the hot marefriend, and the boyscout attitude,unless you´d settle for me..." Gah, why do Mares insist on stroking your chin with their tails, their greasy, soot covered tails that still smelled faintly of vanilla and- SNAP OUT OF IT THUNDER. Gene graciouslysaves you from further embarassing yourself by giving his opinion "Of course, back Story considered and with the grudge against all that is Equestria you´re well underway to becoming a supervillain."... Memo to myself, when you got 5 minutes hang Splicer on the nearest clothesline, tail over head that is.
"Alright, the Punks are on their way out, Hulk, did they see anything pointing to our cover identity?" "No, they approached Blitz and she led them here directly before fetching me and the Boys" "Okay, then we should get outta here now." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Now that that was settled you took a Moment to Review what you got together at this Point. After your escape from Cloud Haven and the regathering of your Inmates in the Cover of a Delivery Company a few specimen of the local crime life joined up, earth ponies unicorns, mostly burglars, smugglers and the odd pickpocket. Speaking of which:"Pickpocket! I know you have kleptomania, but stop stealing my mask off my face!" That aside, Gene contacted a few old friends and indeed a Crew of five scientists soon took up positions in his lab, Nurse Coldheart meanwhile took the liberty of visiting her old workplace in ponyville, she took half your Boys and raided it completely, the poor night guard was since then forever scared of nurses... You didn´t want to ask why. Gleaming set up her forge, along with giving you a thank you kiss for getting her such great materials. The new Equipment was doing its Job excellently and you had definitely gained her favor... maybe later you could arrange for getting your suit refitted... ah what the hell, just fess up and talk to her. And now, since last night you had a potential ally in Princess Luna and even better, the students and adolescents saw a hero in you. Time to live up to it, you had to arrange for an interview, best somewhere secluded outside of manehattan, the Reporter would get an assurance of safety, of course only together with a blindfold. They would definitely leap at a Chance of getting the once in Discords lifetime opportunity to speak about the bad guys Point of view. The only question was, which Company to Approach: Metro-News was well known and could reach everyone, but they were also under the Mayors hoof, you didn´t know what that Mare would do to your Story, maybe she was a friend of Change? Then there was Imagen; almost as big but only interested in getting their scandals as gorily detailed as possible, but still read by many, huh. Finally, the free press of New Yoke, not as big as the other two but they are known for their brutal honesty, if you want a Reporter that isn´t afraid to ask uncomfortable questions and will Quote your every breath accurately they were your choice.
~~~~~~~~~POV Switch, this chapter will be told through the eyes of another Pony~~~~~~
You were in Trouble, that much was certain, you never felt it so clear since Mama Applejuice caught you stealing her pie. Your employer had the same opinion about you as on the first day, but recent cases of the Police obscuring everything that happened left you without a Story, thus your Boss had a Piece of advice for you: "Cobbler! Get your flank in Gear and get me a real Story, I took you in here for your honesty, but an honest to Celestia NOTHING doesn´t make for a good News opener." while you could hardly just come up with a true Story until the next Publishing, he had a Point, the free press depended on making News, or else it would all fall apart. Your day thoroughly soured by this realization you made your way back to your desk. "Maybe I should´ve listened to you and stood on the farm, Papa." it was then that you noticed a letter on your desk, apparently not placed there by your mail Service. "Huh? no Sender? no specific adress to me... just `to whom it may interest´... ah what the hay...." You open it to see the following, written on a typewriter:
To the Journalist reading this, I can offer you the Story of a lifetime it is of course under strict safety measures and i will have to insist on you coming alone, feel free to bring any Equipment you Need, I guarantee you and only you the exclusive rights on an Insider Story of the Thunderstruck, the Rioters that have set up camp in manehattan, no Police! I mean it. Come to Café Fringe at 15:00, My contact will bring you to the interview place.
sincerely, Public enemy #1
Huh, this letter was either a really stupid joke, or your salvation... wait, the thunderstruck were the biggest Thing since Discords Reformation, they were also known as escaped inmates, murderers and a crazy killer Nurse... You looked around your desk, noticing that you really had nothing else.
"Ah screw it, if I die, it will be for what i love doing!" noticing the time to be almost 3 o´clock you quickly grabbed a camera and your microphone before heading to the Café.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Café was a nice enough place for Meeting a criminal. You had hardly set a hoof into it before a mare approached you and gave you a note reading "follow" though any attempts to further question her were either pointedly ignored or she really didn´t hear you.
She had led you to an alley in the back and then through a door, that was apparently the entrance of a cart, said cart started rolling and soon enough you had no idea where you were. As soon as the cart stopped you were blindfolded and led inside somewhere. The room you were in now was spartanic in decoration, no trace as to what Kind of building this was, no Windows, but at least air conditioned and well lit, the mare that brought you here even kept you Company. When you asked for the toilet she had however set her own wings sparking with electricity, apparently the gesture meant "keep it in".
You were shaken out of pondering the mare when the door opened and a Pegasus stallion wearing a bodysuit and a mask entered, the description matched, this colt was their leader.
"Good afternoon, I´m afraid I didn´t catch your Name" The voice of the leader was definitely pleasant, and the way he talked made it Sound like you were here to discuss the weather.
"It´s Apple Cobbler, sir. If i may ask for yours?" You did your best to Keep your voice even, Celestia knew how this guy kept his goons in line.
"I Keep my Name secret for the same reason as my face and my cutie mark. I am known as Thunderstorm to the ponies that want to know." "I see, you have called me here with a great deal of secrecy..." "A necessary precaution, I can´t risk the guard finding me yet. Blitz, be a dear and take the camera, I´d ask you to Keep silent for the Interview, but that´s Kind of redundant on a mute mare." he gave a Brief chuckle, alright, stallions with this Kind of terrible Humor are normally not too malicious.
You take a deep breath as you bring your microphone to your mouth and as the recording light on the camera Comes to life you start speaking: "Good evening Fillies and Gentlecolts, I am Apple Cobbler giving you the first and possibly only Interview with Thunderstorm, leader of the Stormfront Group, the currently most wanted Organisation in Equestria, I am here invited and I don´t really know where here is supposed to be, but right here you see the stallion behind it all. He has invited me to this Interview to clear up any possible misunderstandings about his Group, about himself or about his Intentions...."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~still Apple Cobbler´s POV~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You watch as Blitz moves the Camera into Position now to capture both your and Thunderstorms movements and reactions, they were planning to be sincere, they were apparently very sure of their motives.
"Now, Thunderstorm, I believe the most important question on everyones mind is: Was it really you who staged the Orange mansion massacre?" You realized just a second too late that this question might as well be answered with a Punch. Instead you see him tense up for a second before replying: "Yes, when a few rich ponies turn murdering a victim strapped to a table into party entertainment, I have no pity for them."
A professional Reporter does not get involved in the stories he talks about, you have to Keep a Level head at all times... Buck that. "You are talking about a member of the apple Family here. I hope you know that." your tone had just a bit more bite than necessary. He didn´t react at first, maybe the bosses of criminals were always calm before ordering you killed, Blitz was giving you a really nasty look, but kept the camera on you two instead of murdering you. When he spoke his voice sounded as if he´d just barely kept it under control. "The stallion with the orange cutiemark in that mansion was nothing but a psychopath. If he was a nice stallion, husband, father or uncle the day before it doesn´t matter. The death of your Cousin Orange Crush was an accident, no one could´ve foreseen the Tumor, your uncle, Mr Mosely Orange turned murdering his doctor, the very stallion that gave your cousin his own legs back, into a Show and had the gall to Claim it was justice. Do not ever try to make me regret preventing that from happening." "He wouldn´t... i mean he was really beside himself after... but... he would? *ahem* Apologies, i´m getting unprofessional over this." You had to get a grip, if this stallion spoke the truth, and this is too ugly to be imagined, then Uncle Mosely was not the same stallion anymore. "I do regret what happened to him, losing his son, just when he thought it would all be better but there is no excuse for what he was trying to do."
"Right, I guess that is that, I suspect the Audience will take this one with mixed Feelings." "I do not plan to lie to them, that´s why i contacted you in the first place. Now you probably have more questions." "Of course, the next would be, why do you do all this?" "That is the question that requires a lenghty answer. The Goal is simple and quickly explained. Revolution, a Long overdue Change in politics, in how laws are handled in how the world moves." "What is wrong with the current System?" "A dangerous question, tell me, do you know what a thunderwing Pegasus is?" "I heard they control lightning and are a danger to everypony" "The former is right, the latter is racism. Thunderwings are Pegasi, that have a gift, they can control the rawest power the weather has, lightning. They survive being struck by them and can generate them in their wings, practical applications could be endless if they weren´t locked up for life the second Celestia finds them. Every Thunderwing, Mare, Stallion, Foal they all get locked up, their crime: existing. I decided i didn´t want to spend my life in prison, and while i was there i learned many bad things about the oh so noble royal guard, the way they deal with protest, the way public activism is criminalised. The way Celestia systematically prevents all Change for the better from Happening. It had to Change, so i broke the chains, the System has to be made better, the laws can no longer Play favors towards the rich and wealthy, Innovation mustn´t be censored anymore, and most importantly, differences, especially simple things as talents must no longer be used as an excuse to cast somepony out and harm them for being different. Celestia is afraid that Change could cause bad things to happen, she is right about that, but in her desire to fight it on all fronts she represses our Chance to become better, stronger, able to deal with the bad things. I do not Claim that the Equestria i will bring will be perfect, but I promise, that it will Change, grow on it challenges and become stronger for it, rather than stagnate and Keep the ponies shielded and shackled."
After this Long tirade he falls silent, looking over to Blitz, she has tears in her eyes. this were their true intentions, they were not murderers, they were fighting desperately for what they believed in.
"If I heard you right earlier you said you were such a thunderwing." "Yes, i discovered my gift in a thunderstorm, i survived being struck, my parents were relieved, until the royal guard ripped me out of my mothers hooves. In Celestias Name he is arrested for posessing illegal skills no righteous Pony may have. That´s what they told her, that´s what she was supposed to believe." "Oh, I am sorry to hear that, what were you doing afterwards?" "Heard of the big breakout in Cloud Haven?" "You mean-" "Yes, I staged the prison Revolution and led the Inmates to freedom, not bad considering the only way i had to Keep my wings in shape was Lifting weights on them and wing-ups." "I´m sure the pegasi in the audience admire that advice." "You are not making all that great an Impression with a criminal record." "Crime is what you make of it, A foal can break a streetlight with a Stone, the Absence of that light can cause a terrible Crash, you find out about the foal, what do you do? Do you hit him for causing that, regardless of whether or not he wanted to?" "I´d probably Show him what he caused, and hope he learns his lesson." "The Royal Guard would reject you for being too soft. My Point is, they are not controlled by anyone, the Mayors supposed to oversee them don´t do anything about abuse of power, on the contrary. Cloud Haven, the Maximum security prison gets a lot of harmless thieves for instance."
"I see, now how about that attack on Ponyville General, a peer of mine reported over the Psyche ward being opened and them being let loose on the staff and the mare leading it doing... something... to the nightguard, it is said that he is in therapy and Shows no signs of improvement." This time Thunderstorms reaction is one of discomfort. "I am ashamed to admit that i don´t really have her under control, she did her Thing without my knowledge and i was afraid to ask what exactly she did after the Boys accompanying her told me the short Version." "Do you believe your consorts will be taking the `Initiative´ more often? You surrounded yourself with dangerous ponies, what if not all of them agree to your way of running things? "The Thunderstruck are enjoying my unconditional trust, as for her, i made myself clear enough towards her i believe. Such attacks will not happen again if i can help it." You had the Feeling that he couldn´t help it, but one look at Blitz let you decide that questioning that would be suicidal.
Apparently Thunderstorm had enough of this all anyways, because his next words were: "You know what motivates me now, I only have one Thing to say to your Audience: Watch the world around you, watch what the guard does and question why you do what you do. Celestia hasn´t taken your freedom from you yet, defend it while it lasts. This interview is over. She will bring you back."
You saw the recording light go out. Blitz waving you over before fiddling with some sort of rug, apparently to blindfold you again. "I really am sorry about everypony that dies, but my Options are limited and I can´t afford to take chances." That were the last words you heard before something smelling was pressed to your snout and everything faded to black around you.
