//------------------------------// // Come On Baby; Twist and Shout // Story: Yaerfaerda // by Imploding Colon //------------------------------// “Steady as she goes!” an imp shouted into the cloudy air. On either side of the battleship's top deck, large propeller blades churned and roared. Artificial winds kicked at the goblin crew members' vests and toolbelts as they rushed from one station to another. “Wait for the Boss' ship to catch up with us! This is Haman's moment of triumph, and we're going to make sure he gets to the deer lands in one piece!” Goblins shouted in confirmation, continuing to hammer and bang away at rattling consoles. Far beyond the bow, a second ship lurched out of its hangar, slowly approaching the first vessel's rear. “Prime the skystone engines!” The lead imp pointed, snarling. “Prepare for accelerated speed!” He spat into the windy air. “I swear to God, those stinkin' lizards had better have delivered.” “Sir!” one goblin shouted, waving from where and three other goblins were crouched. “We have a bit of a problem over here!” “Grrrr...” The imp extended a sparkling wrench-tool and marched over, looming above the nervous workers. “Not the thing I wanted to hear right now, runt!” “It's the hydraulic cables for the middle starboard side propeller engine!” an engineer sputtered. “They've been cut!” “What did you say, runt?!” “It wasn't m-me, sir! But somebody clearly sliced the cable down the middle! It's a solid burn!” “Looks like a flame-torch, from the singe marks,” another imp said. “A flame-torch?!” The lead imp gazed around, blinking rapidly. “But... nobody above deck is assigned one of those!” “I know what I see, sir.” “Well, is it a threat to the ship?!” “We can fix it with enough goblin hands...” “Or else...?” “The starboard side could fail, one propeller at a time! We won't even reach stabilization for a proper jump to skystone acceleration!” “Then get all imps on it!” The leader stood on a platform, pumping a fist in the air and shouting. “Do you hear me?! I need every able-bodied goblin over here this second! Fix the hydraulics on this motor!” He snarled, flexing his fingers as he marched towards a distant stairwell. “Now I need to haul security's ass up here. We've got a saboteur on board...” Every deckhand rushed over to the propeller, where they gathered around and feverishly worked on the bowels of the rattling machinery. From across the way, a dark figure strolled out of hiding. One metal hoof at a time, she marched towards the unsuspecting group. A low crimson glow issued across the bulkheads as the energy cores inside her glossy black suit hummed to life... “I appreciate your forewarning, Commander,” Saikano said, standing before Midnite as the mare continued to salute. “The soul sentry recruits have been relocated to a safe position.” “That's a relief to know.” Midnite lowered her hoof, exhaling steadily. “I'm sorry for the damage caused to the alarm system.” “Not as sorry as you're going to be in a moment!” Jake hissed, his beady eyes flashing as he thundered forward on heavy hooves. “Neutralize.” Saikano didn't move an inch. Fl-Flaaaaash! Four guards thrusted their antlers forward with a discharge of mana. The energy blasts flew into Jake's stomach. The moose gritted his teeth, snarling. He stamped his hooves harder against the metal floor, shoving himself against the current of excrutiating energy. Saikano turned and nodded towards the phalanx behind him. Twelve more reindeer marched forward and aimed their horns. Midnite closed her eyes. FL-FLASSSSH! “Grrrnnng-rrrghhhh!” Jake's drool evaporated as it dribbled out of his quivering lips. He took one last brave step forward before buckling and falling back in a smoking heap. “Graaaugh!” Thud! The heavy jolt woke Rainbow Dash from her dazed stupor. Hissing in pain, she reached back and rubbed her head. Glancing aside, she gasped at Jake's twitching figure. “Such a shame,” Saikano droned. “All the goblins he slayed must have twisted something in him.” The General took a deep breath. “There truly was no other way to contain him. He and his companions would simply have escaped out in the open.” “I know that, General,” Midnite muttered. At last, the General stepped forward. He squinted as he approached Floydien. The