Not Falling For That
“Put the lock back in place.”
Kera shivered, her eyes darting left and right across the tiny dark cell.
The figure holding her from behind leaned forward, whispering into her ear. “The guards are coming, and they know that I can’t break it on my own.” As prophesied, hoofsteps came closer from the hallway adjacent to the brig. The dim lamplight was being blocked out altogether. “If they find it disturbed, they’re going to beat me up, and then they’re going to get ahold of you. Or even worse: they’ll throw you into the forelimbs of that monster.”
The filly gulped. With a glowing horn, she lifted the lock from a distance and clapped it shut around the handle of the cell door. As soon as she was done, the figure spun around, pressing the startled foal to the ground. The prisoner’s cloak and body obscured Kera completely from sight.
The guards arrived, accompanying a stallion from the mess hall. They leaned on the bars while the jittery pony in the center slid a tray full of moldy oatmeal through a space at the bottom of the cell.
“There you go, traitor. Prime leftovers, just the way you… well… guess it doesn’t matter if you like it or not.”
“Heheheh…”
“You should count yourself lucky. After all you did to those kids, we really should be feeding you rat droppings and nothing more.”
Kera bit her lip. The figure huddling with her said nothing, didn’t even move.
“Hey! Did you hear what I said?!”
“Pffft. Leave the filth be. Probably dead.”
They all trotted away.
“That’d be fine in my book. Not even sure what use we have anymore in the vagabond.”
“Well, Evans says that if we were to find the target--”
“Are you kidding? We’re never going to find the target at this rate. I just wanna be sure that that piece of crap is even more miserable than we are for the rest of this voyage.”
“Hah. Yeah, okay, I feel ya there.”
The footsteps faded in the distance. As soon as it was silent again, the figure let go of Kera completely. The foal scurried out of the folds of the pony’s cloak and planted herself--panting--against the edge of the cell, gawking at the figure.
“I know you want to get out of here. I share the sentiment.” The figure stood up. “Neither of us want to be here to begin with. You have incredible skills, however… I’ve been on this frigate far longer than you. I know a way out that you can take, but you have to take me as well.”
Kera gulped, narrowing her eyes. “And just what do you want in return?”
There was the faintest hint of a calm muzzle from beneath the adult’s hood. “For you to stay alive, darling. This is no place for a foal like you.”
Kera’s brow furrowed. She looked at the lock then back at the prisoner.
“Go ahead.” The pony nodded towards the cell door. “They won’t be back for a while. They get bored when I don’t respond to their heckling.”
Kera took a deep breath. Jerking towards the cell door, she telekinetically unlatched the lock and let it drop into a patch of hay in the corner of the room. No sooner had the bars swung open when the figure behind her was rushing forward, shoving the two of them into the dark corridor beyond.
“Gaaah!” Kera flinched, scuffling on loose hooves. “What are you--?”
“We have to be swift,” answered a hoarse voice. “I know the way out. Trust me.”
“Why?!”
“Because if you want off this vessel as well, then that means we are the only ponies who haven’t gone mad.”
Kera was silent. She scurried along with the figure, in and out of dark rooms and past dark corridors as they silently navigated the deepest, blackest niches of the ship’s underbelly. She paused only to fidget with the tome, making sure the book was staying safely in pocket of the Heraldite robe she was wearing.
At one point or another, the two had to pause as stallions galloped past a nearby hallway, carrying piles of ordinance over their spines. Once the coast was clear, the figure led Kera into a large room reinforced by metal beams positioned at forty-five degree angles. The walls were filled with racks holding bombs, shells, and cannonballs. The floor was curved, and Kera could spot a long seam down the middle.
“Where… where are we…?” Kera asked. She heard a ticking sound and realized that she had been so fixated on the room she hadn’t been paying attention to her stealth companion. “The heck is that sound?”
The prisoner shuffled over with a billowing cloak. “We need to hurry.”
“What for?”
“Best not to stay around and find out.” The pony began ripping a length of the cloak’s material, leaving only the hood and what looked like a scarf about the equine’s neck. With expert hoof movements, tying one length of fabric after another, two chutes were fashioned. “There. Crude, but efficient. The General wrote to me about such things in the field.”
“General?” Kera barked. “General who?!”
“Shhhh…” The prisoner reached over to a lever. “Let’s not make much more noise than we are about to.”
Kera blinked at the pony, then at a shelf where one of multiple mortar shells had been tilted to its side. It was ticking madly, and the middle-piece was slowly rotating counter-clockwise. The filly felt like shrieking, but then a bright light shimmered below, followed by a heavy gust of cold winds.
A bomb bay door was opening wide, revealing rivers and marshland below. The waters glistened in the sunlight, and somewhere the faint reflection of the looming battleship glistened.
