//------------------------------// // Chapter VI // Story: New Cloudsdale // by KenSES64 //------------------------------// Chapter VI After having to wait for about three days, Steam Valve took a deep breath as he stood outside the office of his boss, Stormy Skies, the only pony that Steam knew to have had interactions with the ones that kidnapped him last friday. So, he was the only one that could help him get his saddlebag back, or more importantly the ring he bought for Clementine. He knocked three times on the wooden door, then waited for a few seconds for the voice of his boss to say, “Come in.” Steam pushed the door open to see that behind the desk in the office was a sky blue pegasus stallion with a grey mane that had a single yellow streak on the left side, yellow eyes, a grey cloud for a cutie mark, and he was wearing a grey business suit. Yet, Steam also noticed that his wings were wrapped up in bandages. Stormy Skies looked up from some of his paperwork then quickly looked back down when he saw Steam standing there. “What is it Mr. Valve?” he asked him. “Well, ummm... sir, you know how I worked late last friday?” Steam began to say. “Yes, yes, and you’ll get paid for the extra hours, don’t worry about it.” “Yeah... That’s not what I came in here to talk about. I know that you have some sort of connection to Mr. C.” Stormy Skies’ eyes suddenly widened as he stopped reading through his paperwork. After a few moments, he slowly looked up at Steam. “W-W-What?! I-I have no idea what you’re talking about!” “Then how come your wings are bandaged like that?” Steam asked. “I fell down some doors! I-I mean I walked into a stairs! Uh...” Stormy’s eyes started to dart around the room as sweat began to pour down his forehead. He quickly put his front hooves together. “Please don’t tell the cops about this! I can’t let anybody know about the drugs! I can’t go to jail! I don’t want to get a booster shot from a diamond dog named Gog or something! I-I’ll give you anything you want! I’ll raise you pay by 25, no 50%!” He threw a golden watch on the table immediately after saying that, “Here take my watch! Hell, I’ll let you sleep with my girlfriend if you want too! Anything! Just don’t turn me in!” “Woah, woah, woah. I’m not here to blackmail you.” Steam said, as he brought up his front hoof. “Y-You’re not?” “No, even though that pay raise is tempting... No, I was raised better than that, hell I’m sure my grandma would smack me in the back of my head if I took that offer. Anyways the reason I wanted to talk to you is because I need some information on where to find those guys working for him.” ______________________________________________________________________________ A half an hour later, Steam was standing outside a medium sized building that had a blue neon sign that read ‘The Poison Joke” above the front door. “I guess this is the place,” Steam said to himself as he stepped inside. The building turned out to be a club/bar with black lights that made Steam’s white coat shine with a slight violet glow. There was loud techno music being played by an orange pegasus mare with a reddish-pink mane and wearing what looked like to be a combination of sunglasses and aviator goggles. In front of her was a sign that read, ‘DJ App73’. Steam walked over to the bar table where another pegasus mare, this one lemon yellow with a lime green mane, was standing by the drinks. She smiled as soon as she saw him. “Well hello there handsome,” she said to him, there was a slight flirtatiousness in her voice. “Can I get you anything? How about something with lemons in it. Like me.” Steam tilted his head. “Ummm... what?” was all Steam could reply. “Well, you see, my name’s Lemon Lime, so see lemons. I know bad joke, my boss says flirting with the costumers can help sell more drinks or something.” She was silent for a few seconds before she got a look of realization on her face and started flailing her front legs around. “Crap, I wasn’t suppose to say that! I can be so stupid sometimes.” Steam didn’t respond, he somehow just felt even more confused by this strange mare. After a few more moments, she sighed and continued, “Anyways, can I get you anything you you sexy, sexy stallion?” “Uhhhhhhh...” was all Steam replied, slightly blushing. “Am I trying too hard?” Lemon Lime asked, slightly embarassed. “Yeah, kinda.” Steam responded. “I must get that from my mom, she was a bartender too, tried too hard, ending up asking somepony to quote on quote, ‘take her now’, and 11 months later I was born.” “No offence, but I didn’t come here to hear your life story.” Steam said. “Oh, sorry.” “I came here to ask a question or two. Have you seen a unicorn, minotaur and gargoyle around here?” “Oh, you mean Rosey Cheeks, Brass Knuckles, and Sparkimire Vladimir Huffington the Third? Their booth’s right over there.” She replied as she pointed slightly left to the end of the room. Steam was slightly dumbfounded by the revelation of Sparks’ full name, but he nodded nonetheless. “Thanks,” he said before walking over to where she pointed. It didn’t take long for him to find the three he was looking for. Rosey was holding some kind of drink within a blue aura that was his magic while also talking to a pink unicorn mare, who was giggling a bit, The minotaur, Brass, was swaying back and forth slightly, showing that he was at least, slightly drunk. He also wasn’t wearing the grey suit he wore last friday. Now he was basically naked. Finally, there was Sparks, the gargoyle that killed that Zebracorn so Steam wouldn’t have to, and he looked bored out of his mind. Steam got to their table were Rosey immediately noticed him and grinned. “Well, look who it is, it’s our new friend from the weather factory,” The other two looked at Steam. “What are you doing here?” Sparks asked, sounding a little worried. Steam started to sweat a little, but did his best now to show that he was worried. “Well...” he began. “A few days ago, when I was ummm... with you guys I didn’t get my saddlebags back.” “Oh, so that’s what you want?” Rosey said before stepping on top of the booth’s table, “And what if we don’t give you you stuff back? Huh? Huh!?” Rosey by this point was only a few inches from Steam’s face, and there was a heavy scent of alcohol in his breath. Sparks stood up before he could say anything more. “Just relax man, the stallion just wants his stuff back, who knows there might be something important to him in those bags. So, I’ll take him back to HQ, and then he’ll be on his way.” Rosey just got back to his set and said, “Whatever man.” So Steam followed the Gargoyle out of the bar. ______________________________________________________________________________ 15 minutes later, the two arrived at a mostly empty warehouse that hosted one grounded blimp. “Okay, the cart’s in the blimp, just get your stuff and leave. The boss shouldn’t be here right now.” Sparks said. “Sounds like a plan,” Steam said before stepping aboard. It only took Steam a few seconds to find the the cart and his saddlebags. When he strapped them on a voice behind him caught his attention. “What are you doing here?!”