“The Prowse Shop?” A pony’s face scrunched up from where he struggled to unpack a crate full of zeppelin parts inside his ship. “Heck, that burned down months ago!”
Rainbow Dash sighed from where she hovered above Bellesmith and Pilate. “Look, we know that! Everypony in the Bronze District has said the same thing!”
Belle leaned forward. “We were hoping, sir, that you or somepony else might be able to fill us in on what happened to Mr. Prowse himself.”
“Oh?” The pony smirked as he heaved, lifted an exhaust manifold out, and slapped it over a table. “Why didn’t you say so?”
“Then…” Pilate stammered. “You know something about him?”
“I would hope so. The three legged fart and I exchanged lots of engine parts. Good stallion… even if a little crazy. When his factory burned down, nopony was really surprised, honestly. He only ever did well cuz he had his even crazier niece to keep him in check. Heh… the two of them somehow canceled each other out, if you can believe it.”
“Well, she’s back now,” Belle said. “And she’s extremely worried for her uncle.”
“Well, the thing to know about Prowse is that he tried selling his business several times before the crud went up in flames.”
“Really?” Pilate asked. “And nopony around here was willing to own that piece of real estate? It’s rather cramped around here. I figured… uh… ‘Sooters’ would be desperate.”
“Oh, don’t get me wrong. He’s got a nice little niche and all, but his warehouse was never a very pretty place. I’d been in there a few times,” the pony said. “Heh. I think the fire actually improved it.”
“We don’t get you,” Rainbow Dash said, squinting from above.
“Prowse’s place was crappy. And he always got crappy parts too. Still, someway, somehow, that stallion had the magic touch. He could take a hunk of junk and turn it into gold…. gold that worked. Only he knew the secret to that. If he tried selling his house and possessions to another pony, though, it would just be a heap of crap to the pony who didn’t have his gift, Sooter or Whitewashed or whatever.”
“So, when he couldn’t sell his property,” Belle muttered, “What then?”
“Well, that’s when the fire happened,” the pony said with a shrug. “We all figured it was a lame attempt at insurance fraud. The Upper Roost has been pretty generous with provisions lately, so it was just the right season to try and cash in on that. Only…”
“Only what?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“Well, it simply wasn’t like Prowse, y’know? The stallion was brilliant in engine work, but not exactly conniving in doing… er… shady stuff, if you catch my drift.”
“Trying to,” Rainbow said with a nod. “So, you think another pony set it on fire?”
“Could be possible. I mean, the guy was scoring it pretty big for a while.”
“Huh?”
The pony sighed and gestured with his forelimb. “The dude bought himself a new leg. He had a prosthetic, in case you didn’t know. But the crap was wearing out, and he didn’t have his niece around to tinker on it and make it all better. So he bought something from the Gold District of all places. Top notch quality. Heck, I bet he could fire lightning bolts out of that thing if he wanted. Anyways, last time I saw him, he was trotting around with that shiny thing, looking pretty healthy… if not a bit anxious.”
“Anxious?”
“He was always in a hurry, galloping instead of trotting, y’know? For a moment, we all thought he was just exercising with his new leg. But, if you asked me, it felt as though he was in a hurry to get somewhere and he was preparing at the last second.”
“Go where, exactly?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“Beats the heck out of me,” the pony remarked. “All I know is that this place is a lot less exciting with the guy gone. I hope he’s doing well for himself, wherever he is. As for myself, I gotta get this stuff prepared for a client by sundown! So, if you’ll excuse me…” He waved the three ponies off.
Rainbow Dash sighed as she followed Pilate and Bellesmith into the open street. Ponies milled about all around them as they made for the far end of the widely stretching bazaar.
“Well, that was helpful,” Belle said.
“Was it really?” Rainbow frowned. “That’s the fourth pony we’ve chatted with and I don’t feel like we’ve gotten any further.”
“We know that Prowse was in a good place when the shop burned down,” Pilate said.
“Yeah, and?”
“It means that he couldn’t have had motivation to burn it down himself.”
“You don’t say…”
“Or…” Pilate thought aloud as he trotted beside Belle. “It could mean that ponies were envious of his talents and burned it down in order to ruin his business.”
“Unngh… Then I think we’re talking to the wrong ponies!” Rainbow Dash frowned. “We should be talking to ponies in a less… uhm… bright district.”
“How do you mean?” Belle asked.
Pilate jumped in. “I do believe that is what Roarke is doing at the moment in the Rusted District.” He smirked slightly. “She does seem to have the skills necessary for conversing with equines in… less savory parts of this city.”
“Unnnngh…” Rainbow Dash slumped in her flight.
“What is it, Rainbow?” Belle asked.
“I just really, really, really, really, really don’t like the idea of us splitting up like this.”
Belle smirked. “Even you can’t talk Roarke out of something when she puts her mind and metal to it.”
