//------------------------------//
// Another Day, Knocking Them Out 
// Story: Urohringr 
// by Imploding Colon 
//------------------------------//

	"So, that's when I said, 'Khao, you can lead a horse to a water, but you can't make her clop!'"

Props paused halfway through her plate of eggs.

Ebon winced from where he sat besides Eagle Eye.

Pilate and Belle sat in dead silence while Kera scarfed her plate up.

"Annnnnd yeah... that's when the Herald officially put me on latrine duty," Zaid finished with a nervous smile.

More dead silence.

Zaid gulped.  "This isn't helping, isn't it?"

"Nope."

"Uh uh."

"No no no."

"All we can think about is Rainbow Dash and Roarke."

"Same here."

"Yes yes yes."

"Pffft.  Yeah, well..."  Zaid shrugged and slumped against the mess hall table.  "It's not like I didn't try."

"Awwwww... and you gave it a good try, Zaidy Waidy!"  Props grinned, lifting him back up by his shoulder.  "But sometimes you just gotta let sleeping mares—"

The Noble Jury shook suddenly with the tell-tale signs of a hovercraft docking within the hangar.

"Nancy shakes!"  Floydien exclaimed.  "The black ball return turns!"

"Squee!"  Props hopped out of her seat, letting go of Zaid.

"Guaah—" THUD!  His chin hit the table first before his body ragdolled onto the floor.  "Ooof!"

"I wanna be the first mare to shake their hooves!"  Props sing-songed, hop-hop-hopping through the kitchen.

"Propsy!  Hold up!"  Ebon galloped after her.  "Don't crowd in on them!"

"Ebonnnnn!"  Eagle's voice cracked as he scampered behind them.  "Don't crowd in on her crowding in on them!  Just hold on!"

"Mmmmmmm..."  Kera licked her plate clean, burped, then pointed at where Props had just sat.  "You think she's gonna finish it?"

"Uhhhhh..."  Belle glanced at Pilate.  The couple stood up in unison.  "Have your fill, darling.  We'll be... r-right back."

"Indeed."  Pilate rested a hoof on Belle's side as the two briskly trotted towards the ship's rear.

"Heeeee!"  Kera zipped towards Props' place and began attacking her scrambled eggs.  "Mmmmm... so scrumptioustastical!"

"Mmmf... gross gross," Floydien stood up and walked the opposite way.

"Guh..."  Zaid stood back up, his dizzy eyes seeing stars.  "Heh-heh."  He grinned crookedly.  'Raindoarke.'  Phweeeeeee."  Thwump!





The hangar had just closed, and the doors to the Lounge sphere were beginning to hiss open at the precise moment that Props and several other Jurists skidded to a stop.

"Woohoo!"  Props bounced up high, pumping a hoof in the air.  "Hail the conquering heroes!"

"Uhhh..."  Ebon blinked curiously.  "Just who is conquering who, exactly?"

"Fine, Ebony.  Heehee..."  Props rolled her blue eyes with a mischievous grin.  "Conkin' heroes."

Ebon blanched.  "You've been hanging around Zaid too much."

"He smells just fine once you get to know his insides."

"Wat."

Eagle Eye rushed up, breathless.  "Come on, guys!  Can't we just give them some space?"

"Funny you should say that!"  Props winked.  "Cuz I bet they soared waaaaay into outer space last night!  Heehee!"

"Unnngh..."  Eagle face-hooved intensely.  "My dear sweet gentle puppy-nuzzling Spark..."

At last, Rainbow Dash stepped out, followed by Roarke.

"Welcome back, ladies!"  Props flung a forelimb around Ebon Mane as she grinned proudly.  "Want Ebony here to cook you up some love grub?  Bet you're hungry after all... that... exercise..."

Rainbow Dash trotted briskly past them.

Props blinked curiously at her.  "Uhhhhhhh..."

Ebon winced, whispering in Props' ear.  "Maybe the honeymoon went south?"

"How come?"  Props whispered back.  "Do Rainbow and Roarke have mountain ice melting in the north?"

"Uhhhh... hi there... Rain...bow?"  Eagle Eye waved weakly as the pegasus marched past him.

She nearly plowed over Pilate and Bellesmith as the two approached the lower door of the stairwell.  They witnessed quietly as Rainbow opened the hatch to the engine room door and made her way through.