“What gives?” Kera asked.
“It’s best that you hold onto me tight.”
Remembering the close shave in the cell, Kera nervously obeyed. “I don’t get it. What are you doing with all that fabric?”
The pony tied each sheet to a separate hoof. Soon, both chutes were dragging behind her. “You’re a clever pony. Need I really explain it to you?”
Kera frowned. “No friggin’ way! That crap isn’t supported enough to act like a parachute!”
“Right.” The prisoner patted Kera’s head. “That’s where your magic comes in.” And the two plummeted through the wide doors.
“Gaaaaaaaaaieee!” Kera shrieked. She held onto the adult’s body for dear life as the two fell like a pair of lopsided stones. A bright, bright world of madness and wind surrounded them. Somewhere, in the middle of the mayhem, she glanced up in time to see a large explosion rocking the belly of the battleship above.
“Effective misdirection!” Her companion shouted into the wind. After a gulping breath. “Now would be a g-good time, child.”
“Nnnnngh!” Kera’s tattooed face tensed up as she shot a vaporous beam of telekinesis into the lengths of fabric. The chutes opened wide, supported by the filly’s expert magic. Catching air, they slowed the pair’s descent, just like the escapee had obviously predicted. Overhead, the battleship hovered to a stop. Kera almost imagined the panic and fear going through the stallions attempting to put out the flames, but she needed to concentrate on the task before her.
Two minutes passed, during which the two descended in a brisk, cyclonic path. Kera felt the muscles of her companion shifting, obviously guiding the movement of the impromptu hangglider. The whole process was taking its toll on the filly’s head, and her horn was beginning to short out. Just as her face was getting covered in beads of sweat, her hooves struck soft grass, and so did the limbs of the prisoner with her.
“Ooof!”
“Unnff!”
The two went sprawling, rolling, and sliding to a stop. The fabric fell between them as they lay on the springy ground, attempting to catch their breaths. The battleship above was a distant, smoking speck. For all intents and purposes, they were free.
Kera was the first to sit up. She panted, clinging to the book under her cloak and looking at the spreading trees with hanging moss. All was crickets, mosquitoes, and babbling creeks as far as she could see. The stench of algae filled the air, and she felt like throwing up.
Just then, the prisoner stirred, standing up. “There. That wasn’t so bad, was it? I knew you more than had the talent to get us out of that--”
“Haaaugh!” Kera spun and shot a blast of magic at the voice.
The prisoner flew back six feet and landed in a nearby creek with a splash.
Kera stood up, frowning. “Shut up and cut the act!” she shouted. “I know who you are! I’m not stupid!”
“Mmmnngh…” The pony stood up, dripping. “Indeed. I never would have implied such. However, you are resourceful.” She disrobed, shaking a sopping wet mane loose. “You knew you’d stand a better chance with me than with those butcherers in the sky,” Nightshade said, her face calm and placid in spite of her many, many bruises. “I’m rather proud of your choice.”
“No duh, you are!” Kera stuck her tongue out. “All you’ve ever wanted was to chop off my horn and stick me into a brain-frying machine! And now you think you got me again, huh?! Well, go drown yourself! We’re off the stupid ship! I don’t need you anymore!”
“I don’t expect gratitude, child,” Nightshade said, disentangling herself from the last remnants of her cloak. “But is some recompense a little too much to ask for? After all, I’ve saved you twice from certain peril.”
Kera’s face scrunched up. “Tw-twice?”
“Just now from the Steel Wing, and years ago from the pitiful township of Lerris--”
“Hey! I had a family in that farm town!” Kera spat. “They may have been old and stuffy and boring but they actually gave a crap about me! Unlike you!” She stomped her hooves. “And they certainly wouldn’t have ripped my horn off and tried to turn me into a choir filly for science!”
“No, but you would have met a disfavorable end at some point,” Nightshade said, trotting slowly towards her. “The village was anything but the novel place to raise an adopted orphan like you. Smack dab between warfronts, it was a time bomb ticking… ticking for you. If the Ledomaritans reclaimed Lerris, they would have surely thrown you to the wolves. And if the Xonans captured the town, do you honestly think they would have welcomed a foal like you with open forelimbs? You’ve been tainted by the apostate filth of the heartless Queen. You’d be a slave to their sacred code in an instant.”
“Shut up! Just shut up!” Kera stepped back, glowing her horn threateningly. “We’re done! I have…” She gulped and clutched the hidden book in her grasp. “I-I have nothing more that you want…”
Nightshade stood still. “No. Perhaps you don’t. However, I have something that we both want.”
Kera was silent, frowning.
