Bellesmith and Pilate trotted up the edge of an arid hill. The two paused, leaning against one another. Not long after, Zaid and Props rounded the same crest, staring south with forlorn expressions.
Chunks of skystone lay everywhere in an elaborate mess of crimson debris. There was next to nothing left of the Noble Jury's gondola. It was as if the mountain above had pulverized the metal to pure dust. An enormous dark splotch of burnt ash forever blemished the stone cliff face looming above the ponies.
“Pizz fah wizz...” Props cooed, misty eyed as she stripped her goggles off and held them to her fuzzy chest.
Zaid gulped, glancing at the broken controls in his grip. “Hrmmm...” He looked up at the smattering of skystone. “You don't suppose the cheese survived, do ya?”
Props sighed. Without looking, she raised her hoof.
“Thanks, Blondie.” Zaid swung his own skull into her limb. Whack! “Owie...” He rubbed his head, wincing. “Still, how are we gonna get anywhere at this point?”
They all heard a shrill whistle, then looked straight up.
Rainbow Dash was floating high above, facing north as she waved her forelimbs dramatically. She then backed up, smirking, as a thunderous vibration filled the air.
Thwooosh! With thrusters roaring, the Tarkington descended, making a soft landing just below the hill where the four were standing. The green ship was battered and burnt in dozens of places, and its descent was performed with a slight curve, but it was nothing that couldn't be fixed.
As soon as the thing landed, Rainbow flitted around to the port side in time for the door to slide open. Four crew members peered their heads out.
“Ah, so Rainbow Dash got to you first.” Booster Spice smiled wearily, adjusting his goggles. “I guess that explains the whole 'miraculously alive' part.”
“Booster!” Belle beamed, eyes glimmering. “You're in one piece!”
“Spark be praised,” Pilate said with a warm exhale.
“Uncky Prowsyyyyy!” Props squealed, her mane billowing as she kicked her hooves. “Zaidy—!”
“Right...” The stallion hunched over, giving her a boost with his spine.
Props bounced off him and went sailing like a blonde missile into the Tarkington's cabin.
Booster and Zetta gasped, diving for cover. Props pinballed off an awkwardly blinking Basso, then plowed into Prowse's thin, gangly figure.
“Whoahhhhh now!” Prowse chuckled, rubbing his good hoof through her golden locks. “Dun ya forget, lass, I'm an old fart!”
“But the funnest of the fartiest!” Props squealed as she nuzzled-nuzzled her fluffy head against his bearded muzzle. “Heeeeeeeee! We made it! We made it! We maaaaade it!”
“Heh... one thing at a time, Propsicle.”
“The Capital is safe now,” Zetta said. “But... the Cartel's being dealt with as we speak.”
“What do you mean 'as we speak?'” Rainbow asked.
Zetta bit her lip.
With a blink, Rainbow's vision narrowed. “Where's Roarke...?”
In the middle of the Val Roan desert lay a crashed hunk of burning metal where a brown mare approached several dozen bipedal creatures. Roarke's glare fell on Haman's sweaty brow in an icy glint as she trotted along, one hoof at a time. Jex watched from a distance, shivering in the shadow of orbiting Lounge spheres.
“Grnkkk...” Haman spat blood as he glanced aside at his subordinates. “What are you doing?! Don't just stand there!” His teeth showed as he howled: “Kill her! Kill the pony!”
A few goblins flinched. A few more twitched where they stood. But, for the most part, no member of the Cartel made a single move. Even as two dozen more limped out of the lower decks to gawk at the scene, they made no attempt to assist the rotund abomination inside his teetering suit.
“What... wh-what are you doing?!” Haman sputtered as he lurched backwards in his damaged mech. “Didn't you hear me?! I gave you an order! Skin this bitch alive!”
“All you're good for is yelling,” Roarke droned. Her teeth showed as she hissed, “You are hollow, just like your suit.”
Haman panted and wheezed, his chins covered in slobber as he backed up against a smoldering chunk of metal. “Have you all gone mad?! I'm your boss! I told you to kill her! Now do it!” His wildly darting eyes settled on Jex, and he sneered. “You. You're responsible for this madness somehow! This... this is a conspiracy! A coup!”
“No conspiracy.” Roarke slowly shook her head, approaching him. “No coup.” A calm breath. “This is the day you cease to exist. I am going to kill you.”
