Call the Elevator
Down in the streets of Blue Nova, three bodies hugged the walls of an alley as they snuck along the circumference of the Nightshade Industries skyscraper. The place was delightfully abandoned, with nary a bum or a vagabond to be had. Bellesmith and Phoenix could easily have galloped down the barren length of the corridor. They almost did—only Kera suddenly stopped, turning to face a blank wall of the looming spire.
"Huh?" Phoenix squinted. "Kid, why are you stopping?"
"Because this is the way in, ya yahoo!" Kera squeaked.
Phoenix smirked. "What, this barren wall? I think your memory's playing tricks on you."
"Pffft! I'll show you tricks!" Kera gritted her teeth. Bands of blue and silver illumination rippled beneath her cloak. The tattoos along her face sparkled. "Nnnngh..." After a final flicker to her horn, a beam of magic surged into the body of the building. Glowing lines wafted across the surface, forming the frame of a door. Then, with a hiss of compressed air, a thin chamber opened up to the three.
Phoenix grimaced, his ears drooping. Belle trotted past him with a smirk. "Oh ye of little spunk," she said.
"Okay, look, I'm sorry that I'm not immediately impressed by the Mare Sue here!" Phoenix balked. "I'll try to be less of a flankhole from now on..."
"Yeah, good luck with that," Kera said as she trotted gaily into the building. Bellesmith giggled and motioned Phoenix along.
The stallion grumbled, ultimately lurching after the two ponies.
Inside, the ponies found themselves surrounded by concrete girders and shelves upon shelves of maintenance equipment.
"It's so... so..." Belle stammered.
"Boring, right?" Kera remarked, leading the way ahead through the shadows.
"I was going to say 'clean,'" the mare stated. "It's so strange to walk into this from a world of rubbish and neglect."
"Nightshade grooms herself inside and out," Kera said. "I guess all ponies want to feel good about looking good. Y'know?"
"Sure... sure..." Phoenix nodded, shifting about uncomfortably. "Where are we off to now?"
"We would very much like to ascend the tower, Kera," Belle said. She paused to glance inside one of her saddlebags, spotting the glow of the runic tome housed within. "The place where you saw these symbols... where the other foals are..."
"What about it?"
"Could you take us there?"
Kera squinted back at the two. "Really? You guys sure that's where you wanna go?"
"Why, don't you remember how to get there?" Phoenix remarked.
"Mr. Phoenix..." Belle whispered.
Phoenix ignored it. "You said you came back multiple times without being seen." His eyes narrowed. "Prove it."
Belle bit her lip.
Kera frowned. "Think I'm full of hot air, huh? I'll show you!" she hoarsely exclaimed before scampering towards a door. "I'll show you! This way!"
Phoenix leaned in to Belle. "I'm quite certain she will take us now."
"Mr. Phoenix, I want to stay in her good favor."
"For what purpose?"
Bellesmith whispered back, "She's just a foal. I'm convinced she needs us more than we need her."
"You may wish to make up your mind about who you care about the most," Phoenix remarked. "Kera or Rainbow Dash? Because so far we are surviving on luck alone. We may find ourselves swiftly lacking the luxury of choice."
All Belle did was sigh.
Kera hissed from far ahead, motioning the other two ponies ahead. She darted out into the immediate hallway and the other two followed.
Belle had long forgotten what air-conditioning felt like. Her coat formed goosebumps as she found herself slowly navigating a long corridor with smooth, reflective granite tile and many many doors. At regularly spaced intervals, glittering light fixtures hung from the polished ceiling, casting an amber brilliance about the place.
"Yeesh..." Phoenix whispered, glancing nervously over his shoulder down the empty lengths of the majestic hallway. Every now and then, there was the hint of clattering hooves, but no immediate sign of Nightshade employees. "Not even the largest Franzington embassy in southeast Ledomare was as decked up as this place. I wonder just how much money the ponies of the Confederacy have to throw around."
"Enough to keep the dust out," Belle said. She looked ahead. "Kera, darling, where to... now?"
The foal had stopped in front of one of three elevator doors. The frame had no hint of controls of any sort attached to it.
"Through here," the child murmured.
"I don't think that's accessible," Phoenix said. "At least not to non employees."
"I'll make it accessible." Kera leaned forward. "Just like I always have."
"Phoenix?" Belle trotted into the tight trio. "You're magically gifted. Couldn't you—"
"I'd only be breaking stuff from the inside out," he grumbled. "I obviously don't know this tech like she does. It's pretty nifty."
"I'll pretend that's his way of saying that he likes me," Kera muttered in mid-concentration.
Belle elbowed Phoenix. The stallion rubbed his side and glared at Belle. Belle smirked.
