"Years ago, a large group of Diamond Dogs showed up from the east," Tweak said. He and Crimson stood on the front porch to the cabin, leaning on the wooden railing as they basked in the morning glow. "They piloted a large tank of sorts—a mining vehicle capable of carying hundreds of tons of ore. They attempted to capture and enslave several of the farmers of these lands. We put up a resistance, but as it turned out, we didn't have to try very hard."
"Why's that?" Crimson asked.
"The canines were of a particular breed. They had a peculiar sensitivity to the magical aura produced by crystal ponies in their natural state." Tweak sighed and adjusted the weight on his hooves. "It was rather obvious that they wanted to enslave us and force us to work in extracting sapphires from the earth here in Aurum. However, they couldn't stand to be in the same vicinity as us for very long."
"So they let you be?"
"As well as they could afford to," Tweak explained. "They tried threatening us—driving us out of our homes with long range ordinance and explosives. However, the entire effort proved too costly."
"The farmland you have here is very valuable to them, I see," Crimson remarked. "I can't imagine that they'd simply give up."
Tweak shook his head. "They'll stop at nothing to excavate the minerals of this land. They're sensitive to the rocks just as they are to crystal ponies themselves; that's why they've relied on enslaving the equine population. Since there are so few non-crystal ponies around these parts, their production has been slowed to a crawl, not like it was blazing much to begin with."
"Right..."
"So, to weed out the local dissenters, they've resorted to establishing bounties."
Crimson's gaze narrowed. "The Searonese."
Tweak nodded. "The price has not been cheap. Every month or so, the diamond dogs—these self proclaimed 'Killas' pay a steep bounty, and a metal mare flies in and grabs one of us off our land."
"Surely you resist..."
"Have you fought a metal mare before?"
"Yes."
"You and your entire company of fellow soldiers?"
Crimson opened his mouth again, lingered, and ultimately uttered, "Yes."
"You didn't win, did you?"
Crimson was silent.
"As you can imagine, it's been nothing but pain, stress, and heartache. Many good households around here have lost ponies close to us."
"Were your neighbors... murdered?"
"That's not the metal mare way," Tweak said. "The ponies around here have been grabbed, one by one. And only the stallions too."
Crimson swallowed. "I see..."
"Just a month ago, Fresh Cut of the south farm was snatched away from his own wife and children. Two months ago, Straight Shot of the blue ravine. Three months ago..." Tweak winced slightly. His eyes fell to the side. "Lucky Strike, my brother."
Crimson's gaze fell. "I am sorry to hear that."
"I believe you," Tweak muttered. "And I sense that you're a stallion of conviction, regardless of your fortune. But please understand..." He glanced up. "I do not tell you this so that you can worry about a bunch of perfect strangers."
"Then why are you telling me this?"
"I figured that..." Tweak sighed, gazing towards the horizon as his shoulders shrugged. "That if you're heading towards the metal mare homeland anyways, that maybe... just perhaps you can be on a lookout for them." He swallowed. "Especially my brother."
Crimson leaned his head aside. "What makes you think that a three-legged unicorn with battle scars can make it to the metal mare homeland?"
Tweak fidgeted slightly. Ultimately, he said, "I'm no soldier, but I've seen my fair share of scuffles. I've battled diamond dogs tooth and nail." He winced. "I've seen their insides. I've heard their screams, knowing that I've slain them to protect my house. My wife. My children." He shuddered. "To do horrible things in order to keep the world safe: it takes strength. But it also takes strength to know when to come short of doing what's truly, truly terrible." He glanced back up at Crimson. "I think you're a very strong pony, sir. But I think you stand to remember that about yourself."
Crimson blinked.
"Maybe you'll remember it by the time you get to metal mare country. And if so, I wouldn't mind you doing something strong for my brother and two neighbors." Tweak shrugged. "Since... well... you're so hell-bent on going there anyways. What, with this Rainbow Dust..."
"Dash," Crimson corrected. "And I would be honored to find out where your friends and family are. This was a rescue mission, after all."
"Really?" Tweak's lips curved ever so slightly. "From the way it sounds to me, I figured it was a suicide mission."
