"Bah! The floor is a carpet of horse horse! The darkness is no friendly domain to Floydien's friendship!"
"Just step carefully and... uhm..." Ebon's voice muttered nervously. "...aim your antlers in front of you. That way you won't trip."
"Spit all over this! Spit says Floydien!"
"Er... yeah..." Ebon's body trotted over to join Pilate within the doorframe to the outer hallway. "So, is the coast clear?"
"Clear, yes, but the storm's hardly over." Pilate aimed O.A.S.I.S. down either side of the corridor. "There's no way we can make this much noise and chaos and incur some kind of reaction, no matter how dark it may be."
"Right, and between the enforcers and Nightshade's cronies..."
"We'd better get moving."
"Yes," Ebon said. "But where?"
"Well, the elevator shaft totally got the shaft!" Props' voice sang.
"Gaaaah! Nnnngh—Darn it!" Ebon turned and frowned towards the soundstone outside the room. "Every flippin' time!"
"Wait, what's this about the elevator, Miss Props?"
"Well, when the elevator went whoopsy it took a big dumpsy."
"Eh?"
Clark's voice rose in clarity. "Excuse me, gentlecolts. In her usual eloquence, Props is trying to tell you that the collapse of the elevator car blocked the planned route of your escape."
"Well, that's not good!" Ebon exclaimed as Simon and Floydien emerged into the hallway beside them. "There's no other way down into the basement 'cuz the ponies here at Nightshade Industries want the tunnel to the hangar kept secret!"
"What if we tried climbing down the shaft?" Pilate asked.
"Mr. Pilate, that's a charming idea," Clark's voice said. "But we are talking about over fifteen floors of climbing through questionable wreckage with very little time on our hooves."
"Yeah!" Props rang forth. "The ponies up there want you deader than possums! Y'know... like the dead kind?"
"Well, we can't very well just sit here to think," Pilate muttered.
"Pilate, think about it, can we really fit Floydien's antlers through the elevator shaft, much less two stallions and a squirrel? All at once?"
"Too many voices and too few boomers!" Floydien grunted. "What complication spits in pony heads? Trouble with reaching Nancy Jane?"
"No, Mr. Floydien, do not worry," Pilate insisted, waving his hooves towards the large figure. "We simply need to... come up with an alternative route!"
"And fast!" Ebon breathily insisted.
"The path to shines is dark. Brighten it with glimmer, Floydien thinks, yes yes?"
"Huh?" Ebon stammered.
"Who's that speaking? Sounds sexy!
Ebon turned to the sound stone. "Props, hang on." He turned back to the rescued prisoner. "Floydien, I don't know what you have in mind, but we gotta do this quietly."
"Is too late for whispering boomers in the neck of stabby stabby. Glimmer in life or glimmer in death. Only one leads to Nancy Jane and boomer freedom forever flying."
"Look, we want to get to your beloved! But you have to trust us!"
"I think we should move," Pilate grumbled, then trotted up against the sound stone. "Miss Props?!"
"Mareshi mareshi!"
"We're going to need help finding a way to reach you and Mr. Clark, underground. Are there any other sound stones on this floor?"
"Uhhhhhhhhhhhh... nope. Oh, wait! Erm... Oh, right. Never mind. There's no quantity less than zero. Too bad, cuz I'd love to fly negative two hundred feet per second! Heeheee!"
Ebon Mane sighed. "Guess we're on our own."
"Not necessarily." Pilate grunted and started kicking and bucking at the sound stone.
"What are you doing?" Ebon asked.
"Taking... Props... With us...!" With one last buck, the zebra snapped the sound stone loose. He sacanned the floor beneath with him with O.A.S.I.S., found the shard, then slipped it between his coat and his choker. "Alright. I suppose we'll have to test the range on this thing."
"Heeeeee! I'm a zebra accessory!"
"Do not wander off too far, my little ponies," Clark's voice said. "We are endeavoring to reach the same destination, after all..."
"Duly noted." Pilate spun around. "Ebon? Floydien?"
