“That’s it!” Props shouted, her voice reverberating off the frosty crags of mountain rock around her. “Give it more juice!” She kicked off her front hooves and stood on her rear legs, gyrating wildly. “A little more! A little more!”
”A ‘little more’ will be a lot more, Spit Mistress!” Floydien’s voice shouted from the top deck of the Noble Jury looming before her. “Does Floydien invoke the glimmer or doesn’t he?”
“Give it all you got, handsome!”
”There’s a good boomer!” The air filled with hissing steam. Metal-reinforced thruster ports spouted out hot air from the lower hull of the battered vessel. As the last rays of daylight glinted off the fresh patches of steel and aluminum covering the shattered pieces of the ship, the Noble Jury successfully lifted off, gaining altitude in a low hover. ”Burning mane monkeys! You’re aloft, Nancy!”
“Yes! Yes she is!” Props grinned from ear to ear. She hopped repeatedly in place with rattling goggles. “Yes she is yes she is yes she is yes she is!” She grabbed the nearest victim she could--who happened to be Ebon--and spun several times in a giggling embrace. “Heee-heee-heee-Yeahhh! I told you all the spirit of Prowse would win over!”
Ebon wheezed as he anchored the two in place. “Well, certainly n-nopony ever doubted you, Propsy.”
“Wait ‘til we get her really moving!” Props chirped, wiping her sweaty brow. “We’ll all have to dress as monks to stave off the sexiness! Woohoo!”
Eagle Eye chuckled, shaking his head. He wrenched his sparkling eyes off the sight of the hovering vessel above and looked to his right. “Looks like we’re back in business, eh Pilate?” He blinked, and his muzzle straightened with concern. “Pilate?”
“Nnnngh…” The zebra was teetering slightly, rubbing the metal plate along his skull.
Eagle Eye leaned in, pressing a hoof into his shoulder. “Is everything alright?”
“I… I don’t know…” He muttered. “I feel a strange sensation…” His teeth showed as he winced. “As if there’s a flutter at the end of my skull, but everytime I try to feel it with O.A.S.I.S., it’s like I’m slamming my head into a brick wall.”
Eagle Eye gulped and murmured, “You think it’s Josho?”
“Don’t know. I still feel him, but… it’s faint now. My head is so… dizzy.” He shuddered. “It all started at some point thirty-six hours ago. Everything was clear and loose… and suddenly…” He winced again. “It’s like I’m suffering half a migraine. It’s hard to explain.”
Eagle stirred nervously, but made no show of it. “You’ve certainly had a lot on your head lately.” He smiled. “Both literally and figuratively.”
“Haven’t we all, Eagle Eye?”
“Yes, well…” Eagle Eye dug at a patch of pebble-strewn earth. He bit his lip, then nervously stammered, “Have… have you heard at all from her?”
With a sigh, Pilate slowly shook his head. “It’s still silence on Belle’s end. I’m afraid to message her because… well…”
Eagle Eye’s jaw clenched tightly. “We’ll find her, Pilate. We’ll find her and get her somewhere safe. Just you see.”
“I… I-I’m not sure there’re any safe places left, Eagle.”
The ex-mercenary fidgeted for an answer.
Just then, a voice crackled over their heads.
”Hello? Hello?! Scrkkk--Noble Jury, please come in!”
Ebon Mane spun from Props, gasping. “Is that her? Is that Belle?”
“No,” Pilate all too quickly replied, fumbling at his choker with two hooves. “Wrong stone.” He finally pulled the enchanted shard in question out and spoke into it. “Kera? Kera, is that you, honey?”
”Pilate! It’s so good hearing your voice!”
All of the ponies huddled tightly around.
“Give us an update, Kera,” Pilate said in a firm tone. “Is there still time for us to rendezvous behind Seclorum’s line--?”
”Listen! A lot of crap has gone down! The Sacred Hold has exploded n’stuff!”
Everypony gasped in shock, wide-eyes a’plenty.
Pilate nearly choked on his own tongue. “Exploded? K-Kera, is everypony alright--?!”
”Rainbow Dash’s fine! Roarke’s fine! I am fine! Well… Roarke lost all her armor and got the flank-whooping of her life--”
Eagle Eye did a double-take. “She what?!”
”Snkkkt-I did not--”
Kera’s voice took over once again. ”Nightshade and a bunch of former Ledomaritan soldiers are with us! But it’s okay! We’ve got the book and we’re headed to the Eastern Battlefront by manaship!”
Pilate’s metal brow furrowed. “It… what… th-the book?! You have it?!” Pilate’s teeth clenched as he hissed in confusion. “But, I don’t get it! Rainbow Dash! Where’s--?”
”She’s fine! The book isn’t affecting her anymore! Me and the Odrsjot band made sure of that!”
“Huh?” Ebon Mane’s jaw dropped.
