//------------------------------// // Storm Clouds // Story: MLPU: Twilight Sparkle: Princess of Thunder // by TheInvincibleIronBrony //------------------------------// Twilight inspected the strange drink in front of her. She, Minuette, and Steam Bolt had been sitting in a small diner for nearly half an hour. The diner was small and seemed like it could have had a forties theme, except the fabric on the chairs were faded and had holes in it. The rest of the diner seemed very clean though. Most of the diner was empty, save for a few ponies who sat in the corner booths and kept to themselves. "So wait, we're looking for a hammer that could be anywhere?" Bolt asked drawing Twilight's attention back to their conversation. "It is most likely close by. My mother would not be cruel enough to banish me here with no way home," Twilight said, more to reassure herself. "At least I hope so," she said sighing. Minuette was tapping a finger to her chin, trying to think of someplace a mythical hammer with the power to control storms could be around Appleloosa. If it were found somepony would have said something, and in a small town like this news travels fast. "I still think you're crazy," Bolt said, leaning back in his chair, accidentally bumping into a pair of stallions as they walked to the front of the diner. "Sorry," he apologized. "No worries," one replied as they continued through the diner. Twilight glared at the obnoxious pegasus, but ignored his comment, instead deciding to taste her drink, coffee the waitress had called it. Twilight's eyes went wide at the bitter flavor, but she tasted something else in it as well. Whatever the taste was it had Twilight under its spell. "This drink, I like it," Twilight said, unable to voice a more complex sentence. She quickly drank the rest in huge gulps. "Another!" she shouted, smashing the cup on the floor as was customary in Equinsgard. Twilight hated doing it at first, but it was almost impossible to get a new drink from a serving maid otherwise and it had quickly become habitual. Every patron in the diner was now staring at Twilight, who had just realized her mistake. Twilight blushed as she noticed everypony staring at her. "The hell was that?" Bolt asked shocked, gaping at Twilight. "Ummm... a bad habit from home," Twilight explained as the waitress came to their table with a broom and dustpan to clean the mess, glaring at Twilight. Minuette gave the waitress an apologetic smile. "Well here we usually just ask," she explained, earning an understanding nod from Twilight. "What's with all the crazy mares today?" Minuette heard one of the stallions that Bolt had bumped into say, a pegasus. They were seated at a table not far away. She couldn't help but eavesdrop at the mention of crazy mares. The other stallion, a unicorn, chuckled. "You still sore about that filly that knocked you on your ass at the crater?" he laughed, gaining Minuette's full attention. "She caught me off guard," the first stallion defended. "Excuse me," Minuette called, catching the pairs' attention. "You mentioned a crater. Was there a meteor or something?" she asked, not recalling hearing about one. The unicorn shook his head. "Looked more like a hammer," he informed. Twilight's head shot up. "Too heavy for any pony to lift though," he continued. "Which way?" Twilight asked, standing up. The stallions gave her a questioning look. "Uh.. west. Bout fifty miles or so," he said. Twilight smiled and started for the exit. "You won't get near it though. Some government goons chased everypony off the site," he called after her. Twilight ignored them and continued outside, Bolt and Minuette close behind. "Twilight, wait," Minuette called out once they had made it to the first street corner. Twilight stopped and looked at her questioningly. "There is no time to waste. We must retrieve Mjolnir," she responded. "Yeah sure, let's just raid some government operation. When they arrest us, we can just tell them you're an alicorn princess who got banished from her magical castle in the sky and traveled here on a cloud of rainbows," Bolt explained sarcastically. Twilight was about to respond when Minuette jumped in. "Everypony, calm down," she said sternly. She turned to Twilight, unsure what to say. "Twilight-" "I'll tell you anything you want to know, if you simply transport me to this crater," she promised, cutting Minuette off. Minuette froze. All she wanted to know and all she had to do was drive someplace. Bolt could see his boss’s hesitation. "Minuette, this is a bad idea," he told her, placing a hand on her shoulder. Minuette locked eyes with Twilight. "I'll drive you, but the rest is up to you," she clarified. Twilight nodded in affirmation and Bolt sighed in frustration. ///////////////////////////// Pinkie Pie was in a rare mood and considering she was almost always happy, this was not a good thing. Almost an hour after Sweetie Belle had called in to headquarters about the strange hammer, a small