With limply trotting steps, Ebon Mane shuffled up a cleft of rocks overshadowing the crash-landed Noble Jury. He adjusted the bangs of his mane in the breeze as he approached Eagle Eye and Pilate.
“Props… uh…” Ebon kicked at a few loose pebbles. “Propsy says it’s definitely repairable, but it’s gonna take her a while. She can make a rough patch for the hull along the starboard stern. That’s not the big issue, she claims. The hard part is fixing the steam propulsion. The network of pipes was kind of a junk job to begin with, something to temporarily replace the book of runes. So, having to fix it now is almost as hard as rebuilding from scrap.”
“Does she need our assistance with it?” Pilate asked, his head tilted eastward.
“She could use a helping hoof, yeah,” Ebon said, nodding. “But the heavy lifting is gonna be tough, what with… with…” He bit his lip.
Eagle Eye glanced between the two stallions. “Well, I never expected to hear myself say this, but we’ve got no excuse to go soft.” He turned towards Pilate specifically. “You’ve got a technical mind, Pilate. Maybe you can direct all of us as we assist Props with the labor.”
“I’ll be glad to do what I can,” Pilate replied. “As far as O.A.S.I.S. will allow me.”
“That would be much appreciated.” Ebon smiled hopefully. “We’ll get the Noble Jury up in no time! You’ll see! It will be as if…” His words trailed off. With a nervous breathed, he leaned forward and craned his neck to look past Pilate’s shoulders.
Off in the distance, a familiar elk could be seen along the hilly slopes, kneeling before a fresh mound of dirt.
Ebon bit his lip. “Is… is he doing better now?”
Pilate sighed. “He’s quieter now, for what it’s worth.”
“Are…” Ebon fumbled slightly. “Are you doing okay, Pilate? I mean… h-have you--”
“Have you heard from Belle at all since earlier?” Eagle Eye asked.
“Yes.” Pilate slowly nodded. “She…” He gritted his teeth. “The Steel Wing is headed to some place northeast of here, a place called ‘Far Ridge.’ Supposedly there’s an abandoned facility there with sequencing tools and other mana-driven devices.”
“And she’s going to try and help Shell to sequence with Imre?” Eagle Eye blinked. “Imre was Shell’s daughter?!”
Pilate said nothing.
“Well…” Ebon Mane exhaled. “At least we know she’s still alive.”
“Yes.” Pilate nodded. “But for how long?” He tilted his twitching ears towards the stallions. “He’s obviously not kept his word to her. How’s he expected to abide by any promises?”
“He strikes me as a stallion focused on his own interests alone,” Ebon Mane said.
“He strikes me as friggin’ nuts!” Eagle Eye’s voice cracked.
Ebon frowned and continued speaking, “So long as he’s made to believe that his best interests are being pursued, I think he’ll refrain from hurting your beloved.” He smiled gently. “Belle’s a genius of a mare, Pilate. She’ll know how to protect herself.”
“Until when?” Pilate murmured. “We mount some sort of glorious rescue? Rainbow Dash is far away. Our Searonese bag of tricks is also missing. We’re all down one supremely powerful telekinetic. And the ship…” Pilate shook, quivered, and groaned. “Spark alive, our ship…”
Ebon and Eagle Eye exchanged glances. Eventually, Eagle trotted over and placed a hoof gently on the zebra’s shoulder. “We’ve been through worse scrapes before. I know that’s hard to believe, but after having dealt with Killas and murderous foxes and exploding zeppelins…” He smiled gently. “I think I can take on the world, and I know that the rest of our friends can too.”
“You mean like what Simon attempted to do?”
“He… saved us, Pilate.”
“And I would gladly give my life up ten times over…” The zebra glanced blindly over his shoulder. “Just to know that my beloved is safe.”
Ebon cleared his throat. He shuffled forward and said, “What is it you’re always telling the rest of the Jury? Not to panic?”
“It’s not fear that grips me right now.” That said, Pilate shuffled quietly forward, navigating the loose rocks and pebbles with beams from O.A.S.I.S.
The other stallions stood in dull silence.
Floydien’s antlers cast a web of shadows across the ground. As a cold wind blew in random bursts, he sat along the edge of the plateau, hunched, his muzzle just inches from the fresh grave before him.
After a while, hooves scuffled to a stop behind him.
A voice murmured, “You have given us your gifts, your talents, and even your ship.”
Floydien tilted his head up slightly. Two dull eyes stared into the east horizon.
Pilate stood like a striped shadow behind the elk. “You were there for me when I was alone and helpless,” the zebra murmured. “You went out on countless limbs to save those most dear to me.” He sucked his breath in and said, “But I never… ever wanted you to give up this.”
Floydien’s eyes gazed into the stony earth yet again.