elk glared back, his jaws shut iron-tight. Slowly, Saikano turned to look back at Midnight. The mare bowed her head, biting her lip. “This... must have been terribly hard for you,” the General said. “I was s-simply doing my duty, sir.” “Whatever could have brought this wretch back to Val Roa, I wonder?” Saikano glanced at Floydien once more. “A venture of this sort could only be concocted through madness.” “Does the charcoal boomer report all duties to her stab-father, Floydien wonders?” Floydien's nostrils flared. “Two faces require four holes on the other end as well, yes yes yes?” “... ... ...” Saikano turned and marched away. “Ground him.” FLASH! Two reindeer fired volleys of shimmering energy into Floydien's gut. “Gaaaugh!” With a pained shriek, Floydien fell to his chest. “Friggin' stop it!” Rainbow Dash snarled. She tried lifting off, only to be held down by four sets of hooves. She struggled against the guards' grip on her as she spat. “Saikano, call them off! Call everything off!” “I don't see how I am under any obligation to follow through with your demands,” Saikano droned. He paced over towards one of the large green cocoons and pivoted about. “You purposefully and willfully broke into my facility—” “A breeding ground for a new kind of drone!” Rainbow hollered. “Chrysalis' drones! We both know who you work for! Why pretend otherwise?!” “I am tasked with the protection of Val Roa's future, and that includes shielding it from self-righteous terrorists such as—” “You'll protect Val Roa into the ground!” Rainbow gnashed her teeth. “Don't act so smug! You're not the first one-eyed military psychotic I've seen blinded by his own duty! You're being controlled by something that's going to reduce this kingdom to ashes! Even as we speak, goblin battleships are en route to—” “Sedition will use whatever excuse necessary to legitimize its heinous tactics.” Saikano strolled forward. “Still, whatever useful information you do have to impart, I'll be sure to extract it through—” His voice cut off. He narrowed his good eye on Rainbow Dash and her wings. The pegasus stared up at him, seething. Saikano's ears drooped beneath his metal-extended antlers. Pivoting to the side, he stared blankly into space. His voice droned. “I've found her.” Rainbow Dash blinked. Weary, Floydien and Jake looked up, eyes thin. Saikano gnashed his teeth. “No, she wasn't alone.” Fishberry's pupil's shrunk. Her muzzle hung agape. “How... How did she even get in there?” The doe's ears flicked as her body remained dead-still. “Can you confirm it's Rainbow Dash?” Across the office, Arcanista craned her neck to the side. She leaned forward. “Rainbow Dash...?” “The mane... the wings...” Fishberry stared straight ahead into space. Her voice took on a guttural tone. “It can be no other.” Arcanista blinked. A tiny gasp escaped her lips. “Oh no...” “Then there's no question what must be done,” Sharp Quill said, gazing past the pillars that lined the lusciously furnished corridor of the Royal Palace. “Eliminate her. Now.” “Eliminate her?” Ebon Mane trotted up, craning his tattooed neck to get a better look at the Secretary's blank expression. “Eliminate who?” “No.” Sharp Quill frowned, glaring straight ahead. “She cannot provide any nourishment. She is too much of a risk. Besides, the Noble Jury is spread abroad.” Ebon recoiled instantly. “The... Noble Jury?” His coat briefly flickered blue as he inhaled sharply. “Rainbow...” “Then it shall be done,” Saikano droned. He took a deep breath and nodded his head towards nobody. “And for her companions?” “General?” Midnite Bastion trotted up. “I see...” Saikano stood dead still above the mare. “Yes.... Yes... No traces...” “...Father?” For the first time in a full minute, Saikano blinked. He turned to pivot his cold gaze on his adopted daughter. Gulping, Midnight spoke tenderly, “With all due respect, they are of better use to the kingdom alive.” “They are traitors to the state and they must be punished,” Saikano said. “But they can be used to root up the other terrorists.” Midnite's eyes narrowed. “As Val Roa's chief protector, you know this. Killing them without questioning them is a substantial risk.” “There is no time,” Saikano droned. “The Prince's Coronation is tomorrow.” “I know! So