You watched as the unconscious Apple Cobbler was loaded up into the cart and the Boys would take a few laps around the City before dropping him off at the Café in the back room. "Blitz, i can literally feel the way you look at me right now, but honesty is a sign of trust and i´m confident he earned mine. He won´t spin this Story, even if just out of fear that you´ll come for him." you placate her worries. Blitz doesn´t seem to react at first, but you´ve spent enough time around her to know that she felt a bit more at ease, she trusted your Judgement and you were confident that that wouldn´t Change. You had also noticed something else about her... "I would also like to congratulate you and Hulk." This time she doesn´t Keep stoic. Her shocked Expression would be priceless, if you didn´t feel her distress through it. "Something wrong?" she doesn´t move a muscle, frozen up completely. oh no... "It... is his, right?" She finally Bursts into tears, clinging to you and sobbing uncontrollably. It´s not. "We need to go to Nurse Coldheart, now."
~~~~~~~~~ Nurse Coldheart was toying around with a few chemicals as you entered, she was apparently working on replicating the poison you had dubbed "Orange murder" you had requested it to take care of especially deserving cases, hey, good intentions don´t mean good guy. As she sees you, you can´t tell whether she´s happy at the Attention or annoyed at the interruption. "What is it... sir? Do you Need anything?", her tone as usual betrayed no emotion, either she did that normally as a Nurse, or she was a frigid bitch, you couldn´t be sure of either just yet. "Blitz Needs a pregnancy diagnosis and i Need you to find a non lethal way to make the father suffer for all eternity." Hearing the first she looked surprised and slightly confused, Hearing the second she looked positively giddy. "I take it the foal is not from our Strongman then, don´t worry, i may not have the hippocratic oath but i will Keep true to confidentiality." You thought normal Coldheart was scary? think again, that same mare being Kind gentle and caring is freaking you out much worse right now. Fortunately she is back to her old self when addressing you: "There are a few insights on orange murder that might be exactly what you want, it´s a Cocktail of multiple poisons, but each has a specific function, i believe i can create a nice Palette of chemical torture for you. When you find the father, why not bring him here? I can guess a few of the Boys would be fascinated by a live Demonstration of how many organs you can pull out without killing someone."
Something was strange here, "If you allow the question, you seem almost passionate about this, why?" "Own bad experiences. I will not say any more." She slammed the door, almost cracking your helmet, clearly this conversation was over.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It had been a few days since the interview, and surprisingly enough it was well received, Mrs. orange gave a press Statement and confirmed that mosely had been eaten up by his grief and turned into a stallion she didn´t even know. Nice way to dodge a public shitstorm, Lady. The Mayor herself had given a press conference, some of your own Boys encouraging the Reporters to ask uncomfortable questions had really spiced things up from ususal. The fact that the security kicked all Reporters out and ended the interview early had incurred the wrath of the media and suddenly you were a hero. There were Posters all over the City now, begging for an interview with Thunderstorm, the Voice of the People. Your students jumped at the Chance and began openly Advertising the Need for Change and the medias constant Attention on them kept the Kids safe. Things were looking up, especially since your Boys now had sworn many working ponies, Family fathers andeven a few cops to wear the Thunderstorm insignia under their clothes.
And then Celestia herself came to town, security was, of course tightened. Curfews in place, a fricken army of the royal guard patrolling the streets. all because she decided to take care of matters herself. "Heh, joke´s on her, recruitment has gone through the roof since the royal guard raided a nearby warehouse due to a suspicion. Tear gassing a bunch of playing foals is bad press." You said at the table, surrounded by your, well, you could probably call it your council at this Point. Gleaming spoke up: "I hope those poor foals will be alright, we should really kick the royal guards all the way back to canterlot." "We will, the Police doesn´t take kindly to the new methods, most accept it once they got an extra hooffull of bits, but those that didn´t tipped me off on something really nice. I contacted Apple Cobbler about an orphanage here in manehattan that has multiple times been declared fine by the inspector and the investigating Police, truth is however, that both were paid, and that that orphanage is what many of you will agree almost half as bad as Cloud Haven. I´m bringing you along, Gleaming, because your dearest ex decided he didn´t want the foals and sent them there as well. We´ll open that orphanage up, let Apple Cobbler take his Pictures and spread them, then we´ll get the foals out of there and bring them, guarded of course, to a few orphanages i can confirm are treating them considerably better. We will both Show the world that we are not afraid to operate right under her nose, but also what Kind of Treatment of foals she allows."
"A Major step Forwards," Coldheart agrees "but who else is gonna take Point with you?"
The Interview with Thunderstorm had put you on the top of the Free Press´ foodchain, so much so in fact that your Boss issued you an own Camerapony, a friendly enough mare named Film Reel and a Bodyguard in case the concurrence or the authorities were out for your head. The other Reporters were all over a bunch of students, that said they had spoken with Thunderstorm before, he told them to spread the real message peacefully for their safety, that stallion was evidently not a fool when it came to the power of the public eye.
All that mattered little though after the princess and the Royal Guard showed up, the Kids weren´t punished, peaceful protest could be ignored after all but curfews and increased patrols of the outsider guard did their part in intimidating the populace. After the Mayors press Statement the officials stopped giving a damn about public opinion and even the own Police of manehattan was being kept inside at night.
And here you were regardless, because Thunderstorm promised you that you would be safe and that you´d get coverage of him again. Curfew be damned, you had seen what the Royal Guard understood as noise cancellation, the raid on the storehouse and the gassing of the poor foals fresh in your mind.
You were at the Matriarch Orphanage, a strange place, no one ever seemed to want to go there to adopt, despite authorities insisting it was an excellent place. Thunderstorm wasn´t one to stand you up, but with things as they were you decided to get a head start. You waved to Film Reel to start rolling, while Safe Sake, your Bodyguard kept in the Background.
"Good evening Fillies and Gentlecolts, we are here tonight in front of the Matriarch Orphanage, on the invite of Thunderstorm we are Meeting him here, it is already past the curfew so I hope you can forgive my hushed tone and-"
"HALT!" a booming voice cut you off looking behind yourself you see three armored Royal Guards marching up to you. "You are out past the curfew, Vulture. turn that camera off right now." You had a fairly good idea what would happen if you did that, your Name wasn´t a mystery, and neither was the fact that your interview started all of this. "Keep running it Film Reel, they wouldn´t-" "Oh Yeah? Dirt throwers like you are the real Problem, over a personal grudge you try to make a Terrorist a hero. And you know what? Orders be damned, you´re paying for that now." He was clearly either a zealot or a bastard, both of which were lousy candidates to trust with being a Guard.
"NOW!" Just as you heard that three figures leapt from the wall surrounding the Orphanage, each landing on one of the Guards and proceeding to knock on their helmets till they dropped. The Guards leader was still Holding on apparently, although pinned by the Pegasus you were supposed to meet. "You´ll regret this, you´ll burn for this you Piece of filth." he brought out through gritted teeth.
"The only filth i see is the one i´m Walking on right now." a simple but definitely honest rebuttal, followed by another knock on the head and he finally turned to you and your Group.
"I´m glad you came, I have something to Show you, something the Police of manehattan tipped me off about, despite the Royal Guards best efforts." Thunderstorms voice carried through the night, not mocking, not threatening, he didn´t gloat. "This Orphanage is by far not as great as the paychecks they sign to Keep it silent. We are going to reveal the things the Royal Guard endorses and Celestia doesn´t even care enough to check." You were on the walk around to the Gate now, and it was too quiet for a News Report, you had to Change that. "So, uh, who, if i may ask, are the two ponies accompanying you?", he pauses for a second before the Earth Pony mare next to him speaks up. "I am Metalhead, the other one is called Sapper, neither Name is real but Thunderstorm explained why already." The third Pony of this strike team, a Pegasus, says nothing, but grunts dismissively as Film Reel puts the camera on him. "He doesn´t like cameras, bad memories, you understand? Anyways we´re here." Thunderstorm rings the bell at the gate.
Over the Speaker a slightly garbled mare´s voice can be heard: "Yes, who is there?" "Foal protection Service, open up right now." Thunderstorm says it without irony, there is really no way of telling what he has planned. "Come back with a scheduled appointment. *click*" What a bitch, just rudely hung up on someone at their door.
Thunderstorm was apparently expecting that. "Sapper, this gate and electric fence are in my way, do me a favor and turn it off." Sapper in turn gave a grunt, a nod and the next second his wings were surrounded by lightning, a zap on the gate and the electricity went out. "Metalhead, if you please.", the mare said nothing as she turned her back towards the gate and kicked it in, the gate itself was definitely not built to stand without the electric locks.
"Now, why would a good orphanage make such measurements against walkouts? Wouldn´t the foals stay of their own accord?" Thunderstorm put the same question that had been bugging you in words.
Now that you were inside Thunderstorm took the scenic rout taking a look around the facilities, which were clean enough, however except for multiple cleaning Tools there was nothing at all, no balls to Play with no building blocks a few materials to make small trinkets out of, a shower that only ran cold apparently a kitchen that would probably make your own Sub par attempts at cooking look delicious and dorms that looked more like they put the foals on big shelves flank to flank. You were quickly disgusted by all this, especially seeing how scared the foals were from grown ups, left here they would never grow up decently, you vowed, that as soon as this was over you would dig as deep as possible to bring out the full extent of all this. Thunderstorm spoke gently to them, you couldn´t hear what he told them but when he moved on the foals were getting up and packing what Little they had. In one of the dorms however his companion Metalhead paused, two foals perked up when seeing her, she quickly motioned for them to be quiet. Taking a closer look you realized, that A: Those two were probably hers and B: the younger one of them had red streaks all over his back and backside. Metalhead was hugging them closely and whispered something to her, you couldn´t hear what it was this time either, but they smiled.
"I believe you and your Viewers have seen more than enough here, time to put an end to it." Thunderstorm spoke again, this time however he didn´t sound pleasant, this time his voice carried a coldness that would freeze a windigo. He walked off, apparently looking for the dorms of the staff. After finding it he motioned for Sapper to enter. He denied you entry, repeating that Sapper didn´t like cameras. "I´m going to have a word or to with miss director, i know, that she is in her Office and well awake. Let´s hear what she has to say about the conditions here."
Finding the Office was no difficulcy, keeping a straight face when seeing the riches she hoarded here while giving her charges no more than the barest necessities, and even that was up for debate, prove to be very difficult however. You could almost swear that Thunderstorm was trembling in fury under his suit and Helmet.
"What is the meaning of this, what is a Monster like you doing in my Orphanage?" Matriarch herself, it seemed, was about as pleasant as you imagined her after seeing the way she ran things. "There is already a Monster here, if you looked in a mirror once in awhile you´d know that. Enough pleasantries, this place is shut down starting right now." Thunderstorm stated. "We´re bringing them to safety and you won´t stop us." Matriarch seemed to fidget in her seat uncomfortably. she moved a strange lot, now that she realized what was going on. Thunderstorm apparently picked up on it too because before you or Film Reel could Point the camera on either him or Matriarch he had already zapped her down. "Hooves off that Alarm button, Lady. I guess making you admit to everything won´t work anymore anyways, we´re finished here. I´d like a word with you outside, Reporter."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Outside there were many carts parked, unmarked and covered up, the foals from the orphanage practically leaping into them. "I told you why we fight, but now you saw what we fight against, and what we risk everything for. Look at them and tell me, that this is not worth the risk." Film Reel took Thunderstorms hint and panned over the thankful foals. "We will do it, no matter how many Stones the princess is putting in our way. No matter how much the Royal Guard insists on supression. Manehattan is not Canterlot, the ponies here have their own ideas, they are no puppets like the Nobility. Listen up Celestia, the forecast for you and Your rule is a Storm of biblical proportions. You cannot fight against the good of your people forever." With that final Statement he turned his back to you, telling you that the News recording was over and advising you to get away.
This stallion, you did very much not like to admit it, but you hoped he´d pull you into his Revolution again.
It had been a few days since the orphanage raid now, you still couldn´t believe that the cops telling you about it weren`t exaggerating. The foals had been loaded onto carts and pulled away towards other cities entirely, some of the boys from Cloud Haven who had either reunited with their families outside Manehattan or were otherwise nearby remembered who they owed their freedom to and made sure to find them a better place to stay. Gleaming´s foals were sent to your own parents, you sent a letter along with them in which you tried explaining everything to them. Well, except for the part where you are actually the leader of the Rebels. This had been a difficult decision, Gleaming was still needed here but her sons should be away from danger, and your parents couldn´t get involved further than knowing you were fine and fighting to stay that way, you couldn´t do that to them after everything that happened since you discovered your gift. Gleaming didn´t like it, but after a while she understood your point and she didn´t want them to be in danger either. The Foals themselves had been surprisingly brave.
