Roarke Said, "Let My Zebras Go!"
Splintery wood crashed against arid soil.
Roarke and Eagle Eye spun around. They stopped in their tracks and ran in the opposite direction of the slowly trudging exodus of zebras. The Noble Jury and Whizzball loomed overhead, slowly gliding westward as an escort to the solid train of exhausted refugees.
A wagon had collapsed, its occupants spilling out and wincing from the impact. Roarke and Eagle Eye rushed over, helping the various zebras up to their hooves.
“Are you alright?” Roarke asked in a neutral tone. “Is anypony hurt?”
A zebra mare winced, patting Roarke's armored shoulder. “You're too kind. We can manage.”
Roarke's blue eyes narrowed. “I find that hard to accept. Your wagon's veritably decimated.”
“Huh?”
Eagle Eye helped two elderly zebras out of the rear of the craft. “It's smashed to ribbons, girl!” He pulled several planks of wooden debris out from the cart, checking for other survivors. “It'll take an hour to fix this! At least!”
“We have no choice,” the mare said. “My grandparents are far too weak to trot on their own and the other zebras have no room in their wagons.”
“Well, we c-can't just leave you all behind!” Eagle Eye stammered. “The goblins could come swinging by any moment, right?!”
A pair of zebra foals whimpered nervously. The mare stood in front of them, frowning at Eagle Eye. “We are hoping to avoid that at all costs.” She exhaled. “We didn't burn our lifelong homes to dust simply because we were bored of the scenery.”
“Look, I'm not trying to step on anypony's hooves! It's just that... that...” Eagle Eye sighed, then turned towards Roarke. “Help me out here.”
“Ma'am...” Roarke paced around the demolished cart. “How important is the bulk of things inside this vehicle?”
“Well...” The striped mare knelt and held her two foals close. “They're all precious to us, of course. Family heirlooms and the like.” She gulped. “But they don't mean anything if we can't find new farmland to live off of.”
“Then, essentially speaking, you don't need the wagon to survive?”
“Roarke!” Eagle Eye protested. “Weren't you listening earlier?!” He pointed at the two shivering elders. “The grandparents can't trot on their hooves like a bunch of the other zebras!”
“Believe it or not, I'm still employing the 'Most Rare' monicker.” Roarke tilted her head towards the heavens. She eyed Whizzball, then spoke into a fetlock-mounted sound stone. “Come in, breeder. This is Roarke. Respond.”
“Scrkkk!” Zaid's voice crackled to life. “You rang?”
“No, the other breeder.”
Josho's voice warbled through. “Yo.”
“What's your head count on the refugees again?”
“Really? That's all that you called me to ask?”
Roarke frowned. “Would you rather I lasso you down by your balls and ask in person?”
“Ahem. It's... h-hard to stay concentrated and pilot this giant black kidney stone at the same time. But... uhhhh... if I recall, the number we determined was somewhere around one hundred and twenty.”
“And just how many of those consisted of the sick, young, and elderly?”
“What are you even getting at, Roarke?”
“The old stallion has a point.” Eagle Eye trotted up to the mare's side. “What are you getting at?”
“The Jury's committed to escorting these zebras to Bountiful.”
“Right. Nopony's questioning that.”
“But we might inadvertently kill them at this rate,” Roarke said. “A long walk such as this in the dry heat will only bring the elderly to ruin.”
“Then what are you proposing?”
Roarke looked up, up at the Noble Jury. She brought the soundstone to her muzzle again. “Other breeder. Come in.”
“Scrkkkk! Whazzzzzzup?”
“Zaid, bring the Noble Jury down.”
“Uh. Sure. Okay.” A pause. “What for?”
“Oki doki loki!” Props smiled as she bounced her way from cluster to cluster of families huddled inside the ship's hangar bay. The doors to the rear hung wide open, revealing the desert landscape lingering under a blood-red sunset. “Is every zebra comfortable?! Need more blankets?”
“We're quite fine,” spoke a mare, smiling as she sat besides her two foals and grandparents. She bundled a comforter around her and her children. “You've done so much for us. Thank you.”
“Heeeeey! Our pleasure!” Props curtsied. “Never a frowning face on board the Striped Express!”
