//------------------------------// // Smash & Grab Special Feature: Twilight Sparkle's Encrypted Notes -- Log #1 // Story: Smash & Grab // by shallow15 //------------------------------// This file will serve as my personal encrypted notes for the undertaking which Sunset Shimmer has brought to us. As I've documented elsewhere, when we all met in high school, magic from the other dimensional land of Equestria had leaked through to our world, causing a variety of issues and problems. Some of these were innocuous, others less so, but we dealt with each incident as it came, with the assistance of our magical geodes. Each of these encounters with rogue magic were both exhilarating and terrifying and we all dealt with them and overcame them together. Time, of course, waits for no one, and before we knew it, graduation had come and with it a whole new class of existential terror which I've also documented elsewhere. Suffice it to say, hard decisions were made by all of us and, given our various pursuits, it became necessary for us to separate for a while. Some for travel to far away places, others for college. But with smartphones and the internet, we were still able to keep in touch and our friendship intact despite the distance. And when college had ended, over the course of several years, we all found ourselves back in Canterlot City. Sunset (who had never left, feeling the need to keep an eye on the magic portal to her homeland) had monitored the magical activity around the city during our absence and had reported a noticeable reduction. She had been communicating on a regular basis with my counterpart in Equestria, Princess Twilight Sparkle (hereinafter referred to either as "the princess" or "Princess Twilight," for the sake of clarification) who also had a vested interest in the magic appearing in our world. Then came the unthinkable in two parts. While doing some research in the Canterlot Royal Library's Restricted section (that would be Canterlot, the capital city of Equestria as opposed to my own hometown), Princess Twilight had found several myths and legends that seemed to indicate our world has long been used as a dumping ground by assorted Equestrian practitioners of magic. Starswirl the Bearded, for example, banished the three sirens we came to know as the Dazzlings from Equestria to our world almost a millennia before the current era in Equestria. (Side note: We have never been able to get a straight answer out of the Dazzlings as to whether they are far older than they appear or whether Starswirl's portal actually propelled them forward in time as well as across dimensional boundaries. Sonata never seems to understand what we're asking, Aria simply refuses to talk about it, and Adagio is prone to making vague allusions to history without providing any actual proof of her claims. I think she enjoys keeping us in the dark about their true ages.) Ever since the incident with the Memory Stone, both Sunset and Princess Twilight have wondered if any other magical Equestrian... refuse, for want of a better word, has ended up here. It took several years for her to confirm her findings, but when she had, it was not good news for us. According to the final message from the princess in the magical journal she and Sunset used to communicate between worlds, no less than 27 confirmed magical artifacts were brought through to our world. There's no evidence to suggest all of these items came through the mirror portal in front of Canterlot High School, but a good majority have. Princess Celestia, the senior ruler of Equestria, has admitted that in the years the mirror portal has been in existence, it was only recently that the dangers to both worlds were realized. As such security around the mirror was much more lax in the 1000 years between Starswirl's banishment of the Dazzlings, and Sunset Shimmer's self-imposed exile from Equestria. The second unthinkable thing happened before we all started returning to Canterlot City. All contact with Equestria was abruptly cut off shortly after Sunset agreed to help Princess Twilight track down all 27 artifacts and either neutralize them or return them to Equestria before anyone discovered their true power. We have no idea what's caused this sudden separation of our two worlds. Sunset hasn't been able to contact Princess Twilight in years, and the portal has vanished from the plinth in front of Canterlot High. But, the sudden loss of contact with Equestria did not mean that the magic has fully left this world. Our geode necklaces from Camp Everfree still worked... sort of. As the years have passed, the magical power of the geodes has diminished. While the magic is definitely stronger when the seven of us are together (in accordance with Princess Twilight's Exponential Friendship Magic Theorem), it's nowhere near as powerful as it once was. As such, we have decided to save our magic to purify each artifact and dispel the magic within it, just in case the geodes' power is limited and will eventually deplete. When all of us finally moved back to Canterlot City, Sunset Shimmer had already had several years to plan how to deal with the artifacts. She took our return as a sign that we were meant to do this together. The last task of the Princess of Friendship for our circle of friends. Unfortunately, Sunset's research during those years had only uncovered the location of a handful of the artifacts. Worse yet, nearly all of them were in the hands of private collectors. Sunset refused to risk the innate magic power of the artifacts being accidentally discovered by their owners and so had to resort to drastic action: she had decided to steal them. How she convinced all of us to go along with what seemed like an insane plan at the time will be documented elsewhere, but suffice it to say, it took her quite some time to convince us all to join her in what seems to be a foolhardy, and most certainly illegal, plan of action. But here we are. And in an odd twist of fate, it turns out that the various skills we acquired during our years apart have made each of us well suited to this undertaking. Once again I ask, are our choices our own, or is the Magic of Friendship gently manipulating us in ways to serve its own ends? Below are brief summaries of each of our skills, abilities, and specializations in this endeavor. I have kept these notes brief for the sake of being able to determine which of us is suited for which task as we undertake each heist. Sunset Shimmer Primary Specialty: Planning and Execution Secondary Specialties: Breaking and entering, con games, firearms Sunset is the undisputed leader of our crew. She has implemented a pragmatic approach to our crimes. Casualties are unacceptable. Under her strict orders, we never intentionally injure or wound any bystander in our capers. Violence, sadly, is