With that mess sorted out and after an highly awkward talk with Hulk about Blitz´s foal you were currently nursing your jaw where he punched you, were you not his “little brother” he might´ve hit hard enough to kill you, and thinking about your next steps in general.
Apple Cobbler, true to his reputation, had of course sent everything as soon as he was in safety. This little media blitz, stirred the displeasedness of the population of Manehattan only further, a few broadcast stations even getting it into the Equestria news. As a result a few towns and cities started independent investigations and dug up a few things that Celestia wasn´t necessarily at fault for, but she was definitely responsible by not stopping them. Hearing that of course increased the tension between the regular cops and the royal guard and public protest was now every day, to the point where the Royal Guard broke them up.
“Hmm, Manehattan is a powder keg at this point, any day it could all escalate and end in chaos.”
“Exactly that is what I’m afraid of”, a voice spoke up, turning you found that it was Splicer and he wasn´t finished:”If it all goes off now there will be violence, retaliation and we will be black marked as terrorists for all eternity, we´ll lose all support and that will be the end of it for us. Not to mention with everything that´s happened you, me and everyone in the lead will be turned into a courtyard decoration for the castle.”
“What do you propose?” Splicer was never one to beat around the bush as you had learned and what he found out about the workings of a ponies body is always worth paying attention to, like the pressure points where any pony was weak, aside from the obvious spots on a stallion.
“You know what an aroma therapy is, yes? If we don´t calm the hotheads down now we´re left with either waiting for the fires to start and hope we don´t get burnt or we start the revolution right now and try our best to make an orderly takeover of the city. There is a small weather creation facility nearby to help ease the workload from Cloudsdale, a few simple, harmless relaxants in a shipment of morning fog and we´re good, the frayed nerves calm down, the people get a good night´s sleep and we get more time to prepare.”
“You want me to basically drug the entire city of New Yoke? Have you been sniffing your glowing bottles or something? If anyone catches wind of that we´re done for!”
“You don´t have to invite your admirer for this, we´ll have to be cautious of course, but in the end we´re not harming anyone and I don´t ask you to put in anything that makes dependant, believe me, the Chemicals I’m talking about aren´t even making you drowsy, they just dampen the anger a bit and relax you a bit, basically an inhalable chill pill.”
“So either I launch a dangerous mission into the weather plant to prevent a riot, I let it happen OR I initiate it and use it to take over.”
“Well, yes, I would of course accompany you there to make sure nothing goes wrong with the chemical, after dispersal it´s spread so thin that it couldn´t harm a mouse, but concentrated… That aside, if we don´t make sure to be as prepared as we can it will inevitably backfire on us. Ahem, of course that´s only my opinion. The ultimate decision is yours of course.”
"I still can´t believe i agreed to this, maybe i should´ve just waited it out and taken lead as far as possible later." You had been complaining about this for a while now and apparently Hulk was finally sick of it.
"Come on, Boss, i think you had thought of all the good reasons to say yes when you did it."
"Do not worry, sir, no one that doesn´t know already will ever find out, i like to think that it will do most ponies here in Manehattan good." Splicer added his opinion. It was his Suggestion that you went here to delay the escalation for a bit, so here you, him and Hulk were, the latter with three huge gas canisters strapped to him, about to send out a fog laden with relaxants to calm the protesters outside down.
"Remind me again, how is drugging an entire City a good Thing?" You have been undecided about this for a while, but Splicer had somehow brought up the better arguments.
"Well, firstly and most importantly it is no drug, we will set out only one canister, it will simply suppress the Feelings of Anger, hatred, Rage, whatever you want to call them they will simply be calmed down, not so much that they forget why they´re angry but enough so that their Anger will not control their Actions. Secondly, the substance is not an artificial creation but natural essences that have this effect, it will be processed by the Body within a few hours, while the effects last a few days. there is absolutely no health risk, unless one were to inhale the whole can and even then it would at worst cause a prolonged time of unconsciousness." Splicer elaborated.
"huh, sounds like some pretty neat stuff, the Police would probably like it." Hulk added in.
You looked around the weather factory, the Boilers dutifully brewing up the steam to form clouds, the nightguard sound asleep in his chair, a Little dose of super relaxant to make sure it stood that way, and the schedule was morning mist to deal with the dry weather recently. a perfect opportunity for sure.
"So, theres the Distributor for fog, pegasi don´t do that manually because it is too thin to be tangible to them. we introduce the gas, throw the Switch and the worst will be prevented for now, did i get that right, splicer?"
"exactly, sir. The Distribution of the super relaxant will turn their righteous fury into mild displeasure, they will ´remain calm for a few days, a week if we are that lucky."
"unless they find out about this, then they will be mad, at us." Hulk adds in.
"he´s got a Point there. somepony will grow suspicious."
"by the time they reach the conclusion the gas will have already dissipated, there will be no Logical Explanation, much less proof of what we did." Splicer did seem pretty sure of this."
You got up to the Distributor, it was already filled and awaiting somepony to press the button in the morning. "Okay, Hulk, give me one of those tanks."
You placed the tank under the intake and opened it, the pumps of the fog machine pulling the gas in and mingling it into the prepared fog.
"okay, all set, the Saturation will recede during Transport, the relaxant will spread as thin as the fog." Splicer looked at the control Panels. "a full success."
"I wouldn´t Count on it, Boss, look over there."
You did, and saw the last Pony that you´d want to see you here.
"Princess Luna, what gives a humble revolutionary like me the honor of your presence?" You had not at all anticipated her being here, she gave her word.
"Thunderhead, this matter is too serious to continue, leave my sister be, she can´t be blamed for what those that hide from her do. She has to deal with the whole Country at large daily, These things simply slipped by her."
"Oh, so the persecution of pegasi for being slightly different was not important enough? the rights of a mother don´t matter enough? the Nationwide corruption is a minor Problem? That´s what you think? well, in that case i got News for you, if she doesn´t even pay Attention to the important things maybe she should abdicate and leave the whole Trouble in the hooves of someone who cares. Actually, could you deliver her that Suggestion? i´m sure she would be thrilled to know that she doesn´t have to mess up politics by herself. If she wants to Keep ruling and ruining Equestria, i´ll gladly lend a hoof in the latter." You were talking utter crap, and you both new you were mocking her with that.
"Do not think to make fun of us, Mortal." There was the medieval princess of the night, "We have breathed life into These lands after we beat discord for centuries to follow we gave everything to assure ist welfare."
"and when ponies showed that they liked her you threw a temper tantrum and got yourself banished, every foal knows the Story, she made you into a spooks figure `behave or nightmare moon will get you´ even now that she sweet talked you into rejoining her side you are shackled, no moon phases, no tides, she has changed the world into something that can´t handle those while you were gone."
"... Yes, she said that Tides would endanger the waterfronted towns, and that the moon changing its appearance would cause Panics." she falters for a Moment, you had struck all the right nerves.
"She probably claimed that she would make reforms, that she would Change the policies so this wouldn´t repeat, right? she has promised that in the past, then she took the revolutionaries and placed them in her gardens and nothing changed. I´m going to see this through to the end, no matter what. Which is why i must do this now. HULK!"
Your best man in the field and the base, he had immediately uinderstood that there were to be no interruptions, while you had kept her Attention he had circled around with another gas tank at the ready and his gas mask on. Now he struck.
"What is the meaning of- mphh!" before Luna could properly react the gaspipe was pressed into mer mouth and the valve opened to the max, the pressurised gas immediately filling her lungs, she spat it out and coughed a few clouds of it before falling to the floor.
"Splicer, do me a favor and see if she´s alright, and then i want you to find a way to break her dreamwalking powers, she´ll probably be mad when she Wakes up."
Splicer trots up next to her. "A whole tankard, any normal Pony would be dead, but she´s not only alive but fine, a Little slower heartbeat than usual and she´ll probably be a bit catatonic for a few days. As for cancelling her powers, i´ve been working on that since you told me of the first time she visited you." He produces a collar.
"you´re keeping that Thing around yourself?"
"I didn´t know where else to put it, it is a repressor specifically tailored to metaphysical Magic. Truth spells, mind reading, dreams, you know all that stuff that affects the mind directly, it also has a Little enchantment that assures only I can take it off." he puts the collar around Luna´s neck.
"that takes care of that, but how do we explain her being here?" Hulk positioned her a bit more comfortable.
"we don´t. we were never here and we´ll deny having anything to do with this. Let´s just get out of here." You were a bit put off, her interruption could mean anything from bad to catastrophic for your cause.
Sure enough as you looked outside you saw her chariot and a five stallion Group of her guards around it, probably wondering why she went in alone.
"How highly inconvenient." time to think on what to do.
"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."
"You said that Rainbow Dash might be a Problem, could you get more into Detail?"
Coldheart nodded. "I got to know a few sides of her in ponyville General, she is brash, a bit full of herself and loves three things, her friends, flying, and the wonderbolts, in that exact order. she isn´t too fond of rules from what i can gather and from what i saw during my stay in appleloosa she can probably Change her mind when she´s faced with reason, she will however never Abandon her friends, if you really do something as stupid as talking to her, be careful of how much you say."
You mull her words over, she had a Point, the six of them were always there to pull celestia out of the fires she started, usually Long in the past but still. "Your Suggestion is noted, and thank you for your help, i probably don´t say that nearly enough to any of you. Well, it´s time for me to Stretch my wings, maybe have a Little race with the best flier in Equestria."
In case Coldheart doesn´t amputate your head when you return you should probably thank her, she was right about the rainbow mare being in the clouds, napping on a Nimbus, which was such a golden opportunity you couldn´t resist. Being as silent as you could be you snuck up until right next to her ear.
"HEY, You´re rainbow dash, right?!!"
"GAH" the mare bolted straight up a few dozen meters, good Thing there´s open sky above and not a ceiling. She Orients herself and frowns as she spots you grinning like an idiot. "hey, what gives? do you always yell into the ears of sleeping ponies?"
"heh, only when i get the Chance, so are you rainbow dash or just some poser?"
"Poser? No poser could contain this much awesome. I´m the real Thing." no poser could contain that much ego... okay maybe they could.
"good, i was looking for a racer that puts up a challenge at least, a Metropolis like Manehattan and i´m still unbeaten." it was not a lie per say, the best pegasi in the royal guard couldn´t catch you.
"heh, your lucky day, i´m up for it." she put on a cocky grin and crouched at the edge of the cloud.
"kingdom state building, Liberty. direct flight, loser buys lunch. Sound good?" You flexed your wings a bit and crouched down next to her.
"Count to three. One."
"two."
the three kinda went unsaid when you both shot off as fast as you could, your race track had minor Troubles with clouds, but that actually helped you Keep up, your wings cutting through them effortlessly while rainbow dash had to weave around them, a Basic but important difference between male and female pegasi, the males making up for their lack of agility with sturdier wings that simply stood their course.
"not bad, but can you Keep up?" Rainbow dash shouted towards you, her mistake if she wanted to waste her breath taunting you. The two of you were relatively even at the Kingdom state building, Rainbow dash however seemed to mobilize her reserves now, weaving through the scattered clouds much faster. Deciding that she was ahead far enough to not see you you flared up your wings, the crackling electricity making short work of your obstacles before you even touched them, this tiny Advantage really began to bear fruit when you almost caught up, the torch of liberty approaching fast, too fast, she was by a few meters ahead.
*Clang* her hoof against the metal echoed, declaring her the winner.
"oh yeah, no one beats the best flier in Equestria" Rainbow dash exclaimed, her heavier breathing however was a clear giveaway, you had gotten Close.
"heh, i got Close but i admit defeat. Lunch is my treat." you told her, making no secret of the fact that your Stamina had not deterred as much as hers, Your physical Fitness had a simple recipe, spend years in prison.
"heh, you didn´t fly too shabby there.... oops, i don´t know your Name." she looked a Little sheepish now, an Expression that managed to make her look rather cute.
"Thunderhead. not to be confused with the guy that´s got the whole City on edge."
Rainbow Dash was amazingly talkative over lunch, most of it about flying and the wonderbolts, but you had been able to direct the conversation towards her friends more, now it was time to throw the hook.
"You and your friends sure get a lot of excitement in ponyville, but that kinda begs the question what you are all doing here, i mean, your Fashion friend i would expect, your friend Applejack i would understand, but what drives the rest of you here?"
