When Bellesmith trotted into the upper chamber of Deep Ridge’s lookout tower, the air was no cooler within than it was on the outside. She couldn’t help it; her teeth chattered as she traversed the coffin-cold hollow of the dimly-lit concrete structure. A glint of light shone across barren wallspace from where a slit of a window opened towards the gray, gray east. Belle blinked, and her eyes drowned in a deathly pale atmosphere, encroaching from all sides.
A sharp series of scuffling hoofsteps broke through the numbness. She glanced to her sides, still shivering.
A pair of guards trained rifles on her. Shell strolled among them, his glare melting through the scene like a beacon. When his sight swam across Belle’s, both ponies lingered, until at last one of them shuddered.
“You expect me to work in a place like this?”
“Of course not.” Shell motioned towards her.
Belle bit her lip. Hesitantly, she trotted up until they were within a breath’s distance.
He hoarsely said, “Like all best secrets, your tools wait for you in the dark.” He turned his head to the side. With a glowing horn, he forced a large door to open. Two slabs slid vertically apart, filling the hollow concrete tower with a gravely echo.
As light poured into the black interior, Belle could make out dangling threads of equipment. A curtain of dust rose, and she coughed and waved through the streams of sediment in order to see better.
“When… was the last time this was used?” she murmured.
“Twenty years ago,” Shell said. “During which the warfront had shifted marginally twice. This fell into Xonan hooves on more than one occasion. Thankfully, they didn’t know how to get inside.”
Belle grimaced as she spotted a ghastly shape in the corner of the freshly-lit hollow. “I bet they’d be thankful if they saw what was actually inside.”
Shell followed her line of sight. He trotted lightly towards a corner of the compartment where the bundled skeletons of three separate stallions lay side by side in tattered canvas rags. “Undoubtedly the cretins would have made totems out of these unfortunate souls.”
“Does the Council of Ledo have no decency?” Belle frowned. “These soldiers could have at least gotten a decent burial.”
“I make sure that all of my fellow comrades are buried, dear doctor.” Shell said, glancing at her. “The Prime Enforcers who came before me were no different. Xonan dissidents, however…”
Belle’s jaw dropped. She gawked at the skeletons. “Guinea pigs…?”
“Wayward fools,” Shell droned. “They made the mistake of not killing themselves like their brethren after we captured them. The enforcers who ran this place would surely have gotten valuable information about our enemy, but…”
Belle sighed. “Sequencing was primitive in those days. I’m surprised the Council didn’t fry their leylines through their skulls.”
“Who says they didn’t?”
Belle bit her lip. In the meantime, Shell grabbed a chunk of loose equipment, carried it over, and plopped it into her forelimbs. “You are a miracle worker, doctor, or you are a corpse.”
“Shell, all I have of your daughter is a horn!” Belle exclaimed. “How am I expected to find any spheres to sequence with?!”
Shell stared at her blankly. He turned and whistled behind his shoulder. Three straight-faced unicorns shuffled in, carrying a wooden container. They dropped it to the floor with a rattling noise. From within the rickety box, a scrap of flesh and a bony limb spilled loose from a canvas tarp.
Belle inhaled sharply, immediately turning away as she tried not to inhale the rising dust. As her trembles calmed, Shell leaned in and murmured into her ear.
“A miracle, doctor. You and I both know that I’m not the one who can sanctify this situation.” A pale color flickered through his face, and his gaze fell to the cold floor. After a weak breath, he whispered, “In a world full of demons, we must… do what we can to preserve the angels.”
Belle sniffled. Tilting her tearful eyes up, she frowned and said, “Then why are you still hunting one?”
Shell stared back. He moved.
Belle flinched, but the stallion marched firmly past her. She panted for breath as he paused by his guards. “Keep an eye on her,” he grunted. “She does not die… but she doesn’t sleep either.” He pulled the necklace off, turned it over a few times, and murmured. “Only the most righteous do.” And with a cold breath, he tossed it so that the last shiny piece of Imre spun to a stop at Belle’s hooves.
