Dull, quiet vibrations.
Kera's eyes opened to darkness. She was lying in the cot of her sleeping quarters inside the Noble Jury.
More gentle vibrations.
She stirred, sitting up. Rubbing her eyes and muzzle with a forelimb, she blinked blearily across the cramped compartment. Her ears twitched, and she craned her neck towards the floor.
Silence... more silence... then vibrations once more...
Kera took a shuddering breath. Pensively, she crept out of the bed and padded across the metal floor. Sliding the door open, she stuck her head out into the thin hallway of the ship's middle deck. The corridor was empty and dark, and the dull noises continued from below.
Determined, the filly slipped out of her compartment and trotted briskly towards the bow, brushing past door after door to tiny chambers with various ponies slumbering within. When she reached the vertical crawlspace at the front of the Jury, she climbed down it slowly so as not to make any noise with her rattling little hooves.
She landed on the bottom deck, and a loud noise emanated from the observation room, but it wasn't what woke her up. Peeking her head in, Kera saw a porous patch of starlight wafting through the windows and illuminating Rainbow Dash's slumbering figure. The pegasus was draped undaintily across a swaying hammock, her mouth sawing the air violently with continuous snores.
Kera blinked. Calmly, she turned around and faced the thick door to the navigation room. The dull vibrations that had woken her were reverberating from within. Using Rainbow's snores to mask her hooftrots, she quietly approached the door, bit her lip, and slid it open just a crack. Almost instantly, the dull thuds solidified in the form of Pilate's and Belle's upset voices.
Inside the lush interior, Belle was pacing furious circles. The zebra sat with his back to the table of maps and cartographer instruments, facing her.
"...and I'm just saying that we should have a talk with her! We haven't been seeing face to face with Rainbow since we came here, and I think it's time that it was amended!"
"Yes, and what?!" Belle growled, her chestnut eyes fierce and angry. "Tell her that we have to make a decision between her and Kera?! That we love one more than the other?!"
Pilate shook his head with an exasperated sigh. "This is not a contest over who we love more, Bellesmith! It never was!"
"Well, it certainly feels like it! You know, we could have skipped this town entirely and none of this would have been an issue!"
"How so?! Because nopony would have been the wiser?!" Pilate frowned. "You know we couldn't let that happen to Kera—"
"No, you couldn't have that happen to Kera!" Belle pointed with an accusatory hoof. "It was your idea in the first place!"
"Belle..."
"You forced it upon me! You forced it upon the Jury! And you forced it on Kera!"
Pilate stood up. "I wanted Kera to have a chance to find closure!"
"No, you just wanted to get rid of her! Face it, Pilate! You never gave yourself a chance to get to know her! You've kept her at hoof's distance and—"
"You're right! You're right—I have kept a distance from her! But it's not because I disliked the filly in any respect! Far from the truth! I cherish her and I want what's best for her! It's just that—"
"What?"
"I figured from the start that she wouldn't be a permanent member of our crew. It's positively sinful to throw her in harm's way over and over again, so long as we're pledged to follow Rainbow Dash to a new home away from this land!"
"So what you're telling me is that you chose from day one to be more loyal to Rainbow Dash than Kera?!"
"Belle, darling, so long as we're on this journey it is about Rainbow Dash, and it always will be! But you and I both know that it won't last forever!"
"I know that, Pilate—"
"Do you, beloved?! She's dying, Belle! At some point, the pegasus who saved us is going to perish from the chaos that's inside her!"
Kera blinked through the doorway. Her mouth fell agape as her ears drooped. She cast a nervous glance at the observation room behind her, then peered once more into the navigation room.
Belle stood in place, shivering, as Pilate continued. "Unless some miraculous power of Austraeoh restores her to a far more vibrant state, she is only going to succumb to her affliction. It may not be here and now, but it'll likely be sometime during the trip over the Frozen Sea or beyond. Belle, I know you love Rainbow Dash. I care for her deeply too, and I owe her my life. But an unspoken truth that I've held since we first set out from Blue Shelf is that the role of Eljunbyro is to be a temporary one! I don't rightly expect Rainbow Dash to reach the Midnight Armory on the dark side of the world, and if you asked her, I would suspect she feels the same too."