Across the hangar, a stallion waved his hoof to gather Props' attention.
“Whoopsies! I'm needed!” Props dashed over. “Noble Jury Flight Attendant Propsy, at your service!”
“My uncle is parched,” the zebra said, bowing humbly. “D-do you have some water for his throat?”
“Can doodly-do!” Props saluted.
“Thank you...” The stallion smiled, eyes glossy. “Thank you so very much. You have no idea what this means to us.”
“I'm starting to!” Props winked. “Coming up with the water!” She backtrotted towards the stairwell. “Sorry for all the stale bread! Our... uh... our cook's far away on a death-defying mission of harmony and friendship! So the best we can give all of you at once is our bulk supply! I'm sure there'll be plenty of flavorable stuff once we reach Bountiful!”
The many-many zebras murmured their thanks and appreciation.
Props hummed as she trotted into the stairwell. More zebras were seated on the various platforms between the steps. She stepped over a pair of foals chasing each other, giggling at their cuteness, before pausing at an intercom. “Heeeeey Zaidy Waidy!”
“Scrkkkk! Moshi moshi!”
“How's Nancy handling?”
“Whelp, like a dream! So long as it's a slow and sluggish dream that doesn't make any sudden moves!”
“Are the extra passengers weighing us down that much?”
“Ha! This ship's handled worse, I'm sure! Like—maybe if we were carrying all of the hundred plus zebras, then sure. Ahem. I'm more worried about shorting out the tome inside the energy core.”
“Just keep flying straight and steady!” Props chirped. “We'll get to Bountiful even if we have to crawl!”
“I'm only crawling on all fours for you, Blondie.”
Props' face scrunched up. “But don't we always walk on all fours?”
“Err... you know what I mean.”
“Teeheehee! I never do!” Props smiled. “Anywho, off to get some water for one of the elder zebie-zebies!”
“Goddes, I love it when you talk desert.”
“Uh huh.” And she clicked the intercom off and bounced her way towards the kitchen on the second deck. As she did so, she passed by Booster Spice trotting down the stairwell.
“Hey!” He rushed forward and tapped a striped shoulder. “Hey, Pilate! Have you got a firm trajectory on—?”
The stallion turned and blinked at the goggled pony. “I'm not 'Pilate.'”
Booster Spice winced. “Er... m-my bad! Sorry to bother you.” He turned and cleared his throat, tapping another zebra's shoulder. “Hey. Pilate. Could you check to see if we're—”
“My name's not Pilate.”
“Gosh darn it!” Booster Spice hissed. “Finding the navigator would be so much easier without the sudden penguin convention!”
“Hey! Booster!” called a feminine voice.
Booster glanced down towards the bottom of the stairwell.
Belle waved from where she and Pilate crouched beside an elder zebra, tending to her bruises with a first aid kit.
Booster scampered down, breathless. “Boy am I so glad I found you...”
“Honestly, Mr. Spice?” Belle smiled, wrapping a bandage around the zebra mare's leg. “My beloved is the only one with a metal plate and the O.A.S.I.S. sphere.”
“Yeah, w-well...” Booster's cheeks puffed red. “Easy f-for him to tell the difference! He's blind!”
Pilate chuckled and shook his head.
Booster glanced nervously at him. “What?”
“Nothing...” He waved his fetlock, smirking. “I'm not touching that one.”
“What's the all-important message that needs delivering, Mr. Spice?” Belle asked.
“I-I just wanted to check with our navigator to make sure we're on the right course.”
“Last time I checked with Zaid, we most certainly were.” Pilate nodded. “Why? Is something amiss?”
“I'm spotting lots of dead trees to the south,” Booster Spice said. “But, according to the path you laid out, our route back to Bountiful should be mostly barren.”
Belle blinked at her husband. “Is it possible that we somehow veered off course?”
“I'm certain I gave Zaid explicit instructions,” Pilate remarked. “Or—rather—Roarke on the ground, did.”
“Well, that's just the thing.” Booster Spice gulped. “I think Zaid's following Roarke and the other zebras... on the ground.”
“So... by following the caravan, the Jury has flown off course?” Belle said.
