Winter Haven IC 2: Pony Harder!!

"Ḧ̛̜̲̫̲͇́̈͂͛ͭͫ̕i̼̺͐ṋ̵̸͙̥̦̫ͩ̊͛ͫ͛̍̏̍͢c̸̶͇̠͕̣̬͛̈ͮ̓ͮ͢ ̲̳̩̳̂͢i̴͈͖͕͓̗͗̽ͧ̄ͨ̇͟ļ̥͇̖̟͛͞l̛͈̱̻̠̤̝̳ͧ̊̓̌ͮͨ͜͝a̜͇̬̬̫͉̍͡ē̫̩ͤ͗͑ͩ̃ͦͪ̚͢ ̵̪̙̙ͩ̽ͪͣ͠l̶͖̫̠͇̻̪̱̬̾̽͗͂͑͐̈ǎ̦̭̤̝̜̯̲̹ͫ̿͛c͇̟̫̭̫͛͞r̪̦͓͖ͪ͋̅̊̐̓͑͡ͅi̷̙̩͑ͧ͛́̚m̦̪͚̙̖͂̚͘a̞̝ͭ̄͆̓̌̚͘e̓̐̾̄ͪ҉̶̝͓͇."

"Quiet, you."

Steel trotted forth out of the darkness.  "Flux! I was just discussing modifications to the de-winterizer with Belphegor.  Come on in, there's tea."

Steel led Flux over to a rough-hewn wooden table lined with blueprints and schematics. The table was a mess of spark plugs, copper coils, vacuum tubes, and a battered old tea set. Steel poured Flux a cup, and levitated his own from the table. "You take sugar? Cream? I take my tea with espresso." He trotted over to a complex piece of steaming machinery squeezed between a massive, old-fashioned tape-memory computer and an industrial metal press. The steaming machine produced a small amount of espresso directly into Steel's cup. "I have an inordinate fondness for caffeine," Steel explained.

Steel trotted back and laid out a map of town, with several areas marked. "I've identified these sites as the best locations for transceivers. If I transmit the control signal from here, or from any one of those locations, the transceivers would be able to blanket the entire region." Steel gestured toward the back. "That control signal would cause an implant I've surgically placed into the demon's brain to produce a mild but unpleasant electric shock. Speaking of which..." Steel raised his voice. "Belphegor, come meet our guest!"

"Ḯ̭̥̭̤͕̹ͪͭ̊͠g̵̶̩̲͎͕̯̮̎̐ͤ̾͐n̢̤̪̤͚ͬͧ͐ͦͤ̋ͅę̨͕̗̱̝̰̭͕͈ͬ̉̽̒͒ͮ͝ ̴̨̠̟̝̮͖̣͆̋n͋͛̏͌͗̌ͭ͞͏̵͚͇̖̥̠̣a̩̮̓̆ͯ͑t̛͛ͤ̋̇ͧ̊̚҉͈̘͉̼̮ͅu̹̞̥͕̻͓ͤ̽̀ͮr̥̝̘̘͍͈̮̍̀ͥ̆͜͢a̩̩͇̻̩͚͓̅ͫͧ̈͊̔̍ ̵̴͙̰̩͗̄ͮͥ̆r̴͎̖̹͚̰͚̰̆͆̎e̩͖̻̝̗̪͈̞ͦͩͦ̔ͩ͘͢n̯̗͇̦͓ͨͩͪͮ̃͊̆̊o̶̘̦̣̝̗͓̲̒ͅv͈̔̀́͛͒̚͘͡ͅa͎̖͙͎̠͍͈͋ͨ̇̅͜t̬̖͔̺̜̗̀̂͐ͭͥ̉̎ư̬̜̖͕̳̜̇͌̐̈ͨͧ̓ͭͫ̀r̼̬̬̈̍ ̸͍͓̃̿͂ͨ̂͒͋ͫ͞͝i̶͖̼͓̗̰̥̥̎͋̔̄̊̇͌n̸̻͍̳̪̳ͭ͐̿͐͢t̓͜͏̼̣e̳̪͍͎̝̬̔̏͐̇ͨ̒̔̆ͅg̳͓̟̠͖̺̟ͩ̍́ͨ͊̔͌̽r̩̘͉̠̗ͬ̾ͯ͜ą͓̱̹̯̞̣ͨ̋.̧̦͉͇̲̦̰̮̦̈́ͦͥ̐͢"


Steel harrumphed.  "If you're going to be rude to our guest, then you don't get any tea."


