//------------------------------//
// Chapter Four: Starlight Meetings 
// Story: The Manehatten Project 
// by Ddraigtanto 
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For once, Otto was not drinking before going to bed; he wanted to be sober tonight, for this was the night he, hopefully, would be making contact with the mysterious Starlight Glimmer. There was a lot of potential for things to go wrong, and having a fuzzy head would only tempt fate. And yet, the excitement of the unknown pushed him forward, throwing on his best suit, buttoning up his favoured black, pinstriped shirt and a tie. The advantages of a pony-controlled weather were immense, and he'd chosen this night specifically for a reason: It was scheduled to be raining. He completed his outfit with a large, heavy rain cloak which covered his cutie mark, and his face, perfectly; a useful contingency, and a plausible sight for those passing by.

The rain as heavy, pattering down upon Otto as he waited, hoping his contact would appear at the time he'd set. The location was a small, quiet plaza with a fountain, which continued to gush quietly behind him as he stood near it, under the light of a lamppost. He'd been waiting for a few moments now, and a part of him was starting to regret the choice of weather: It was very cold, and far wetter than he'd been expecting. Fortunately, old habits died hard: Taking out from his jacket a small flask, he unscrewed it, and took a small swig of whiskey; it wasn't his drink of choice, but it was a drink which warmed him to the core with even a small mouthful. Satisfied, he hovered the silver flask back inside his coat pocket, sighing slightly.

Suddenly, he saw another form appear in the corner of the eye: Another pony, this one also clad in a cloak, though with each step, he could see the glisten of wet, pink hooves underneath the thick grey fabric, trudging through the wet puddles, before standing near Otto's lamppost: He was the only pony here, save for this other individual.
The other pony coughed slightly; it was a feminine cough, but not especially high in pitch: It was a slightly matured pitch, that much was for certain. Otto held his breath, he'd prepared a line that Starlight was supposed to say if this was indeed her.
"Wow." Otto remarked, his eyes flicking to the other pony. "I had not expected the weather to be this bad tonight."
She turned to face him. "Well, it's your fault for not reading the weather schedule properly."
That was it, the line. "Starlight Glimmer?" Otto spoke in a hushed tone.
"Who's asking?" She replied.
"A friend. Come with me." He turned, and walked down the street, hearing hooves trotting behind him confirmed that she was indeed following behind him.

He led her to a small cafe, near its closing time, but he knew it to be safe; the pony at the counter was on his payroll, the normal pony at the counter was feeling... unwell, and had been so ever since somebody had poked him in the leg with an umbrella the day before.
The two ponies sat down in a quiet, darkened part of the cafe, away from the windows; on que, the cafe pony trotted up with a pot of tea and some cake, before locking the cafe doors and hurrying off to the back room.

"You didn't answer my question." Starlight spoke again, pulling down her hood. "Who are you?"
With that, Otto pulled down his hood. "As I said, I am a distant admirer. Though you can call me Otto." He smiled, she was a prettier pony than Twilight's description had betrayed: She wore her mane in a sort of tied up fashion, like a strange combination of a bun, and yet not at the same time. It was fascinating, and indeed, she did look very good. "In short, I'm the mayor of this city, and I was hoping you could help me with a few things, which I would very generously reward you for."
She raised an eyebrow, giving him a look. "And, if you claim to know who I am, you know what I do?"
"I do indeed." Otto smiled. "Your spell is fascinating. A spell which could remove cuite marks and leave ponies without powers or identity?" He chuckled. "A pony like me could use a spell like that very much." He looked around. "But tell me, which one was it?"
She blinked. "Which what?"
"Which prison? Canterlot Dungeons? Alcatrots? Irongate? I know of only three prisons, ultramax security, where the warden is given a spell to help prevent the convicts from using magic, or brute force, to cause trouble." His gaze narrowed. "Did you grow sick of having to deal with scum, Wardeness? Or did you one day realize just what you could do with such a spell, which your fellow wardens had not, and would never would?" He smirked. "They couldn't if they wanted to. They couldn't betray Princess Celestia, could they? But you? You attacked, imprisoned, and tried to brainwash the Princess of Friendship. Something tells me you'll go very far to get what you want... So, what do you want? Because I don't believe the equality crap for one moment."

