"Timesssssssh are changing, young Roarke," Lady Pestiferous said. She gestured towards herself with an elongated, trembling limb. "Hckkkktt... My good health is gradually leaving me."
Roarke's lenses remained still within her skull. "Please, say it isn't so," she droned.
"Sssssshadly, it isssssh," Pestiferous replied. "Even a Top Shhhhhpear getsssssh dull with age." She looped her end of the chain on a hook of rusted metal. The stallions at the foot of her throne exhaled with mute relief. "The time will come when another will be called to fill the bloodshhhhhcape left by Sshhhearo."
With a deep breath, Roarke uttered with a nod, "And so you have considered two choices."
"Have I, now?" Pestiferous' mucousy eyes narrowed on the armored mare below her. "And jusssssht who might those be?"
"High Blade Terra, for one," Roarke said. She fidgeted slightly, and it was in a sullen tone that she added, "Myself, for another."
"You sshhhhhpeak with such remorssssshe, young daughter," Lady Pestiferous remarked. After a hacking wheeze, she uttered, "Ishhh it that the warrior has died insssssshide you? Hckkkkt!"
"There is nothing left to kill," Roarke retorted. Her jaw was firm as she said, "I have much blood left to be shed."
"And yet you do not leap upon coming to thissssssh epiphany? Were you not insulting Terra just a few ssssssshecondssssh ago? Ssssshurely you know that you both are just as much competitorssssssh as you are comradessssh."
"I do know that, my Lady," Roarke remarked, her voice undulating under the hint of a growl. "I also know that if Terra were here in my place, she would promise all sorts of ways to murder me in my sleep in order to prove herself to you."
"And do you not wish to prove yourssssshelf as well, Roarke most rare?"
Roarke said, "If you ask that I provide some sort of evidence that I am capable for the task, I would like to think that my years of bounty hunting and survivalism have more than proven that."
"Hckkk-Snkkkk!" Pestiferous coughed again, only this time there was something melodic to the wretched noise, almost as if her aching thoughts were poured into the gesture. When she spoke next, it was as if a roll of thunder was pouring out from behind a cloud of muffled laughter. "How interessssshting a warrior you are, daughter Roarke. You are so busy bloodying the proverbial sshhhhpear that I wonder if you sssshimply want to avoid cutting with it altogether."
"My Lady, what you are proposing would mean a dramatic change to me, Searo's Hold, and everything," Roarke said, bowing low. "My restraint is simply a means of my expressing caution."
"Yes, but it is entirely possible to be too cautioussssssh. For too long have the daughterssssh and ssssshisters of Ssssshearo held themselves at bay. There will come a time, before my death or after, when the sssshhhpear must be bloodied beyond the boundariesssssh that contain us, or else Sssshearo's glory might be ssssshtifled indefinitely. Hckkk!"
Roarke gazed up at her, her lips pursed. "What... do you mean by that, my Lady?"
"What I sssssshheek is not just a sssshhhuccessor, but a revolutionary. Sssssshhomepony who will show the world just what is the truth wrath of Ssssshhhearo, so that the bloodscape ssssshall not falter."
Roarke shifted uncomfortably, glancing left and right across the hall. "And... what exactly do you have in mind?"
"There issssssh sssshhomething you possesssssshhh that High Blade Terra does not," Pestiferous said, her eyes narrowing above her mask. "And that is an entire life's worth of accumulated knowledge on the batardlandssssssh of Ledo."
Roarke's lenses retracted as her jaw dropped. "You... you wish to invade?"
Lady Pestiferous wheezed. She slapped her hoof against her throne. A few seconds later, a resounding hiss emanated from behind. A large door opened to a circular platform behind where she was seated.
"Come with me, child," Pestiferous said. Like an enormous crustacean, her spindly limbs picked her up from the throne and carried her across the way. "There isssssshh a test that must be endured."
