A cold breath vented out of the breathing slits of Roarke's glossy black helmet. Her head leaned back as she groaned towards the array of green countryside vistas rolling just beyond the manaship's bow. The setting sun reduced them all to a uniform red blur.
"Unnngh... Ledomare... Why, oh why, Ledomare...?" She glanced briefly over her shoulder. "Your Confederacy sucks, you know. It's so boring."
"It's not my Confederacy," Crimson said in a growling tone. "If you're so bored, why don't you put it on autopilot? This ship does have autopilot, doesn't it?"
"With two stallions like you within a spit's distance?" Roarke face forward again. "I don't think so..."
"Heh..." Tweak chuckled where he sat across from Crimson atop a supply cart. "I don't care how much you're helping us, Roarke. You're still a paranoid, materialist metal mare beneath all this sudden benevolence."
"And you're still a living, breathing pony," she grunted. "Though that too could change."
"You're welcome to give it a try."
"Please..." Crimson sighed. He leaned over, polishing and examining the metal limb attached to his body. "Let's just try to focus on what matters."
"It'd help if we knew more about where we were headed."
"Imre explained it all to us earlier," Crimson said. "We'll approach Pale Shelf, eliminate the perimeter defense, then touch down so that we can infiltrate the facility on hoof—"
"And what comes after that? Hmmm?" Tweak frowned. "I know I may have shown off a bit inside the Searonese vomit trough that they called a home, but I'm usually not all that good at thinking on the drop of a bit."
"Imre will give us a layout to follow so that we'll know where we're going," Crimson said, smiling. "I'm sure of it."
"Or maybe she'll just lead us into a trap."
Crimson raised an eyebrow. "Do you not trust her?"
"T'ain't that, Crimson. It's just been... so long since she was last there, ya reckon? There may be tons of crap that's changed... things she can't foresee. It's only natural."
"You seem to forget that we have a living rainbow of pure carnage with us," Crimson said with a soft smile. "Not to mention a mare that can shoot missiles from her flank."
"And what are we? Crystal gravel?"
"I'm just saying, you're in a good group... a flank-kicking group. I'm sure whatever obstacle we run across, we'll more than manage well."
"Shucks..." Tweak leaned back, grinning nonchalantly. "You certainly turned optimistic over the past few hours."
Crimson shrugged. "I'm proud to be part of a rescue operation. Besides, Rainbow Dash's enthusiasm is infectious."
"When she ain't liftin' a wall between her and us, ya mean?"
"Huh...?"
"I can read ponies, y'know," Tweak said. "And that Rainbow? She's one-fourth spunk and three-fourths pure mystery."
Crimson's nostrils flared as he nodded. "Yes. I'm aware of this..."
"And yet you choose to hold stock in this?"
"Her actions speak louder than her words..." Crimson smirked. "Assuming she even has words to give."
"And yer a sucker for hard luck martyrs with a heart of gold." Tweak winked. "I got it."
"Heheheh... come on, now," Crimson chuckled. "I have a wife."
"Pffft—I wasn't tryin' to tease ya there, pal..."
"But you're right, I do respect ponies with a lot to prove. Rainbow Dash falls into that category." He paused, taking a deep breath. "So did so many of my fellow soldiers..."
Tweak said nothing.
Crimson's gaze was distant, hazy. He let his eyes fall towards the metal floor of the gliding manaship. "So many good stallions with so many firm dreams. They were ponies of integrity, and they all believed in something... even the ones who made foolish mistakes..." He gulped. "I taught them to fight, to defend, and to perservere. It was never my intent to... to teach them to become martyrs... especially when they had so many families to return home to..."
"The way I hear it, ya would have come back with a hoofful of them," Tweak said. "If it weren't for a snake in the grass."
Crimson exhaled out the side of his mouth as she shrugged. "Zenith's sin was my own. I could have listened to his concerns more... could have shown him how much I cared about his opinions."
"He didn't respect you. That's what ended him." Tweak's eyes narrowed. "Not anythang you ever did or didn't do."
