"First of all, if you wanna last long down here, you'll wanna lose the satchel. Especially one that looks so super shiny." Kera smirked as she hopped over a pile of rusted, metal airship parts and trotted on down a steep alleyway. "It's a miracle that you haven't had that yanked from you yet. I mean, I totally would have tried myself, but that was before I knew that you were so cool. You are cool, right?"
"Oh, m-most certainly," Bellesmith stammered, stumbling in her attempts to follow the filly on even hoofing. "You've been so kind to us, I've almost completely forgotten the... er... incident from when we first met, Miss... Kera Tin Mehjj..."
"Please. Call me Kera. It's better than what the ponies around here call me."
"And what do they call you?"
"Usually just 'hey you.' Which is okay. It's a lot prettier than 'That ugly flankhole with our bread!'"
"Er..."
"Watch your step in this next part, or you'll fall and break your neck and become rat food! And believe me, rats don't use forks. They'll eat out of your belly like a mule to a trough."
"Uhm... duly noted, Kera..."
The three equines had walked the length of the maintenance corridor in the center of "Blue Belly." Reaching the far end, Kera unlocked the passage's exit with her horn, and the rest of the trip was spent skirting the edges of a landfill until the group trotted into the northwest slums. From there, it was a haphazard trek through rubble-strewn streets and shanty towns. Misery and decrepit filth surrounded them on all sides, but Kera never once lost the spring to her step.
"So, you from the western provinces? Green Slope? Blue Valley? Wait... is there even a Blue Valley?" Kera's tattooed face twisted as she hopped over a cluttered mess of crumpled trash cans. "Maybe a West and East Blue Valley? Yeesh, you think the ponies here would get creative and start calling things 'Azure' or 'Cyan' or... or..." She blinked. "Can you make an adjective out of 'Sapphire?'"
"Uhm..."
"Oh well!" Kera bounded ahead. "If I had a house of my own, I'd name the valley around it 'Indigo!' Mmmm... Yeah! That sounds so cool. Indigo! 'I just had my life changed!' 'How's that, ma'am?' 'I saw the Indigo Pony with my very own eyes and I think I'm cured of cancer!'"
"Wherever she's taking us, it'd better have good acoustics with a mouth like that," Phoenix grumbled.
"Mr. Phoenix..." Belle sighed.
The stallion shrugged.
"Hope the smell doesn't bother you guys!" Kera said, glancing over her shoulder as they passed burning oil drums and shacks with aluminum rooftops. "It only means that you're alive! Yup. They say that when you die, the first thing to go is your nose. Then your spirit sort of just floats up through your nostrils to join with the Spark."
"That wasn't in any religious tome I ever read," Belle said, stifling a smirk.
"Pfft! That's 'cuz bibles should have more pictures!"
"Kera, if you don't mind my asking," Belle uttered, "Where are you taking us?"
"Duh. Where the smell and the safety is at its best... and worst. Either way, you'll have less ponies with sparkly sticks trying to impale you."
"And..." Belle's chestnut eyes narrowed as she leaned forward to test the waters. "Your parents know where you are?"
"The hay should I know? They're way the heck east of here."
Belle gulped and muttered, "In Xona?"
"Hmm?" Kera glanced back again. "Oh. Pffft. What the crap would I know about that place? Do I look and sound like a 'horrrrrrrrrible religioussssss savvvvvage' to you?" The filly ended her speech with a giggle.
"Actually, I'd say you sound downright intelligent." Bellesmith smiled. "But, I thought you said that your parents—"
"—are in some village far away. And, no, they didn't give birth to me."
"Then, you are adopted?" Belle's golden brow furrowed. "Then, pray tell, what are you doing here?"
"Jeesh, what's with all the questions? Am I being interviewed for something?"
"Well, I'm simply curious as to why—"
"Besides, don't you know?" Kera stopped in front of a grooved wall at the bottom of a looming skyscraper facing the slums. She pointed up at Belle. "You were brought here too!"