"A test?" Roarke stammered, suddenly breathless. She glanced nervously at the chamber behind the throne. "My Lady, if you would have me fight somepony for your honor—"
"Ssssssshhheriously, young daughter..." Pestiferous paused to squint at the warrior. "Who sssshhaid anything about you fighting?"
Say WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-
Aww man now I want to know if she isn't fighting...WHO IS?
...You know that last comment I left about the unexpectable?
Yeah, I have great timing.
And of course, the obligatory OH SHIIIIT!
Prized trophy/medic or half-blade, which one dies? Tis an evil test.... or I'm completely wrong
Pestiferous seems like she won't be around too much longer.
She'd better say "Let the hate flow through you" or something like that before she goes.
2406150
I second this.
Either "daughter" is the formal term that Lady Pestiferous uses for her inferiors...or she's using it literally toward Roarke.
Now that you mention it, you seem a little pale around the nose. Well, you know, around of whatever is left of your nose.
2406353 Daughter of Searo. The same way most religions consider their believers children of God.
Also, yes, please go ahead and invade Ledomare. Maybe the two of you will wipe each other out and the world will be a happier place. Aside from that, I am enticed to see how the two plotlines around Roarke and Crimson are entirely contradictional - Roarke's string promises us a future for Searo (or should I say threatens us with one) whereas Crimson's points toward what might well be their end. You go ahead boy.
Side note: ceterum censeo Searinem delendam esse. Furthermore, I consider that Searo must be destroyed.
Me like dis chapter title
2406402 Ah.
If you don't mind my asking, besides the obvious, what exactly do you have against Searo?
So is she going to be fighting?
and now, the test will make Roarke have to reveal RD being a pegasus and they will escape Searo with Crimson's help. Who agrees?
i have a feeling that Pestiferous knows about Rainbow Dash.
2406426 What is 'the obvious'? They are an extremely evil people, and an extremely blind one as well. Both traits tend to make me very mad. That's it, basically.
They are a culture build on warrior principles, where rulership of moral and reason has been replaced by the law of the jungle - and law indeed, mind you. It is not only a culture where the strong prey on the weak, but where the system encourages, even forces them to do so. Now they are primitive, blood-curling, short-sighted and naive. Just like Shell, however, they are so blind that they mistake their wretchedness as true strength, which would be strength of character. They believe that their kind of strength is what defines the worth of a being, not realizing that theirs is a tool that may as well be used to reduce such worth, when used to suppress the weak instead of protecting them.
They are religious fanatics that are willing to sacrifice their own lifes for their crude idea of honour and faith. Their mother is by all means a demon, demanding blood sacrifice, blood that has been stolen from the innocent, without right and without reason. Yet when they face someone as Rainbow Dash, they face someone so morally superior to them that they mistake it for inferiority instead, weakness (a typical behaviour by the way, also in reality). She knows reasons why to show mercy and kindness, reasons the Searonese simply do not understand. They are also sexist, racist and chauvinist of course, but that is just a detail here.
In addition, they do not even keep their perversion of culture to themselves. They are a malignant tumour, they spread, preying on the helpless. Even if they seek out worthy enemies instead of innocent prey, they still force death and bloodshed onto beings that did never wish for them - like Rainbow Dash. In doing so, they will gladly use any cheap trick to get the job done, no matter how cruel or how wrong. All in all, they are a cradle of evil. And since it is their cultural mind that is so poisonous, there is little hope of making them stop. As with every cancer, there is only one solution: cut it out. The only way to end that (quite infuriating) display of moral incompetence is to remove the culture as a whole, and probably most of its people with it. That is why I keep quoting the great speaker Cato: ceterum censeo Searinem delendam esse.
Furthermore, I consider that Searo must be destroyed.
And boy am I glad that this is just a story, or else I'd be preaching genocide here. Like Cato was. That bastard.
2406426 Also, do be assured that I am not really angry, let alone at you or the author. I tend to get a bit into this kind of stuff once I start ranting. My apologies.
