Bellesmith was a heaving wreck by the time she collapsed inside the concrete niche. She slumped up against a gray wall, her haggard face lost in the shadows as she stared wide-eyed into nothingness.
Behind her, Kera—no less frantic—telekinetically shut the enclosure, blocking the entrance to her hiding place. A gust of hot air blew in from the bright world beyond the granite slite above them. She exhaled heavily, as if throwing loose the weight of the world through her lungs, and trotted slowly about to face the older mare.
"So long as we don't show our faces for a while, we'll be okay here. Trust me. I've waited out worst crap before." After saying that, the filly immediately winced. "Erm... well, maybe not crap this bad. But it can't be that terrible, right? I mean... we've got plenty of grasshoppers!" She smiled jubilantly.
Belle did not so much as look at her. The mare slid down to her knees, practically curling up in the far corner.
Kera blinked. She did not frown and she did not scowl; a worried fidget ran through her body as she shuffled towards the adult's side. "We... uhm... we could maybe try looking for clues about your friend elsewhere, y'know. I mean... you got enough from the dreamworld to go on for a while, right? That was the whole point in going to that place, wasn't it?"
Belle bit her lip.
Nervously, Kera lowered her hood, shaking loose her bushy green mane. "Bellesmith... come on... say something. I don't care if it's stupid or dainty. You're freaking me out with this silence and stuff."
"I... I saw a world..." Belle eventually murmured. "A world older than our own... a world built by many creatures for many creatures. I felt so small... so tiny... and she... she corrupted it... she attacked me with thoughts that weren't hers..." Weathering a wretching expression, Belle clutched her belly and whispered, "So much horror... and pain." She gulped. "What is she wanting to accomplish? What can she do with the world's flame when it's not hers? I'm so powerless. So very powerless... and now Phoenix... Phoenix..."
Kera's brow furrowed. She courageously attempted smiling as she said, "Look, hey... I think it's no secret that the dude wasn't exactly trying to stay alive forever."
Belle winced.
Kera rolled her eyes, smacking herself in the head. After a while, she sighed and said, "Come on, Belle. We're alive. You got us out of that place and you did so in the most badflank way possible! Shouldn't we—like—run with that?"
"It never fails, Kera," Belle murmured, looking at her own hooves as if they were emaciated gold stalks. "I... I see so much good that needs to be done, but when I try to do them... when I-I try to be as strong as Rainbow Dash..." She gulped. "I fail. I fail, and I-I lose ponies I care for..."
Kera snorted, stifling a giggle as she trotted to Belle's side. "Well, I'm still around. What am I, glue?"
Belle broke into a smile. She pivoted around, gazing lovingly at the filly. She caressed the petite pony's chin with a hoof, but halfway through the gesture her smile faded. "I can't put you through any more of this, Kera..."
"Huh?" Kera gripped the mare's forelimb. "What do you mean, Belle?"
"It's so dangerous as it is..." Belle gasped as she heard sirens in the distance, as well as the distant marching of ponies' hooves in the streets of Blue Nova. Her lips quivered. "I... I need to do this alone."
"Do what alone?"
"I don't know. Anything. Everything. I meant to do my search on my own... and look what's happened." She rubbed a hoof over her face. "I'm not strong enough to protect anypony. How c-can I even protect myself?" A final breath whimpered out of her. "Pilate... m-my beloved..."
Kera's green eyes rounded. After a few seconds she held her breath, leaned in, and nuzzled the mare closely. "I'll protect you, Belle. Does that sound okay?"
Belle shuddered. She looked over at her. A delicate smile crossed her face.
"Hmmm?" Kera smiled back up at the mare. "I'll keep you safe. I promise."
"Yeah..." Belle stroked a hoof over the child's mane. "Yeah, okay..." She tried smiling, but her face collapsed... as did the rest of her body. She buckled over, and her only recourse was to sweep Kera in a gentle hug.