“I know, it’s just that she’s smarter than that. Heck, we’re smarter than that! We shouldn’t have let her go into the lion’s den! We shouldn’t have abandoned Props and Ebon and EE at the shop! Heck, I almost wish we didn’t leave Floydien’s ship with Josho, Kera, and the elk to begin with!”
“Rainbow, darling, your concern is endearing,” Belle said. “But, please, don’t destroy yourself with stress.”
“But--”
“It’s Props whom we should be concerned about at the moment!” Belle exclaimed. “We’re doing the right thing for her right now.”
“Besides,” Pilate asked with a smirk. “You of all ponies should know that a high spot in the sky is the absolute safest place to be.” Just then, a cloaked figure darted out of the crowd, hopped over Bellesmith, and snatched the zebra with a color-banded forelimb. “Gaaaah!”
“P-Pilate!” Belle gasped.
“Whoah!” Rainbow Dash went wide-eyed.
Pilate wheezed, the breath being forced out of his lungs as he was dragged with extraordinary speed towards the far end of the bazaar by the banshee figure. The attacker glided like smoke beneath its rippling cloak; the zebra couldn’t even make contact with the floor to drag his hooves.
“Somepony! Anypony!” Belle yelled and pointed. “Stop him!”
“I’m on it!” Rainbow Dash blurred her wings, only for them to be ensnared in a tense net. “Wh-what?!” She slammed into the ground with a rattle of her pendant. Opening her eyes, she looked through a dizzying glance to see three more figures darting out of the crowd, their bodies clad tightly in brown cloaks. A mess of limbs reached for her. There were colors… colors…
“Nnnngh!” Rainbow Dash reverse somersaulted, uppercutting two shadowed muzzles with her lower hooves. As two bodies flew back, a third advanced on her. Rainbow Dash spun, tripped the figure with her tail, and spread her wings. “Gaaaaaugh!” With intense concentration, she was able to snap the net binding her feathers. She gave the appendages one heavy flap, knocking the attacker off its hooves.
“Rainbow! Look out!” Belle shouted as two more attackers jumped down from a nearby roof. The shoppers and workers in the street gasped and scrambled for cover. The air filled with sweat and thundering hooves as the strangers converged on Rainbow Dash.
Rainbow snarled, rolling to the side and kicking a market stand full of metal parts towards the pair. The floor spilled all over with nuts and bolts, causing the first attacker to trip awkwardly. The second cloaked figure hopped over its partner and dove at Rainbow with a thunderous kick.
Rainbow took it hard to the muzzle. “Ooof!” She flew back into a metal stand, causing the entire shop to collapse. The figure stood its ground, then spun around to face Belle.
Belle gritted her teeth, looked left and right, and grabbed a fallen metal pole in the crooks of her hooves.
The figure dashed towards her, outstretching a forelimb with three flashing colors.
Belle’s eyes latched onto it. She snapped swiftly to reality, spun, and slammed the pole against the back of the figure’s head.
“Ghhhkkt!” The pony stumbled forward.
With a growl, Belle spun and uppercutted the figure viciously.
The pony fell back, landing painfully on the metal floor of the Bronze District. Its hood fell back, revealing a stallion with a braided, multicolored mane. What was more, a small cluster of multicolored feathers dangled from an earring in his left ear.
Belle’s face twisted in confusion. She heard a stirring sound, and spun with her metal bludgeon.
The other four figures were getting up. Adjusting their cloaks, they stood before their fallen comrade, dragged their hooves against the floor, and advanced on Belle.
Belle gulped and held her weapon forward, gritting her teeth.
Just then… “Rnnnn-gaaaaugh!” The store behind them exploded, and a blue blur surged out. Rainbow tackled three of the ponies at once, knocking them into a mess of storefronts. Wooden splinters and metal knick-knacks went flying everywhere. Rainbow Dash hovered away from the mess, snarling through a bruised muzzle. She spun towards Bellesmith. “Did you see where Pilate went--” A lasso wrapped around her neck from below. “Snkkkt!”
The stallion with a braided mane held the rope in a pair of tight jaws. He yanked and pulled with his thick neck muscles, pulling the pegasus back down to street level. Right at that moment, a glossy metal shield with golden bands slammed across his head. The stallion’s eyes rolled back, and he fell in an unconscious heap at Eagle Eye’s hooves.
“EE!” Belle gasped.
Ebon Mane and Props watched, wide-eyed, as Eagle Eye galloped into the fray, engaging the other four ponies as they came out of the collapsed storefronts. “I’ve got things here, Rainbow!” the petite unicorn shouted, blurring heroically into the fray as the enemies unsheathed daggers and gripped them in their teeth. “Go get him! Go get Pilate!” He deflected the metal blades and knocked several of the ponies back, dominating the fight.
