“Darn it! Darn it! Darn it!” Tweak shrieked; Tweak flailed. He scampered across a battered bridge as manabullets exploded across the brickwork behind him. “Who told you idiots you could shoot back?!”
Enforcers shouted to one another as they took aim at his crystalline hide. The already smokey air filled with a haze of manadust as he dove desperately behind a rock partition, fumbling for his manarifle.
Imre shot around the corner of stone where she hid and fired two blasts with the silver pistol. Upon the third trigger squeeze, nothing happened. With a sweatstained face, she shrieked, “Tweak, I'm out!”
“So am I, darlin'!” Tweak grumbled across the gun fight. “No need to announce it to the world!”
“We have to get out of here!” Imre exclaimed. “Friggin' find Rainbow Dash, grab her, and go!”
“Go where?!” Tweak hissed as two close shots landed close to his shiny ears. He ducked even lower, pressing the empty rifle to his chest and growling. “Arrrrggghghhhh! Yet another day dipping into that stupid Ledomaritan nonsense crap contrived Council bullcrap... frick... farts balls stuff!”
Imre flashed him a crooked glance. “Huh?!”
“Just tired of stupid ponies doing stupid things!” Tweak hollered, ready to wield the rifle like a club. “Ya hear that?! One of y'all clop on over here so I can hit ya where the Spark split ya!”
“Tweak, please...” Imre gestured towards him, flinching as another blast landed between them. “We both know that fighting isn't my thing, but listen to me! I need you to stick around! We'll get nowhere if we lose our heads like this!”
“Well, what do you expect to happen?!” Tweak roared at her while manabullets whizzed by. “Fate ain't gonna drop an angel of vengeance into our laps!” Just then, a blue blur streaked by, depositing a lavender shadow like a velvet payload.
“Ooof!” Eagle Eye grunted, reeling dizzily on his haunches.
“Gah!” Tweak flew back, blinking at the unicorn suddenly straddling his shiny belly. “Uhmm...” His facial muscles twitched. “Can I help you, lady?”
“Look!” Imre shouted, pointing overhead. Both stallions looked to see Rainbow Dash descending on the party of Ledomaritan soldiers like a righteous lightning bolt of color. In a flurry of limbs and metal armor, several of them were launched out, screaming until they splashed into the murky depths of the sewer below. Those who weren't dead or beaten senselessly stood up and galloped away, firing potshots at the heavily armored pegasus in their cowardly flight.
“You'd better run!” Rainbow Dash seethed, dodging half the blasts and deflecting the other half with her battered metal plates. “I'll give you a head start before knocking your sorry skulls in, you yellow-bellied wastes of... of...” She blinked, glanced behind her at the group of allies, and sighed. “Shoot. Who am I kidding?” With a flick of a grown tail, she turned around and galloped back to the group. “Sorry I was gone for so long. I had an emergency case of Shell shock. Literally.”
“Was that the fella y'all were talkin' about left and right?” Tweak asked. “Prime Enforcer Shell?”
“I'm afraid so,” Rainbow Dash said, her head hung.
“You totally cleaned his clock, though, right?” Tweak asked.
“Uhm... I... m-might have?” Rainbow Dash smiled nervously.
“Huh?!” Tweak thrashed from underneath Eagle Eye. “Then why the friggin' heck were you gone for so long, vomit stain?!”
“Uhm... eh heh...” Eagle Eye blushed.
“Oh, I'm sorry, Miss...” Tweak grabbed the unicorn's dainty hoof in his and gently helped him up before standing himself. “Eheh... I wasn't tryin' to prolong nothing. I'll have you know I'm a happily married stallion.”
Eagle Eye nodded and spoke clearly, “I'm quite sure. Thanks for helping me up, Mister—”
“Whoah!” Tweak flinched away from him. “Yeah! Yeah! Sure am h-happily married! To a mare! Married to a mare!” He coughed and wheezed. “Rainbow, would ya mind introducing us to your friend here?”
“Tweak... Eagle Eye. Eagle Eye... Tweak. Imre—” She turned to look at her companion and froze.
Imre sat in a slump, shuddering, covering her face with a pair of shaky hooves.