She looked at it, then up at him. Shell vanished into the pale grayness like a frigid shadow. Gritting her teeth, Belle fought both anger and tears as she burrowed her way into the frayed equipment and started pulling parts loose with a loud clatter.
Disgusting hypocrite.
So, Shell has kept Imre's body. That's...
Only the most righteous sleep? Shell has seemed pretty disheveled lately. Perhaps he knows that what he's done is wrong, and is denying himself sleep? Or perhaps I'm just deluding myself, trying to see the light in a dark, dark soul. Either way, we'll find out. Whether we like it or not...
Shell continues to disappoint me.
Poor Belle, what has she gotten herself into?
I hope I'm not the only one curious about this facility's history.
Holy shit Shell.
He's not even a pony anymore. He's just a ghost, a memory, there's nothing left of him but pain.
I don't even know what to think of him anymore, other than the fact that he's way overdue for a close date with a shotgun.
Shell has survived far too much.
Give him the book, let him walk into Naguls maw.
Its the only act of forgiveness I can give him.
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Since when has Shell even been worth anything after Imre?
...Kay, that's pretty damn gross. Apparently Shell is either some bizarre necrophiliac or has completely gone insane. Probably a combination of both.
I would think Belle had had enough of sequencing by now...
~Basso
Shell. No. Stop. Just...stop.
Poor Belle...
I know I'm not the only one that expects Shell's horn chopped by the end of this. Also he becomes useless in inspiring fear in the others.
At this point, I'll take him tripping over a ladybug and breaking his neck. Regardless, the bastard needs to go.
3548550
Yeah, it would be fitting if he came to some sort of mediocre end, like, tripping down the steps before his treason hearing because of complications in his damaged leg, and breaking his noggin on a statue of Seclorum.
3547066
It's a terrifying thing. If this is about... mmm... let's say halfway there, for argument's sake, we still have to double the darkness in this story before the Shadow Realm even begins.
And then we can begin discussing true sedition.
Oh my gawd, can someone pleeeeaaaaaasse just murder Shell already?
Fucking hell, Shell. Wat r u doin.
I'm feeling a lot of things for him right now. Anger. Irritation. Exasperation. And is that... sympathy?
...
Yeah, I actually feel kinda bad for the sick fuck. I still agree he's way past his due time to go, but really, his one bad flaw is having let his emotions take over this whole time. All the loss in his life has left him an empty... Shell. Funny, how names work in the pony-verse.
At this point, he's got nothing to fill that shell with but pain and anger; so much at once that it constantly boils over and scalds the shit out of everyone and everything around him.
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WELL THERE AIN'T NO REST FOR THE WICKED
Princess in the tower
Children in the fields
Life gave him it all:
An island of the universe
Now his love`s a memory
A ghost in the fog
He sets the sails one last time
Saying farewell to the world
This one story is pretty dark now. But I should have expected that, because of my weird theory that this saga draws parallels to the 12 Temples arc of Saint Seiya. This being the fourth (4 is death) story, would be the equivalent to the Cancer temple in that arc. By the end of this story, expect an epic moment by Floydien, or maybe Pilate; and a big bad to fall into the chaos rift. By the next story, expect an old opponent we have already forgotten about (Gilda?) to appear and sacrifice their life to save Dash from a brainwashed ally.
A heart like Belle's doesn't belong into the grey. It's like watching a rose grow from concrete.
1.bp.blogspot.com/-fk7_HJDFYhc/UE4MVENHnuI/AAAAAAAAAOU/vcqH8nNmicM/s1600/527166_265043373615107_1126000521_n.jpg
Going through the pictures on my hard drive, I've come to notice how much the presence of mystical beauty has faded throughout the newer arcs. Landscapes that - even though they were often frightening and dark - had a touch of the otherworldy, the enchanted were so common. Places where I could see myself entering by the light of a torch and standing in awe. Perhaps the greatest sin of Ledomare is not their ethical corruption but their almost disgusting mundanity. Their culture, their surroundings, even their atrocities are so very close to reality and even though their technology is so full of magic... it lacks Magic. Perhaps this is the reason why I can't despise the Xonans like the Ledomartians or the Searonese: at least they have a flavour of mystery to them.
