To Survive, Make Your Time
"You've proven that you're more than capable of utilizing the Ocular Array in both navigation and defense." Roarke rubbed her bruised limbs through the fabric of her Lounge cloak. Her eye-lenses pistoned in and out to shake off the loose droplets of rain. "Finally, I can be in two places at once." She marched briskly past Pilate and approached a series of satchels in the far corner. "We haven't much time. I have enough fuel in my manapack to transport us both to the inner structure before I make my necessary return to Razzar's ship."
"But... it... that..." Dazed, Pilate spun and gawked at her through his bulky black helm. "Roarke! Don't brush this all off like it's any other day! You're here! I can see you..." His muzzle quivered. "I can see! What in Spark's name—"
"It's not so much sight as it is a contextual interpretation of superficial matter positioned around you," Roarke droned while rummaging through her pack of things. "Granted, it's not nearly as intricate or precise as the device your mate invented, but she can be thanked partially for this. The O.A. is utilizing the runic plate on your skull. That's how I was able to localize the field so you could accurately perceive things within proximity of—"
"Blast it, Roarke! Slow down for a second!" Pilate waved his forelimbs. "You're here! You're alive!" He fidgeted, then felt the fresh cut on his backside. "You tried to kill me!" He snarled.
"Nonsense," the metal mare droned, picking up a bundled-up cluster of fabric. "If I would have desired your violent demise, I would have easily gutted you like a pig the very moment I captured you and filled you with a paralyzing agent."
"Paralyzing agent?!"
"Are you yet feeling an intense and unbearable migraine?"
"Intense and unbearable—?!" Suddenly, Pilate shivered from tail to head. "Gaaaaugh!" He fell to his knees, clutching at the helm over his skull. "Ghhhhnnghh—sweet merciful melons!"
"Ah. Right on time." Roarke trotted towards him on three legs, holding the bundle under her left forelimb. "That should be the last wave of neuro-sensory feedback. The first two happened while you were paralyzed, which is why you avoided the common side effect of intense dry heaving."
"Nnngh... pl-please... tell me th-that this isn't bolted to my cranium!" Pilate hissed and whimpered.
"And rob your mate the chance of nuzzling your square, masculine muzzle again? Hmmph. I've learned a thing or two over the past months, believe it or not." She reached forward. "Here, hold still." And she yanked the cables attached to the back of the helm.
Pilate gasped, sitting in a panting slump as the lights across his apparatus shorted out. "Oh... praise the Spark..." He gulped. "I never thought I would be so thankful to experience utter blackness again."
"I didn't build that thing so that you could appreciate fine art," Roarke muttered.
"I don't understand..." Pilate tilted his head towards her, shivering. "What did you build it for? Why attack me under the guise of a Lounge naga?"
"You know, the time we spend answering your insufferable questions could instead be used for something advantageous."
"Like wh-what...?"
"Like blowing this Searo-forsaken place out of the sky." Roarke shoved the bundle into his grasp. "Here, hold this."
"What... wh-what is this?"
"Are you feeling the urge to vomit?"
"Uhm... no."
"Good." Roarke nodded. "Then that means you don't have an adverse reaction to direct contact with yellow skystone."
"Yellow skystone...?" Blindly, the zebra unfurled a length of the fabric. Glowing amber light shone against the rain-slick granite. He didn't react until his hoof felt the smooth glass surface of the shard held within the bundle. "Good heavens... do you have any idea how rare this is?"
"So do the Lounge," Roarke said with a nod, trotting back to her packs. "And they're willing to do anything to get more of it."
"Roarke, about the Lounge..." Pilate winced. "You do realize they tried to save us, right?" His ears drooped. "We thought we had picked up Props' Uncle as we flew across the Wastes. Turns out it was a changeling in disguise. Razzar's gang wanted to confiscate them. They... they almost saved us..."
"No," Roarke firmly said, shaking her head as she slung several satchels over her shoulder. "The Lounge are evil and not to be trusted." She turned and marched firmly towards him. "I've seen their operation from the inside out. They traffic sentient creatures and sell them to slave markets. They bully trade vessels and run zeppelins into watery graves. I don't care what kind of horrible creatures we might be running into here, but no amount of darkness can make these reptilian scum-munchers any lighter than what they already are."
"Then..." Pilate winced, gritting his teeth. "If they're stuck here with us... then we're in twice as much danger." He shuddered. "Rainbow Dash is in danger..."
"She's been in danger for a long, long time." Roarke placed her hoof on Pilate's shoulder. "We're losing valuable time. We must make our way to the centermost platform."
"Wh-what for?" Pilate gulped. "Aren't you pretending to be one of them? Don't you have a ship to report to?"
"I'll explain on the way. However, this will be a lot easier if you could see where we're going."
Pilate sighed, biting his lip. "Is this going to hurt?"
"Were all breeders born yesterday?" She shoved the cables back into his Ocular Array. Bzzzt!
"Aaaaaaaugh! Damnation!"
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Huh. So they're still assholes. Well then, that means no guilt trip from blowing them up later.
Edit: lol, feature box
I missed her so much...
It would seem that I called the return of Rorke with the first apperence the Lounge ship after all. Go figure.
So I was right all along, I should have trusted my first instincts (and the ending to the last story :P) more. The Lounge are a bunch of Slaving assholes. I hope the whole lot of them die, and soon.
Well, shit.
I have a feeling that what's left of this city is going to blow up real good by the end of this arc, now that Roarke is back.
I knew they were slavers.
What the hell did grizzled Roarke most morally ambiguous see to toss a label like that around? I'm not sure how it could be worse than what they did to stallions in Searo.
I love seeing more Roarke. Everyone's favorite sassy bountyhunter is back!
