Shift and Shaft
When the elevator door finally opened, the hallway outside looked exactly the same. For a moment, Belle and Phoenix stood dead-still, their faces awash with complexion.
"This... but... did we...?" Bellesmith stammered.
"Something must be wrong," Phoenix said, staring at the familiar polished granite and shiny walls of the place. "Maybe it returned to the first floor—?"
"We're way up high," Kera said, trotting out, undaunted.
"Kera!" Belle hissed. "But we're—"
"Trust me," the child said in a dull tone, gazing lethargically back at the two adults. "We're something like thirty stories up right now, easily. This is the only place this particular elevator goes, and it's how I've gotten out and gotten back in more than once."
Phoenix bit on his lip and gave Belle an awkward glance.
Belle simply nodded and took the first step out to follow Kera.
Phoenix shuddered. Trotting in a jittery fashion, he glanced down both ends of the long hallway. "I just can't for the life of me believe that they furnish every friggin' level to look this nice."
"Believe it," Kera muttered. "If there's anything Lady Nighty-Night is good for, it's looking pretty." She turned around. "So... uh... where to?"
"You've been here before," Phoenix whispered, still gazing all about with the anxiety of a sleepless guard dog. "Care to tell us where we can and can't go?"
"Uhhhh, no?" Kera stuck her tongue out. "It was you guys' bright idea to come here, poopy heads!"
"Now if you would just—"
"Phoenix, relax," Belle calmly said. She was already pulling out the ancient tome from her saddlebag. The lavender light was practically blinding at this point. She had to squint as she tilted the item around, judging the extent of its brilliance. "We are definitely close to the source."
"And just what is that source?!"
"Whatever it is, it's over in that direction," Belle said, motioning with her stub of a horn. "Somewhere at the end of that long hallway."
"And so's the ward," Kera said.
"What ward?" Phoenix asked.
"Where all my lame friends are hanging out!" Kera said with a venomous grin tossed over her flank. "Well, they used to be my lame friends. Now they're just lame. But, hey! That's their fault for not blowing this popsicle stand the first second that they—"
Just then, the elevator door behind them hissed shut. After a mana-powered "ding!" the three were subjected to a vibrating hum that practically resonated throughout the invisible spine of the skyscraper.
Belle gasped. "What... what is—"
"Awwwww fudge nuggets," Kera muttered with a pouty face. "Not again."
Phoenix flashed her a grimacing expression. "What's happening again?!"
"Remember what I said earlier about this elevator only having to travel between the first floor and here?"
"Yes...?"
"Well, Madame Night-Stain has an office on this floor and... well..."
The elevator stopped humming. Was silent. And began humming again. The vibrating sound drew closer and closer.
"Crud!" Phoenix hissed, looking left and right. "We gotta move!"
"How many ponies usually accompany this mare on these meetings?" Belle stammered.
"Oh, I dunno... a dozen or so?"
As Belle's breath left her, Phoenix was galloping back and forth between the sides of the hallway. "Quick! Kid! Pick a door and get us on the other side with that fancy lockpicking magic of yours!"
"Pffftttchyaa!" Kera quacked. "You got a few minutes you could spare?"
"Huh?!" Phoenix did a double take.
"The doors up here are sealed super-tight with some security lock mumbo jumbo. They take me agesssss to open!"
"Well, why didn't you say so beforehand?!" Phoenix grumbled.
"You dum-dums didn't ask!"
"Nnngh!" Phoenix stomped his hooves and looked around. "Think think think think..."
"Mr. Phoenix..." Bellesmith squeaked. "The elevator is coming."
"I usually hide in a potted plant," Kera said. "But they removed them after last time." She smiled with a slight blush. "I had to make sissy really bad..."
"Wait... wait!" Phoenix stared up. "Now that is different!"
"Huh?" Belle glanced his way.
Phoenix pointed up at the ceiling that was devoid of amber-glowing light fixtures. "The ceiling is much lower than in the lobby. What's more, there's paneling."
"Which means—Gah!" Belle jumped back as a metal grate fell right in front of her.
"It'll be a tight squeeze, but we should be able to fit!" Phoenix turned from the open A/C unit to the petite foal. "Hold your breath, kid."
"What for—ayyyy gi gi gi gi!" Kera's voice cracked and her hooves flailed. She found herself spinning upwards like a badly punted hoofball. In a blink, Phoenix had telekinetically hoisted her up into the echoing metal shaft.
