A Better Home Awaitin'
"Josho..." Eagle Eye stood at the top of the stern's stairwell. He motioned with his hoof while his eyes remained plastered on the sights looming about the ship. "Come on up, old stallion. You have to come see this." As a tired, obese unicorn trotted up the steps, Eagle Eye galloped eagerly towards the edge of the top deck, peering over the port side railing of the Noble Jury.
The closer the ship approached the body of Gray Smoke, more and more ships joined a floating tributary of traffic. Zeppelins and dirigibles puttered on either side of Floydien's aircraft as vessels came in and out of docking. Smoke rose from several levitating platforms while sparks of steam engines lit the horizon.
Soon, Props came bouncing gleefully out of the stairwell, followed by Kera on scampering hooves, then Ebon leading Pilate by the hoof. As the sounds became more and more cacophonous, the zebra's ears twitched.
"It's like we're entering a train station," Pilate muttered. "A train station in the sky."
"Yuppers!" Props chirped to the heavens. "And my Uncle Prowse is one of the conductors."
"You don't say...?"
"Okay, well, so maybe he's one of the engineers..."
"He repairs visiting ships?"
"Alright, so perhaps he's more of a selective scrapper of maintenance parts," Props said, blushing.
Pilate smirked. "Well, it's good to know his niece has gotten around more in life."
"Yup! I'm a regular balloon!"
"There're just so many airships," Kera cooed as she leaned up towards the railing. She gulped and murmured, "How come none of them have tried shooting at us yet?"
"Because they're not on the Ledomaritans' side," Bellesmith said as she trotted over and placed a loving hoof on the filly's shoulder. "For all that we know, they probably haven't gotten a clue that we're wanted fugitives."
"And besides," Roake muttered from where she perched on a skystone support strut beam overhead. "The only ponies worth collecting bounties have lost their main base of operations."
Belle did a double-take, peering straight up. "How long have you been there?"
"I've always been here."
Belle shrugged, smiling out at the line of warehouses, factories, and markets floating along steam-powered and mana-conductive engines. "You ever been here, Miss Roarke?"
"A few times, as a matter of fact, Miss Smith."
"'Belle' is just fine. Ahem. What is the atmosphere like?"
"Is that supposed to be some sort of pun?"
"No. Simply curious."
"It may be neutral, alright." Roarke touched down on four heavy hooves. She trotted up to the edge of the deck. "But 'neutral' doesn't mean friendly. Gray Smokers are all about earning bits at whatever cost, even if it means swindling it from you. They have been milking the war all these years, after all."
"Smells like a bunch of punks to me," Josho grumbled.
"Well, at least we know not all ponies from Gray Smoke are bad news!" Eagle Eye turned and winked at Ebon Mane. "Isn't that right?"
Ebon took a deep breath, forcing out a weak smile. "Yeah... not all of us..."
Eagle Eye blinked. He looked like he was about to say something with a heavy engine noise rumbled across the deck.
Simon scampered by, shrieking, while Kera clung to Belle. "Gaah! What is that?! Nightshade?! The enforcers?!"
Just then, a floating dirigible with junk for a hull levitated just within a few feet of the Noble Jury's port side. Powered by propellors and steam vents, the craft slid open its starboard side, unveiling a dangling assortment of fruit, meats, and vegetables.
"Scrkkk—Fresh foooooood!" A diamond dog's grinning teeth lit up in the morning air as he stood on the other side of the floating sails counter. He pointed at Josho. "Meatttt for the grizzled veteran!" He pointed at Kera. "Broccoli for the growingggggg little filly!" He juggled a bunch of peaches. "Royal slicesssss of fruit! Delicioussss as the day they were picked!" He pointed at Eagle Eye. "Will do wonderssss for your radiant complexion, Miss!"
Eagle's lavender ears drooped. "Some days, I wish I still had my sword and shield..."
A blue figure blurred over his violet mane and snarled into the vendor's face. "Look! We don't need none of your stinkin' peddling!" Rainbow Dash growled, waving her hoof. "So why don't you buzz off!"
"And milkkkk!" The vendor waved a jug around with grinning canines. "Best way to soothe the savage beast with wingssss!"
"Scram!" Rainbow Dash roared.
"Fine! We will be in Flying Copper district if weary travelers change their mind!" The dog waved his paw and pulled a cord, retracting the starboard side wares back into the rusted hull as the vessel puttered away. "In the Smoke, our signal shines the brightest! Come see!"
Rainbow Dash exhaled, hovering down to her hooves in the smoldering breeze.
