Dalen sat before a shrine inside a small rock enclosure. Propped up against a set of candles was an engraving made of several tattooed unicorns standing as a group. He lowered his muzzle, mumbling quiet prayers to the streams of incense rising around him.
A series of scuffling hoofsteps interrupted his meditation. Clearing his throat, a Xonan grunt spoke towards the soldier from afar. “Haav sveen dreed thuun hrass thien, Dalen Xon-Nagu’n. Gremm seen trentte rekk thaym.”
Stifling a groaning noise, Dalen spoke out the side of his muzzle. “Rekk thaym vrien? Draas trentte rekk nuln?”
“Kera Tin Mehjj.”
Dalen’s eyes opened. He turned and glanced over his shoulder. “Kera niul trentte?”
“Dreit.”
The stallion stared into the wall. After a few breaths, he picked up the engraving, clasped it shut, and trotted firmly out of the sanctuary.
As soon as Dalen entered the prison cell, his ears were assaulted with a hideous wailing noise. The soldiers standing guard were gripping their agonized forehead. Even some of the pilfered belongings on the table rattled.
“Nagu’n!” Dalen hissed as he shuffled towards the barred group of ponies. “Bleen haahk trentte theem sneel?”
“Jaas ren kein, Dalen Xon-Nagu’n,” the messenger muttered as he trotted beside him.
“Hrmmm…” Dalen stood before the bars, narrowing his eyes.
In a far corner of the cell, Kera stood hugging herself and literally sobbing her skull off. Tears ran down her tattooed face and pooled on the stone floor. The Ledomaritans had all distanced themselves from her, including Basso and Zetta, who stood with nervous fidgets. Nightshade was rubbing her aching head while Zaid paced around like an expectant father.
“You! Thank the monkey gods!” Zaid rushed towards the bars and pressed his cheekbones to the door. “She won’t stop sobbing up a monsoon of salt! I think her tattooed genes have kicked in or some crap! The filly’s a goddess-damned siren, I tell you!” He reeled back, rubbing his head and hissing. “I totally picked the wrong friggin’ week to quit the cider!”
“That all sounds rather tragic,” Dalen coolly said with dull eyes. “Just what am I expected to do about it?”
“I dunno, dude! Do a Xonan mind-meld with her or some crap!” Zaid’s voice cracked. “Take her out serpent-hunting or get her a new tattoo of a frost wyrm on her butt or something! Bond with her! She’s driving us all bonkers! And according to my former boss, I was pretty bonked as it was already!”
“I’m quite sure I had already made her that offer.” Dalen’s brow furrowed. “And she personally requested to be positioned here, as if just to spite me.”
“But I-I was wrong!” Kera suddenly scampered to the bars, sliding on her slick tears. “Dalen, please forgive m-me! You were right!” She clasped the bars, her moist green eyes quivering as she fought snot and hiccups. “You were r-right! I don’t know what I’m doing here! My life is a waste! I’m throwing away my Xonan heritage! And for what?! Moldy bread and a stone floor to sleep on?!”
“You didn’t seem to be complaining before,” Zetta said, rubbing her already aching head. “By the Queen’s braces--as if the wailing song wasn’t enough…”
“You ever woken up and realized all the mistakes you made?” Kera snorted and gazed up at Dalen with puppy dog eyes. “I was so… so wrong to have thought I stood a chance with these… these…” She spat onto the ground. “Ledomulien trenttitties!”
Dalen raised an eyebrow at that.
“Please…” Kera sniffled, calming slightly as she gazed intently at Dalen’s eyes. “Will you let me in? I was so confused earlier. But now… now…” She smiled weakly. “I wanna know about my culture. Third born nor not--it doesn’t matter. I am a daughter of Xon and I wish to understand my place. For once in m-my crummy, short life, I wanna belong to something!”
Silence.
Eventually, Dalen turned and nodded towards a fellow guard.
The stallion and his associate practically scrambled to get the door open. As soon as it was a single inch ajar, the filly burst through and clung to Dalen’s forelimb, shivering.
“Oh thank you! Thank you thank you thank you thank you!” She wept tears of joy and gazed up at him. “I promise you that I won’t let you down!”
“And what of your winged companion?” Dalen leaned forward. “As soon as the Oss Tray Oh realizes you’ve abandoned her--”
“Pfft! Rainbow Dash was asking for it! The stupid waste of spectral sperm!”
“Hmmm. Charming.” Dalen motioned with his horn as he turned towards the exit. “Come. The least we can do is get you cleaned up.”