"Jeez, that's bright!" Ebon wheezed.
"Huh? What is—?" Pilate's gasped in mid speech, for he lost all "vision" whatsoever. A tremendous power surge was bursting from O.A.S.I.S.
In the background, both stallions could hear Floydien shouting. "Stabbicrabs! The salad and the croutons of filth be eating with you!" At the end of his warcry, a thunderous salvo crackled across the hallway. Pilate went dizzy as he felt his senses flying along with a beam of mana, sailing into a thick line of uniformed stallions holding tasers and flashlights. Their bodies went sprawling to the ground, and so did Pilate's, several yards back.
"Augh!" He trembled before feeling Ebon's hooves helping him back up. "By the Spark, Mr. Floydien! You know how I feel about you using my manasphere as a junction for your weapon!"
"But the sanctity of Floydien and Nancy Jane have they out-glimmered—!"
"And you're angry! Yes! I understand! But I will not be an accessory to killing!" Pilate snarled, the runes on his metal brow flickering. "If they must be dispensed with, then have Simon throttle them into unconsciousness, for all that I care!"
"Most shining idea of bright bright has striped boomer given Floydien!" Floydien's body came into focus, flinging a hoof towards the distant, recuperating guards. "Simon! Serve unto stabby stabby the meal of righteous righteousing!"
"No—Wait!" Pilate hissed, wincing. "I didn't mean..."
With a shrill bark, the rodent bounded down the hall, dodged shots from mana rifles, and jumped to perform a telekinetic burst from mid-air. The building groaned from bent and broken steel as a wave of destruction swam towards the shrieking ponies. They ran backwards, scrambling to flee the unworldly creature.
"Run! Run as far as stabby stabby cares to gallop!" Floydien's hooves clamored after them. "Simon is on your plot like summer rot!"
"Good heavens..." Pilate's ears drooped.
"Uhm..." Ebon's jaw curved in a grin as he helped the other stallion hobble down the hall after them. "I wouldn't want to be on the fragrant end of this tall can of oats you've just opened, buddy..."
"I fear I have made a grave mistake," Pilate slurred as they rounded the shattered corner.
"Heehee! Hey guys! What's this I hear about 'plot rot?!' Sounds like you're all having a party!"
Okay, I feel no shame in admitting... I have no friggin' clue what the hell Floydien is talking about half the time.
No, make that 3/4 of the time.
Twenty-five Rocky sit-ups, ):(. Knock 'em out!
Dammit, Floydien, we talked about this.
And now we're back to over-powered laser beams of death. Guess the explosions have begun.
Simon just turned into a living, walking, mini-nuke.
2834740
yeah, i wont drain more brain cells to understand what he just said...
Floydien and Props, two great tastes that taste great together.
2834906 that's the best kind of squirrel there is. I currently have 16 of them in stock, take your pick. No paperwork to fill out or anything, just make 10 easy payments of $1999 and you can have your very own mana injected, telekinetic squirrel. Order now!!!
We are not held accountable for death, destruction of property, or massive headaches.
Best battle cry ever.
Hopefully Floydien isn't referring to Nancy Jane here. I can tolerate a zeppelin, but a friendship?
I wish we knew just what the hell Floydien is already. I'm liking my earlier idea of moose.
media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mcvfwlAVii1ro891r.gif
2834740
I don't know. I think I'm starting to get the hang of Floydien-speak, and I'm not sure how I feel about that.
Okay, so judging from the comments about how tall Floydien is, and the size of his antlers, I'm gonna say he's a moose.
Squirrels bark?
And damn, i wouldn't want to be on the business end of that squirrel.
2835443
The barking starts about 35ish seconds in. Kinda looks and sounds like rapid fire dry heaves.
2836166
Gray Squirrels sound far more squeaky and cute.
Floydien kicks soo much flank!
Not as much as Rainbow Dash though...
