//------------------------------// // > A long time ago... Nordstern // Story: The enhanced Stallion // by Shenzy //------------------------------// Nordestern was by far the largest town in all of north. Hiding its own supply gardens, between houses and protective walls. Walls so high, you had to put your head in the neck in order to see where they eventually ended and the magic barrier started. A barrier, holding out cold and snow, shimmering in lovely minty green which got reflected by the slick black stone used in all of town. Travelers often compared it to the Crystal Empire, while telling story's about the wonderful sunny land of Equestria. A land in which pony's decided, when it was time to snow... instead of it just 'happening' the way it did. Clearly, nothing more than citizens bragging about their home, since it was impossible to even attempt controlling the wetter above Nordstern. The cutting wind quickly froze wings and magic no matter how strong couldn't hope to pierce the thick cloud layers... - so it was either hiding or wearing a thick coat. The third alternative is rather unpleasant... - the main reason for pony's to travel in large groups and only if they really had to. Muse shuffled through town, away from its center where the caravan had dropped her off. Snow got pushed aside, whenever the hooves brushed forwards, letting her necklaces shake beneath the thick coat, covering chest and head. The white mare stopped to orientate herself. There were the cracked walls... a patch of black earth... and a building, wrapped in dirty gray. The red shimmering town was left behind, to make her way around this misfit. A group of coughing stallions came towards. Must have to do with the snow... neither cold nor natural. Having its origin in the factory ahead. Massive statues covered the gate, staring straight forward. Muse was heading for the river, which not just fed the factory, but also the rest of the town. Water fresh from the glacier. Hulled in shadows, she reached an emergency exit, also with a posing statue posing. “Hello. I'm Muse. I was sent to inspect the implementation process.” The head creaked during the move “Pass.” and the tiny mare obeyed, reaching for the necklaces. It took almost a minute until it was rejected. The letters seemed to wash from side to side. “Something wrong?” she asked innocently “-i j-just got it. Please, don't send me away! You know what happened if I don't do my work!” “Can't read. No entrance.” the voice repeated mindlessly. “Oh! Seems I'm just in time. Must be lost wire! Let me fix that for you.” she offered, reaching out for his ear, but got pushed away “They will turn both of us into scrap.” it came more eagerly, grabbing the ear in a quick twisting motion “Trust me, I just have to...” she reached into his chest, pulling out the crystal in its middle, letting the horse sink on its knees, to fall flat on its side with a -WHOMP!-. At this point the countdown ran, just as fast the mare did. Stomping the crystal had awoken the pony, as well every statue in a ten-mile radius. Alarms hauled through palace and factory, causing the workers to flee. “RUN – ALL OF YOU- OUT!” the mare screamed to some disorientated workers, pushing them the first steps “GET OUT! YOU HAVE TO LEAVE!” till they ran on their own, before heading deeper into the labyrinth. She then ran down the hallway, stopped halfway and back into a corner. The breath was held, while two figures stomped by- after which she immediately hasted down the floor. The main assembly chamber was huge. Furnaces took most of the space, constantly spitting boiling strings of white and orange into molds, which would be cooled by water, to then drop onto assembly lines. The tar-like remains were lead into the outgoing river, poisoning land and nature as far the eye could see, which still was one of the lesser crimes, this place had committed. The mare kept ducking, whenever she heard this familiar stomping, pulling every leaver she came by, in order to keep the factory going- speeding up the assembly lines, increasing the furnace temperature way over the limit and closing every safety valve she got her hooves on. “IN KING SOMBRA'S NAME: YOU ARE UNDER ARREST!” it shouted in collective unity when suddenly two black giants spotted the traitor. Muse immediately crouched into cover, desperately pulling herself along the dirty ground. Outrunning them was no option. They were was faster and kept jumping over the belts, closing in from all sides, only stopping to listen in, since the spot she had been in turned out empty, except for a jacket. “Hfhfhfhf...!” the mare panted, holding both hooves onto her snot, while watching massive legs moving back and forth in front of the slit she was peeking through. The crate she sat in, was picked up, almost causing her to scream, while praying to the polestar to spend his light... - the horse looked into the niche, dropped the crate on its site and the stomping withdrew. The mare silently cried for a minute, crammed in a box half her size. For once, she was scared, shaking all over her sweaty body, while the thick dirty air robbed the little breath there was. The other thing was... even if they wouldn't get her... she wouldn't see her husband or the others, ever again. A sharp whistling was the sign, she squeezed herself out of the oppressive hideout, kept the head to the floor and followed the rattling lines, performing zig-zag and pressing herself at every corner, to peek around- hasting towards the stairs for the main control room, when her head got pulled painfully on her mane “IN KING SOMBRA'S NAME: YOU ARE UNDER ARREST!” the mare bucked and tore out the strand, grabbing swarf from ground, throwing it into his face. The horse immediately stepped forward, swatting blindly around to grab her again, but only managed to smash the metal drill behind, pulling even more attention- while the white horse fled upstairs, chased by seemingly every monster in town. They flooded in from all sides, ignoring the half-completed cousins and shouted the ever same phrase. Muse managed to climb the stairs, kept slipping off some of them. Her body was exhausted, only hold upright by adrenaline rushing through her veins. This and the hope, she could take out all of them. Every single one of those... BATARDS... had to burn! Clattering got lost beneath the deafening noise, caused by the sharp whistling of alarm signals- overheating, speed alerts, blocked mechanism and plugged pipes and many more- as well the rattling and hissing, stomping and shouting of over twenty stallions rushing towards the mare above, standing on a grit platform with a wonky railing. “IN KING SOMBRA'S NAME: YOU ARE UNDER ARREST!” it echoed like a broken record, as one of them came out of the control room, while four of them stood already on the other side. All this happening ten meters above the ground, hanging on threats above a boiling fire-pit. There was nowhere to go... -patump...-patump...-patump... they already closed in, marching straight at the pony which wished for nothing but a pair of wings... Sledge. “... and in my name: farewell!” the mare declared loud and clear, stepping onto the railing... -and jumped! The factory was torn apart! - bricks and glowing iron pieces send flying in every direction, some of which landing on roofs and setting them on fire, other chunks landing hissing in the snow or being washed away from the nearby river. The pony's nearby were send harsh to the ground, while the ones further away couldn't miss the roaring noise as the monument of oppression crumbled to burning ashes. Smoke was carried away by the wind, taking the thick smoke columns of Nordstern along, as all over Frozen North new snow fell into unaware hooves. Snow, black as coal.