From a distance, Tweak could be seen nuzzling his wife. He squatted down low before his farmhouse to have a word or two with Roque and Nexx, who were both doing their best not to look teary-eyed. Lucky Strike stood nearby, smiling, and when it was his turn to share some words with his brother, he bore a constant expression of pride.
"I've only known him for a few days," Crimson muttered. He and Rainbow Dash stood besides the hull of Roarke's manaship, glistening in the Aurum sunset. "And yet, I feel so indebted and responsible at the same time." The stallion gulped. "If this adventure somehow kills him, I think I'll feel as bad if not worse than when I lost Eagle Eye and Phoenix."
Rainbow Dash's eyes darted towards him. "You still give a crap about Phoenix?"
"I'm not proud of what he and Zenith did," Crimson muttered. His gaze fell to the farmland before them. "But... I'm also not proud of how things came about for them to feel like they had to do what they did." He sighed. "I should have been less stubborn... more receptive to their concerns. I had a responsibility to get them home, and look what became of it..."
Rainbow Dash shrugged. "Sometimes, dude, you just can't make up for how stubborn ponies can be." She glanced at the manaship behind them. "Whether they're going out of their way to help ya or harm ya."
"I seem to have a lot of stubborn ponies in my life," Crimson said.
"Yeah, well, the longer you live and the more places you go, the more you'll find ponies who wanna be your friend and do awesome things for you."
Crimson squinted quizzically at her. "And what about the droves of strangers who want to kill you?"
"Yeah, well, hate is like an inside-out version of love."
"Oh really..."
"Totally! So, like, the more ponies hate you, the more it means you must be doing something right... er... s-somewhere!"
"Heheh..." Crimson patted Rainbow with a metal limb, unwittingly knocking her off balance. "You're an honest, brave soul, Rainbow. You could use a bit of help in the logic department, but I love you all the same."
Rainbow winced, rubbing her armored shoulder. "I'm not gonna argue with a pony with that much muscle."
"You should see my family back in Franzington," Crimson said with a smile. "Between myself and my siblings and my cousins, we could all lift a battlecruiser on our backs."
"If I needed to take the Steel Wing as a souvenir to the edge of the world, then I just might call you guys up."
At last, Tweak trotted up. "Well..." He said breathily. "That was nifty."
"You've said all you've needed to say, friend?" Crimson asked.
"Yup. Let's get the hell out of here," Tweak muttered. He trotted up into the manaship where Imre and Roarke could be seen packing in the last of their equipment. "Quick, before I change my mind about certain chaos and near suicide."
"You said you were doing it because of honor," Crimson said, climbing after him.
"Yes, well, honor needs to get out more... see some sunlight. Come on, let's friggin' go already."
Roarke's nostrils flared as she pivoted her lensed eyes towards Rainbow Dash. "Is he going to be like this the entire trip?"
"You're asking the wrong pony." She stepped into the manaship and stood in place as the door closed slowly behind her. "Just get him to do push-ups the whole way and I'm sure his tongue will go limp."
"Among other things," Imre grunted.
"The heck does that mean?!" Tweak grumbled.
Crimson's laughter was the last thing to be heard, and then the vessel sealed up tight. Several crystal ponies waved from below as the glistening airship lifted up into the sky, pivoted north, and rocketed into the clouds. The noise from its burning thrusters echoed across the nearby canyon. On the other side, a dozen figures squatted, their shadowed limbs clad in thick strips of armor.
"They're leaving... they're actually leaving..."
"What a motley crew of creeps. What do they actually hope to accomplish?"
"If they're heading north, then that'll take them deeper into the womb of Ledo."
"It must be a ruse... something to throw us off..."
"Well, High Blade? What do you make of it?"
One pony in particular stood on an outcropping, her thick limbs blotting out the immediate sunlight. With a deep, grumbling breath, Terra turned and frowned at the metal mares below her. "It matters little where the runt is taking her new friends. They're out of range of the Searo-forsaken farm. We can finally take them down."
"I don't get it, Terra," another mare said, her face scrunched up in thought. "Why don't we just level this land full of weaklings to the ground in retribution for Searo's Hold?!"
"Because we can't!" Terra snarled, marching through the tight group. "You've seen what the crystal ponies can do en masse. They'll reduce us to shambling idiots and pick us off, one by one. It would be utter stupidity to attack any place within Aurum."
"Oh yeah?" The mare leaned forward, growling. "Or perhaps you are too cowardly to strike!"
Before any of the fellow warriors could gasp, Terra spun about, erected a pulse cannon from her shoulder, and shot it into the belligerent pony's face.
With a sickening pop, the mare's body evaporated, leading a smoking husk of armor that fell down, dribbling loose meat like a steamed crab shell.
The other mares stumbled back, wincing.
Terra spat, "Or perhaps you are too dead to piss me off again!" She looked up at the remaining warriors. "If you wish to be a coward, to be an idiot, to be a runt..." She pointed at the smoking armor. "Then join her... or else join any of the weak-minded secessionists who are carving Searo's Hold up like moldy cheese!" She stamped her hooves down. "But you mares have decided to join me! And I will restore our honor! And the first step..." She pointed towards the northern horizon. "...is to hunt down that traitor, Roarke, and drag her back to our halls by her entrails. Only then will we restore the glory that's been stripped from our Goddess' legacy. Do you understand me?!"
The mares all grunted in obedience.
"Very well then..." Terra spun about and marched towards one of three manaships hidden in the forest. "We take to the air. And then, when Roarke least expects it... we take her head." Her helmet closed around her meaty face. "And then the hearts of her puny companions..."