“A path to freedom, child.” Nightshade pivoted about. “These are the Blue Marshes. South of here, only two dozen miles’ distance, I have a facility named Moss Point. It’s abandoned, but there should still be a communicator array accessible. It’s a series of highly-advanced sound stones, purchased at no small price, mind you. Only I know the code for accessing the apparatus, and I intend to use it to order a ride out of here from the only trusted ally I have left.”
“Fine!” Kera shouted, grinning. “Go there! Get lost! I hope you trip and drown inside a swamphole!”
“And what of you, darling?” Nightshade glanced at her. “What are your plans?”
“Duh! I’m gonna go find Bellesmith and Rainbow Dash!”
“And just how do you expect to do that?” The mare’s eyes narrowed. “You’re just one filly with no food, no provisions, educated by city life with no knowledge of the marshlands. I know this place like the back of my hoof, and you don’t. Just how long would you last on your own? And with unthinkable creatures that prowl the swamps of this place at night?”
Kera bit her lip, trembling slightly. “I… I-I think I will take my chances.”
“You do realize that I’m incapable of magic, right?” Nightshade pointed at her broken horn. “We both know that you’re infinitely stronger than me, so how could I possibly do something to harm you?”
The filly was silent, her trembles increasing.
“All I offer is a way out of this mess that neither of us asked for, child.” Nightshade began trotting south, her hooves plodding through the wet mud and muck. “I think, after all that’s happened, it would help us both to know you’re someplace safe. It’s your choice.”
The mare trotted away, and Kera stood on her own. She looked over her shoulder. Suddenly, shadows of unnamed things appeared to be shifting beneath the glossy waters of the marshland. Mosquitoes buzzed louder and closer. The smoking battleship still lingered above.
With a prolonged moan, Kera produced and iron frown and waddled indignantly after Nightshade.
The mare spoke calmly without looking back. “We must stick to the trees,” she droned. “In case my distraction backfires, we need to make sure they can’t track us. Then, fate permitting, we’ll use the river currents to quicken our path.”
“A little more of the trotting and less of the monologuing,” Kera muttered, scowling at her own reflection in the creeks.
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Yep, it was Nightshade, alrighty.
Well, someone's gonna be losing their head soon. Shell will be most displeased at this turn of events.
Shit is about to get... wait, it already is real...
Fifty situps for making me not know what state the shit is going to be, ):(. Knock 'em out!
It appears Nightshade's code name is Naked Snake.
fc02.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2012/147/1/3/fallout_new_vegas___naked_snake_by_lsquall-d51bz65.jpg
Again, a villain that I wouldn't mind getting a redemption appears.
You know what? Lets just have Shell and Nightshade both redeem themselves by mutilating the Heralds of Douchebaggery.
3306055>>3306001
Psst... I was also a chapter title, but that was ten months ago. Oh, and I'm male if you wanted to know.
3306001 I know that feeling, that's why I stopped being the incredibly dull twisparkler115 and became the most thrilling and courageous Mr_Fruit_Bat.
Ahem...
assets.sbnation.com/assets/43588/colbertCalledIt.jpg
Anyway: This ought to be fun. Kera and Nightshade traipsing through the swamps. It's like Josho/EE 2. Only this time, it's personal.
I have to wonder how this will affect things on Rainbow and Roarke's end, though.
Nightshade in the woods. A wealthy old lady lost in a swamp. It tells a lot about her state that even that prospect does not faze her - she's already hit rock bottom.
3319672 ...you honestly expect a possibilty for redemption for Shell?
...hmm. The phrase "Deal with the Devil" comes to mind...
Hoho, yes! Very much looking forward to this.
3319858 I think the Devil would be less likely to screw you over than Nightshade.
3319822 Everyone can be redeemed, even if said redemption involves dying a fiery death.
Specially if said redemption involves dying a fiery death.
That escape was awsome. Nighty might be mad as a hatter but she's still pretty cool.
3317602
Thanks! That's what I needed.
3319724
Unless the Apple Family has some long distance connections, I doubt I'd get anywhere.
The Amazing Adventures of Kera and Nightshade.
Nightshade appears to be a good bit more sane than Shell. For Kera, that is a good thing. And Rainboarke will find Kera wherever she is, as long as she has the book... I didn't just jinx that, did I?
~bass
Apparently nobody thinks it's a good idea to make locks in a land populated primarily by unicorns magic proof. I mean, over the past few chapters, how many times has Kera opened a lock? Filly could take apart an entire prison with just time and a little luck.
3320264 It's probably the same logic that lead to the creation of a floating city populated by beings that can't fly on their own.
The mortality rate on Gray Smoke due to accidental falling must be...
...through the clouds.
3320308
Life insurance premiums must be at an all time high...
3320308 Good one. Your punnyness is appreciated.
I sense more information about Nightshade in the future. Excellent. Now, will next chapter be Rainbow most Rare, or continuing with Kera?