"That's... rather odd," Belle said.

"Did Rainbow just walk past us?"

"And how."  Belle nodded.  "If only you could see the look on her face."

"Angry?  Sad?"

"Just... blank."

"Well, this may be a side of Rainbow we don't know."

"How do you mean?"

"Shhhh..."  Pilate hissed.  "I smell metal..."

Right at that precise moment, Roarke shuffled up.  Unlike Rainbow, she came to a stop, fidgeting, but not quite looking at either of the two beloveds.

"Roarke... how is... I mean... erm..."  Belle fumbled for words.  "Oh dear..."

"Is everything alright, Roarke?" Pilate asked.

Roarke clenched her teeth, but nevertheless her voice carried through.  "I... d-don't know," she said in a strangely quiet tone.

"Roarke..."  Belle smiled.  "As you well know, it's a tiny ship."  She suppressed a giggle.  "Please don't give us the awkward task of finding out on our own."

"I... I..."  Roarke squirmed where she stood.  Her muzzle contorted.  Slowly—like a bending tree—she turned towards the two.  "I think th-there may be something wrong with her."

"In what way?" Pilate asked.

"It... I don't..."  Roarke bit her lip.  Clearing her throat, she took one bold step towards the two, her head tilted downward.  "If there was a way... anyway that... th-that..."

"Roarke..."  Belle trotted forward and clasped one of the mare's hooves with her own.  She smiled into the pony's lenses.  "We would be more than happy to help."

Roarke said nothing.  Slowly, gently, she just nodded.

"You can stay by our side if you like," Belle added.

Roarke gulped and said in a raspy tone:  "Indeed."

"Come on."  Belle motioned with her head.  "I bet she's in her hammock by now."

"I beg to differ," Pilate said as she followed the two into the engine room.

"Huh?"  Belle glanced back.  "What makes you say that?"

The zebra's ears twitched.  "Can't you hear the rustling of paper?"





Rainbow's hooves rummaged throughout the interior of the navigation room.  She yanked books off shelves, flung folders open, and searched through every drawer.

"Come on... come on..."

Not for one second did she cease tearing the place apart.

"Come on come on come on!"  She hissed at herself.  "I just need a blank sheet!  Any sheet!  Yes!"  At last, she stumbled upon a rolled-up map with a pure white back to it.  She spread the thing open on the desk and squatted before it.  Feeling around the table, she yanked a pen loose, dipped it in an ink well, and began drawing with her map.

She was about halfway done when Roarke, Belle, and Pilate showed up.  Not long after, Props, Eagle Eye, and Ebon Mane stuck their heads through the engine room door.

Roarke leaned in towards Belle and Pilate.  "She's been... mmmm... obsessing with a strange symbol all morning."

Belle leaned towards her.  "Was this before or after the—"

Roarke glared.

"Ahem.  Right."  Belle leaned back.  "Let's just... see what becomes of this."

"I can hear you guys," Rainbow droned while in mid-sketch.  "And if that's Roarke's tense breaths I hear right next to you, just tell her to relax.  I'm not crazy.  I swear."

Everypony glanced at Roarke, who then glanced at the bulkheads, frowning.  Clearing her throat, Props shuffled up.  "Uhhh... whatcha drawin', Dashie?"

"That's what I'm hoping to find out."  Rainbow sniffed and sniffed.  "Is that eggs I smell in your mane?"

"Derrrrrr—"

"Goddess, I'm famished!  I could eat a whole bowl full of carrots.  Stalks and all."

"Jee..." Ebon smiled.  "I wonder why—mmfmfmmff!"  He gagged siddenly on Eagle's lavender tail.

"Hrmmm... c-can't quite get the color down," Rainbow said.  "But it'll have to do for now."  She finally leaned back from what she had just hastily scribbled onto the back of the map in black ink.  "Pilate, would you mind doing that voodoo you do?"

"Huh?  Oh... uhm..."  The zebra trotted forward, activating O.A.S.I.S.  "By all means."  The sphere floated up and levitated over the desk.  "I do hope you haven't just vandalized one of Mr. Floydien's treasured maps."

"Odds are I only defaced one of several Ledomaritan provinces," Rainbow droned.  "The dayum elk can cry me a river.  You scanning yet?"