command center had been set up and, to Pinkie's dismay, came complete with a commanding officer. Most of the other agents and scientists on site avoided the pink mare as she marched through the cylindrical, plastic halls. She was on her way to meet the pony who had been put in charge, Sweetie Belle following closely. "Is it really all that bad they put somepony else in charge?" the younger mare asked, hoping to calm Pinkie down. "I was put in charge first. Now they want me to relinquish my operation over some weird energy in a hammer?" Pinkie asked incredulously. "Things haven't even gotten complicated and I'm already getting restricted," the earth pony complained. Sweetie Belle cringed before she asked her next question. "Aren't you supposed to be under punishment?" she asked. Pinkie stopped dead, Sweetie barely avoiding running into her. Pinkie turned around to face the unicorn. "But... I...," Pinkie tried to argue, before letting out a frustrated growl. "Okay, you have a point," she conceded, continuing on her path. "But I still wanna have a word with whoever has been put in charge," she stated. It didn't take long to reach the main command center and as soon as Pinkie saw the highest ranking agent, her jaw dropped. "Hoity Toity?!" she shouted in disbelief, catching the stallion's attention. Hoity lowered his shades to give Pinkie a once over, seeming unimpressed. "Ah yes, Agent Pie. I'd heard you'd be here. Weather watching, wasn't it?" he asked almost mockingly as he turned back to the stallion's setting up the computers in the room. "Keep the main floor clear, we'll need space to walk through," he instructed a unicorn who had wheeled a large server unit into the middle of the floor. Pinkie was having trouble forming a sentence so Sweetie spoke up. "It's an honor to meet you sir. My sister has told me a lot about you," she informed holding out a hoof to shake. Hoity returned his attention to the pair and smiled. "Your sister?" he asked trying to figure out who he was speaking to. "Oh, you must be Sweetie Belle. I'd heard you'd just graduated from the academy. Top of your class, too," he praised. Sweetie was about to respond, but Hoity kept going. "It's amazing they'd put you under the tutelage of a below par agent," he commented. Sweetie glared at the stallion. "I've been a great teacher!" Pinkie shouted angrily, stepping right in front of Hoity. "Oh, I'm sure. Already teaching her how to get noticed easily," he said. "You've been here less than a day and already got into an altercation with the locals," he pointed out disapprovingly. Pinkie didn't have an argument for that. She was seething which was starting to scare Sweetie Belle, who had never seen the pink pony angry. "Well it was... interesting to meet you, but Pinkie and I should get back to work," Sweetie said, pushing her mentor towards the exit. "What was that all about?" Sweetie asked once they were clear of the command center. Pinkie glared at the floor as they walked. "Hoity was the agent that was sent for me and Rarity years ago. He didn't recommend me for recruitment, but the director had seen me in action and disagreed," Pinkie explained. "He's been breathing down my neck ever since," she finished, angrily clenching her fists. Sweetie didn't know how to respond. She knew Pinkie got in trouble more than most other agents, but the pink pony also had a flawless record of success. The only reason she ever got in trouble was because she had trouble keeping her assignments quiet and out of the public eye. "Maybe we should just stay here for a few more hours then," Sweetie suggested, earning a quizzical look from Pinkie. "If you stick around and show Hoity how competent you are, he might put in a good word for you and have your punishment lifted," she explained. Pinkie seemed unsure, but didn't have anything else to do. "Alright, we'll stick around," she agreed, turning down another hallway. "But I'm keeping my bow ready," she finished, leaving no room for argument. ///////////////////////////////// Twilight stared out of the van's window as the sun set behind the horizon. "We should be there soon," Bolt called from the driver seat. "Don't get too close. If we're spotted, we lose the element of surprise," Twilight informed, turning her gaze to the road in front of them. Minuette turned to the supposed alicorn. "Those stallions at the diner said they couldn't lift the hammer," she pointed out, grabbing Twilight's attention. Twilight seemed unsure what the unicorn was getting at. "Sorry, but they seemed a bit more brawny than you," Minuette elaborated. Twilight smiled as she realized what Minuette was getting at. "It is not a matter of strength. Only one who is worthy may lift Mjolnir," Twilight explained. "But you got banished right?" Bolt asked without looking away from the road. "What if you aren't worthy anymore?" Twilight's eyes widened at the suggestion. The thought hadn't even crossed her mind. No, she thought, shaking her head to