//------------------------------// // Balance // Story: Tales of the Battle Foals // by Sirdubya //------------------------------// The other Battle Foals looked on in both awe and horror at the carnage that their little genius had wrought. Seared and blasted corpses of the arthrolids littered the riverbank now decorated with streams of burns from Quantum Tech’s laser. Shrapnel jumped everypony back over there so that they could check on her. “Quantum, are you okay?” Fire Fight asked. Quantum’s mech was still rebooting from activating its panic mode, so she had to manually open her cockpit and jump out. “Oof!” She hit the ground with a little thud and brushed herself off a little. “Goodness…” She fixed her glasses. “Yes, Fire Fight. I’m quite alright. What of all of you, hmm?” “Ugh….You all know how I feel….” Spiral Galaxy said as she held her forehead. “Dat was dope-a** laser d’ho, homegirl! You straight fried-” “Ahem!” Quantum glared at Turf War authoritatively. “Oh, dang! My bad. But fo’ real, you came through fo’ us again, fam!” Turf War said. Despite his….uniqueness, Turf War managed to make the little scientist smile and blush a little. “Oh, you! I merely participated in the ensuing conflict like the rest of you did.” “Just don’t get carried away with it. It’s enough that we have a space goddess-in-training to worry about as it is.” Shadow Shroud said. “And please, PLEASE never let that thing point astray towards us!” Air Slash said. “Oh, but of course. Everything little thing born from my mind and my hooves is created to aid our cause.” Quantum said. Kickback tipped his hat. “Ah don’t doubt that fer a gosh darn second, Ms. Quantum Tech.” Quantum giddily smiled at him. “Oh, I know, my sweet, handsome Kickback! Care to come over here so I can-” “Ah reckon Ah’ll pass.” Kickback said bluntly, causing Quantum to pout. Air Slash chuckled. “You’re quite the glutton for punishment, my friend.” He said. Kickback rolled his eyes. Zebota and Shrapnel didn’t seem so happy. They marched up to Quantum with Zebota glaring and Shrapnel growling ferociously. “’How could you be so foolish, child!?’….is what Shrapnel says!” Crazylocks said. Everypony glanced over at the mystic duo in surprise. Quantum was especially taken aback. “Huh? Whatever do you mean?” “Take a better look around you and see for yourself!” Zebota exclaimed angrily. Doing as he said, Quantum inspected her surroundings to find that the damage she dealt was….worse than she had intended. The dirt had been razed in many places, rocks were destroyed, delicate flora had been incinerated, trees had been blasted down and much of the immediate landscape was still smoldering from being caught within the wake of Quantum’s overdrive laser. It was all just….destroyed. “Er…..goodness……perhaps I….might have overdone it just a tad.” “JUST A TAD!? You and accursed machine have wounded this place! You speak of nature allowing for technology to be built, and this is how you express your gratitude!?” Zebota exclaimed. “I can hear the spirits weeping in anger. Their homes are destroyed. They look at you with venom in their eyes! How could you, Quantum Tech!? How could you betray our trust, our balance!?” Fire Fight tried to get in between them. “Guy, guys! Let’s all just calm down and take it easy, ok?” he said. Shrapnel then suddenly got in his face and growled. Fire Fight gently pushed him away. “Hey, hey, hey. Bad dog.” Zebota sighed. “Forgive me, Fire Fight. I mentioned before that the disrespect of nature angers me, and this time is no different.” He looked back at Quantum. “I am simply appalled by your disregard. Was our conversation meaningless? How about our agreement? Is technology all that occupies your mind? Is all else without meaning to you?” Quantum was beginning to feel really guilty. “Z-Z-Zebota, I….I’m so sorry….” “I know….but you have much to think over.” Zebota said. Fire Fight sighed. “Zebota, I’m sorry too. I’m sure Quantum Tech didn’t mean any harm. We were all fighting those arthrolids.” “Yes….it was but another contest of survival. All is as it should be…..aside from…..the aftermath.” Zebota said. Shrapnel whimpered as he lightly nuzzled his master. “Thank you, friend.” “Look, y’all. Why don’t we just get movin’. It’s almost dark, and we ain’t outta da woods yet…..HA! See what I did there? ‘Cause we really is in da woods?” Turf War said. Shadow Shroud smiled and rolled her eyes. “Turf War’s bland humor aside, he’s right. We better get a move on. Down the river we go, guys.” “Yeah, you’re right, Shroud. Alright, guys!” Fire Fight said. “Let’s do da damn thing!” Turf War said. He was about to correct himself when he noticed that Quantum Tech looked too dejected to reprimand him. She solemnly returned to her mech, which had finished cooling and lowered her seat down so that she may enter her cockpit. Once she was seated, she looked on at the war zone she had created and sighed before being raised back into her mech. Likewise, Zebota solemnly had himself levitated back into Shrapnel’s chest as he gazed with mellow resentment towards Quantum. With a wave of light tension looming about them, the Battle Foals set out once more. The rest of the trip down the river felt a little tense. All could tell that neither Zebota nor Quantum in were much in the mood for talking. While it felt like they could speak safely without causing tempers to flare, the foals felt that now wasn’t the time for consolation whilst escaping a hostile forest. As the time passed by and sounds of nature resounded throughout the forest, the Battle Foals’ minds began to wonder. Where would they go now? What would they find next? How much more of this journey of theirs was left? Where