Belle did a double-take. "Brought... here...?"
"Yeah..." Kera's green eyes narrowed as she pointed harder. "Weren't you?"
"I..." Belle slowly shook her head. "I-I don't understand..."
"Miss Belle..." Phoenix leaned in. "She's pointing at your horn."
Belle blinked at him. She brought a hoof up and felt the contours of her stub. "Uhm... I... I don't see how you could think that—"
"Whatever." Kera shrugged. "You're way older than me, which means that if you had business with Nightshade, that's between you and her."
"Wait, Madame Nightshade?" Belle leaned forward. "What do you know about her?"
"Only that she's full of manure and smells worst than this place."
"Uhhh..."
"Only, she has a really good way of hiding it."
"Kera, did Nightshade Industries have anything to do with—"
"Do you like grasshoppers?!" Kera asked, her eyes twitching.
Belle grimaced. "I... beg your pardon?"
"I've heard stories of how ponies out west beyond the wastes eat meat and stuff. Same thing with Searonese metal mares. I'm not sure if grasshoppers count as 'meat,' but they can certainly fill you up, so long as you get past the crunchy noises and globs of puss rolling between your lips. Still, they're all over the slums when it rains, and it's a lot easier to get your fill with them than with bread. I've got a whole box in my place! Wanna give it a taste?"
"I... er...." Bellesmith was at a lost for words.
Phoenix leaned in. "Your help has been appreciated, little missy, but we lost the enforcers long ago. I think we should be on our way now."
"Phoenix!" Belle hissed at him. "We can't just leave her?"
"Why not?" Phoenix shrugged. "She seems to be handling herself well enough!"
"You heard her! She knows something that we don't about Nightshade Industries! The ponies who own that building which the tome points to!"
"Miss Bellesmith, we don't even know if she's telling us the truth..."
"She's only been trying to help us! Can't you see that she's lonely and—?"
"Must you forget that she robbed you the first chance she got? She's a street urchin, Miss Bellesmith. She'll say whatever is convenient in order to—"
"Have you tried kissing?" Kera asked, suddenly within a breath's distance from the two.
The adults jumped back, gawking at her.
"Huh?"
"I watch 'beloveds' all the time," Kera said, her green eyes darting back and forth curiously. "They get into arguments in the middle of the street, but all that it takes to stop the fight is a kiss. So why not get it over with so we can trot on?"
"What?! I... We..." Belle tried to hold her lunch in. "Most certainly not!"
"Girl, you've got the wrong idea..." Phoenix waved a calm hoof.
"I would rather leap off a cliff then bring my muzzle anywhere near his!" Belle's voice cracked.
"Yes, she has a point—" Phoenix gave her a double-take. "Whoah, now wait a second—"
"Heeheehee... You're both silly." Kera stuck her tongue out. "Why'd you lose your manes anyway? Got tired of sharing fleas in bed?"
"Ungh!" Belle turned, frowning towards the shadows. "We do not sleep together!"
"Now you gone and done it," Phoenix sighed, gazing tiredly at the little foal. "You realize how long it takes for me to give this mare a pep-talk."
Kera cocked her head aside, squinting. "So... you're not about to kick my teeth in or anything?"
Phoenix's jaw fell. "Huh?"
"Or slam me against the concrete or try to break my ribs?"
Belle flashed her a shocked look. "Definitely not! What would give you that idea?"
Kera shrugged. "Most ponies from these streets... they'd have tried smashing my horn into dust by now. But you guys haven't." She grinned wide. "So that's how I know your cool!" Holding her breath, she turned towards the wall and powered energy into her horn. The groove within the concrete surface of the building widened, allowing for ponies to slide into a thin niche that—just seconds ago—was only large enough to allow the filly to slide through. "Come on!" She motioned and trotted briskly into the corridor. "It's brighter than you think in this city at night! If you really wanna hide from those beret buzzards, you're better off inside this cubby hole with me! Hurry! Grasshoppers await!"