clear it of doubt. "That won't be a problem," she assured. "How much longer?" she asked, beginning to become restless. "Should only be about five minutes now," Bolt informed. "We should walk the rest of the way then," Twilight suggested. Bolt was about to argue when Minuette interrupted. "A little exercise won't kill you. Just pull over," she told him. Bolt sighed in defeat as he pulled the van off of the main road and parked. //////////////////////////////// Walking had extended the time of the trip to almost half an hour. By the time the three ponies had arrived at the crater, the sun had dropped behind the horizon and night had fallen over the desert and storm clouds could be seen forming above them. Twilight was the first to reach the crest of the hill and what she saw there baffled her. Bolt and Minuette gaped at the miniature base and a chain link fence surrounding it that had been set up in less than twelve hours. Several ponies scurried about the exterior of the makeshift compound, presumably guards on patrol. "Who are these ponies?" Bolt asked, fearing life in prison for aiding Twilight. "Not sure, but they're more organized than any group I've seen before," Minuette commented. Twilight stood silently at the top of the hill, keeping her body low as she surveyed the activity below. "And you've met so many secret agents, right?" Bolt asked, earning a glare from Minuette. "It makes little difference who they are. They have Mjolnir and I intend to get her back," Twilight said as she started down the hill, using the cover of darkness to hide. "Twilight, wait," Minuette called, but the purple mare ignored her. "Oh this was a bad idea," she told herself, rubbing her forehead. "Oh really? I bet it would have been helpful to have a trusty assistant to tell you that before we came," Bolt said, glaring at Minuette. She was about to reply when a bolt of lightning crashed overhead, thunder rumbling soon after. "Maybe, we should go wait in the van," she suggested. Bolt nodded in agreement and the pair charged in the direction of their vehicle just as it started to rain. ////////////////////////////// Twilight made it to the fence just as a guard walked past, a flashlight in his hand, illuminating the ground ahead of him. Twilight got her hand under the fence and pulled as hard as she could, bending the chain links and creating a space for herself to crawl underneath. The rain had turned the dirt into mud and Twilight used it to slide underneath the fence. She didn't bother shaking off the mud that clung to her clothes, instead using it as camouflage as she moved through the shadows of the base. Once she was close to the entrance, she noticed how well lit the interior was. She cursed under her breath and laid in wait near the door. After just a few minutes a pair of guards came out and Twilight sprang from her hiding place. She knocked both stallions onto their stomachs and then knocked their heads together. She then dragged the unconscious guards into the shadows and started removing some of their equipment and started dressing herself. Now that she was passable as a guard she entered the still open front door and started down the hallway. It was difficult to maneuver through the unfamiliar corridors, but Twilight soon found herself navigating towards the center of the complex. Just as she turned down a new hallway, she heard a siren blaring, telling her the guards she attacked had been found. As if a switch had been flipped armed guards started flooding the compound searching for the intruder. Twilight was unable to avoid running into a group of guards heading down the hallway towards her. "Halt! Identify yourself!" a unicorn shouted, raising his weapon. Twilight had no idea how to respond. She knew they had some form of code for these situations, but she didn't know it so she responded in the only way she could. Twilight sprang into the first pony and tackled him into the next. "Intruder spotted in the detention hall!" a guard called into his radio. Twilight grabbed the arm of the next stallion and knocked him to the ground, kicking him in the head as she advanced on the last guard. He raised his weapon, but Twilight knocked it aside and headbutted him. The guard slumped to the floor unconscious and Twilight continued on her way. //////////////////////////// "Pinkie, wait!" Sweetie called out over the alarm as her mentor charged through the complex. "No time. We have an intruder. They need to be stopped," Pinkie responded as she rounded another corner. "Go back and tell Hoity I'm heading for the hammer," she told the younger mare. Sweetie quirked an eyebrow as Pinkie reached the weapons vault. "Why are you going there?" she asked, watching Pinkie ready her bow and strap a quiver if arrows to her back. "Because I don't believe in coincidence. Just chocolate cake," she answered, fitting an earpiece into her ear, a cord connecting it to a radio on her belt. "What?" Sweetie asked, confused. "Just go tell