“Nothing… in life can excuse the loss of someone so close to us…” Pilate hoarsely said. “So tender. And when it happens… there’s the need for excuses. But I have none to give, my friend.” The runes along his plate dulled as he sat back on his haunches. “I’m so sorry that this happened, Mr. Floydien. I know that what Simon did was brave, but I keep going back in my mind and wondering how I could have prevented it somehow. And all I can think of is… is…”
Pilate clenched his teeth. Moisture lined the edges of his clear eyes.
“It… it is my fault…” He shuddered. “It is my fault for ever meeting you, for letting you get entangled in the perilous insanity that my life has become. Sure, you may not have gotten your Nancy Jane back, but perhaps that would have been a good thing. You could have lived another life, a safer one, cleansed of all the monsters that butchered the parts of you most precious. You could have washed clear the scars of Deep Ridge, instead of just making them bleed all over themselves. I…”
The zebra sniffled. He burrowed his face in two forelimbs as the the stallion wept openly.
“I could have given you so much better, Belle. Instead, it’s this nightmare all over again, my beloved. I was supposed to be the ship’s navigator. I should have known the skystone would have triggered an attack. I should have foreseen it. It’s my job, and I let you fall into the hooves of that monster again…” He seethed and whimpered. “We shouldn’t just stayed in Gray Smoke. We never should have come this far. We never should have pierced the wicked skies. Not for a day… an hour… a second…”
At that precise moment, a pair of cloven hooves hoisted Pilate to all fours. The zebra teetered, tilting his head breathlessly towards the elk.
Floydien leaned in with a scowl. “Little boomer did not save the stripes so that the stripes could drown in spit.”
Pilate gulped and murmured, “Mr. Floydien…?”
“A head of metal does the striped boomer possess. It’s not carved. It’s not pointed. It knows only the glimmer and none of the stabs.” Floydien leaned forward and whispered into the zebra’s ear. “A sharpness of dreamly teeth, that is what striped boomer has. Best to keep it that way, yes yes yes?”
“I… I…” Pilate shook his head. “Mr. Floydien, I-I do not understand.”
“Neither does Floydien understand,” the elk said, his eyes lost before the weight of the mountains around them. “The song in boomer breath. The taste and warmth of a beloved…” His muzzle loosened. “A true, true beloved.” After a few blinks, he said in a firmer tone, “But striped boomer knows, and is boomer’s job to live in the glimmer.” He shook his head. “Nancy Jane isn’t shattered, and neither is Floydien. After all, Floydien’s beloved forgave him a long time ago.” He trotted past Pilate.
Pilate stood, mouth agape. “Forgave?” He twirled about. “Forgave you for what?”
Floydien grinded to a stop. He turned and frowned. “All that Floydien has left is breaking stabs. And the biggest stabby-stabby of all has a fissure with Floydien’s name written on it.” His teeth produced sparks against one another. “Now, is striped boomer going to help Floydien or will Floydien have to bury him too?”
Pilate wiped his cheek dry. With a shuddering breath, he nodded. “You can count on me.”
“Good,” the elk said in a grunting tone. “Because it is difficult for Floydien when stripes stand under cloud cover.” He motioned as he broke into a gallop towards the Noble Jury. “Come through swift swift. The blonde boomer waits for no one.”
That's the worst part of death: the never-ending cycle of "What could I have done to stop it?"
Twenty-five pushups and twenty-five situps, );(. Knock 'em out!
The xonan captives are in quite a stick, but it's this group that feel the lowest.
Its nice seeing this continuing change in floydien's attitude, and great how the two characters torn from their loved ones are reconciling together.
But I'm still reeling over yesterdays cliffhanger.
Say what you want about the Xonan language. Sometimes, I still find myself trying to decode Floydien.
It's good to see that Floydien is doing alright. Shell is seriously f*cked when the Jury catches up.
I like Floydien. I mean, I already did, but this chapter made me like him even more.
And Pilate is being too hard on himself.
~Basso
Rest in peace little boomer...
Bless his little heart...
But we must move on, for the glory of Austraeoh!
For the glory of Austraeoh!
Now I wonder who's on the next hit list. It worries me. Nobody around here knows necromancy, is there.
3520885Forgot about that, but it's apparently true.
Because of an attractive force known as gravity.
More information here.
3521282 Oh em gee, gravity is so hawt.
…that's not what you meant by 'attractive'?
~Basso
3521312
Mmm, well, sexy girls do have their own gravitational pull (however small it may be), so in a way it can mean that.
I-its so hard sometimes to understand that crazy Elk...someone needs to put up a translation for me, cuz I have NO idea what he said to Pilate
Something something heartwarming reassurance. That's what I think he said...?