She looked surprised for a second, you had made sure to not say anything she didn´t tell you, had she caught wind already? "Didn´t you see the News? there´s a bunch of criminals here trying to start Trouble."
"I only know of the Thunderstorm dudes, and why would you come here for them?"
"They´re spreading bad Images of Princess Celestia, they attacked princess Luna and they´re criminals from Cloud Haven."
"Is the princess hurt?"
"... well... no, i guess, they put some sort of collar on her and she lost a few of her powers, but still. what about Celestia?"
"far as the News told me, they´re only making us see the places where she herself messed up. i mean it is her responsibility to fight against such abuse of power."
"what are you, one of them?" whoops, less passionate or you might as well turn yourself in.
"I sympathize with pegasi that get locked up for no reason, that is all." you said, hoping to divert her attention
"what do you mean?" success
"i read up on a bit of historical Information, of course, the unicorn Scholar writing that crap thought thunderwings to be dangerous, because they were powerful, but i´ve seen articles that glorify locking up teenage pegasi for life for no other reason than having them, i even found an article where they tossed in a ten year old filly because of a suspicion. Do you want to know what Cloudsdale, the wonderbolts and every Pegasus of any Station did? they looked the other way as it happened, when they dragged them in kicking and screaming, crying for their parents, for mercy, for Celestia. Do you know what Celestia did? She approved. the unicorns made front against thunderwings to Keep the pegasi opressed, or have you met a Pegasus noble that isn´t a hooflicker to a unicorn? Sorry, to talk myself up like that but let´s face it, what happened there was not justice, on the contrary, if a ruler let´s her subjects get out of hoof like that, maybe she´s a bad ruler."
Rainbow just sat there. "A ten year old filly, like scoots, and out of a suspicion."
"probably a founded one, her parents both had the `birth defect´ of being thunderwings, it isn´t even hereditary, any Pegasus could become one."
"locked up for life, in Cloud Haven... how could they do that? just... why?"
"why indeed, maybe you shouldn´t focus too much on the good things, you might stop seeing what you Need to see."
"You said you sympathize, but i don´t think that´s all, is it?"
"I told you what i had to say, and i paid up, a Piece of advice for the day, don´t just take everything you hear, even honest ponies can be wrong and can Change their minds when questioned" You spread your wings and flew off, checking from time to time if she was following you, finally confident she wasn´t you returned to your new home.
"Grr i swear i should really just test `eternal pain´ out on you." Coldhearts reception was a lot better than you had expected, you weren´t strapped to a lab table and no chainsaw nearby. "i hope you´re Aware of the risk you are taking if-"
You turned to her, you had just about enough. "STOP! i will have you know that i have never once been unaware of what could happen if this whole Thing goes sideways, because then i´m confident i´ll go down in history as the first execution in millenia. or another nasty fate, so don´t you come to me with risks, because i am Aware of them, but unlike you, i´m not scared of taking them." whew, that had been building for a while.
Coldheart simply Looks at you with her ever present frown. "... Duly noted. Was it worth the risk?"
"most likely, i may have shaken the faith of the most loyal Pony in the world. it´s time to figure out who´s next though."
"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.
~Intermission chapters such as this one will Keep the third Person POV, they run independant from votes and will offer no voting incentive, please vote on chapters without the Intermission title
Prince Blueblood was not having a good day, not at all, first he hears that the Thunderwings broke out of Cloud Haven, then he hears that they´ve started a Revolution and just to top it off that failure of a chief warden only now informed him that the Exile colony he put together for those Pegasus abominations is no longer secret. there was no time left to move them and hardly enough to come up with an excuse for this place´s existance. Celestia was already mad because she thought he had mistakenly arrested them and if she figured out he had been doing this for years already, things could get bad for him.
Princess Celestia never understood him, that was the real Problem she didn´t see a threat in those worker races because she was powerful, but he and the other unicorns, they were meant to rule, they commanded Magic, of course the world was theirs. Those Thunderwings made Pegasi almost as powerful as them, they needed to be detained, their Spirits broken and then isolated so that no one would even miss them. Celestia probably didn´t see things the same way but he was doing this for her too. Equestria was his Nation, he always kept the cabinet and the Senate in line so they wouldn´t bother her.
He was going to have to make her realize that. it was the only way to Keep his beautiful, perfect Nation alive.
"Nephew, I was wondering where you went?" His aunts voice snapped him out of his thoughts.
"OH, Um, my apologies, auntie. I was, in thought about that Terrorist in Manehattan." the prince nervously answered. "I was thinking of ways to stop him before he infects the poor ponies there with his treacherous thoughts."
"Oh not to worry, i´ve sent someponies that can easily Change his mind, he will in time see that his Revolution has nothing to fight for." Princess Celestia seemed very sure of those ponies she sent, would she have it in her to actually send an elite Team of the guards to put him down? maybe a Group of mages to petrify him? "I´m sure Twilight and her friends will convince him to stop his plans in no time at all." Or maybe she was very naive for her Age.
Perhaps now would be a good time to talk to her about it. "Actually, Auntie, i wanted to talk with you about those Thunderwings."
"A horrible misunderstanding that innocent pegasi were locked up just because a guard thought they set off a storm."
"That was no mistake, Auntie, Thunderwings are to dangerous to be free, we have locked them up to assure peace in Equestria, they were always planning to lead the other ponies against you, Thunderstorm is the proof of that."
"What are you saying, Nephew?" her smile was visibly faltering, with her practice at masking her emotions that meant bad things.
Blueblood swallowed before continuing. "I have carefully kept such nonsense at bay, by removing such treacherous individuals from Society, what they did easily warranted Exile so i didn´t bother you with such trivialities, they are kept safely isolated and away from Society so they can never threaten us." He made an effort to Sound convinced that he was doing the right Thing.
Celestias mask had gone completely. "Nephew, did it ever occur to you that i want to know what you do to my Little ponies?"
"the sentencing was obvious, there was no Need to demand from your time for it."
"how Long?" She was almost barking the question.
"what?"
"how Long have you kept this from me?"
"uh, six or seven..."
"months?" her White coat oddly enough managed to pale sllightly.
"years." Blueblood only realized after he spoke it out that the room was suddenly getting warmer.
"so, you´ve secretly gathered ponies that weren´t Content with the way i run things or that showed a certain unique trait from the street and sent them to Exile without my permission or even my knowledge, did i get that right?"
The Prince was sweating heavily now. "umm, well i wouldn´t formulate it like that but... yes?"
"Guards, leave us alone, NOW!"
The guards hedded this immediately, closing the massive throne room doors behind them as they fled the rage of their princess.
"hmm, i´d like to see them again to be honest, it´s been so Long... but there´s something i have to do first. How about this, you get everything ready and i´ll join you at the Train Station once i´m done."
"okay, just be careful, after everything that happened losing you would put a stop to everything we´ve been working for." Gleaming didn´t have to remind you, you knew full well that this Revolution stood and fell with it´s leader. the others could organize, inspire and even plan, but None of them could Keep the Thunderstorm together.
"i´ll be careful, don´t worry." famous last words right there.
Finding the fashionista Rarity, had been amazingly easy, she was well known in Manehattan after all, she was staying at the Palais. a rather high class Hotel famous for Hosting Fashion Shows, big surprise.
okay, first obstacle, front desk. "Excuse me, i´d like to talk with miss Rarity Belle, could you ask if she´s available?"
"who´s asking?" the mare at the front desk was clearly more interested in getting you away from herself, at least that meant she´d work fast.
"I am a bit of a celebrity at the Moment, that´ll have to do." hehe, if only she knew what Kind of celebrity.
the receptionist doesn´t give you so much as a second look as she dials. a short Moment later she sends you up to the twentieth floor, to Rarity´s room. Inside you hear two voices however.
"You see Coco, all it takes is a single bout of Inspiration and you can easily do it, you just have to trust in your abilities." That would be the mare you wanted to talk to. thinking of a way to get the conversation in the direction you wanted, you knock on the door, which is promptly opened to reveal your gracious host. A true Lady indeed that one, well groomed, Frame lithe but not starved and minimal make up to only accentuate the natural perks of her Looks. snap out of it hornywing you got a Mission!
"ah, welcome sir, i was wondering what the secrecy was about."
"i´m not fond of being hassled offstage, a Minimum of secrecy was necessary. Miss Rarity Belle, the rising star of Fashion, i presume." you went off the assumption that talking fancyish made you seem like an actor with the fame to excuse Fashion Shopping and secrecy. it seemed to work well.
"oh, you flatter me dear, but i´m afraid i do not know your Name." Rarity was speaking as pleasant as ever, but you could hear the unspoken demand to identify yourself."
"i have had many names, and have mimicked the immortals that ever inspire the humble. as of today i am known as Fulgur, the Name is not mine, but the one of the stallion looking for awe inspiring clothing here, is that enough?" this was ridiculous to the Point where you should´ve approached pinkie pie with it.
"A stallion of words and Impression i see, but very well, i will let Fulgur slide. i´m sure i have something exactly your style." go figure, it worked. "Coco, please be a dear and leave us alone, this is the list of what i´ll be needing, could you get that for me?"
"Of course, miss Rarity." The younger Pony left the room for her errands.
"A true little angel, that one, Almighty one bless the assistants." you said trying to break off a conversation.
"So very true, Sir. now you strike me as the type for colder Colors, a man of the dramatic, not the warm and comfortable." rarity spoke... odd, as if she meant a lot more than what she said, but this time you had Trouble reading her. "do tell me, sir, what inspired you?"
"at the Moment? the concept of fighting back, surely you´ve heard of Thunderstorm." she served you the Topic on a silver platter so it was high time to bite.
"I have indeed, a lot of it rather flattering too, i admit, to a romantic it may seem like someone who fights for justice, but i believe there are other motives behind his deeds." Welp, that rules out appealing to the romantic in her.
"like what? he has pointed out rather jarring flaws in the way things are currently, why waste time on it if it isn´t his Goal?"
"I´m not sure what he wants to be truthful, but he seems very set on bringing down the same princess that assured peace and harmony for a millenium." Rarity had taken on an accusing tone now. maybe it was time to accuse back.
"the question is always the Price, working in a Business that is surely something you know. and at what Price did celestia buy the peace? who gave?"
"Peace does not just happen, i know that, but i believe that without her is worse than with her." on the bright side you knew where she stood. "and maybe in time that Thunderstorm will realize that."
"maybe, there is always hope for peace, even in the worst of times." you sounded like a script.
"a Quote from your latest Show?" Rarity seems unimpressed.
"showponies give the audience what they Need, be it something to awe at, something to cry with or something to be mad at, the words spoken there are no lies just because of that." you think you saw that film.
"and you have definitely given an admirable Show here. a Little critique on my behalf though, don´t make your cover names too obvious, like the latin word for lightning." ...crud.
just as you finish chastising yourself for your stupidity the door Bursts open and a pair of security stallions hop in, accompanied by her assistant.
"i believe orange would look good on you, and Jumpsuits are all the rage for pegasi too." That White virgin eater just had to set one on top, didn´t she?
"Would you care to explain the punchline of this joke? Because i fail to find it funny, dear miss Rarity." You were in Trouble, but did she know it?
"the rebels call themselves thunderstorms, the Name fulgur, your Little conversations with my friends. your Name is thunderhead, and you are at least a high ranking member of them." Rarity asserted her case rather easy to follow, you had to admit.
"So you accuse me of what exactly? i was invited in by you, i have not threatened you and i have not stolen, so instead of wasting the precious time of our law enforcement you´d best give them a reason to lock me up." oh, now you were just being mean.
"you are a member of thunderstorm." Rarity seemed to be oblivious to something slightly important.
"and i believe that it was not an almighty being that made us, but both of those are opinions."
"That would be true if you were merely displeased but you aid terrorists with what you do." oh, now she was spouting something that wasn´t right.
"How so? doubting the ruler prevents being abused by them, and how do you tell i´m a member?"
Rarity stopped in her tracks, you only now noticed she had been pacing. "you are trying to convince my friends to let thunderstorm overthrow celestia. that isn´t something you come up with out of the blue, you must be one of them."
"who are your friends anyways?" feigning ignorance could work, she couldn´t have more than a description of you.
"Applejack and Rainbow Dash, you are exactly what they described you as."
