//------------------------------//
// Enter the Roarke Hole 
// Story: Odrsjot 
// by Imploding Colon 
//------------------------------//

	Roarke's copper lenses extended to their full length, magnifying the metal cannon in front of her.  She peered right at the barrel of the miniature weapon, tilting her face as close to the instrument as she could.  A bead of sweat rolled down her brown forehead as she reached towards a nearby table, grabbed a screwderiver, then planted it between her teeth.  She tilted her head at such an angle so as to tweak a bolt or two holding the cylindrical metal frame apart.

Once she was done, she spat the screwdriver back onto the table, hoisted the cannon up, and pivoted it around to face the broad lower space of the Noble Jury's hangar.  A pyramid of empty soup cans sat—stacked atop a metal crate towards the closed rear doors of the vessel.  Propping the cannon against a pile of cargo, Roarke shoved a large metal ball bearing down into the throat of the weapon, stuffed it in tight with a rod, and ran her hoof towards the crystalline triggering mechanism.  Taking a deep breath, she pistoned her left lens back and her right one out, "squinting" down the sight of the cannon.

She fired.

Phtooom!

The ball bearing flew violently... and overflew the soup cans.

Roarke hissed, wincing.

Clank!—Clank!—Clank!—Clank!  The projectile pinballed all around the interior of the Jury's hangar, knocking crates over and showering sparks everywhere.

Rainbow Dash opened the door to the stairwell and emerged along the hangar's upper level.  Crackkk!  The red-hot projectile embedded into the doorframe just inches above her head.  After two seconds, as the pegasus' prismatic mane was still settling, she calmly peaked over the edge of the upper floor's railing and said, "You know, you could have tried that waaaaaaaay back at Searo's Hold and have saved yourself the trouble."

Roarke's nostrils flared.  She stared down at the metal bulkheads and grumbled, "I'd be lying if I said that the thought didn't tempt me at the time."

"Yeah, well, I'd be lying if I said that I thought you'd be lying about being tempted at the—"  Thud!  The ball landed to the floor behind Rainbow.  She jumped, looked at it, and then glanced back over the railing.  "—time."  She cleared her throat.  "What's with the potato launcher?  I thought you were trying to rebuild your arsenal."

"Mmmmmf..."  Roarke tossed the cannon into a pile of metal garbage.  "I was.  Thanks," she spat.

"Y'know..."  With an air-whistling swoosh, Rainbow Dash glided down and stood besides Roarke on the bottom level.  "Props says that Collins and the ponies of Archer Point have a bunch of scrap metal lying around doing nothing.  Maybe you could use that to... I dunno... weld yourself a new stick to put up your butt."  She smiled.

"I've been woefully teethless ever since I risked neck and spine to keep you and your friends alive in that damn floating mountain," Roarke grumbled.  She slumped down in front of a work bench and fussled with a bunch of metal wires, attempting to sew together a bandolier of frag grenades.  "I don't appreciate you making light of it."

"And you know that the rest of the Jury and I appreciate all of the sweat and blood you put into—well—giving us all more time to sweat and bleed."  Rainbow Dash smiled nervously.  "Would it hurt you to pretend that the whole debacle with Seclorum, Lasairfion and Nevlamas was a victory?  Because... y'know... it kind of sort of was."

"Was it really?"  Roarke's lenses pistoned inward as she glared over her shoulder.  "Thousands of your friends' precious breeders died, and then there was the revelation of the creatures in disguise."

"Yeah, well..."  Rainbow Dash shrugged.  "An old friend of mine used to have this really wicked cool saying.  Ahem..."  She smiled rosily.  "'Don't sweat the small stuff, sugarcube.  It may be two trots back, but that's all the reason to make four trots forward.'"

"Sounds like you had a really lame friend," Roarke grunted.

Rainbow bit her lip.  Hard.  After a few seconds, she breathed, "No, she was really..."  A sigh.  "Really special."  She glanced over with soft ruby eyes.  "And so are you."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah."  Rainbow's teeth showed.  "Because I totally just did not kick your skull in for saying that about my other special friend."

Roarke slowly, calmly turned to stare at Rainbow.

Rainbow's brow stopped furrowing.  "How come you only ever seem interested in what I have to say when it's laced with a veiled threat?"

Roarke sighed, then turned back to her wires and tools.  "Did you come here to guilt-trip me into seeing some sunlight?"

"Actualllllly... it's night now."

"Super," Roarke droned.  "Time to fraternize with your moon queen again?"

"Erm.  No.  It's not... wait."  Rainbow stared at the bulkheads, eyes crooked.  She shook her muzzle.  "Ahem.  No.  That's not for a good few weeks, at least."

"Then what's the big deal?"

"You're a valuable member of this team, Roarke.  And though a major battle may be over, we're not through the woods yet.  We'd like you to get off the bench for once and help us with the rest of the game plan."

"You're pathetic when you resort to analogies."

"Well, fine then!  I'll give it to you straight!"  Rainbow reached in and rudely brushed the tools out from under Roarke's touch.  She frowned.  "Get your stinkin' flank out of this hangar before I kick it out."

Roarke fumed, but calmed herself in time to drone, "What for?"

"The Jury is having a little talk."

"I've already told everypony," Roarke grumbled.  "I'm not in the mood to talk to happy-go-lucky tradesponies."

"Actually... this meeting isn't being held in town," Rainbow said, fidgeting.  "It's being held on the top deck."