//------------------------------// // A Belle In Smith's Clothing // Story: Urohringr // by Imploding Colon //------------------------------// Bellesmith galloped, breathless, over the rainslick edge of the building's curved balcony. Looking down, she could see decayed bodies swishing through the sky in the reflective rain puddles. She slipped once, yelping, scampering to avoid a violent plunge off the edge of the structure. Gathering speed once more, she sprinted along, the weight of Elma flouncing on her back. The changeling whimpered, looking up with fuming eyes. "So... s-so hungry..." Elma stammered. "I... I-I can taste their misery." Her green eyes twitched in the wet wind. "No life... and yet so much suffering..." "Don't savor it, Elma!" Belle sputtered in mid-run. "No wonder... M-Mother brought her brood here..." "You're not going to feast on pain ever again!" Belle exclaimed. "That's not the way for you to live! Do you hear me?! You have to—" Gunshots. Belle skidded to a stop, splashing water across the nearest row of columns. She stood still, panting. She sensed movement up ahead, along the curved balcony. Shouting voices, stomping hooves, and shotgun blasts acted as violent percussion to a symphony of animalistic banshee cries. "That's... that's Josho's gun," Belle murmured. "I'd recognize it anywhere." She blinked, her jaw dropping. Within view, several ponies appeared—all of them galloping Belle's way. The panicked group constantly turned and glanced behind them, many of the equines holding position as they fired crossbolts into an incoming swarm of winged beasts. Aside from a fleeting glimpse of an obese stallion and a blonde mare, the group consisted entirely of strangers. Among the lot, Bellesmith saw tattooed coats, and she gasped. "Xonans... and Ledomaritans?" Belle stepped backwards, shivering. "How... h-how long have they been here?" She froze in place. Glancing aside, she looked worriedly at a scrap of zeppelin wreckage, then back at the group. She gasped, then clenched her teeth. "Elma..." The changeling stirred on her back. "Elma!" "Mmmf... Belle...?" "You must change! Take on a form! Don't let them see you as a changeling!" "But... but th-they'll just—" "No arguing!" Belle hissed. "Do it now!" There was a flash of green light. Belle looked over her shoulder and did a double-take at the stripes. "No! Not my beloved! They've seen Pilate take a plunge!" "But... I-I don't know what else—" "Eagle Eye!" Belle exclaimed. "Change to Eagle Eye!" "H-how?" "You know how! Think about him! Dwell on your memories of him! And if you can't, then dwell on my memories of him!" Elma blinked. She shuddered, and soon a rain-slick mat of purple hair drooped around her velverty lavender coat. "Nnnngh..." she exhaled in Eagle Eye's breath, draped limply around Belle's shoulders. Biting her lip, Belle marched bravely forward. The group came within range so that their errant shouts took on coherent meaning: "We're almost there! This is where we exited! It'll take us back to the hold, everypony!" "Keep switching! Reload your crossbows and fire!" "Th-there's too many! And I'm almost out of—" "That's fine! Josho's got us covered with his ammo! Isn't that right?!" "Dammit, Secchy! Don't distract me when I'm killing!" "Hraa'junna faleel sulien thren'nar meen!" "I swear! They've quadrupled since we began running!" "Don't stop now! We're almost—" Seclorum turned, spotted Belle, and nearly pratfalled onto his face. "Ledo's stones!" He fumbled to unjam his crossbow. "Please!" Belle waved two hooves out, panting into the rainy wind. "Don't shoot! It's me! Bellesmith—" Clakk-Clak! Arcshod loomed above her, aiming a crossbow at her skull. "Grrrrrghh—Fekk'lovlien hraasta ven'mulien threatta, dreit?!" Belle flinched away from him, gritting her teeth. "I'm friends with Rainbow Dash! You've all met her, haven't you?!" "What's holding the friggin' line up?!" Josho howled from the middle of the group. While the rest of the ponies surged on towards the structure's interior, he glanced over their shoulders and blanched. "Bellesmith?!" "Belle?!" Props gasped, hopped, and scampered over. "Belle! It's you! Soot saddles on fire! That's so fancy pants—!" Seclorum's hoof blocked her, holding her in place. "You picked a bad time to try and get the drop on us!" Seclorum's eyes narrowed. "But we have no time for this. Big fella?" Arcshod nodded and aimed his crossbow at the mare's skull. Props gasped and flung a wrench at the Xonan's horn. "What the penguins are you doing?!" Bonk! "Aaaaugh!" Arcshod clutched his skull and hissed. "Ledomulien trentte!" "She's on our side, ya big meanie!" "She's one of the shape-shifters!" Seclorum grumbled. "Can't you see that?!" "Kiiiiiinda dealing with something a little bigger here, Einstallion!" Josho barked in between loud blasts of his shotgun into the attacking swarm. "Please! It's us! It really is!" Bellesmith sputtered. She gestured towards Eagle Eye on her back. "Right before the temples started flying into one another, we rushed here to find what happened to Rainbow, Pilate, and the others! That's when the changelings attacked! Now Eagle's hurt! After rescuing me from death, I gotta make sure he gets somewhere safe!" "Hey!" Aatxe shouted from the inner corridor, waving his hoof dramatically. "Almost everypony's through! What are you standing around for?! Move!" "We absolutely cannot afford to make any exceptions!" Seclorum shouted. "Come on, let's go!" "Please! Take us with you!" Belle shrieked. Breathless, she looked at Props. Props blinked. "Please..." Belle gulped. She then mouthed two words: "For Elma." Props brow furrowed. Her goggled eyes glanced up. She saw a long scar running across the back of Eagle Eye. Her jaw fell slightly. "Guys..." Josho started to pant, backing up and reloading his steaming shotgun while more and more pegasi dove towards them. "It's now or never." Suddenly, Props spun, stomping a hoof into the rain-slick puddles. "If she doesn't come along, then neither do I!" Arcshod did a double-take. "You're shitting me," Seclorum droned. "And if Unky Prowsy doesn't get his niece back, then how can you bet on him lending his sexy blunderbust skills in getting everypony to the Tarkington?!" Seclorum grumbled, "If you think for one second that I'm going to lower my defenses for such a stupid, juvenile threat, then you've got—" Josho rushed in, telekinetically shoving Props, Bellesmith, and Eagle Eye down the corridor in one magical swoop. "Welcome to the club! Now carry Princess Rain-Soaked into safety!" "Okie dokietron!" Props chirped, helping Belle carry the limp stallion. "Josho!" Seclorum howled. "Are you out of your mind?!" "Yes!" Josho blasted his weapon into the hurricane winds as he, Seclorum, and Arcshod backtrotted into the corridor, covering the rear of the group. "Have been since the battle of Blue Nova! And I've been loving every minute of it!" "You're going to be the end of us!" "It's called having friends, Sechhy! You should try it sometime!" Josho fired one last shot, turned, and galloped full-force into the tunnel. "Shoot me later if you don't agree! For now, run!" "Oh, for all that's good and sparkly..." Seclorum rolled his eyes and barked, "Hey! Bighooves! You know what to do!" Arcshod nodded. He holstered his crossbow, stepped back, and charged a solid stream of mana into the walls on either side of him. "Hnnnnghhrghhh... mmnnngh... Nagu'n rath'allam sesukra'kkan melodriel! Nnnngh!" The entrance to the corridor cracked, buckled, and collapsed. A solid mountain of granite fell down, miraculously blocking the shrieking wave of pegasi at the last second. They slammed into it, thrashing and clamoring, leaking all over the rubble with blood, pulp, and purple.