On A Date With Epic Explosions
FWOOOOSH!
The Noble Jury soared eastward, skimming the tallest mountains that bordered the southern edge of the Val Roan Central Basin. The rising sun glinted across its bow, sending shimmering bands of refracted light through the windshield and into the cockpit where Zaid gripped the controls tightly.
“Like combing a bald monkey's head for lice, I swear to Goddess...” The stallion gnashed his teeth, then shouted over his shoulder towards the open door to the top deck. “Any sign of 'em yet?!”
“Negative!” Bellesmith hollered, marching backwards, one hoof at a time as the wind blew at her mane and tail. “Clear gray skies all across the southern horizon!”
“Should I slow down?!” Zaid exclaimed.
“No!” Belle gnashed her teeth. “If we don't maintain this speed and surveillance, we might not intercept them! We have to make them stop before they have a chance to enter Val Roa Proper!”
“Aye, Cap'n my Cap'n!” Zaid exclaimed, continuing to accelerate the craft.
Belle took a deep breath and gestured ahead of her. “Easy does it, beloved. Just a few more steps.”
“Nnngh...” Pilate shuddered, shouldering a cylindrical black cannon across his back. “Roarke certainly crafted this thing to be damned heavy.”
“You can take the mare from the metal but never the metal from the mare.” Belle reached out to steady the zebra. “Okay. Right there.”
“Is this where it's mounted?”
“Affirmative. Allow me.” Belle reached in with her hooves and hoisted half of the cannon off the stallion's backside. Together, they affixed the weapon to a thick metal base mounted against the deck right along the starboard side of the ship. “Okay, it's in place.”
“Roger that.” Pilate tapped a black helmet forward over his metal crown. The Oracular Array slid in place, lighting up with red energy from within. The zebra shuddered slightly as the Lounge Tech once again fused with his O.A.S.I.S. system. “Spark alive, I'll never get used to that.”
“It's my fault, Pilate,” Bellesmith said. “I should have helped you train more.”
“Think nothing of it.” He leaned forward, and—with unnatural sight—he began latching the clamps of the mounted cannon in place. “I can utilize this 'vision' of mine in small bursts. That should allow me to be helpful in bringing you backup manacrystal reserves for ammunition. However, I doubt very much that I'll be of any assistance in aiming these weapons at the enemy.”
“I'm afraid that task will rest on my hooves,” Belle said with a nervous smile. She spoke against the whipping winds, “Though the goal here is to occupy the goblins. Not destroy them.”
“I don't know, beloved.” Pilate's muzzle curved ever so slightly. “I have faith that you could bring one of the battleships down if you wanted to.”
“No joke, Pilate,” Belle said, shuddering. “The only victory here is if the Jury gets out of this in one piece.” She gulped. “And as 'Captain,' I suspect that weight falls on my shoulder.”
“We won't be doing much good at all if we don't get the second cannon attached,” Pilate said.
“Right.” Belle nodded. “After all, we need to cover the port side.”
“How'd Props' installation go of the hard fuel rockets along the bow?”
“I suppose we'll find out when the time comes.”
“How charming.” Pilate finished slapping the clamps in place. “There we go. Give it a whirl, shall you?”
Belle trotted up to the cannon. She stood on her hind-quarters and gripped the handles, swinging and swiveling the long black barrel around. It held tight to the base, all the while aiming perfectly at the southern horizon.
“It's locked in tight!” Belle said with a smile. “Well done, beloved. Shall we fetch the second?”
“We shall.” Pilate winced slightly, but then switched the Oracular Array off, exhaling with relief. “I'm afraid you'll have to lead the way again.”
“Right.” Belle leaned in so he could place a hoof on her shoulder. As the two trotted their way across the windswept deck towards the stern's stairwell, the mare turned to shout at the cockpit. “We've got the starboard cannon attached, Zaid! Proceeding to affix the port side weapon!”
“Righto!” Zaid hollered back from the pilot's seat. “I'll keep my handsome eyes peeled for imps on a wing!”
“Don't forget about Props! You could use all the help we can get!”
Zaid reached a hoof up to slap the intercom panel beside him. “Didja hear that, Blondie?”
“Scrkkkt! Did I hear what?”
“We gotta catch these goblins before they catch us!”
“Scrkkkt! Sensors are doing cartwheels all over the atmosphere, Zaidy Waidy! If there was another skystone ship around here, I'd catch it!”
Zaid bit his lip. “Are you aiming all the doohickeys south?”
“For the most part, yeah, why?”
“Might wanna aim some of then north... y'know... just in case we have missed the huge hulking battleships that could totally destroy us in one hit.”
“I'm pretty sure they're still south of us.”
“What makes you say that, Blondie?”
“Because there's a massive... I dunno... fuzzy blurp thingy to the south, almost as if there's an entire skystone reserve lingering there!”
“But th-that's impossible, right?” Zaid blinked awkwardly. “The skystone fields are to the north of Val Roa!”
“I know! I don't know if I can explain it! Maybe the goblins were mining a bunch of the skystone that they got from the lizards before processing them into usable fuel crystals!”