"never heard of an Applejack, but Rainbow Dash, isn´t she the winner of the best Young Flyers competition?" the mare in front of you was now getting agitated. put a cherry on top and be done with it. "the red of your face bites horribly against your blue eyes by the way." maybe too much?
"you dare, officers, please escort this stallion to prison."
"sorry, ma´am, but we have nothing to Warrant Arrest, hay, he didn´t even try to run or fight. We´d also advise against further false alerts, they get expensive." ah, the lazy branch of the manehattan Police, in their laziness they were at least reliable.
"I didn´t make the rules, Miss, but this is what they are, i´d like them changed too. I think i´ll look to another designer, one that doesn´t want me in jail. That you ever even thought such horrible things of me, for shame." you were Kind of a bastard. but this is as salvageable as the current Situation gets.
You leave the Mare, still working her way out of the shock of the policemen´s announcement. As you get back on the streets you quickly book it to the Train Station, maybe some days off were very much needed right now, but what to do first when you arrive, your old home Held a few fond memories, there was your oldest friend, if he even remembered you, your parents of course, but you weren´t sure how to step under their eyes, or maybe for the best, drive one Station further and Keep away from all of them.
You had spent plenty of time thinking on whether or not you really should take that risk, but seeing as you´d already gotten this far, and the fact that Gleaming would probably geld you if you Keep her from her Colts much longer, you decided to take the plunge and visit your Family, secretly hoping that they would forgive you the actual Trouble you were now getting into.
"Where were you? i swear if you got a battalion of guards on your tail i´ll-"
"I´m glad to have caught the Train too, Gleaming."
You were really not in the mood to talk after almost getting caught earlier and ever since you started to think back to what you did so far you realized they had rather valid reasons to want to put you behind bars again, or probably a more permanent solution this time. apparently it showed, Gleaming´s demeanor changed to a worrying mother in the blink of an eye. How do Mares do that?
"What´s bothering you?"
"what isn´t? Gleaming, no matter how i look at it, what happened at Orange mansion was a massacre on my orders! my orders! breaking out of prison can be talked down to nonexistence but this, this was every bit as bad as it sounds. How can i even look my parents in the eye? how can i possibly face my sister like this? What if i am the Monster that those six Mares in Manehattan make me out to be? ... Sorry, i shouldn´t put this on you."
Smooth move, Genius, you realize that after you did. What Gleaming does next however catches you off guard. She leans up and nuzzles your cheek.
"The question is, do you want to be all that they fear? or all that inspires them? You didn´t take joy in the fights, I could tell, you left it to Inmates with pent up Anger against the high Society that threw them in there, and Mr. Orange, he was dying, sooner or later anyways, by his own drug, no less, one he planned to inject into a mostly innocent. Sure, you could have told the Boys to stop, but i´m not sure if they would have listened. Just remember and be the best you can, no one can ever ask for more. And take it from a mother that knows, yours will be very happy to see you again."
"thanks, maybe you´re right." come to think of it, was it amusement you felt when you depressed that Plunger and injected him with the stuff? it felt a bit different.
Hulk speaks up: "we´re almost there, the Boys that set themselves up here will probably want to see you."
Blitz also signalled that maybe you should first go to your sister. from what you had read in the letters you got she was in the weather Team now, the Bridge between you was ripped apart rather violently, she had watched your Arrest, it was only you and her when they took you away, kicking and screaming. Blitz probably wanted you to let her know you were fine.
Gleaming however didn´t know that. "we should go see them right away, i hope my Boys weren´t giving them too much Trouble.
"Gleaming, please don´t be mad at me, but you´ll have to give me a few minutes." You wisely decided to leap up into the air before she can say anything else, you had made your decision, your sister was the first stop.
the local weather Management Office was located on a few permaclouds above the town, the mare at the front desk was thankfully the nice Kind of secretary and you soon knew where you´d find her.
an errant Group of storm clouds, wild weather as it´s called, and These seemed particularly nasty, black, full of water and some even charged up electrically, this could cause Major Trouble if it unloaded at the wrong place.
And there she was, yelling instructions to the other weather ponies on the clouds that they were, apparently, trying to get to rain themselves out.
"get away from that one it´s charged! that one seems to have spent it´s electricity, now get it to rain! hop carefully, that´s what´s charging them up!" Yup, mom had described in her letters that she´d developed quite the attitude.
"Looks to me like you Need help." She turned around, not recognizing you evidently.
"Sorry, but unless you canshrug off lightning like nothing, this isn´t something you can help with." You smirked.
"Is that so? allow me." You fly up to the nearest cloud, that is crackling with Voltage, any normal Pegasus would fry himself inside out, but to a thunderwing this was a tickle, a thrill even. Sure enough, the second you touch it the voltage seeps into your wings and crackles around them before dissipating, you of course were careful to direct it around your heart, that was the one place where it could still seriously harm you. With the electricity gone a few bucks set the clouds to rain out and the last one finally dissipated them. The deed done you turn to the slack jawed Weather ponies.
"well, that was rather refreshing... don´t you have more things on your route?" That seemed to have snapped them out of their Stupor as all of them, except your sister flew off.
"I´ve seen that before, Thunderwings, what are you doing here."
"You still don´t recognize me, Lightning Dust?" Now you had rattled her memories.
"Thunderhead!" she didn´t give you the time to smile and nod as she had already tackled you in a fierce hug. "You´re back! I heard that you and everyone else broke out and even that you were fine, but you´re here! you´re really and actually here!" At this Point you were both crying, this time however not over being torn apart but over being back together.
"It´s been so Long."
"Ten Years, my sweet Little sister is a big Girl now. I heard you were even in the wonderbolt academy."
"I´ve had... setbacks with that, in fact i´m lucky to have been vouched for to get a second Chance."
"Me popping up in the Background check of you probably didn´t help, i´m sorry."
"NO. never be. this was never your fault. had i been stronger back then."
"hey, i´m the big brother, the guy that´s supposed to protect you."
"Heh, I´m really glad that you´re free, on the run or not, the skies are your home, not the Cage they threw you in."
"you know, with my breakout you´re probably not gonna make the squad, they´ll boot you for being my sister."
"hahaha, as if i Need your help to get booted." You were laughing along, although only halfheartedly, she had a Talent for getting into trouble, simply by overshooting her Goals. "But tell me, have you been home yet? We get no lifesign from you for days and then some stranger Drops off two foals and a letter from you before all goes quiet again." That question now, was a bit uncomfortable.
"yeah, i guess i should let them know... how are they?"
Lightning Dust´s mood seems to diminish a bit "Worried, Mom doesn´t want me to know, but she gets up early in the morning and then stares out of the window, i think she´s really hoping for you to return."
"then i won´t make her wait any longer." you turned back towards the ground.
"Heh, my shift´s over anyways, Race you there!" and she already shot past you.
You lost, plain and simple. you were never a Speed Flyer but lightning dust had both Speed and endurance, if skill was the Thing the wonderbolts wanted they´d beg her to join.
"Hahah Woo!" Lightning Dust cheered, then her eyes open and shoulders droop. "Guess the years behind bars weren´t Kind on your flying."
"Hey, we got to Train our wings against athropy, just as much as the common rights dictate, but still." You tried to assure her. "besides i got plenty of practice in outflying supposedly fast ponies, the Guards aren´t slackers... well, not the ones in that City anyways" You remembered just in time not to tell too much.
Ahead you spot the rest of your Entourage. "I´d like to introduce you too some good friends of mine." You said just as you walked up to them. "These here are Gleaming, Hulk and Blitz."
Lightning takes a look at them. "that one Looks like you... as a mare."
"Her Name is Blitz, she´s a thunderwing like me too." Blitz gives a whistle as she extends her hoof to shake Lightning dust´s. "She´s mute, i tend to Forget that since i learned to understand her."
"Lightning dust, pleasure´s all mine."
"The giant here is Hulk, my former cellmate and a real bro, also he´s Blitz´s coltfriend so don´t get your hopes up."
"all the good ones are taken, huh?" Lightning dust jokes.
"If she wants a ride on that Pony she just has to ask nicely" Blitz gesticulated.
"what´d she say?"
Hulk decided to be direct: "If you wanna ride me just ask her. and as a personal note, please don´t tempt me." on that, Blitz elbowed him in the ribs.
You decided to speak up again. "Finally this here is gleaming metal, she´s the mother of the two Colts i sent you."
"Nice to meet you, miss, your Kids are awesome." Lightning Dust shook her hoof as soon as it was offered.
"I hope they weren´t too much of a bother, i really wish i could say we´re here to take them off your hooves." Gleaming stated solemnly.
"Brother, you mind telling me what she means? And don´t worry, miss, as I said, they´re awesome, well behaved too." Your sister reassured her.
"we´re not gonna be able to stay, not yet anyways." You were pretty sure saying that just now actually wounded you, it felt like your heart was bleeding anyways.
Lightning Dust apparently shared that Sentiment. "But, but we only got you back!" You could see it in her eyes, she knew why you couldn´t.
"And i´m gonna make the most of it while i can, let´s see mum and dad, okay?" you had to get her mind off things, she wasn´t dumb, if she caught on she was liable to put herself in danger.
"Yeah, let´s." the odd look she gave you let you know she was probably already suspecting something.
As you walk up to the front door of your house you felt dread coming on, it was not only worry about how they might react to you, something else seemed off. You stop for a second to look around, sure enough everything was quiet. and that really meant everything.
"Guys, be at the ready, something´s strange here." You instruct your companions, as you steel your nerves and open the door. Inside everything was dark, it was beginning to creep you out.
"hello?" you carefully asked as the others entered behind you. In an instant the lights went on and you were greeted by streamers and confetti.
"Surprise!" there were your parents, gleaming´s Colts... your ex inmates? how did they know? and a pink mare you´ve never seen before that was now getting right into your face.
Okay, after your brain finally managed to catch up with her words, you got the gist. Her Name was Pinkie Pie and her sense told her something really needing a celebration, two Family reunions at once, was going to be here and she just had to come.
"two Family reunions, that´s like the super duper biggest Party emergency ever!"
sure enough you´d managed to enjoy yourself, deciding against being a spoilsport you introduced everyone, the inmate´s that went here were luckily just harmless thieves... you made a mental note to check them before letting them out though.
With the Party well underway by now you managed to grab a hold of pinkie pie and pull her aside.
"How did you know all this, and what else do you know?" You were on a short fuse with her being so Close to your Family and possibly figuring you out completely.
Apparently pinkie noticed. as she had stopped bouncing and even her smile was almost normal size. "You remind me of cranky, but i learned how to talk with frowny ponies."
Nope, not taking that bait. "Well then, talk."
she closed her mouth, still a small smile on her lips maybe her mouth just was that way. "okay, the pinkie sense makes a lot of ponies think i´m crazy and makes them say mean things behind my back, but it´s never failed me, i just felt that someone was about to have a really happy day begging for celebration, someone that just walked by me on the Station and entered the Train, you."
"okay, i´m just gonna let that slide because a friend already told me a bit about you. now as you can probably see, These are friends and Family of mine and i don´t want anything bad to happen to them, so no one must know about my visit here, i couldn´t do that to them."
"okie dokie lokie, you are not a bad Pony but somepony who thinks you are might be mean to them for being your Family, that´s what you mean, right?"
"yeah, that about sums it up, can i trust you?"
"cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye. no one will know about this Party."
"that´s good, you see my sis-" You were interrupted by gleaming.
"thunder, you may wanna see this, Apple Cobbler is on air."
You went to the living room, Gleaming and her Colts weren´t there, she probably took them out of the room.
the Television was on, in it the familiar Face of Apple Cobbler.
"Good day, everypony, I´m reporting here from what is supposedly an Exile colony, whereas Labor camp is definitely the better term. Pegasi, bearing the rare trait of thunderwings are being grounded through shackles and hard work, made to do Tasks that the comparably light Pegasus Physique isn´t meant to do."
The footage might have as well been a Horror Story of a Diamond dog Gulag, only above the ground. pegasi in Groups were moving millstones, breaking down a cliffside, all for the sake of shoveling the dirt back up to match the size of the old cliff, the labour was pointless, only meant to exhaust them enough to make them unable to fight, only when they dropped from Exhaustion were their wings allowed a short time of freedom, just enough to prevent Lasting damage.
Apple Cobbler continues. "to think that such atrocities happen right under Celestia´s nose, only a week ago i would´ve thought it ridiculous, but here i see with my own eyes what those who were given power by her are doing with it."