“That's what I'm thinking.”
“Hmmm...” Pilate stood up with Booster's assistance. “Shouldn't be too difficult of a problem to fix. I'll have to communicate with Roarke, though. It'll be up to her to convince the head of the caravan down below to angle the exodus north a bit.”
“Well, the sooner the better.” Booster shuddered. “I still have no clue how the residents of Bountiful are going to react to this... visit we're arranging.” He gulped. “Or the Duchess for that matter.”
“I doubt there'll be an issue,” Pilate said with a smile. “We'll help the refugees build a printing press.”
“Huh?”
The blind zebra blinked. “That way we'll blend in.”
Belle giggled, rolling her eyes. “Oh beloved...”
“Forgive me. I was in the moment.”
“I'll consider it,” Belle said, moving on to check on the next family.
Booster helped Pilate up the stairs so that they could trot towards the cockpit. They passed Props as she scurried down into the hangar with a pitcher of water. Nopony was anywhere near the engine room... nor the door that hung open with a slight crack. As a result, none of the Jurists were within earshot of Props' communication array when a familiar voice began crackling to life.
“Props...? Propsicle? Are you there, lass? I... scrkkkk... I've gotten this bloody thing almost fixed! It's been quite the struggle, but we've nearly crossed the Wastes! Are you there?! Please respond...”
Silence.
The array flickered again.
“Propsicle? Helllllllo?
More silence.
“Scrkkkk... dammit... probably shaggin' that smelly bum's tail off, the silly tart...”
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Prowse!!
Yay! Early update! Loved the little bit of info on how Props Uncle and his crew are doing.
Return of the Old Man Prowse.
Hmmm. Bit of a grim thought, but wouldn't it be awful if all these Zebra refugees are actually a changeling platoon that burned that village to lure in the ever Noble Jurists?
Yes!
Best ponyProwse is back!So Unky Prowsy is on this continent now? Cooleoo
5212166
Excellent, the paranoia is resurfacing.
Damn foreshadowing....I seriously doubt he's calling just to check in on Props.
Say what you will about the Searonese, but at least they train their warriors in proper
radiosoundstone protocol. Now she needs to work on telling all those breeders apart.... no, I don't shout "YOU'RE DOING IT WRONG" when people make radio calls incorrectly at work, whatever gave you that impression?
Axan Zenith makes an excellent point. That, or this series' propensity for warping our faith in equine goodness strikes again.
Also, it's good to hear Prowse, but I can't help but think the fact that they missed his call is important. More specifically, he has something he could tell them which might make coming things less complicated. It brings to mind a theory I remember being put forward recently: That Prowse and his companions, which may or may not include Xonans, may suddenly show up in Val Roa and gum up Kera's game.
I don't get it.
woo prowse time
woooo
5212311
oh....
i forgot about that....
Whenever IC uses this kind of vocabulary, I feel like I am experiencing from Props' point of view.
Yeah, we get it: Props is a Pinkie Pie clone.
Paranoia levels are slowly rising.
Prowse, I really hope you didn't bring any Xonan princesses with you, 'cause that could really screw with Kera's mojo right now.
5212341
A printing press would make books/newspapers/whatever with black-on-white text. Zebras are black and white.
5212166
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simplythescoop.com/files/all_images/topic_full_images/1392138518@anxiety-cat.png
Don't give IC any ideas.
And antoerh old farthing stallin is back.
So many stripes...
Nearly crossed the wastes huh Prowse...in what direction?
Are you heading towards Luxmare and Xona...or towards Val Roa?
All aboard the party boat of loooooooove!
Just throwin' this out there... reincarnation might be a thing for the Elements of Harmony. Guess which one Props would be...
As much as I adore new Roarke, I think we may need a little bit of a character check for her soon. No matter how much she loves Rainbow Dash and how kind she is to her friends, she's still a grown-up child soldier that was indoctrinated into a warrior culture. That causes lasting psychological damage that I can't possibly see as having healed this quickly. It's only been, like, six months(because of time-skip) that she's been with the party. And she made her first kill of a sentient being when she was, what, like, seven(Austraeoh Fact Checker plz)? I don't think the cynical killer has quite left her yet.