I have no idea why I just wrote all of this. Perhaps I should stop listening to melancholic music so much.
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To be perfectly honest and with no offense, your ideas are disgusting.
Why do you wish somebody of broken mind to be killed in the most cruel and unhonourable way possible? Seriously, that's a sick idea, completely out of any tolerance.
Shell is not a simply villain. It's one of the most common paradox, a villain that the only things he wants is goodness of his country. Our real history knows a lot of similar, insane leaders with a huge sense of patriotism. It's a tragic character, written in perfect way to show the downfall of such way of thinking. He is also the longest living villain in the entire series (for now) and he made several sections of this story incredibly awesome and completely worth reading.
Yes, it's predictable that he will die at some point. But in my opinion, his death should be a perfectly written scene, the final requiem of the completely broken mind and soul. Vae Victis? No! Gloria Victis! I want Shell character to be recognizible after this series will end. Truly, Imploding Colon will have a big challenge to write better villain than him.
The Commonwealth shall always preveil.
- Verlax
Ugh, Shell. He was bearable when he at least made sense. Er, at least, when he made some semblance of sense. Now he's basically just noise.
I'm really sick of all this pseudo-philosophical bullshit. When is the author gonna give us some brainless villain that doesn't think s/he has to justify everything s/he does? At some point, you have to stop trying to figure out what you believe, and just live life out.
3550920
First off, don't you dare shove words into my mouth. I never once said that Shell should die a horrible death.
You say that Shell did what he did for the good of the country. I'm not arguing that. It was even true at one point. But over time, his focus has grown into one of misguided revenge and cold rage. Rainbow Dash is his focus now, and things such as honor and humane thinking have all but fled from his broken mind.
I never once hated Shell. He is somepony to be pitied instead of hated. What he did was for queen and country, even sacrificing his beloved and hundreds of innocents. To lose all sense of mercy and kindness is a terrible fate.
Killing off Shell now would be a mercy kill.
Wait, he kept parts of her body?
ew
This seems like a last ditch effort to try to reason with shell.
IIIIIt's Dashie's evaluation time!
Wow, Shell is a hypocrite. Also, hold on, Belle! The Noble Jury is on its way! These are my thoughts so far.
-MASH
I'd feel bad for him if he wasn't such a homicidal asshat. Death would almost make it easier for him - he's got nothing left but baseless revenge. He at once blames himself and Rainbow Dash for Imre's death, so he feels guilt, but refuses to take the full brunt of it. It's like...I don't even know. He's one complicated madpony. Belle needs to summon Imre so that she can knock some sense into him, although I can see the truth hitting him so hard that he off's himself in an attempt at some last ditch redemption in his daughter's eyes. Hard to say how it'll go.
Onward!
Hypocrite.
-Spirit
Shell is indeed probably one of the greatest villains I've ever had the chance of reading.
Shell dances the thin line of sanity; even though the wall's come down, he's building up a new one. Still, he lets his disheveled face peek out at the sane every now and then.
Shell's so far from sanity he can't see it through a rifle scope.
I'm disappointed that Shell is so far gone that when he finally gets what is coming to him he may not even comprehend it.
I thought that he wanted her to do a job, which becomes impossible with no sleep. I have heard many a tale of the sleep deprived soldier, none of them were pretty.
05/25/2017 01:20 UTC
3550920
I agree. Shell has made it more interesting and he's well written in that I love it when he shows up. The end of Shell better not be a flop.
However, at this point, Shell dying would be ANYTHING but predictable. He has lost his mind so anything can happen. He could die; but he could also be jailed or even turn a new leaf. I think it could go any way.