His panting breaths froze upon hearing a clatter of noise from across the darkness. Gulping hard, Pilate scooted to the far side of his mattress, pressing his flank up against the wall. He heard the hiss of the sliding door as a broad swath of light cascaded over his bruised features.
"Forget it, Shell," he grumbled, though he trembled with pain and hunger. "You can intimidate me all you like, beat me to a pulp if you must. I'm not telling you anymore. Whatever's down there isn't for you to fool with. I..."
His nostrils flared, but suddenly he paused on a sharp breath. His ears twitched to the incoming sound. The hoofsteps trotting through the darkness were soft, delicate, and pensive.
"Belle?" he murmured, his face grimacing.
"Pilate..."
The zebra seethed. "No..." He shook his head and kicked at the mattress. "You don't bring her into this, Shell! Do you hear me?!"
"Oh, Pilate..." The hooves galloped toward him.
He craned his neck and shouted towards nothingness. "You leave her out of this! You bring her back home—"
"Pilate, it's me!" Belle gasped, grasping his muzzle and tilting his panting face towards hers. She lifted his trembling hoof to grace her mane and half-horn. "Shell isn't here. It's okay."
Pilate's lips trembled. The voice that came out of him clung to her warmth. "Belle? How... wh-why did you come here?"
She smiled, sniffling as she caressed his face. "To get you, silly zebra."
He gnashed his teeth and clenched his gray eyes shut. "I... I tried to keep the symbols secret. But... but he found out a lot. I told him things. I'm so sorry, Belle. I'm so sorry—"
"Shhh, don't be sorry, P-Pilate," she murmured, nuzzling him dear as her voice took on a sobbing cadence. "Just be here." She hugged him dearly. "Be alive. Be mine."
He buried his face into her mane and whimpered in a muffled tone, "I was so worried that he would get to you... that he would hurt you..."
"He won't hurt us anymore, Pilate. I won't let him."
"But... But we're in the heart of the facility and his Enforcers—"
"I don't care," she suddenly growled. "I love you and I am getting us out of here alive, do you hear me?"
He swallowed hard and whispered, "I love you so much."
"It's okay. Everything is going to be fine. I promise you."
Two shadows loomed in the doorway, pensively glancing back and forth from the tender scene to the concrete hallway beyond.
"Darling, as much as I adore a tender reunion, we cannot tarry here," Dalton said.
Pilate gasped, but Bellesmith held him still with a hushed voice. "It's okay. He's here to help us."
"Dalton?" Pilate stammered, his breath leveling out. "You're still in the facility?"
"I'm afraid so, old friend."
"I could have sworn... th-that he got rid of everypony."
"For some reason, he still has use of me," Dalton said with a sigh. "For a moment there, I had hopes I'd be sent home to Mildred."
"Help me with these chains!" Belle exclaimed.
Grinder trotted over and yanked at the metal links with brute force.
Pilate tilted his head aside. His nostrils flared once... twice. He made a face. "Grinder?"
"Yeah, yeah," the ram muttered and ripped the shackles off their chains. "I'm here too."
"Do I even want to know how you got here?"
"What matters is that we have you now, Pilate," Belle said, giving him a swift kiss on the lips before hoisting him to his hooves. "And we have a job to do."
"Uhhh..." Dalton squinted across the dark cell. "I beg your pardon?"
"Job to do?" Grinder's wooly brow furrowed. "As in the job of getting the hay out of this crap well?"
"We can't let Shell get away with what he's got planned with this facility," Belle said as she trotted across the room with Pilate leaning limply against her weight. She gave Dalton a firm glare. "We have to head for the laboratories."
"What for?"
"Rainbow Dash," she said. "We're taking the subject with us."
Oorah, kick some ass Belle.
YES UPDATE, and second... :(
Anyway...
Almost time for Dash to kick some ass! (again )
She definitely won't be guarded whatsoever
And then the excrement hit the air circulating device.
I can just see something going horribly, horribly wrong very soon.
only took 80 chapters
regardless, there will be awesomeness to go around
I would kind of laugh if for all of Shell's grandstanding he ends up being a pushover or bypassed completely
No steps to cross off this time...
NEXT CHAPTER
BETTER COME SOON
In 1002 a silly zebra was sent to prison by a military court for a crime he didn't commit. This zebra was promptly rescued from a maximum security stockade, escaping to the Ledomare underground. Today, still wanted by the government, they survive as soldiers of fortune. If you have a problem - if no one else can help - and if you can find them - maybe you can hire: The OC-Team.
How is Pilate pronounced, anyway? Is it like the exercise, minus the 's' (i.e. pil-AH-tee), or is it like it's spelled (i.e. PIE-late)?
1791269 maybe you would be the best one to answer this?
1791301
OC Team gets OC Theme
1791354
Pilot. Although, now I really want a pie latte, someone invent one please?