At last, the door opened briskly, revealing the dimly-lit interior of a service elevator car. "There. It's one of Madame Nightsucker's private elevators. It should take us to where you wanna go."
"Wonderful," Belle said as Phoenix marched in to check the interior out. "We should go about this quickly. There's no telling how thick the security may be."
"Actually, I'm getting the feeling that Nightshade's forces aren't here. This place is barren," Phoenix thought aloud from the elevator. After a thorough sweep, he gave Belle a reassuring smile. "Seems like the guards were sent to the location of the zeppelin crash in the northeast industrial sector. This may be the chance we need."
"To do what?"
"Erm... I thought you had that covered, Ms. Bellesmith."
Belle blushed slightly. "Right." She made for the elevator. "Right. Well, let's go—" She froze suddenly, noticing a body frozen in place to her side. "Kera...?"
The foal stood still, her tiny hooves fidgeting against the polished floor.
"Kera..." Belle knelt down. "Is everything okay?"
"Do you really... really wanna go up there?" the filly murmured, avoiding Belle's chestnut eyes. "I mean, really?"
"There's a mystery about this place that I must figure out," Belle said. "Also, I am very much concerned about your friends."
"They're not my friends," Kera said bitterly. "None of them can do the tricks that I can do, and they haven't bothered with escaping. They're cowards is what they are..."
Belle glanced over flank at the elevator. She turned and looked back at Kera. "Are you afraid to go back there?"
Kera did a double-take. Her frown was venomous as she slapped her hooves down. "I am so NOT afraid! I'm doing you a favore here, remember?"
But Belle softly smiled and placed a hoof on her shoulder. "Kera, it's okay. If worse comes to worse, I'll protect you."
"Pfffft!" Kera smiled goofily. "You? Protect me?" She gawked at the mare. "But you're so... so... soft!"
"Nevertheless, I will keep you safe," Belle said. "I promise you this."
"Hmmph..." Kera brushed Belle's shoulder off. "You two are worthless. I've got way better things to do than waste my time with a pair of bumbling adults."
Belle raised an eyebrow. "Then why did you come to us in the first place?"
Kera was dead silent.
Belle smiled. "It wasn't just to give us my books back, was it?"
"Pssst! Hey! Can the soap opera wait?" Phoenix hissed from the elevator car. "Do your girl-talk somewhere else than in an open hallway inside a megamare's skyscraper!"
Belle bit her lip. Kera brushed past her.
"He's right. Let's do this crud."
Belle let out a deep breath, scurried into the elevator, and watched as the doors closed silently behind her.
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Wow...for once, we actually witness something that visibly holds that rambunctious filly back. I'm eager to find out what it is.
I chortled.
Blargh! The anticipation of all the characters finally meeting up somewhere in the upper floors of the building is becoming too much!
I really, REALLY hope we don't dance around Belle and Pilate's reunion for like twenty chapters. They're in the same building, most likely going to the same floor. Don't be contrived, ):(.
Thirty-five push-ups for the impending drama. And yes, I'm doing this again. Deal with it. Knock 'em out!
So.
Freaking.
Close.
And it only took half the story! =P
2647978
I thought that Pheonix said that the crash happened in the northeast industrial sector... So they won't meet yet... :/
I loved this chapter. We got to see another side to Kera.
Kera obtained a title: Mare Sue
I feel bad for Kera... I still don't know why, though. Nice work!
I'm glad that Kera seems to be undergoing some character development here, instead of remaining a spunky little foal. I was worried for a moment...
2648932
It's not Nightshade's "doing" so much as there is a theory that says Nightshade found out. Shell and the council wanted to use Dash as a weapon, and that related to their discovery of the machine world in that part of the country. If Nightshade found out about it, she could potentially be trying to beat Ledo to the punch in order to drive up profits for her company by selling Ledo (or Xona, or both) the technology.
However, I don't think this has much to do with Dash. It really depends on what the book is pointing to, which is the point I made in the second paragraph. If the book points to destiny, then it's pointing to a reuniting. If the book points at machine-world artifacts, then it's pointing to whatever it is Nightshade has built a cage for. The two most likely possibilities are that Nightshade either found out something about the machine world and that's what the experiments are about, or that the experiments are straight up organic to Nightshade and that's just where the plot ended up.
I was also reminded of a parallel, just now. Kera has been acting somewhat as throwback to Austraeoh—see the first chapter of this story—and that continues here with Belle introducing the concept of companionship to her, as she reintroduced it to Rainbow. Belle is Eljunbyro.
2645966
In this analogy, Kera is channeling Harmony/Scootaloo. Orphan, lonely foals indeed.
Mare Sue? Really, we're going there?
