Phoenix squinted his eyes. He could seem a warm glow emanating through the door to the hallway beyond the adjacent control room. From the sound of buzzing and hissing manabeams, he guessed that the ponies outside were attempting to torch their way in.
"Hooo boy..." He gritted his teeth and shuffled backwards towards the sequencing room. "I think naptime is over—"
"Mister Phoenix! M-Mister Phoenix!" Kera's voice shouted. It was uncharacteristically panicky, which is what made him gallop back through the door frame so that he slid to a stop besides Bellesmith on her bench. "What is it?!"
"Something's wrong!" Kera stammered. She gulped and pointed at the fitful spasms running through the mare's prone body. "She's shaking all over and stuff!"
Phoenix blanched, but nonetheless he composed himself in time to utter, "Wake her up! You remember how to do that, right!"
Trembling, Kera reached up to the instrument dial and turned it back ninety degrees. She pushed the left lever and then the right. Sparks shimmered at the end of the wires attached to Belle's horn stub, but nothing happened. She continued quivering in bed, shaking from muzzle to hoof.
"What's the matter?" Phoenix stammered. "Why isn't she waking up?"
"I-I don't know!" Kera gasped. "I did what she told me to!" Biting her lip, the foal reached for the wire at the end of the mare's horn.
"Wait, don't—!" Phoenix tried to grab her.
With a jolt of electricity, Kera was knocked back from the coupling. "Owiee!" She frowned. "Who the heck built this thing to be a jerk to ponies?"
"This doesn't make sense..." Phoenix thought aloud, flashing worried looks back and forth between Belle and the door being torched one room away. "She made it clear that she was used to doing this sort of thing. What could possibly keep her in there even when the system's made to wake her up?"
"I dunno. Maybe there's something inside that doesn't want her to leave?"
Phoenix flashed the twelve slumbering foals a look. "Could it be them?" He dashed about the circumference of the round room. "Help me find the controls to wake them up!"
"It can't be them!" Kera exclaimed, waddling after the stallion. "It's not them who's in charge of turning on or shutting down the program!"
Phoenix flashed her a scrutinous look. "How would you know?"
"I was around long enough to be prepped for this crap!" Kera said, pointing at the machine. "The foals aren't the ones running the show! Madame Nightshade is!"
Phoenix blinked. Slowly, he looked towards the brightly lit control room adjacent to the chamber. "She's... connected to it, somehow.... from the outside..."
"And she's not letting Belle go!" Kera said, her voice cracking with panic.
Phoenix took a deep breath. He wandered over to Belle's side, planting his hooves on her shoulders. He hesitated before giving her a shake, his teeth biting his lower lips. "If I force her out of it... what kind of damage could it do to her mind?"
"It can't be good, that's for sure!" Kera winced. "She's gotta wake up on her own and stuff!"
The door from beyond the control room pounded. The air hissed as heat started to vent through the crack made by the ponies' torch. Phoenix stood still for a while. He closed his eyes, finding something to meditate on beyond the thunderous noise of the Nightshade industrialists fighting to break in.
"Mister Phoenix, she's in big trouble!" Kera squirmed anxiously. "What are we gonna do?"
Phoenix opened his eyes. "You're going to wake her up."
"But... b-but I don't know how!"
"Keep trying until you find a way." Phoenix looked all around. He found a utility closet and he yanked it open. With magic, he levitated loose a metal bar and cracked it in half. Two brittle shards orbited his glowing horn as he marched firmly towards the control room. "Then, once she's back, tell her to get out of this place."
"Huh?"
"And you see this lever here?" He pointed at a panel besides the door. "Pull it and twist it to the right. I know you've got strong enough magic to do it without touching the thing, kid. Make sure this door is good and locked once I've closed it."
"Wait a second..."
"Whatever you do, don't waste a single second after she's awake."
"Where are you going to be, huh?!" She scampered up to the doorframe, gazing up at him with sparkling green eyes. "Aren't you coming too?"
"It's cute that you pretend to be worried about me, scamp," Phoenix said, shoving several pieces of furniture against the pounding door on the far side. "But keep your concerns fixated on Belle. She's a resourceful mare. She won't slow you down... not too much..."
"Pfft! Worried, smorried!" Kera nevertheless trembled as she said, "If you try to take on Nightshade's guards, you're dead!"
Phoenix turned. He smiled at her. "I was dead long before I met you, kid." He gestured towards Belle on the other side. "Makes sure she lives to see her friend again. It was my promise to her. Now its yours too."
"But... I... I..."
"Can you keep that promise, Kera?!" he snapped.
She stumbled back from how sharply he said his name. Her lips trembled as she said, "Yes... I-I promise to keep it..."
"It's never too late to make something of yourself," the stallion said, and slammed the door shut between them.
Kera immediately locked it with a twist of the lever. She shivered even more, feeling every jolt of the door pounding through the foundation of the adjacent room. Pivoting about the dark chamber, she stared forlornly at Belle's twitching form.
Don't you dare, Colon. I like
CrimsonPhoenix...Let's hope that Nightshade will be defeated
causing much agonyquickly and painlessly.Yay! Kera is now honor-bound!
Wow. Phoenix is taking one for the team.
You know, she's been living on the streets for a long while, but I get the feeling now's the time when Kera's actually going to grow up.
