"All aboard who's collapsing aboard!" Zaid exclaimed, waving his hoof from where he stood atop the Noble Jury's starboard deck. He smirked while Josho hopped off the snowy plateau and landed by his side. "Welcome back to the ship, ship."
"Please," Josho muttered as he made a bee-line for the rear stairwell. "The ship ship is down by thirty-eight percent for the time being."
"Heh..." Zaid winked. "The fact that you understood me well enough to respond with that shows that I've made progress with you."
"Blow it out your cult hole."
"Spoken like a true whale." Zaid leaned over the airship's wooden railing. "That enough grilled cheese, for you?!"
"Yes! Very!" Sam the Llama exclaimed.
"It's absolutely s-sufficient!" Sam the other Llama said, gripping the stack of piping-hot containers.
"Salamander squirrel ripcord!" added Dave.
"Thank you for not dying of cold before you got to Ether Point!" Winree exclaimed, waving a woolie hoof. "Also for taking those bug horses off our shoulders! That was pretty swell too!"
"Besides, they tasted sour whe we licked their shells."
"Sam says bye, everypony!"
"Good bye!" Bellesmith, Kera, Props, Pilate, and Booster Spice exclaimed, waving with pleasant expressions. "Good luck with the borealis!"
Kera glanced up at her foster mother. "So, are we ditching these mountain flouncers or what?"
"Shhhhh! Kera, darling!"
"Hey, just one sec!" Rainbow shouted, gliding across the plateau to where the three remaining Jurists huddled around Whizzball.
There, Ebon Mane stood before a thick crowd of changelings—all staring at him with bright, blinking eyes.
"You'll like it where we are going!" Ebon said with a smile. "For one, it's a lot warmer. For another, there are plenty of ponies to share emotion with. For a third, there're countless numbers of plants and herbs to make scrumptious meals out of!"
"But... but..." One changeling shifted nervously. "We don't need the same kind of sustenance as your friends."
"That's just it!" Ebon grinned. "Not having to eat food can actually make you pretty darn good at serving it! And if there's one way to a non-shapeshifting pony's heart—no matter the race—it's food!"
"Could you... t-teach us how to make this food?"
"Not only that..." Ebon smirked. "I can teach you how to make it well."
"That's just what this continent needs," Roarke droned, her eyes thin above a subtle smirk. "An army of empathic cooks."
"Well, if anypony can make it work, Ebon sure can!" Eagle Eye exclaimed.
"Yeesh!" Rainbow Dash touched down. "Look who's pony of the hour!"
Ebon spun around, blinking. "Who, m-me?"
"You were shoveling out grilled cheese and vegetables over the past three hours for the llamas over there," Rainbow said, motioning. "And now you're about to lead a bunch of changelings to a new, glorious home." She winked. "Real renaissance stallion you've won yourself, Eagle Eye."
"Yeah, well..." Eagle Eye folded his forelimbs. "I-I liked Ebon before he was cool!"
Ebon murmured, "I-I think Props has you beaten by over a year."
"Pffft! What does she know? She's overdosed on Zaid."
"Who wouldn't be?"
"Uhm..." One changeling shifted nervously. "About this new home..." It bit its lips with pensive fangs. "...would Mother come to find us there?"
Eagle and Roarke exchanged glances.
Ebon smiled. "You do not have to worry about her," he said. "We've got ponies making sure that she never enslaves us—her children—to do anything mean again." He gestured towards the Jury. "These ponies. My best friends."
The changelings looked at one another, murmuring. There was a slight twinge of warmth to their eyes.
"I think it's about time we headed south," Rainbow Dash said, taking off. "We'll keep in contact! You know Props' number!"
"Yeah! It's the only leyline frequency that shrieks!"
"We'll let you know how it goes with the Duchess!" Rainbow said. "Assuming she's there when we arrive!" She saluted. "Stay frosty!"
"In a place like this, that won't be hard," Roarke muttered.
Eagle and Ebon waved enthusiastically while Rainbow flew back to the Jury. Within a minute, Floydien lifted the vessel up from the plateau, pivoted south, and throttled away, shaking the air above Ether Point. The three remaining Jurists watched as the ship blended in with the obscure gray winds beyond the sloping mountains.
"Well, guess that's our cue," Eagle Eye said.
"Everyone!" Ebon gestured. "Follow me! Let's head towards the west cliff! That'll be the best spot for all of you to take off! Now, we'll be taking breaks every three hours of flight! That way you can rest your wings and we can collect our bearings—"
Roarke sat still, taking a deep breath. She began tucking her flowy red mane into her helmet when a blue body floated down in front of her.
"Hmmm?" The metal mare looked up, her thin eyes blinking. "Huh?"
Rainbow hovered in front of her, breathless. She rubbed her forelimbs together and grimaced. "I... I don't want to leave you..."
"Don't be going stupid on me, now," Roarke droned. "We went over this. The Jury needs you, okay? Besides, we'll rendezvous later—ulp!" Her ears flattened in surprise.
Rainbow Dash was kissing her deeply.
Swiftly, Roarke broke the kiss, only to feel Rainbow Dash clinging to her with a tender hug. "Nnngh... R-Rainbow?!" She seethed. "I'm serious! Fly! The Noble Jury is going to leave you behind at this..." She froze in mid-speech, blinking. "...wait."