3521329
It's along the lines of telling Pilate not to be sorrowful, that Pilate doesn't have a malevolent bone in his body, and some hints about a mysterious past full of violence.
I love the relationship Floydien and Pilate share, truly heartwarming.
On a side note, i 'm still keeping Ebon's past on my mind. If Luna noticed something was off then its likely something I should keep on my radar. Why, the last time a character had a mysterious past she ended up being the daughter to an insane (and seemingly immortal) villain, and then shot herself .__.
3521656 Ebon only started existing recently. He was created for the sole purpose of being shipped with EE. His cutie mark is proof.
~Basso
Floydien, you beautiful character you.
So Pilate has survivor's guilt, the Noble Jury isn't down for the count yet, and Floydien has a vendetta against a particular stabby-stabby? Hands up for who thinks it's Seclorum. Or maybe it's Shell.
Well after 2 months I'm finally all caught up again...
holy shit what a ride it's been...
No Phoenix? Then the blood of Simon truely gives the Nancy Jane life.
Go you sexy elk go!
I do hope he gets to be the one who kills Shell.
I've always wondered how people in fiction "repair" things in the middle of the wilderness.
I wonder "Do these ponies ever wonder "Would it be better if I took this weight off my shoulders, instead of blaming myself. And where should I put all this weight? It making me so tired...""
I think the real question is: If an elk falls in the woods and no one's around to hear it, does it spit or glimmer? I think this chapter gave us our answer, and luckily Pilate was there to hear exactly what he needed to.
Now we just have to wait for Props to get her Hardy Krüger on, and Shell will have a cervine missile with his name on it.
3521130 you know, whenever I read one of your comments I have to do 25 push-ups and 25 sit-ups? I'm really sore >_<
3523004
Cry me a river, tubby. KNOCK 'EM OUT!
3522152
Certainly; 'Gored by lightning-charged elk antlers' is a fitting death for that son of a bitch.
Anyway, it's good to see they're back on their feet, finally
3521717
I don't see how Seclorum has anything to do with it - in fact, if I'm pretty sure he'll be coming to the Jury's aid any chapter now, given Josho comes through.
Shell would be a better guess, seeing as he just directly caused Simon's death.
But you know, anything's possible.
This line just killed me. It's as simple as that. Allegorically related picture for the day before yesterday:
fc04.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2013/131/6/0/_i_have_thee_____by_vest-d64um98.png
3521340>>3521150>>3521329 The basic message was "You're a thinker. You know how to theorize, but you know nothing about doing and fighting. Leave that to me. What you know is true love and magic. You work with those gifts, I work with mine, and now get your ass up and make yourself useful" if I am not mistaken.
Floydien is gonna go super-saiyan on Shell
IIIIIt's Dashie's evaluation time!
Quite a touching scene, this. It. Was also a good way for Floydien to sort of accept Simon's death quickly so that the story can progress. Good job, Imploding, you've done it again. These are my thoughts so far.
-MASH
Shell, you had best prepare yourself. You've got a crazed and enraged elk on the loose whose out for blood.
That was nice. Depressing, but nice. Cathartic, I think is the right word. The heroes we have left will be on their way soon enough, hopefully.
Onward!
-SPirit
Why do we fall, Master
BruceFloydien?I don't know about all of yas, but i understand Floydien when he talks perfectly 95% of the time. by the sentence is that statistic. certain sentences of his i dont quite get. But usually i get it. I'm a wee bit suprised a smart zebra like pilate hasnt grown on floydiens funny dialogue to the point of understanding it yet. ah well. nopony's perfect.
That's the spirit! Let's get things rolling.
I have a feeling that Floydien will become pretty awesome in the need future.
Do you feel it? Because I do...
;_;
Floydien was the Character with no friends, no family, no loyalty to anyone but himself. Now, because of Pilate, and the others, He has a family. He lost his best friend, But his best friend Died saving their family, and he's not gonna let that sacrifice go to waste now.
Floydian is back in the race, I don't know what to think about that.
Why do we fall? So we can learn to pick ourselves back up.
Almost as hard as.. "Figure in denim who speaks to nopony"
3521130 one hell of a workout you've been giving me for the last 2 weeks i've been reading mate, thanks for the motivation
5480849
What do you mean will become? He's already awesome. Although with his best friend and Kera's adorable mind bullet shooter gone. He's all the motivation to Sith Lighting up some fools.
Celestia have mercy on anyone who stands in the way of a vengeful elk.
Here I’m still wondering what happened to the imprisoned enforcers
8082719
Shell shale have no mercy
8759091
Hey so like can you stop going back and spoiling things? I know it's little things but they really make the whole story.. Just say SPOILERS at the start and block the text so we could avoid it
8759091
Really, guy? Could you not?