"You know, Rainbow..." Belle smiled as she trotted up to the pegasus' side. "Just because you've been around us for so long doesn't mean you have to treat ponies who aren't your friend as complete vagabonds."
Rainbow glared at her. "Forgive me if I don't really trust the ponies of this place."
"But you've never been to Gray Smoke!"
"I meant Ledomare... or Xona—heck, this whole continent!"
Josho yawned. "Not everyplace can be Eclopia, you know."
"Equestria, and trust me, everypony." Rainbow Dash trotted leisurely towards the other side of the top deck. "I'm not nearly as paranoid as you think I am—"
Another flying hunk of junk, even smaller than the first, raised up past the starboard side. "Fresssssh fisssssh!" a mule sang from a rickety window smelling of smoked salmon and bass. "Just the early morning vittles you need for a healthy day of trade!"
"How about I find a whale's mouth and toss you in, huh?!" Rainbow Dash shouted.
Roarke suddenly yanked the mare down by her tail and sighed towards the group. "Perhaps we should start doing the talking for once."
"Hey! Let go of that thing!" Rainbow Dash batted Roarke's metal horseshoe away and cuddled her own hairs. "I spent days growing it back, y'know!"
"It would do us well to find out where Floydien could land this," Pilate muttered.
Clearing his throat, Ebon suddenly trotted towards the starboard side and smiled at the vendor. "We have our fill of food at the moment, thank you. But perhaps you could let us know which of the loading docks are open right now? Presumably the ones that don't charge out the plot."
"Hmmm... I don't know..." The mule scratched his chin as he spoke over the whipping winds between the two vessels. "Someone who has money to save has certainly got money to spend."
Ebon's nostrils flared. "But of course." He turned and smiled at Props. "Propsy?"
"Righto, Ebono!" She stuck her tongue out while digging two hooves deep into her blonde mane. At last, she pulled out a pair of golden bits and tossed them Ebon's way. "There ya go! I didn't need to buy myself a new wrench-warmer anyway!"
"Gotta admit," Josho leaned in to Eagle Eye. "She picked a good place to hide them."
"I didn't notice."
"Meh. Of course you didn't..."
"Here, good sir," Ebon tossed the bits at the mule, who was used to catching items thrown from ship to ship. "Now, about those loading docks..."
"Well..." The mule smiled calmly. "For a ship your size, it won't be cheap. You could try the Rusted District. They've got two yards open for docking as of last night."
"The Rusted District is full of scoundrels, though," Ebon remarked.
"You've got the Gray Soot on ya, buddy," the Mule said with a smile. "You'll survive in those streets."
"I'm more concerned about my friends."
"Ah. Whitewashed, huh? Though the Searonese one looks like she has some teeth on her."
"I could use more," Roarke said in a steely tone. "Mule-sized."
"Down, girl," Rainbow Dash whispered.
"Are there any places above the rust?" Ebon asked. "Don't worry about us. We can earn the bits."
Rainbow Dash and Bellesmith raised their eyebrows at that.
"Well, if you insist." The mule pocketed his fresh new coins away. "Bronze District should have a dock available as of two hours ago. Upper level, southwest side."
"Does any pilot know about this?"
"Yours would be the first, since I done told ya."
"Ya hear that, thunder elk?!" Josho "Southwest side of the Bronze District!"
"Just look for three smokestacks flanked by a metal dome!" Ebon added.
"I heard every spit the boomers had to toss!" Floydien's voice called back from the cockpit while Simon barked in the background. "Making way through the smolder smolder!"
"Thanks, you've been a big help," Ebon said with a salute.
"Hey..." The mule shrugged as his vessel puttered away. "Any conversation is an excuse to ignore the stench of a fresh catch!" He swiveled about and headed towards another floating vessel. "Fresssssh fisssssh!"
"Nicely done, Mr. Mane," Pilate said with a calm smile. "I knew all this needed was a cool head."
"And yours is certainly the coolest," Eagle Eye said. He blanched, then grinned with fluttering eyes towards Rainbow. "Though, not exactly the awesomest."
"Hmmmph..."
"Woohoo!" Props hopped up and down. "The Bronze District! That's only five blocks away from my garage!"
"Well, that's useful," Josho said. "Helps to have a bit of familiarity around this floating vomit bucket."
"That was awfully nice of you," Bellesmith said. "Lending us some gold just now."
"Oh, plenty more where that came from, I'm sure!" Props winked a blue eye. "Uncle Prowse owes me big time! Especially after that one time I saved him from the Abominable Snow Trout."