"I'm so gl-glad," a voice deeper than Rainbow's drawled. Out of the corner of her eyes, Roarke spotted the mare's mane growing longer, fuller. "I'm just so glad you f-found somepony, sugarcube."
Roarke grimaced. She dashed backwards, staring. "Wh-who...?!"
A freckle-faced mare looked on, her face mirroring the same shock and confusion. Slowly, the orange coat and blonde mane faded away, exposing a glossy black exoskeleton with glossier eyes. "I... I-I..." The changeling's jaws quivered. "I'm so sorry! It's just that... w-we've been so hungry!" It gulped. "And what you h-have is so strong..." It winced, curling its gossamer wings around itself. "I-I'll go now! I'll be quiet and follow Ebon! Please..." It ran off, fighting back a sob. "Pl-please forgive me!"
Roarke looked after the creature. She raised a hoof, feeling her blood pulsing heavily through her limbs. Gawking, she stared curiously past the southern horizon, to where the Noble Jury disappeared. In silence, she hung her head, staring fixedly into nothingness.
How does one kiss deeply?
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Like so?
Also, better empathetic cooks than more of these assholes.
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Wat.
Noplz.
I don't think I can deal with the ghosts of friends past-tense.
That was a bit weird. Why would that come up with Roarke and not with Dash? Roarke has no real connection with AJ. Gonna throw out a wild bit of speculation here, maybe the changelings powers could channel ghosts perhaps? Or maybe I'm just looking into it to much.
I'm imagining the eager, hopeful expression on their faces, and it is just so adorable.
You are not Floydien.
YOU ARE NOT FLOYDIEN.
Please please please Roarke don't misinterpret that! Rainbow has a perfectly good explanation! An explanation that she's just taken away with herself and the rest of the jury...
The idea of a changeling catering company is too adorable.
Also, I, too, wonder how they were able to channel Applejack without Rainbow being present. I dunno, there might be a simple and unimportant explanation for it.
The Ships Have Sailed, Quite Honestly
Indeed. Rainbow no longer ships AJ, so why present AJ to Roarke?
Ships have sailed?
i.imgur.com/Q4ecVzG.jpg
Uhhhhh....
Well, that was awkward...
Hella awks
Well that doesn't sound good at all.
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That was an internal memo directed towards...certain individuals.
I'm happy I got to hear Applejack again, but sad to know that'll be the last of it. In this story, anyway.
lol spirit possession.
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I imagine it'd be something like this.
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Uniforms not an issue!
Please, this is IC. He's probably hinged half a book on it.
I am unsure how to feel about this.
Love hungry changeling morphing into Rainbow Dash in order to steal some love from Roarke?
I foresee an affair. Possibly unintentional.
Or threesome
Hipster EE
Dash may not have thought this plan through.
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EE's always been a hipster, he was a hipster before it was cool.
Um applejack? Are you there? That was really strange and needs explaining right now. Will roarke stay curious and keep shut about it or confront the appleling..
I'm going to bet the Book will become unable to hold a charge and the Jury will be stranded someplace.
As Watler Moers (and Berthold Brecht) would tell you, all the problems in this world can in some way or another be solved through a full stomach. Also, that changeling definitely picked the right person to get awkward with...
Ah well, at least it cant possibly get any worse on the trip between Rourke and the Changelings.
Anyone for takeaway?
I feel like chicken tonight.
Wonder if the best Emphatic cooks are the ones that cook your favourite meal, and have it on the table, waiting, by the time you actually get into the brand new resteraunt? That, and all the roller dash waitresses in maid skirts?
Wait, so the only person who can cook properly has left the ship, and theres only two crew left that have nothing else to do?
Zaid and Booster, Are.. Hexor Boomenthrall.
The Jury is doomed
So, Roarke travelling with a bunch of hungry empath shapeshifters, who can take the form of her marefriend... grabs popcorn
Thought that changeling was evil for a second
So... I am a part of a sub fandom now?
Neat
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And you have been for two books+! Feels nice, donnit?
...damn stealing that kiss just strikes me as dirty.
I sure hope that Ebon can teach the changelings how to resist Chrysalis... she will be back for them.
I hope that, just as this ship sails, Roarke doesn't develop jelousy of the dead mare.
Well, this doesn't bode well for Rainbowarke...
I can't really blame that changeling for what he did...that strength in Rainbow and Roarke's bond must've been as appealing to him as the golden apples on the Adam and Eve tree to him. IMPOSSIBLE to avoid sampling. after the life of confusion hes been living too. he has my sympathies. rather than my dislike.
Empathetic master cooks for everyone!
-Spirit
I'm sure Roarke didn't have a problem with that. At least, not much.
Changelings can take on some of the personality of who it is they transform into, right? Assuming this statement is directed towards Rainbow, makes you wonder if this is what the real Applejack would say.
On a less brighter note, Roarke will be having some questions.
Oh poor roarke, what have you gotten yourself into.
That last part
Roarke just went full wat.
Wow, way to kill the mood, bugboy.
Hm. The ships are down 1.5, counting Roarke, EE and Ebon. Since Belle/Pilate, Zaid/Props and RD are still aboard, that makes 1.5/4 or 37.5%. Math checks out.
I'm mostly impressed Josho did that in his head fast enough to immediately have a retort for Zaid.
I'm not crying I swear. My eyes are just sweaty.
Friggin bug ponies.
Jeez, thank goodness Rainbow wasn't around for that. That might have fully murdered her heart.