Nothing But
Pilate was the first to stand up, his ears twitching as his jaw dropped in alarm. Soon, he wasn't the only one hearing the incoming mayhem. Phoenix, Eagle Eye, Bellesmith, and even Roarke glanced up in time to see specks of burning ash falling in rampant droves.
"Wh-what...?" Belle stammered.
"No way..." Phoenix gulped.
"Everypony!" Eagle Eye shouted, scampering towards the thick of the group and waving his forelimbs. "Down! Behind the walls! Incoming!"
Belle shrieked as a huge shell landed in the clearing before them. A wave of dust flew their way, followed by billowing flames. Phoenix yanked her out of the blast before her coat could be singed. Loose branches and chunks of trees fell in a splintery shower as the group huddled bethind a solid layer of ancient mortar.
"They're coming from a distant location!" Pilate exclaimed, flinching as more burning bits littered the edges of the ruins around them. "Unless we're suddenly having a meteor shower, I suspect our pursuers have begun a new bombardment!"
"Yeah, and they're not joking around this time!" Phoenix growled, clutching his mace to his body as he pressed himself up to the wall. "Whatever crap they have in those shells, it's liable to burn down half of Foxtaur!"
"Oh goodness..." Belle bit her lip. "Rainbow and the others!"
"They would be in the wake of it by now!" Phoenix shouted, squinting out into the blazing depths of the western forest. "Unless they're faster than fire, I'm not sure we should hope for much."
"How can you say that?!" Eagle Eye barked. "The Cap'n is out there!"
"Hey, I don't remember ever agreeing that the whole 'commandeer the metal mare ship' thing was a good idea!"
"Speaking of which," Pilate managed, "Aren't we missing something?"
"Aww jeez!" Eagle Eye grunted, staring out into the burning clearing. The bound, armor-stripped figure of Roarke lay naked, exposed to the flickering elements. "Phoenix, I thought you had her!"
"Why the hay would I have dragged her here with us?!" The mustached stallion frowned. "It's not like she would have done the same!"
"Well, we can't just leave her to die!" Belle shouted.
An entire tree crashed into the ruins, shattered into timber against the brick, and tumbled off with a spray of ashes.
Phoenix flinched and roared above the collapsing forest all around them. "If you wanna save that murderous piece of crap so badly, you run out there and help her yourself!"
"Phoenix, that's not the attitude Crimson's taught us to engender!" Eagle Eye exclaimed.
"I only remember him telling us to look after the pegasus' friends!" Phoenix retorted. "At least they're respectable equines worth saving!"
"I'm going out there for her—" Eagle Eye moved to gallop out of cover.
"Like heck you are!" Phoenix tugged him back with telekinesis. "Of all the stupid things to die pointlessly for, that's gotta be the lamest!"
"Let me go, Phoenix!"
"Nothing to it, Princess!"
"For the last time!" Eagle Eye snarled, his violet eyes flaring in the firelight. "Stop calling me—!"
"Look out!" Pilate shouted. "Something's falling!"
"Above!" Belle pointed.
Phoenix and Eagle Eye stared towards the canopy. A huge oak tree was toppling over towards them. In a flash, they stopped arguing completely and aimed their horns towards the collapsing body of wood. They managed to halt its descent just a meter from the cowering group. Pilate and Belle hugged each other, witnessing in fright as the stallions struggled to ward off the weight of the murderously heavy tree.
"It's... slipping...!" Eagle Eye whimpered, his tensed face awash in sweat.
"We... n-need somepony to clear it!" Phoenix groaned through clenched teeth. "Otherwise, it's gonna—"
The tree lurched some more against the magic field. It was just inches from the quartet of ponies.
"P-Pilate!" Belle began.
"Shhh—!" Pilate managed a breathless grin. "Don't worry!"
Just then, a series of heavy hoofsteps bounded up. "Nnnngh!" Crimson charged onto the scene, swinging his hammer. With one fell swoop, he smashed the burnt tree trunk to bits. Zenith was close behind, adding his magic field to the other two mercenaries'. With teamwork, the soldiers were able to float the chunks of wooden debris away.
Rainbow Dash flew down and hovered above the group, panting. "So, yeah, what's up with you guys?"
"Who's firing at us?!" Eagle Eye asked.
"Who do you think?" Zenith glared, then turned towards Crimson. "Captain, the passage?"
"Right!" Crimson motioned with his head and started moving east. "Everypony! Follow me!"
"Wait, what passage?!" Bellesmith exclaimed. "Where are we going?"