2836385 I believe that actually is an Eastern Grey Squirrel. However, that recording is of a warning call which usually when you hear it means a cat freaked out the squirrel and its letting its homies know to watch out. So yes they usually are more squeaky, but in this case its a bit more gutteral and sharp because "holy crap on a cracker im freaking out!!!!". I like learning things even if they arn't particularly useful
Skaven sound totally sexy. This disproves nothing. NOTHING.
But I do love being constantly reminded that Floydien is not only completely deranged, but also immensely powerful. Judging by what happened in Eljunbyro, we can assume that antlered species are magical by nature; however, Floyds himself stated that it was the Ledomartians who gave him such power. Assuming that his augmentation was a part of Nightshade's experiments with magic, this tells us two things: 1. She really stops at nothing, not even creating a monster as powerful as this. 2. She has been pretty damn successful at it. It's time for us to panic.
2835218
Well, we do now know that he has not only antlers, but massive antlers. I feel like I must agree to this: 2832004
2834756 "Stop turning me into a weapon of mass destruction without my consent!"
2836532
2836532
Well, there ya go! You learn something new every day.
2836166
Do you know why it was clutching its chest like it has some sort of chest wound?
Looks like Props is on board with Props/Floydien. What a fucked up ship that would be. And also completely amazing in every way.
The soundstone stuff always makes me miss Dash's little run across the big desert.
2836701
Yeah, I forgot about the "nose so bright" thing. That's a pretty big clue. And caribou/reindeer can get pretty big, too. A moose would've been cool, though.
Floydien's glimmer glimmer through those who are not striped boomers whose name is known by Floydien as Simon makes boomers most stabby stabby burn like spit.
2835216 Or both. Perhaps Nancy Jane is more of a friend ship.
Was...was that "moshi moshi" in Props-speak?
Every time Floydien speaks, i always imagine brutter's voice from Jak 2
Mareshi Mareshi Props desu
2836856 Wish i could say yes, but i have no clue.
2835210
I was coming down to the comment section just to post about that.
2837574
I think it was.
Yes! We have half a ship, people. Hopefully Floydien and Nancy Jane have an open relationship. Just think how cute that family would be - a pony, a reindeer, and their cyborg squirrel son, all travelling on their platonic airship. They could use it for a diversity ad in the capitol to help stop the war or something. Nightshade should be all over that.
2835210
I'm now going to yell this at my vegetarian room-mates the next time I see them.
Hmm, Wave... Of... Destruction...
Nope, not buying it. Still needs explosions!
Floydien must have some pretty big antlers.
Oh my. Floydien is quite dangerous, I think.
Jeez, Floydien isn't exactly child friendly. Crazy and immensely powerful ain't a good mixture.
IIIIIt's Dashie's evaluation time!
Well...not much in this chapter, actually. Floydien is certainly getting angry, though...I hope ge doesn't do anything too brash. These are my thoughts so far.
-MASH
2840299
So, odds are it's already been revealed, but my assumption was that Nancy Jane was the name of the speedy ship they're going to steal...
2843635 You know what they say about big antlers.
2837273 I understand it! I understand convoluted Floydianspeak!! And now I've learned something. Forget my colon, I think my head might implode.
2837460 Woah!!!!! Careful with that wit, it's sharp.
4026561 Woah!!!!. . . Wait, what?
Voices from the past commenting on stuff that happened months ago. Wheeeeeeeee!!!!!
Floydien has antlers. Deer? Moose?
-Spirit
People are catching up to me! (relevant chapter title)
4789295
Soon . . .
So Props is hilarious.
Well damn, Floydian's a bit more... murdery than usual. He must be really ticked off.
Finished The Final Cut...
A wonderful group.
Nancy Jane... an airship? The airship? Most interesting.
2843133
You think I'm dead, but I sail away
On a wave of glimmer glimmer
Wave of glimmer glimmer
Yeah, that wasn't near as funny as it was in my head. Le sigh.
Floydien is best psychopathic, psionic reindeer.
4792659
And adorable.
Floydien reminds me of Fawful from M&L: Bowser's Inside Story
Mostly incomprehensible, with lots of food metaphors, but still ridiculously powerful.