"While that's awfully nice of you, we still need to come up with some gold ourselves," Pilate said as Floydien sped the ship towards the docks. The floating buildings and platforms of Gray Smoke crowded around the vessel like the boughs of an immense metal tree. "Something tells me that an extended stay in this place isn't exactly cheap."
"Not at all," Ebon said, shaking his head. "But it's also easy to find jobs in this place. I'm sure—between the nine of us..."
Simon barked.
Ebon blushed. "Ten of us—we can come up with enough gold to float."
"Screw floating," Josho said. "We need to fly."
"Yeah! What he said!" Rainbow Dash pointed. "This place seems spiffy and all, but what we really wanna do is stock up on stuff and make our way east!"
"Uncle Prowse can help us load up!" Props said in a melodious tone. "He's got lots of mechanics at his beck and call to spare!"
"That sounds terrific!" Belle exclaimed.
"A little too terrific, if you ask me," Rainbow Dash muttered.
"Oh, Rainbow, will you lighten up?" Belle smiled. "I think we can definitely take care of ourselves around here."
"I'm sorry, Belle," Rainbow Dash said with a shudder. "But the moment I feel like relaxing is when I realize it's the best time to panic."
"Well, how about this, you can stick around me and Pilate the whole time if you're that scared."
"Pfft! I can kick the crap out of any pony who tries something!" Rainbow Dash rumbled.
Belle winked. "I meant so that you could protect us, not yourself."
"Oh... right..." Rainbow touched down beside Belle, exhaling. "Yeah, that would be cool."
Belle giggled.
"Ewww..." Kera waved a hoof before her scrunched up nose. "It smells really bad here..."
"Really?" Josho droned. "I didn't notice."
A dark shadow swam over the vessel as it slowly pulled into an enclosed docking port, surrounded by partially rusted walls and support struts.
Roarke looked up. "It's about to smell a lot worse." With that said, she automatically shut her glossy helmet around her head like a clamshell.
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i c wat u did thar
Just give them time, Kera. I'm sure you'll find some way to antagonize them.
All hail the prophet pony.
Nah, that's just Josho.
Heh, feels ;like The Fifth Element, with the flying shops.
Go run for at least thirty minutes, ):(. Knock 'em out!
3196591
except I can actually imagine being willing to buy from the noodle vendor in the Fifth Element
Gray Smoke. You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy.
What a beautiful pintoresque place. I'm sure everything will be ju--
No Ebon, don't jynx it. I said everything is going to be fi--
God damn it, Ebon, I'm serious, stop acting so suspicious or else things are going to--
...
I hope you're happy.
...eeyup, Ebon probably is turning them in for gold and such... >.>
please don't let it be that... <.<
I'm liking this Gray Smoke place, imagery-wise. It's like Final Fantasy meets Skyward Sword, with a dash of Mos Eisley.
Also, maybe it's just my shipping senses acting up, but was Eagle Eye flirting with Ebon a little? If so, it's a shame that Ebon will
presumablybe leaving soon.Seems legit.
I'll be damned if Brucie doesn't make a cameo during this arc.
That "malicious" presence with Ebon that Luna detected... I'm willing to bet it's got something to do with his mom.
3197269 3196973
Considering Ebon might also owe someone gold himself, I suspect he'll be stuck between a rock and a hard place... (or left breadcrumbs for Shell to follow)
Objective: make some allies and blast the rogue out of the sky!!
3197269>>3197360
Something to do with his mom...
He probably owes someone gold...
...maybe his mom is on life-support, and owes somepony a rather big amount of gold just to keep her alive?
Gah! I'll just wait for the next chapter... >.>
3197378 Either that or he's super-duper rich and his mom is the head of organised crime in Grey Smoke, or maybe she's even te Queen of Ledo herself, hiding in a neutral city from the state of unrest of her country!
Then again, maybe he's just an average stallion with mommy issues.
Though I'd like to stick with the "Ebon Mane, son of Queen Ledo, Prince of the Seas, Conqueror of Hearts" theory until proven wrong.
Goddammit, Ebon.
images3.alphacoders.com/433/thumbbig-43389.jpg
Don't make me have to SPAH check you.
It would be amusing if the Steel Wing was there XD One of those "neutral" places where bitter enemies can meet face to face because the law doesn't want a war in their place.
Roarke just told someone not to be as hostile. Think about it.
