The Noble Jury's rear hangar was a two-story chamber, easily tall enough to fit over fifteen ponies stacked on top of one another. The space was wide enough to fit a miniature Ledomaritan managlider, or at least Rainbow Dash could easily imagine this. There was presently so much empty space within the cargo hold that it was almost frightening. The chamber was virtually empty, with most of the junk having been deposited at Aurum when the current crew split with their former companions three weeks previous.
Rainbow Dash had entered through one of the air-tight doors along the top level of the stairwell. A "U"-shaped platformed hugged the port and starboard sides of the cargo hold. Leaning against a railing, Rainbow looked down onto the spacious bottom floor of the hangar. She scanned the bulkheads, but found no sign of an inconspicuous bounty hunter. All she could see was the slitted metal door pressed tightly against the stern of the vessel, from the ceiling to the bottom lip where a retracted ramp rattled with the gentle sways of the ship.
"Hmmmph..." Rainbow Dash leaned back with a flick of her tail. "Maybe she skulked herself into oblivion."
"Don't sound so hopeful..."
Rainbow Dash looked up.
Roarke's body swung upside down, her exposed brown coat glistening with sweat between the hydraulic plugs situated across her back and limbs.
With a jolt, Rainbow gawked at the mare. Roarke hung from the ceiling where her lower limbs had wrapped around an aluminum rafter. Taking deep breaths, the Searonese athlete performed nimble athletic curl-ups, her mane's ringlets rattling with each head toss.
"Well... uh..." Rainbow Dash stirred where she stood on the upper platform. "That's a neat trick."
"There's no trickery when one's getting exercise," Roarke droned.
"So that's what you've been doing all this time?"
"I'm not all metal, you know," Roarke muttered between tight breaths as she curled and curled and curled her body. "There are parts of me that will waste away with neglect. There once was a time when synching myself up with a more powerful energy source would do the job for me. However, seeing as my ship is now a burning chunk of wasted metal lying east of a major maretropolis..."
"Eheh... yeah, well..." Rainbow Dash cleared her throat and said, "You can only ride on that ticket so long."
Roarke paused and dangled sweatily. "Excuse me?"
"Yes, I know that your ship got busted up. And I'm sorry. I've said 'I'm sorry' Celestia knows how many times." Rainbow pointed. "But you gotta remember, you're on a new ship now. There's still plenty of ways to get exercise... and to get exercise in the process."
"Do tell..."
"Like, you could have been playing wing-pony to my friends while I was gone." Rainbow shrugged. "If I had my way, I would have escorted them through these skies. But, as you know, I got the case of the dizzy-dizzies and I couldn't lend my awesomeness nearly as much as I wanted to!"
"'Dizzy-dizzies?'" Roarke's upside down brow furrowed above (or below) her lenses. "Is that what you're calling your sickness now?"
"Look, it doesn't matter anymore!" Rainbow Dash grunted. "The fact of the matter is, Props slapped some fancy cage over the glowing book and now it's not making me all barfy whenever I'm around it! How else do you think I'd be standing here, talking to you?" She paused, then frowned. "And it's not a 'sickness,' okay? It's... it's just part of who and what I am..."
"And it's part of who and what I am that I haven't played 'wingpony' to your buddies here," Roarke said. Kicking off the rafter, she flipped and landed nimbly on the bottom floor below. "Every time I fly, I use up a chunk of my manacore. And that isn't exactly refillable at the moment. So, take the stick out before you start preaching to me."
"Hey, I'm not trying to pull a guilt trip or nothing!" Rainbow Dash flew down to her.
"Well, you're doing a pretty good job at it," Roarke muttered. "Something you picked up from Equestriaville?"
"No and no." Rainbow frowned. "Look, I really don't see why you have to be hanging out in this place all alone!"
"It gives me lots of room for exercise."
"And what about fresh air?" Rainbow pointed beyond the bulkheads. "You ever think of that?"
"If I still had the same lungs I did when I was born, then maybe that would matter," Roarke muttered. "Look, unless you have a new ship or a bounty for me, I'm afraid I'm about as useful to you ponies as a fifth leg."
"Unnngh..." Rainbow Dash ran a hoof over her face. "Roarke, we've had this talk. What did we say about you and bounties?"
"I know what you said."
"And...?"
"You've yet to prove that you can pay me more than any potential customer out there."
"Can you just forget about money and mana and all the junk in between for one measly second?!" Rainbow Dash groaned. "Remember Ledomare? Remember the bad guys? Remember how they want us dead? Remember how we took this radical airship on a nonstop course east so that we could stay not dead?"
"I seriously doubt it will be nonstop," Roarke said. "The crew needs food. The ship needs supplies. I need mana..."
"And we can get you all of those things! I promise you!" Rainbow Dash smiled wide. "I'm here now! I'm not gonna be held back by the dizz—er... I'm not going to be fainting all the time..."
Roarke wandered over to where her armor lay in pieces. "A likely story..."
"I mean it! I'm gonna get you the stuff that you need!" Rainbow trotted closer to her. "And the more we work together to make sure that everypony gets the stuff they need, then the less stops we have to make in the long term! We'll be out of the Ledomaritans' and Xonans' manes for good! From then on, it's freedom-bound!"
"Sounds like a long, arduous, and thoroughly dull sojourn," Roarke muttered while attaching legpieces with hydraulic hisses.
"But just think about it..." Rainbow leaned in. "It's the smart path to take. I mean... what other choice do you have?"
"Exactly..." Roarke's nostrils flared as she fidgeted with her helmet piece. "Which is the precise reason I'm here in any capacity whatsoever."
Rainbow teetered back, her ears drooping in defeat.
"I'm not here to make friends, Rainbow Dash," Roarke muttered. "You and all of your fellow companions have had their turns at being a prisoner. Right now, I fear, it is my turn. Be thankful that I am not like other Searonese, or else I would be unleashing my frustration on those who don't deserve it. Thankfully, I'm better than that."
"Then prove it," Rainbow Dash said in a dull tone. "Don't do this to yourself. Don't be a no-show. Offer more than your mind or your metal to these ponies and things will be more awesome!"
"Seriously..." Roarke gazed dully at her. "I really wish I would know what you want from me at times."
Rainbow gave a fragile smile. "I would like you to be happy." She gulped. "It's... it's not something I'm able to give Imre."
Roarke was silent. Stillness permeated the hangar.
Just then, a sound stone lit up along an intercom console. "Hey, everypony. Guess what!" Ebon's voice tried to be as chipper as possible. "Daffodil alfredo! Come get it while it's hot! Because without spices and appetizers, that's about all I can guarantee you all! Hot! Serving in the mess hall in five."
Rainbow cleared her throat and pointed towards the intercom. "I'm gonna join everypony in the mess hall. I've been looking forward to my first meal inside the Noble Jury with you guys."
"Have fun," Roarke muttered.
"I want you to come with."
"Have a prayer."
"Roarke, come onnnnn..." Rainbow sighed. "I mean it."
"It's pointless," the metal mare muttered. "It wouldn't even benefit me. Daffodils do nothing for my manacore."
"So what?" Rainbow Dash flew into a hover, her pendant reflecting a devilish smirk. "It's not all about munching stuff down our muzzle, y'know!"
Roarke's lenses pistoned in. "What?"
"It's about talking! Socializing! Sharing stories and all that junk!"
"You're not exactly selling me..."
"You could maybe start a food fight with Josho!"
"..." Roarke twitched. "I'll think about it..."