"Nnnngh..." Pilate winced, hissing through gritted teeth as several runes flickered across his skull plate.
Belle glanced back, catching her breath from the effort of carrying Rainbow Dash through the concrete passageways of the facility. "Pilate? Is everything okay?"
"My head is impersonating a jackhammer from all sides," he muttered, shifting his weight against Dalton at the rear of the hurried group. "If I could see, I'd be seeing stars."
"We should be near the elevator soon, right, Grinder?"
"Meh. Yeah, I guess."
"Just a few more feet, Pilate."
"I don't understand why O.A.S.I.S. is being so annoying right now," the zebra said, wincing visibly and teetering on his hooves.
"Could it be some mana feedback? It's been a long time since I've been allowed to properly fix it for you."
"I don't know, Belle," he muttered as the four rushed with Rainbow Dash around a corner and towards a wide stretch of elevator doors. "It only started acting crazy just recently. It's almost as if the thing is overloaded."
"I'll take a look at it in the elevator," Belle said, shifting the weight of the unconcious pegasus on her backside. She gazed over at Grinder and motioned with her stubby horn. "Would you do the honors?"
"Consider it done," the ram muttered, slapping his hoof over a panel next to the elevator doors. The equines came to a stop at the dead end as a low, bass hum filled the air. "Where the hay are we gonna go?"
"We could take the elevator all the way to the top."
"Screw that. It's gonna be an Enforcer convention," Grinder replied.
"The only other way out is through Black Level and the adjacent elevator shafts."
"It's stupid, but we might have to risk it, girl."
"Augh!" Pilate winced once more. The sphere dangling from his choker was strobing now. "There it goes again! It's increasing in waves."
"Pilate, do you need to take O.A.S.I.S. off?" Belle asked.
"I... I'm not sure..." Pilate said, rubbing a hoof over his striped muzzle. He twitched, his ears flicking with thought. "Now that I think about it, it started acting like this after we got Rainbow Dash."
"Huh?" Belle looked over, squinting. "Beloved, do you think that she's somehow responsible for the manasphere's reactions?"
"That wouldn't make sense. Unless it isn't her... but..." Pilate bit his lip. "Maybe it's something on her...?"
"You mean that lightning bolt thingy?" Grinder remarked, pointing.
Belle tilted her head so that Rainbow's chin dangled just beside her neck. She saw the glint of the Element in her peripheral vision. "It's pure Harmony. I don't think O.A.S.I.S. has ever been in proximity to something like that before."
"What could it mean?" Pilate asked.
"It means that O.A.S.I.S. is capable of storing more than just basic information," Dalton droned, the first thing he had uttered in minutes. He sighed and lowered his eyes. "Which is exactly what I was afraid of..."
"Huh?" Belle looked up. "Dalton, what are you rambling about—" Her eyes widened.
Grinder's jaw fell.
The corridor lit up as two Enforcers marched around a corner, their tasers sparkling and levitating at ready. Then two more appeared... then four more. Soon, a thick group of over a dozen and a half unicorns stood around Dalton and Pilate, their berets reflecting the manalight in a collective sheen. Finally, with a scrape of his heavy hooves, Shell appeared, glaring at the rogue Ledomaritans with a single, cold eye.
"Oh blessed Spark..." Belle murmured.
"You can bless it all you wish," Shell returned coldly. "It was never yours to begin with, which is ironic, considering how stubborn you were about helping us find it in the first place." His one eye regarded the limp figure of Rainbow Dash atop Belle's spine. "Well, the subject certainly looks... cuter." His nostrils flared. "No matter." He reached over to Pilate's flinching neck and tapped the glowing sphere hanging from his choker. "It looks like we have the key after all."
"The k-key?!" Pilate stammered. "What do you—?"
"That which empowers the subject can find its way to other hosts, it seems." Shell yanked the sphere from Pilate's neck and held it up to his squinting vision. "I must say, though I detest scientists, I'm gaining a new apprecition for experimentation. Lucky me: to have my first ever hypothesis confirmed."
"I... I don't get it..." Belle stammered. "This... This whole thing..." Her chestnut eyes twitched. "You wanted us to free Rainbow Dash?!"
"Not like you'd have any hope of taking her anywhere, regardless," Shell slurred. He slapped the sphere back into place on Pilate's neck. The zebra flinched heavily, his runes twitching from the overload of energy. "The probable outcome to this scenario was my having an easier way to open the door. It was worth the risk, though it wasn't my life being risked."
"Then whose? I don't understand—" Belle froze in mid speech. Her eyes moistened. She gulped, and it was with a sympathetic exhale instead of a rigid frown that she allowed her gaze to fall upon Dalton.
Dalton wasn't looking at her. The Enforcers were gathered around him and Pilate, but none of their tasers were being aimed at the old stallion.
"Was it Mildred?" she asked, her voice shaking. "Was that why you used me and my beloved?"
Sadly, Dalton looked up. "I've told you so little, darling," he said. After a deep breath, he murmured, "My beloved's been dead for over ten years. It's my grandchildren, Bellesmith. Shell's stallions have them."
HAH.
I TOLD YOU. WHAT DID I TELL YOU?!! I TOLD YOU SO MUCH.
...
Gloating aside, it looks like shit's REALLY hit the fan this time. Goddamit, just when I thought it wouldn't get worse. This was a new shirt too.
Gah of course it doesn't go well.
