"Mr. Floydien!" Pilate panted as he and Ebon Mane galloped after the echoing noise. "You must calm down! Please!"
"Stabby stabby horses locked away Nancy Jane!" The voice cackled from far ahead. Simon's barks could be heard like a staccato beat between blasts of rumbling telekinesis. "Filled her full of spitful glimmer, they did!" The hallway shook, causing Pilate and Ebon to stumble in mid-sprint. "Little grace is there to give when so little has been asked for, yes yes?"
"No no!" Ebon grunted, then pivoted his head towards Pilate. "Can't you talk any sense into him?!"
"Alas, I've been trying to do that for days on end," Pilate grumbled. "I knew that all of his anger and... uhm... zaniness were building up to something." He winced as O.A.S.I.S. fluctuated from another wave of distorting mana "I suppose this is it."
"He's going to summon all of Blue Nova with this racket!" Ebon grumbled. "What I wouldn't give to stuff an apple in his mouth and call it a day!"
"Don't be so quick to dismiss him, Mr. Mane. He very well may be able to help us out of this place."
"How?! By tearing it to dust?!"
"Hey boysies!"" Props' voice dripped from the enchanted shard nestled within Pilate's choker. "If you're not too busy tearing stuff apart, you're getting a teensy-weensy bit close to the north edge of the building!"
"Would you mind explaining how you know this, Miss Props?"
"A sound stone is good for sounding off more than just sound... soundly!"
"Then that means we're nearding the edge of the floor," Pilate thought aloud.
Ebon stammered, "P-perhaps there's a fire escape that leads all the way down!"
"Mr. Floydien!" Pilate shouted above the noise as they rounded another corner. "We need to get out of this building and find a way to regroup with the others!"
"Our fallen pieces will be picked up just as soon as Floydien takes apart theirs!" the voice growled back. "Forthwith, bushy bushy! Turn their glimmer inside out and pull the trigger in them there!"
Simon squeaked in obedience. The air crackled with hot magic.
Gritting his teeth, Pilate shouted, "I know what's wrong with Nancy Jane!"
The crackling stopped. Floydien's body pivoted around, and a little rodent was perched on his cranium.
"Your beloved..." Pilate gulped and said, "I know what they did to her."
Ebon turned towards him. "You do?" The zebra stomped on his hoof. "Owch!"
"And I'll do whatever is in my power to help you get her back to normal if you just help us get out of here," Pilate said calmly as the dust settled. "We can't get anywhere closer to Nancy Jane by running around up in here, taking our wrath out on Nightshade's cronies. Even if we do strike a lot of them down, sooner than later they'll outnumber us. We'll be in even greater trouble with the Council of Ledo, for they have sent their enforcers after us as well."
"Hmmm... much stabbing to be had with the glimmer stealers."
"And you're not one to stab, are you, Mr. Floydien?"
Silence.
Ebon trembled, biting his lip as his head turned from the zebra to face Floydien.
At last, the figure said, "No, most certainly Floydien does not wish to have 'stabbing' on his head of stone."
"Good..." Pilate said, exhaling heavily. "Now, let us find a way out of this place before—"
"Left! Left! Zebra town!" Props' voice echoed. "That wall beside you is edge of the floor!"
"What spits the voice of horse horse?"
Ebon explained, "Props, downstairs, is telling us that we're right along the north side of the building."
"Sun brights!" Floydien victoriously exclaimed, then pivoted towards the wall in question. "Simon, the honor is bound to you to be done!"
Simon barked. Simon thrusted. Simon flickered.
The ponies nearly fell off their hooves as a veritable cannonblast exploded in between them. Pilate felt the warmth of sunlight gracing his striped features.
"Son of a baker's wife, that squirrel packs a whallop!" Ebon exclaimed. "Oh jeez... this is a long way up..."
Pilate shouted above the sound of whipping winds "My manasphere is going haywire! Can somepony please explain what's going on?"
"Bah! So much wind and blowingness!" Floydien grumbled. "It beckons for us to hop down, Simon, yes yes yes? Facilitate, glimmer bushy bushy, if Simon will!"
With a rodent squeal, something blocked off the air flow. Pilate sensed a slab of metal and reinforced steel floating horizontally before the huge gash in the building's wall.
"What in Spark's name...?" Pilate gasped.
"Hop to the hop! Hoppingly!" Floydien bounded forward.
"Ah jeez... Ah jeez..." Ebon gulped audibly before gripping Pilate by the shoulders. "You're gonna wanna hang on tight."
"Wait wait wait!" Pilate flenched, his teeth showing. "J-just what are we about to d-do?!"