1791377 Thank you kindly, good sir or madam I will find a way to invent a pie latte, just for you
1791398
Sir. And don't call me Pontius. Or do, it's all good by me.
1785480 I second this opinion!
Wheeeeeeeeeeee, we're going on an adventure, guise.
1791377
Easy, you make a pie with lots of coffee grounds (and sugar! You can't have a bitter pie, now), add some steamed milk on the side, and then top it off with whipped cream.
Wait, that sounds like it works better with a cake
Whatever.
YES!
Gotta go get their backup.
1791406 1. bake pie 2. cut slice of pie 3. put pie slice in a blender with coffee cream and cocoa 4. hit frapp(e+upward accent)
Voila!
Suicide mission.
Belle's becoming too much like Dash.
"Rainbow Dash," she said. "We're taking the subject with us."
omg the suspense is killing me x,x
Subject: Chapter Eighty One
Alternate Title Obtained: "Prison Break"
Preview: "Eljunbyro Chapter Eighty One, Prison Break"
-Minty
1791269
I don't think you're that lucky, zebra-man.
1791682
There's always the foreshadow option where Dash accidentally fries the entire facility. Would make Dash alone again and get her moving east without any baggage.
1791695
And that would be a massively underhanded stab to the gut (and cop-out, the way you describe it), even for this author.
Bloodyhellbloodyhellbloodyhellbloodyhellbloodyhellbloodyhellbloodyhellbloodyhellbloodyhellbloodyhellbloodyhell.....
Escape - Metallica
Off-topic: that MEGAS XLR banner is the greatest thing I've seen all day.
The roit fails and the survivors escape through the machine when the zepplin reienforcements arrive.
That's where my bits are.
It's time for Belle to kick ass and chew bubble gum... and she's all outta gum.
Wat. 80 chapters already?
Everything went better than expected! I could get used to this, although I know this story won't let me. Want a little extra crazyness? Just add a Dash of Rainbow pegasus and you're all set. Either they get Rainbow and she leads the rebellion to a flawless victory, or she's completely out of it physically and mentally and Belle and Co. have to haul her ass around while trying not to get caught. Whatever happens, I'm excited for the team up. Until tomorrow!
The mysterious Spark/Austraeoh/Eljunbryo/predestined-Rainbow Dash RETURNS!!!
Only five bits for arena-side seats, that's FIVE BITS!
Get your tickets now at 1-800-EQUESTRIA-TICKETS or buy online at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHg5SJYRHA0!!!
I can't wait for the MOAR!
My body is so ready.
The Zebra, the Ram, the Unicorn, and the Doctor, plus a certain Pegasus. Utilizing the tried and true trope of the impossible jailbreak. It's so epic, it almost makes me want to root for them until I realize it's my government they're overthrowing.
Ah, well. Chances are I don't even exist anyway, so no harm done.
1791520 So, now chapters are getting titles?
inb4 Dash has a chaos outburst as they're breaking her out and accidentally kills Pilate.
I was expecting the reunion to get crashed by enforcers but this works too.
1791949 Yes. Yes yes yes. Yes.
Side note:
4.bp.blogspot.com/-6OdeJ5lFV84/Tzp3DFb__hI/AAAAAAAAAyE/Fz2NlpTLMtQ/s1600/dis-gon-b-gud.gif
Jailbreak!
"Belle?" he murmured, his face grimacing. hai thar
Hopefully, RD isn't carrying a few busted ribs, punctured lungs, broken bones, and/or a missing wing.
IIIIIt's Dashie's evaluation time!
Alright, so Pilate is back! I feel like the reunion scene might have been ever so slightly rushed, though...but I suppose they had to hurry in order to not get found out. And it's time for Dash's return! This is gonna be sweet...These are my thoughts so far.
-MASH
SHE IS IN THE FACILITY?!?! hot diggity-daffodil.
1791377
I much prefer this one...
This is Australia...
FUCK YEAH TIME TO KICK ASS AND TAKE NAMES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We've got a team here!
Yeah! We're getting RD out!
Soon...
And here comes the prison break.
The rescue begins, and now it's time for some proper Dashie action!
So rainbow dash has been downgraded from protagonist to quest objective.
Great.
5564539 New quest objective: Be the quest objective???
Achievement unlocked: Find true love. +25 to Social Link: Pilate
Dramatic question: Will the one who would be Bellesmith, the one who would be Grinder, the one who would be Dalton and the one who would be Pilate be able to escape from the facility with the one who would be The Spark, also known as the one who would be Austraeoh, also known as the one who would be Rainbow Dash, before the one who would be Shell frinds them and forcibly disassembles them?
Excited declaration: Let's friggin' find out!
6497459
Statement error: frinds is not a word, you who would be Darksteinian comrade. I believe you who would be Aiyonbeam meant to say 'finds.'
Grand declaration: Lets! May she who would be the skittle tasting Spark fly forever onward.
Awwwww.