"There. That's one." Phoenix swiveled to face Belle.
"Mr. Phoenix, you don't seriously think that—?" Belle's breath left her as she too was being lifted up, albeit much more slowly.
"Yes... I... do... th-think..." Phoenix hissed, his entire face tensing as he lifted her ceilingward by sheer magic. "Nnnngh—Spark! Eat any g-good books lately?!"
"Phoenix! Careful!" Belle uttered from mid-air. "You'll pop a blood vessel in your brain!"
"Wouldn't that be horrible?" Kera stifled a giggle as she reached her hooves down. "Grab ahold, Belle!"
Upon hearing the child say her name so casually, the mare glanced up. She bit her lip and stretched... stretched her hooves up. Kera steadied her forelimbs as Belle clamped onto the edge of the air conditioning shaft and dangled. All it took now was a brief, telekinetic shove from Phoenix's end and she was sliding into the thin passage right after Kera.
The elevator stopped humming.
"Hurry, Mr. Phoenix!" Belle chirped desperately from above.
The stallion grimaced. Already covered in sweat, he flexed his limbs, took a breath, and leapt straight up. His horn strobed across the reflective surfaces of the room as he gave his own body a telekinetic bounce. For half-a-second, he flew. His hooves clamored loudly over the edge of the shaft's entrance. Belle and Kera grunted as they pulled at his forelimbs, sliding the breathless stallion up and into the claustrophobic passage.
A dinging sound echoed above the door.
Phoenix scrunched tight, spun around, and aimed his horn down from the shaft.
The metal vent grate flew up like a kite, just as the elevator opened, pouring out several busily trotting and chatting bodies. Phoenix quietly fastened the lid in place. The three hung silent and gazed down in time to see a familiar dark-blue sunhat passing beneath them.
"Sir Ordo, I want you attending to the ring team. Overseer Fatch has his hooves full with cleaning up the zeppelin debacle at the Facilitation building in the northeast."
"Do you not want my expert advice in discussing this matter, Madame?"
"Not this time, Ordo. I want you working on the project. They know and trust you best, after all."
"As you wish, Madame. I'll go right away."
"The rest of you, come with me. This meeting will be brief, but it's important. I do believe somepony is onto us."
"Who, pray tell?!" One of the many ponies stammered, his voice echoing across the hallway beneath the a/c unit. "The Council of Ledo? Xonan saboteurs?"
"We'll discuss it once we're all assembled. Somepony get word out that I'm about to visit Novus."
"But Madame—"
"Send word. That's an order."
"Yes, ma'am..."
Belle and Phoenix exchanged quiet glances.
"Ugh..." Kera grunted. "I swear, she always sounds like a hippopotamus trying to read poetry." Kera started scoot-scoot-scooting down the shaft. She paused and glanced over her shoulder. "You two melon fudges wanna get somewhere or not? Follow my tattoos to happiness!"
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With all these projects and foals, I'm curious if we'll see an obelisk rise up when all is said and done.
?
Are they making a nuke or something? Also....
Oh, so she and Pilate AREN'T in the same building. Huh, damn. I wanted a tearful reunion.
Thirty-five four count flutter kicks for delaying it, ):(. Knock 'em out!
2652775
Didn't we just get an obelisk in Blue Shelf? I'm not sure about the physical distance between this city and there, and it could be that they build facilities on top of obelisks, without realizing it, due to magical signatures, but it seems too close together to have another one. Though now I have a mental image of the Nightshade building getting pierced straight up the middle.
Since I started reading Austraeoh the image on the top of the page is stuck on RD's face. I did nothing to investigate and fix it.
John de Lancie approves this message. Have I ever mentioned how much I enjoy the irony that he started of mocking other people with that phrase and ended up the only one who actually did it?
So let's see... if the building's "machine level" is indeed the machine I am thinking off, it is strange that the book is not leading them there. Whatever it is is either a person amongst the children or an object in Madame Claire Nightshade's office. If Floydien would be a little closer, I'd go for yet another Nancy Jane theory. This way?
Let's just wait for further revelations!
Ceterum censeo Searinem delendam esse, until they got no more than that.
So Lady Nighty-Night isn't double dealing. She has some separate objective.
awww keras another scootaloo
"Follow my tattoos to happiness"
Kera is definitely Laughter. See: End of Ponies, Dredgemane Arc. Pinkie totally says something similar. I think it's "Follow my fluffy tail to happiness".
