//------------------------------// // Blue Nova Con // Story: Innavedr // by Imploding Colon //------------------------------// “Are we having fun yet?” Tweak growled. The manaship buckled from bursts of flak going off on either side of its hull. Roarke twisted left at the controls, banking the ship sharply northwest as it approached the outer walls of Blue Nova. No less than thirty managliders were pursuing the glistening aircraft, several of them firing random bursts of mana-propelled explosives. “This isn't even the thick of it!” Roarke hissed through clenched teeth. The ship rattled again as one explosive after another went off in close proximity. “They'll likely bring more vessels from other ends of the maretropolis to contend with us!” “Maybe if we take them off into the mountains—?!” Crimson began. “No!” Roarke shouted, yanking the controls right as she barreled straight for the city now. “They'll blow us to bits before we even reach there! Our best bet is to fly right into Blue Nova!” “You're joking, right?” Tweak remarked. “Hardly,” Roarke said, sweat dripping out from beneath her helmet. “They'll be less inclined to launch a barrage of weapons at us while we're flying alongside Ledomaritan buildingsides!” “It's going to take some expert flying to keep us from becoming sidewalk stroganoff!” Tweak said. “If you had your doubts, you shouldn't have hopped on board to begin with!” Imre interjected, “She knows what she's doing. This manaship can last against all of those gliders for a long time!” Tweak squinted as he said, “You say that as if she's been chased by thirty-plus interceptors on a given afternoon before.” “It's bizarre what kind of crazy things a Searonese pony can do before breakfast,” Imre droned. “I should know. I've had to surgically remove many of those breakfasts.” “Any sign of Pilate?!” Rainbow Dash shouted. “We should be closer to him now!” “Nopony asked me to shake off an entire armada and perform a local scan at the same time!” Roarke growled. For the briefest of seconds, she flung her left hoof out and slapped a console to life. “There! Take a look for yourself, bright eyes!” Rainbow Dash leaned in, a difficult task with how much the ship was veering left and right. “He's still down there in those cruddy underground chambers. Ungh! If only there was some way of getting to him!” “This ship's shaped kind of like a drill!” Tweak exclaimed. “Who's for a nosedive?” “Not... Funny...” Roarked hissed as she twisted the ship to avoid a hurtling missile. Rainbow and the others veered with the movement. As the ship evened out, she spotted something on the map of raised pins and gasped. “Whoah! What's that thing?!” “What thing?!” Imre exclaimed, shivering amidst the bedlam. “That thing right there...” Rainbow pointed at the effigy of the city's southern wall, or more specifically a ridge of sunken landscape looming beneath it. “See how it's poking out into the ravine?” Crimson leaned beside her, squinting. “It almost looks like a drainage pipe of some sorts.” “For a sewer, right?” Rainbow Dash gawked at the others. “Am I right?!” “I don't think that's too much of a stretch,” Crimson said. “Does it lead to the signal of Pilate's manasphere?” Rainbow Dash reached in and rotated alternate valves, making the map slide, zoom in, and focus on the pulsating signal in question. “It totally does! Ha HA!” She grinned from ear to ear. “That's it! That's a way to get to Pilate!” “Mind speaking your thoughts out loud so that the rest of us can hear 'em?” Tweak remarked. “Especially the ponies keeping us barely alive,” Roarke said with a wincing expression beneath her helmet. Two explosives rang on the sides of the hull and she threaded the swift manaship through the burning clouds. “We split up like we plan to,” Rainbow Dash said. “Only, instead of combing the city, we go into the sewers! I can carry only two ponies without losing my flight speed. So, who's with me?” “Uhhhhh—” Imre began. “Good! You're perfect for the job!” Rainbow Dash yanked her closer. Imre flinched. “Huh?!” “There's no telling if Pilate may be injured or some crap!” Rainbow's voice cracked. “We'll need your expertise. Plus, you and I have a history