"Just down this corridor," Imre said, stumbling as the bowels of Searo's Hold shook all around them. Rainbow Dash helped her up as the two galloped down the passageway, approaching a thick metal door. "The Hold has never been invaded before, so I don't think we'll run into any guards here."
"Any chance we'll find some forceps to remove the stick up your flank?" Rainbow asked.
"Not likely."
"Drat." Rainbow stood before the door, panting. "So, what's up with this? Is the thing locked?"
"There's been a power flux," Imre said. "I can feel it through my leylines: something has disrupted the energy in every metal mare's suit, as well as in the conduits channeling mana from the central core before us here."
"A little less brain noodle and a little more muscle macaroni," Rainbow said, pointing with a metal horseshoe. "How do I get the dang thing open?"
"We... will get the dang thing open," Imre said, already concentrating magic through her horn.
Rainbow raised an eyebrow beneath her helmet. "You sure you don't wanna just sit here and stew in your own bullcrap for an eternity instead?"
"Please. There's something in here that will be of interest to you, and it's only fair that I let you see it," Imre said, her meditative facing tensing even more. "At least, I think you'll give a crap."
"Why wouldn't I?"
"That's a good question. You just strike me as a pony who'll do stupid things to save the day."
"Yeah, well, nobody's perfect."
A loud clicking noise emanated from within the metal body of the door. Imre relaxed with a heavy exhale.
"Was that it?" Rainbow asked.
Imre motioned with her weary head. "Give it a go."
So, Rainbow did, shoving up against the door with her metal-reinforced forelimbs. After a few seconds of strain, the unlocked door swiveled up within its frame. Warm air jetted out. The interior was dimly lit with a red aura.
"Yeesh! Smells like an unwashed bathhouse in there!" Rainbow waved a hoof before her helmet and leaned forward. "You been in here before?"
"Personally, no. Spark be praised. I only know from what I've been told..."
"Guess it's gonna be an eye opener for us both." Rainbow Dash stepped in slowly, taking cautious glances left and right. "Ugh, I dunno if I told you this or not, but cramped underground darkly-lit rooms and I have a nasty history..."
"Hey. You asked for me to bring you here."
"I know, it's just—" Rainbow's ears perked. "Somepony's in here..."
Imre said nothing.
Rainbow strolled in. She saw a circular chamber, laced with complicated instrument panels. Knobs and levers and dials dotted the walls. Hanging above were several dangling cables that brimmed with errant sparks of electricity.
"Right... well this is translating to a whole bunch of nothing to me."
"Are there any holding chambers at all?" Imre asked, trotting up behind her.
"Huh?" Rainbow glanced over her shoulder. "You mean like cages or something?"
Imre slowly nodded.
Rainbow glanced at the walls again. She trotted along the segmented partitions, then noticed a huge lever hanging off the middle. She thought she heard a shuffling noise on the other side. With a confused mutter under her breath, she reached forward and yanked at the lever. With a loud hiss, four layers of metal walling slid down beneath the floor. The air filled with coughing, wheezing sounds. Rainbow gasped to see no less than seven stallions in the middle of collapsing within a barren compartment, their front and rear limbs bound in tight metal wires.
"Ah, jeez!" Rainbow rushed forward and helped the first of many to limp out into the much cooler, less confining chamber. "I dunno who arranged the slumber party from Tartarus, but at ease, guys! Rescue's here!"
"R-rescue...?" One stallion wheezed. He squinted at the sight of the unicorn and the armored pegasus. "I... I don't understand? You're... y-you're not Searonese, are you?"
"Spark, I hope not," Imre droned.
"Hey..." Rainbow Dash leaned forward, and she saw her reflection doing the same thing. The stallion's coat was polished like a mirror, this was because his body was composed entirely of organic crystal. "I saw you earlier! Down in the hallways near the arena! A mare was leading you somewhere..."