3320308
YEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
This is Australia...
Nightshade? Well, that's not awful I guess. It gives us a chance to see how she dies.
Rule One of storytelling: the character didn't die if there's no body to show for it.
Something I find really impressive, is detonating a bomb in the bomb bay just leads to a distraction, and not the usual total destruction of said weapons storage and disruption of said vehicle.
So wouldve been hilarious to see the shells going off rapidly one after the other, blasting out of the bomb bay, and making nice Rocket We Blasting Off Again time.
Well, this is an unexpected duo.
Now to see how long Kera can keep that book hidden.
I wonder if we'll still see some things on the Steel Wing...
3320903 And that's why I still refuse to believe IC has killed me.
Until now, at least.
Awesome, a new traveling duo! Anyway, I figured it was Nightshade in that prison. Glad to see her back actually as I was feeling bad for her the last time we saw her. Yeah she did evil things but then Shell showed up and I remembered we had a much worse villain already. Maybe, just maybe, she could get a redemption of some kind here. I don't see Kera ever trusting her though but oh well. Still though, Nightshade speaks of this old facility and I cannot help but wonder just how much power or hidden possessions does she still posses anyway? And who is this last ally she is hoping to contact to rescue her?
What if... Nightshade's last ally is the Eljun Bureau?
~bass
3322338 Totally gonna be your "called it" moment.
Shell is going to be piiiised.
Evans is a dead man.
3322365 That would be awesome. And really weird. But mostly awesome.
~bass
Tsk, still exploiting foals for your own gain, Nightshade?
It's nice to know some things never change...
It was obvious Nightshade was going to come back at some point. She was far too developed as a character to go out without an actual ending.
When there was a cell dweller, it was quite clear there were only two real suspects: Nightshade and Filta. And given that Filta was apparently dead and also had no real third dimension, Nightshade was prime suspect.
What I didn't anticipate was her and Kera (even begrudgingly) working with eachother. It seems the Colon has heard the Jury's continued musings that she could possibly be redeemed. And well, if there was ever a time it could be shown to be possible, this is the time.
IIIIIt's Dashie's evaluation time!
I see...but this still isn't a problem, right? Dash follows the book. Kera'll be fine, provided she doesn't go anywhere with Nightshade and her transport she's going to call. These are my thoughts so far.
-MASH
Come, little filly - swift and quick as shadows, we must be!
Marshes never bode well. As douchey as Nightshade was, Kera better stick close to her, especially if there turn out to be creepy dead pony ghosts in the water or something. Hopefully Dash and Roarke don't gun Nightshade down as soon as they see her (if Kera doesn't end up with someone else by then). I kind of want her to be redeemed in some way.
3362749
I bet Ebon is part of the cult
3320264 You could give a lock pick set to most people with fingers, and they'd starve to death before they can open a basic padlock and escape. I don't imagine that most unicorns have the degree of fine control to rattle tumblers. That, and magical protection stuff is expensive (see the arcanum cage for the glimmer glimmer book) so it's probably inventoried. Nightshade has no magic, so why draw an arcanum lock that's just going to make it more difficult for YOU to use the lock?
3320308
Oh man, this will be neat, to see them working together again. And also, I'm guessing her "one remaining ally" is The general Secorlum dude.
Huzzah, onward!
Yup, it was Nightshade.
I wonder what plan Nightshade has...
But Kera still has the book so Dash can follow her!
-SPirit
Nightshade needs a hug. Seriously.
hopefully nightshade can be trusted...
It's okay Kera, she's was the arch-villain of the previous book, so her levels of nefariousness have surely decreased substantially. Or not. This IS Nightshade we're talking about.
Well, well, quite the turn of events. Though Nightshade can't do magic, there's no telling what her only ally could do.
5266910 i believe Nightshade's time aboard the Steel Wing would have mellowed her out quite a bit. I doubt she will go all evil on Kera, at least not until RD and Roarke catch up
Well, that was over... surprisingly fast. I guess Roarke and Rainbow are gonna go through the remains of both the cultist airship and the Steel Wing while Kera and Nightshade's Fabulous Adventure goes on in the swamp.
If Kera is smart, she'll sleep out of reach of Nightshade. Who knows what she'll do for that tome?
5887656 Believe it or not, I think Nightshade is done. Even if she wanted to try again, everything she has ever worked for is lost and destroyed she no longer has the connections or resources to Continue her crusade, and after what happened to her... Well, Shell is broken, She seems to have grown. I always though she had the likes of closer to an anti-hero than a true villain, And maybe this will be her "redemption", even if it kills her.
I get Checker Monarch vibes from Nightshade, don't trust her without a gun to her head Kera.
Next time, could we make the explosion a bit bigger?