“Or maybe...” Zaid's brow furrowed. “...it's something else besides the goblins.”
“Huh?”
“Blondie, do you ever wonder why Roarke hasn't contacted us yet?”
“Indeedy weedy. I'm terribly a-scared that she's gotten the zap.” There was a comical gulping sound from the intercom, followed by: “And after all she's done to help us...”
“But what if she isn't done helping us?” Zaid thought out loud. “What if... she's doing everything she can to make a heroic death less deadly even as we speak?”
“Huh...?”
Zaid eventually smirked at the rolling desert beyond the dashboard. “I dunno. I'm just thinking: in the arms of dirty goblins is a totally unsexy place for Roarke to finally kick the bucket. The same can be said about the Noble Jury and those scum-scrapers' crosshairs.”
“Is that your rallying cry?”
“Hell, why not?” Zaid exhaled. “Ebon's been gone for days and the hold is all out of cheese.”
“Scrkkkt! We'll have another feast yet! You'll see!”
“Yeah, and you and I can have a little dessert after.” He winked to the console.
“Scrkkkt! Heehee... not with Uncky Prowsy flying the same skies!”
“Yeah, well, we can elope to the Grand Choke.”
“But wouldn't we die a long, agonizing, starving death?”
“Yup!”
“Okie Dokie Lokie!”
“Heheheh...” Zaid flipped the intercom off and gazed south with a smiling sigh. “Ohhhhhhhh we're so boned.”
FWOOOOOSH! The Noble Jury rocketed eastward.
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Man Zaid's and Props dialogue exchanges are always a big pick me up.
ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/1715/18364.JPG
Looks like they're bringing out the big guns.
Explosions are incoming!
Big guns solve almost everything love and friendship can't.
I think my favorite thing about Belle is that she's both a total badass and a total soccer mom. Usually femme fatales are ridiculously overconfident and "sexy", but she's just such a MOM, all dainty and quaint and unassuming and shit.
I wish she were my mom.
At least something's flying east.
Two pintel mounted cannon, (Theyre coming in too fast) and a front load of rocket pods? Just how much has Rourke got in her toy box?
You know, earlier today, I realized something:
• Zaid and Props are a straight, pony-only couple.
• Rainbow and Roarke are a same-sex, pony-only couple.
• Belle and Pilate are a straight, interspecies couple.
• Ebon and Eagle are a same-sex, interspecies couple.
I wonder if that was intentional...
This story is making me sad again. They're all gonna break up at some point aren't they.
Once more with me, into the breach.
Darn, with that chapter title, I was expecting Kera to do some awesome magic.
Oh well. It's bound to pop up eventually.
5480922 I do too, I do too.
5481000 Love, baby. Love.
I'm looking forward to this aerial battle, if nothing else because of the possibility for more badass-mode Belle. Girl has some moves when the chips are down.
5480920
hoo boy
Since I'm a little late to the party, im gonna point out a line from last chapter. I saw someone comment on it before. Sharp Quill says "I wish I had gone north to feed her" or something like that. What if... What if Chryssie died without a hive to bring her sufficient food? What if this was her plan that she gave them, but now they're doing it without her help? That would surely be a twist worthy of IC. And now that I've said it, it's not gonna happen. Oh well. I await goblins vs the Jury's Lounge. All hail Zadubadabu.
Anyone notice the chapters have been (relatively speaking) shorter as of late? Like
skirts):( is drawing things out while he writes up an explosive finish...My brain is happily inserting Beatles-style restrained power rock, specifically Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, as the music here. I think it fits pretty well.
~ We're Rainbow Dash's Lonely Hearts Club Band ~
~ We hope you will enjoy the show! ~
~ We're Rainbow Dash's Lonely Hearts Club Band ~
~ Sit back and let the evening go! ~
5482266 Or, he's writing/polishing that other huge thing he's been hyping recently. (Also, moi aussi.)
5480922
I have the same thing with Eagle Eye being a flaming homosexual and a badflank ex-mercenery at the same time. One minute he's fussing about his mane, the next he's kicking goblin butt.
5481043
Or close up the wall with our Equine dead.
-The Charge of the Light Brigade
Of course... the Lounge.
Oh, this is gonna be awesome.
Certainty of death. Small chance of success. Jury duty awaits!
CRY HAVOC, AND LET SLIP THE DOGS OF WAR!!
More armaments for the Jury! It's becoming more of a battleship as the story progresses.
Ah, they've sensed the Lounge. Very good.
-Spirit
Maybe the Lounge is that blimp? Hmm . . . but that could mean a number of things.
Props just pulled a Pinkie Pie.
Pinkie Pie does not approve.
No Zaid... YOU'RE boned.
Also, another one of Zaid's moments of intense wisdom and foresight
May want to look north. The lounge has the south covered.
Dang, that's quite the upgrade from the boring old Ocular one.
Love how the Jury is finally getting some decent armaments.
Hmn... I almost forgot that they leave one battleship inside the Val Roa... This won't be good.
Never change Zaid.