The Pictures now showed more pegasi, breaking the shackles and chains open. many were also seen attacking the guards and binding them up instead.
"Thunderstorm sent me the knowledge of this place, as well as a Team of trusted members to tear it down. he himself might have wound up here, where your life or happiness are not meaning anything to those in power. We can expect to hear from him directly soon, he said that things like this will not stand, and now that the Thunderwings are freed, the truth about their Exile out, now he will no longer hold back. and in hopes that his dreams of a better Equestria come to past, i too say goodbye."
He sure learned how to do it.
It was all silent in the living room, your parents were in shock, tears were welling up in your mother´s eyes.
"that, could´ve been you, breaking your back just so you´d be too tired to fly, to tired to walk, to live..."
She throws her forehooves around you squeezing you tightly.
"they´re out of their minds they are! bastards! inbred pin for Brains! all of them!"
Dad had put it rather colorfully, but you decided against agreeing, his heart wasn´t the best anymore and you wanted to avoid him getting worked up.
"... Brother, this has to Change. screw the wonderbolts this is too important!"
Lightning dust finally, surprised you.
"Dusty, what exactly are you planning?"
She turns to you now.
"seek out that thunderstorm dude and join up!"
"the wonderbolts will never take you in if you do that, your life´s dream, heck i´m still certain that babbling before your first word was "sowun" or soarin as i´d translate!"
"dreams are nice and all, but i just woke up. I can´t just go to the academy, run laps and Loop through rings if i know that you´re still in danger."
She too joins the hug and after a second of hesitation dad is in on it too.
"then we go to manehattan, lightning. i think you´d be surprised who it is."
then you finally noticed something you should´ve thought important earlier.
Your day had gone agreeably enough, thanks in no small part to the fact that Coldheart had gotten a bunch of actual patients and slipped into the caring good Nurse role.
Now you were sitting in Lady liberty´s crown, awaiting Your Special guest, and trusting in her curiosity delivering her to you.
"umm, excuse me, sir?" As if on cue, the voice of a mare takes you back to the present. a mare with dark blue hair bearing a pink streak in it.
"punctually as a clock, it appears you have the scientific precision down at least. the Name is Gene, Gene Splicer, Doctor in biochemistry and direct organic Manipulation."
You decided to be the scientist in full, from what coldheart said this was the only Approach where you wouldn´t be obstructed by her worship of celestia.
"Twilight sparkle, i actually read your Dissertation on the Elimination of hereditary sickness."
"ah, i remember that, cancelled because the nobles believed it would falsify their bloodlines,"
"You have so many wonderful ideas, you could really help equestria, why are you doing all this."
"Miss Sparkle, are you Aware of the process of science? of the theories put to the test, about the risk of failure?"
"of course, one enters an Experiment knowing one could fail."
"the ponies volunteering and their families always say they are Aware and can handle it, they lie. they don´t consider the possibility of failure, they expect miracles."
"and when you can´t meet them."
"they try to kill you, and a wanted Pegasus saves your life."
"oh... that´s why." Her ears folded back, she had heard the Story of course, but apparently your Name hadn´t made it to the media.
"only at first though. He asked me to look into something, and i must say i didn´t know celestia had it in her."
"what do you mean?"
"she would actually go so far as to silence Opposition by force, and has done so since shortly after nightmare moon."
Twilight is evidently shocked. "that... no, she wouldn´t ever do that."
"it is even the reason the elements of harmony shunned her, the reason she Needs you and your friends. She has by choice made herself unworthy, to cling to things staying the same. only when Change is unavoidable does she arrange for it to happen under her conditions."
She shakes her head. "the common rights, electricity, outreach in understanding, are that not reforms she made."
"common rights had been fought for bloodily, only when the royal guard was on it´s knees did she sign it, after the last witnesses perished of Age she claimed it was her idea. Electricity was invented 900 years ago, it was made public 200 years back and that was because he showed it to other ponies before presenting it to the princess, like his predecessor did. outreach to other nations, there was a Petition for it, 999 years back, the mare delivering it was never heard from again, it did go through because every day ponies would protest for peace, i found out what happened to that mare."
You throw the newspaper before her hooves, the Headline speaking of a stolen statue from the gardens. "the mare with the scroll" officially a Piece of art. that same statue you unveil now.
"but why don´t we ask her ourselves?"
You cast the spell and soon cracks appear over her surface, finally the statue breaks and a mare Drops to the ground.
the trainride back had been quiet mostly, Lightning dust shaking in anticipation of what she was going to do. You had by now confirmed with Blitz and Hulk that you were undisturbed now, so you decided to speak up.
"lightning, are you positively sure about doing this?"
"absolutely."
"then i´ll let you in on something, i know Thunderstorm."
"You do?"
"I know him very well actually, it is for your sake that he hides his face, my face."
She was just silent, probably recalling everything that happened. "so, the breakout, the protests, the Actions of the rebels, the rebels themselves, that whole Thing is you?"
"yes. i couldn´t tell mom or dad, but with you planning to join there´s really no other way than letting you in on it."
She thinks over everything again before she starts to laugh. "bwahahahaha! man, if mom knew that you became a celebrity after all."
"she won´t! is that clear? she´d have a breakdown and dad would have a heart attack!" that shut her up quickly.
"you´re right, they would..."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Blueblood. two days back ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This was bad, worse, the WORST. POSSIBLE. THING!! Not only had that wannabe warden given away your Exile colony, but now they were freed and out for revenge, your Name had never been mentioned but your Paranoia towards the lower tribes was known, they were just waiting for a Chance to remove the unicorns, the race meant to rule. the Thunderwings had the power to do so, and the Plebeians were now firmly behind them for sure.
"umm, your highness?"
"WHAT?!" you snapped at the servant. something you did rather often, you found that it helped with the burning pains of your full Body scorch marks.
"the warden said he had an important Name for you."
"..."
Not even ten minutes later you were at his Holding cell.
"Speak!" you had no Patience for the fool.
"i think i know who is hiding under that thunderstorm mask" who knew, the fool actually could brighten up your day.
This was just crazy, but it actually made sense, your brother always had that effect on ponies, no wonder he quickly got together the inmates, then the ponies and now a whole resistance.
there was no doubt to you, he´d never be taken in again, he wouldn´t let them, he was changing the world now. "why did you hide that from me?"
"so you wouldn´t get hurt." your brother had changed himself too, he wasn´t the outgoing but slightly wimpy colt they pulled away from you in tears. you ha dboth cried that day, and you were more determined than ever to become a wonderbolt and hopefully help him. he had now grown up and was helping himself.
"i see.... we´re almost there."
"we are."
soon enough the Train pulls into the Station. you both get up and prepare to leave the Train.
as you step outside however all you hear is a loud "LOOK OUT!" and you see a pink blur where your brother was before a sharp pain in your chest turns everything around you black.
You were lying in wait, the target had been seen Boarding this Train and figuring that he was coming here was not difficult. The preparations had been made, the objective was clear, deescalate the Situation before it got worse.
The view was good, the arrow sharp and the aim not too difficult, right in the heart, and it would be over.
You tensed up as you saw the Train rolling into the Station, your Agent had told you which car, and there he was, in your sights Standing still and talking to a mare.
hold breath, aim, pull the Trigger. you had learned this Mantra to fully steady your aim and as you were sure it would hit true, you pulled.
what no amount of Training could prepare you for was a loud noise and a pink blur Tackling your target down after you pulled the Trigger. neither did it offer any ways to compensate for collateral damages, as your bolt instead hit the mare behind him.
Getting back to your hooves you saw what had happened, that pink blur, probably the pink Pony, had tackled you to the side, but now she was gone, the bolt meant for you hit lightning dust instead.
"HULK! to the shelter! Blitz, alert Coldheart MOVE IT!"
Blitz shot off, Hulk meanwhile leant down to pick up lightning, Gleaming was keeping a lookout in case any more attempts were made. You caught a glimpse of a Pegasus in what looked to be a matted metallic armor, didn´t look like royal guard though, he had already gotten out of reach.
the second Hulk had a proper grip on her he too hurried off, you didn´t immediately fly after them though. That arrow was meant for you, they knew who you were and when you´d be here, this meant that hiding in the shadows and behind a mask weren´t going to work anymore.
You took a lap around the City, the spook of a murderer with a crossbow did miracles to empty the streets, royal gaurd and Police force rushing around like headless chicken, and you knew for a fact that now it was irredeemably going to come to a storm. you had to make a few calls before that.
You shot off, Thunderhead kept calm even when there was a knife at his throat normally, when he got this worked up it was important.
Arriving back at the hideout you literally leaped over and under anything in your way and knocked Coldhearts door down. She of course wasn´t all that thrilled.
"this had better be either a good reason or your hormones."
Thunder´s sister is injured, there´s an arrow in her chest she Needs help, you have to prepare, hulk is bringing her here!
of course with your sign language it was anyone´s guess.
"in a thunderstorm you took amor´s arrow for a bear?"
A smack of your hoof to your face made it clear enough that she was wrong. You now gesticulated like a doctor washing his hooves for an Operation.
"Oh! you want me to prepare for something?"
you nod, just as Hulk barges in and carefully lays lightning dust on the stretcher. Coldheart immediately by her side.
"i see, get out and Close the remains of the door."
You both leave her to her work, and decide to go do first aid on the poor guys that were in hulk´s way.
Your Kids made you proud, that was never a question, both had strength, were brave, if a Little reckless and an immense amount of ability.
Thunderhead... what had happened to your poor son that you had almost lost twice by now? first a lightning strike tears him from the skies, only for him to survive it and even adapt, then it Comes out that he is a thunderwing and while he and lightning came home from School they just up and took him away.
Then there was Lightning Dust, a Little overachiever she was, always scoring perfectly and still not satisfied with that. that´s how she had gotten herself hurt so often, and as you heard she almost got kicked from her life´s dream that way.
And now your Little last ray of sunshine and your Long lost son had reconnected, and gone to manehattan to join danger incarnate. Not that you didn´t agree, but anyone with him was always in danger.
those thoughts were revolving around you as you looked out the window, the same way you had often caught your wive doing, until the telephone rang.
"Thunder residence, who am i talking to?"
"dad, it´s me."
"thunderhead? isn´t it dangerous to call me?
"not anymore, the cover´s blown anyways. Dad, i Need you to sit down, take your heart medicine and listen carefully, what i´m about to tell you will hjit a bit hard, but i wanted to be the one you hear it from."
he sounded very serious.
"did something happen with lightning?"
"dad, your medicine."
and he was irritating, you quickly fetched those infernal pills and gulped down a hooffull.
"i took it and am sitting, now speak."
"we were attacked, lightning got hurt."
"what?"
"it´s because they figured out who´s behind the mask."
Wait a Moment, when your son came here thunderhead´s appearances and sightings in manehattan had stopped. that meant...
"y-you. YOU! after ten years you return, pretend everything´s fine, drop off a pair of foals for us to worry after, start a Revolution, drag your sister into it AND GET HER HURT?!"
"dad, please, stop shout-"
"I´LL SHOUT AS MUCH AS I DAMN WELL- ARRRRRRRRGH!"
"dad? DAD!"
the Receiver hung listlessly from the Counter of the phone, over the prone stallion underneath.
The second you properly got that your father was having a heart attack over there you slammed the receiver and dialed up the hospital for the emergency, best thing you could do now was hope.
you knock your head onto the phone booth, this was never meant to go so wrong. As if lightning getting hurt wasn´t bad enough, you had gotten your dad so worked up his heart gave out, and you had the dreadful feeling that wasn´t the worst of what was going to happen, a small part of you, wanted to just curl up and cry, similar to how you had in the beginning of your time in cloud haven...
No, you had to move forward, they knew who you were, which honestly made your mask rather useless,you were gonna have to ditch it before they make the dramatic reveal.
As you hear hear hooffalls behind you, you whip around. Splicer stood there with a solemn expression, with him were two mares, one who looked in wonder at everything and which you didn´t recognize. The other however, making an effort to hide behind your scientist you recognized without trouble
"came to rub in how your assasin did his job?" you snapped at her.
"Thunderhead, please remember your manners, she is actually here to help." Splicer was talking calmly, something you currently found rather difficult.
You take a few deep breaths to calm yourself. "how much does she know?"
"enough. I´m sorry, but Coldheart, with our Equipment, can, at best, stabilize Lightning Dust, we will have to trust her to do the right Thing."
"i admit defeat, splicer, this round´s to you, but she´s wearing a blindfold till we´re there."