Belle was still fuming, attempting to breathe evenly. "She certainly has a wild imagination."
"Perhaps..." Phoenix smirked at her as he passed on. "But I'm actually starting to like her."
She stood at the rear of the procession for a few seconds before tossing her hooves and trudging after them as the concrete wall panels slid shut behind her. "I'd give anything for Rainbow Dash to have memories of dealing with foals that didn't involve copious amounts of half-conscious bragging..."
Saphirr-
Dammit, you did that on purpose, IC.
Stahp. You're making my heart melt with feels and adorables.
Also, Kera is best Pinkie.
Element of Laughter detected.
Also, am I the only one reading Kera's lines in the voice of Tiny Tina from Borderlands 2?
2574120
Personally, I read her in the voice of Radical Edward from Cowboy Bebop.
Tiny Tina works too though.
LOL
I love this chapter!
Except...
I...think I'll avoid eating while reading this fic...
*pushes sandwich away*
Great chapter! made me LOL
This is how children really are isn't it? Maybe not hiding quite so many potentially deadly secrets, but talking a mile a minute about seventeen different things? Maybe I don't want kids after all...
Also, grasshoppers?
2574166
Once you get past the legs, it ain't too bad.
I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm curious about what grasshopper tastes like now. They can't be that bad, they're crunchy and have plenty of protein!
I seriously can't freaking wait for the day Kera and Rainbow Dash meet eachother.
2574120
Make that the Element of This-character-is-freaking-genius.
This is a funny chapter, Scolon. I like it. I had thought that each installment dealt with one Element, but with Roarke being (presumably) Generosity and Kera being (presumably) Laughter, I think that that theory has been shattered. Good chapter, at any rate.
Dat running gag.
You know, according to Dictionary.com, both sapphirine and sapphire itself are perfectly acceptable substitutes for a non-existent word...
Oh Kera! You're such a loudmouth!
Either than that, I can't wait to see what the book says. Kera shut your trap and start reading!!!
So she's pretty much another pinkie,but due to her being a kid,is even wilder. Celestia help us all.
Onward to geasshoppers!
Kinda gross, but funny at the same time.
Kera is a hoot. And I'm getting more and more curious about her past. And Belle's, at that. There definitely seems to be a connection between Belle and Nightshade, but she doesn't seem to remember it. And her horn. Maybe...
damaris.org/cw/images/wolverine1.jpg
. . . naw! Oh well.
To be fair, grasshoppers are delicious.
...What?
Hey, I totally use sapphiric. Just sayin'.
I'm willing to bet all of me does, too. That is, Novus, Ordo, and Seclorum.
Hmm, I'm guessing it's possible that we're getting new elements here (I mean, there's definitely a lot of evidence pointing to it), but my only concern is that RD might have to abandon them. I mean, since Eljunbyro, she still has yet to get her act together and actually move past yet another country. Not that I'm complaining, I've loved these adventures, it's just that RD only has so much time, and all these ponies are going to really slow her down. Although I don't want to, I kind of see it as necessary for her to abandon these guys too sooner or later. Also, I figured I was at least partially right in my prediction of Bellesmith getting caught, so no pointless drunk douchebag character for me I guess... Was actually looking forward to eventually getting included in this story. Oh well, it's great anyways
Kera is a silly filly, she cracks jokes like I crack... Never mind
Heh, she's so adorable...but I'll tell you...
...broke my heart a little.
I've.... caught... up.....
I've caught up!
Heeeeey guys!
My mind I don't think can tolerate any predictions on the story for now, but I hope to do so next chapter, all that reading...... it's a lot of information.
Onwards!
Grasshoppers aren't too shabby, but they don't hold a candle to freakin' scorpion. Minus the whole picking carapace outta your teeth thing. Gotta love China.