Hoity I've got things under control," Pinkie ordered as she exited the vault and ran off. Sweetie shook her head in frustration as she started back in the direction of the command center. //////////////////////////// Hoity Toity paced around the command center nervously. First the hammer started giving off strange energy pulses, then a storm rolled in over head and now they had an intruder. "Can somepony give me a status report, please?" he requested, frustrated. "Pinkie went after the intruder, sir," a voice spoke up from the door. Hoity turned to see Sweetie entering the room. "Great. This just keeps getting better," he said as he took a breath, trying to calm down. "Sir," a unicorn called from the far end of the room, grabbing Hoity's attention. "The storm appears to be getting worse the more the energy around the hammer fluxuates," he informed. "Well, that's a start. Try to figure out what's causing it. In the mean time, I want eyes on that intruder," he ordered, turning to Sweetie. "Was Agent Pie wearing a radio?" he asked. Sweetie Belle nodded. "Good. Get a hold of her and tell her to take the intruder alive," he said to a stallion by the door. "Make sure everypony else understands that as well." /////////////////////////////// Pinkie dodged by groups of guards as she made her way to the center of the compound. Just as she was starting to think the intruder might not be here for the hammer, she saw a familiar purple earth pony headed in the opposite direction of all the guards. "Halt!" Pinkie shouted notching an arrow. The mare turned only for a second before continuing on her way. Just as Pinkie was about to shoot her earpiece crackled to life. "To all personnel. The intruder must be taken alive. I repeat. The intruder is to be taken alive," a stallion said. Pinkie cursed as she removed the arrow from her bow and ran after the intruder. ///////////////////////////// Twilight knew she was getting close now. The storm outside was like a beacon, becoming more intense the closer she got to Mjolnir. She rounded one last corner and her eyes lit up at what she saw. Mjolnir sat, partially encased in stone at the end of the corridor. The room it was in was full of strange devices and the ground around the hammer was left exposed. Twilight approached the room slowly. She had made it this far and didn't feel like making a hasty mistake now. She reached the end of the corridor and was about to run to Mjolnir when she caught a flash of pink out if the corner of her eye. "Surprise!" the mare from earlier shouted as she tackled Twilight back down the hallway she had come from. The mare then attempted to hold Twilight down, but was interrupted by Twilight's elbow impacting her chest. Both mares jumped back to their feet and stared each other down. Twilight made the first move, charging straight at her opponent who dodged to the left and then jumped onto Twilight's back, wrapping her arms around her neck. Twilight ran at the wall and used it as a spring board, twisting in the air and then falling backwards onto the pink mare who released her with a grunt of pain. "That was a new one," the pink one said as she recovered only to see Twilight running for the hammer again. Just as she was about to grasp the handle the agent tackled Twilight to the ground again, this time intertwining her limbs with Twilight's body to keep a better grip. Determined to reclaim her weapon, Twilight began dragging herself and her passenger closer to Mjolnir. /////////////////////// Hoity watched the computer monitor as Pinkie struggled to capture the intruder. He had quickly noticed how the storm got worse as the stranger drew closer to the hammer, which was now giving off energy signatures he had never seen before. "What to make of that?" he asked himself as he grabbed a radio from one of the guards. "Agent Pie, let her go, but stay close," he ordered. ////////////////////////// Pinkie heard the order, but was reluctant to obey it. Instead she looked at the mare she was struggling to hold down. She saw a look of desperation on the mare's face that almost made Pinkie cry. Pinkie sighed as she rolled off of the mare, who turned to give her a strange look. "All yours," Pinkie assured, stepping away. The mare smiled as she stepped up to the hammer. She placed a hand on it and Pinkie watched the muscles in her arm flex as she visibly pulled on the weapon. Pinkie arched an eyebrow when nothing happened. The purple mare seemed just as confused. She placed both of her hands on the hammer and pulled as hard as she could. When the hammer didn't budge the mare let go of it and sat on the ground a defeated look in her eyes. Pinkie felt bad for her. "Take her," Hoity's voice said in her ear as more guards arrived. Pinkie took a pair of handcuffs from one and locked the intruder's arms behind her back. "Take her to an interrogation room," she said to a guard. The stallion nodded and led the purple mare away, that sad look never leaving her eyes.