As the Heraldite vessel came about for another pass, Nevlamas thrashed her neck skyward and blew fire at the crimson-streaking craft. Khao’s expert piloting twirled the ship past the aquamarine flames, angling out just in time to drop an explosive barrage of steam grenades across the Divine’s bleeding skull.
With a loud, wailing growl, the dragon took wing and glided hungrily for the thrusters of the speedy frigate. Khao’s ship banked north, ascending over the charred wasteland as the chaotic monster gave chase.
This gave Rainbow Dash and her group room to breathe, and it was all soon filled with gasps and murmurs.
“Who in the hay are they?!”
“That’s not like any Xonan or Confederate ship I’ve ever seen!”
“It’s okay,” Rainbow Dash said, her eyes following the streaking sight as it drew Nevlamas into the gray distance. “They’re on our side.” Her ears folded. “I think.”
“Does it matter?” Zaid asked.
Basso nodded waggedly. “What he said.”
“Rainbow! Now’s our chance!” Kera hopped up and down. “Let’s go do the flaming book thingy!”
“Kera…” Rainbow growled lightly as he faced her.
“We’ve been given a golden opportunity here,” Nightshade said. “Let’s not waste it.”
“It’d be a shame to have come all this distance for nothing,” Roarke wheezed.
Rainbow looked at Roarke, at Nightshade, then at Kera. “Fine. But if Roarke can’t come along, then I’m gonna need another pony to come with us.”
With her last remaining strength, Roarke bucked Zaid in the flank.
“Gaaah!” He stumbled forward into Rainbow’s side.
Rainbow grimaced. “Ew, you?”
“Hey, it’s a s-surprise to me too!” Zaid rubbed his flank with two hooves.
“Can you fly a managlider?”
“Does it involve steering clear of the earth?”
“Good enough.” Rainbow picked Kera up and placed her--and the tome--dead center in the managlider. “Hold on tight, kiddo, this is gonna be a little bumpy.”
“Uhhhh…” Kera nervously gulped, watching Zaid climb into the pilot’s seat. “You’re telling me.”
“A monster that ferocious can’t be distracted for too long,” Nightshade said as she climbed into the rear. “We’d better be swift.”
“That means you got some remembering to do, lady!” Rainbow said with a frown, then turned towards the Ledomaritans in the group. “Basso? Zetta?” She paused, fidgeting nervously.
The two nodded in one accord. “It’s been great working with you, Rainbow Dash,” Basso said.
“If it weren’t for you, none of us would have made it out of the Sacred Hold alive,” Zetta remarked with a sad smile. “So many ponies never got to see their families again, but we will.”
“Thanks to you,” Basso added.
Rainbow smiled, exhaling heavily. “Well… uh… actually, there is one thing I’d like to ask from you two.”
“Name it.”
Rainbow pointed at Roarke. “Take Roarke’s sound stone. Call the Jury and bring my friends around. She’s going where we’re going/ But if we need to give any of you guys a lift--”
“We belong here,” Zetta insisted. “However this ends, we need to make sure Ledomare has a prosperous future.”
Rainbow bit her lip. “It… might not end up the way you want it.” Her eyes swam over the Xonan who had piloted the managlider there. “For any of you.”
“It is bigger than all of us, and it must collapse.” The Xonan leaned forward and spoke ardently. “Do not let the world be cursed by monster of Lasairfion.”
“We won’t. You can count on that.” Rainbow turned towards the once-metal mare. “Roarke?”
“Bucking move your flanks already!” she growled.
“Right. There’ll be time for awkward hugs later.” Rainbow jolted ahead in a prismatic streak. “Zaid?! Gun it! For real!”
“Hey, uhm…” Zaid’s eyes squinted across the dashboard. “I think the emergency brake is on. I can’t get the wheels to budge!”
Nightshade hissed. “This is a hovercraft.”
“Oh, so that explains the altimeter!” Zaid smiled crookedly. “Just kidding. I totally know what I’m doing--” His hoof brushed over a lever, suddenly accelerating the three ponies like a bullet out of a gun. “Waaaa-haaa-haaa-hooooiee!”
Kera squealed from the adrenaline rush while Nightshade struggled to hold her lunch in.
Both Rainbow and the glider could be seen bobbing and weaving their way towards the dark ravine beyond. Basso trotted sideways, reaching down to take the sound stone from Roarke.
“Here you go, Zettta.” The stallion hoofed the communicator to the mare, then turned back to Roarke. “You’ve really been travelling across country with those ponies?”
“Yes,” Roarke nodded with a stifled groan. “Give or take a villain.”
“How is it that you’re still alive?”
Roarke’s jaws tightened. “I don’t know. Someday, I’ll have to do something about that…”
Never change Zaid
I like to think I got a 502 error because everyone was running to this chapter
Dashing towards the machine.
~Basso
You're going to let Zaid pilot the managlider? Why not just let Nightshade do it? Oh well, I guess Zaid just makes everything better.