Hmm... well things were going too smoothly, this should liven them up... with Dash waking up and saving the day preferably.
Okay, Shell is really starting to piss me off but he makes a great antagonist.
I knew it!
Also, what's gonna happen when the door opens?
I'm thinking it might go all "Raiders of The Lost Ark" and melt Shell's face off. Or at least, I'm hoping that will happen.
Ah, the gambler's law rears its ugly head.
So. Freaking. CLOSE.
I WANT DASHIE BACK!!!
Fuck. How much does Shell know? How does he know this? AAAAAAAAAAA
Damn you, Dalton.
Damn you to Tartarus.
1800904
I sincerely hope that happens. It would make me stand up and cheer.
On a different note, I should have seen this coming, but I didn't. I'm losing my touch
...darn it.,..
I thought something was up with Dalton.
Damm you Shell.
I hope Dalton get his grandkids back from Shell...
-Minty
Shell, what the fuck is your angle?
That. . . is freaking awesome
I mean, yeah, they're screwed, but now Shell has the Spark and we know that shit is gonna go down. Strap yourselves in, we're in for one hell of a ride. . .
Aha! You have to watch those wily mustachioed unicorns - their trickery hides behind fabulous facial hair.
I thought things with Dalton were a little too easy. Hey Dash? Now would be a great time for you to wake up and apply your mastery of the "kick flank, ask questions later" mentality you seem so fond of purporting. Although I'm betting things are gonna have to get a little (or a lot) worse before they get better. And Shell needs to die. "Goodbye Earl" just popped into my head, and if that ain't a sign I don't know what is. Until tomorrow!
RD: Make Them Pay
I had forgotten Shell had only one (working?) eye, oh the thematic implications are crazy! In a world of pairs, Shell is alone. He can only see one angle, he's hyper-focused, tunnel-vision and so on.
As soon as they said they were getting back into the elevator, I knew sh*t was about to happen.
Honestly, though, this particular part of the story has been showing even more promise than previous parts, especially since we get to know a set of characters that (theoretically) get left behind.
Don't tell anyone else, but..... (I think somehow at least one of this group is going with her for awhile)
I said nothing.
And I can't believe there's more! I also can't believe it's not yak butter!
Shell, what the hell do you even want?
And how do you want to get it?
I don't like this pony, not one bit. He knows a scary amount of what's going on, but he doesn't know the most important thing, being that dash needs too save the world etc.
He genuinely thinks he's doing the right thing, (albeit in a communist esque mindset) however in reality it's not what needs to happen.
Onwards!
I hope they open it only to find some more of those old machines, whereupon Shell gets pissed by their uselessness.
Though if they do all enter they'll probably be stuck inside allowing Bellesmith and co. to escape through the passage.
I knew it was going too well.
Shell x Rainbow Dash OTP
Oh no...
That traitorous bastard. But still, i can't really blame him for it.
I guess that we really should have been expecting something to go wrong soon. Well, ah shit for all parties (except the enforcers) involved, you;ll need a miracle to get out of this.
IIIIIt's Dashie's evaluation time!
Well...that's really depressing, but looking back on how perfectly everything was going, I really should've known Imploding would pull something like this. And then the twist at the end with Dalton...jeez. Although I'm still not sure what Shell's motive for all of this was...I thought it had something to do with Loyalty affecting O.A.S.I.S., but it's rather unclear. These are my thoughts so far.
-MASH
dash is going to kill shell, that much is obvious.
I feel bad for Dalton...
Still, trap or not, we're one step closer to our goal.
Never give up, never surrender.
But this is like in the second Star Wars movie, when orlando cassawatchamacallit had to betray his friends. this sucks.
1802751 Holy literary metaphors batman! No seriously, that's some brilliant symbolism. I feel like I'm reading To Kill a Mocking Bird again or something.
No! Dalton! Why!
Previous suspicions confirmed. I knew something was fishy.
It's always for the children.
1802751
You know, you sound like an English teacher or something involving literary analysis. I have been meaning to tell you that. XD
Not saying it is bad, but I should also remind you that not everything has a grander purpose. Not everything has a meaning. But then again, who am I to say anything?
It's been a year and a half since you made this comment. You've been there, done that since then.
I knew it from the moment Dalton appeared, but I didn't care to say anything.
Oh dear. I should have seen this coming! God, it was fairly obvious in hindsight.
Well, Saucerful is finished. Tomorrow is More. I made decent enough progress for 40 minutes...
It's so strange to be so far behind. This trek is going to be mighty lonesome...
5502907 I've got even more catching up to do, but following the trail of previous expiditoneers eastward means I don't have to forge a new one.
...unless I branch off of it.
I don't like shell, but I respect his cunning.
Figures, that was definitely going too well.
Good, it wouldn't do for Rainbow not to get a slice of the action.
Man, Dalton. Why'd you have to go and have yourself grandkids?
Of course, this only digs a deeper pit for Shell to fall down when Dash wakes up and hands his flank to him on a silver platter.
6497473
Curse your inevitable yet unexpected betrayal
6160434
I agree. The east is the most important companion.
Even Shell cannot resist the cute radiating from Dashie :3
This did seem too easy.
4749572
That’s kind of his shtick in the first place...
RD, IF THERE WAS EVER A GOOD TIME TO FINISH UP YOUR LITTLE NAP, IT WOULD BE NOW
It was all going too smoothly to be good