of walking through dank corridors!” “Er...” “Odds are we aren't the only ones who have picked up on Pilate's manasphere!” Crimson shouted over the sound of the screaming gliders outside. “There's likely going to be plenty of resistance down there!” “You mean a ton of heads to shoot?!” Tweak cocked his silver gun and smirked. “Sign me up!” “Are you volunteering?” Rainbow Dash asked. “Damn straight. Let's fetch ourselves a zebra already.” “Woohoo!” Rainbow Dash fished her metal-laced hooves along the walls. “Lemme just grab some sound stones so we can all yell at each other some more! Only this time from long distance!” “Uhm... er...” Imre shifted nervously. “Yes?” Imre sighed and shook her head. “Never mind. Nopony lives forever.” “Just stick by my side, girl!” Rainbow Dash said with a devilish smirk as she tossed everypony an enchanted white shard. “You'll live so long, your horn will grow through the stratosphere by the time you retire!” “I wouldn't mind living a little longer myself,” Roarke bitterly spat while flailing a hoof behind her. “Whoever's staying behind! Get your flank on the gun turret!” “I suppose that's me,” Crimson said, rushing to the station in question. With a mechanical whirr, a rotating framework of metal instruments lowered from the ceiling. He stood up on his hindquarters and braced his upper limbs against the controls. “Tweak, you keep those ladies safe, you understand?” “What, did I turn into a scrub on you overnight, boy?!” “Scrub or deadeye, he's simply going to be helping me as I do all the flank-kicking!” Rainbow Dash shouted, approaching the manaship's door panel. “Hopefully this won't take forever. I'll try and find us a place for you dudes to swoop down and pick us up!” “First thing's first!” Roarke shouted back. “We need cover fire or else the managliders will see every single move we make!” “Copy that,” Crimson said with a nod. His face lit up from the targeting panel lighting up in front of him. “I'll see how many of them I can shake out of line of sight!” “For what purpose?” Imre asked. “We can't have them seeing us dropping you three off!” Roarke exclaimed. “This is what you get for all those damned days stuck inside the infirmary!” “Well, excuse me for living.” Imre glanced lethargically at the others. “Still, they're gonna know something's fishy as long as we're opening the manaship's door.” “That's why we gotta do something super crazy to distract them!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed. “Way ahead of you!” Roarked yanked back at the controls. The entire ship throttled upwards, soaring towards the sky. Tweak had to grip onto a bulkhead to keep from flying towards the rear of the cabin. “What in the perfumed Hell are you doin' now, lady?!” “Are they still on our six?!” Roarke managed in the middle of the violent ascent. Crimson nodded from where he minded the turret. “Yes! At least half of them are climbing to match our altitude!” “Begin firing at them!” Roarke shouted. “I don't care if you land hits or not. I'm gonna pull us back down, and once we skim the ground's surface, that's when you jump out and do your stuff!” “Right!” Rainbow Dash nodded viciously, unfazed by the veering motions of the ship. “I'd wish you luck, but I'm pretty sure you'd just chew it up and spit out bullets.” “And you'd just prove to us both that you have a goldfish memory.” Roarke flung the controls in the opposite direction. Every weighted thing inside the ship shifted as she performed a massive dive. “I'm not hearing any manablasts...!” “On it!” Crimson gritted his teeth as he twisted the handle of his instruments over and over again. The ship shook with each massive blast being launched behind them. The pursuing manaships parted ways, veering off a bit from pursuit. “We're almost at sea level...” Roarke shouted over the noise and inertia. “Three hundred meters... two hundred and fifty...” “Maybe now is a bad time to mention that I have a certain phobia concerning sewers,” Imre whimpered. “I'll give you my bucket to throw up in later!” Rainbow Dash scooped the mare and Tweak under separate forelimbs. “Roarke...?” “One hundred meters... fifty...” Roarke tossed her a look. “Now!” Rainbow