The scampy street urchin didn't protest, and that's what finally dissolved the moment. Belle wept quietly, holding Kera close... holding somepony... anypony close, as the two of them rocked gently in the sanctum of that dark, dark place, away from all the noise and mayhem of Ledomare.
DAMMIT MAN
You broke her.
Dammit, Belle needs link up with Pilate with the quickness.
No push-ups this round, ):(. Fuck you, I'm tired.
D'awww....
Error! Error! Belle has crashed! Please reboot Belle!
Fillyhugs are a temporary countermeasure.
Urgent application of Pilate is strongly advised!
It's for the better she breaks down now. If she got traumatized like that and refused to crack when they were safe, she might have in a much worse situation. Still, if Kera stays, Belle has a point. She's gonna die.
2763225 I really wish I could like your comment twice.
The feels of this chapter have overloaded my circuits. Unlike Belle, I require a different medicine. One specifically called loyalty, the embodiment of awesome, or just RD.
don't worry Belle. Rainbow Dash is on her way to cause mayhem and save everypony.
Aww, Kera showed a bit of a soft side there.
Okay, that was cute as hell. I feel like I should go...I dunno, spit, or scratch, or something, to compensate for all that d'awwwing I did.
I'm starting to get a major hankering for some tearful unicorn-on-zebra happy-smooches.
Is this the break? This is not the break. Belle is gonna break or something and reincarnate before she can truly be Eljunbyro. Or just need Pilate.exe.
Daaaaaawwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!
Needs more explosions
I wonder what Luna is doing right now...
come on dashie, save the day already.
Oh Dashie?
Come on out Dashie. We're all anxious to see you...
Great, new theory: they all were makers, the pegasi and all the others too. The authority that made the pegasi stewards of the sky would then be the collective of them all. But how would "deep in the earth were they found" fit into that?
You're going to run Belle down so much that by the time she reunites with Pilate she'll have given up completely, aren't you?
Since you can't seem to kill off characters anymore (even the ones trying to make heroic sacrifices) I'm guessing you're just going to settle for killing them inside.
Kera is the best ever. I once again predict much angst on Dash's part when she proceeds to remind her of a certain chicken.
2763489It's certainly one of the best. Can't go wrong with Mario 64, Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask, Star Fox 64, and all of the other masterpieces on that system. Fun fact - Boo's laugh in Mario 64 is just Bowser's laugh sped up.
2763545It went well! And I seriously didn't remember the number...I'm touched that you remembered it, though.
2763614The Iwo Jima monument? It's got all of the WWII soldiers pushing up the American flag.
Ah, Belle probably thinks both Pilate and Phoenix are dead, now. I'd be suicidal if I were her. Thank goodness for emergency Kera.
About time Belle crumpled down into a sobbing mess. First Pilate, now Phoenix and the reliving of Novus' hellish experiences - the poor lass has had it a bit rough.
...Cute, though.
Great stuff in this chapter.
2765614
Oh, I didn't even think of that. Now I really want them to meet...
Also, D'aww. Poor Belle. Poor Kera. Snuggles might not fix everything, but they definitely help. Onward!
2764093Honeytiger agrees, it does need more explosions.
IIIIIt's Dashie's evaluation time!
So we get to see more of Kera's emotional side here. In the past she's always been very gung-ho and akin to Rainbow Dash. But here, we see a bit of get inner self. I take it there'll be future situations that will bring out this side off her again. These are my thoughts so far.
-MASH
It's not always the child that needs protecting in difficult situations.
Kera is wonderful. She knows when to be what kind of pony, and knows exactly how to do it. Perfect for Belle.
-Spirit
Kera's so cute and awesome. Best OC filly.
Somewhere deep in the crusty bowels of my heart, a feel was felt.
Whatever your crisis, there's a Kera for that.
I always like these moments where a usually aloof, self-assured character shows that they actually do care about the people around them.
Poor poor Belle. Quick, somepony reunite her with Pilate.
6211052
Do you know where I can get a Kera? I would very much like a Kera.