You made a note to ask splicer if he drugged her, she walked almost delirious, only paying proper Attention when aiding Lightning dust. You had stayed in the room and kept hulk around, just in case.
Lightning dust laid there, still motionless, as Coldheart assured you however she was not in danger anymore. Twilight sparkle had saved your sister, and gotten a glimpse at what you and your base of operations looked like, this would end badly, very badly.
You are torn from your thoughts when the purple mare appears to have overcome her shyness and began talking to you. "You are Lightning Dust´s brother, right?"
"among many other reasons we´ll never really get along, you and your friends appear to spell bad luck to our Family in bold letters."
"the wonderbolt academy was an accident-"
"that you caused, i looked at the reports, the academy is a Pegasus only Zone to begin with, aircraft of any sort are prohibited from entering in two square miles."
"and rainbow dash vouched for her."
"least she could do after pinning it on her. as a wingpony it was her duty to prevent it."
"you´re gonna hold against anything i say, aren´t you?"
"you caught me. no wait, actually we caught you."
"listen, the attack on her-"
"on me, hitting her was an accident... thanks to your pink friend, by the way."
"she probably couldn´t save you both."
"never said i blame her... i do that to myself already... Well what´s it gonna be? you were all sent looking for me, here i am. and i owe you more than i could ever hope to repay. ask me to come along and that will be the end of me. Of course, the Revolution is at this Point unstoppable, the assasin kicked it loose when he shot an innocent wonderbolt Trainee. I could take command and try to avoid bloodshed, that is my promise if you take it. You could also just ask me to give you the key to luna´s collar, i heard the bad dreams in equestria increased since she stopped Stalking the sleep of others."
It had been some time since you talked with twilight, and she had surprised you. She took your offer of turning yourself in and under boos from the crowd you entered canterlot, wings shackled again and paraded around for all of them to laugh at.
"miss twilight, you disappoint me." that was really all you got out before you once more had the back end of a spear in your side.
"you offered me the Chance to ensure equestria´s safety and thought i wouldn´t take it?" the Unicorn sneered at you, rather pleased with herself.
"no, i hoped you would see that you doomed it. OOF!" the guards at your sides apparently were acquainted, you normally didn´t memorize faces worth forgetting, so you weren´t sure.
"Your hopes to grab the power from the princess were self delusion, but i will put in a good word for you for surrendering. i heard grounding doesn´t hurt worse than a bee sting and after that you might even be released, give or take a few years at an asylum."
"you unicorns haven´t done that since the last tribe wars it were your own kin that called it too cruel."
"and we make an exception just for you, isn´t that nice."
"oh yes, okay, joke´s over, princess Luna, you slipped up."
Sure enough you were in the starry lit dreamscape again, the rather peeved princess of the night glaring at you. Twilight had, of course, taken the key to Splicers collar, which subsequently turned to dust and disappeared, returning to Luna the full scale of her powers, including the Manipulation of dreams, something Splicer had wisely proofed your hideout against, Dreamcatchers were rather useful when enchanted correctly.
"we believed our Performance adequate."
"but twilight is way too naive to know about a Piece of history that has been glossed over for the sake of the unicorns. Besides, your previous visits enabled my subconscious to anticipate your presence and counteract any Manipulation... or something, i wasn´t entirely listening to Splicer when he explained."
"hmph, i wanted to make you see what awaits you in canterlot."
"for arguments, sake, let´s assume the royal guard and the ponies there still put up with your sister, my friends would never let me get dragged off again."
The dreamscape shifted again, but this time you painted the Picture, it wasn´t pretty, stormclouds angrily delivered their lethal payload as thunderwings soared along the grounds, tailed by lightnings which were lashing out at anyone in their way. Canterlot was burning.
"they would stop short of nothing to bring me back, the same confrontation you seeked to prevent would be inevitable, they could not be reasoned with while i am in chains, needless to say what they will do without me to assure them that vengeance is not our Goal. Despite everything, even now it isn´t, but it would be. No one would ever forgive you."
"you have drawn this from your nightmares, you do not want that."
"neither of us does, thanks to your sniper it escalated in ways that are nothing short of disastrous. I will try to prevent the worst, but if Celestia won´t step of her pedestal to meet us..."
"after everything you´ve done, you still seek for your silver tongue to charm me?"
"I have said many things to you, but lies were never among them, Nightmare moon, Neither have i ever lied to my subordinates, as she did when pretending you were the prisoner of the nightmare demon, glossing over that the demon was you!"
"SILENCE! do not presume to know what you are talking about, such demons are very much real, they exist in us, feed on our negativity until they overthrow us and take our place, nightmare moon is not separate in Body, but she is my demon, and you are well underway to be enslaved by yours. that is a warning you had best heed."
Princess Luna didn´t mind the Moment of silence after her warning to him, it meant she had found something he knew no comeback to, she wished she had been right in that when the reply came.
It wasn´t his voice speaking anymore, not entirely, his wings crackled with the power he normally commanded as it detached from him, a Pegasus shape made of pure electricity walked up to her and snarled in the warped Version of his voice.
"Heh, you are right, there is an inner demon in him, he doesn´t know of me of course, I am his resentment incarnate, you should know about the likes of me very well, Luna, remember our good times?"
"Nightmare?"
"that´s what you called yours, princess of dreams, i am thunderstorm, born from betrayal, like all of us."
The dreamscape shifted again showing a bipedal figure kneeling before a statue and beating against it.
"betrayal, big or small creates resentment, a former Student of your dear sister, disgraced and trapped in another world for her curiosity."
Sure enough a demon Version of the creature became visible, seemingly planning to raise an army and conquer equestria.
"and our Goal is always the same, to make the one that wronged us pay."
Luna could see now that between the electro Pegasus, the demonic alicorn many more warped figures had joined, in different states of being posessed by their desire for vengeance they all stood, surrounding the princess of the sun.
"she has made so many mistakes but clings to claiming that only she could Keep peace, if that peace creates us, maybe it´s a bad peace?"
She saw once more Thunderhead´s memories, the one of him being ripped from his sister´s arms, dragged to cloud haven, put in shackles and thrown in a cell, a whole night spent crying for his parents to come save him, until finally an older stallion picked him up and put him in the bunk bed, telling him to rest up. this time however she heard the spoken words of the Little colt.
"Why do they do that?"
"because they don´t like what we are."
"what?"
"our wings, our strength, they don´t care if we´re bad ponies when we´re stronger than they approve of."
"that isn´t fair!"
She was ripped out of the Memory.
"I didn´t have a happy birthday, but since then i´ve grown, and how couldn´t I ? He never had anything better to do than look up all injustice in the world, for ten years he researched, connected dots and drew the Picture of what celestia is really like, a feast, i tell you."
"he doesn´t see her for what she is trying to do. she didn´t mean to hurt so many."
"but she did, and that´s what matters, his mind is a torn up place, there´s me as his vengeance, the Little colt as his identity, and the grown leader of the rebels as his self. and with every undeserved strike of fate he suffers the other two grow closer to releasing me. that´s when the mitts come off, that´s when i will hunt you and all of canterlot down. You want nightmares? wake up then, you have entered one that Celestia made."
You awoke in a cold sweat, remembering everything that had been said in your dreams. Did a small part of you actually get posessed? that could turn out badly if it´s true.
"I´ll have to ask Splicer to look into that... bah, he´s busy enough with real Problems."
getting up. you remember that you had contacted Apple Cobbler about a proper speech you were going to hold. It was high time, if not overdue to get the proper revolt underway and that meant going public, including your identity.
Sure enough your Little base of operations was abuzz with activity and in the whole City supporters of you were getting ready to properly kick out the royal guards and end the curfews, even the majority of the Police was onboard by now. Mainly because you had taken the liberty of ratting out a few parts of the Underground that honestly deserved it. Sapper had asked more than once why you did that when their goons could be helpful to you. Your answer had been simple, if a bit confusing.
"there are harmless thieves, brutal Robbers, and manipulative mobsters. the former get by with crime because it´s all they have, the second vent their Anger and lose control, the last are looking to make Profit, those guys i hate passionately. they´re like politicians, only worse."
Sapper dropped the subject after that, probably to wrap his head around it first.
You smirked as you remembered the look on his face, a smirk that fell when you came to the infirmary, Lightning Dust had woken up by now, but the experience had definitely left her shaken. You really wanted to visit her, but Coldheart wouldn´t have it... ah what the hay, you´re the Boss here.
"Coldheart, open up."
"I already said no."
"I just want to talk with her, check if she´s better, besides, doesn´t family have visiting rights?"
"not if that visit threatens to worsen her condition."
"... what?"
"I´m sorry thunderhead but whenever i mentioned your Name her pulse skyrocketed and she was hiding under the covers, near death experiences can mess with your head, i´m afraid she has made a Connection between you and the arrow in her chest."
"She thinks that I´ll hurt her?"
"Thunderhead, she will come to terms with it eventually, but until she wants to see you i cannot let you in."
"... I get it... alright. Later."
You trotted off, Coldheart knew what she was doing, she wouldn´t lie about that. Hulk walked up to you.
"Boss, everything is set, this evening the media and the People of manehattan will watch as we officially make the City ours. We´re about to take it to reality."
"thanks Hulk. How´s Blitz?"
"peeved at staying in, but i told her why, she understands, she doesn´t like it but she understands."
"heh, maybe the guys who think me and her are related are on to something. Well, time for me to get dressed."
~~Lightning Dust~~
You had kept quiet as Nurse Coldheart shooed Thunderhead out, now you were leaving your hiding place under your covers as the Nurse came up to your bed.
"Sooner or later he´ll lose Patience, i found out a while ago that at some Point he stops listening to reason."
"Family sickness, we all got that from papa. How is he by the way?"
"Thunderstruck is expected to make a full recovery, somepony anonymously alerted the Hospital there just in time."
"Thunderhead."
"Probably. But why do you refuse to see him, don´t worry it is under confidentiality."
"because i am afraid?"
"why?"
"the arrow..."
"the arrow that hit you?"
"no, the arrow that was meant for him."
~~a few hours later, Apple Cobbler~~
You couldn´t believe it, at least half the City was on the streets, Banners raised, the familiar lightning bolt splintering the equestrian eclipse painted on their faces or masks, they were being serious.
A few riot cops and policecolts, as you noticed they too were with thunderstorm had surrounded you and other Reporters, they really wanted you to see everything though.
"Film reel, you got all this?"
"sure do Cobbler, and it´s incredible, they´re on the street, the shouting the Frustration over the princess but not a single Stone has flown yet."
"Don´t jinx it, when that starts we´re in the middle of a battlefield here."
Sure enough the rioters were marching up to town hall, and at the lead were thunderstorm along with his closest followers. Upon arriving there they were met with the royal guard, the whole Company stood assembled as their leader trotted to the front.
"I am Sergeant Ironhide! break this illegal riot up immediately or you will be met with force!"
He didn´t have to wait Long for an answer.
"I am Thunderstorm! Break this illegitimate Occupation of a free City up immediately or be met with the reaper!"
"I do not bow to terrorists!"
"I do not bow to tyrants!"
Film reel had her own commentary of course.
"just another political debate..."
"they´re getting to the good part."
"In her majesties Name you´re all under Arrest resistance will be met with-"
He didn´t get to finish the sentence as a bolt of lightning shot up into the sky.
"Are you listening now? good, because i will tell you something now, you waltz into this City, lock up the ponies, the Police and even the militia from here, Gas a bunch of foals, attack Reporters, disrupt crime investigations and all that in the Name of celestia and honestly expect that the ponies here still listen to anything you say at all? Not happening. Now here´s the Thing, you pack your bronzed tin can plot into a chariot, get the buck out of manehattan on the double, or risk your life for somepony you don´t even believe in, i know you are all just in for the salary."
"Guards! Use of force authorized, take them down!" With that bellow the Guards charged, into the bolts from the thunderwings and the rage of the rioters.
Once more, Film reel had something to say. "maybe it´s the helmets cutting off the circulation to their Brains, but i get the distinct Impression the royal guard are stupid."
You didn´t have the words to mouth an objection, too focused on the sheer number of apparent thunderwing pegasi, many of them were probably fresh out of the Exile colony, even in their state they wanted to fight... they were definitely a step up from anypony you had ever seen.
The Guard sergeant was exactly who you needed opposing you, stiff, unrelenting, and unreasonable, the guards were actually initiating the attack and the stallions between them and you were your best fighters, lead by None other than your doting father, Khan.
with him in the way, the Guards would probably not even be able to touch you.
