Sleep and Count Grasshoppers
“Mmmmm…” Kera smiled, curling tighter against Belle’s backside as the mare carried her down the array of crew quarters on the Noble Jury’s second level. “And then they told me about high ball.”
“Oh?” Belle trotted forward as Pilate opened the door to Kera’s quarters. “What’s high ball?”
“It’s a game…” Kera paused to yawn. “... a game that the foals around here play.” She stretched, hanging her body off Belle’s flanks like a living towel. “They toss up a ball really high with unicorn telekinesis, and they all gotta run to a post and back to the place where they tossed it. Whoever’s closest to the center when the ball falls wins a point.”
“Hmmm… How interesting.” Belle shuffled into the cramped compartment and spread forth the blanket of a hanging cot. “Did you play with them?”
“It was… too dark for high ball…” Kera stirred slightly as Belle hoisted her off her back and onto the bed. “Mmmm… but… but they said I could play with them tomorrow.” Her eyes fluttered thinly open. “Are… are we going to be here tomorrow?”
Belle smiled gently in the lantern light of the room. “I know for a fact we will be, Kera. I’m guessing the kids’ parents wanted them to go to bed for the night. You should too.”
“Mmmm…” Kera grumbled, though her eyes fluttered shut. “Not… tired…”
Belle chuckled lightly as she drew the blanket over the filly’s tattooed figure. “Well, when you decide that you are, will you let me know?”
“Sure… sure…” Kera yawned again. She muttered. “...Belle?”
“Yes, Kera?”
“The ponies here aren’t so lame after all…” The filly turned over, wrapping herself tighter in the blanket. Another yawn, and then a squeaking breath. “They’re… actually k-kind of cool… in their own… quiet way…”
Belle nodded. “I… I-I know, Kera.”
Silence.
Belle raised an eyebrow.
Kera’s body was slowly rising and falling. Her breaths came out in quiet, tranquil wheezes.
Belle sighed. With a weak smile, she leaned in and nuzzled the filly’s green hair in her sleep. She lingered there for a few seconds, then drew back. Without wasting a breath, she turned the lantern off and backtrotted out of the room. She looked gently at Pilate.
Once she was still, the zebra remarked, “Fascinating how swiftly she lost her nervousness.”
“I’m… sure it’s still there, Pilate,” Belle murmured. “It’s just… briefly forgotten.”
“No doubt the young friends she made helped her relax a bit.”
“Or riled her up.” Belle smirked for a brief moment. “You know Kera, Pilate. She never backs out from a challenge. I’m actually a little bit concerned for the ponies she wants to be playing games with.”
“Maybe there’s nothing to be fearful about,” Pilate said with a shrug. “We’ve never… r-really seen her with other foals before.”
“I’m sure she’ll be okay tomorrow,” Belle said in a dull tone.
Pilate leaned in, nuzzling her. “Are you okay?” he asked quietly.
She bit her lip. Gulping, she nodded and nuzzled him close, resting a hoof over her shoulder.
“Tomorrow, I suggest we get up early and have a long talk with Golden Happenstance,” Pilate said. “I feel like I can gauge the feelings of a stallion of his calibre. I should be able to get plenty of information out of him.”
“You think he’s hiding something, Pilate?”
“No, beloved. Nothing of the sort.”
“Can… c-can you forgive me for being anxious?”
“Nothing to be sorry about. We just need all the facts, is all.”
“And so does Kera.”
“Right…” Pilate nodded. “R-right.”
Silence.
The two turned and shuffled slowly towards the ship’s stern, heading down the thin corridor towards where the deck opened up into the wide, brightly-lit mess hall.
“Did you see where Rainbow Dash went?” Pilate asked.
“I couldn’t help but notice. She was on the roofs most of the night.”
“Did she eat anything?”
“She had some of the rice, I think.”
“I appreciate a pony who sticks to her values.”
“Still, she did seem a bit… distant…”
“I think she’s more anxious than Kera is.”
“Yeah, why?” Belle asked, then looked forward. She jerked in place.
“Well, to be honest, she’s grown attached to everypony, and I don’t think she can easily handle--”
Belle nudged Pilate hard.
The Zebra winced, then froze, his ears twitching. He gave the mess hall a quick scan with O.A.S.I.S.
The entire crew sat, gazing silently at the couple, as if frozen in conversation. Rainbow Dash hovered over the table, forelimbs curled as her ruby eyes glistened wide in the lanternlight. Even Floydien and Roarke were there--the elk in the far corner and the metal mare beneath a starlit porthole.
Belle gulped and said, “We… we need time.” She winced slightly, then turned her head slightly towards the corridor from which they trotted. “Kera needs time. I know we want to get out of Xonan territory as swiftly as possible, what with the cease-fire and all, but--”
“No more spit,” Floydien grumbled, his eyebrow raised. “The little boomerette needs days? She will have it.”
“I could totally use the time to work on fixing the skystone overlay!” Props said with a nervous smile.
“I’m talking to the locals about storing loads of rice,” Ebon Mane said. “I’m bartering a few spices and fruit that they normally don’t get around here.”
“I’m scratching my butt a lot,” Josho muttered. “Does that count for something?”
Eagle Eye rolled his eyes.
Belle smiled. She took a deep breath and said, “Thank you, everypony. Really. This means a lot to us.”
“Uh huh…” Zaid shifted uncomfortably. “And…?”
“And what?” Pilate asked.
The room was dead silent.
Belle cleared her throat. “There’s… there’s nothing to say yet. Please… let’s not force her to make a decision either. This is about her and her livelihood… after all…”
Roarke’s eye lenses pistoned back. She turned and trotted quietly scuffled out of the room.
Rainbow turned to look at that. Roarke was gone by the time the pegasus’ ruby eyes swept over the kitchen doorframe.