Dash kicked at a panel. The door flew open, causing hurricane winds to billow into the tight cabin. “Whew!” Tweak shouted above the tumult. “Okay, this is a little bit crazy!” “I know, right?!” Rainbow Dash plunged the three of them out. “Hope you can stomach 'fearless' too!” Imre shrieked. Tweak hollered. All the while, Rainbow Dash spun, glided, and fired her suit's thrusters. The three ponies skirted north along the ravine, avoiding line of sight with the sky as much as possible. As they approached the drainage pipe along the south end of the city walls, Roarke's manaship roared back towards the clouds. Dozens of managliders screamed after it in angry pursuit. Most of them, at least... Towards the southeast, one glider in particular was decelerating, stealthily breaking out of formation. From their seats in the open vessel, Josho and Eagle Eye gawked at the climbing manaship from afar. “Now that's something ya don't see everyday,” Josho droned. “What business does a metal mare have causing such a ruckus in Blue Nova?” “That's...” Eagle Eye murmured breathily. “That's a Searonese ship...” “Congratulations, Captain Obvious. You're moving on up in the fruit aisle.” Josho scanned the nearby skies as he courageously veered the ship eastward. “I don't think anypony has noticed us breaking formation. If I find a place beyond the walls of this town, I just may be able to park us and—” “Wait!” Eagle Eye stood up and pointed at the distant glow of the manaship. “I know that vessel!” “Kid, how on earth could you—” “It's her ship! Hers!” Eagle Eye's violet eyes quivered. “Roarke...” “Who?” “Roarke!” “What's a 'roarke?' I suck at chess...” “She was the metal mare who attacked me, Crimson, and the rest in Foxtaur! Rainbow Dash gave her a beating she wouldn't forget! How could she be here all of the sudden?!” “Listen—It's a Searonese ship. They all look the same.” “I'm telling you, I've seen it before! More than once!” “More than once?” “I could have sworn...” Eagle Eye tapped his chin in thought. “After you and I teleported across the Sapphire Ravine, I saw it. Or at least I heard it. Almost as if... if...” He scanned the immediate landscape. As the screams of managlider engines grew distant, he caught sight of something immediately north of them. “Whoah! What's that?” “Huh?” Josho tried to follow his line of sight. “Kid, I ain't seein' nothin'.” “That's because I happen to be living up to my namesake!” Eagle Eye pointed. “When the manaship took that last dive just now, I think it deposited something!” “Why do you say that?” “Because I'm seeing three figures flying towards the walls of the city. Is... is that a tunnel?” “Er...” “Quick! Fly us closer!” “Look, I pulled every trick out of my book to get us out of formation without being seen—” “Just for a bit! Come on! Please?!” Josho sighed, then throttled the aircraft ahead. They approached what looked to be a large drainage pipe from a distance. At this point, even Josho could see three figures settling down. One by one, they filed through the thickly spaced bars of the sewage-spewing tube. The last figure to trot through was suited in metal, and there was a brief flash of color as her head caught a glint of sunlight. “By the Spark...” Eagle Eye gasped, but then his gaping expression turned into that of pure joy. “It's her! It totally is!” “No friggin' way...” “Rainbow Dash!” Eagle squee'd, then shook Josho's broad shoulders from behind. “Rainbow! Rainbow! Rainbow!” “Gah!” Josho shook the petite unicorn off. “Cut it off with the nightmare fuel! Are you seriously expecting me to believe that we've somehow run into the pegasus that all of Ledomare is bent out of shape about?!” “She's as resourceful as she is awesome!” Eagle exclaimed. “No doubt she found out about Pilate and Belle just like we did, and it brought her here!” “Who were those other ponies with her, then?” “I dunno, but we're going to find out.” “What do you mean we're going to find out?” Eagle Eye flipped a compartment open and rummaged through the materials within. “Don't you see, ya big sack of beer battered potatoes?! This is our chance! If we cross the bridge and shake hooves with Rainbow Dash, then we'll