//------------------------------// // Chapter 82 // Story: Unshaken // by The 24th Pegasus //------------------------------// Divide and conquer: 9 Votes “What about your friends?” Silver asked Starlight. “Are they willin’ to get their hooves dirty?” “Revolutions don’t happen if one isn’t ready to dirty their hooves,” Starlight said, giving her a resolute nod. “If it comes down to it, then they’ll be ready to give everything in the name of equality.” Kestrel held up her hooves to try and slow Starlight down some. “Now, now, we ain’t lookin’ to get anypony killed here. I think even you’ll agree with me when I say you ain’t gonna accomplish nothin’ if all y’all are dead. Ideally, we get through this without havin’ to kill anypony. In reality, I’m just hopin’ we get outta this with as few ponies dead on both sides as possible. Rare is the day when a big thing like this goes off without somepony bitin’ the bullet.” “Yes, I suppose you’re right,” Starlight said. “The only thing more desirable to a revolutionary like myself than giving everything in the name of freedom and equality is living long enough to see your dreams be made real.” “I… suppose I can understand that,” Kestrel said, shrugging. Though she didn’t have a cause to champion like Starlight did, she still had one to devote her life to. Getting the Gang to safety and seeing them all live out the rest of their days in peace was her goal, and like Starlight, she knew she would be more than willing to die for it if it came down to it. Silver, for her part, was already turning over the wheels in her mind and trying to come up with a plan. “Well, the more ponies we have in on this plan, the better a chance we have of pullin’ it off, I think. If you add your friends into the mix, that helps by a lot.” “Can they fight?” Kestrel asked her. “And how many can we expect?” “They can fight,” Starlight said with a nod. “And you can expect four of them. Two unicorns, a pegasus, and an earth pony. They don’t have… let’s call it the ‘experience’ your gang of outlaws has, but they’ve been in enough scraps and brushed with enough fat cat private security and enforcers to know how to handle themselves.” “Four?” Silver couldn’t help but let a little disappointment slip into her voice. “Y’know, you were championin’ yourself up as some big movement leader of equality, I was kinda hopin’ you had a few more friends than four…” Starlight shook her head. “I have more, but I try to send them out across the Southwest to rally more to the cause. The four I have with me in Hoofston, they’re my closest and most trusted advisors. They’re reliable and capable, and whatever they may lack in skills, they make up for with zeal.” “Four will have to do, then,” Kestrel said. “We might be able to scrounge somethin’ more up, dependin’ on how much we’re willin’ to reach out. I met a group of ponies who don’t like authority all that much not too far out of the city.” She chuckled and added, “At first I thought they was part of your group, from how they made it sound.” “Do you mean Fallow and his band of strays?” Starlight’s nose wrinkled at the thought, and a small scowl settled across her face. “I’ve crossed paths with them occasionally. Fallow’s spurned Marex’s ideas every time I’ve tried to teach it to his group, even though they’re the ponies they’d help the most. They don’t realize that the only way to improve their lot in life is to fight for it, to break the yoke holding them down.” Sighing, Starlight leaned back in her seat. “Some of his followers probably don’t share his sentiments. They might be willing to help out if you can get through to them. But I’ll leave that up to you. In the meanwhile, what are you thinking we should try?” “Divide and conquer,” Kestrel said. “We need to draw some of the security away from the conference if we’re gonna have a chance to pull off a haul without gettin’ filled full of holes in the process. That means startin’ a ruckus someplace else in Hoofston to draw the attention of the Pinks at the conference. The Apples might be payin’ ‘em handily to keep their little show safe and secure, but if the Pinks know that a band of outlaws they’ve been after for a long while now are within reach, I bet they’re gonna be willin’ to jump for the bait.” Starlight nodded thoughtfully. “We’ll have to mix our groups, then,” she said. “The PPDA won’t go after my group of revolutionaries if it’s just us; the police would stop us before they did. But they might be willing to cut loose if some of your gang is there, if they’re as zealous about catching you as you make them out to be.” She took a sip from a glass of water in front of her and rolled her shoulders. “Meanwhile, I need to make sure that the message of revolution is spread at the conference, so I will be joining whoever is going there myself.” Kestrel shrugged. “Suit yourself. Suppose our two groups’ll have to get a little bit friendly with each other when we set things in motion.” “How are we going to coordinate that, though?” Silver asked. “It ain’t like we’re in a position where we can easily meet up and discuss things…” “Well, there’s five of you, and six of us I feel comfortable bringin’ into this mess,” Kestrel said to Starlight. “Seven, if I count one of our older members. That makes twelve ponies in all.” “So, six and six, then,” Starlight said. “I suggest I take one of my friends along with myself to go join you on the conference, and you send three of your gang to the distraction. That’s fairly evenly split, and we should accomplish both of our objectives. Does that sound reasonable?” “I suppose,” Kestrel said. Silver glanced over her shoulder and frowned at the interior of the bar. “Place is startin’ to get busier,” she said to Kestrel. “We should get movin’ soon. Somepony might recognize us if we hang ‘round too long.” “Is that our plan, then?” Starlight asked Kestrel. “Should we work under that assumption and meet early Friday? Or perhaps should we find an opportunity to refine it more?” 1.     We should discuss this further here. We need to figure out all the details while we have the chance. A poorly-laid plan ain’t gonna be a very good plan when the chips are on the table. 2.     Take Starlight back to the camp to discuss this further. If we bring Starlight back to the camp, we can talk all we want about the damn plan without fear of the Pinks sniffin’ us out. Plus, then Tumbleweed can give us his input, and the two of them can work out the details. 3.     Give Starlight directions to the camp and meet up later. Silvie and me can split now and have a talk with Starlight and her friends back at the camp, if she decides to bring ‘em along. We can figure things out as a group then, even if it means more ponies than we might be comfortable with knowin’ where we’re staked out. 4.     The plan is fine as it is. No sense riskin’ the Gang by showin’ ponies where our camp is or risking our hides by stickin’ around longer. Let’s just decide where to meet on Friday and then get outta here before somepony recognizes us.