“Rrrrrkkk—!” Eyes flaring, Haman pounded forward in his suit. Clamp-Clamp-Clamp! “Raaaaaaugh!”
Roarke effortlessly twirled to the side, allowing Haman to charge on by. Once she had stumbled past her, she twirled and took aim at one of his surviving metal legs. A panel of Lounge metal that was clasped to her fetlock extended a glowing barrel, hummed, and—ZAAAP!
CRACK! One of the rear crab legs to Haman's suit melted clean through. “Aaaugh!” He teetered awkwardly on three metal limbs. Swinging his chassis around, he wheezed steam and gnashed his teeth in her direction. “Raaaaaugh!” He ran at her, hobbling sideways. When he came within striking distance, he leaned back against two legs while swinging a barely-rotating buzz saw with his third. Swooosh!
Roarke dodged, ducked, and easily side-stepped the throws. With a twirl, she flung her other fetlock out, swinging a swath of hot Lounge metal. CL-CLANG! Her superheated weapon bent Haman's leg, embedding the limp buzz-saw into the earth. Clack!
“Gaaaugh!” Haman tugged and yanked at the embedded limb, struggling to dislodge himself.
Roarke took a calm breath, extended a tiny grenade launcher from her shoulder, and fired a doughnut-sized explosive. The thing flew true, attaching to the underside of Haman's chassis. It blinked once, flashed, then—POWWW!
Two of Haman's remaining metal legs were instantly severed. He yelled as his chassis fell back, rolling left and right on the dusty earth like a lopsided egg. “Mrmmffg... hauckkkt!”
Roarke marched towards him while every imp watched. “Killer of children... enslaver of innocents...” Schiiiing! A glistening blade extended from a metal sleeve along her right forelimb. “Let me teach you what violence should be used for.”
With a grunt, she hopped onto his chassis, mounting him. Schlunkkk! She lopped off the last remaining metal limb, issuing sparks in every direction. “You should use it when harmony itself isn't enough to cut it!” She sliced deep into his metal suit, exposing wires and manacrystals. “When you must defend peace and liberty at all costs!” Then, leaning in, she sliced several of the metal tubes surrounding him, leaking steam all around the goblin's twitching torso, so that he sputtered and wheezed for want of a breath. “And... when there's absolutely no option left...”
She retracted the blade, then yanked his spasming face towards her muzzle, so that the two glared eye to eye.
“... you murder to rid the world of insufferable monsters who won't abide by change.” Her ice blue eyes glinted. “But this isn't murder. This is taking out the garbage.”
“Please...” Haman sputtered, his eyes twitching about. “I... I deserve another ch-chance!” He glanced past her. “Tell her, dammit! You stupid runts! Tell her not to kill m-me!” He looked at her, drooling and hiccuping. “I... I can change...”
Roarke gazed at him calmly. She reached a hoof out... and yanked one of the suit's steam-tubes loose before shoving it deep into his throat.
“Grkkk—!” His body jerked.
She hissed into his fat face. “You can burn.”
As she dismounted the suit, Haman's torso shook and quivered. His voice made horrible gargling noises as steam billowed out his mouth, nostrils, and every orifice. At last, his eyes turned blood red, enlarged, then burst completely as dense boiling fumes billowed out. He let loose a breathless scream, quivering for one last time, then lay still as his skin burst at multiple seams, exhaling misty red steam in a constant jet.
Jex took a long, deep breath. His battered body relaxed, as if a huge weight was lifted off his shoulders. Upon hearing a loud voice, he turned to gaze at the center of the scene.
“Look at me...” Roarke snarled. When only half of the imps complied, she shouted it this time: “Look at me!”
The Green Bandits of the Cartel stared at the metal mare.
She stood tall, muzzle tight and firm. “You are all dying. Slowly, one by one, you are killing yourselves with your putrid ways. All these years, Haman and despots like him have taught you that pain, slavery, and greed are the only means to power. Well, there is something greater than power—and that's tranquility. Power only leads to annihilation—the consumption of all you are and endeavor to be. With a tranquil existence, you can live long enough to discover what you mean to this world, to this universe.” She swallowed. “And to each other.”
The mare trotted towards the smoldering husk of Haman and pointed at the metal-wrapped corpse.
