Let the Ballast Rise
“Escort the child to the spare officer’s quarters,” Prime Enforcer Fortis said to Basso and Zetta. They saluted as he added, “Make sure she has plenty of food and water. The child has been through a lot. It’s fitting that she get some rest.”
“Aye, Prime Enforcer Fortis, sir,” uttered Zetta.
“Only enemies of the state deserve the brig,” Fortis said as he swiveled about and paced towards the bow of the ship alongside Nightshade. “Keep a close eye on her at all times, you two. I’m not about to have a mistreated foal appear on my record.”
“Yes, sir.” Basso ushered Kera aside.
At first, the filly didn’t budge. She glared daggers in Nightshade’s direction.
The mare stood stock still, though the very corner of her eyes reflected the young pony’s frowning face. At last, with a sigh, Kera answered to Zetta’s and Basso’s urging, and she shuffled lethargically towards the nearest stairwell leading below deck.
“You could use some rest too, Madame Nightshade.” Fortis smirked slightly as he escorted her across the busy deck of the Lightning Bearer. “I hope you do not take offense, but I have seen soldiers on the battlefield who were less unkempt than you at the moment.”
“I like to think I keep my formalities in spirit, even if not in body, Prime Enforcer,” Nightshade muttered as she fumbled with a messy strand of mane hair. “So long as we reach Seclorum--with the book--then there’s still merit to my sacrifice.”
“I am truly, truly sorry for what transpired in Blue Nova.” Fortis frowned. “That wildcard, Shell--he’s virtually uncontrollable. If you would know any clue as to his whereabouts--”
“He’s still on an obsessive trip to capture a winged pony that the Council may or may not have once wanted,” Nightshade droned. “He’s resorted to attacking any ship possessing skystone, for he believes his elusive target has taken to the skies in such a vessel.”
“I am certain there will be a way to exonerate your good name,” Fortis said. “Granted, that will be in the hooves of the Council. Still, once our business with Seclorum is settled, I will easily assist you in any way that my influence can muster.”
“Right now, I’m more concerned about the foal whom your crew has taken in.” Nightshade trotted quietly for a few seconds, then lifted the glowing tome in her grasp. “Oh, and the book, of course.”
“It’s far more incredible than I had imagined,” Fortis remarked. “I never figured that I would actually feast my eyes on it. It’s practically otherworldly.”
“We are the ones who are otherworldly, Prime Enforcer,” Nightshade remarked. “This tome belongs to an era before our time. There are many ponies who hide among our numbers, thinking incorrectly that they know the truth that this book contains. However, they are too severely constricted by their own superstitions to harness its actual power.”
“And that is what you’ve done all this time?” Fortis asked. “Harnessed the energy from within?”
“A most remarkable endeavor,” Nightshade remarked. “It is like communicating with beings too powerful and too far gone to have shaken hooves with personally. And yet, they have managed to bequeath us such knowledge. I almost imagine it was simple fate that allowed somepony with the scientific expertise such as myself to grasp this. I owe a great deal to Kera, the child in my company, of course.”
“I must ask…” Fortis squinted at her. “Was she an orphan of war? Only once before now have I seen Xonan children with my own eyes.” He took a deep breath. “They were not nearly as full of life as her.”
“She is most definitely a lucky foal,” Nightshade said. “Even if she refuses to believe it.” A rumbling noise sounded off overhead. Nightshade craned her neck towards the darkening sky. “A stormfront? This early? How odd.”
“You must be new to the swamplands.” Fortis smirked. “Don’t worry. We’ll cut through this inclement weather in a heartbeat. It’s the rumbling of the Front that you’d best get prepared for.”
“I’ve been there once before, Prime Enforcer,” Nightshade said with a shudder. “And I never intended to return until I knew that I would be an instrument for peace.”
“When all of this is over and done, Seclorum and I will owe everything to you. So will the rest of the Confederacy, for that matter.”
