Innavedr

by Imploding Colon


Buy a Farm

"Hey Pa!" Nexx scampered up the hill, his tiny body glistening in the morning sun. He smiled and pointed behind him as Roque bounded up the gemstone-laden farm, riding on the back of a happily salivating diamond dog. "Look it, Pa! He gives doggy rides! Can we keep him? Huh? Huh?"

"He's a diamond dog, not a puppy!" Tweak growled from where he stood at the top of the hill. Several other residents of Aurum stood beside him, staring into the southern horizon. "Besides, even if he wasn't a sentient—albeit stupid creature—he's been through enough as it is at Searo's Hold without having to carry around crystal skull'd slackers. Get back to your chores, boys. Your Ma and I need all the help we can get right now."

"Awwwwww..." Nexx kicked at the ground while his older brother dismounted from the blankly staring creature. "I told you he'd say 'no.'"

"Pffft! What do you know? When you first saw him show up here, you thought he was a manticore!"

"Manticores are big and hairy, right?"

"Yeah, but they have giant scorpion tails that shoot lasers."

"Shoot lasers?! Tell me more!"

As the two colts scampered back towards the cabin, Lucky Strike hobbled over to Tweak's side. "You should let them have some fun, brother." Lucky smirked, facing the southern sky along with the other crystal stallions. "After all, now is a time for celebration."

"Things are far too friggin' hairy for anypony to celebrate," Tweak said, grumbling. "We done just made ourselves a rattled hornet's nest full of angry metal mares overnight."

"Granted, the 'metal' part doesn't exactly work," Lucky Strike replied. "And of the Searonese chumps who are still alive, I seriously doubt we're the ones they're pissed off at."

"Doesn't mean they're not gonna take their frustrations out on us."

"How?!" Lucky's eyes narrowed. "We know their weakness, now. As soon as any of them shows their helmeted faces, we'll just shine on until the cows come home. Even if they resort to usin' something other than their tech, they'll be too dizzy to gallop in a straight line."

"If only it was that easy..."

"But it is that easy! Listen, Tweak..." Lucky Strike pivoted to face him directly. "This new friend of yours—this Crimson? He's a good stallion. He brings out the best in you. But that doesn't mean you have to stay in full on kick-flank mode!"

"Lucky..."

"Are you the best militia pony this province has ever seen? Heck yeah!" Lucky smiled. "But you're also a family stallion. And I did not go through a living nightmare back at the Hold just to come back and see you go Prime Enforcer on me."

Tweak sighed long and hard. He turned to glare at his brother. "Don't you ever make that sort of a Spark-forsaken comparison."

"Don't you ever make me have to," Tweak said with a smirk. "You done saved the day, brother. You saved me..." He planted a crystalline hoof on the pony's shoulder. "This is a time for celebration."

"I'll celebrate once I know all our work here is done."

"Don't make me kick your flank."

"Pffft!" Tweak finally smiled—a glaring sort of expression. "You could never kick my flank."

"I could be a huge pain in the butt."

"You already are. I reckon I should have kept you back in that glowy chamber of death thingy."

"And be spared your cold, rigid personality? What a horrible idea..."

"Shhh..." Tweak motioned towards the horizon. "This is it. They're coming."

"Well, that was quick."

Tweak trotted a few steps forward. "Alright, everypony!" he shouted into the rising winds as something loud throttled over the nearest treeline. "Step back! Give 'em room to land, and be ready to lend a hoof! If they're not wounded, a lot of the arriving ponies will be weak! And try not to shine so much around them! You'll get less vomit on your coat that way!"

As he spoke, the glistening body of Roarke's manaship roared into view. Its outer hull reflected the bodies of the many crystal stallions as they stepped aside and gave the craft space to land. The ship hovered low, then touched down into an open space of farmland between sapphire shards.

The engines hissed to a stop. Then, with a buzz of manacircuitry, the door along its side slid open. Crimson and Rainbow Dash poked their heads out, making eye contact with Tweak. Hopping down, Rainbow Dash turned and motioned up towards the inside of the vessel.

