Lonely Hearts' Club
The sun had risen over the eastern horizon, but it took at least three hours before the landscape could see the light of it. This was because the looming spires of Blue Nova cast a grand shadow over the outlying province, darkening the towns and villages and merchant hubs that clustered around the highways leading into the metropolis.
The air here was buzzing constantly, filled with creaking of wagons, the humming of manacarts, and the continuous chatter of dozens upon hundreds of ponies standing by the wayside, bartering, gossiping, and talking about all things from the Queen to the war to the rumors from the south.
On every other town square of the surrounding villages, an identical wanted sign lingered, showing a rough, prismatic sketch of a pony with wings. For the most part, the locals ignored it—some of them going so far as to scoff at it. Instead, they busied themselves with transporting goods from one end of the province to the other, running some unofficial race with the zeppelins that puttered and drifted overhead.
The only signature of warmth and hospitality to be seen was in the occasional pair of ponies who would trot through the suburban landscape. Beloved couples walked side by side, some sharing smiles, others sharing the tasks for the day. They operated as one, and not once did they forsake a chance to nuzzle each other and express their effections. Those who weren't paired up were usually lonesome souls, a great deal of them nonequine, who were merely passing through from distant corners of the grand Confederacy.
Through this mixed soup of culture, another pair of ponies trotted slowly. One had a midnight blue saddlebag and a bulging satchel of belongings clinging to her flank. The other—a tall, mustached stallion—was packed to the brim. Though his muscles could handle the load, he glanced left and right, nervously eyeing all of the locals as the two ponies made their way slowly towards the distant gates of Blue Nova.
"They... They don't seem to be paying us much attention," Phoenix murmured under his breath.
"I'm not about to complain," Bellesmith muttered. "This certainly beats sneaking off road, avoiding sight."
"But... what's the deal, I wonder? We're obviously strangers. We're obviously from out of town."
"Shhh..." Belle gulped and glanced down the adjacent alleyways that they were passing. "Don't press it."
He gazed at several pairs of ponies lingering in front of market bazaars. He suddenly remarked, "Could it be that we both look like... like..." He bit his lip. "Well, you know."
Belle said nothing.
He gulped. "I don't suppose that—if push comes to shove—we'll have to blend in somehow—?"
"Let's not even think of that unless the opportunity forces it to happen," she grunted.
He nodded fervently. "Right. Right. I'm sorry I even said anything."
"No. No, you're..." She sighed. "You're thinking. And thinking is good. I feel like I haven't done much of that lately."
"Huh?" he glanced aside at her.
"I've sort of been flying by the seat of my saddle, as t'were."
"Uhm..." Phoenix blinked a few times. He winced and whispered, "You mean that you don't have a plan?"
"I have a plan!" she hissed back, then stared straight ahead. "Only, it's not exactly my plan."
"Then... uhm... whose is it?"
She shook the midnight blue saddlebag. "In here is a tome that Rainbow Dash picked up from an age-old pegasus skeleton west of Foxtaur."
"No kidding?" Phoenix remarked as the two paused to let a wagon or two pass through the bustling intersection in front of them. "A pegasus' remains?"
Bellesmith nodded. "Since you and I landed from the crashed hovercraft, it's been glowing with a magical effluence."
"What does that mean?" Phoenix gulped. "It's h-haunted?"
"No. What it means..." Belle winced, then shrugged it off as she and Phoenix continued trotting again. "What I think it means is that I should be heading in a particular direction. When I position myself due east from here, the tome's runes glow even brighter."
"Meaing?"
"I'm following where it takes me," Belle said. "It wouldn't be easy to explain, but I think it has something to do with what's brought Rainbow Dash out this far. And at this rate, the closer I can get to something that relates to her, the better."
"Wait..." Phoenix stopped in his tracks, his eyes wide. "Due east from here?! But... th-that will lead us straight into—"
"Blue Nova," Belle said with a nod. She trotted ahead, undaunted. "I don't know how or why, but there's something in that city that the tome is leading me to."
"You can't be serious!" Phoenix squawked. He galloped to catch up with her. "That place has got to be swarming with Enforcers! Plus, those guys we beat up—"
"That YOU beat up..."
"The guys that I beat up obviously hailed from there. That's not one—but two groups of ponies who will want to see us dead! And at least half of them will be looking for us in particular!"
"Look..." Belle turned to glare at him. "Did you or did you not promise to help me wherever I happen to be going?"
"Well—Yes! Of course! But... b-but..."