"Patience, dear friend," Pilate said.  "Trying to take it all in..."

"That's a fancy diagram, Rainbow," Eagle said.

"If you say so."

"How'd you knock it out so fast?"

"Well, army guy, if you must know—I can't stop friggin' seeing it."

"Ptooie!"  Ebon rubbed his fuzzy muzzle.  "Seeing it?"

"Like..."  Props blinked.  "It's in this room?"

"Did I or did I not tell you that I ain't crazy?"

"Eheheh...well..."

Rainbow swiveled in the chair and pointed past the observation room beyond the door.  "It's over there."

"Towards the bow?"

"East.  And it won't go away."

"Wait..."  Belle leaned forward.  "You mean, like a beacon, Rainbow Dash?"

"This isn't like any of the machine world flames I've seen before," Rainbow said.  She gulped and curled her hooves to her chest.  "I can—like—see it with my eyes shut."

"But... only when you face east?"

"More or less.  It's super freaky, and it's not aligned with the Sun."

"So, swing your hammock westward!"  Ebon said with a grin.

Rainbow turned and glared at him.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaand shuttingupnow," Ebon squeaked, hiding behind a smirking Eagle Eye.

"Why you seeing it now out of nowhere?" Props asked.

"I... I really don't know."

"Rainbow, we can't rightly expect all of this 'Austraeoh' business to function with total rhyme and reason," Belle said.

"Can't we, though?"  Rainbow stared at her.  She then pivoted towards Roarke.  "Hey, Roarke, you there, girl?"

The ex bounty hunter jolted.  "Hmmm?"  She looked up.

"Just making sure you're still with me."  Rainbow smirked.

"Yes, Rainbow," Roarke said with a nod.  "I am still with you."

Ebon glanced at Roarke, then at Rainbow Dash.  He remained silent.

"O... kay..."  Pilate licked his lips as the manasphere stopped flickering over the table and retreated back to his metal choker.  "I do believe I have it."

"Good!"  Rainbow swiveled to face him, her face bright and curious.  "Focus on it with them mimetic stripes of yours!"  Her eyes narrowed.  "Do you recognize it at all?"

Pilate's brow furrowed in deep thought.

"Foxtaur... Stratopolis...?"  Rainbow gulped.  "...the tome?"

"I... d-do believe... I have seen it before," Pilate said.

"For real?"

"Indeed.  If I recall, this particular symbol showed up on rare occasions, and almost exclusively when there was also an occurrence of the Eljunbyro and Odrsjot characters."

"Is that so?"  Belle blinked.  "I wonder why."

"Is there a connection?" Rainbow asked.  "Like... what could it mean?"

"I..."  Pilate winced.  "I am sorry, Rainbow, but I cannot say.  The patterns don't hold any meaning to me."

"Do you at least know what it could mean in Xonan?" Rainbow asked.

"'Yaefaerda,"' Kera mumbled, her mouth full of eggs.

Everypony swiveled to face the little filly.

"Yiffy what now?" Rainbow balked.

Kera gulped and scooped another clump of scrambled eggs from the levitating plate beside her.  "'Yaefaerda,'" she repeated, pointing at the drawing with her floating fork.  "At least, that's what Nightshade taught me... before I single-hoofedly blew her popsicle stand!"

"Wait... You escaped Nightshade Industries alone?" Props gasped.  A blink.  "You stole my breakfast?!"

"Hey, you snooze, you lose."  Kera burped.  "Or... mrmmmfff... in your coltfriend's case, you snooze and ooze.  Heeheehee—BURRP!"

Pilate sighed long and hard.  "I'm going to have a very long talk with that stallion..."

"But... like..."  Rainbow fidgeted, glancing anxiously at Kera.  "You have any clue what the word means?"

Kera shrugged.  "I'unno."  She took another bite and trotted into the next room.  "Didn't know what 'Odrsjot' was all about until it came up and bit me!"

Rainbow Dash stared after her.  She sighed, slumping against the table as her ruby eyes traced the lines and circles.  "Nnnngh... just what I need.  More of this crap."

"Relax, Rainbow."  Belle said, resting a hoof on the mare's shoulder.  "At least you knew to be on top of it!"