"Whelp, journey's over!" she said. "Welcome to Aurum, everypony! It may not exactly be the land of milk and honey, but it's got plenty of cool glowy equines and mares who can bake waffles like a boss! Come on out and have a look-see!"

One by one, with the help of Crimson and several crystal ponies, a group of trembling equines were safely removed from the ship. Most of them were stallions—emaciated unicorns and earth ponies who still staggered from Searonese branding. Their eyes lit up as they saw the bright countryside, along with the amicable crystal residents offering to escort them towards a nearby barn where several beds and tables of food were laid out. While the newcomers were given aid, Crimson jumped down besides Rainbow Dash, though he stumbled on the flimsy crutch that stood for his missing leg.

Tweak helped him stand upright, closing the distance between the group.

"Thank you," Crimson stammered, standing up as straight as he could. "Not sure I'll ever get used to that."

"You seem to be getting used to it something proper, all things considered," Tweak remarked.

"Is that the last of them?" Lucky Strike asked.

"Yup." Rainbow Dash nodded. She was only wearing two slabs of armor, one to cover her injured wing and the other to act as counterbalance on the other side. "That covers all of the ponies that escaped the arena through the Searonese garbage pass."

"Does that explain why they smell like rotten bananas and cat urine?" Lucky remarked with a scrunched face.

"No, brother, I'm pretty sure that's just your nose getting reacquainted with livestock after months spent in the center of a supernova," Tweak muttered. He motioned towards the manaship. "And y'all weren't followed?"

"If you're wondering if that 'Terra' pony sought to exact her revenge, the answer is 'no,'" Crimson replied. "Most likely, the Searonese are still licking their wounds. And with their Top Spear dead and their fortress' power source completely gone... well..."

Lucky smiled and nodded. "We get it. We were their crutch, and now they haven't a leg to stand on—"

Tweak slapped Lucky upside the head, producing a sound that resembled pebbles rattling across a tin roof. He sighed. "Forgive my idiot brother for being an idiot. He doesn't know a good soldier when he sees one."

"Nnngh... cuz I've only ever had you to stare at all my life."

Pebbles hit a tin roof again.

"Ow!"

"You guys sure that this is okay?" Rainbow Dash leaned forward. "I mean, this whole bit with these ponies moving into Aurum—"

"Hey..." Tweak managed a subtle grin. "These honest souls need a home, and what better way than to give them a chance at making an honest living? Besides, the way I see it, the more non-Searonese ponies we have around here, the better."

"You could form a new militia," Crimson said with a nod. "It would certainly help you in fending off the Killas if they ever show up again."

"Yeah, what was up with them anyways?" Rainbow Dash squinted. "It seems a bit odd that both the Searonese AND a bunch of unruly diamond dogs would choose to pick on you at the same time."

"What matters is that they ain't pickin' on us anymore," Tweak grumbled. "Soon as word goes out that we busted the skulls of a bunch of metal mares, nothing's gonna bother messing with Aurum."

"You forget, brother," Lucky remarked. "It wasn't all us." He pointed at Rainbow Dash. "We owe our thanks to the courage of others."

"Hey, we only did it 'cuz we knew you guys needed a break," Rainbow said. She gulped. "Mostly." She turned. Crimson turned. Everypony turned to look at the manaship.

Powering down the cockpit, Roarke stepped out. She froze in place, staring down at the many heads facing her. Then, with a flaring of her nostrils, she silently closed her helmet, jumped down, and marched coldly towards a far corner of the farm.

Slowly, the group swiveled to face each other yet again.

"She still not speakin'?" Tweak murmured, glaring aside at the figure as she grew distant.

Rainbow Dash shook her head. "Not a word. She's been like this ever since we took off from the Searonese hangar in the first place."

"I don't take kindly to metal mares struttin' around my land," Tweak muttered. "Doesn't matter how helpful she's been."

"It hasn't exactly been easy for her," Rainbow Dash said.

"And how do you reckon you know that?"

She frowned. "What if you were the one who butted heads with your entire culture, murdered your civilization's leader, and then helped a bunch of enemies escape your home?"

"Doesn't change the fact that she walked the walk and talked the talk along with them murderous bucketheads for years."