“Your Boss did not care for your race, nor was he even remotely prepared to secure your future! He only wanted to gain power as swiftly and as violently as possible! It didn't matter how much silver he spent or how many goblin children he enslaved—he himself was a slave to selfish, mindless ambition! And look at what it got him!” She pointed up at the Lounge spheres. “Look at what it nearly got each and every one of you!”
The members of the Cartel hung their heads, shuddering.
Roarke glared. “You are all pathetic wastes.” A deep inhale. “But you don't have to be. This world was given your hands and arms for a reason, and it's something far stronger, far nobler than raping and pillaging. Monstrous beasts have convinced you for far too terribly long that power means exploiting the pacifism in others. Just because you're strong and technologically gifted doesn't mean you have to be senseless carnivores. There's a place in this world for violence, but it's in taming the elements... and in securing for all of us—goblins and deer and ponies alike—a civilization where violence doesn't have to be used.”
She paced before the group, her gaze bouncing across each one of their forlorn faces.
“It's never too late to start again. But you've been misguided for so long, that you need a guide... someone loyal enough to tell you...” She paused, taking a breath as she pointed at Haman's corpse again. “To show you that there's a better way! A nobler way!” Her eyes narrowed. “I am going to be your Boss from now on. The Cartel shall be my Cartel. And as the goddess Searo is my witness, your days of decay shall end. I'll show you how to make metal out of filth... and to make serenity with the sword.”
The imps stared up at her, their ears folding back as they gazed in wonderment.
“Today is the beginning of a bright and furious crucible...” Roarke took a deep breath. “Now, who among you are willing to change? And who among you wish to burn?”
You know, I could swear I just read this somewhere else… must be the Cider Space getting to me.
Oh, shit. Roarke Most Ruling.
5572483
Roarke Most Righteous. Wow.
Now that is Roarke.
All my yeses (yesis?)
Haman's death is pretty much identical to that one in Big Trouble in Little China
Good riddance, ya sick fuckface!
Oh, lord...
This isn't good.
You've never been one to be overly predictable (except the occasional predictable 'unpredictability' ), and it's making me scared. You're banking way too hard on the ending of the Val Roa crisis to be smooth with Rainbow Dash leaving, and the Jurists themselves to move on.
Everything is tying itself up too neatly for you, Skirts. What is gonna happen?
... I am so turned on right now...
Twenty-five pushups and Twenty-five flutter kicks, ):(. Knock 'em out!
Holy shit....I forgot how...creatively violent Roarke could be.
well
at least if Rainbow survives this whole ordeal, she'll have an entire Kingdom (Roarkedom) to return to
All hail the great pony savior: Roarke!
Here to tell all the little goblinoids how to live properly.
All will love her and despair!
Sorry, I'm a great believer in self determination,
but I admit at this point there is no goblin with any vision or pull to lead them away from anarchy.
So all hail Big Boss Roarke, the lesser evil.
Don't worry, I still love you Roarke, I just hope that your under-boss Jex steps up too.
5572791
i am now envisioning roarke with an eyepatch and an epic beard......
That was fucking BRUTAL.
I didn't expect a snuff film...
You ain't the only one.
Roarke most BADASS.
Wow Roarke, just wow. Roarke leading the Cartel ought to be interesting. Haman is gone, this makes me happy since he was a complete piece of crap and he won't turn into another Shell.
Roarke Most Rare.
5572799
And now I'm thinking of her with a white jumpsuit...
static.comicvine.com/uploads/original/12/128032/4106432-5805750671-boss-.jpg
Why haven't I bought the new Metal Gear game?
5572854
oh goddess
oh goddess, yes
this is perfect
5572812 Eh, Shell has survived worse.
I am just waiting for Roarke to break the news to Rainbow.
#rekt
5572902 RD knows already; she just hasn't allowed herself to believe it yet.
And so, with that execution, ends Haman's brutal reign.
Again. :P
Aww was hoping Roarke would follow to the dark side of the world, but I guess she has found her place unless its only temporary. Now I wonder if the rest of the Noble Jury is going to stick around, I could see Floyd stay in Bountiful now that his beloved is in splinters. Belle and Pilate probably want to try settling down again. Ebon is probably going to stick around with 'mother' to help her learn from the error of her ways and Eagle Eye is going to stay with Ebon they could even end up moving back with Crimson. Don't know about Props, Zaid or Booster Spice.
Its looking more and more like Rainbow is going to be alone in the last quarter of this book.