"Not at all," Crimson instantly replied with a shaking head.
Tweak squinted at him. "You sure of that, sir?"
Crimson fumbled for words.
Before he could generate a reply, two teenage ponies galloped up, their crystal bodies glittering in the morning light. "Tweak! Tweak! You gotta come quick! Grab your rifle!"
Tweak spun about. "Huh? What is it?"
"In the marketplace! There's been an explosion!" One exclaimed, panting for breath. "There's trouble!"
Tweak's mouth hung open. "What kind of trouble?"
"What do you think?" the young stallion grunted in reply.
If Tweak had a coat, it'd be standing on end. With a chiseled frown, he stomped towards the cabin door. "Go get the neighbors down the road. We'll cut this one off before she grabs another!"
"Is this what I think it is?!" Crimson exclaimed.
"You lost your leg, not your brain, bucko."
"Let me help! I have experience with metal mares!"
"No, you have experience at losing to them."
"I mean it!" Crimson exclaimed. Nevertheless, he stumbled clumsily across the front porch, overwhelmed with dizziness. "At least let me lend my magic!"
"You can lend it!" Tweak said, darting in and coming back out with his rifle. "Right here!" He cocked the weapon and shouted aside. "Protect my family!"
"But—"
"Do this, and we're square," Tweak said, flinging Crimson a glare. "Consider our hospitality earned." That said, he galloped furiously down the road towards a rising column of smoke beyond a throng of blue crystals.
Crimson watched, pensively biting his lip. He turned around.
Stasia stood in the cabin doorway. Roque and Nexx clung fearfully to her limbs, sharing her same expression of pained worry.
Grinding his teeth, Crimson spun around. His eyes searched the nearby farmland, until his attention fell to the crumpled wreckage of the Ledomaritan glider, still sparking from within.
Oh no! TWEAK, COME BACK!
You can do it, Crimson!
A well times attack is well timed.
The metal mare's gonna get you, Tweak! Don't leave your weapon at home!
Kick her ass, Seabass!
Twenty-five 4-count Side-straddle Hops. Jumping jacks to you civilian pukes. Just a light workout today, Gotta be ready to kick some metal mare ass! Knock 'em out!
If luck is on the side it's generally on, it's going to be whatsherface, that one buff lesbian from before. If so, I hope she flirts a lot with the ponies she fights. Because that would be hilarious.
so, Metalmare in mana ship vs crimson in a heavily damaged ledomartian glider, wonder who'll win :P
Now we shall have Crimson or Tweak be grabbed and brought to Searo, probably both. There they will meet Roarke and RD and they will join forces to get the captured crystal ponies back. When returning, they will see the killa camp and find Josho and EE. After saving them, RD will bring them all to Blue Nova and find Pilate and Floydien trying to blast their way in. They shall help and be joined by the xonan from chapter 1. Then they shall leave, finding out Belle and Phoenix never arrived. They will then find Belle and Phoenix along with one other who joined the two. Onc e they are all together, they will have another encounter with Shell and finally take him out with their larger forces. That's when something will go wrong and book 4 will start with an O.
Either that happens or my fist idea where they never actually meet but all keep going east, IC will decide.
On a side note: Anyone else notice that blue is a major color in this area? Blue Shelf, Blue Nova, Sapphire Ravine, Blue watsitcalled in Searo.
2314803 obviously crimson!
Lol..
I got a bad feeling about this...
2314873
I'm betting crimson gets captured and sent to the mines where he will meet the two stuck there and proceed to stage a rebellion completely wiping out the 'killas and freeing the slaves.
but that's just me
I have a bad feeling about this. Anyway can't wait for them to go slave freeing.
2314921 I think that Dash may get into some trouble with the rescue mission that Crimson is planning... Whoever is coming for RD is not gonna know that she is a half metal mare now and she may get attacked by her own rescue mission... But it is entirely plausible that the rescuers are gonna come from the revolt that you talked about... But I have a feeling that Dash is going to come into contact with a stallion or two that knows our friendly crystal pony that helped Crimson.
