Unshaken

by The 24th Pegasus


Chapter 62

Crash the Conglomerates’ Conference: 5 Votes

“I ain’t got much experience with startin’ an uprisin’,” Kestrel said, slowly spinning her mug of beer in her hooves. “I also ain’t got much nice to say ‘bout foalnappers. But buckin’ rich snobs in the teeth and takin’ their valuables out from under ‘em, well, that’s somethin’ we got experience in.”

Tumbleweed nodded in agreement. “We do try to maintain a sort of neutral outlook on life, Miss Starlight,” he said to the revolutionary sitting across from them. “The best way to do that is to balance the books while keepin’ our honor intact, and not gettin’ involved in anythin’ outside of the safety of our family. That all bein’ said, I think this conference is a wonderful opportunity for us to work together.”

Starlight nodded and lifted her beer in her magic. “I can respect that,” she said, then taking a sip. She licked her lips and set it down, tapping her hooves together in excitement. “The important thing is that we’re making a statement against the Conglomerates. I don’t care how exactly we go about doing it, so long as it’s made for all of Equestria to see it.”

“It’ll get made,” Tumbleweed assured her. “Though we certainly do try to avoid drawin’ too much attention to ourselves, given our past with the authorities.”

“Some things are unavoidable,” Starlight said with a shrug. “But we’ll see what we can do.” Then she smiled at them. “I can’t thank you enough for your help. I wouldn’t be able to do this on my own.”

“Don’t thank us for nothin’ yet,” Kestrel cautioned her. “Save it for when it’s done.”

“Do you know anythin’ more about this conference?” Tumbleweed pressed her. “If we’re gonna be riskin’ life and limb for you, then we need to know what we’re up against and what the score’s gonna be.”

Starlight pursed her lips in thought and glanced toward the ceiling as she dug through her memories. “The conference is supposed to last all week,” she said. “It starts in three days, on Monday. They’ll be setting up tents and displays in a field to the east of Hoofston this weekend for the public to look at while they’re there. It’s all a whole show to convince the public to give them more money so they can keep making these ‘amazing’ inventions.”

The unicorn stuck her tongue out in disgust, and Kestrel tapped her chin in the intervening silence. “There’s plenty of time to hit it, then.”

“Maybe even before,” Tumbleweed said. “If we go in while they’re still settin’ up, security’s probably gonna be lesser than when the conference is in full swing.”

“There will also be fewer eyes on it,” Starlight said with a frown. “Next Friday, a week from today, is supposed to be the main event, the grand finale to the conference. I don’t know what the Apples plan on showing off then, but it’s bound to be big. The perfect time to strike and make a statement.”

“If we don’t mind goin’ up against a score of guards,” Kestrel said. She looked Starlight in the eye and added, “You know these folks likely have their own police force workin’ with ‘em.”

Starlight drew back the corners of her lips in a restrained snarl. “Enforcers for the fat cats,” she said. “They’re employed solely to stamp out any resistance and beat workers trying to unionize and strike to within inches of their lives to keep control over them. I’d kill the lot of them if I could. All the more reason to crash the place on Friday.”

“We’d need more than just the three of us,” Tumbleweed said.

“I was under the impression there were a lot more of you,” Starlight countered. “At the very least a few extra capable bodies. If it was just the two of you, you wouldn’t be interested in taking on the richest and most powerful in Equestria, hmm?”

“Well, you ain’t wrong ‘bout that,” Kestrel said, shaking her head. She took several gulps of her beer and set it aside. “We got five more of us we can reasonably get to help out. That all depends on the plan, though. We need a good one ‘fore we make any moves.”

“I’ll spend time investigating the conference to see what I can learn before we act,” Starlight said. “In the meanwhile, we know we’ll have eight of us, going by what you said. That should be more than enough to disrupt this conference and make a statement. I say we do it on Friday when we have the most eyes watching the Apples, but I’m not the one with the final say in that, am I?”

Kestrel and Tumbleweed looked at each other, and Kestrel shrugged. “We’re doin’ the heavy labor here,” she said to him. “We should figure out when’s best to strike.”

STARLIGHT GLIMMER has joined the Gang as a temporary ally:

Starlight Glimmer
Age: 31
Description: Unicorn Mare, lavender coat, full of revolutionary fervor.
Healthiness: 7/10
Gunslinger: 3/10
Muscle: 4/10
Sweet Talker: 8/10
Scholar: 8/10
Instincts: 7/10
Lady Luck: 5/10
Honor: -15

Status:

Quirks:

Skills:

1.     This weekend. The Apples aren’t in town until sometime this weekend, and the conference is still bein’ set up. Security’s likely to be pretty light, but I doubt we’re gonna find somethin’ worth the effort and attention it’ll bring. [LOW RISK, LOW REWARD, MINIMAL EXPOSURE]

2.     During the middle of the conference. It’s a nice balance of what Starlight wants and what we want. We ain’t lookin’ for much attention, but it’s durin’ the conference itself, so it’ll make her statement. There’s bound to be somethin’ good there, too. [AVERAGE RISK, UNKNOWN REWARD, MODERATE EXPOSURE]

3.     During the grand finale on Friday. We don’t know what’s goin’ on Friday, but it’s bound to be huge. All that extra security could come with a huge payday if we can pull it off. [HIGH RISK, HIGH REWARD, HIGH EXPOSURE]