Well that was certainly something. My theory is that the party will reunite in Blue Nova when Searonese warriors led by Terra attack the city. We shall have a royal rumble between the split factions of Nightshade, Ledo, Searo, EE/Josho, Pilate and co, Belle and Kera w/Phoenix maybe, RD and co.
ZADUBADABU and go RD.
Fucking Terra!
What happened to Zenith again? Oh yeah, he got his head 'sploded.
Terra and the gang are joining the fight? Jeeze, Blue Nova is in for one hell of a party.
Damn it, people, can we just RD to the edge of the world already?!
2812061
He
unfortunately fell victim to Shell-icide. Also, yay for metal mare pursuit.Damn it Terra.
What are you doing.
I can't even be mad at you anymore, just go home or something.
Didn't I say something like a million chapters ago about Terra trying to get revenge? Well, I suppose it's happening.
Well, shoot. The remnants of Searo really don't want to make things easy for our heroes, do they?
Mmm, crabmeat.
2812061
I'm a re-occurring villain
is it wrong that that makes me feel fuzzy inside?
2812364
No. I'd be happy too.
Oh dear god, Terra as well?
Blue nova will be a smoking crater by the time this arc is done....
Something tells me it is going to get all too easy for Xona to extend their regional influence once all this is done.
2812364
It'd be wrong if it didn't. =P
2812030 When suddenly the Spanish inquisition bursts onto the scene!
Tera vs. Shell... That's one hell of an idea.
2812030
"The heck does that mean?!" Tweak grumbled.
How does one grumble in an exclamatory manner?
I don't think a "!" and "grumbled" work together. They have kind of contradictory meaning.
2812030 I no longer rule as I abandoned them a long time ago as they were too troublesome and mis-understood my path.
Terra really needs a plasma cannon to the face...
2812191
In 9 and a half books time?
You know, at this rate, we might as well just have Xona come and make an unbelievably massive and large incursion into Ledo straight into Blue Nova to join this fight. I mean, you can never go wrong with more explosions, right?
Rule #1 of Austraeoh: Don't assume anyone is dead until you personally see their head separated from their body
2812191
Amen to that.
2813261 You know what I mean... Terra rules part of you now.
2813336 I agree with this Xonan incursion idea.
2813416
I call it Schrodinger's characters. Therefore, Phoenix is most likely alive.
2813336
I like your way of thinking. How many more separate, angry parties can we shove in one city? Minotaurs? Creepy monks who know kung-fu? Diamond Dogs still trying to get Josho back for no apparent reason? The foxes' relatives? Floydein's girlfriend? Centipedes? Dragons?
Jeez, this crew picked up a whole lot of enemies. That must mean RD is doing something right.
24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_me2p0c5ouS1qzqua1o1_500.jpg
I just realized that technically, a month hasn't passed yet, since no Luna long-distance radio. That would mean that these past 20 or so chapters are also one of the slowest moving one's in this series's history. Austraeoh had like, a few moon calls every 30 or so chapters.
#%&$?!
Goddamn it, Terra! Things were actually coming together nicely, and then a whole other party has to join the already tornadic shitstorm that is sure to become of Blue Shelf. It's gonna be like the Battle of the Pelennor Fields, except with more witty retorts, flaring nostrils, and maybe an "aaaackies!" or two.
"and then the hearts of her puny companions..."
"I'll get you, my pretty, and your little dog, too!" *Cackle*
(Dammit, just noticed others beat me to it. Guess my post just contains the 'quote of redundancy' this time.)
... What if Roarke is kindness? How bucked up would that be? :)
Inb4 ''Imre is kindness'. Yes, most probably.
2813301 I used to be a Metal Mare...
2812823I've grumbled that way when people woke me up.
2812061I actually miss him...
2814536
You know, like:
"Gah! Fuck off!"
2812222 Hey, I'm sure she would, but Searo has, like, no power.
You can't make strawberry daiquiris without a working blender.
2814566 Well, mostly angry noises, in my case. I'm sure I was trying to articulate my disapproval of being woken up somehow, but you know, like... foggy brain.
2812191 What makes you think that will happen anytime soon? We got 9 more stories to go through,bro!
2815038
Nine? Holy shit.
I always wondered how many stories it would take. But 9 more? Is that confirmed?
2815761
Nine is the number, sir. I'm not allowed to speak more.
Certainty of death? Small chance of success? Well, what are we waiting for?
2812664 That would certainly be unexpected.
2813261
I shall call you . . . Zenith II
Goddammit, Colon, at least spoiler tag that shiz
With all these parties heading to Blue Nova, you can just tell that the story is gonna go all Man of Steel on us (I.e. kill ALL the civilians)
So many things happening at once. I wouldn't be surprised if it all ends in explosions.
2812431
probably.
It has that name for a reason after all
2813336
Oh dear god, that's just what this setting needs. All of Dash's friends converging to wreck hell on Blue Nova, and then the Xonans come fuck everything up.
2815794Probably.
Oh god... Unkillable Villain Syndrome is spreading
Here is a nice picture of Terra
images3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20130129172546/moviemorgue/images/6/65/Duras_son_of_jarod.jpg
2816649 awoiaf.westeros.org/images/thumb/0/07/Brienne_by_quickreaver.jpg/300px-Brienne_by_quickreaver.jpg
2815828
Holee sheit...
2814524 Ha ha you have no heart.
2815907 I only founded the city, i didn't begin the goddamn war
2813416
Even then, you have to triple check the corpse.
At this point I would love to know what Luna thinks of all this. It has been a long time since she and Dash had a conversation (chapter wise, time progression is kinda hazy and dash easily could just be having one hell of a month). Granted I may be mistaken, but i dont seem to remember it happening at all in Innavedr.