"I-I was being examined..." He hissed, wincing in pain as Rainbow Dash steadied him.
"Examined?"
"For potency..." He started to catch his breath, though he shuddered no less. "I was deemed to still be seventy-five percent conductive. That's why I wasn't thrown into those arena pits along with you..."
"I don't get it..." Rainbow Dash muttered. "Conductive for what?"
"You mean... you don't know?"
Rainbow Dash slowly shook her head.
The stallion looked at her, then over at Imre.
Imre gazed quietly back while helping two other stallions.
"Her..." The stallion pointed. "I've met her before..."
"Then I'm sorry for how depressing your existence must be."
"No, she's..." The stallion gulped. "She's good. She's taken care of us since we got here... as much as she can afford to. She's managed to buy us all more time out of the focus chamber..."
"Focus... chamber...?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"She found a way to take samples of our blood," another stallion said, trembling. "Apparently the metal mares can use it to do the same stuff that they use us for..."
"Wait, blood? Using you? Huh?" Rainbow Dash blinked awkwardly at the group. "Just what is going on—?" She paused, glancing over their shoulders.
A large door rested against the far end of the circular chamber. From beyond, a loud hum emanated, bleeding bits of bright light through the edges of the doorframe.
Rainbow Dash blinked, then winced at a startling thought. She spun about. "Imre. Could you help me with the door here?"
"I don't have enough energy to open the Focus Chamber," Imre said. "That would take the power of three unicorns at least."
"Well, is there another friggin' way inside it?" Rainbow asked. "If things are bad enough here, I hate to think about what it's like inside—"
Just then, all seven stallions flickered with light, as if a gold beam swam through all of them in a straight line. Their eyes widened in surprise, and yet a bizarre strength returned to their features.
Rainbow squinted at them. "Uhhh... did you guys just colletively fart or something—?"
"Hiyaaaugh!" A muscular body pounced on her from behind.
"Horsefeathers!" Rainbow grunted as she was shoved into a metal wall. She tried bucking the pony off, but the weight of him was too much. "Okay, which one of you dudes threw a sweaty boulder on me?!"
"I-I got her, Tweak!" A male voice grunted from behind. "Take the shot—"
"Nope." Rainbow fired her thrusters. The two glided across the room and slammed into the far wall. The pony atop her back took the brunt of the impact.
"Ooof!" He fell to the floor.
"Alright!" Rainbow hopped up, spun about, and ground her hooves. "Somepony just bought a one way ticket to Buckville and I'm all outta—" She froze, her jaw dropping beneath the shattered edge of her helmet. "...Crimson?"
"Mmmmf—Sp-Spark!" He sputtered, wincing as he sat up. He took one look at her and squinted. "Rainbow... Dash...?"
She grinned wide. "Holy cow!" She practically frolicked over to his fallen figure. "Crimson, it's you! It's totally you! This is the best thing that's happened in—"
A rifle blast exploded against Rainbow's helmet.
"Gaaah!" She pratfalled, her legs sticking up. "Sonuva—"
"She's a tough one, Crimson!" Tweak stood in the doorway, recharging his gun. "About half a charge should light her up!"
"Dammit, Tweak, hold your fire!"
huh - well, power source I guess.
ground her hooves, not grinded her hooves
Well, looks like everybody's found the crystal ponies! Time to break down this joint.
Sweaty boulders and manarifles to the face. What a touching reunion.
I have always been confused by crystal pony anatomy. Are they like rock people? Do they eat rocks? Apparently they have blood, so maybe they are all rocky on the outside and meaty on the inside, like a pony with an exoskeleton.
Haven't slave holders in this story learned there lesson yet? Every time there are prisoners in a labor camp, and the occurrence is surprisingly common, the prisoners ALWAYS rebel and ALWAYS kill their captors.
wait, the crystal ponies have blood?
Enter. The core.