"Your faith in me is charming, Tweak, but—"
"But what? Don'tcha dare say 'foolhardy,'" Tweak said, pointing at him. "I'm on this here mission because I believe in it, just as I believe in you. Now, that's something that I chose to do, because of the stake I hold in honor and all. If something happens to me, ya can't be blamed. But I doubt it'll even come to that. We're just too badflank to let the world continue trotting without us."
"Heh... I'll agree with that last part at least..."
Tweak fidgeted briefly, then leaned forward. "Ya really should think about it, Crimson."
"Think about what?"
"Movin' yer family over to Aurum."
Crimson blinked. "Since when were we talking about this again?"
"Why not?" Tweak said. "You hate Ledomare. I hate Ledomare. Between the two of us, we could probably take on the Queen and her whole army if we wanted to..."
"Heheheh... uhhhh... I don't know about that, Tweak."
"Hmmm... but in all seriousness, this continent is gonna go through changes. The way I see it, Rainbow Dash is... is like a beacon of some sorts. She's a sign of things to come. There ain't no more sitting on our flanks, twiddling our hooves, pretendin' that the Confederacy ain't up to no good, or that the Xonans won't be knockin' on our doors, or that the Searonese will stay down forever. We have to make bastion of our own. We can't be relyin' on the politics and guns of others to do the job of protecting this land for us."
"What are you suggesting...?" Crimson squinted curiously at him. "We form... a nation?."
"I reckon a barn raising or two would be a good start, but we could work on continental domination later."
"Ungh, Tweak..."
"Hear me out!" Tweak gestured. "You and your Blades Guild is a bunch of butt kicking warriors. Once you return home, you round up a whole bunch'o'them, and you ask how many of them would like to brush elbows with crystal kin. Then, together, your families and mine can bridge the gap between Aurum and Freshington!"
"Franzington."
"Whatever. We'll get things started all new and fresh-like is what I'm getting at. There'll be no more slavery, no more abducting stallions, no more experiments on non-ponies. It'll be a free land, cuz it'll be our land, and we'll make sure that safety and happiness is priority number one, ya feel me?"
Crimson sighed. "I think it sounds too good to be true."
"And I think you've been fightin' for so long that you've forgotten what it means to be at peace."
Crimson looked at Tweak.
Tweak smiled back. "Pffft... Heck, boy, it's just a proposal. But, for what it's worth..." He placed a crystal hoof over his heart. "I'd be honored... plum honored to start a new life, a new country, with you. Your family and mine... settin' things straight. Dayum, it'd be plum magical."
Slowly, Crimson smiled. "You know, it doesn't sound half that bad."
"Let's say after we get Rainbow Dash's friends out of the muck that they're in, we reunite with our kin and arrange a long, detailed talk about it, huh?"
"Yes... Yes, I do believe I'd like that," Crimson said. "You're a magnificent stallion, Tweak. I think this could be the start of something spectacular."
"Unnnngh..." Roarke grumbled. "I think I need to vomit." She slapped a few controls, and a yellow light flickered across the cockpit. "I'm puttin' it on autopilot for a while."
Tweak looked up as the bounty hunter trotted away from her seat. "But I thought you didn't trust us around the controls."
"I seriously doubt you want what remains of your hooves chopped off," she muttered under her helmet.
"Yer welcome to try, sassafras."
"Trying will cost you your fetlocks, and what will become of your modeling career?"
Crimson snorted a laugh.
Tweak frowned. "T'ain't nothin' funny about her threatenin' me whatsoever!" He blinked, then gazed closely at the ends of his hooves. "They aren't that pretty, are they?"
"Heheheh... whew... you're asking the wrong Blades Guild member."
In the back of the ship, Roarke collapsed her helmet, exposing her bare face and lensed eyes as she grabbed a canteen hanging from a metal wrack. She took a sip of water before noticing a quivering image in her peripheral. She glanced over. "Heya, Imre."
A beat.
Roarke did a double-take, her lenses pistoning out as she gawked at the sight. "What in Searo's name is her problem?"