Rainbow Dash finally yanked the rope free from her neck, nodded, and rocketed down the road where the first figure had stolen her zebra friend.
As the sounds of the fight grew distant in her ears, they were replaced by the bass heartbeats throbbing in Rainbow’s ears. She gnashed her teeth, panting as she looked left and right down each available avenue. At last, she detected a spark of mana in the corner of her eyes.
“O.A.S.I.S.!” she gasped.
Rainbow looked right.
The cloaked figure had Pilate in its grasp and was galloping to the very edge of the Bronze District. Blue skies and the black shadows of Gray Smoke’s other floating districts lingered in the distance beyond the artificial horizon.
“You!” Rainbow Dash snarled, diving down towards the scene. “End of the line! Pick on a blind zebra, will ya?! I’m gonna rip out your kidneys and sew them shut beneath your eyelids, punk!”
The figure galloped, undeterred, towards the edge of the platform. Pilate’s breath left him as he felt the gust of cold winds.
Rainbow’s eyes bugged. “Whoah! Whoah there! Stop! Wh-what are you--?”
The figure plunged clear over the edge with Pilate in tow. Five seconds later, the cloak parted on either side. A pair of leather wings shot out, fastened together by metal beams. Gusts of steam shot out from where the pony’s tail should have been. The cloak billowed, and Rainbow saw patches of metal and leather. Powered by the glider, the abductor carried Pilate in a wide arc, angling towards the adjacent districts beyond.
Rainbow had very little time to gawk at the scene. Gritting her teeth, she angled her wings tight and dove at the target like a blue torpedo.
So, the Rainbow Dash had paranoia about something happening because of spliting up, and then TA DAM! We got it!
Hopefully, RD will go into full badass mode and get hold of situation.
Edit. Still, I'm damm confused who are the attackers... I mean... what?
Steam-punk ponies?
My body is so ready. Also, great to see that Dashie isn't the only one who can kick ass.
I'm on staff duty tonight, so evrybody's feeling my pain, ):(. Forty-pushups and forty situps. Knock 'em out!
t'aint natural, ponies strapping on wings and pretending to be pegasususes.
It's always fun to be reminded that EE is, in fact, a trained soldier capable of kicking ass when needed.
Attack of the Rainbow Cult!
Yup, definitely steampunky. So, these are the... Metal stallions of Zadubadabu?
~bass
Bloody Rainbow cult! I trusted you!
Related: Why is there even a Rainbow cult? I suppose they are getting offended at Dashie for 'stealing' their colours, but there's so much we don't know.
This is Australia...
wat
My bet's mercs, else these ponies so far have literally no motive, unless they're pegasus hunters or something. And even that doesn't make any sense!
3248398 Of course it makes sense, they kidnapped the... zebra. Wait.
They could very well be connected to Austraeoh and the machine, though.
~bass
Damn steampunk pegasi-wannabes!
I wonder if this "Rainbow Cult" are Xonans from that Chaos Rift/World Machine temple Oporst was talking about a few chapters ago...
Ant that's why I don't feel bad about Pilate's foalnapping.
He brought it upon himself by tempting fate.
3248382 It's not a cult, it's a fan club!
3248583
images4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20120909193154/mlp/images/thumb/d/d2/Rainbow_Dash_Fan_Club_S2E08.png/800px-Rainbow_Dash_Fan_Club_S2E08.png
Seems like Scootaloo has been opening franchises all throughout the world.
Grab the Zebra, delay the rest of the companions, drag the target, Rainbow Dash, off into a death trap seperated from everyone else without knowledge?
Sounds intelligent. Up until the point where Dash releases Chaos on them.
Okay, so they're not pegasi, but... What? Some kind of society that reveres and imitates the pegasi which, in this region, are creatures of legend? And now they've kidnapped everyone's favorite zebra. Either a.) They want Rainbow, took Pilate as bait, and could just as easily have taken Belle, or b.) They were specifically going after Pilate, possibly because they know he knows something that interests them. Probably A. Also, I have to wonder what the deal is with their fixation with color. Wouldn't it be something if multi-colored manes were significant to the whole pegasus mythos, and Rainbow's appearance is significant to her role as Austraeoh (my mind churns out crazy theories like nobody's business - it's best to just ignore them and wait to see what IC actually does).
Also, it's nice to see that Belle's badassery wasn't a one-time thing.
Wowzers, that was a heck of a sneak attack. Go get 'em, Rainbow!
Rainbow is the pegasus of legend and must be stuck in an altar and worshiped? Preferably with fire?
Or they just have a really screwed up idea on how to save/help ponies.
3244974
Hahhhh I was scared I did something wrong, and had inflicted the wrath of the elder gods or something.