Props’ nose scrunched up. “What’s an ‘odor snot?’”
“No,” Ebon shook his head. “I thinks he said ‘ogre sh--’”
”Everypony!” Pilate growled. “Please!” He raised the sound stone to his muzzle. “ Where’s Rainbow Dash right now, Kera?”
”Scrkkkk--She’s flying towards that dude Seclorum’s place! She’s in a big race against that nasty ship, the Lightning Bearer. The Xonans have taken it over. Even whatshername is on it! The evil princess pony!”
“Lasairfion?!” Eagle Eye exclaimed.
”Yeah! Her! Rainbow’s trying to cut them off at the quick!” A pause. ”Oh, and there’s also the giant flying two-mouthed apocalypse dragon of chaos…”
“The what?!” Ebon Mane leaned so far forward he fell on his muzzle. “Owch!”
“Apocalypse… dragon…?” Props whimpered like a scared foal.
“Nagu’n…” Pilate breathed out loud. He gulped. “So it’s true. A monster incarnate is aiding the Xonans…”
”And they’re totally gonna tear the Ledomaritans a new one! Starting with that exposed bit of the Machine World in Seclorum’s back yard!”
“More like starting and ending with it,” Eagle Eye said, his eyes squinting gravely at the others. “If something that evil taps into the place where Rainbow Dash gets her flame…”
“It will be very grave for everypony indeed,” Pilate said with a nod. “For this part of the world and everywhere abroad.” He held the stone up again. “So you’re trailing Rainbow Dash, Kera?”
”B-barely! She’s way faster than us, so she’s on her own! But she doesn’t have to be for long!”
Ebon Mane stood back up, rubbing his face. “Unngh… Wh-what does she want us to do?”
”You still got your noggin’ attached to Josho, Pilate?”
Pilate winced as he rubbed his skull. Nevertheless, he responded, “Yes…”
”Good! Head towards him! Odds are it’s bad news for everypony where he’s at! But you might get there just in time to help us all get the heck out of there if things go super bad!”
“Instead of just regular bad?” Ebon remarked. Props jabbed him in the side. “Wh-what?!” He winced, rubbing his shoulder with a frown.
“You can count on us, Kera,” Pilate said. “Keep us updated on the situation with the book. Pilate out.”
Eagle Eye leaned forward breathlessly. “If something’s heading so swiftly towards Seclorum’s that it’s requiring Rainbow Dash to go after them on her lonesome….”
Pilate was already nodding. “We have to make haste.” He tilted his head to the side. “Ms. Props?”
“Ya hear that, handsome?!” Props shouted towards the heavens as the Noble Jury swiveled about. She and the other ponies galloped towards the cargo doors of the stern as they hung wide open a few meters above the rocky plateau. “We’ve got a giant death dragon to headbutt in its ugly face!”
”Death dragon?!” Floydien’s projected voice bellowed as the skyship revved its steam engines. ”What you spitting about, boomer?!”
Kera lowered the sound stone, taking a deep breath as the wind of accelerated flight kicked at her long, emerald bangs.
“Whelp, either they’re gonna help save our flanks…” She gulped. “Or I just sent them to their deaths.”
“Don’t be silly,” Roarke muttered from where she sat--slumped against the railing. The bounty hunter picked at a single surviving plate of armor clinging to the hydraulic plugs of her left front leg. “Rainbow Dash sent them to their deaths, along with all of us.”
“For Spark’s sake…” Zetta glared over her shoulder from where she piloted the manaship towards the dark northwest horizon. “For a pony who’s known her for so long, you seem to have very little faith.”
“It’s not faith that I’m worried about with Rainbow Dash,” Roarke muttered.
“That much is obvious,” Basso said with a snort.
The Searonese mare’s pistoning lenses gave the stallion a death glare. “What is that supposed to mean?”
“Oh… uhm… uhhhh…” the oafish pony fidgeted. Bearing a charming attempt at a smile, he leaned back against the ship’s outer railing. “J-just conversation!” Snap! A metal bar cracked loose from beneath his weight. “Darn it!”
“Basso, really…?” Zetta grunted.
“Not my fault the Xonans built everything out of cardboard!”
“I’m sure it’s just you, big fella,” Kera muttered.
“Heheh…” Zaid shook his head from where he sat beside Khao’s figure. “Cardboard.” He smirked. “Of all the things I’ve ever snorted.” He fidgeted with the mare’s braced leg. “Looks like the splint I made is doing a bitchin’ job at jobbin’ the bitch!” He slapped his knee. “Ha! Ha ha… I thought of that just now! You like it? Huh? No? Meh…” He sighed, swiveled around, and fumbled through a crate of first aid materials. “Still, you gotta hoof it to me, I did pretty good on the ‘Tourniquet 101’ material.” His face scrunched up. “Or did we even have such a lesson plan? Ah well. I guess being with the Herald makes both memories and time fly, on account of all the--”
While Zaid wasn’t looking, Khao rolled aside, held her breath, and tossed herself clear over the railing of the manaship.
