"Sae whit yoo're tryin' tae teel me is 'at thes floatin' magical book is what's powerin' up th' ship?" Prowse exclaimed, pointing a pale hoof.
"Mmmmmm... it's more complicated than that," Props said, trotting proudly around the cage with the floating lavender tome. "The Ledomaritans of Nightshade Industries rebuilt Nancy's inner workings so that the cage with the book would act as a buffer to the skystone engine. Apparently Nightshade understood this magical page-turner a lot. Almost more than Pilate, Bellesmith, and Dashie do. Whatever energy it runs on, it keeps handsome's ship pumping at full capacity!" She then winced, blushing. "Well, normally it'd be pumping at full capacity. I've been hammering away all month to get it back to working order ever since a bunch of meanie weanie cultist sacked the womb."
"The what?"
"The womb! Nancy Jane's womb!" Props pointed towards the walls. "Where we are right now, silly Unky!"
Prowse rubbed his beard, then stared at the mess of steam pipes and bulkheads around him. "It's a micht bit broon fur a lady's foal hole, dornt ye think?"
"Heeheehee! It's a figure of speech, Unky Prowsy! Floydien's full of them, in case you haven't noticed."
"Aye, I have! Second tae th' big jagged horns comin' it ay th' bastard's heed!"
"Hey! Be nice to him!" Props pouted. "He's a nice bastard!"
"Hahah!" Prowse reached over and patted the mare's shoulder. "I bit he is, lassie. if yoo've gart friends wi' heem, 'en he's okay in th' professor's book!"
"But I make friends with everypony!"
"That's wa Ah loch havin' ye fur a niece. Ah dornt need tae make friends. Yoo're aroond tae make friends fur me."
"But what about Elma?"
"Ah only notice 'er coz Ah trip oan 'er half th' time." Prowse gazed at the tome once more. "Sae, ye hink thes hin' has a connection tae yer colorful winged mate?"
Props blinked. "To Dashie? Yes! Totally!" She giggled again, then went silent. "Wait, how'd you know?"
"Thes bludy ship is foo ay aw sorts ay magic an' glitter, an' thes book an' yer flyin' filly friend ur th' magicalest an' glitteriest of em all. Teel me, Propsicle, jist whaur is thes Rainbaw Bricht bosomy character flyin' aff tae in sic' a hurrie?"
"You know, to be honest, I've never quite figured it out!" Props said with a bright-eyed expression. "All I know is that she wants to go to the dark side of the world. I don't understand why; I hear it's super scary there. Also, no sun and moon—and those are the only two connections she has with home."
"Th' puir sod's far awa' frae th' ones she loves, huh?" Prowse scratched his beard. "That's a tad bit strange, dornt ye hink? if Ah hud wings, eh'd fancy myself flyin' to haem an' nae awa' frae it."
"That's the nifty thing about Dashie." Props smiled with a flounce of her blonde mane. "I figure that she takes 'home' wherever she goes."
"Hah! Whit a clever hin' tae say! Nae ferlie Ah shared th' umbilical noose wi' th' stallion fa eventually spawned ye."
"Yeah. About Dad. Is he ever going to thaw anyday soon?"
"Bloody Spark, Ah hope not." Prowse grunted as he paced across the engine room. "Glaikit dobber needs tae learn his lesson abit messin' wi' coolant crystals. Sae, teel me mair abit thes glowin' book hin'."
"Heehee... enough about my ship, let's talk about you!" Props leaned in to nuzzle him. "Tell me more about this Zaba... Zabby... Zabarro—"
Before Props could finish her pronunciations, the ship shook. The mare gasped, bumping into Prowse. Prowse steadied her, blinking. Once more, the ship experienced turbulent, far stronger this time.
"Plow meh sideways!" Prowse stammered. "Ur we grindin' against a ben?"
"Only one way to find out!" Props galloped into the stairwell, motioning Prowse along with her. "Come on!" The two dashed out.