We've discussed the implications on the Jury. It narrows the set of possibilities by quite a few parameters: whatever it is about Ebon, a native of Grey Smoke - and only a native of Grey Smoke - perceives the mark of it at first glance, so it must be something visible either on his body or by just the few sentences he had spoken up to that point. It marks him as a pretty damn tough guy one way or the other, so that'd make him either a member of some criminal organisation, perhaps a member of some legal but highly martial caste or just an inhabitant of the slums in the first place - though the latter seems unlikely, given how his looks certainly don't betray poverty. What we have seen of his martial skills also doesn't point towards some thug but to a trained, disciplined martial artist. We shall see.
People keep on saying that they're happy we had those nature description chapters to start off the story, but what I'm happy with is the feeling that the narrative isn't bursting at the seams while trying to introduce new characters and locales anymore.
Sounds steampunky. Seems likely we'll stay here for a while. Probably until the Ledomaritans arrive, at least.
~bass
3197684
I think that the "Gray Soot" is actually a colloquialism in Gray Smoke for "a native of gray smoke". You live in the smoke, you're bound to get some soot on you. It marks Ebon (and Props) as wise to the ways of the city. The rest are "whitewashed" - metaphorically 'clean' of the soot of Gray Smoke, thus potentially easy marks/unaware of the city's dangers.
Also, I feel a little like this section of the story has a tiny bit in common with a certain other massive fic, by that guy that takes pictures of ):(...
Hey..." The mule shrugged as his vessel puttered away. "Any conversation is an excuse to ignore the stench of a fresh catch!" He swiveled about and headed towards another floating vessel. "Fresssssh fisssssh!"
Actually if a fish smells fishy, then it isn't fresh. Actual fresh fish, barely smell of anything at all. Think about that next time you're in the supermarket/store and they try to sell you "fresh" fish.
3197684
Mom may be a euphemism for the head of a criminal organization...
Or his mom might hold the aforementioned title...
Interesting. Now I've got Ebon's mom speaking with a female Tony Soprano voice.
3196790
I get the feeling that Rainbow's going to find fewer and fewer friendlies the closer she gets to the Midnight Armory.
3197757
I've been getting some EoP vibes from this, yeah.
3197757>>3197684
Gray Scoot =? SailboatMy theory at least. (Besides, how many other cutie marks are ever really brought up)Okay, I can't read...
I still think the Sailboat is important though.
Grey Smoke seems to be perfect for the gang. Calm enough to get settled, and strange enough so that they're still on their toes.
I hope they haven't accidentally parked in the waste disposal district beneath that new airship. It'd be like the time my brother got pooped on by a seagull times a thousand.
I'm still unsure about both Props's uncle and Ebon's mom, but those concerns could still be totally unfounded. Interesting world building so far. I realize this city is in the sky and all, but I get a bit of a Kirkwall vibe from it, just because of the overall dinginess, variety of citizens and separated districts and all that jazz.
This place is any steampunk fan's dream.
IIIIIt's Dashie's evaluation time!
Now, this is interesting. We get to see a bit more of the Gray Smoke culture here, but I'm not sure I like what I'm seeing...I actually just thought of another connection between Props and Pinkie, but I'll wait a chapter or two until I tell you about it just so I get more of a feel for Gray Smoke first. These are my thoughts so far.
-MASH
3221204
3196569 haha I remember reading about that game on wikipedia several years ago!
There's an important connection with Ebon and Gray Smoke. They'll need him.
However, that might be bad in the end. 
Also, I'm beginning to doubt the sentience of this "Uncle Prowse."
-Spirit
And they finally made it to Gray Smoke.
I agree with Rainbow. too simple...too straightforward...too good to be true....and on top of what Luna said about Ebon...Something's fishy about
)
all this...(no pun intended
Ebon better not be the Lando of the group...
come on, Ebon! Don't be that guy!
But where is monument island?
Of all ponies Roarke, a pony in an exo suit had to say that ? B5 reference just made the whole thing 20% cooler .. sooo awesome !
Ebon's a pretty cool guy. I can't wait to see his Changeling Powers activate. Especially since it's hinted that someling's his mom. That'll be interesting.
41.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_me22a2C7xv1r3jmn6o1_1280.png
So you tell the guy you've got money, and he directs you to one very specific place that supposedly no one else knows about yet. Does nopony else onboard recognize how fishy that is?
Careful you don't do that too often, Roarke. RD might get into you.
even more, that is
At that moment, the rest of the jury likely got very green, with both nausea and envy.
05/20/2017 01:40 UTC
Seems someone finally used the right A word
8551984
He used the right A word a long while ago, back in Innavedr.
Albeit, offhandedly.
It's like somebody explains the secret of the universe offscreen as a background character and you're like "wait, what did he just say?"