2648100 Thank goodness you have that impression, too. I was starting to wonder if I was going even more crazy.
2647987 Oh, hi Jake. Pilate has ordered me to tell you this the next time I see you online: I have watched the Military Bronies React To Wonderbolt Academy video and your reactions where like a little angry hug from God. Have a nice day.
Ceterum censeo Searinem delendam esse. They aren't as big as Snowflake.
Moar please!
So, wait...are zebra & squirrel in a different part of the city?! I thought they were in the same building as Belle (apparently I wasn't alone in this assumption). I want them to be reunited!
Also, Kera is best Mare Sue.
2647987
You might be surprised by how much I'd missed that.
2649202
That's what she s—
pinkie.ponychan.net/chan/files/src/134535710922.jpg
A talking horse calling someone a yahoo... So very, very appropriate .....
New Sneaky Suspicion:
Book points towards Nancy Jane
Nancy Jane is a chaos creature of some sort.
Airship is being outfitted to deploy said creature, much like what was planned for RD
Kera has a bit of Harmony (from EoP) in her, I think. It's a neat little extra shading to her character.
It's a little ironic that she gets called a "Mare Sue" right as she appears to be getting some development, though.
Edit: 2649020 You conversation-stealer!
Oh come on. I sure hope they go and find Pilate already -- perhaps the book is pointing towards him? I hope so, at least.
2649274
Woo! Accidental references to classic literature!
2649554
I don't think so.
The book was pointing at the building long before Pilate even reached Blue nova. =/
2649931
Shhhhhhhh.
I get the feeling that they're all going to have a horrific revelation when they reach that floor. Then they'll flee and all meet up in a joyous reunion, but it gets cut short when The Real Villain shows up, twirling his evil moustache and cackling. Because that's what Real Villains do. And, just because he apparently can't die, I imagine that Shell will make an appearance, too. No scene of despair is complete without everyone's least favorite Enforcer making them feel worse.
i bet blueshelf was related to this super-vehicle in some way, maybe the book is pointing to the rainbowdashness in that device.
My sympathies lie with Phoenix, poor bastard must be drowning in estrogen by this point.
Foreshadowing, perhaps?
2653645DUN DUN DUUUUUUN...
So there's something behind that bravado after all.
Say no to foal sacrifices in your city today! Call 1-800-oh-shit-not-again for more details!
If even Kera is balking, well...I feel a relapse of that pit of doom from Austraeoh may be making a comeback. Hopefully none of the experiments were too brutal. What is it with technologically advanced societies and hurting children, anyway? With ever growing caution and foreboding - onward!
2650733 We haven't seen Shell in a pretty long time.Oh where could he be.....
IIIIIt's Dashie's evaluation time!
Kera sort of reminds me of Rainbow Dash in this chapter. She has an outward confidence, but she still has emotions on the inside. I like that...These are my thoughts so far.
-MASH
P.S. Technical difficulties last night. Why dies the world not want me to evaluate?IIIIIt's Dashie's evaluation time!
Kera sort of reminds me of Rainbow Dash in this chapter. She has an outward confidence, but she still has emotions on the inside. I like that...These are my thoughts so far.
-MASH
P.S. Technical difficulties last night. Why dies the world not want me to evaluate?
2719082 you got a double post in side a post or I'm just drunk and seeing double
2649100 Tell me, where can I find that video?
4102333 By looking up the title on Youtube.
Things are happening.
The characters are reuniting. Belle and Pilate will soon be together, and then will come the reunion of the whole party. 
Let's do this.
-Spirit
Kera is hiding something. The question is what it is.
Entry IX:
It's more of a city than a settlement, and a large one at that. I should be grateful, as this means I am in less danger if I approach it, but I still find myself hesitating to venture too close. I have a sneaking suspicion something bad might happen if I go there.
The purple light is back. It appears to be flowing towards... the city.
Sometimes I truly despise my luck.
Oh god
joyous reuinion, here we come!
and then skirts spent 20 chapters on EE and Josho fucking around in the woods thirty miles south
5759551 I was inclined to believe josho didn't swing that way.
Kera is putting on a brave face, but something about the other foals scares her.
Never doubt the crazy tattooed unicorn foal, Phoenix.
Heh.
You mean the lady who's right outside giving a speech just before she heads up to see her brother? This will certainly end well.
All the more reason to keep on Kera's good side, Rainbow can take care of her self if needed. Kera, she also can, but not to the same extent.
05/13/2017 15:56 UTC
6204923
I would think it would be their lack of horn
2647987
Gotta second 2649100 on that video, Jake.
Honestly, you need your own con panel when the country finally opens up. "Brony Boot Camp with Jake The Army Guy"
Yeah well, she also wants some food. Like bread.