Kera remains adorable, as does Phoenix and Belle. I'm sure Nightshade is just misunderstood.
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[youtube=hBLJFcB6mys]
I was thinking last chapter that Belle probably had some kind of secret. I wonder if she experienced some memory loss after that 'zepplin crash'.
Oh how I would like to see you kiss Phoenix, Belle. Assuming you'd live after that leap, that is.
2574120>>2574142
All I hear is Pinkie, when I read Kera's lines!
2574264
Oh gosh, that'll be fun to see.
My goodness, her little mouth just runs on and on, doesn't it?...
2574191 Grasshoppers are actually quite tasty. They're mostly shell anyways, and once you've fried them enough and spiced them a little, they taste a lot like chips.
2574319 My dictionary of choice suggests 'sapphiric'... I would say 'sapphic', but that would come out all wrong...
Well, so Kera doesn't know anything about her own home country Xona, or there is another culture using the same tattoo technique nearby. Also, I don't know from where you guys get your voices for Kera, but when I hear 'bubbly garbage girl', I think of this one. images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20130210053159/disney/images/6/65/Vanellopetreeforest.jpg
Ceterum censeo Searinem delendam esse, and then we need to get us some locusts for dinner.
2574120
I'm actually getting more of a Vanellope Von Schweetz vibe from her.
2576624
Sweet Celestia. As soon as I posted my comment saying she sounds like Vanellope, I saw yours. Great minds, eh?
this has nothing to do with butter!
2574067
Apparently, it is itself.
I've seen "sapphirric" used somewhere.... don't remember where. Probably not a correct use.
2578212 Now that you say it, yes, of course!
"There's far too much to take in here
More to find than can ever be found
But the sun rolling high through the sapphire sky
Keeps great and small on the endless round!"
"Can you make an adjective out of 'Sapphire?'"
Best Line Ever.
I personally take the Rainbow Dash school of thought on this one.
I saw Sapphire Shores for some reason.
I'm going to be a rebel and continue disliking Kera, just because.
I won't be so easily persuaded, Mr. Colon!
IIIIIt's Dashie's evaluation time!
In this chapter, you've really got to feel for Kera. She talks about the grasshoppers and beatings like they're normal occurrences just because she's never known anything else. You pick it up in the small little clues that Imploding gives you in the dialogue. It saddens me...also, the banter between everyone in this scene was funny as well. These are my thoughts so far.
-MASH
So Kera's adorable. She's also apparently had some "Break the Cutie" moments in the past that nevertheless haven't managed to actually "break" her. Yet another character with an interesting and twisted backstory that we do not know enough about. I suppose that's half the fun of it, though. Well, I'm still way behind - onward!
>So that's how I know your cool
Do you mean "you're"?
2574067 I laughed a high pitch hissing laugh when I read that line.
This. Is. So. Hilarious.
...
Next chapter will involve Imre, I'm sure of it.
-Spirit
2578020
I can't believe it's not butter!
Yes, I've said it twice, and I'll say it again: best filly. Also, she has a mysterious past that I need to know.
grrr
Kera's funny, but I have a feeling she'll got on my nerves fast enough
Hmmm. Based on Kera's earlier reaction to the picture of Rainbow, I think she's come across pegasi before. I'm going to take a guess and say she's at least met a Pegasus before. This is completely wild speculation/guess but maybe she has a pegasus parent.
Haha, yeah, I definitely like this kid.
Yep, Kera's the new Pinkie.
With a horn.
OH GOD RUN FOR THE HILLS
She knows things, but with the attention span of a filly, good luck learning them.
Hah! Kids and their awkward suggestions.
Welcome to the side of knowing who best filly is, Phoenix.
Bwhahahahaha!
yeah, no. I am willing to live with "jees" as interjection, but "bible" is the wrong word to use in non-christianocentric culture.
And don't get started on how "bible" intially meant "book" because you would still not refer to Tao Te Ching or Guru Grant Sahib as a "bible".