"Soon, this whole forest is going to go up in smoke!" Crimson said. "The only swift way out is through a series of caves that lead to the Sapphire Ravine east of here!"
"The Sapphire Ravine?!" Pilate remarked. "That runs north and south along the edge of Foxtaur! We'll be flushed out into the open!"
"Look, newspaper stand, if you have any brighter ideas, we're all ears!" Zenith shouted, motioning towards the rest of the group. "Right now, this is exactly the last place we friggin' want to be!"
"Wh-what about the bounty hunter's ship?" Pilate asked.
"No go," Rainbow Dash said. "Looks like we have to hoof it through this mess." She twitched suddenly, glancing left into the immediate clearing from where she hovered. "Wait a minute..."
"Come on! Let's move it!" Crimson shouted. "EE! That means you!"
"But Captain—!" Eagle Eye was pointing into the clearing. Rainbow Dash hovered down, placing a hoof on his shoulder.
"Go with him. I'll take care of it."
"But—"
"Dude, look..." Rainbow Dash stared at him face to face. "I need somepony to look after my friends." A tree collapsed nearby, showering them with ashes. Eagle Eye flinched, but Rainbow Dash didn't budge an inch. "Can you do that for me?"
Eagle Eye bit his lip. Eventually, he nodded his lavender head. "Yeah. But you don't do anything stupid, okay?"
"You mean stupider than the usual?" Rainbow Dash smirked and shoved him off.
Eagle Eye yanked at Belle and Pilate, ushering them through the smoky mess. "Okay! This way, ponies! Stay close!"
"Wait! Rainbow Dash!" Belle called from the hurrying group. "What about Rainbow Dash?!"
"I'll be close behind!" Rainbow shouted. "I promise!"
That said, she spun and blurred out from under the ruins. She was instantly pelted with burning flakes of wood and sizzling sparks. Braving the searing heat, she skimmed the forest floor and landed next to the wriggilng captive.
"Okay! Sorry about all that! We found a safe way out of here, so lemme just undo those restraints—"
"Hrrggh!" Roarke shouted, gnashing at Rainbow with her teeth.
"Whoah!" Rainbow stumbled back.
"Undo your own birth, you dishonorable pile of filth!" The lense-eyed mare hissed beneath the noise. "You didn't have the decency to kill me, so why should I allow you to save me?!"
"Girl! For real!" Rainbow Dash frowned. "Don't you see what's going on all around you?! Now may be a very good time to take the huge, flammable stick out of your butt!"
"I don't need your pity or your humor!" Roarke grinned demonically, writhing in her restraints. "If I die hear and now, my comrades will think that my prey killed me! At least then my legacy will stay intact!"
"Boasting isn't worth a ball of spit if you're not alive to revel in it! Now—Nnnnghh!" Rainbow Dash bit into the cord holding Roarke's rear legs together and ripped them to shreds. "Stop being a stubborn pony or else you'll become a stubborn corpse—"
Roarke replied by bucking Rainbow in the face.
"Ooof!" Rainbow Dash fell down. She reached two hooves up and gripped a bleeding nose. Her bright ruby eyes stared across the ring of fire.
"I would rather die a thousand deaths than live one life courtesy of you!" Roarke spat on the ground, frowning viciously into the smoke. "There is no courage to be had in an existence that is simply given to oneself! There is only weakness and shame!"
Just then, a roar of thunder rumbled overhead. Roarked looked up.
A pair of trees were crumbling, falling over, converging on her in a wave of smoldering death.
Roarke clenched her jaw, curled into a ball, and froze in the shadow of her fate. She took a breath—surprised to be taking a breath—and glanced up nervously. Her jaw dropped.
"Hckkkt..." Rainbow Dash stood directly above the metal mare on her two rear limbs. What was transpiring over her was a wonder that actually stole the breath from Roarke's lungs. With two bare hooves, the pegasus was holding up the combined weight of both trees. She gritted her teeth, and Roarke could have sworn she saw a pair of yellow eyes burning brightly in the pony's sockets. Something was odd about her neck; it was barren.
With pistoning lenses, Roare glanced down at the forest floor. She saw the ruby lightning bolt of the discarded pendant glistening from the surrounding flames.
After a few earth-shattering seconds, Rainbow Dash screamed in an unearthly voice and flung the two trunks apart. The ground shook from their fall, and soon the pegasus herself was collapsing to the grass as the green blades curled from the heat. Wincing all over as if from a terrible seizure, Rainbow Dash slowly inched her way forward across the burning clearing, crawling one inch at a time—one hoof at a time—towards the pendant. When she finally reached it, she flung it swiftly back around her neck as if it was her very own heart. Once secure, her eyes strobed back to its normal ruby color, and she began breathing easily. For a second there, it looked like the pegasus' coat had grown longer, for it was just now receding back into her flesh. Two noticeable spots on Rainbow's forehead were leaking blood, as if a pair of daggers had attempted burrowing out from her cranium.