sometimes a necessity in our line of work, but we try to keep it to a minimum. Sunset takes the information all of us acquire and turns it into a viable plan of attack. However, she's also a realist, which means she can improvise on the fly when things go wrong. She's also not a tyrant. If one of us has an idea that's better than what she's come up with, Sunset will incorporate it into the plan immediately. Applejack Primary Specialty: Intimidation and Physical Enforcement Secondary Specialties: Firearms, transportation, support tasks If you'll pardon the pun, she's our Applejack-of-all-trades. While her primary function in the crew is to provide the muscle, Applejack also fills in wherever an extra hand is needed. Whether we need a second wheelwoman, someone to help Rarity run one of her games, or when Fluttershy needs some extra tutoring in proper gun safety. Speaking of, Applejack is also in charge of our weaponry. While Sunset's contacts on the shadier side of the city have helped us acquire some ordinance through less than legal channels, it's Applejack who makes sure we all know how to use it safely, and keeps up the maitenance. I should note here, that we only bring weapons in situations where we need to keep any witnesses at bay, and if possible, we will actually load said weapons with blank ammunition. Only in situations where we believe it will be absolutely necessary will we load the guns with the live ammo. Applejack was the hardest one of us for Sunset to convince on this endeavor, and every so often she will voice an objection if she doesn't like where things are going. This has led to confrontations every so often between her and Sunset, but they usually manage to work things out and when the time comes for the job (or “Showtime,” as we term it), we can always rely on Applejack to back us up fully and completely. Fluttershy Primary Specialty: Support tasks and reconnaissance Secondary Specialties: Firearms, con games Fluttershy is our second jack-of-all-trades. You would think her shy nature would make her unsuited for what we do, but surprisingly, in her years since college, she's become more adventurous and is fully committed to our cause. She primarily serves as our reconnaissance expert, occasionally assisting Rarity in her infiltration tasks. With Applejack's teaching, she's also become proficient at firearms and is, in fact, our second best shooter after Applejack herself. Fluttershy also has a knack for reading people. She has managed to find a way to approach a mark when the rest of us find ourselves stuck for an angle. Fluttershy's unassuming demeanor makes her a natural confidant and she is, if I may wax poetic for a moment, the soul of our crew. Pinkie Pie Primary Specialty: Equipment, con games, and... improbabilities? Secondary Specialties: Firearms, reconnaissance, support tasks If Fluttershy is the soul of the crew, Pinkie Pie is the heart. Like anything she does, Pinkie has thrown herself wholeheartedly into this. Much to my surprise, Pinkie has affinity for creating gadgets. Her “straitjacket streamers” have proven extremely useful, although we're having difficulty convincing her that her party cannon may be overkill. Her natural exuberance and improvisational skills have made Pinkie a natural for con games and support tasks. Even Rarity has expressed her pleasant surprise when Pinkie's imagination has saved a con from going south at the last minute. Additionally, Pinkie's seeming immunity to... well... reality also gives us an edge in our planning. Or lack of planning. Or... maybe... OH FORGET IT TWILIGHT SHE'S PINKIE PIE! Rarity Primary Specialty: Con games, reconnaissance, disguises, equipment Secondary Specialties: Firearms, transportation Because we often need to know who is in possession of the artifact we're after, we need to get someone close to them to learn what we need. Enter Rarity. Rarity is our “face.” When we begin doing research and reconnaissance on our target, we send in Rarity and occasionally a couple of others to learn what we can. Rarity knows exactly how to ingratiate herself to anyone, and since most of our targets are from the upper crust, she's perfectly positioned to ingratiate herself with just about anyone. Rarity's own skills as a designer and seamstress are also useful, especially when we need costumes or disguises to run a con. And, much like Pinkie Pie, Rarity's sense of style and design has also come in handy when preparing equipment. Several of her aesthetic choices have helps turn some of my more obvious designs into something much more subtle and innocuous. Because we need Rarity to serve as our face, we do our best to make sure she has an alibi established for when it's Showtime. However, she does run rehearsals with us so she can step in in case of an emergency. She is also a demon behind the wheel. When we need something or someone somewhere fast, Rarity is ready, willing, and enthusiastic to step in. She terrifies us. Rainbow Dash Primary Specialty: Transportation Secondary Specialties: Firearms, support tasks On the less terrifying end of the transportation scale, we have Rainbow Dash. In her years away from Canterlot City, Rainbow acquired an interest in cars and street racing and as such, she's in charge of getting us to and more importantly, from our various job sites. She also has several dozen contacts all over the city to get us any sort of transportation we need. This also includes boats, somehow, which Rainbow is just as proficient at. Rainbow also is essential in a support capacity. Everything from assisting Rarity, to helping AJ maintain the weaponry, to helping Fluttershy when she needs it. To continue the metaphor, Rainbow is the backbone of the team. Twilight Sparkle Primary Specialty: Equipment and Electronics Secondary Specialties: Support tasks, reconnaissance As for me, my job is to deal with all the electronic necessities. I hack into databases, security systems, traffic monitoring, and do all sorts of online research on our targets. Additionally, I create specialized equipment we may need for any given job. As mentioned above, I also collaborate with Pinkie Pie and Rarity on our equipment designs. With their help, we've come up with plenty of gear which, to the naked eye, doesn't arouse suspicion as to its actual purpose. I have told Sunset that while I understand the need to protect ourselves, and the theatrics needed, I am not comfortable with handling a firearm and refuse to do so. Sunset has agreed with my decision. This concludes this log. Additional notes and information will be added in the future as we continue. If we're successful, I will be deleting all these logs once we are finished. Hopefully, we'll be able to complete our task with a minimum of fuss and, of course, without going to jail. I really hope we don't go to jail.