"I̴̞͍͙̒̌̈́̊͝n̷̞̯͉͚͔̻̦̹͐ͦͪ͐̾̄̌̒̀͜ ̧̫̙̲ͤ̌̏̄̐̕g̸̠̖̯̥͙͈̏̍̓̈́͐͌ͨͅỉ̼̟͇͈̳͈͈̤̼̃̋̌͛̾̽͟͝ȓ̡̛̹̥̥̜͇̠͇̍̀̊̕u̢̩̹̓͌̅ͪ̈́ͩͬ̋̀m̵̻͈̼̙̏̀̔͗̊̄̾̚͘͟ ͖̞͇̱͇͕͕̜̣͊͌ͪ͛̾͡i͓̝̘͉̯̳̫̪̭͋̓̆͒̓͒̑̀m̱̟͔͎ͥ̿̐̽͒͠͡u̬̺̝̱͖̙͋ͤ͑ͯͭ̓̚͟s̶̤͚̬̟͕͎͕̣̒͊̔ ̡̛̘͉̟͓̞̜͑ͩ̾̂̔̐͐n̩͓͎̥̳̜͓͖̘̎̌͞o̷̠͚̩̫̳̪̼̣̖ͯ͊͘c̳̹̺̥̮̫̋ͫ͊̾̾̍ͨ̉̏͘͢ͅt̨̺̦̳̺̤̝̰̫͛ͮ͋ͣ̎́eͫ̄̆ͨ͏̠̮̱̲ ̇̀̃͝҉̰͚̩̦̞ȩ̴͔͚̬̩̫̱̇̓ͤ̅͛̍t̫͉̳̯͈̝̖̰̏͗ͬͬ̀ͦ̍͒͜͡ͅ ̤̤̖͉͉̦̯̗͈̔ͮ́͞c̡͚͕̳̞̞͚͚̥ͥͩ͂̄o̧̨̘̹̝̲̲ͮ͊ͮ̎͐́͘n̛̠͉̫̭ͬ̊ͬ͟͡s̞̼̗̥͖̲̙̣͐ͤ͌ͯ̀̍̌͞ư͆̈́ͪ͌̌ͧ̂̚͞҉̤̤̰m̢̨̯̪͔͛ͥ̕i̢͕̩͔̠̮̱̞͓͒̂͘m̈ͩͩͮ҉̺̻̖̺̻ư̶̫̲̣ͫ̔́̓͊r̵̟̝̀̌͞ ̴̡͔͉͕̤͋ͤ̓̕i̩̹̼͙̖͙ͮĝ̷̥̖̜ͤ̒̀͟n̻̭͎̗̦͍̳̘̑̆i͖̝̣̤̻ͥ̈́̀̀͟.̷̫͖͓̣̱ͬͭ̓̀͢"


Steel sighed and turned to Flux.  "I'm sorry, but someone is being petulant.  I suppose you'll have to meet him another day."  He gestured at the map.  "So...do you think you can help me with those transceivers?"

"Have a good day," Nightwing said as Chiselle left. It was a good day indeed. She just hoped that it didn't rain that night; she was planning on doing some night flight. It's quite interesting to see the town from above during the dark. Seeing the lights from the houses and how they blend with the surrounding night.

"This would probably be the place to start with," Steel said as he and Flux approached the shop. Steel hmmmed. "This place looks familiar."

A pony was standing motionless outside of the door. Steel walked up. "Excuse me, miss, could you let us in? I'd like to install a radio transmitter on the roof to keep a demon bound to my will."

"Well, the workshop may actually fall outside the city limits, I'm not sure," Steel said. "But he'll probably be in town at least once a year to wrap up winter with a giant flying heat ray." Steel tried the door and found it locked. "Were you going to let us in? If you're interested in meeting Belphegor, by the way, I'm sure we can work something out. He's kind of shy though."

Willow blinked at the idea that a potentially dangerous creature would be lurking in this small town--and apparently embraced by this absent-minded pony. She hoped that town hall knew about this.

She nodded at Flux. "No problem... I suppose. Anyway, I'm Willow Burr, I run the new bar and law office that opened on Oak and Primrose. My ice machine broke down today--or at least last night, so I can't serve my drinks on the rocks. It'd be nice if you come down to my place, take a look at it, and give me an estimate." She then pulled up one of the mojitos from the box. "By the way, you wouldn't care for a free sample, would you? I'm offering 20% off on your next mixed drink if you try one," she said, smiling weakly.