would it all ultimately take them? When was Crazylocks going to stop licking arthrolid blood off of her mane maces? Turf War thought he should try to lighten the mood. “So, uh…..Now dat we got a zebra…..maybe we’ll get a….a changeling next time? Dat be kinda dope.” “We really should leave them alone, Turf War. They’ve only begun to rebuild their kingdom after their mass awakening, so any turmoil within their ranks is more than likely the result of the stress coming with building from the ground up, especially considering they have a new ruler.” Shadow Shroud explained. “Yeah, and who knows how long it’ll take them. But it’s a good thing that they’re not a threat anymore. They freaked me out.” Spiral said. “It’s almost a shame. I had trained long and hard for the day that I might face them again only for their recent transformation to happen, but make no mistake. I openly welcome their companionship with us.” Air Slash said. “Well, their former evil queen is still out n’ about, so y’all might just get yer chance.” Kickback said. Air Slash chuckled. “Let that demon come. The light of my swords shall be the last light her wicked eyes are ever blessed with.” Fire Fight was happy to see everypony else in a light mood, but he could tell that Quantum and Zebota were still in not much of a mood to have a good laugh. They seldom did as little as glance at one another. One look up at the sky however gave him something direr to worry about. “Guys, we gotta pick up the pace. Night is starting to fall. Shroud, how much longer until we reach the gorge?” “Not too much longer, I’d imagine. We’ve been walking for a while, and this forest isn’t quite as big when you’re not disoriented.” Shroud answered. Quantum then spoke up. “I’m inclined to believe her. I think I can see the river water starting to move more rapidly. That must mean that we’re nearing a waterfall.” Zebota then spoke up. “Yes, you are right. The river spirits sing more fervently as we near. They are bidding the water a safe journey away from this place.” He said. Shrapnel howled. “Yes, my friend…..Hmm? What’s that?” “He says, ‘careful, children. I sense unrest amongst the elements.’….whatever that means.” Crazylocks said. “Unrest!? Oh dear….Battle Foals, we must move faster! I believe that a storm is brewing!” Zebota warned. The foals all looked wide-eyed at him. “Whu-oh….” Spiral muttered. A sound of thunder suddenly boomed in the sky above them as dark clouds began to form. Sparks of lightning flashed in every direction as it painted a dark and ominous picture. “RUN, GUYS!!” No sooner than the thunder and lightning begin brewing did it start raining. It was a good thing that Quantum’s mech suit was waterproof, because it was coming down pretty hard. The foals ran through the onslaught of falling water droplets as thought their lives depended on it, probably because they did. “Zebota, can’t you stop this!?” Shroud shouted. “No! If anything, I may have caused it when I empowered Shrapnel with the power of a storm! It must have angered the storm spirits! I am a fool….” Zebota answered. “Even compared to me?” Quantum asked. “We can discuss that later!” Zebota said. Bolts of lightning began striking down near the foes and seemed to get closer and closer. Whether it was just bad luck or Quantum’s mech being a lightning rod, it didn’t matter much to the foals as they had to dodge a few just to avoid being fried. After a few more minutes of dodging nature, they finally came across the summit of the waterfall cascading down into Ghastly Gorge. It would have been a sight to behold had the ensuing storm not made the Battle Foals hasty. They scanned quickly for a place to safely descend. “Ok….well….We could definitely all climb down, but then that leaves Quantum’s mech and Shrapnel.” Fire Fight said. “I could use my cosmomancy to lower them down safely like I did with you guys back at Foal Mountain.” Spiral said. “Is that okay with you guys?” Fire Fight asked Quantum and Zebota. “Whatever is necessary, Fire Fight.” Zebota said. Quantum just nodded. “Alright then. Everypony else, be careful climbing-” He was suddenly cut off when a huge bolt of lightning suddenly slammed into the ground between them with cataclysmic force, sending him, Shadow Shroud, Air Slash, Spiral Galaxy, Turf War and Crazylocks off the cliff and into the path of the waterfall….. “AAAAAARRRRRRGGGGGHHHHHH!!!!!!!!” “GUYS!!!! NOOOOOOO!!!!!!” Quantum tried to grab them with her railgun, but just missed. All she, Kickback and Zebota could do now was watch their friends fall into the canyon below. Zebota raised his tomahawk and clutched his brooch. “Kuanguka cascades ya maji makuu, kusikia ombi langu! Kuchukua marafiki zangu ndani ya kukumbatia yako. Vipuri maisha yao kutokana na dhoruba hii ya kutisha!” As his brooch glowed, the waterfall seemed to reach out and grab the falling foals, effectively saving them from plummeting to their deaths. “What the!? What just happened, partner!? Are they gonna be okay!?” Kickback exclaimed. Zebota nodded. “Yes, friend. The river will now protect them until we find them, or they already get help. It would seem that we’d have to wait out the storm for now.” “Over there!” Quantum pointed over to a small natural trail leading down the canyon. On the wall was a little alcove that the three could rest in until the storm subsided. “Let’s get going before the lightning decides to bid us more greeting!” The two colts and timberwolf complied without question as they followed Quantum into the small cave. It was just big enough for the four of them, especially considering Quantum’s mech and Shrapnel. Now all they could do was ride out the storm and pray that their friends were safe…