To be ruled by the imperialist dictatorship of Ledomare, or to be ruled by a society of lifeless, cyborg, sexist, violent-natured Metal Mares...
I might have to go with the shady dictatorship government. The Metal Mares pretty much ensure that males are worse than slaves. Though, since it would be Roarke at the head, that may all change. Hopefully for the better.
2406150 You stumped me yet again and I am quite confused on what's happening in the story right now
2406426 They just envy me.
I hope Roarke takes Searo to war. An invasion of Ledomare would, in all likelihood, end in an utterly destroyed Searo and a severely weakened Ledomare. As I understand it, the metal mares have the advantage in technology and individual skill, but Ledomare has a massive, professional army that would be fighting on familiar terrain. Their clear chain of command allows for superior strategy, letting them take out the Searonese one by one until there are none left. The inevitable counterattack would be highly successful, as bounty hunters are not well-suited to defensive battles. However, the Ledomaritans would still suffer heavy losses until they found a truly effective defense against the sledgehammer that is an individual metal mare. A war between those two nations would wrap up a lot of Dash's troubles - neither faction would be able to spare the resources to pursue her, allowing her access to the Xonan frontier and whatever lies beyond.
2407729 More than that, the Ledomartians have heavy weaponry. The Searonese technology is extremely advanced, but completely aimed at lone fighters. Shell pointed it out while on board of the Steel Wing: they have vastly superior firepower. At their current state, the Searonese hunt, they do not make war. In an open combat, the Ledomartians would most probably wipe them out without effort.
I can't help but think Metal Gear Solid, now that the title has jarred my memory of all those damn cutscenes.
Story To Tell - Death
Of all cutscenes, this is the last one I'd want to skip. I mean, SUSPENSE!
A cliffhanger?
BAD SCOLON
NO BISCUIT
2407114 That was the obvious.
2407629 Yes. Yes we do.
2409161 Then what else would one need to hate them.
UNSKIPPABLE CUTSCENES AUUUUGH
2410858 That was why I asked.
who is going to fight?
And suddenly having a zillion chapters to catch up on isn't so bad. No cliffhangers for me - I have a fast pass.
I'm going to go out on a limb and say its Dash who'll have to fight, seeing as random ponies dukeing it out would be entertaining but hardly conducive to overall plot development. Plus Dash needs en excuse to use her Iron-Mare suit, and she'll have to if her wing is still busted and her speed advantage is nullified. Only question is - will there be pov switch before the fight? Onward!
IIIIIt's Dashie's evaluation time!
Ooh. Things are really heating up now. With the Xonans on one front and the Searonese on another, wouldn't the Confederacy be spread really thin? We'll have to see how this whole "challenge" with Roarke plays out too. These are my thoughts so far.
-MASH
What.
Dis fun b gud.
-Spirit
So much is a mystery at this point. The anticipation is killing me.
oh man...this suspense is settled in nicely...
it's happening
YOU COULD HAVE PREVENTED THIS ROARKE
Man, I was just thinking that Ledomare was lucky that Searo never felt like invading. Tech like that, it would be a slaughter. I guess I spoke to soon.
Gotta bad feeling about this.
Pefisterous is looking for a revolutionary, but she may have found the wrong kind of revolution.
Gosh Darn it! No matter what buttons i mash, it won't let me skip this part! I just want to play the game!
Huh. Who is going to be fighting?
Hmmm.....daughter.
Ooooh shit! I do hope they do not already know of RD and are simply being coy. That would leave a bad taste in my and Roarkes mouth
Plot twist: She simply wants Roarke to finish a leftover oatmeal cookie on her snack table.
Ledomare seems to have a massive military, a controlling culture, and just... It's a very strong country, from what we've seen. But an invasion entirely of metal mare's? I don't think Ledomare is prepared for something like that, especially not with a war already going on.
9295936
It’s an oatmeal raisin cookie, and she said it was choccy chip! Testing Roarke’s wits