"Tweak, she did help us go back and save all the ponies Rainbow had freed from the Searonese death arena," Crimson said. "If she was truly as evil as you say, then wouldn't she have dropped the act by now?"

"You're one to talk!" Tweak exclaimed. "Ain't she the mare who strung up you and your soldiers when you were hiding out in Foxtongue?!"

"Foxtaur." Crimson sighed. "And if there's anything I've learned from my long years of being a mercenary, it's that any soul can change." He clenched his jaw straight. "Any soul."

"Besides, she's always had a mouth on her," Rainbow Dash said. "For the last few hours, as we made these trips to get the ponies, she's been dead silent."

"And you can totally gauge her personality?" Tweak asked. "How long have you known her, anyways?"

Rainbow Dash opened her mouth, but hesitated. Staring down at the ground, she muttered, "Look, I don't know exactly why she's done the things that she's done, but I do know this: days ago, she tried to take me down—like—for a bounty. I whooped her butt... and then I even saved her life. I'm getting the feeling that something like that has never happened for Roarke before. And, not only that, but she was waiting to see that kindness could come from the most badflank places that this world had to offer."

"That's awful deep-like, coming from a pony who solves things by smashing into them."

Rainbow frowned. "Okay, y'know what?! Yeah, I've bashed in the heads of a lot of things in my day. But that doesn't mean I have to like it!"

"Uhhh, I'm pretty sure that you do—"

"HALF the time!" Rainbow's voice cracked. She calmed down a bit and spoke in a softer voice. "There was a day and age—y'know—when that just wouldn't fly. And it was okay, 'cuz nopony needed it. I lived someplace where the only thing that mattered was friendship, and violence was totally not the answer." She gulped hard, then said, "I've flown quite a long distance from there, and during that time I've run into a lot of problems and ugly stuff that could only be dealt with the hard way, the brutal way. And you know what I discovered on the other side of all of it? That friendship STILL was the most important thing. I just had to... I dunno... shove all the ugly bits out of the way to earn it again."

Silence reigned while Rainbow Dash kicked at a loose gemstone or two across the dusty earth.

"I think... I-I hope that it's the same thing with Roarke. I think she knows what's precious in this world. I think she's always known; she just hasn't had something or someone to show her the light until now. Honestly, if I had my way, I'd spread the awesomeness to everypony. I just... well... I-I just don't have the time." She gulped. "And I've still got some friends of my own to find." She looked fixedly at the two crystal brothers. "Isn't that what it always comes down to? Finding those you care about? Even if you have to discover them?"

"Maybe for you... and maybe for me and my brother here..." Tweak's eyes narrowed. "But for Roarke?"

Rainbow Dash had nothing left to say at that.

Lucky suddenly spoke up. "How're you holding up, Ms. Dash?"

"Hmm? Oh..." Rainbow Dash smiled and shrugged. "Y'know. Couldn't be more radical."

"So does the tail match the mane?"

"Lucky..." Tweak grumbled.

"For real! Lookit..." Lucky pointed at Rainbow's posterior where a short length of prismatic hair was now dangling. "I swear, that thing was half the length just twelve hours ago!"

"He does have a point, Ms. Dash," Crimson said. "Do all pegasi grow hair back magically?"

"Uhhh... no." Rainbow Dash glanced behind her. "Usually all we're good for is growing a spine when manure hits the fan."

"Could it... uh... be related to your pendant and—"

"Come to think of it, I believe it's because of the stuff that's wrapped around my wing."

"Oh?"

"Right. Whatsitcalled—the 'sapphiric string?'" Suddenly, Rainbow's ruby eyes shrank to pinpricks. She gulped. "By the way, that reminds me." She tilted about and glanced at Tweak. "Uh... would you happen to know where... uhhh... where I might find—?"

"Way ahead of ya." Tweak motioned towards the nearby barn. "In there. You can't miss her."

"So, she... woke up?"

"Was settin' up triage last time I checked. Makin' herself more than useful."

Rainbow gulped. "Got it." She swiveled about and trotted solidly towards the barn. "Which means she can totally chew my ears off..."