What
What
WHAAAAAAAAAAT
And this chapter once more reinforces the universal lesson to never split the party. I don't know why I'm still surprised that Bell can kick flank, but I always appear to be. I am also saddened by the fact that the cult appears to not be Pegasi as it would have been interesting to finally run into another culture of them, but I shall take solace in their steampunk gadgetry.
Rainbows are secretly the glue that holds Urhuringor(sp) together. Calling it now.
This makes sense, but ... wouldn't steam boots be, y'know, cleaner?
Here comes the Paint Bucket Brigade!
3248308 Done and done. I needed that.
There is going to be some explosion when that torpedo reaches her target.
3248373
I was expecting actual pegasi, but I suppose this could be some sort of wannabe group. I suppose Zadubadabu pegasi will have to include fake pegasi as well.
3249025
Zadubadabu
Wasn't it mentioned earlier that Zonans had Jetpacks?
3249501
3244639 Yay, hello!
The cloaked figures spring into action. Yet another group is about to learn not to mess with Rainbow Dash. And we know that Prowse was possibly aware of something coming his way before his shop was destroyed. Information... we need more.
Great job Rainbow, Belle, and EE. Good teamwork there. Now...take these guys down hard!
It's the illumaneighti. Quick, everypony run!
Introducing the first
steamfart-powered Pegasusi.chzbgr.com/imagestore/2008/8/2/14e6142a-b140-422f-917e-cb3573c35175.jpg
Killer hippies from space. Abandon ship.
3248333 More than just your average soldier - an elite veteran mercenary.
3248398 Perhaps they're just racist.
3248700 Turns out that's just their way to express their love and admiration for the great and powerful Rainbow Dash. Which reminds me...
ohhhh!
steam powered glider wings!
Sneaky snuckified suspicion: Ebon was part of whatever group is being chased. He left and they wiped his drive.
Ah ,so I would assume dashie is very popular with these ponies.
Eh? Has Rainbow's battle against the Ledomaritian forces really started a cult?
I can't rightly figure out how else a rainbow-maned stallion with fake wings fits into this otherwise. Unless its some kind of obscure coincidence.
Either way, they seem to be a rather occult cult. They probably should have prepared more than freakin' rope and metal poles, though. Its pretty clear they had somewhat of an idea who they were messing with.
I see what you did there.
The intro scene with the three of them asking the stallion about Prowse gave me a strong Law and Order vibe. Detectives always ask for information when someone is working, and no matter how grisly or terrible the crime, the interviewee always has to get right back to work like nothing ever happened afterwards.
As to the ambush - the enemy turns out to be rainbow-obsessed steam-punk ponies? I'm alright with this.
Also, during the fight scene "Raise this Barn" came on my playlist. The two went surprisingly well together.
Well, enough random observations: Onward!
IIIIIt's Dashie's evaluation time!
Awesome fight scene, as always, and it's extra refreshing this time. These ponies are probably a part of some kind of cult or something...perhaps they worship pegasi, aspiring to be like them? But then why would they attack Dash's friends...we'll have to wait until we know more. These are thoughts so far.
-MASH
3289007 thay were only bating her in to folowing them
So the shadow guys are bad.No surprise there.
-Spirit
So that's how they do it.
Oooh, Rainbow Dash is being awesome again! Play her theme music!
Dat STEAMPUNK doe!!
Wasn't sure whether it'd be steampunk wings or bullshit magical levitation - glad to see its the former. Stealing Pilate though? That's interesting. Likely just for bait purposes, as Rainbow's the only one besides Roarke who can give chase during flight.
Ah, is this the final mystery member of the cast image on ):('s userpage, then?
And WHAM! Suddenly the crazy cultists attack outta nowhere!
Finished Pulse. Time to sleep!
Why kidnap Pilate? It makes little sense.
6246263 I'm pretty sure it's cause they know Rainbow's gonna chase him. Then that would mean their either from Ledomare, which is not very likely, or they know something about the austreaoh thing.
Of course, you'd already know since you're 9 weeks ahead of me, but I'm just putting this out there.
So...are these guys built like whatshisface? Y'know, the machine pony from earlier in the series?
Move down a line.
_____________________
Welp! That was interesting ^_^.
6811638
Zap Nator the Babykiller? Or Steel Teeth the Bad Ass?
__________________
Pegasi cultists?
As in, ponies who are in a cult based around pegasi.
Not cultists who are themselves pegasi.
Y'know what I mean...
6811638
6994961
I'm thinking Rudy45's thinking of Constable Steel Teeth the bad-ass.
Foal-killer Zap always reminded me of a lame version of Bane from the movie.
I'm thinking less a full-body prosthesis like Steel Teeth and more like an aerial version of the Metal Mares.
Maybe they've shorn their tails since the steam-jet would burn it anyway?
I'm sure we'll find out later on.
Oh good, I was worried that things were going too smoothly.