Although, she is alone right now. Hoping this isn't how she's going to die, but you never know...
2728088
and what a big one it is...
ugh, the suspense is killing me >.>
2728036
Crimson?
2728142
Or, you know, he could just fail and be captured, as they'll probably want to know who, what, how.
Of more interest is what's going to happen when Shell gets involved. Then real interesting things will happen me thinks.
Phoenix? Phoenix!? PHOOOEEENNNNNIIIIXXXX!!!
2728309 ...
Shh...
Good ole' redemption martyrdom. Go Phoenix!
Go get 'em, tiger...
Seeing how Shell killed ponies before, and Nightshade not seeming much kinder, this is hopefully going to end with Phoenix dying fighting. And damnit Colon. Casualty count: ...too many.
Death March - The Gates Of Slumber
Phoenix had a 'sacrifice myself for redemption' vibe going on for a long while. Still, I'd started to really warm up to the bloke... so I hope he realizes his worth before he does something both stupid and unforgivably corny.
Soldier's gotta soldier, I guess.
Looks like a little redemption is in order. Hopefully he can take a few with him.
Phoenix is being a fatalistic, selfish idiot. Never split the party, except as a last resort. They've got a lot of time before the bad guys bust down the door and we get to watch ponies reenact the opening scene from Star Wars IV (AKA The Tantive boarding scene). He could have taken some time to figure out a better solution or try other things before taking drastic measures.
Nooooooooo! Not Phoenix he's got so much to live for! Well... Ok maybe he hasn't...
2725166 You are correct. I completely forgot this bit from an earlier chapter:
Someone had to have given them that sovereignty - that would make them stewards, not makers. My bad.
No! Don't be a hero Phoenix!
Aw hell naw.
Aw HELL naw.
It was bad enough the last time someone pulled off that kind of stuff. And now a bald unicorn in a cloak with the remains of a moustache is dashing to his heroical death!
2728068 She can't be sheathed until she kills.
Ceterum censeo Searinem delendam esse. Can't sheathe that one until it's killed.
Phoenix is too nice to die!!!
HAHA! I can't wait. By the time I go back to work I'll have twenty chapters saved up to read on my long boring nights of work. SO much catching up to do!
Phoenix goes out in a blaze of glory eh?
What did I say? From the ashes he will fucking rise.
I would very much like that if it were somehow to be taken literally. If Phoenix is going to die, it has to give a whole new meaning to "going down swinging".
Redemption for a person like Phoenix is often bloody, I suppose. A preemptive "Requiescat in pace."
I feel bad for Kera now that she's all alone while Belle is being messed with by lady Nightshade, and Phoenix is taking care of the guards.
This shit is getting juicy!
Well.. That happened. I'm still not sure that I like Phoenix. I mean, sure he's beating himself up and trying to make up for it in some small way but... He still betrayed everyone. Remember, the deepest layer of hell is reserved for betrayers and mutineers. I'd like to see him redeemed but I feel his character isn't there yet. This instance feels more like a "I have nothing to live for anyways" martyrdom rather than a "I'll give up everything for you" martyrdom.
Fear not. Phoenix has the power of Mustache Shield. Nightshade's guards will tremble in fear as their attacks bounce harmlessly off of his perfect facial hair.
I think my predictions are going swimmingly. Minus the whole Phoenix thing. I rather hope he goes the way of Floydien, rather than the way of anybody else that's actually died.
2732157
Didn't he shave it?
2728036
Hah. "Floydien" slip.
2732436 He shaved it. They're dead.
2728913The casuality count is over 9000!!!
No, Phoenix! No supporting-role epic sacrifice for you!
I figured this might happen, what with the way the character count has been climbing. I admit, I kinda hoped that everyone not completely plot relevant in the long run (meaning Dash, and possibly Belle and Pilate) would just end up safe on a tropical island somewhere once their specific drama was over, but alas...
Here's to hoping that Nightshade's guards went to the Stormtrooper Academy of Accuracy.
IIIIIt's Dashie's Eleventh Marathon Evaluation Time!!!!!!!!!!!
Oh...God...
This is shaping up to be my most intense Marathon to date.
Phoenix is taking one for the team...Wow...Then again, from the way Belle acted around him, I don't think he was going to be forgiven anytime soon. I suppose that - dare I say - this was for the best.
Good bye, Phoenix. We shall miss you very much. These are my thoughts so far.
-MASH
P.S. Hurgh...four left...can't drop out now...
This makes me think of Metroid Other M.
Crud Phoenix you need saving.
Phoenix is desperately in need of being saved.
-Spirit
It's a good day to die, I guess.
fight like a Spartan phoenix. Fight untill you cant fight anymore. good luck buddy.
Is Phoenix going to attempt to atone for his his sins via sacrifice?
I'm not sure if he can, but god damn, if he does... godspeed you.
Godspeed Phoenix, even if your actions weren't in the right place, your heart certainly was.
The matrix has you, Belle.
I love Phoenix, I really do, but is he is to die this way, then at least I'm glad he developed enough to redeem himself.
6917511
Chekovs gun, locked and loaded. Phoenix clearly isn't needed anymore.
Buh bye! And please don't pull a Blackjack and simply recucitate or you will forever be dead to me, Pheonix.
5013401
Spartans never die. They only go missing.