"I don't like this..." Phoenix muttered. "Not one bit."
"Shhhh!" Kera hissed, squatting on a seat besides the cot where Bellesmith was lying. "Belle's doing her thing..."
"Uhhh..." Phoenix stepped over and looked down at the mare's fluttering eyelids. "I don't think we're in any danger of waking her up just yet."
"Still, who knows if we could be disturbing her in... y'know..." Kera shrugged and pointed at the twelve foals slumbering in the center of the room. "Fartspace."
Phoenix squinted at the filly. "Do you know anything about this operation? Anything whatsoever? I mean, for real..."
"Meh," Kera meh'd. "I was barely here for a year after they dragged me over from Lerris. I was expecting zeppelin rides, soft beds, and pie. Lots and lots of pie. But as soon as they started making us hit the books, I realized it was waaaaaaay too stuffy for me." She shrugged. "Besides... y'know... no pie..."
"And did you have any idea that they'd lop the end of your horn off?!" Phoenix remarked.
"Hey. That's these lame-o's fault for not getting out when they could," Kera said with a frown. "It's their loss. Not mine."
Phoenix leaned back against a wall as he said, "So is that the Xonan way of looking at things? Survival of the wittiest?"
"You're guess is as good as mine, dude," Kera muttered, stifling a yawn. "I barely remember the ponies gave birth to me. I just remember lots of farming and staring at grass and wishing my life became funner."
"Don't you mean 'more fun?'"
"Don't you mean to soak your stinky head in a toilet?"
"It just boggles my mind that everypony is so clueless about... everything," Phoenix muttered. "I mean, what's really going on here? Which came first, Blue Shelf or Deep Ridge? Council of Ledo or Nightshade Industries?"
"Unnngh... dude..." Kera stifled another yawn, blinking her eyes heavily as she nearly collapsed over Belle. "For real, quit it! You're making me wanna hibernate for a century."
Phoenix managed a slight smirk. "Have you ever really—truly—gotten to a point in your puny life where you've stopped being bored of stuff?"
Kera smirked up at him. "Well, I met you two. Didn't I?"
"Not sure if I should take that as a compliment or not, kid."
"Your eyes are the color of poop."
"Yeah, thanks." Suddenly, Phoenix jolted. He spun around with his horn glowing. "Awww crap."
"No, I said the color of—"
"Stay where you are." He dashed briskly through the door to the adjacent operations room.
Kera jolted in place, her green eyes wide. "What is it?" She hopped up and scampered to the door frame. "Is somepony coming?"
"I sensed a surge of mana through the floor here," Phoenix said as he scurried about the interior of the room full of consoles and monitoring equipment. "I think an elevator has arrived."
"Ah jeez. That can only be carrying buttsniffers."
"If I could just figure out the security locks..." Phoenix narrowed his eyes on the door leading out to the immediate highway.
"Huh?! H-hurry!" Kera squeaked. "Don't let the buttsniffers get in here!"
"Nnngh... This is only gonna delay the inevitable," Phoenix said as he rotated a few switches with his telekinesis. The door locked triply from his side, securely sealing off the hallway beyond. "Spark alive, I hope Belle gets her job over with so that we can all get out of here."
Kera fidgeted in the doorway to the operations room. "Maybe we should wake her?"
Phoenix glanced back at her. "What, you scared, kid?"
Kera frowned. "I just know a time to split when I see it."
"We gotta have faith in her."
"Why?"
Phoenix sighed. "Because I once made the mistake of not trusting her or her friend... and it ruined things for all of us..."
Meanwhile...
On the other side of the locked door...
Sir Ordo returned, levitating a clipboard of files in his magical grasp. His hooves clopped against the cold tile as he leisurely made his way for the barricade at the end of the long hall. At last, he approached the door—but bumped stupidly into it.
"Ooof!"
The well-dressed stallion dropped his clipboard. Blinking at the door, he furrowed his brow.
"What in blazes...?"
He pivoted to the side and manually pressed the console next to the door.
There was a buzzing noise, but the frame refused to slide open.
He blinked. Fidgeting, he tried the console again.
Nothing.
Bulbs of sweat started to form along his forehead.
"Hide me away in the Queen's dusty womb... this is not good.."
Scurrying on panicked hooves, he rushed towards an intercom system. He tapped the edge of his horn against a soundstone. The gem glowed to life as he found the breath to speak.
"I need engineers to the Ring Operations Floor immediately." He paused, then added, "Bring a security team as well... this is urgent..."
Good old Kera
The year time frame fits with the 10 months Dash was under, and reaffirms that Ledo and Nightshade knew something of the world's nature prior to her arrival.
2707508
I didn't delete a comment. What did you do, Ray?!
And after five hundred chapters of consequently limited narration: this.
2707516 Year frame? Did I miss anyt- What did I miss this time?
Also: prepare for security system bypass action. Cue music:
Ceterum censeo Searinem delendam esse. Make it possible.
2707559 Unacceptable conditions. The answer to your question would then be: appease His chosen messiah Pilate via Skype, where he carries the name of Pilot, and be welcomed into the eternally blissful planes of elysium. I take no guarantees for what happens after that.
2707576
That sentence had too many syllables. Apologize.