Panting, hyperventilating, Rainbow Dash looked up through a dizzying curtain of sweat. Upon making eye contact with Roarke's lenses, she gulped, then stammered breathily, "Sometimes, lady, the most c-courageous thing is admitting that y-you've been nothing but weak all along..."
Roarke stared, gawking.
"Look..." Rainbow winced, pushing herself up on wobbly limbs. "I-I won't force you to follow us. But I'll be darned if I leave you without the ability to run from all this nonsense. So if you wanna die, fine. Go do it on your own time." She squatted, reached down, and swiftly undid the bindings on Roarke's forelimb. "I dunno about you silly Searonese, but I'm tired of having blood on my hooves. Ya feel me?"
Roarke rubbed her forelimbs just as soon as they were free. She didn't dare look at Rainbow's face.
"Pfft. Whatever. I've got friends to help out." She flapped her wings, took off, and blurred her way east through the burning mess. "Maybe you'll actually live long enough to win some of your own!"
Roarke was alone. By the way she shivered, it may have been the first time she truly realized it. More branches and burning lengths of wood fell around her. With renewed vigor, the brown pony spun with a rattle of her mane's ringlets, and tore off for the western edge of Foxtaur, heading into the thick of the blaze.
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YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH
Man, Roarke is becoming an actual character. I wonder exactly how much we'll be seeing of her?
Interesting to see how long Rainbow can survive without her pendant. I wonder how long it takes for rational thinking to stop and chaos to take over.
And Roarke is alive. I am pleased with this development. Seems she might also be gaining some character besides her twisted sense of honour.
Wow. Dashie making epic use of her curse. I was wondering when she'd go about trying that. Yes, it's dangerous, and yes, she might be speeding up her oncoming death by doing so, but there are certain advantages to being powered by pure chaos for brief amounts of time.
Twenty-five pushups for the great interaction with Roarke, ):(. Now, will she return to aid them, or to finish them? I don;t know, but for now, knock 'em out!
Like a sir.
Well, somepony just laid it all out... in black and white.
Oh so Roarke becomes a character but not CC? This world is corrupt. I miss CC. he was abandoned with such a cliff hanger. Also he was a senile old man, which is a plus.
Also I predict Roarke will be doing some war ship destroying in the near future and that Shell will die at the end of this story's but Josho will live. Cot. Filtas definitley dead though
The parallel of Roarke's solitude juxtaposed with Rainbow's character growth should not be overlooked. Like a lot of the ponies she seems to come across, Roarke too shares more than a few common traits with Rainbow. The ever increasing complexity is worth savoring. What Roarke does next will prove interesting, as well.
Geez...cutting it a little close there, Dash. But good on ya' for trying to save Roarke.
INCOMING FOIL
Wasn't I the one that predicted future Foe Yay? Pick up that fucking phone, I called it again!
The tree scene reminds me of this.
Aw, man, Roarke has a less-callous side somewhere in there. I figured the group needed a Sixth (seventh?) Ranger.
IIIIIt's Dashie's evaluation time!
So there are a few things to cover in this chapter. First, I think that EE is long overdue for an epic moment wherein he would be awesome and save everyone. So that might happen soon. Second, I'm kind of surprised that Roarke is developing into a real character now. Also, Dash's quote about one of the greatest strengths is being able to admit weakness was really cool. Also - could Roarke be going down in a blaze of glory fighting the Confederacy for Dash? These are my thoughts so far.
-MASH
I wondered if/when Roarke would have such a revelation. Dash really seems to bring out the best in ponies (that or she kills them/indirectly causes their death). Hopefully the metal mare doesn't end up a blackened cinder before this is all over.
Reign Of Fire - Armored Saint
2195467
So did it not work on Shell, or his best side murderously batshit crazy?
Remember that scene is Star Wars where Han Solo saves the day in the Millennium Falcon?
He'd been gone for a while offscreen, and Luke was flying down the death star run, all his wingmen gone by this point.
Just when it looked like he was going to be killed, Han showed up unexpectedly in his signature ship and blew the enemies away.
This comment may become quite relevant if the story goes where I think it's going.
Roarke for best resurgent merc!
yes, kill the iron wing!!!
incoming character development.
What's this? Character development in my Eljunbyro?