Rorke seems to be mellowing out a bit. her time with Dash mustve infected her with some minor annoying germ of freindship and care.
That, or shes realised not breaking other so quickly means you can use them as ammunition more easily.
Roarke most sexist. If only she made a jibe at him being a zebra this chapter. I could use some alliteration in my titles. Ah well, at least that means we know it's her. Not really. But we can dream.
Welp, back onto the shitlist for the Lounge. I had a feeling they weren't on the up-and-up, changeling-asswhooping notwithstanding.
And lawdy it's good to have Roarke back.
Moonbutt on high! I've missed Roarke so much!
Oh, son of a bitch. Lounge is evil, changelings everywhere, Secchy has lost his moral compass, everything's going to the Diamond Dogs.
But hey, Roarke is back!
I just realized right now how much I actually like Roarke. I really missed her.
4314198
The instant Rainbow Dash put her hoof on it, we knew that it wouldn't be floating for too much longer.
Thinking about this more, way back in Austraeoh RD would improve the places she passed, but ever since Eljunbyro she seems to leave a trail of destruction in her wake.
So the Lounge are evil and Roarke and Pilate need to reach the central platform to foil their plans. Are they moving... for great justice?
I expect rainbow to say friggin in the next couple chapters.
Also possibly a rage kiss.
4314360
She probably can stand Pilate more than the other Stallions on the Noble Jury. Probably because he doesn't try to cause much friction with other members of the party.
The Lounge's evilness is a little more obvious when you realize they are described like a Sansha's Nation Phantasm or Succubus. Slaving and murder is kinda their thing.
Testament - Sins Of Omission
Roarke and Pilate have always had such a great dynamic.
I'm glad to that it's still there.
Feels good having caught up on this, and just in time for our beloved Roarke to systematically solve the Jury's problems with some high-end weaponry.
I'd been wondering when we were going to hear that word again.
The title == All Your Base?
4314186 Agreed. I can't take this moral roller coaster much longer. First, Pilate gets jumped and they're evil. Then he gets the O.A., and they're fine. They try to "kill him," evil. It's actually Roarke, fine. NOW ROARKE SAYS THEY'RE EVIL.
I think Roarke likes him a bit more than she'd like to admit.
so, Lounge is still evil, guess we need to get out of here ASAP after maybe picking up a few new companions
Aw, I was starting to think the Lounge were pretty cool dudes...
Oh well, we have Roarke back. We're full up on coolness!
The Lounge is reptiles, naga or turtles or lizards and such. How interesting; no wonder they wear those cloaks.
Of course.
4314312 Fairly sure slavery is about as bad as other slavery happening only to males.
4316150 As was I.
Enemies have cause to speak sweetly. Friends don't need to say a word.
Good lord. First I thought the Lounge were evil, after almost blowing RD and crew out of the sky. Then I thought they were okay, after roflstomping some changelings. And then I thought they were evil again, after Roarke kidnapped Pilate and made him think he was going to be killed. Then I thought they were alright again, after Roarke revealed herself. And now I think they're evil again, since Roarke says that they're slave traders!
What's next? A changeling posing as Roarke posing as Lounge trying to make them seem evil getting found out, flipping it again?
Burn the Lounge!
Oh Roarke, I've missed you.
Are they good or are they bad?
-Spirit
4495865
You... you passed me?
[youtube=EHv9acm3fF0]
4318576 sounds like a pritty good gusse if you as me
4318576 OOOOOOOOR celestia jumping in for a flank whooping
God, how I have missed Roarke . . .
4318576
That... actually makes sense.
5905092 Well, considering the earlier chapter with roarke "Acquiring" Information on the lounge from some slave traders, I'm pretty sure that the lounge are actually douches and this is actual roarke. Especially because I don;t think a changeling would have bothered restoring Pilates Sight, they would have simply used his blindness as means to manipulate him further.
Jury-rigged searonese tech is many things. Painless is not one of them.
Welp, guess The Lounge are still fucknuts. But hey, Roarke is better than any stupid lizard (including, and especially, Spike).
6503332
Hey Spike's awesome, and he's not a lizard. He's at the very least a Mesotherm. Not an Exotherm. That and other than dumb writers being d-fkers and writing him as an idiot. Has proven to be a highly valuable member of the team. Even being a key part of defeating 2.5 out of the 5 Big Bads (4 that the Mane 6 actually had a chance of fighting + Queen Chrysalis who pwned all the Mane 6 and Celestia).
Not to mention that he's when not writen as a b-tard, is in charge of writing Twilight's reports / research, taking notes for her, helping her with her duties (when not written by dimwits), and is an Okay guy. But Dragon's aren't lizards. At most they are Arcanothermic / Arcanavoric creatures [Using magic / magical properties to metabolize energy / control their body size / age / inherent magics.] At least they Mesothermic [Both Hot and cold blooded [it's a thing]] magical creatures.
But Spike is cool (or at the very least useful, and without him the Mane 6 would have been killed many times over). But I do agree the Naga are total d***ks. And need to be cooked and served doused in BBQ sauce.
Time to set up those lizards the bomb.
Finally a non-ambiguous statement from someone we trust.
(I mean, assuming this is Roarke and not another changeling, but that seems like a safe ass- oh crap I'll shut up before I jinx it)
Yup, definitely a case of evil versus oblivion. Roarke has no idea how dark darkness can get, and that in pitch darkness, the dimmest light is worthwhile.
06/02/2017 23:36 UTC
Oof. This line amused me perhaps more than is entirely reasonable. Understatement of the century, this is.
Yeah, I figured The Lounge weren't on the up and up at all.
Who wants to bet that the second the raid party van get that core door open it's gonna be a bloodbath?