Innavedr

by Imploding Colon

The Noble Jury

"Graaaaugh!" Floydien shouted from the cockpit as an explosion rocked off the bow. Cracks formed in the cockpit window, showering his antlers with glass. "Nnnngh! Stop it, glimmer boomers! My beloved's beautiful face!"

A striped body stumbled into the cockpit, leaning against the weight of Belle. "Mr. Floydien!" Pilate wheezed for breath as Crimson and Eagle Eye rushed in to join them. "Can you get this ship off the ground?!"

"There is no ground left for Floydien to spit at!" The elk turned his head as best as he could to yell at the zebra. "Perhaps striped boomer should have thought about metal death tosser up above first?! Paint bucket could slam stabby ship in two, yes yes yes?"

"Rainbow Dash is incapacitated!" Bellesmith exclaimed. "Roarke's flying back to get her—" She suddenly did a double-take, noticing the nature of the pilot for the first time. "Whoah... uhm... hello there."

"Greetings, chest nut nut," Floydien sneered over the turbulence.

"What's going on?!" Eagle Eye stammered. "What's wrong with Rainbow Dash?!"

Phoenix suddenly rushed into the room with Kera in tow. "It's the book, isn't it, Miss Bellesmith?" He let go of Kera who immediately scampered over to Belle's side. "It's having an effect on Austraeoh!"

Belle crouched down to nuzzle Kera close as she spoke, "Yes. I think the ruby flame is overwhelming her."

"Then let's get rid of it!" Eagle Eye exclaimed. "We don't want Rainbow to be in pain because of that stupid thing!"

The ship rocked from a shell bouncing off its stern and exploding into the plateau below. Belle comforted Kera while uttering, "It'd be just as bad to risk handing the flame over to Shell and his forces!"

"Then what are we going to do?!" Phoenix shouted. "We're sitting ducks here and that psychopath in the Steel Wing knows it!" He flinched as the ship rocked again. "The only reason he hasn't totally creamed us by now is because he wants us to give up the pegasus!"

"Who needs a paint bucket anyway," Floydien grumbled.

Eagle Eye squeaked bitterly, "Don't you even pretend."

"The cylinder..." Pilate thought aloud, rubbing a hoof across the flickering manasphere hanging off his choker. "It runs on runes... but we have all the runes, don't we...?"

Bellesmith glanced over, both confused and curious. "Beloved...?"

Pilate re-gripped the glowing book. "I need to get this to the engineering bay! Immediately! Where is Miss Props?"

"You mean the gorgeous, blonde pony?" Eagle Eye asked.

Pilate "stared" at him...

Eagle Eye winced. "Right... let's go..." He gripped Pilate's shoulder and led the zebra across the deck.

"Pilate! What are you—?" Belle moved to follow him, but a close blast knocked her back on her haunches. Kera shrieked, panicked beyond discernible words. Belle simply squatted there, holding her close, all the while her eyes were locked on the air outside the cockpit.

Eagle Eye and Pilate galloped a serpentine path across the deck, their bodies pelted by burning bits of debris. They shuffled past Crimson and Josho who were crouching beside Tweak along with Ebon. "Where you headed?!" Crimson shouted.

"Engineering!" Eagle Eye cried back, coughing up dust and ash as the Steel Wing roared overhead. "Pilate's got a brilliant plan... I-I hope!"

"This I gotta see. Josho?"

"Right, right..." Josho grumbled. "Nurse's duty..."

"Look after Tweak!" Crimson hollered as he opened the door to the stairwell, helping Pilate and Eagle Eye trot downstairs.

"Nnnngh... flippin' Killas in their pretty pink princess tutu's..." Tweak slurred, his crystal eyes rolling back.

"The buck...?!" Josho's face twisted.

Ebon gulped and smiled nervously. "I think that means Imre's medicine is working."

"Sure, whatever." Josho stifled a belch and glanced over at Ebon's flank. "Nice sailboat, by the way."

The stallion sighed. Just then, his ears twitched from a whistling shell. With a pale expression, he looked upwards. "Uh oh..."

"Oh for the love of lacy bridles..." Josho growled and covered his horn. "This is the big one!"

"Simon!" Ebon hollered as the stallions' shadows were casted lengthily from the onset of a burning plume. "Where is that miracle rodent?!"

Both ponies looked over to see the squirrel lying flat on his back, his tail twitching in fitful slumber.

"Well..." Ebon gulped. "Nuts." Josho swapped him over the head. "Ow! Jeez! Come on, we're about to die!"

"I don't care." But then Josho's features slouched as he gazed worriedly into the face of death.

"Belle, I-I'm scared..." Kera whimpered, burying her face into Bellesmith's coat.

"Shhhh..." Belle gulped as she closed her tearing eyes to the plummeting cannonfire. "Close your eyes."