Good job Zaid, you are the best pilot this world has ever seen. I'm not sure how effective steam grenades are against a dragon, but I'm fairly sure they shouldn't be able to really harm Nevalmas. I'm pretty sure dragons are immune to the heat of the steam and the water in it would probably be boiled against her scales. In other words, what did you put in those missiles Khao?
All hail the mighty Zadubadabu as we wait for the army of cyborgs led by Prowse to come and win this fight once and for all.
And thus Zaid unleashed the battle cry of the legendary warrior known only as "Goofy."
You cant hit something you cant aim at, and you cant aim at something thats flying totaly randomly for a given duration of time. As long as Zaid doesnt intersect with the ground in an absolutely terminal manner, hes best , unfortunately, to handle it.
dunno why but i laughed so hard at this
IIIIIt's Dashie's evaluation time!
Good old Zaid, he never lets us down. But I have to wonder if he really was joking back there...something tells me he wasn't. These are my thoughts so far.
-MASH
Go on, me!
Onwards to glory!
And try not to crash.
3773124
If Goofy is any indication, they'll have a very bumpy ride.
3773183 Hey you're still around.Awesome.
I wonder if Dash is going to pass out again when she activates the Machine. I mean, every other time, she had to absorb the flame. Maybe this time is different? I've got no clue.
Gosh,things are definently reaching a boiling point.
Huzzah! While he may not be the most competent of pilots (probably the understatement of the century), I'm glad to see that Zaid at least knows the most basic rule of flight: avoid the ground. Towards the machine world for Dashes and Apples!
3773124 Thank you. It was annoying me that I couldn't place where that was from.
looks like fun times are approaching.
In before Zaid turns out to be a badass fighter pilot ace or something. Or perhaps merely a savant.
... or maybe he'll be every bit as incompetent as we all fear he is.
It'll be sad to see Basso and Zetta go, though I suspect they'll have one last part to play before its all over. Now we just need to have Roarke get her groove back.
3772968 Last time I checked Kera could also pilot it in a pinch, way back when Belle went all Eljunbadass across Nightshade Industries.
Is Shell still alive?
and again with the Zaid
lol the goofy yodel scream.
So... a ledomatian mana-glider has top mounted wings, an open air cockpit, and 1 or 2 machine guns with a 180-270 degree tageting ark on the crafts Z axis, as well as a sort of bombing system. Outside the targeting range is a massive engine that would be right at home on a Cessna Dragonfly. The panels and control surfaces would likely be made out of aluminum with blue stripes running down the sides. They contain 4 seats (3 operative and one passenger in the side gunner model, 2 operative and one passenger along with bomb bay in the rear gunner model). The engine is mounted behind the main fuselage with intakes on the top of the wings.
Basic look:
m8.i.pbase.com/o6/08/580408/1/114069128.iBrjVRix.SG38Glider.jpg
Dragonfly:
cdn-www.airliners.net/aviation-photos/middle/3/7/5/1502573.jpg
Guns:
upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1a/Specs54.jpg/250px-Specs54.jpg
I can imagine them as a half-step between jet fighter and attack helicopter.
I still want Nightshade to die horribly...
The ironic part is that they're going to dive straight into the ground and not steering clear of it. :twilightsheepish The book is on its way. We are this close to see every colour illuminate.
3773108
3774552 They are also built by a manapunk culture and will probably reflect that in their appearance.
3773331 You know it. Just took me forever to catch up to the latest chapter.
3773770 Went to Sunday River up in Maine.Was quite awesome, though they didn't get much snow. Thus, a lot of the harder courses were closed, but it wasn't that bad. Have. A good time skiing yourself!
3775608 Maybe copper body panels then?
A windshild would need to be framed of course, the seals on the support struts would have some kind of metal grommet (brass or aluminum), and the control surfaces would be a patina green for camouflage as well as age. the engine fuel would be stored in a tank behind the rear passenger's seat/rear gunner seat, the engine (jet like in design) would burn fuel in a violet-blue shade.it would have fixed rear wheels and a retractable front wheel.
you could also have the ability to stall the craft when it is level and levitate it towards a dock of some kind (like the hanger on the steel wing).
3777883 From everything I've gathered, Ledomartians like blue sparkly crystals and smooth, shiny steel.
Off to the belly of the metal earth!
DON'T YOU DARE!
Almost there.
-PSIrit
EDIT: ... Fail.
-Spirit*
And as they fly through the valley of the shadow of Death . . .
Hey now! we all know what happened the last time a main character joked about offin themselves! NO! Bad Roarke!
And the legend of Austraeoh promptly ended when Zaid flew them all into the sun after accidentally getting the accelerator stuck
good fucking job
5550672 ...they feared no evil, for God was with them.
And then Zaid became Goofy.
No. Bad Roarke.
Holy dang the last bunch of chapters have been intense and amazing. Fighting and fires and more fighting and crazy as hell Shell. Wooooo! I love it all.
Roarke... please don't say things like that. You kinda gotta live and stuff, and I don't think there's a possible prosperous suicide like Imre had (and botched). Taking me longer than I'd like to finish this, but so be it.
~SolidFire
' . ' [period]
_____________
6788965
Agreed. Roarke is too Bad Flank to die.