“Imre?” Rainbow Dash blinked. She shook off the last few droplets of sewer water and trotted over. “What's happening, girl? Talk to me...”
“Sorry to interrupt this here reunion and all, but... uhm...” Tweak pointed towards the far end of the aqueduct's bridge. “I'm gonna go and... uh... collect bullets... over there... as I think about my wife... whom I'm happily in love with...” He trotted briskly away. “Who happens to be a mare.”
Eagle Eye shuddered, trying in futility to straighten his mane. “I see you've made some... high-strung friends since we split up, Rainbow Dash.” He blinked, then glanced aside. “Rainbow Dash?”
The pegasus was kneeling besides Imre, trying to move her hooves apart from covering her face. “Hey. Hey, look at me.”
Imre shuddered, eventually opening her moist eyes, reflecting Rainbow's smiling muzzle.
“You've been through a lot of tough crud, Imre,” Rainbow said as gently as she could manage with the adrenaline still flowing through her. “But that doesn't mean you're invincible, y'know?”
“I know, it's just that... that...” She gazed with a sickly expression at the pistol in her grasp. Her hooves began to shake again.
“Look, Imre, I'm sorry...” Rainbow Dash scooted closer to the pony, placing a hoof on her shoulders. “I dragged you into this, just like I dragged Eagle Eye here into this...”
“Uhhh...” Eagle Eye nervously smiled and waved. “Hi there.”
Imre's lips quivered as she nevertheless managed a polite, “H-hello.”
“And...” Rainbow Dash seethed, hung her head, and muttered, “Just like I dragged Bellesmith and Pilate into all of this...”
Imre glanced curiously at Rainbow.
“I... I-I dunno what it is about me that drags the ugliness out of the world. It seems like everywhere I go, there are bad things happening, and some way or another I end up butting heads with them.” Rainbow Dash shrugged. “I can't pretend to be a beacon of harmony or whatcrap. Quite the opposite: I'm full of so much chaos that it hurts. But...” She looked up, her jaws clenched tight. “That doesn't change the fact that bad stuff is bad stuff, and you just... c-can't avoid all of the horrible things in this world forever, whether you're flying around it or staying in place. One way or another, you gotta face what this continent has in store.”
Imre gulped and said, “You mean I gotta face up to my sins.”
Rainbow Dash winced. “Look, I didn't say that—”
“You didn't have to,” Imre said, hugging the gun to her chest suddenly. “I'm not as weak as you think I am, Rainbow. I've... I-I've taken lives before. This isn't about that...”
Rainbow Dash's brow furrowed. “Then what is this about?”
“It's... it's about...” Imre glanced dully down at the murky waves below. She let loose a heavy sigh. “Forget it. You wouldn't understand.”
“Like heck I wouldn't!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed. She shook Imre's shoulder. “You're my friend, and I care about your well-being!”
Imre's eyes narrowed. “You've barely known me for a few days. How could you say that?”
Rainbow blinked. She shrugged, then smiled with a flighty chuckle. “Because I can...”
Imre stared back. After a few breaths, her lips curved ever so slightly. “I think I finally see it.”
“See what?”
“What Roarke sees...”
Rainbow Dash's face scrunched up. “Huh?”
“Never mind...” Imre stood up on wobbly legs. “We've wasted enough time here. You brought me along for a reason. If Pilate is injured, then it's up to me to make sure he gets better.” She slid the pistol back along her right hoof and stood tall. “I promise you, Rainbow, that I won't lose my nerves like that again.”
“Good,” Tweak said, marching back. “Cuz crud is rattled enough as it is.” He stood and looked squarely at the group. “I've got us a bunch of ammo for the run. Shall we, ladies...” He turned and nodded at Eagle Eye. “...and you?”
Eagle Eye gave him a lasting glare before turning towards the rest. “Before I came here, I overhead Captain Filta of the Steel Wing talking about how Pilate was expected to be in Blue Nova.” He tilted his head up to stare into Rainbow's face with bright, violet eyes. “Is it true that you've tracked him down?!”
“And how!” Rainbow Dash smirked devilishly. “There should be a corridor adjacent to these sewers somewhere. Once we enter the place, he shouldn't be that far off.”