Not that they would anyways, seeing as some form of barrier is now Holding both sides back... inside you spot six rather familiar Mares, oh joy...
You could hardly finish that thought as you felt yourself pulled into the barrier and see that the guard Sergeant is opposite to you.
Twilight Sparkle spoke up first. "What exactly are the two of you thinking?"
You were at a loss of words, mostly because you made sure to Keep as much distance as possible between yourself and the ponies you were sure would try attacking you.
Twilight continued. "I´ve seen your motivations, as well as gotten my faith in celestia decisively shaken, but if you continue like this, you will only bring yourself down, you´re going in for a confrontation with the royal guard here, this isn´t secession, protest or politics, you´re about to spark a civil war!"
That had made you flinch. Something the Guard Sergeant apparently saw as a victory, judging by his grin A short lived victory, as Twilight next turned to him. "And you, Sergeant i honestly expected better from what is supposedly Equestria´s finest, for you to lose your temper over words and nearly attacking civilians."
You had the bad memories of getting scolded at School for getting into a fight bubbling up but supressed the urge to justify yourself, mostly because every Argument you could bring sounded plain stupid to yourself.
Twilight turned back to you. "what happened with you is only now beginning to come out, what happened to the thunderwings as a whole is terrible, i can honestly understand why you have no faith in Celestia, but shouldn´t you, of all ponies, know to let others that have faith in her make their own choice, if they´d rather secede you can all do that non-violently."
"..."
You had no words, she had caught you off guard and outsmarted you, taking a glance to the Sergeant he looked ashamed of what he´d almost done.
You decided to speak up. "After everything i already did, you still don´t think me too unreasonable to listen?"
Twilight looked at you and you swore she was seeing your eyes when she said it. "You are not like some of the things you did... there´s something else behind that, someone else. You by yourself, are not the soulless Monster Applejack sees in you, nor the criminal Rarity saw, you are the bitter colt i have seen and the angry Stallion Dash sees in you, you are also the loving brother Pinkie pie told me about."
The last part sent a certain pink Pony hiding behind a yellow Pegasus, a sheepish grin on her face. "err, healing Magic emergency, i had to tell twilight everything."
"It´s fine... it spoke in my favor..." you quickly assured her you were not mad about the pinkie promise Thing.
The Sergeant had found his voice again as well. "So this is gonna stay a standoff out there?"
Twilight turned to him again "No, Sergeant, after what almost happened the best move would be to withdraw, seeing as practically the whole City is against Celestia right now, letting them secede peacefully might be the only Option that won´t lead to a catastrophe."
You decided to add in. "they mostly listen to me, but by this Point i couldn´t exactly stop them anymore... Same as at the mansion... I didn´t reign them in, and ponies died. at this Point however the difference is, i have no way to stop the entire angry mob, unless i can tell them we won."
Applejack gave you a glare for bringing that up, though it was a smidge less venomous this time, maybe she had caught on to the hidden apology.
The Sergeant spoke next. "How can we do that without the City falling into anarchy?"
"Hey, the Thunderstorms are hardly a disorganized pack of Diamond Dogs, not only do we have a structure, but we also got the cops, all of them. I promise you right here, right now, cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye, that hostilities are over the second we see you retreating." You quickly went through the motions, knowing full well that with that assasin, there was a good Chance this would come back to bite you in the plot.
Twilight quickly reassured him that this promise was more serious than his oath of Service, before lowering the barrier. You took this as the sign to turn to your followers and raise your forehooves, making them stop in mild confusion. "It´s fine, they are leaving, peacefully."
Hearing this, the cops quickly opened their ranks, until it was time for Khan and his Inmates to drop their weapons as well. they walked to the front, Khan coming right up to you.
"Kiddo, These bastards are not getting out just like that."
"they are Khan, as i promised them."
"well, this was gonna happen at some Point anyways, bye, Kiddo."
The last Thing you saw clearly, was his hoof coming at your face before it sent your helmet scattering around in pieces and threw you down, the last Thing you heard was the roar of him and his Inmates.
You didn´t know how much time had passed when you awoke, but you noticed immediately that you were back at the hideout, in the medical parts of it, getting treated by Coldheart.
"took you Long enough, you´ll probably be happy to hear that you were the only one i wouldn´t wish it on to get hurt two days ago."
"two days... where..."
"Twilight and her friends got out, as did the royal guard. Khan splintered our movement though, about half of the thunderwings, and practically everyone we recruited from criminals, gangs or the ex inmates ran off with him, a few places we set up in other cities also stopped answering the phone so they´re probably with him."
You hadn´t really been listening any further after the part that confirmed that Khan, the single stallion of Cloud Haven you looked up to had betrayed you.
You remembered your Arrival, how he took you under his wing, how he told you to be strong, how he made you strong up until they placed him in an Isolation Cell.
It was his word that got you the respect of many of the inmates in the first place, it was also his idea to Piece together a revolt when he saw your natural ability to short out the Systems...
Come to think of it, he was your Inspiration. The Stallions around him were the ones from... orange mansion... It added up in a way you absolutely didn´t like.
You had been used, Khan had actually made you a perfect breakout tool and now that you started doing your own thing he tossed you aside.
From what Coldheart told you, after he knocked you out the whole crowd behind you was in chaos, which he and the criminals you recruited used to get out, followed shortly after by the guard who had to decide between pursuing them and attacking civilians. The only good Thing about the whole mess was, that you now knew that you could trust the ones that stayed behind with you.
The Police on your payroll had in the meantime smoked out the remaining gang nests in manehattan, thanks to Information Sapper provided, when it counted he was with you.
most of your trusted second in commands were still around, thankfully. As were the guys you recruited from low wage workers and the hobos... the latter had shown skills you´d sooner expect to find in the jungle.
"alright, about half of them is still with me, did i get that right, Coldheart?"
"Correct."
"and the beating i took is probably all over the media by now?"
"yes."
"oh joy... can we do damage control on the matter?"
"You declared the secession of manehattan and the lands of the County and were beaten down by one of your own underlings. the message that sends is not one of strength."
"The first order of Business once i´m out of here is to really make it official then. They have to know that i´m still going through with this."
"I´d rather suggest we distance ourselves from Khan first, he is no doubt up to something and unless we burn the Bridge it will lead the Problems he makes back to us."
Lightning Dust had let you brood to yourself for some time, when Coldheart had explained Khan´s relation to you she thought it better to let you sort out your thoughts.
"actually, his betrayal, may be the best Thing to happen, Thunderhead."
"what?"
"think about it, you surrounded yourself with some nasty guys, i say good riddance now that they ran off, they did the orange mansion massacre, on Khan´s payroll. In short, air out the laundry before the media, tell them about your trust, his betrayal, and then you call out that you´re not backing down, you vow to take khan down for what he did and you declare the new republic at the end."
"... when did you learn politics?"
"when Dash and I were pleading for my second Chance."
Your mind was made up and once Coldheart cleared you you set everything in Motion.
Fortunately for you, the General public of manehattan was still with you, you had made sure that Blitz was all over City and County, a sizable Stretch of land and with enough trade Connections to make it even if equestria itself decided against trade. a few neighbouring cities had apparently agreed too, except for a smaller place called Dawnville. Said place was now facing a good chance of being cut off seeing as it was surrounded by sympathizers.
"Dawnville will become a Symbol of loyalty, and i´m pretty sure the Nobility is not above making them martyrs. I want to hear ideas, good ones are appreciated." You had once more gathered your most trusted companions, trying to figure out what to do.
"hmm, when you think about it Thunder, the solution is immensely simple. make it your stage." Gleaming Metal offered.
You must have heard wrong. "What? Gleaming, in case you didn´t notice Dawnville is nearly 80% behind the princess, they´re hopelessly devoted to her."
"Think about it, you´re about to clear up a great lot of immensely important Details, particularly about us. if this is about to convince the ponies of equestria at large, why not start by convincing the live audience? Dawnville is one way or another about to be the focal Point of Attention, make sure everyone sees you go there and say what you Need to say, let them know you will speak with or without royal approval."
"hmm, that could work."
Hulk speaks up. "When it all Comes out, the good and the bad, a whole lot of idolization will drop, the ponies will Keep a keen eye on your leadership and decisions."
"good, that´s what i´m aiming for in the first place... Alright the plan is made time to let Dawnville know exactly what i want."
Your Timing when you arrived in the small Hamlet couldn´t have been better, a stage was prepared for a mayor´s speech and most of the town was already gathered.
Gleaming smiled at you. "Showtime, Thunderhead."
"Indeed."
on stage the Mayor was addressing the town.
"Dear citizens of Dawnville i´m glad to see so many of you having shown up to our town council, as you are Aware, a Rebellion against equestria is raging around us, our town surrounded. The very ponies we call neighbors are following a stallion with the singular goal to remove Celestia from the throne. Our loyalty is not doubted, however our Situation may not be good once they make it official, as they will be able to cut us off from everything. We have to look for Solutions to that, does anyone have an idea?"
That was your cue, wearing your helmet you entered the stage.
"I have one."
The crowd fell silent, evidently startled. the sputtering Major shivering like a leaf in the wind.
"T-Thunderstorm!"
"the very same, Mayor, we´re on live broadcast as i have a lot to say, but here is the first Thing."
You took the stand, the Mayor stepping off to the side with no fuzz, and addressed both the crowd and the running cameras.
"Citizens of Dawnville, you have my admiration, you have not cowed when faced with being surrounded, you have not been afraid when faced with my Reputation, for that I thank you. It is too easy to tell tall tales and Forget that the one in Charge has a heart, Soul and flaws.
I want to clarify from the start, i am not about to let innocent civilians suffer for something that they shared no hoof in. Dawnville will not be cut off by Tempesta, as the very cities and counties about to become a state will call themselves henceforth.
Your town retains their sovereignity and trading rights and will not be denied entrance or passage either, i will try my best to leave the innocent unaffected, that is the promise, not of Thunderstorm..."
You took off your helmet, showing your real face to the entire world and speaking to the cameras.
"...But of Thunderhead, the stallion behind the mask. It is high time i revealed in full my intentions."
a few Reporters present frantically scribbled on their notepads
"my intentions which started 10 years ago, when i was ten, and almost died of a lightning strike. i survived and gained the power behind it, a power that marked me. a power that made canterlot guards Show up and pry me from my sister´s hooves. a ten yer old colt neither the first nor the last, was placed in prison with the worst of the worst, for no other reason than being alive. That is what i fight against, that is what will not happen in the new sovereign state that is Born today, the constitution of Tempesta is drawn up, with manehattan as its´ capital."
Photos were made, more frantic Scribbles.
"but you have seen in manehattan, not all hiding behind me agree with the Intention to make a better place, a stallion that protected me for ten years, looked out for me and became something resembling a father in prison. betrayed everything i stood for, he filed me into his escape tool for ten years and finally got tired of letting me think he cared. and you can Quote me on this one: Khan, you are a wanted stallion in Tempesta, bad deeds will not go unpunished, regardless of how highly the rich will attempt to bribe. And you, Celestia, i am glad to see that you´re waking up and seeing what your underlings did under your nose, but i will not trust you with leadership, i had ten years to lose faith in you. maybe in twenty it´ll grow back, but until then, stop your attempts to interfere with the decisions of free ponies, i have never forced any of the cities to join me."
You stepped back, you had dropped the biggest bomb yet and the Reporters had stopped scribbling in favor of staring slack jawed at you.
"That was all i had to say, Mayor, thank you for your time."
--------------------------
The return trip was thankfully uneventful, a small entourage of security saw to that.
"what do you think, Gleaming? i just painted target signs on my whole Family."
"the fate of any politician, but you´re not the only one watched over by loyal Boys of the thunderstorm... Tempesta though?"
"the storm is my motif, it just came out."
"actually, i find it has a ring to it, which reminds me, the same ringing was apparently heard by the Griffons, remember that griffonstone is not exactly sunshine and lollipops?"
"gleaming... i´m not entirely caught up on the world."
"well, griffonstone offered to join as well, but i have the suspicion they´re in it for their own gain like that one Redscale, a Dragon that offered his Services as well. the call is ultimately up to you but you should pick allies carefully, now that our ponies and the equestrian are paying Attention."
"i´ll Need to think on it."
Time to consult yourself what to do and what other diplomatic Relations you may want to look into.