“Oh… a bath!” Kera stammered. “What I wouldn’t g-give to feel clean again. And to be away from… from all this…” She turned and looked behind her. “...this misery.” For the briefest of moments, her sobbing ceased, and she smiled… then winked.
Zaid did a double-take. “Uhhh…”
Basso leaned towards the middle of the prison cell. “Did anypony else see that?”
“I most certainly did,” Nightshade murmured, her mouth agape.
“You say that as if it was meant for you,” Zaid muttered.
Nightshade sat still. She said nothing.
Uh oh. This chapter scares me.
Actually it is more a combination of the chapter and the title of the chapter.
3527054I meant what they thought of Austraeoh in regards to their culture. Not what the literal translation was.
Double Agent Kera.
Fifty four-count side-straddle hops, ):(. Knock 'em out!
Kera, you sly filly. What are you up to?
Double-o-Kera is on the case.
Oh, i thought that it was going to be a group effort to trick Dalen. Maybe Kera just didnt trust anyones acting skills.
Not that I doubt Zaid's acting abilities at all...
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Kera is very genre-savvy.
Oh Kera, you adorably sneaky filly, you...
Oh, Kera.
You keep using that word... I do not think it means what you think it means.
What an obvious deception.
Dalen really is weak in the head.
Still, if Kera's ruse somehow succeeds, what exactly is she going to accomplish here?
I suppose she could repossess the book and give it to Roarke, but aside from improved physical hygiene there really isn't too many advantages acquired in this development.
I thought he said that the keep belonged to her as much as anyone which is why she was able to stand wherever she wanted and so she chose that cell. Why would she have to put up this ruse? Simply ask them to let you out, problem solved.
Hope Kera's plan is good.
~Basso
I get a warm tingly feeling every time somepony slams Nightshade. I like it.
Kera's acting wasn't terrible, but I'm surprised that there wasn't more suspicion as to her true motives. Maybe Dalen wants a rebellion in some deep layer of his consciousness? He has been quite fucked over by the Xonan culture, after all...
Airplane, In Zain
“I totally picked the wrong friggin’ week to quit the cider!”
So, Kera's a good actor, some of the group wasn't in on it, and Dalen will be teaching Kera the Way of the Xonan?
Five bucks says Kera sees Rainbow Chaos and drops the act.
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And Kera goes off doing pretty much what Nightshade was doing before her. Learned right from the best, I suppose.
Nightshade is surprised? She is the one that came up with that plan in the first place. I mean, a spider isn't caught off guard when a fly is trapped in its net... Indirectly related picture for today:
i.imgur.com/AY95a.jpg
She's been spending way too much time around Roarke.
And the Oscolt for most moving emotional scene in a drama goes to...
Cough sputter spectral sperm. How.... colorful...
Kera, you never fooled me!
Ok, maybe a little
IIIIIt's Dashie's evaluation time!
Beautiful bluff! But not foolproof, I'm thinking that it didn't work. Dalen had to see through that, right? These are my thoughts so far.
-MASH
3624153 It did seem a bit over the top to me. I'm just hoping that Dalen sees this at his chance of redemption and overlooks that little fact.
Don't the good guys know that Kera is playing the bad guys? I feel like her betrayal is going to make me actually feel sorry for Dalen - if he believes it, that is. Also, stop making me like Nightshade. I don't want to. You're taking me out of my comfort zone and it isn't comforting.
Onward!
Oh Kera! :
Nice going, Kera. Make Dashie proud.
-Spirit
oooo zaid dat last burrrrrrrrrrn doe....
Wow . . . Dalen is such a fool.
How...
god dammit skirts
learn how to use words
5889390 Hey, You're the one who did the thing with the cactus.
She may be a filly, but she's no fool.
5889390
I want to know that too.
Too my knowledge Roarke was the only one who was able to do that, and only with the skulls of stallions.
4026400
Nah, I think Dalen is going to know exactly what she's up to. He's just gonna go along with it.
(You'd think I'd remember this stuff from the last time I read, but I'm guessing just as much as everyone else. Yay goldfish memory, so everything always feels new!)
vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/en.futurama/images/d/da/Fry_Looking_Squint.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20110701192358
There's no way Dalen falls for it though. That guy lies for a living.
7895001
Personally I call it Dory Syndrome, but that's good too.
Honestly, when Zetta kept complaining about the song, I thought she was the one wailing in agony...and then i remembered Keras name was mentioned and felt like an idiot.