And to tell ya the truth, I think Dash is probably the best off at this point... Either that, or Pilate...
2314964
i doubt ANYPONY could mistake RD as anyone other than RD... unless she's wearing full body armor... then maybe. Her personality would still be glaringly obvious.
I've got a bad feeling about this...
2314932
Hells yes! Free all of the slaves!
This is Australia...
well. Tweak is fucked. Either that or our all powerful god imploring colon will read Honeytiger's comment and make him survive just to troll Honeytiger.
Don't tell me left without a weapon.
time to nut up or shut up.
Can Searonese actually use crystal stallions? Well, I guess they must, or they wouldn't keep stealing them, but still, the physiology seems way off.
2315852
...for all the good it'll do, but at least it's there.
2316819 Males are used for all kinds of slave labour, not just breeding.
Most notably, we have been told before that Searo uses their raids on Aurum as a way to acquire energy for their nation. While my idea that the Searonese might be using the Diamond Dogs as slave workers turned out to be wrong - quite the contrary is true, after all - it would seem that they do indeed abuse Crystal Ponies as a power source.
That is the most evil thing I could imagine. I swear to , I ing hate those y ers so much, if I get my y hands on them I'm going to !!
Tweak's gonna get nabbed and it's going to start a big ol' rescue quest whether Crimson likes it or not.
2317433...wat
Well, pretty blaringly blatant either Tweak or Crimson is getting metalised and doggered. The blatanticity is palpable. It drives me to formulate pointless new words.
This is all just leading up to Crimson and Eagle Eye's reunion.
And I am really hoping Eagle Eye is not as incredibly excited to see Crimson as I think he would be.
2318078 Well, you know what they say: good luck Crimson, break a le- oh, wait.
There's no way any of this could go wrong in any possible way! Nope, not a chance - hey, did that amazon in a tin can just nab Tweak? What a
But seriously, I'll hold out hope that Tweak totally kicks her butt. If Crimson were smart he'd do something to get himself captured so he could sneak around behind enemy lines and find Dash that way. Although, after having seen only a little of what they do to Stallions there... cahonies of steel would be required for such a mission. Well, I'm off to see how hard the horseapples hit Mr. Breezy's cutie mark - Onward!
I really hope Tweak doesn't get himself abducted too.
IIIIIt's Dashie's evaluation time!
So we get a bit more of an explanation here on the Killas' history. It didn't take very long for Imploding to explain that to us...I kind of miss that, actually. It seems like most of the stuff in the East series (that's what I'm calling it now, so suck it up) is pretty well explained at this point. I kind of miss all of Austraeoh's mysteriousness...I hope that it gets brought back at sone point. These are my thoughts so far.
-MASH
Titanomachy anyone?
Please, Tweak, come back!
Please?
Crimson, protect them well. :insertrainbowdashsalutefacehere:
-Spirit
Crimson's got this.
I'm back readers! Time to get back on track!
I do love me some nice, juicy exposition...
Hope Crimson learned a few tricks from our favorite prismatic Pegasus.
Jury-rigged glider bomb, anyone?
Also, now we know why the dogs hate the crystals. Plot revelations!
And now everything in there is tied with everything else.
Hehehe. Someone certainly didn't win.
Explosions in town? Speak of the devils.
I was wondering why they were ALL stallions. Seemed rather peculiar, actually.
6435542
Horns and all
Crimson got a side quest.
Also, the origins the Killas seem to be in this chapter. It also seems like this chapter reaffirms that Crystal Ponies exist.
I love this chapter, it shows two sides at a stabdstill conflict and how one uses their slow economic advance with crystal mining to slowly weed out the other.
The insinuation is that eventually with each kidnapping they can afford to kidnap more and more to slowly weed out the CrystalPonies.
It is a perfect point to be introduced to the conflict.
Taking out the Searonese will leave the diamond dogs group out of commission. And the Searonese can't have the diamond dogs being eradicated. It is an ugly look at how mercenaries tend to side with awful groups of people.
I do believe the stallions Tweak speaks of are the shorn ones Dash saw at Searo's home base, are they not?