"We're her fr-friends, Pilate. She needs us by her side... she... she d-deserves us!"
"I know, Belle," Pilate said with a nod. "And I would very much like to be with her until the end. But the best thing possible in that scenario... would be her end." His face grew long as he said, "The greatest gift we can give Rainbow Dash is the same gift that she has given us. Loyalty."
Belle sat down in the center of the room, sniffling. Her eyes glistened as she murmured, "But... But Kera...?"
"We can give her a home, Belle. Not just any home, but her home. I'd be lying if I said that I hadn't thought of that since first suggesting our visit to Lerris. But, at the same time, I didn't want to force it on her." He hesitated, shuddered, and lowered his head. "And I didn't want to force it on you, either..."
Belle tilted her head up, mouth agape. "What... wh-what do you mean, Pilate?"
He shifted uncomfortably. "What I mean is... well... think about it, Bellesmith." He tilted his head back up to form a weak smile. "Kera's home could very well be our home too."
Belle blinked. "You mean... stay with her here?" She squeaked, "In Lerris?"
"I can't be the only one who sees a lot of wisdom in what Golden Happenstance says," Pilate remarked. "For Kera's sake, for our sake—"
"But what about Rainbow?" Belle stammered. She sniffled as a tear ran down her face. "Pilate, she n-needs us."
"I know, Belle—"
"She wouldn't h-have made it this far if it weren't for Eljunbyro..."
Pilate shuffled across the floor and rested a hoof on her shoulder. "But, perhaps, she needs something even more." He smiled. "And that's to know that her friends are safe and alive.
Belle grimaced. She ran a shaking hoof through her mane and quivered. "I... I don't like this, Pilate..."
"I'm not entirely fond of it either, beloved."
"You're..." She whimpered and shook her head. "Y-you're asking me to decide between the pony I love as a sister... and th-the filly I love as a daughter..."
Pilate swallowed a lump down his throat and leaned in to nuzzle her. "Oh, Belle." He smiled painfully, kissed her cheek, and murmured, "The day I first heard your voice, I felt as if the Spark itself was embracing me. Then I learned that I hadn't died from the zeppelin crash, and instead you had given me a new lease on life... and the vision to grace your beauty with. I cherished you like an angel, and the last thing I wanted was for my frailties to complicate your existence, or for any pain to enter your life. I... I feel as though I have failed in many ways..."
"Pilate, please, don't—"
"I could have been so much stronger for you, Belle. In many ways, I still struggle with this. But... but here and now? I don't think the decision falls upon me. But I don't think it falls upon you either."
Belle gazed at him with a quivering lip.
He said, "We need to talk to Rainbow Dash, Belle. We need to be up front and honest with her. We need to tell her how we see Kera's future... and h-how bleakly we see hers."
"And th-then what?"
Pilate took a deep breath. "The best case scenario—if you ask me?" He bit his lip, then said, "We leave Lerris, follow Rainbow Dash until we can follow her no more... and then we return."
Belle blinked. "Return... t-to Kera?"
Pilate nodded. "But..." He winced once more. "With the possibility of surviving the trip back on our own... with Rainbow Dash gone?"
Belle shuddered, hanging her head.
Pilate leaned in and nuzzled her.
At last, Belle quietly sobbed: "We h-have to choose..."
"Not just us, Bellesmith," Pilate whispered. "But Rainbow as well. It's time Austraeoh and Eljunbyro resolved itself, once and for all."
"I... I-I just don't know how t-to go about doing it, Pilate..." Belle stammered and squeaked, "I just don't."
"We'll find out, somehow," he said in a wavering tone. He gulped. "Together."
The two held each other in a quiet huddle, ignorant of the space in the door to the observation room. They didn't notice when it slid silently shut, nor did they notice the filly on the other side vanishing like a shadow.