doesn't it make sense to go by standard protocol?” “This is my decision, not yours.” “General, this is not how you've always taught me to operate!” Midnite exclaimed. “A good outfit knows how to communicate with one another. Why are the soul sentries being recruited by the hundreds every hour?!” She gestured towards the row of cocoons. “Since when did we utilize bio-organic technology?!” “You have done a good job, Commander,” Saikano said robotically. “You are relieved. I must do that which I am tasked with. The Coronation is tomorrow.” Midnite blinked, her eyes quivering. She hung her head with a sigh. “...I'm sorry, father...” Saikano squinted. “Commander...?” “You've always been a good general. Loyal, supportive, and fully complicit with your intentions. But, above all that, you have been a wonderful father to me...” She looked up, tearing. “Until now.” And with a grunting breath, she spun her whole body around and kicked his front legs out from underneath. “Gughhh!” The General fell on his chin. Even the Jurists were gasping. Before the flanking reinders could so much as flinch, Midnite had expertly somersaulted behind one of them, slamming both hoves into his spine. As he buckled, Midnite threw his neck into a leg-lock and punched him right in the nerve. Eyes glowing, the pained guard launched an involuntary beam of mana out from his antlers. P-POW! An electric console above the densest phalanx of soldiers exploded. The reindeer fell to the floor, shrieking from the spray of hot shrapnel. “Get her—!” One of the soldiers galloped over Rainbow Dash. Holding her breath, the pegasus used her wings as a spring and flipped off the floor, slamming her rear hooves across two of the deer's faces. She swooped by a line of grunts, knocking them all over like dominoes. As chaos unfolded, Saikano looked up, hissing through clenched teeth. “Daughter, stop it—!” “You're not my father!” Midnite hollered, kicking another guard to the floor and appropriating his lance. “I know that now! And until I find him...” She spun with a snarl and slammed the broad-side of the staff across Saikano's face. The General took the impact at full-force. With a pained yelp— —Fishberry collapsed against her desk and rattled onto the floor, wheezing in pain as she clutched her skull. “Chancellor?!” Arcanista stammered, starting to shiver. Fishberry rolled over. After several more painful spasms— —Sharp Quill stood back up, his purple eyes flickering a hot an angry green. “Kill them...” He hissed, teetering left and right as he limped down the hall. “Kill them all. Immediately.” “What are you talking about?! Who do you want dead?!” Ebon Mane hollered. He stamped his hooves, growling. “Answer me!” Sharp Quill continued stumbling down the hallway, disappearing around the corner. Ebon seethed and seethed. Then, with a paling expression, he gasped. “Oh no... Kera.” Panicked, he spun and galloped towards the other end of the corridor. “Idiot!” an imp growled into the beating air. He fumbled through the mass of his fellow crewmembers' limbs, attempting to fix the damaged conduit. “The manacircuitry runs through there!” “I'm trying to fix the dayum hydraulic servo!” “But it's not worth risking the mana-flow! What, were you squirted yesterday?” “Ugh... friggin' slaves who built this thing should have been shot in the head yesterday instead of today.” “Heh... talk about a waste of bullets.” “Just shut up. Let's get this damn thing fixed before the overseer gets back.” He turned to look at a shadow looming closer and darker. “Hey, pass us a wire-cutter, will ya?” He did a double take, eyes bulging. “Holy sh—” POW! His head exploded from a precise manablast. The other imps gasped under the fresh spray of blood. They all stood up, unholstering steam pistols and sparkling bludgeons. In an instant, they collectively froze in place. A equine shape in a suit of black armor stood across from them. A tiny manacannon extended—smoking from Roarke's shoulder. “Who in the blue Hell are you?!” one imp hissed through grimy teeth. Roarke's helmet tilted forward with a glint of crimson light. Her speakers crackled: “Death.” Cl-Clack! Three more manacannons popped loose, all firing. The resulting screams were swept away by the high winds around the battleship.