Oh wait...that's normal...carry on!
Dashie is awesomeness. But you gotta love EE.
Lets just hope Roarke returns the favor by not trying to kill them again.
2200553
Some people are crotchety and have nothing better to do than down-vote stories/comments, I guess?
As to the chapter - I'm really loving this whole final conflict thing. And damn, Rainbow, busting out the Discord for a murderous stranger? Hopefully Roarke will return at a point of direst need and kick some (enemy) ass, though she's pretty unpredictable so its hard to say. Well, chapters to read, comments to spam - onward!
I hope she didn't just "learn her lesson" from that. I hate it when "bad guys" "learn their lesson".
I just had the greatest oh-shit-moment in the last month or so.
2248159 Maybe Roarke didn't, but Rainbow sure did. "Sometimes, lady, the most c-courageous thing is admitting that y-you've been nothing but weak all along"? A verbal knockout to both Roarke and the absent Shell. She sure has come a long way from the lost and confused refugee that once set off east...
>landed next to the wriggilng captive
>If I die hear and now
>Roarked looked up
So we know now for complete surety (not that we didn't before
) that Discord is trying to take over Dash's body.
We also know approximately how long Dash can survive without the pendant.
Based on this turn of events, I think that IC might make Roarke eventually good, and maybe even JOsho, but that's a long shot. 
3689756
It's the saddest story ever.
Now that Roarke has seen true power, maybe she will be humbled. Of course, she'll never know it is a curse.
Was that bounty hunter named after tha main antagonist on Call of Duty: Ghosts by a wild chance? or someone i haven't seen in the comments? Just asking cause thats been on my mind ever since i first heard that name.
this reminds me of a german book in which the bad side creates some sort of super powerful creature to track down the main protagonists, who in the end switches sides and is the only reason why said side could ever been defeated. though he was substantially more powerful than Roarke. but still, I can't shake off the feeling that a similar thing will happen here. it would be cool at least.
Man, Dashie's loyalty is intense as fuck
I hope to be half the
marebeing she is one dayQFT
But I think the real reason that it got through to Roarke is that she realized that Rainbow was holding back the entire time they fought.
Roarke won't let a little fire stop her. My bet is she gets her ship and goes after Dash again. But... Will it be for the bounty or another reason?
6177025
And then they kiss
It seems unlikely that Roarke will ever return, and even more unlikely that she will be friendly, let alone save their lives. Which means it's inevitable, of course.
That whole losing the necklace event probably had a mind changing effect on Roarke. She might not go after RD and instead help her. We will see.
something about this chapter made me think of the fanatical fire-pony in this comic:
https://caustizer.deviantart.com/art/Journey-to-the-LR-14-In-Deep-Guano-624091559
So it took RD expressing her strength to convince her that she was really alone?
Talk about the power of Loyalty.
6177025
She'll obviously make it back to her ship in one piece. After all, we did see her going in that direction.
You sure she isn't a Sangheili in disguise?
I really liked this chapter.
Firstly, 2E, being best pony in this story and being the only one who was willing to get Rainbow Dash, was great. By the way, Zenith still sounds like an incredibly pissed off girl to me, but that is unlikely to ever change. It’s also interesting to see Rainbow Dash be possessed by Discord’s spirit again.
Also, a while back, a couple eagle-eyed readers, of which I am not, noted that this arc seemed incredibly reminiscent of Kindness. I personally think they were right on the money.
We’ve got a bunch of random ponies who helped Rainbow Dash simply because they could. These ponies also ran away from their old army because they were tired of killing and wanted to help people. Next, Rainbow Dash saves Roarke despite them getting in a huge fight just because she wanted to give Roarke another chance.
So yeah, I think we’re heading down Kindness street here.
She's much more willing to take off her pendant now than much later. I think I'll have to check the whole story again to find why.
Rainbow give Roark a peak that she more powerful then she gave in the fight. Ow that Ego.
Damn. Rainbow Dash risking her own life and even soul to rescue a mare who tried to kill her. I'd call that good, but I can't help but feel like it reflects her sense of self-worth. Hopefully Roarke will learn from this.
Aaaaaah im alive i haven't read this fic in YEARS because i fell out fo the fandom for a bit but im back and im damn well gonna catch up on it, and I am fully aware that the latest hasn't updated in a while but you know what whether this story finishes or not (and honestly im a hopeless optimist so im not giving up hope) there are still 9 huge stories in it that I will enjoy every single chapter of!!!!
Now, should I continue from where I am or go back to the start to make sure i remember the context, decisions decisions..