“Your confidence is something sweet. I haven’t tasted of it in a long time.” Nightshade gestured towards the book in her legged grasp. “Would I be allowed to keep watch over this? Bad things have been proven to happen to most everypony involved when I’ve been separated from it.”
“By all means.” Fortis nodded as Nightshade took towards the nearest stairwell. “Keep it with you at all times. I trust that you of all ponies know how to handle it.”
“Still…” Nightshade’s voice flew back at him. “Some security would be essential. I’ve been attacked by far too many harlequin miscreants as of late to feel entirely safe no matter where I am.”
“I’ll be sure that you’re well protected, Madame.” Fortis turned and called towards the nearest officer. “Straker.”
Straker trotted up, bowing swiftly. “Sir, yes, sir?”
“I want a security detachment to watch over the Madame’s quarters for the duration of this trip. Double the normal quota. And keep a pair of escorts with her at all times.”
“I’ll see to it, sir.”
“And be sure to check up on your subordinates, Enforcers Basso and Zetta. I charged them with looking after the Xonan foal who arrived with Nightshade.”
Straker blinked. He slowly tilted his head up. “Did I hear you say… a Xonan, child, sir?”
“Yes, Lieutenant.” Fortis narrowed his eyes on the stallion. “Is there a problem with that?”
Straker was silent for a few seconds too long. He was aware of it, and so he stood up with a clearing of his throat. “No, sir. Not at all. I am simply… intrigued that Madame Nightshade had a Xonan child in her custody.”
“Just make sure that you don’t let that intrigue turn into rumor,” Fortis said in a firm tone. “You’re an officer and a professional, Straker. See to it that your company treats the filly with attention and respect, like any other citizen of our land. You’re dismissed.”
“Aye, sir.” Lieutenant Straker backtrotted while Fortis approached the far end of the ship with other officers. The stallion shifted a bit where he stood, then cast a curious glance towards the darkening clouds overhead. His brow furrowed, and he almost looked ready to speak a thought out loud. After a few seconds, he shrugged it off, then trotted briskly down a nearby stairwell.
Half an hour later, a bulbous cloud of dark gray mists had clouded overhead, casting a deep, deep shadow over the landscape and the hull of the Lightning Bearer in turn. As swiftly as the vessel sped towards the east, the thunderstorm only intensified, growing louder and louder with each salvo of thunder.
Up above, peaking through a crack in the boiling wisps, Roarke hovered with Zaid in her grasp. She gazed down at the hulking vessel below. Zaid, in the meantime, had his eyes elsewhere.
“Wheww-weee!” He whistled, then smiled. “It’s like the sky’s having a tumor all around us and we’re a pair of scalpels!”
“You make analogies like you piss,” Roarke groaned. “It’s all over the place.”
“Oh, I’m sobering up now. Believe you me!” Zaid let out a girlish shriek as a patch of clouds lit up beneath him. “Uhm… what are the odds that one of these bolts might hit us?”
“Pretty slim, I’d say.”
“How are you so sure?”
“Because this is hardly a natural formation.” Roarke motioned her head towards the south. “Or have you not been paying attention?”
Zaid glanced over in time to see a blue shape flying swiftly towards them, pushing a dense gray clump of mist. Rainbow Dash soared in like a wrecking ball, slapping the extra patch of thunderstorming clouds into place. In answer, the brimming bed beneath them all fluctuated with bright lightening. Zaid jumped again, meanwhile Roarke merely droned:
“You think that’s enough thunderclapping?” Her voice rang from beneath her helmet. “They’re going to realize something is up by now.”
“I don’t think so!” Rainbow Dash hovered, panting. “I don’t think these dudes know what to do with stuff that their cannonballs can’t hit!”
“Meaning…”
“All they know is that a thunderstorm’s brewing above them! They can’t outfly it, and they don’t want to be stuck in it. Sooooo…” Rainbow twirled about with a flicker of her ruby pendant. She rubbed her hooves together and smiled devilishly. “If I know anything about airship pilots, they’re gonna be doing it anytime now.”
“Doing what?” Zaid blinked. “Joining the Mile High Clop?”
