Blind Will Lead the Blind
Pilate swiveled around on his hooves, his head jerking towards the outer wall of the structure beyond the balcony. His muzzle clenched tightly while his ears twitched on either side of the helm.
Roarke glanced at him. "What is it?"
"I just..." The stallion fidgeted. "I-I'm not sure..."
"Did you sense something from inside the structure?"
"Possibly? It's hard to say."
"The Oracular Array's primary function is to detect movement along the visual spectrum, but it's been known to highten other senses," Roarke explained. "You've been without sight for a long time. It stands to reason that your smell and hearing is greatly attuned to your surroundings. Now, buffered by the Oracular Array, however—"
"Yes, but can I actually sense through walls?"
"I wouldn't know."
Pilate turned towards her. "I thought you said this was Searonese technology."
"Yes. But it doesn't necessarily mean that I've utilized it myself."
His metal brow furrowed. "And yet you'd attach it to me?!"
"Affirmative."
"Roarke, just... j-just where did you get a spare manasphere to hook up to this device anyways?"
The metal mare squirmed slightly, her facial features wincing. "It's... best not to ask."
Pilate was silent.
"We've wasted enough time. I need to return to the Lounge's ship." She reached beneath her cloak and pulled out her mana rifle. "Here. I've slightly augmented this to respond to equine touch." She tossed it at the zebra. "Feel for impressions along the central length. A little squeeze is enough to fire a blast of electrical energy."
Pilate snatched it in mid-air.
Roarke continued. "The damage output has a wide spread. Accuracy isn't as important as versatility. And here..." She stripped of a satchel and tossed it to the zebra as well. "That should help you carry the amber skystone to its destination."
"Stratopolis' control room..."
"Right." Roarke nodded. She stretched her spine, protruding the twin manathrusters of her outfit and preparing to take off. "If I'm to believe Razzar's latest communications, then his group and the local survivors are heading towards the barricade that seals off the inner chamber. No doubt Rainbow Dash is acting as the key to this place as we speak."
"It all seems too easy to be true," Pilate muttered.
"I'm inclined to agree." Roarke nodded, then turned towards the edge of the balcony to take off. "If there's anything in the world I've refused to trust, it's whatever's easy."
"Which begs the question, Roarke." Pilate took a firm breath. "Even after you've given me sight... even after you've given me a weapon to defend myself..." He raised his front hooves and trained the glowing stick's end towards her back. "How do I know you're not just a changeling trying to send me on a suicide mission?"
Roarke slowly turned around, the rainwater cascading off her lenses.
Pilate gritted his teeth, keeping the weapon trained on her figure.
At last, Roarke uttered, "I could ask the same of you."
Pilate gulped.
"We and the Lounge have a common foe... a very dangerous and unpredictable foe. As of right now, I have no more assurance that you're you than you do that I'm me. But let me ask you this..." Her lenses retracted. "Do either of us really... truly want this city to keep flying?"
Pilate stood still. Eventually, he lowered the staff while a sigh escaped through his nostrils.
Roarke turned around, fired her thrusters, and zoomed out into the stormy mess. "Also, you're holding the staff backwards!"
Pilate blinked beneath his helm. He held the weapon up, winced, then spun it around. Frowning, he barked up at Roarke, "And this whole mission! It could be a ruse as well!"
"Then go bring the skystone to Rainbow Dash!" Roarke's voice hollered back through the winds. "Assuming you believe that she's herself!"
Pilate groaned. He fidgeted where he stood for a minute. At last, he stuffed the skystone bundle into the satchel, slung it around his figure, and galloped off with the aid of his helm and the staff.
"I don't know what I prefer more... being blind or being stupid."
"Rekkha threen siul..." Arcshod stopped the crowd with an outstretched hoof. His tattooed face paled as he stared up at the barricade before them. "Urohringr..."
The group of survivors formed a curved line facing the large stone wall. Carved circles and spheres stretched before them, slick with moisture and rainwater. Amber light from the Lounge's weapons illuminated the runic inscriptions that stretched between each ancient etching.
"Wow..." Props cooed, her ears drooping as her goggled eyes took in the sight. "It's even bigger than I imagined it, Dashie."
"It always is," the pegasus muttered, trotting forward until she stood within a sneeze's distance from the wall.
"So, what now?" Seclorum muttered.
"Time to make your magic, paint bucket," Josho said.