She stared at him, deadpan.
He blinked, ultimately sighing. Gazing ahead, he muttered as they came within the shadow of the grand city's walls. "Alright, but if we really gotta do this, we can't go about it in a hurry. We gotta be slow and careful, not to mention stealthy. I don't know if you've ever been in a big city like this before, but the security is tight as heck."
"How so?"
Phoenix stopped in his tracks and pointed towards the massive city gates. "Take a gander."
Belle stopped where she stood and squinted. "I... I-I'm sorry, Phoenix. But I'm no Eagle Eye."
"Heh, who is?" He smirked slightly and gestured at the scene. "They have enforcers and city militia parked at the entrance at all times. Anypony entering or exiting the city is subject to a thorough search. It would be the same if we entered the upper spires by zeppelin. If you wanna do business in the Queen's cities, then you gotta fly by her rules, no matter how ridiculous."
Belle's gaze pivoted towards the south, following a mass of ponies as they trotted towards the gate. "You're saying that they check everypony?"
"Right..."
"Without exception?"
Phoenix opened his mouth, but paused. "Well..." He scratched his mustache in thought, gazing skyward. "If you were part of a scheduled visit that was planned well in advance, or part of a Confederate province that received special consolation—"
"Like Mintian monks?"
"Huh?"
Belle tugged on his shoulder, then pointed towards the highway leading up to the gates. Phoenix glanced over, and he saw what she saw: a line of thickly robed equines marching softly in unison towards the western entrance of the epically grand city.
"Well..." Phoenix thought aloud. "We've got the sort of clothing that just might blend in. But that's still not good enough."
"How do you mean?"
"Well, you and I don't exactly look pious enough, now do we?"
Belle took a deep breath. Without hesitation, she pivoted about and reached for some of the satchels on his back. "Quick, what's the color of the bag you put the stallions' personal effects in?"
"Er... uhm..." Phoenix leaned awkwardly to help her reach the belongings. "The orange sack, up top." He cleared his throat. "Why do you ask?"
"One of them had a collections of razors, did he not?"
"Yeah...?"
Belle sighed. "I think we're both going to need your delicate telekinesis..."
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Phoenix is getting a shave? A moment of silence for the manliest mustache in Equestria.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Also, did we ever learn the significance of the whole "beloved" thing? I think I remember reading somwehre that they're paired up by the state or something. Someone needs to make a Austreoh Wiki.
Forty-five 4-count jumping jacks, ):(. knock 'em out!
2380735
It's not "explained," per se, it's simply a defining part of the culture that is also used as a way for the Queen to exact control over the population. That is, they encourage partnerships (or that was naturally evolved) and then utilize them as leverage. It also is a contrast to the Xonan culture.
2380761
Cool.
Now make the wiki.
NO! NOT THE MUSTACHE!
You can't just take away one of his (maybe his only) redeeming qualities like that! What's next? Crimson being dressed in a pink gingham dress and working for an Albanian state washing machine company? Or maybe Shell is going to crawl in, declare Ledomare as the Republic of New Atlantis, ask people to call him Lord President Gilbert the Nineteenth and bludgeon any nearby Enforcers with an empty tube of gum-friendly toothpaste?
Spotted a spelling mistake too. I believe you stated "effections" rather than "affections".
Looks like they're going for some Assassin's Creed style stealth.
Press A to blend
We indeed need a Wiki for this now or TVTropes
Sneaking about disguised as monks? Never fails.
This is Australia...
2380772
How much could we put in a wiki? We still barely know anything. Despite the info dump that the flashback in Eljun became, we're still woefully uninformed about what lies ahead and what's really afflicting Dash.
am I the only one thinking that THIS is going to get referenced
2380875 you know, we could update the wiki as more stuff is revealed...
Hah, shaving time Phoenix!
2380961
LOVE that scene...
2380868
AND that scene...
Bellesmith is best OC. She's clever, resourceful, and her groundedness is a great antidote to the action-hero bravado that defines like half the main cast at this point.
2380875
I more meant all that has happened up til now, all the pertinent details. in a fic as long as this one, it'd be very useful.
Well this just ruins my Phoenix cosplay entirely.
My own moustache is very real and I am quite fond of it.
Hairless time? Hairless time.
(other comenters)noooo! Not the moustache!
(Honeytiger)don't worry, Honeytiger has replacement!
The act we've known for all these years...
It's a good thing Belle seems to be emulating the more recent version of Dash, rather than the one from Austraeoh.