“Wait for it… wait for itttt…”
Almost as if on cue, the ballasts of the massive ship shifted, and the entire body of the Lightning Bearer began rising.
“Yes!” Rainbow pointed while smiling boastfully at Roarke. “Check it!”
“They’re ascending so that they can fly above the clouds,” Roarke said.
“And when they pierced through the lightning storm I just made--”
“--we’ll have ample cover to sneak aboard the top deck, undetected.”
“Bingo!” Rainbow Dash struck a victorious pose. “Now, who said I was stupid?”
“I never said you were stupid!” Zaid gasped.
Rainbow frowned. “I wasn’t talking to you, stupid.”
“Hey, stupid,” Roarke droned, pointing at the approaching hull. “Perhaps now would be a good time to put all your hard work to use.”
“Okay. After me now.” Rainbow Dash held her breath and tilted her wings. “Three… two… one… dive!”
And they pierced the clouds just as the Lightning Bearer came up from the other side.
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Also, typo:
Stupid is as stupid does.
Great, just separate Kera and the book.
Things are very complicated as they are right now without exacerbating them further, you know!
Woah...
Just how much booze can you get for a sand dollar?
Mandatory stealth mission, go!
i.imgur.com/bfqqdU2.gif
3380257 Oh, I'm sure she wouldn't mind.
I mean, what's better than accidentaly getting drunkenly pissed on you to cement a solid friendship?
Oh Rainbow.. You got to stop giving ponies such easy targets.
Uh oh. Rainboarke is not best stealth infiltration team. Remember the bar?
Basso vs. Dash
Dash wins, Basso joins group.
The next 30 chapters have been revealed.
(no, I don't think that this is actually going to happen...)
OR WILL IT??????????????????????????????????????????????????
She...still has telekinesis? Or am I remembering things wrong?
I wonder if Nightshade is going to get a chance to explain herself... It really seemed like she was a true villain all through Eljunbyro, but now it looks like she really might have pure intentions. Granted, the means to her ends are foul and heinous, but she did just save Kera, and now the Ledomaritans are actually caring for the poor foal. One wonders if her hand (hoof?) was forced by the arrival of Rainbow & Co. in Ledomare...
3380558 Yeah I was just about to say the same thing. I recall her sacrificing her horn to be able to use her equipment. I thought she was unable to use Unicorn magic.
That was actually pretty brilliant...
Except for the fact that the three ponies infiltrating the ship are as stealthy as jackhammer coated in nitroglycerin.
i.imgur.com/AcGAaDl.jpg
3380603
She's your typical well-intentioned extremist. Deep down she might not be a bad pony, but she is far too willing to commit heinous acts in the name of her greater good. She's no better than any other zealot.
Charge Capacitators to electrify cloud.
Ok, were going in after them.
Good, Good. Theyre coming through.
I really hope they get the cameo in Season 4.
Psch, at least I don't go around stealing ancient skeletons!
3381315 As far as you know...
Where did Khao got those skeletons?
3381404
Super ancient family heirloom? No? Maybe? The cult has been going for more than long enough to make it possible...
3381427 One thing that hasn't been mentioned (or I've been as oblivious as my namesake and haven't realised) is whether Khao is the one who started this cult of the Heralds, or is just another in a line of leaders, and this cult is far more ancient than what is thought.
3381464
Yeah, don't think she started it. =P
Pretty likely that she's not even close to being right with all that crazy stuff, but at the very least, this has been going for far longer than she's been alive.
Unless it's all a Truman Show kinda deal and everyone's just playing a life-long prank on Khao. =P
3381529 Hmm...
Further analysis is required.
Give me ten minutes.
You're right, 3381529. The cult of the Herald of Angels does go back. Enough to have all the power they seem to possess.
What I wondered was just how far does it actually go.
Have they truly been at this for eons, or did somepony stumbled upon these "ancient scriptures" (Seriously IC, that's a huge tease) just a few centuries ago and deluded themselves into thinking their order was Eljunbyro?