"And it's not as though we're completely in the dark," Pilate said with a smile.  "At least now we have a name to go by."

"Mrmmf... thanks to Kera."

"Heheh... yes... as always... thanks to Kera."

"No need to be anxious, Dashie!"  Props slid in with a grin.  "You're used to this, aren't ya?  Besides... pffft... it's not like you've got a half-dozen more of these discover or anything silly like that!"

A dull pair of ruby eyes glared at Props.

The blonde mare stared with a frozen grin.  "... ... ...I'm gonna go try contacting Unky Prowsy again!"  And she swiveled about and marched into the engine room.

"We're... uh... going to help her," Eagle said, trotting out of the room.

Ebon blinked.  "We are?  Eep!"  He felt himself being tugged away.  The engine room door closed behind them.

Meanwhile, Belle was leaning in and whispering something to Pilate.  Pilate murmured something back, then tilted his ears towards Roarke.  After a knowing nod, he pivoted Rainbow's way.  "We can discuss this another time.  Shall we tell Floydien to embark for Val Roa once again?"

"Uhhhh... yeah, sure."  Rainbow nodded.  "Totally."

"Very well then."  The couple trotted out.

"And... y'know..."  Rainbow waved, smiling.  "Thanks.  As always."

"Hmmm..."  Belle smiled back.  "Don't thank just us."  And she and Pilate left, leaving the door slightly cracked.

Swallowing, Rainbow twirled around.  She looked at Roarke.

Roarke looked at her.

"Hey..."  Rainbow said, waving.

Roarke's head tilted forward and back.  "Greetings."

Rainbow raised an eyebrow, but she nevertheless cleared her throat and said, "I... uhm... I-I'm sorry for... like... m-making things so awkward... j-just now."  She gulped.  "I really... really wanted to avoid an awkward morning at all costs."

"Awkwardness was inevitable," Roarke droned.

"Oh?"  Rainbow looked up with doe eyes.  Her ears folded as she glanced down.  "Oh..."  She fidgeted in her seat.  "Oh, yeah... I guess so.."

Silence.

At last, Roarke drifted forward,  She tossed her mane until a few slender braids cascaded over her shoulder.  She presented them before Rainbow Dash.  "Here..."

"...?"  Rainbow glanced curiously at the gesture.

"You... do enjoy toying with them so much," Roarke said softly.  "It seems to make things... less awkward."

Rainbow blinked.  "Hmmm..."  Her fuzzy cheeks turned rosy.  "Yeah.  But I can think of a faster way to do the same thing."

"Hmm?  What is that—?"  Roarke wheezed as Rainbow flew over and hugged her tightly, nuzzling the mare cheek to cheek.

"Therrrrre..."  Rainbow hummed with their muzzles together.  "Does that get the stiffness out?"

Roarke exhaled.  "In a manner of speaking..."

"Heeheehee... dang it, girl!  We gotta work on loosening that tongue of yours!"

"Hrmmm.  You would certainly be the expert on that."

"Huh?"  Rainbow blinked and leaned back.  "What do you mean by—"

Roarke's muzzle was curved.

Rainbow twitched.  She rolled her eyes.  "Ungh!  Dang it!"  She ran a hoof through her mane as she chuckled.  "I did not see that coming."

"Neither did I last evening."

"Gah!  Double-header!"  Rainbow giggled and draped her neck against Roarke's shoulder as her wings flapped.  "Hehehehe... I'm digging this already."

"In that case, so am I."

"Mmmmmhmmm..."

The two leaned against each other in silence.

At last, Rainbow gulped and spoke in a quiet voice.  "Roarke... whatever this glowy-light business is... I-I'm going to get to the bottom of it, okay?"

"I believe you."  Roarke's lenses retracted.  "Why so emphatic about it?"

"I mean... in case you're... in case you were feeling—"

Roarke raised a hoof and rested it around the back of Rainbow's neck.  "Not any longer."

Rainbow stared at her with glossy eyes.  She smiled sweetly, murmuring "Good" in a breathless tone.  She made herself weightless, allowing Roarke to draw her closer so that she nestled herself tightly against the nape of Roarke's neck.

Which gave the metal mare the opportunity she needed to exhale heavily through her nostrils, bestowing the bulkheads behind Rainbow Dash a tight, pale expression.