The temperature on board the Noble Jury heated up. Just as the air over the deck began to sizzle, a glint of metal darted through.

Roarke dropped Rainbow Dash's groaning body onto the ship, twired about, and fired a full payload of missles at the incoming salvo. She yelled with the effort, unleashing full Searonese wrath. The projectiles intercepting the ordinance in mid-air, causing a huge explosion to consume the immediate sky. The Noble Jury was spared, but the sheer force of the blast sent the vessel reeling. Roarke flew back, landing in a pained slide across the hull as Floydien struggled with the controls.

At last, the ship tilted towards its starboard side, grinding to a noisy stop at the edge of the canyon and lingering there. The light within the skystone dimmed, and Floydien sent a flurry of sparks into the cockpit controls in a desperate bid to salvage the craft. It refused to budge.

"This is it.." Phoenix stood up, panting for breath as he loomed above Belle and Kera. "We're all dust..." He clenched his eyes shut, seething. "Mother... father... I'm so sorry..."

As Belle comforted the sobbing foal, she looked up with frightened eyes. Her vision of the morning sky faded in and out. As it came into clarity, she saw a bright violet shape ascending across the horizon, puttering its slow and patient way towards the Steel Wing.

With a furrowed brow, she looked down at the deck.

Rainbow Dash was lying in open sight, right beside the recovering body of Roarke.

With pursed lips, Belle curiously flung her gaze back skyward, at the familiar airship rising to meet their doom.

Comments

[RoboRed]

...It begins to end...

Points for the mega-badass moment by Roarke.

Heh...and poor Simon.

[Ace of Kings]

Badass mode activate?

[Pilate]

The Encore

[kingtwelvesixteen]

So, just gonna keep updating till you hit 200 then?

I'm fine with that.

[zaponator]

Here come emotions!

[Ms_Fruit_Bat]

The group will survive, I just fear how.

[Phoenix Kitten]

3117431 How to counter an artillery barrage:
Macross Missile Massacre.

[Phoenix Kitten]

You've got blood all over
Ash all over
Spit it out
Colt game's over

[AppleTank]

Will somebody just set the bastard on fire already?

[dafiltafish]

What the hell is imre going to do exactly?

[Nevlamas]

"Nnnngh... flippin' Killas in their pretty pink princess tutu's..." Tweak slurred, his crystal eyes rolling back.
"The buck...?!" Josho's face twisted.

Just another day on the Noble Jury.

3118119 What heroes always do in situations like those: self-redeeming self-sacrifice for the self-preservation of the selves of anyone else on board.

[MellowMabari]

Imre and Shell are are gonna bite the dust, aren't they?

Shell: I brought you into this world - I can take you out of it just as easily.

Imre: Let's finish this, then. The way we started it -

Imre and Shell: Together.

You know, because corny movie lines are awesome, and all that.

The ice cream was a good idea.

[Riverwing]

God's speed Imre.

[dashie76]

IIIIIt's Dashie's 12th Marathon Evaluation Time!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes! Everyone's back on board. Now for Imre's epic moment and the Noble Jury's getaway. Come on, Pilate...These are my thoughts so far.

-MASH

P.S. These chapters are awesome! Not much to talk about, though...

[Honeytiger]

Yesh... Use teh shine book...

[Future Regret]

This is like the end of Eljunbyro, only better I think.

[iloveportalz0r]

>The projectiles intercepting the ordinance in mid-air, causing a huge explosion to consume the immediate sky
I sink u meen "intercepted"

[The Great Turnip]

So Imre's become relevant enough to give off the purple aura? That really doesn't bode well for her... Damn, and I really like her snarky inputs too!

[whizzball1]

Use the book.

-SPirit

[JustAnotherTimeLord]

3696883
>two dislikes
Man, you're such an asshole for pointing out errors in the story.

[JustAnotherTimeLord]

Imre has to come back. Or be saved. Or something.

[iloveportalz0r]

4795492 hue

4795493 0x90

[Regidar]

Fuck, the Noble Jury's not down yet, I hope! We just saw her come into play!

4795492 well, he's a well known shitposter
and literally all he does it point out errors condescendingly

[**Beert]

bright violet shape ascending across the horizon

Why, hello there Axan

And probably very wrong again...

[jDuke]

5984860 yeah, that was the Nightshade craft that Imre just took. seems she has some business on the Steel Wing.

[Hazard]

Something tells me Imre's sacrifice will save the Noble Jury, but darned if I have to like it.

[psychosis]

6169834 or perhaps with a certain srallion, who is probably going to suffer a heart attack shortly, in every possible way?

[Naterdoo]

5984860
The eagles! They're coming!

[FOXTrot2]

So now Belle can see the lavender light too!?

[Skylarking the Stargazer]

8519646
Hobbit much?