As soon as they galloped out onto the top deck, they had to brace themselves against the ship's railing. Sheets of rain sliced through the air in random bursts, all the while a punishing wind pelted the coats and flesh of those up top.
"Hey!" Rainbow Dash shouted from the cockpit far across the deck. It was so windy that even she refused to linger outside, choosing instead to brace herself within the doorframe to the cramped compartment. "You crazy?! Gallop back downstairs!"
Props hollered against the wind and rain. "But we wanted to know what was happening—"
"Then use the intercom!" Rainbow shouted. "We're approaching the Strip of Flurries!"
"Ackies!" Props gasped as Prowse gripped her protectively. "Already?!"
"It seems to be moving towards us!" Rainbow gestured with her hoof. "Just go downstairs! We'll keep you up to date!"
Prowse and Props nervously complied. In the meantime, Rainbow turned back towards the cockpit to where Floydien, Josho, Elma, and Eagle Eye were standing.
"Please tell me you can get us out of this patch of turbulence," Rainbow asked.
"What the glimmer for?!" Floydien grunted, shooting various sparks from his antlers into the console and controls. "Just so we can face the shake-shake elsewhere?! Color wheel boomer wanted to plow Nancy through the storm, yes yes yes?"
"Of course! But first thing's first! We gotta get to a calm spot so that we can figure out just where the passage of the Strip is so we can fly on through with no problem!"
Eagle Eye raised his hoof, shivering. "I vote for the calm spot!"
"As much as I like to do things the meatheaded way, I'd really like to live through this journey long enough to eat a meal that isn't watered down again," Josho said. "Come on, elkster, park us someplace relaxing."
"Floydien would love to!" The pilot grumbled. "If the boomers would just stop crowding Floydien!"
"S-sorry..." Elma shuffled backwards against one wall of the cockpit. "I forget that some creatures don't like to bump elbows."
Eagle looked at her. "Is Alafreo super crowded?"
"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh-ho-ho-ho..." Elma snapped her reptilian beak. "You have no idea..."
"Cease the spit for one minute-minute!" Floydien grumbled.
The ponies on board braced themselves, holding their breaths as the Noble Jury lifted up, up, and emerged from a layer of clouds. The air above the gray smudge was calm enough for the ship to carry forward at an even glide. Directly out the cockpit windshield, the Jurists saw rolling plateaus of dark black smoke, and most of them oozing slowly towards them. It was morning time, and the sun had risen—but the only hint of this was a pale haze that pierced only the topmost layer of the anvil clouds surrounding them, leaving the rest of the world in a depressing smoke-colored lurch.
"I don't see what you're all getting so worked up about," Elma said in a pleasant tone. "I've flown in and out of the Flurries for years. Sure, it's turbulent and scary, but you've got yourselves a skystone vessel!" She smiled. "You'll manage!"
"Thanks for the vote of confidence, E.B." Rainbow smirked tiredly at the turtle. "But this crew has been through enough to know that you can't ever be too careful."
Right as she said that, a dark shape lifted up out of the clouds and soared past the cockpit window. SWOOOOSH!
"Cat scat!" Floydien gasped, accidentally causing the ship the jerk a little.
"Criminy!" Josho added to the explanation. "Was that a sea serpent?!"
"At this height?!" Eagle questioned.
"A m-meteor?"
Eagle's violet eyes turned thin. "It was flying up."
"You guys hear a strange humming?" Rainbow murmured.
"Don't look now..." Josho pointed out the back of the cockpit. The occupants stared over the rain-slick deck in time to see a glossy black sphere of a hovership come to a floating stop off the Jury's port side. "...but our friends are back."
"Uhhh..." Elma stumbled back, her quivering eyes reflecting the red lights flickering across the front of the round vessel. "Uhmmm..."
"Yeah?" Rainbow glanced down at her. "What is it?"
The turtle gulped and drew her head back into her cell. "Those aren't exactly 'friends.'"