Zaid’s head did a double-take. Blinking calmly, he peered his head over the side.
Khao’s figure could be seen in the blossoming starlight. The cult leader twirled with her one surviving wing-brace, slowly cruising towards the ground in a descending spiral. Before her body could slam into the blurring mountainscape below, a sleek craft brimming with bright red skystone swooped by. Her figure flew inside and disappeared. A second later, the Heraldite craft pivoted about and rocketed towards the northern sky, vanishing into the night.
“Huh…” Zaid blinked again, scratching his stubby muzzle. “I wonder if I should report this…”
OH SNAP.
No, really?
Off she goes!
...Derp.
I'll bet they're heading to the Noble Jury.
And now the Jury is back in the air.
Yes, Zaid, you should.
~Basso
Advanced plumeting classes. How to fall with only half of one wing. This will be your tutor, Warthog.
Well, at least we know where the Nobel Jury can get hold of some more skystone. Well, unless teh cultists have the idea of trying to break up Dash etc or ram the dragon or such.
Yes Zaid, having your boss run out on you, and Not finish the job on the floor is something thats worth mentioning at least in passing, if only to suggest the food stinks.
3648497 NPCs don't generally become *more* competent when they join your side.
More Gambits! Yay! dl.dropbox.com/u/31471793/FiMFiction/Rainbow_Dash_lolface.png
HOOVES AND KNEES TOGETHER, KHAO! AIRBORNE!
Twenty-five close-hand pushups, ):(. knock 'em out!
And exactly what is Khao hoping to accomplish? What has her little group accomplished besides turning ponies into warriors bent on fighting whatever they perceive as an enemy for the sake of their own religious, self-righteous stupid ideology?
I was listening to this song recently, and it suddenly sounded very appropriate, especially is the face of Khao's unworthiness:
saw the title, and knew there would be Floydien.
So apparently the Eljunbyro posers are back... just another source of skystone after Rainbow beats them up
and then is Pilates mind-hurt happening because Josho is inside the Machine World, so it screws with the signal?
Khao is a douch...
3648624
The good ones do. Zaid, however, makes excellent comedy relief.
Zaid, just Zaid....
New plan: Let Zaid face Nevlamas. She wouldn't know what to do.
Also, Zaid, we love, you never change.
DYNAMIC EXIT.
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Well, the pieces are in motion. It's almost like Blue Nova all over again, except with gaping holes into subterranean mechanisms and chaotic death dragons.
So we all agree, The Jury has some catching up to do, Basso could probably take out Nevalmas by sitting on her back, Khao is pretty good at emergency flying, Zaid needs to report stuff, and the Lost Kingdom of Zadubadabu will become a major part when Prowse and his army of cyborgs attack with their Harmonic gold that is used to counter the Chaos silver Nevalmas is churning out.
That Zaid! When will he ever learn?
*theme song plays*
For a moment there I thought that Khao had just decided that she'd rather die than listen to one more word coming from Zaid's mouth. I wouldn't blame her, either.
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3649645 encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTa47Fo2PYoiazWTPbxzFokSAC_RlZ02zkdCNQT3XCcZsvJtdUr4g
Not you too.
3650735 nothing personal of course...
3648753
I imagine Khao is off to follow Rainbow Dash around, what with all that heraldite and harbinger hoopla.
I get the feeling Khao's going to try to help more than she is going to try to hurt. Rainbow's going it alone, after all.
Ahh.
Literally two mouths then, not any fancy jaw shenanigans.
side by side? one inside the other, alien style? one mouth in the stomach?
IIIIIt's Dashie's Second Get-Backing Adventure!!
Aw, crap...Khao had better not cause any problems with Dash later on. I really hope she doesn't. And Zaid? Status report now. These are my thoughts so far.
-MASH
P.S. ZZZZZ
3655765 ever played yugioh? go look at slifer the sky dragon, that's how i see it working
No, really?
-Spirit
damnit Khao...
also, Zaid is best of all ponies
That was so convenient that I don't even know what to say.
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Also, there are still some cultists left? Fuck, Khao, where are you pulling them from?
Death dragon is no concern of Floydien's until it uses the glimmer glimmer.
I have the feeling Axan is gonna show.. EPIC DRAGON BATTLE OF DEATH, YAY!
5916000 wherever supervillains get their henchpeople, but the Catholic version (no offense meant to any religious people reading this comment for one reason or another )
And once again, Khao could have helped, and chose not to
05/26/2017 18:16 UTC
Haaaaaa! This whole bit had me in tears.
Yeah, nice save there asshat, blame it on RD intead.
...well that just happened