“So… then…” Pilate took a deep breath. “Might I suggest a good night’s rest, everypony?” He smiled gently. “Tomorrow is hopefully a bright and sunny day…”
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Gearing up for heartbreak. Dammit,. Dashie has had enough of that. But, would it really be heartbreak? I mean, if it means Kera will be safe and have a happy life... but could she really have that without Belle and Pilate?
Urf, too many emotions. Forty push-ups, ):(. Knock 'em out!
Did anyone else have some sort of interview about Japanese cooking start playing when they loaded the tab? No? That's really weird.
These actionless chapters are making us all paranoid, but I am really enjoying them.
Wherever Kera goes, I'm certain Belle and Pilate will follow.
I hope the next chapter focuses a little more on Rainbow, shes taking this roughly. I wonder if Roarke still thinks Kera will make the "obvious" choice...
3917768
Not me - I use adblock!
No, I am not sorry.
3917787 EDIT: AdBlock Plus go!
Interesting little segue. I've a feeling Roarke and my namesake are on opposing sides as for what to do with Kera...
But Rainbow doesn't have the days to spare.
Yeah, Pilate, go ahead and jinx it.
No! There will be no splitting up. No h-heartbreak. Everypony will stay together...
Cue the storm
static1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20111110034623/mlp/images/8/84/Applejack_covered_S01E15.png
Oh dear. It doesnt matter what language its in, you just put a priority one call into Murphy.
3917754 Seems almost like Roarke is taking this as hard as Belle in a way. Funny, who'd have thought she'd become so attached too.
I honestly think kera isn't staying here. she wouldn't make that choice I believe. what is really bothering me is what's on roarkes mind as well as rainbows.
Whelp- finally got around to finishing every poni fic SS&E has written on this site. Out of pure happenstance, I've also managed to catch up to Imploding Colon's work. Guess Dashie gets a new companion along for the ride.
Only difference is that her friends will be off supporting her fuzzy hide, and I'll be here drowning in Coca-Cola, finding entertainment in her struggles. Hmm.
Anyways, I gotta say, I'm a bit curious as to why the group's conversation went stone-cold after Belle and Pilate entered the room. It just seems a bit suspicious in nature, like they knew the couple may take offense to whatever it was they were plotting about...
Things seem tense...no one seems to have answers, there are a lot of unknown factors in play, everyone seems like one wrong move will be soul-crushing to someone else...
... Story of my life.
So Kera is now facing a hard decision - unless one choice will be forced upon her. And Belle and Pilate are suspecting something's off with the town. Or maybe Colon is playing with us due to the paranoia in last chapters' comments
. I don't think the villagers are changelings or cannibals or whatever, but some smaller surprises might happen.
I hate to criticize, but it seems very off for a unicorn, especially a foal, to use words like "telekinesis" to talk about something so mundane for her, especially when talking with another unicorn. She could just say "with magic". The show itself has used "levitation", but even that was just in a song.
3919559 The foals themselves couldn't use their horns for magic, as you may remember. So who is tossing the ball? Hence the exposition that it's some unicorn adults drafted in that do the... ahem.. tossing.
Kera will make a choice. And The evil that is Imploding Colon will cause that choice to be made for her. Maybe Lerris will be destroyed. Or Kera killed.... Something horrible and heartbreaking is going to happen and it's going to be the worst. Also Ebon is a Changeling, and I hope he hurrys up and figures it out so he can hurry up and leave the ship. That's my biggest annoyance about Odrsjot. Propsy, Floydien, and Ebon just kept on the ship and never went venturing. Pilate to even. I want them out and about. (Ebon Transform Into Imre=Shell Dealt with in the most humane manner, also would feed)
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Uh, Floyd's the pilot, Props is the mechanic and Ebon's the cook. The ship needs all of them. Who cares if they don't go on adventures?
3918623 Not as surprised. Remember, Searo's Hold was all mares. They took in young mares and raised them. Granted it was to be insane battle-ass fighters with cyborg hearts, but the desire to raise was still there. They advised, they watched over. I'm positive Roarke feels that way about Kera, helping her to grow and defend and be aware just as she is. So I'm not so surprised.
And if you've never been around a kid for a prolonged period of time in a rough situation, they become a small sense of normalcy, an anchor to the world that's NOT stressing you, usually. It's hard to think about losing that light and spark.
3921147
Well. I know logically It's a thing. But they spent alot of time making those lovable characters and We barely see them half the time. Cause the attention is on Roarke, and Dash, and Josho, and whoever doing the actiony adventure bits. Really I just want the story to have them in it more, and that's the way I see it happening. Since unlike Star Trek for example The ship is too small to have ship based arcs. So at best we'll see them here and there unless things change or so on and so forth.
dang Pilate, you just activated murphys law
Let us enjoy this last calm breaths. Skirts knows how long they will last.
IIIIIt's Dashie's evaluation time!
Well, at this point I'm pretty sure that Shell is going to swoop in and screw everything up. Hopefully it'll be the end of him when he does. These are my thoughts so far.
-MASH
Something bad is going to happen. Soon,
-Spirit
oh man...aloooooot of feelings are gonna fly...
Things are setting up to become very dramatic in the coming days.
Sideways Stories reference? Could be, could be...
Dammit. Sticking around trying to pressure Kera into staying is going to give Shell time to catch up, and then he'll make the decision for her by killing the whole town.
The whole crew is attached to the little scamp.
Morning in Lerris shimmers
Morning is Lerris shines
And I know for absolute certain
That everything is going to die
I know sticking around is The Right Thing to Do (TM), but something tells me it won't end well...
There is very little chance that it's not going to be raining next chapter
6637795
Well that's macabre
nervousness continues to grow