find the others in a snap! I just know it!” “Uh uh. This is way too much of a friggin' gamble, kid.” “This coming from the stallion who just threw his career in the trash to smuggle me off the Steel Wing!” Eagle Eye finally produced a pair of tasers along with a leather strap. He fitted them to his upper body, holstering the weapons as he gazed aside at the obese unicorn. “What's the matter, Josho? You run out of steam?” “I barely had any to spurt to begin with,” Josho grumbled, then pointed a vicious hoof. “And don't even kid about that.” Eagle Eye giggled. “What's to kid? You've done so much for me and... and...” He blinked, his eyes sparkling slightly. “This is it, isn't it?” He gulped. “You gotta go on your own path, huh?” Josho sighed, gazing up at the sky beyond the distant blasts of an accelerating airbattle. “I've risked my neck enough times for stuff I don't believe in.” “Funny, I thought you just ran out of stuff you thought you did believe in.” “The only true thing about that statement is that I'm 'running out.'” Josho's features went slack as he leaned against the managlider's controls. “I'm glad you're catching up to your friends, kid. But they're your friends, not mine. I gotta find myself a new place to get drunk and doze off, and this sure as heck ain't it. I've had all I could take of craziness.” Eagle Eye smiled, sniffling slightly. “I wish I could... c-could somehow repay you for everything. I seriously mean that.” “Ugh... Here...” Josho lowered the managlider at the base of the ravine, south of the drain pipe. “Lemme let you off before you get a chance to.” “Heeheehee... I mean it, Josho.” Eagle Eye placed a hoof on his shoulder. “In another place, in another time, I would love to have been able to call you—” Josho shook an angry hoof at him. “The very second you propose to me, you'll lose your teeth.” Eagle Eye blinked. “I was gonna say 'my dad...'” The stallion blinked, all the menace draining out of his face as his eyes drifted limply along the craggy landscape. He shook out of it as soon as the managlider collided gracelessly against the ground. “Whoops! Heheh...” Eagle Eye winked. “Better work on that.” “Yeah... I got... a lot of kinks to iron out.” “You're more resourceful than you give yourself credit,” Eagle Eye said. “I know you'll do just fine.” He fidgeted for a second or two, then leaned in, giving the stallion a soft nuzzle. “Take care of yourself. Don't die or something stupid like that.” “Yeah... uh... you too...” Josho said, not flinching in the least. He did a double-take, realizing suddenly that he was alone. He turned his head to see Eagle Eye galloping up the incline towards the sewage drain, his dual tasers in tow. After a long breath, Josho brought a hoof up to his cheek, feeling the trailing warmth. When he elevated the managlider, it was a relatively limp gesture, climbing slowly as he gazed towards the ensuing airbattle over the spires of Blue Nova. His face took a while to harden back into a surly frown. “Hmpph... They're all gonna end up in ashes.” He pulled aside at the controls and veered the vessel along a southerly course. “Don't know what adventurers see in such a stupid lifestyle. I'm out.” As Josho's managlider flew far away from the scene, Roarke's manaship was a great deal less lucky. With screaming thrusters, the metal mare's ship swam tight corners around buildings, dipping over and under floating skyscrapers and ripping through banners advertising Nightshade Industries. As blasts flew back and forth between the bounty hunter's aircraft and its pursuers, citizens in the streets below ran in a panic. Beloveds clung to each other as bits of debris rained down from above. Ledomaritan enforcers forced the crowds to disperse, helping them as they galloped for cover. In one particular courtyard, flanked by stallions firing manarifles up at the darting ship, a uniformed pony knelt and shouted into a soundstone. “Prime Enforcer Shell! Do you copy?! It's utter pandemonium up here! A Searonese vessel has arrived out of nowhere and it's wreaking havoc on the skyline! Our pursuing forces aren't slowing it down any! Should I send an order to Evans' eastern blockade or what?!”