“And then we'll go rescue Belle, right?”
“Huh?” Tweak gave him a double-take.
Eagle Eye gulped and said, “B-Belle. She's around here too.”
Rainbow Dash gasped. “In Blue Nova?!”
“Well... erm... m-maybe not in this city, per se... but somewhere west of here. I heard the enforcers on the Steel Wing talking about that too. Shell had taken an expedition to track down Pilate, and they were gonna use him somehow to reel in you... th-then Belle...”
Rainbow Dash was breathing heavily, pacing about in a tight circle. “How on earth could she have gotten away from capture...?!” She gave Eagle Eye a sharp squint. “That's what you overheard, right?”
Eagle Eye shrugged. “Why else would they be looking for her?”
“This is uncanny,” Imre thought aloud. “She might not even be in Pale Shelf whatsoever!”
“One thing before the other, folks,” Tweak said, waving his rifle around. “Let's go find ourselves a zebra and work on the rest as it comes. Sound good?”
“Yup. Totally.” Rainbow Dash ignited her thrusters and levitated across the sewer chamber. “I'll go scout out the area first! Follow me at a distance! I don't want us repeating any more crud like what just happened!”
“Right. Let's get a move on!” Tweak motioned at the other two. “Hop to it, maggots! That means you, feather flanks!”
“Ungh...” Eagle Eye shook his head dizzily, nevertheless galloping alongside Tweak. “Why am I feeling so groggy whenever I get close to you?”
“Yeah, that'll happen...”
Imre lingered at the rear of the group. She paused, gave the battle-scarred scene one last look, then sighed. Tightening the grip of the pistol's hoof-brace around her forelimb, she swiftly trotted after the rest, taking up the party's rear.
Sorry Tweak, when the Elements are involved, fate is always guaranteed.
Hmm, so Imre has some serious skeletons in the closet, even more so than we thought.
I've got a PT test coming up Fridday, so all of you do, as well. Fifty pushups and forty situps, ):(. One last workout before we rest up. Knock 'em out!
Tweak is officially moving up to second best pony on my list.
cdn2.holytaco.com/wp-content/uploads/images/2009/12/1274465753023.gif
Well lets see,
-Tweak is convinced that EE is a mare
-Rainbow just found out that all of her bros and broets are still alive
-Shell will be coming back to kill them all
-and Imre had a mental breakdown
All in all, a solid chapter I rate: *****
Oi vey... Eagle Eye, I know you're fabulous, but you may want to take a moment to "stallion up", as t'were. If Tweak thinks you're a mare, then something is very wrong...
Well, this chapter has officially confirmed in my eyes that Rainbow Dash is the new Element of Magic.
Current other guesses:
Belle = Loyalty
Imre = Generosity
Roarke = Kindness
Heh, EE being mistaken for a mare is cute X3
3002959
I think you got imre and roarke mixed up< imre is a kind soul and roarke is very generous even the little hint in one of the chapters saying 'roarke most rare' 'a rarity'
You were reading the comments, weren't you?
Also, I find it mildly amusing that this chapter has 1776 words.
I hope that in some not to distant future Eagle Eye and Gold Petals meet up, get married and have lots of cute foals.
Well, good to know that everybody's alive. Oh, but I think RD doesn't care about Josho, does she? Hopefully they don't meet up without a friendly EE around.
It'll be interesting to ser the dialogue when everyone comes back together. How much are there now in total?
Okay, the interactions between Tweak and EE just made my week.
More relevantly, at least Rainbow knows now that Belle is in the area. Nip all that Pale Shelf baloney in the bud. The last thing we need is another tangential story arch. Of course, once the
shitstormbusiness in Blue Nova is done, who knows? There may very well be some leftover Ledomaritan business in the next installment. Also:That bit worries me. I hope Dash doesn't do the whole "I'm trouble. They'd be better off without me, yadda yadda" spiel. Mostly because I like the idea of Rainbow resuming her eastward trek with some good company, and I don't want to see her do something doofus-y.
Finally:
Do I detect of a whiff of meta?
Eagle Eye, forever a pone.