Please don't downthumb me to oblivion. It's my honest opinion.
5213622
images.wikia.com/marvel_dc/images/9/9b/Clark_Kent_001.jpg
Roarke has been with the party for, at most, 5 months at this point. Regrettably, she does not mention the age of her first killing, only that she suffered "many broken bones before the age of ten" while fighting with her mother.
e: forgot to factor in the 2 months between Urohringr and Yaerfaerda. Roarke joined sometime around March, and it is currently late July / August in the story
5213880
Thank you Austraeoh Fact Checker
You are the hero Gotham deserves
That's rascist!
5212166
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaand my paranoia's back. Thanks, thanks a lot.
I figured it out, folks!
The deal here is-
Oh look! New chapter.
Happy feet, I got those happy feet, I got those happy feet, and I keep dancing..
Sorry, just had fun over the weekend staying with relaitives, but first going to The Computer Club. Where I repaired a 25 year old computer in a couple minutes, even though I hadnt touched that make personally in several years, or ever done that repair. the sort of machines where you can blend 30 year old code and modern graphic systems, into a working whole, thats greater than the sum of its parts.
I like how we are getting a better idea of the size of the Nancy Jane, it can take a hundred plus zebras with crowding, which is maybe 30 tons, so Wizball is far lighter than that, as in one F35? Also, systems stress. food isn too bad, a fortnight for the Jury could feed teh zebras for almost 2 days, and usually you have to go at least a whole day without food just for certain hospital trips, and can go many days further. The biggest problem is water as unless they are true desert dwellers with adaptions, after only a couple days after the water tanks run out will teh occupants being in serious trouble. another thing with numbers.
Sanitation.
Who is going to divert the river for a flush cistern this time? Not so much a Sky Ship, as a Land Rover.
Also, Sorry, but every time I see Rourke, I keep thinking of Rainbow Dash, her girlfreind.
As above, so below.
upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/a/a7/Amiga_Logo_1985.svg/444px-Amiga_Logo_1985.svg.png
I think I try and avoid Spanish and Fly.
5219634
I've always operated under the assumption that the Jury is a slightly larger ship than the Serenity, from Firefly. This makes this mission equivalent to the cattle transport (and makes Props Kaylee... excellent!)
5213340 Eyyyyy! Good catch!
this is going to go so horribly
5220830 The ship was described the first time as whale-sized, but I think it's somewhat bigger than that. Not Acanti level, of course.
Interesting. Plenty of loose ends in this one, I can't yet see where any of those are going.
Something about the course being important? Too close to the Cartel? Something about Prowse's arrival being foreshadowed being important? I mean, apart from the return of a number of beloved characters?
Prowse! So great to see you! Don't ruin everything.
-Spirit
Prowse just assumes Props and Zaid are having fun twenty-four seven. Amazing.
I'm assuming that the land they are over wasn't barren when they passed over it a day or so ago.
Seriously Pinkie, any missing relatives?
I have a bad feeling about this.
Twenty bucks says Lasairfion decided to come along as an ambassador to Val Roa...
Oh, the Noble Jury is veering off course into unknown lands? What could possibly go wrong?
Yeah, could've seen this one coming.
Sudden paranoia brought on by the course change:
Are we absolutely sure there are no evil changelings left anywhere? Because if those hundreds of zebras they just let on the Jury are shapeshifters...
What if the Zebra's are doing this because the goblins made them? Maybe the goblins told the zebras they could have their loved ones back if they lured the Jury into a trap.
Finally a backup!
I wonder if they bring Crimson, Phoenix and Twerk too tho, that'll be a blast.
8520589
That would be awesome
8475162
Oh shit
Zaid wa baka ga.
Booster wa baka ga.
Ouch Prowse.
Does IC have a broken keyboard or something? It seems to be a recurring issue that italic text stops being italic after a bit. I thought that it was foreshadowing during the flashback sequences, but I'm starting to suspect user error.
8475162
I DON'T WANT MY FIRST OC RACE TO HELP TRAP THEM!!! Well bat zebra with a little Zebstrika mix in. But Quarter Zebra is still Zebra.