This took Starlight aback, and she snarled. "So you lied in your letter? You hold no respect for my harmony?"
"I never said I didn't respect what you were trying to accomplish. You brought a princess to her knees, with one spell, and managed to create a cult with nothing more than your charm, and a prison disciplinary tool. But I don't believe you're doing it for equality, and it's very convenient that you didn't cast that spell on yourself. They do generally put the spell into a rod or a staff, so non-unicorns can use it... But, there are those who prefer to use magic the proper way." She huffed, defeated. "...But, I suppose there's a certain kind of harmony in what you did... What if, you could do that to an entire city?"
This brought a deadly quiet to the air. "An entire city? You'd allow me to equalize an entire city?"
"Yes, this one. There are eight million souls living in Manehatten. Seven of those millions are ponies, the rest are other races."
"They'd never vote for you again if you did this to them." Starlight snapped. "And what of the Princesses? Twilight Sparkle knows me, and she'll knew exactly what's going on. You'll lose your mayorship, and the princesses will throw you into a dungeon for certain!"
"Will they?" Otto didn't stop smirking. "What if I was to tell you that, soon, Manehatten may just become an independent city state, with me as it's Grand Prince?"
"I'd say you were crazy." Starlight snorted.
"...And what if I said you could be it's Grand Princess?" Otto continued. "Grand Princess Glimmer. It's got a nice ring to it, don't you think?"
"This..." Starlight was on the ropes now, he could tell. "This is insane. This isn't anything like what I was planning to do."
"Oh, really? This is just one other extreme on a scale. Harmony through everyone being equal, or perhaps harmony through a strict hierarchy? That's something you took from prison."
"But. You can't be thinking what I think you're thinking?"
"What? Fascism? Please! We already live under a dictatorship, Starlight! Princess Celestia, a supposedly immortal goddess, has been defeated a grand total of four times in five years, she is not strong enough to defend Equestria from invaders. Her sister is emotionally unstable, and completely inexperienced in rulership after a millennium long banishment from our world. Princess Cadence is on the other side of the world, and has taken the Captain of the Royal Guard of Equestria with her. As for the Captain of the Royal Guard, he is far, far too soft to properly train an army, as can be seen in the woeful incompetence of the Guard, and the Wonderbolts, which are no better than an areal sports team!" 

Otto took a break, his mouth dry from ranting, he took a sip of tea, and a bite of cake, before proceeding. "No, the reason he's now a prince at all by technicality is politics. Plain and simple. Princess Twilight Sparkle? She and her five friends are the only ponies with any real combat ability today, and power to defend Equestria. I met them yesterday, as have you. I am NOT trusting the security of this city to six ponies, one of which is so arrogant I'm amazed her head fits through doors, one is completely insane and dangerous unpredictable, and one of them is so damn timid she can barely even speak!" Otto quivered slightly, realizing suddenly that he was angry. It lasted for but a moment, however, for looking up, Starlight was now smiling.
"You hate them that much?" She asked.
"Yes." Otto spat conclusively. "I do. I hate them all, the six, and the princesses. Their short-sighted system is going to kill us all. I need to stop them before it's too late. I can't conquer all of Equestria, and I'm not going to. It's too big, and too loyal to Celestia. Manehatten is a start. It's got numbers, it's got resources, and it's in a perfect spot for trading. Glidedale and Glascow can trade with us for whatever goods Manehatten can't produce for itself. Starlight, please, this is the only chance we're going to have to save some of Ponykind once Celestia lets us down again. And it's not a matter of if, but when, I just know it!"
"And you think you can do a better job of ruling than she can?"
"I don't know." Otto replied. "But the citizens of this city voted for me, which is more than can be said of any of the Princesses. In that sense, I'm more of a legitimate ruler than they are."
"Perhaps, mayor..." Starlight replied with a coy smile. "Or is that Lord Mayor, if you're planning on reigning as a dictator, except still under the hoof of the princesses."
"Whatever you'd like to call me, but so long as I can call you 'friend'." He offered her a hoof. "Or at least... Ally."
"Very well. But I want to get started on equalizing our little ponies as soon as possible."
"Oh, hold on now. As you said, we must wait until the time is right. We need to secure Manehatten for our own ends first... And, you need to teach me the spell. Do this, and I'll reward you immensely."
She snorted. "Deal. It'll take a while though, it's not an easy spell to learn or cast. But together, we'll bring a new era of harmony across this city, and all of Equestria!" She shook his hoof, smirking. "Oh, and to answer your question. Alcatrots, that was my prison, my kingdom, and Celestia took it from me. If we succeed here, I'm taking it right back again..."