2707597 This ain't the badass crater of badassery. You have no power here.
Anyways: Pilate made a post in the Austraeoh group forums about the group chat. It includes sufficient instructions.
Lol he walked into a door.
And thus, the alarm has been raised. Clock is ticking, little poines...
Heh, I "heh'd".
THE PIE IS A LIE!
That scene transition was a little odd, though I suppose dividing this up into two chapters would've been annoying, so s'all good. Now I just hope Belle doesn't take too long in
fartspacesequencing.2707516
I hadn't thought of that, but that's a good point. Makes me even more suspicious of Nightshade and how the heck it knows what it knows and just what it's getting at.
You're an idiot, Ordo.
Buttsniffers? i would prefer the term "Brown-noser", but that's Kera for you.
Bulbs of sweat eh? Mansize beads of sweat I guess?
Dude, have you just, like, thought about stuff, man. It's mind blowing how much stuff is just, like, there, man.
Pariah - Black Sabbath
Wow, thanks for “clearing” that out.
I just had a thought.
Suppose it IS a ringworld, currently laid out flat
Suppose Dash DOES put it back together somehow.
Then suppose it turns out the alicorns lit the wrong side.
The irony would be almost as hilarious as it would be tragic.
there was no PIE!?
Those fillystines!
Well, at least you didn't grow up on a rock farm .
Obvious parallel is obvious2709252
That. . . makes a lot of sense.
I rewatched the sleepless in ponyville episode and started thinking, "will Merwin ever meet rd? And if so, what will she think of her and what will rd think of her?
Looks like Belle is running short of time to sequence. She's got too much to figure out in such a limited window, though, unless Phoenix can figure out how to keep her under longer. He probably can't convince the Nightshade ponies that she belongs there, so it'll probably be physical barriers for as long as he can keep them up.
The lesson here is clear.
If you bring a bunch of individuals unto your place to do your bidding, provide pie.
Otherwise, they may leave, and sneak back in later to mess up your shit.
Jesus, can you at least allow one pie in Lerris? It can't possibly be a land devoid of pie, that would be dreadful. Even a brownie is good enough.
Jumping to the worst conclusions since chapter whatever the heck, I present Ordo!
I like Kera, a lot. All bark, no bite. There's a little bit of silliness and a lot of snark, but underneath that plain fear.
Nice to know my name is on best pony.
Huh, I didn't know meh could be used as a verb. Well, it probably can't but it sounds like a good idea anyway.
Top Ten BadFlanks (Updated)
1: Rainbow Dash
2: Prince Sam Rose
3: Roarke
4: Steelteeth
5: Floydien
6: Shell
7: Crimson
8: Tweak
9: Pheonix
10: Eagle Eye
Agree? Disagree?
2710275Is a muffin ok?
Phoenix, asking the big questions.
2712985 I find your offer heartwarming and graciously agree that Lerris has muffins in it. Now to somehow threaten IC into a baked good theme.
"Your eyes are the color of poop."
"Yeah, thanks." Suddenly, Phoenix jolted. He spun around with his horn glowing. "Awww crap."
"No, I said the color of—"
Phoenix and Kera needed some bonding time.
Also, Ring Operations Floor? Does this meant that they can actively control it, or are merely observing its operations?
Oh shit moments all around!
That should be a legitimate verb.
Also, Belle needs to break out of her mind trance thing before an entire security squad is brought down on her unconscious head. Also also, Phoenix and Kera are adorable. He should adopt her. Oh! Better idea! Josho and EE should adopt her. Think about it - her and Josho could trade improbable swear words and EE could tame that crazy mane of hers. Then the three drifting castaways have a family. Its a win-win all around.
IIIIIt's Dashie's Eleventh Marathon Evaluation Time!!!!!!!!!!!
So this chapter wasn't too important. I guess that it's good to see some interaction between Phoenix and Kera with a bit of fear on Kera's part. I like that.
But...then there's this.
Imploding, for all intents and purposes, just spoke to us. This is strange. He has never done anything this fourth-wall-breaking (if it can even be classified as that) before. And...well, I'm not really sure what to think of it. It's not mysterious like the previous chapter, which, by the way, ended on a cliffhanger. But...I just don't know. It's just different. These are my thoughts so far.
-MASH
P.S. EIGHT MORE TO GO!!!! YEAH!!!!! GET MAD!!!!
2783649
I agree with every part of this comment 100%.
You, Lady, are a genius.
Not much to say since this chapter is blissfully less informative than the last two.
-SPirit
2788076
He's actually broken the "fourth wall" quite a few times. Though they are all tactfully placed.
Shit's about to hit the fan.
4774891 I couldnt have put it better myself
Aw damn, things are about to get spicy in this joint.
I hope Kera and Phoenix are up for holding on.
Uh oh, trouble
Incoming shell... that is if he's not too busy chasing Pilate.
So the world was meant to be a ring. And the Alicorns only found a piece. I wonder what broke it, or where in the cosmos the other pieces are.
I wonder if the pegasus are the key because Stratopolis is part of the complete world.
8460814
Ah, I get it now.
All the pegasi got a piece of the world all too themselves
8653568
Urge to spoil rising.
I think this might be the very first mention of Lerris. It's unnerving, being able to recognize a hurricane from the first gentle gust.