"I'm... uhm..." Imre fidgeted from where she sat on folded legs besides a shivering pegasus. "I'm not entirely sure..." Worriedly, she glanced over and tried steadying Rainbow's trembling shoulders.
"What do you mean 'not entirely sure?'" Roarke hung up the cantene and dropped down by the prismatic pony's side. "Are you a skilled doctor or aren't you?"
"I can only judge so much from her obvious symptoms..." Imre frowned. "And she isn't exactly telling me much."
"I'm... I-I'm fine..." Rainbow Dash hissed as her face scrunched up in dizzying pain. She folded her forelimbs in front of her muzzle and clenched her teeth to keep them from rattling. "It... it'll p-pass. It's j-j-just been a while..."
"Been a while?!" Roarke's teeth showed in a menacing snarl. "You mean this sort of crud has happened to you before?"
"Look, I'll b-b-be fine, alright?!" Rainbow Dash paused to hyperventilate, gulped, and spoke again, "Nopony pokes you, asking to kn-know what your real eyecolor is! So lay off!"
"This isn't natural, Rainbow Dash," Imre said in a remarkably soothing voice. "You are obviously experiencing some sort of trauma to your nervous system. If you could just drop the charade and tell us what you're feeling, then perhaps I may be able to—"
"Look, I'm gl-glad that we've dropped the veil in s-so many ways as of late, but th-there's nothing for you to kn-know because there's no c-curing it!"
"How can you say that?"
"Because it's true, okay?!" Rainbow Dash panted, her shivers fading as she started to breathe easier. Her eyes closed beneath a sweaty brow as she said, "I need... you g-girls to keep it together, especially now. My friends need my help. That's the most important thing."
"And what of you?" Roarke asked. "Are you not important?"
With a dry chuckle, Rainbow Dash smiled, reopening her eyes to gaze lazily at the metal mare. "Y'know, at the risk of sounding sappy, you're kind of sweet when you drop the 'angsty bounty hunter' act."
Roarke's brow furrowed. With a frown, she stood up and trotted away. "Pfft. Fine. Shiver to death, for all I care." Her hooves made heavy clops as she trudged back towards the front of the ship.
Imre gazed at her with a bored expression. She turned to look back at Rainbow Dash. "She thinks the world of you, y'know."
"Yeah... Celestia knows why..."
Imre was still, but eventually blurted, "I can think of a reason or two."
"Good. Keep them to yourself,"Rainbow Dash muttered. "I only want to hear ponies' praise when it makes sense."
Imre's lips curved slightly. "You're a strong pegasus, Rainbow Dash."
"Takes one to know one." Gulping, Rainbow Dash looked up at the unicorn. "Y'know, I feel like I've been asking a lot from you as of late."
"Yes. You have."
Rainbow rolled her eyes, but continued. "I need to ask you one more thing..."
"Rainbow, unless you tell me more about this... affliction of yours, I'm not sure I can do much of anything—"
"It's not about that. Nothing can fix that." Rainbow sat up. "Roarke seems to trust you, so if there's anypony who can motivate her once I'm gone, it's you."
Imre's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean 'once you're gone?'"
"Just listen, okay?" Rainbow Dash pointed. "I plan to stick through this whole silly adventure to the end. I just dunno if... uhm... my end will be the same as everypony else's end." She leaned forward with a piercing expression. "If something happens to me, and my friends are still stuck in this goddess-forsaken country, I want you to make sure that Roarke gets them out of Queen Ledo's hairy reach."
Imre blinked. "And what makes you think she'll willingly do that?"
"Jee, I dunno! Tell her to harvest my organs or something! I don't care! It'll be... like... her final contract, then she can go live her life elsewhere, far away from Searonese influence. She can take you with her as well and stuff."
Imre was silent.
"I... I just want to know that my friends are okay," Rainbow Dash said, her voice cracking. "If I go away somewhere... if I fall asleep and don't wake up..." She smiled peacefully into the shadows of the cabin. "Then that'll be okay. It'll all be okay so long as I know my friends aren't suffering anymore. You get me?"
After a few seconds, Imre gazed into Rainbow's eyes and nodded. "I'll see what I can do."