"For once, just be really flippin' glad that you're blind."
That said, Ebon hoisted the two of them forward. Pilate let loose a brief shriek, then froze as his hooves landed on something, wobbled, then stood firmly. O.A.S.I.S. echoed the sensation of a crouched rodent on the edge of the slab, leaning his sparkling head forward. In swift order, the slab levitated away from the building, and descended with more or less grace through a nebulous maze of looming skyscrapers.
"Props!" Ebon shouted over the whipping winds. "You there?"
"Gosh, I hope so!"
"Then listen up! We got a little update for ya! Uhhhhh... though I'm n-not sure you're gonna believe it..."
Whuh?
Floydien is confusing.
I don't know why I found this so damn funny.
yep, Floydien and Props are just alike. gotta love their dialogue.
Early in the chapter, I think you said Floydien was speaking when you meant Ebon. If not, then Floydien learned proper speech for a line and questioned himself.
Otherwise, go superpowered squirrel.
Every time Pilate says "Mr. Mane" I think of this:
Rather fitting, seeing as they both cook and whatnot.
He's here to bake pastries and kick flank - and he's all outta pastries...
Also, Pilate has been doing a lot of defying gravity in this story for someone who can't actually fly. Dash would be proud.
Uh, Mr. Colon? You missed a word again.
that means we're nearding the edge: nearing, my good sir.
Appletank out.
"Holy water cannot save you now.
A thousand armies couldn't keep me out.
I don't want your money, I don't want your crown.
See, I've come to burn your kingdom down.
And no rivers and no lakes can put the fire out.
I'm gonna raise the stakes... I'm gonna snuff you out."
And Nightshade shall find seven devils in her house.
I'm almost a little sad that Pilate had to turn Floyds around. There is something very beautiful about mindless, vengeful slaughter. I'm also intrigued by the fact that he outright lied to him - I believe he just put his life on the line there. If Floydien finds out that he has been tricked into false hope...
But surely they won't just leave Ledomare before the mess there hasn't been somewhat untangled - and before the group is reunited. Shell, Nightshade and the Council yet await their reckoning (as do I, by the way) and Ebon and EE haven't met. Yet. So many fun things to look forward to!
2840590
Wow, that was incredibly rude of you. While there's nothing wrong with pointing out typos, prefacing it with "you screwed up again" is an outright insult.
EDIT: That's much better, thank you.
2839352You don't say.
Eww.
Simon strikes again. You may question Pale Shelf's or whatever 's methods, but damn do they get results.
Flying carpet ride!
2845559
Mind out of gutter sir.
IIIIIt's Dashie's evaluation time!
So...are they telekinetically flying on a sheet of metal? That's what I'm picking up from this, although I could be wrong. These are my thoughts so far.
-MASH
P.S. I'm falling behind. I think that a Marathon is in order...
2841314 I love that you continue referencing Florence in connection with this author. Or did, 38 weeks ago. Much of Ceremonials synchs up with Background Pony beautifully, and whenever I hear that album I get soooooo many feels. Now I have more emotions to feel.
4184845 I still do.
Just a bit.
From time to time.
They're standing on a slab of something that is floating through the power of telekinesis. I'll go with that.
-Spirit
2840590
I'm digging the new avatar, my friend.
That squirrel is so over powered, it's amazing.
You'd think out of anypony, Pilate would have a fear of heights... blessed be he's blind.
5805011 I imagine by this point, with all he's been through there is not much left that'd really scare him proper.
Which is actually kinda cool. He's gone from the screaming terrified blind zebra in the last story to one of the nose determined and strong characters. Bell too.
When you don't have an elevator, make your own!
Floydien and Props are different flavors of crazy, it's great.
I forgot to mention a few chapters back, but I'm almost certain there's more to Ebon than meets the eye. I'm getting a bit of a "ninja" vibe from him.
I'm also seeing a party forming.
Rufu-I mean Simon is awesome. Great naked mole ra-squirrel.
>"Son of a baker's wife, that squirrel packs a whallop!
This squirrel is dynamite, and you don't have a holy hand grenade big enough.
Something tells me that Nancy Jane is the ship that Props was trying to work on for Nightshade. And I feel dumb for not realizing it sooner.
8439197
Y'know, I'm starting to agree.
He has never ronce given an indication that Nancy Jane is a living thing...
Worlds cutest ball of walking dynamite
I’ve been wondering could Nancy Jane be a zeppelin Floydien has been shown to be able to pilot one and he doesn’t talk about Nancy Jane like it’s a person more that it’s a named object