2653309
Your namesake is closer to Dredgemane's Pinkie whereas Kera retains a lot more of Harmony—a fitting trait for a small, orangish filly—with some Pinkie mixed in for the heck of it. In my opinion, anyway. Besides, it's only fitting that your namesake be like your favorite pony.
2652775
One can never have too many obelisks.
Also, obligatory mention of how we're getting closer and closer to bringing the band back together.
I'm tellin' ya, Belle and Pilate are so close, I can already smell the sap!
Oh man, that tattoo line made my day.
I really wish Pilate would find Belle quicker. This place is starting to creep me out...
Props has to represent the element of laughter because so far, she has stayed optimistic from the get-go. Kera on the other han- er.... hoof, is hiding something, and she remains uncomfortable about it.
Oh good lord this reunion is so delayed. I really do wonder what the book is pointing at, though. The kids can't be that special, can they?
Pilate and Belle will reunite at chapter 100 obviously.
2652846
You deserve some discipline for not paying attention, Jake! You'll get your company slaughtered that way!
Ten wide-grip push-ups.
Ten diamond push-ups.
Ten Aztec push-ups!
...
Muah-ha-hah.
Awesome.
Someone's onto her, eh? Ain't that a shame? I wonder if it has to do with Floydien's little stunt, or if it's someone in the Ledomaritan government. I still suspect that Nightshade has a tentacle or two in the government, but maybe I'm just thinking about something else.
On an unrelated note, it's been a while since we've seen anything of
El BastardoShell. But Innavedr seems to have been mostly in real-time, so to speak, so I guess he's just stranded in Foxtaur still.Also:
New life goal acquired: Find a suitable situation to make this sound.
data.whicdn.com/images/34546461/funny-gif-man-jump-out-the-window_large.gif
2655339
Done and done.
The fuck else you got?
2652775
Nah, that's Zap's thing. Anyone copying him would be subject to his industrial wrath.
What does a hippopotamus trying to read poetry even sound like?
RD used to say "melon fudges", right?
Oh right.
2656098
... I've got nothin'.
I tried to do Aztec push-ups once, and almost died!
Good ol' Phoenix, putting his noggin to use. It's about bloody time.
Kera's still adorable. Belle's still meh. Onwards!
That there made my day.
You think evil empires would have some sort of traps set up in their air ducts for instances such as these, considering their frequency
Hopefully they find an opening right above the meeting room so they can listen in and figure out exactly what nefarious stuff Nightshade has planned - and possibly hear more about Floydien and Pilate's break-in in the process.
IIIIIt's Dashie's evaluation time!
So there isn't really too much in this chapter. Although, I suppose that the interactions between this little trio are interesting, at least. These are my thoughts so far.
-MASH
"I'm sweatin' my flank off draggin' your buckin' rope around. Must weigh tirty pounds!"
"Shhh. We're doing some serious spit here, now get a buckin' hold of yahself!"
"Oh, buck you! I'm not tha rope-totin' Charlie Bronson wannabe that's gettin' us buckin' lost!"
*falls out of vent, right into meeting*
Oh please, oh please, oh please! I know it's been written long before now, but a fella can wish, can't he?
Also, they are suffering from an unfortunate lack of rope. Ya never know what you're gonna need it for. Ya just always need it.
Phew. Just in time.
Also, Kera is hilarious. 
-Spirit
2656098
Planks for an hour. Straight. Good luck, soldier.
I really want to see what's up with these foals.
2696488 perhaps they do and we have yet to hear the silent alarm
...wait...i mean 
Ah, not the same building after all. Damn shame.
the last time I followed that advice, I ended up with all four hepatituses!
Hepititi?
Well, regardless, it was bad
5759556 was this before or after the cactus???
How did they not get caught?
Interesting that Nightshade feels the need to have everyone aware she's visiting her brother.
That's really harsh if the "lame" bit is a reference to them all having no horns.
Now that's some pretty unfortunate timing.
Dang, that was close.
Ha, called that! Let me guess, this is where they fall through a vent into the meeting?
Kera works pretty hard at being this adorable.
I just got the weirdest image from reading that
I get the feeling she is sensing things are going wrong.
edit
09/04/2019
01:55 UTC
I missed a few sentences there and thought that phoenix didn't have enough time to get up. That sure would've been a strange event if he was just standing there in the hallway.