Pretty clever, Rainbow. Pretty damned clever.
I'm curious as to the politics of the Lightning Bearer. It's apparently Nightshade's design, and loyal to her to boot, and yet it still seems aligned with the Ledomaritan military (captained by a Prime Enforcer, etc.) However, we are to believe that Nightshade isn't/hasn't been in the best of standings with the Council. So, is it a matter of corruption (military officials on Nightshade's payroll), or what?
static4.fjcdn.com/comments/Correction+++was+originally+called+George+Takei+s+Star+_dc8b7651fba2a6d4a17367c6f369a730.jpg
No cloud zapping the ship...yet? I will wait.
stuffs gettin excitin!!
... Two of the biggest ships in the navy are within spitting distance of each-other and they haven't crossed paths yet?
3380786
What u did thar. I c it.
3380786 She came in like a ra-in bow...
~Basso Fthe
The banter... The banter!!
3380404
Dat JonTron.
So Basso joins the cast, eh? I do like when people get mentioned, it gives me hope. Anyways, how is Nightshade going to use the book to stop the war?
Shell ETA: 15 Chapters.
3380786 I'm glad I wasn't the only one thinking of this.
3383241I wonder...if that's so, then this isn't just a small thing. They'd have to have contacts in the cult all over the continent, at least, not just in Gray Smoke.
3383415Damn. Next time we go on a Stop 'n' Shop adventure, I'm going to have to remember to cut down some trees and then tell you about it.
There, another pop culture reference, another dead filly. And though the lack of lightning is disturbing: let the (sneaky) carnage begin!
3380558
Now it's "legged grasp". So she gestured with her back hoof?
3380603
Ever heard the expression 'you get more bees with honey than with vinegar'?
Nightshade is a master manipulator. If you appear noble and kind to those who serve you, they will give more in their service to you, perhaps their very lives.
Don't forget Deep Ridge. Don't forget what a cold, calculating character Nightshade is. Don't forget the psychological sequencing torture, and her use of her brother's experiences as a weapon against Bellesmith. She is far from squeamish, and she is NOT a fool.
She may be acting nice in front of her help, but she has her motives, and I'm not buying it for a second.
A black seed germinated within her long ago, and the tangled roots are choking out any good that has survived her anguish over her brother's fate. Hate and ambition are a volatile mixture. Agitate it, and it explodes.
IIIIIt's Dashie's evaluation time!
Hm...it's strange, but I'm beginning to think that there might be some potential goodness left inside of Nightshade somewhere. After all, her ultimate goal is to bring peace to the world. I don't know what it was about this chapter, but something about it made me think of that. These are my thoughts so far.
-MASH
3445898
I don't think there is any good left in nightshade, the only good she showed was to keep Kara with her because she new that she couldent do anything about her leaving. It was all part of her master plan
3445898 There might be some goodness in there. As long as you are willing to call it goodness when she acts in her own self interest and doing good is just one of the results.
>Rainbow Dash soared in like a wrecking ball
I... you...
How have I allowed myself to get 101 chapters behind? Its a crime, I tell you! And yet, I remember everything like it was yesterday...funny how my brain decides that fanfiction is more important than the historical dates and figures I need to know for tests and whatnot.
Anywho - glad Dash and Roarke (and Zaid, I guess) have finally caught up with Kera. Whether they can extricate her and the book from the mess she's in now, however...should be fun, whatever happens.
Onward!
Perfect plan, Dash.
Now let's go save Kera.
-Spirit
3702756 I don't get it. What makes you say that?
Me, and it's still true. Still good to see you have a good idea for once. I guess Twilight's rubbing off on you. (No, I don't hate Rainbow. I just think she's stupid.)
God would i love to see a ship like that ascending over the clouds and over my head...itd knock me on my ass...
That's not a bad plan at all, actually. Let's see where it goes.
3380786 ah, you beat me to it, and by a slim margin of 77 weeks! Give or take a day or two.
3380786 don't Lie, You're not sorry at all and you've no reason to be.
Far too many people in the fandom.