Finally caught up. Took a while. Current thoughts: you write better when you have action and impetus for your characters. The long travelogue scenes and exploration stuff early on in Austraeoh got really, really, purple. The current pace is a good one, though if we want to see the end of the story this decade you're gonna have to cut some corners or skip some travel/exploration once the current plotline's finished.
Still reckoning on the Focus Chamber being built into or hooked up to the World Machine somehow.
Classic.
Reunion.
Shoot first, ask questions later.
Okay. Ow.
Good thing she has a helmet.
Called it, I can't blame Tweak but good job RD for taking that shot like a mare and winning, as far as we know nothing bad will happen until we open the machine and fight pestiferus. Speaking of which, haven't seen much machine world lately.
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They eat, breathe, and (presumably) crap. Why wouldn't they bleed? Now, as for how we can see through them and not see their guts, I'm just gonna wave my hands around and say "refraction".
Nothing like a rifle shot to the face to say hi
2483471 I'm commenting less and less on IC's writing and more and more on your comments.
That said, Moony, that is so you of you.
Finally, they're starting to come back together again.
*Crimson and Tweak joined the party*
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screw that, the best parts are the long, drawn out and detailed parts.
let the party continue!
Aaaah.... my crrrystal sssslaaaves.... have started a rebellion. Are you not entertained?
I think this kind of interaction has become Rainbow's standard way of introduction. The last time she didn't bash a future friend to pulp was in Windthrow, I believe...
Ceterum censeo Searinem delendam esse.
This is so easy to see her doing, and it's adorable
The band's getting back together.
Mmm... I think I like Imre. Hope she sticks around a little longer.
Damn, Imre's armor that she gave to Dash is strong. Shredded, but still bullet-proof. I'm surprised the Searonese haven't invaded Ledomare before...
Called it, on both counts.
Also, the party's starting to reessemble!
With some new additions.
Though, I suppose Tweak, and eventually Crimson, will have to go back to their families.
...okay, I need to stop using the emoticons.
. . .
TWEAK
WAT R U DOING
TWEAK
STAHP
IIIIIt's Dashie's Kentucky Derby Special Evaluation Time!
It's chapters like this that remind me of how much I love this series. First, you've got this terribly dark scene where living things are being used as batteries. Than you've got two friends reuniting. Then you've got that crack at the end with Tweak. The transition between everything is seamless. Bravo, bravo, and bravo.
(Also, that thing about the collective fart seriously made me laugh out loud.)
These are my thoughts so far.
-MASH
P.S. Only three left? I don't want it to end so soon...
When your partner greets someone in hostile territory with recognition and jubilation, its usually not the smartest thing to shoot them in the face. As a general guideline. But hey, its Rainbow, so she probably just absorbed the energy and became stronger or something. Well, clearly I dropped the ball - like twentyish chapters to go - onward!
Reunion!
Yay Rainbow Dash and Crimson and Imre and Tweak!
Tweak, stahp.
-SPirit
That's one close call.
Dammit Tweak, you are too trigger happy
Alright! Reunion pt 1!
Dawww, that is so cute.
New achievement: shot by the pony come to rescue you.
Eeyup, slave crystal pony batteries.
Ooooo. This will get even more delightfully worse for Searo if the invading crystal ponies just went from a count of four to eleven, with possibly more depending on how many can be rescued and revitalized.
Hahaha, just realized that Crimson unwittingly got a little revenge on Dash for her attacking him (thinking he was an enemy) when they first met. Poetic justice, eh?
Good thing she was still wearing that helmet, while I doubt that what she got shot with would kill her, it would certainly not be pleasant.
05/11/2017 00:45 UTC
Oh man, you just know something like this was bound to happen anyway.
Doesn't amoe it any less funny
And here i am just wondering what happened with fat drunk uncle and gay hair stylist...
10052215
The power combo of the century, yes yes
Task completed! Task update: Free crystal ponies and escape!
2482668
In Morgan Freeman's voice-
"... and Skirts took that personally."