Rainbow is going to feel like they're all ganging up on her. But temporary is as temporary does, and since the wind has done its uplifting, perhaps it's time to part ways.
This is what happens when you try to keep secrets.
Besides Belle, who else knows that Rainbow is dying? At first I thought no one knew, then Roarke mentioned it so i thought EVERYPONY knew. Yet, Kera seemed surprised? I'll just assume they didn't tell the kid...
And this chapter hurts right in the feels It seems as if nopony wants to accept this harsh decision as their own so a group chat is probably for the best. (I jinxed it didn't I?)
The progressive traumatization of Kera is epic.
I agree with Pilate that he, Belle, and Kera are better off staying. We haven't been hearing much of Rainbow lately so I can't tell what she's thinking.
There is a possibility that somepony else will also jump ship, because the only reason they are really on the Jury is to search for a better home. However, I doubt that will happen, because the "somewhere far away from this continent" seems to be a common goal.
I don't think I'll like where Odrsjot is headed...
Wait, Kera didn't know Rainbow was dying?
Fuuuuuck.
It's as if the best possible decision they can make, is at the same time the worst possible decision they can make.
I dont want them to split up... Kera is tough. She can handle life on the Jury.
Roarke has been building that suit for a reason,she's killed her sisters,she's found a new reason to live,to protect Kera.
To that end,Bellesmith,Pilate,Kera,Roarke,We shall miss ye,
I don't think Kera could really be happy in Lerris. If she had not been taken away, yes; but she has been through too much, changed too much. She lived on the streets, then she got caught up in the Nightshade/Lasairfion plot. I don't think she'd be able to settle for a quiet small-town life.
Besides, she's tough.
~Basso
The gods are moving their pieces, and your choice as the dust, is to be carefully brushed aside, or crushed to oblivion.
If Bellesmith and Pilate leave Kera for RD (even temporarily) I'm going to be rather disgusted by both of them and really I kind of am already.
There is no right answer. No easy choice. No happy ending...
I think Kera will remain in Lerris with Belle and Pilate.
Later, EE and Ebon's relationship will bloom, and they will find their home.
Then later, josho will make the ultimate sacrifice, and meet a noble end.
Props and Floydien will sail off into the sunset on the NJ.
Zaid will find a home with plenty of grilled cheese, a more worldly yet still stupid stallion.
Roarke and RD will face the darkness on the other side of the Shard, and the darkness within themselves.
Welp. I figured this chapter would turn up sooner or later, but it doesn't make the decision any damn easier.
Belle and Pilate seem to be drawing to a decision (and I can't say I agree with it, though their reasoning is sound). But the fact that Kera overheard will no doubt complicate things. What if she decides to keep going with Rainbow, for the sole reason that she doesn't want to break everyone up on her account? And like Basso said, I have a hard time picturing Kera really being happy in Lerris.
And, at the risk of being a broken record, I must once again point out that Shell is still unaccounted for. I still have the feeling that he'll show up before this installment ends and derail everything.
3952071
I have a feeling he'll either:
1) Find Lerris after RD leaves, destroy everything.
2) Get ahead of RD, meet her later, end up killing whatever companions remained with her. (Probably Josho. )
Guys. Shell chopped his own horn off. I don't think he's in very good shape to do much of anything right now aside from bleeding and being insane
Is Kera gonna die to stop the duo from ever making that decision?
3952265
I don't think she would try to end het own life. I think she might try to leave. I wouldn't even call it running away. I'm not sure what to call it but yeah, I can see her removing herself from the situation in an effort to keep the group together.
Even though Pilate has some good points on why they should leave the jury, the journey wouldn't be the same without them.
3952261
That, and his fastest mode of transportation is burned to a crisp way back on the other side of Xona. He's not coming back into the story any time soon. Not unless he can teleport.
moments like these in this story are just as powerful, maybe even more powerful than fight scenes and deaths. it's amazing how well written this is..