I don't have much to add, except that I am completely giddy with anticipation for when all the groups reunite.
Best chapter in a while. Dash giving a pep talk, EE being on-point and in-character, Imre getting some nods towards character development, and the prospects of a reunion on the horizon.
Let's get everyone back together soon.
3002746 It comes with the name, that and baggage.
i feel like a quick scene of EE getting to know imre and tweak while galloping after rainbow would be so funny here.
Tweak, why were you so comfortable with EE laying on you when you thought he was a mare if you're so happily married? Tsk tsk...
3005293
Hey, "Don't Ask, Don't Tell..."
Ah, interactions. Love it. If you will not reunite them all yet, then at least mix the groups a bit. Josho meeting Props, Floydien with Belle, and stuff like that.
Eagle Eye has yet to lose any limbs. With Crimson lacking a leg, Phoenix lacking a horn, and Zenith lacking half a head, it's Eagle Eye the "complete stallion" of the group. Funny.
3007806 Phoenix also lost his fabulous mustache, remember, but the horn is likely a bigger loss.
3009569No... The moustache was a way bigger loss...
3002863 So let's wrap this up:
-Imre is suffering post-war trauma during the war.
-Tweak is uncertain of his sexuality and also just turned into the TF2 Soldier.
-Rainbow is still everyone's psychological emergency crutch.
-Eagle Eye is feeling aggravated.
-Bellesmith is uncanny.
Alrighty then.
3003418 HERESY!
3003803 Counting your two selves and Simon: fifteen.
Everyone is taken in by EE's charm, Tweak, don't feel bad.
3003418
Uhhh...I can think of a couple reasons why this wouldn't work. Both of them start with "play" and end with "for the other team."
Loving the newly unlocked group banter. Hopefully the rest of the reunification process goes as smoothly. (Meaning that firefights and boss battles are encouraged, if the rest of the characters can manage to stay alive after they meet up again).
Onward!
IIIIIt's Dashie's First Get-Backing Adventure!
And so the reunion begins. The little Tweak/EE scene was adorable as well. But EE has to change something in his physique if Tweak actually thinks he's a mare. And it feels like the trip to Pilate can't possibly go smoothly from here on out, but at the same time, I'm not forseeing any major problems that could occur. These are my thoughts so far.
-MASH
P.S. Only three left...huh. This'll be short, but since it'll be for a few days at least, it'll still take some time.
Still not sure whether or not I like Tweak as much as the others, even if the scenes here with him and EE are funny as hell.
Imre has skeleton's in her closet, Dash is putting herself down in monologue form - pretty standard stuff, but hellishly entertaining.
>I overhead Captain Filta of the Steel Wing
Do you mean "overheard"?
The pieces are continuing to fall into place. EE, Tweak, Dash, and Imre have joined up. They're about to meet up with Pilate, Floydien, and Ebon, who are about to meet up with Jasper and Props, all in the zeppelin hangar, which makes me think that Bellesmith, Kera, and the other foals will land there, meeting up with Roarke, Josho, and Crimson, and they all rescue Phoenix, leading to the final showdown with Shell.
-Spirit
And so they get to it. Also, just saying, Shell and Imre have a history.
Ahaha, poor Eagle Eye. Shame, though, I think EagleTweak has promise...
And Imre's still got the spirit, but she's losing feeling... Oh dear.
First meetup, lets see more.
No need to be so flustered, Tweak.
Tweak got quite the why-boner for Eagle Eye. Heh. Shit's hitting the fan all over now, and Imre is worrying me. Can't wait for whatever it is to reveal itself.
~SolidFire
5851179 Though I'm no fan of the idea, I'd suggest "Tweagle."
"Fate isn't just going to drop a million bits into my lap!"
Have I Mentioned I Am Heterosexual Today?
At this rate when the group meet up with Pilate id expect him to say "someday, belle, I will find you" and then proceeds to bump into belle.
8068408
LOL XD if only it were that simple
3695406
Meh there are a lot of typos but in exchange we get a hell of a wonderful journey to the Midnight Armory. It's worth the minor errors.
4793857
Yeah I was gonna say... A new character relationship revealed!