"Uhm... yeah... about that..." Rainbow Dash chuckled nervously, then hovered up on flapping wings. "When it comes to this sort of stuff—machine worlds, runic tomes, smexy blondes—I don't exactly have an art to practicing magic. The crud just sort of... sets itself off, y'know?"
"No, we don't know," Aatxe said, shaking his head. "But obviously the changelings do, because they've used your essence to move the temples around from the structure's top room!"
"Yeah, and I get that! But the temples are different!" Rainbow pointed at the wall. "I've been by here already, and I couldn't get anything to flicker or move or change then!"
"Did you make physical contact the last time?" Razzar asked, his pale mask tilted towards her. "It could very well be the game changer."
"Oh, please!" Rainbow rolled her eyes and leaned against the wall with a hoof. "As if it could be as simple as—"
FLASH! The centermost ring lit up.
Several Xonans and Ledomaritans leaned back, gasping. Several of the Lounge tilted their masked faces in curiosity.
"Xon!" Arcshod stammered, his eyes widening. "Her'lanna semiulen na'saadar Austraeoh threanna!"
"Hey, you set off the tattooed guy!" Props chirped. "That's a good sign, right, Dashie?"
"Uhm... but nothing's happening though," Rainbow Dash said, then squinted. "Wait a second." She traced the inner most ring. "Only the circle on the inside is lit up."
"Then perhaps the other two...?" Josho began.
"Working on it." Rainbow licked her lips, hovering across the miniature spheres that lined the twelve segments of the inner ring. One by one they lit up by her touch. At last, when they were all illuminated, they spread their glow to the spheres on the outer rings, until those segments also turned bright.
Soon, the entire barricade was afire with bright lavender energy. Just as it was starting to blind the ponies and lizards lined up, the granite floor around them shook violently. With a cascading cloud of dust, the wall slid straight down, retreating into the foundation of the structure. The survivors gawked in stunned silence while the Lounge trained their weapons forward.
"At last..." Razzar hissed, his masked face peering into the dim, dusty corridor beyond. "The path is set..."
"Unnngh!" Elma collapsed, falling limply on her chest.
Bellesmith slid across a puddle of moisture and spun around. "Elma!" She scampered back across the balcony and crouched at the changeling's side. "What is it?! What's the matter?" She scooted over and cradled the hyperventilating creature's body. "Please... t-talk to me! Do you feel weak? Do you need to feed again?"
"No..." Elma's green eyes fumed as she stared painfully into blank space. "Mother... pl-please... spare them..."
Belle blinked. "Spare them? Spare who?"
Elma gulped, panted, and stared nervously into Belle's face. "Your friends... th-they're in trouble..."
"From who?!" Belle's eyes narrowed. "Changelings?"
"No..." Elma gulped and shook her head. "Something worse..."
Stats
Page generated in 0.033 seconds
Total duration
1,002 users online
17,864 hits today, 2,314,256 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
Squid monster!!!
Wait so Mother isn't Chrysalis, its whats in the middle city, or is Elma saying Mother here like she is praying to a god? So we are going to have almost everyone converging on this one spot, this is going to be very messy.
Well that was exciting.
How in the world does she know already? Was there a disturbance in the Force?
My money is on Wendigoes.
That or a knight guarding the Holy Grail.
4333723
Ti's only a flesh wound.
The Flood.
Guh, I friggin hate changeling story lines.
Thirty wide-arm push-ups, ):(. Knock 'em out!
I am going to guess chaos monsters. And RD is going to lose the element of loyalty in the ensuing fight.
If anyone besides Razzar and his goons die in this fight, I'll be rather ticked.
Phantoon
4334028
>Razzar and the Lounge confirmed for being the only survivors
Thanks for jynxing it, Star.
This yellow skystone, that causes some ponies to get sick upon touch... Is it related to the crystals that the diamond dogs were mining when Josho and EE were enslaved?
Id hoped that Changelings repond differently to mana devices, ley lines etc, just like everyone else respond differently, so its possible to build a filter detector that even workes when disguised fully.
Well, there goes the door that locking the nightmare of the city in the sky away.
Wonder if its a flying robot with a laser eye.
I don't know why I found this so funny.
Changelings omnipresence acknowledged by Roarke and Pilate. Is good. Also Elma's fear of Lounge I would assume is the Hive's as well, meaning they're an actual threat to them. I assume.
Uhhhh. Yeah, I have very little idea how changelings even work in this story. Even less idea where things are going from this point. Scolon take the wheel!