I have the distinct feeling that this story is going to end with Belle, Pilate, Kera, and maybe more leaving the party. The breaking of the fellowship, indeed.
Sometimes, it's not death that makes us the saddest in the story. Sometimes it's when a character gets to leave and be happy. And we move on without them, with only memories to remind us of what we once shared.
If that happens in the end of this story, it's going to hit hard. And I'm... strangely okay with that. With the war over between Ledomare and Xona, I think it's time that Belle and Pilate get what they originally set out with Rainbow Dash for all along: a home and a happy ending. It'll be sad, but I don't think I could see it any other way.
24
Careful now, you don't want Kera to overhear you two and have her possibly do something rash...oh...oh wait...oops...
3951841 This actually sounds plausible.
~Basso
I forsee many heart-wrenching chapters ahead of us, and I'm not sure whether thats good or bad. IC can tug at my heartstrings like no other...
I love how easy this decision is from a reader's point of view, but I am somewhat unsettled by how easy it should actually be for Belle and Pilate as well. If they truly see no hope in Rainbow succeeding, why do they even bother to plan anything else? The world is dying and Rainbow is the only hope it has and they are quite aware of that. We don't know exactly how long the process will take before it will be fully dead but hey, here's your choice: try and get the Spark where she belongs, as is your destiny chosen by some higher order or settle down and hope that the world won't die before your beloved daughter has passed so that it's only future generations that are boned!
Now things may seem to spiral out of control at this point. They all just need to come together and hug it out.
Called it.
You know, if Rainbow is pretty much doomed to fail, she might as well stay in Lerris with Belle, Pilate and Kera. I mean, why bother? If she's gonna fail anyways... Could just stay happy with the little time she has left to live.
Of course, doing that would be super lame, but it's a fun thought anyways.
And they still haven't talked with Kera about it. At least ask for her input. It's partly her decision as well seeing as how all of this fuss is being raised over her.
3954636
Because she's Austraeoh.
Oh, Pilate...
Wait. Wait, wait wait. He shouldn't be calling for them to leave RD.
Oh god he's a changeling. I'm certain of it. He's never argued with Belle, that we know of, until the past week. He's never questioned his loyalty to RD or Kera, and wouldn't put Kera's safety above her happiness, regardless of how silly that is. He's a changeling. If I'm wrong, I'll eat the next person's hat.
Man, this chapter is real
3956751
I will send you a fruit hat in the mail :-P
Nice. I really love this distant Pilate and Kara relationship. It finally it finally makes sense why he's always acted this way.
IIIIIt's Dashie's evaluation time!
The psychology of this arc is great. However, it seems kinda sudden that the whole situation of Dash's inevitable end and dangerous journey is now front and center. But it could be just me. These are my thoughts so far.
-MASH
-SPirit
"So what you're telling me is that you chose from day one to be more loyal to Rainbow Dash than Kera?!"
There are only a few things i deeply and truely hate in this world...and THIS is one of them...when women change the context of what youre saying to turn it against you...ESPECIALLY if its merely to keep the arguement going.......
4170821 i agree. its a bitter splash of cold water to the face...and what's more...if you remember the previous stories as i do, this is not the first time we've had these grim grim psychological sensations...though to me, since this is topped with it being from a friends perspective, it makes this splash feel much harsher...
such depressing reading...very surreal...
It's a hard decision, but when you love something, you let it go . . .
Feels. I knew it. I'll be ready...
Well, fuck. I guess Pilate's on the Roarke boat as well. At least Belle has some reservations, but I'm fairly certain I know how this is going to end.
And then something bad will happen and make the decision for them.
...right?
Man, I don't envy their dilemma...
How is it that this arc is more nerve-racking than anything involving Shell or Lassairfion? Everything was simpler when RD could just solve all problems with violence.
Edit: I TAKE IT BACK
Heh, emotional drama.
...
Is it just me, or does anyone else think that this is the kind of scene a changeling might thrive in?