Roarke just leveled up.
5573167
No, the level difference is big enough that she won't gain experience points for the victory, which stinks.
There's the Roarke we all know and love. Though, if I was going to be the boss of something, I'd rather it be almost anything other than a bunch of imps going through villainy withdrawal. But then, Roarke wouldn't quite fit in on the throne of Bunnytown, would she?
Also, I agree with MisterSaxon. All these threads being tied up so neatly is setting my sphincter a-pucker.
Rourke Most Rare, Haman Badly Overcooked.
Wonder what percentage of imps are going to at least put in a semblence of following, and how many are going to be crispy fritters?
Will Rourke end up having the Gamma as her private ship, or even a combination of all three, which I seem to remember from an old apocalypse story about military spending methods. Do we want one, or two subs? We will ahve three, and they will be twice the size of origional.
Given that the Noble Jury physical form has ended, but the Skystone drive is largely still there, just widely distributed, will there be a collaberation now between Goblins, Lounge, ValRoan techs, And jurists, in blending Skystone, and Nightstone together in one Harmonic Chaos drive machine?
Over the end of the world is going to be the really impressive bit, especially if teh ValRoans havent managed to get a scout group that far, or if they did, they never came back.
Anyone else remember when this story was kid friendly (language wise)? When was the first time we heard bitch out of these characters anyway?
5573204 Ah, but you can't forget about the quest rewards.
Just realized I have to prepare for a Roarke/Dash departure chapter in the near future.
Are we actually going to have a bad guy that appears to die and stays dead?
5573568 These stories have always been rated Teen.
5573674
I know they've been rated teen, but for a long time it was "can't have ananything worse than crap" and now we get some chapters with five or six instances of bitch. I really don't care, I was more curious if anyone remembers when we first got the word bitch in this series.
5573568
Roarke first said it in Innavedr 48
The first "vulgarity" in the series (depending on how you define it) was Zetta1 slipping one in Austraeoh 198 when Rainbow kissed Ember
5573496
"Nightstone"???
5573568
I miss the "kid friendlier" story. Hopefully with the Goblins out of the picture it might get better
5573722
I apologise. It was the name of the energy crystals removed from the warehouse that Chrysalis made her way back to.
You know, the things that explode violently when mixed with Skystone?
I always wanted to see what the Equestrian version of a total conversion drive would be like.
5573287 This is an abusive relationship, it never ends neatly.
5573744
Ah, "Night Crystals". Sorry, it was me that was confused.
5573704 5573738
The trend is not too promising...
i.imgur.com/cmMiW3M.png
Austraeoh: 2
Eljunbyro: 17
Innavedr: 62
Odrsjot: 66
Urohringr: 98
Yaerfaerda so far: 131
e: better chart
5573862
good thing I don't care about profanity in my literature, seriously, Stephen King any one? But the more pressing issue........how the hell did you check that so quickly? And a bar chart too? You are one dedicated fact checker.
5573644
Well, we did literally see his head explode, so I think it's safe to say yes.
Roarke is yet again kicking ass and taking names for Harmony and a better world. Lets hope this works though I just have this feeling that her just taking over is a bit to easy.
5572970 Was she? I don't recall. I remember her being told Roarke was gone somewhere, but really not much beyond that and the fact that she contacted the Lounge.
5573047 Well, Prowse will be sticking with the Tarkington, I'm guessing. Maybe they'll move to somewhere in Val Roa, back to Grey Smoke, Xona, Luxmare, or anywhere else, for that matter. Props will be probably sticking with Prowse, and Zaid will obviously be sticking with Props. I'm not certain on Booster, but I can imagine that he'll want to move to Bountiful, maybe, or back home (I can't remember the name of the town, from the end of Urohringer).
Wasn't this phrase used a while back? About Jex, I think?
FINISH HIM!
BRUTALITY
ROARKE WINS
FLAWLESS VICTORY
WITH A TINT OF BADASSERY
Oh come on guys, I can't be quoting that whole 'Kerrigan kills Arcturus Mengsk' scene again!
5573722 How.
And with that, roarke has sealed her fate. Rainbow is gonna be PISSED.
5572799
Rainbow, I will not scatter your sorrow to the heartless skies, I will always be with you.
5574200
RD knows that the friendship train can't cross the Grand Choke. She knows that Roarke can't come with her.... she just doesn't want to believe the true situation.