4333816
This.
What's behind door no. 1?
4333683 guaranteed changeling in the group with RD. no psychic powers here, sorry.
Although I'd love the idea of flood, as the flood are great in everything, my money's also on Wendigos. Most people seem to be forgetting that the reason Commander Hurricane first disappeared was so she could rid Equestria of the beasts, and it would explain the hurricane winds.
And then Pilate gave the yellow skystone to changeling RD.
4333647
FLYING SQUID MONSTER WITH LASER BEAM TENTACLES!
Details man, details!
Huh. I hadn't really considered wendigoes, but there's a certain logic to it, what with the wintery weather and the connection to Commander Hurricane and all the changelings' hateful vibes.
And yeah, they're gonna have to find a way to determine, for sure, whether someone's a changeling or not. Though, that might be unfortunate for any unwitting changelings that might or might not be in the group.
Cybermen
4335755
This.
Confirmed.
Cybermen have taken over.
OH SHIT, dis gunna be good!
No one thinks it's the Sentinel? No one?
4334055 Ah, not gonna happen. That'd be cheesy. And we know the relationship this story has with cheese.
4334350 From what I've gathered, changelings are pretty much omnipotent when it comes to shapeshifting...
Not often we see Roarke uncomfortable or hesitating on answering a question.
Yes!!! I have finally caught up again. Why do I always end up leaving this story for very long periods of time. At any rate, I missed all the changeling conspiracy theories in the comments. At least I'm here for the shit storm that's about to hit. Zadubadabu has proven an interesting place. Too bad the Prowse who was ever so happy to find it was a changeling and the other Prowse has been a prisoner in here long enough to never want anything to do with this place ever again. At any rate, all hail the Nightmare Emperor Nox Shade. Live long and... I'm gonna need a new catch phrase after this... Still going with Zadubadabu for now.
4335719 Vel'koz?
Looks like break time's over, everypony. Let's finish this.
4334988 I agree, someone in the raiding party is probably a changeling... or there are changelings in the core that heard the door open.
4338692
Your comment made me wonder... Fake!Prowse was awfully excited to get here, and we still don't know where he escaped to. Perhaps he/his Hive was looking for whatever is in the core?
Actually, here's a theory: The changelings are keeping something powerful and/or dangerous contained in the core, something the ancient pegasi worshipped enough to build a city of temples surrounding it. (I'm guessing it's some sort of chaos artifact; they locked it up in a city with no residential buildings, behind a secret wall panel locked with a harmonic rune, so that only the destined hero could enter to eliminate the threat once and for all.) Since the pegasi died out, the changelings have assumed the role of guardians. This is why they pick off anyone who drifts into the city: any survivors could release whatever they're keeping locked up. It also explains the extreme prejudice they used to try to kill the Jurists and the Lounge: they represent very serious threats to their operation, especially the Lounge. Wrecking the smaller temples is fine, because they're expendable if it means the protection of the central building. Elma is praying for safety because RD just broke the seal.
It's also possible that whatever it is is "Mother's secret weapon"; no wonder they needed Rainbow Dash...
4333647 ooo
This isn't a good sign. Definitely let the lizards go first.
Oh my. I wonder what it will be. Windigoes sounds like a good theory. Imagine if the changelings and the lounge and the survivors and the noble jury were all forced to cooperate to avoid freezing to death.
What will be behind it?
Dash can take them!
...
-SPirit
remember that Hurricanes soldiers met a very swift demise. their skeletons stood up in defense stance for thousands of years. whatever our new foe here is, it can somehow instantaneously kill this group as well. i vote windingoes (win-dingos sounds better
) with some kind of killer breath
"I've got a bad feeling about this."
"Boy, you've always got a bad feeling about something."
The Flood
? They're screwed.
That's why the changelings waited. Some things are best left for others to awaken...
Sweet, Elder Gods. My favorite.
In before ponythulhu
Wait a second...
Something doesn't add up...
Roarke said it was practically a sin for the Lounge naga to show skin of any kind, and Razzar and his gaggle of naga gladly showed their blood, which we now also know can be imitated as well...
Razzar is a changeling?
Time to read on and find out!
Edit: Hahaha... nyope...
6:59 p.m. MST 6/19/2017
I would prefer being blind, one can repair or work around that. You can't fix stupid
09/16/2019
17:18 UTC
Oh God, here we go.
9835907
I'm highly inclined to agree.
"Something worse..."
And nothing can stop it.