She's capturing that perfect blend of "expertly planned and thought-out mission" and "say 'hello' with a roundhouse kick" that Dash learned through Eljunbyro.
New commenters left and right these days. YOU WONT GET A IN STORY SHOUT OUT BEFORE ME! IVE FOLLOWED THIS STORY SINCE THE END OF AUSTRAEHO! RAAAAAHHHHHHH
. Actually you probably will. All of you will. I think I'm going insane...
2382491 I've been following since a quarter of the way through Eljunbyro. Longer than that, actually. I want a shout out too!
Although, IC, if you ever decide to do that, please use my old username, cannonSpectacle. Novus Ordo Seclorum is the text at the bottom of the Great Seal of the United States of America.
2382174
The one and only Billy Shears...
2380961
If it gets referenced, it'll probably just be because you pondered if it'll be referenced :P
~-~-~ CAUSALITY! ~-~-~
Left click for a stealthy Broken Horn Assassination from cover. You can use groups of monks to conceal your way past Templar guards.
2380735 I believe these monks also shave their scalps. Somewhere out there, Eagle Eye is crying bitter tears.
2382491 2382803 Gentlemen. You do not appeal to a God through begging and bargaining. You appeal to a God by building him a shrine.
Side note: ceterum censeo Searinem delendam esse. Furthermore, I consider that Searo must be destroyed.
Sneaky sneaky...
Also:
Now in my head all bloody day.
2377898Hmm...perhaps Nancy Jane is not a living thing, but an object instead?
That's an interesting thought. Knowing Imploding, anything's possible.
2376523I don't know. It miiiiiiight be because I never updated and am still below version 4.5, but I don't know. (I don't want to give up the old YouTube app. Sue me.
)
I'm content to let people believe that he picks all his names out of his commenters
Phoenix! your sacrifice shall nae be in vain!
From the ashes shall arise a greater, more powerful ´stache!
2384042
Not the first Beatles reference in a chapter title either.
This can only mean one thing.
These ponies will form a rock band when they finally get back together.
And they'll restore the world with the power of music, love, and really awesome vocal harmonies.
It's a plan that can't go wrong.
2382803 I've been following since the beginning of the series(didn't have an account back then)can my name be used? :(
Mulan moment incoming! Not necessarily the cross-dressing, but the dramatic haircut at least. Belle should get a song to go with it - heck, her and Phoenix could do a duet. "Who is that pony I see, staring straight back at meeee? When will our reflections show, who we are, insiiiiide?"
...
Alright, no more caffeine for me. Onward!
2383861
I appeal to God by trying to be the most pathetic being I possibly can. Are you telling me that there is a fault in my ways?
Eagle eye would have a heart attack if he knew what they were going to do.
IIIIIt's Dashie's evaluation time!
So Belle and Crimson finally made to the Blue Shelf gates. That's good. It's nice to see that Belle has to forgive him for a little bit. Also, moment of silence for Crimson's moustache..
...
...
...enough.
These are my thoughts so far.
-MASH
P.S. So I didn't evaluate yesterday at all. I did feel bad about it andwanted to explain that A., it was far too late once I got the chance, and B., I'm trying to save up the chapters for a Marathon. I may do one soon.
2380795 you beat me to it
>"Meaing?"
I sink u meen "Meaning"
No! Not that moustache!
Oh well. At least we get to become monks! 
...
-SPirit
And somewhere, Eagle Eye cringes.
A shave AND a haircut?
Ye gads.
4764359 i think breaks down into Tears is more likely. I mean, He was so happy about her hair.
The hair will grow back. their options won't. Let's hope these monks are minty fresh.
Not the mustache!
That, plus a couple of boards, really hard heads, and chanting. All and all, the result should look something like this
05/10/2017 14:31 UTC
8153646
And they have TWO tomes to smack against their faces! It's perfect!
Somehow this split-party thing reminds me of One Piece after the meeting with Bartholomew Kuma
8153646
I can just imagine Belle chanting givberish now.
She is certainly crazy enough to pull time off
8153646
oh, that reminded me of an old Super-Friends cartoon where a Bizarro version of Cyborg tried to "interface with the computer" by banging his face into the screen!
Good bye handlebars, riding hands free now
By god I wanna know if each city is hiding something dark. The Giant Spiral in Blue shelf and it's function is something I wanna find out about! Not to mention most every other machine found. A name would ne fantastic once they all regroup
And when do we meet this Queen Ledomare? And how much does she know??
5613719
Two bits.