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Post by rubynights on Dec 7, 2011 15:34:10 GMT -5
“You’re going to leave me? FINE!” Ruby yelled out at Kuruka, multitasking as she continued to evade the powerful swipes of Wildfire’s large drake wing. Parrying with her dagger was not even necessary. Out of pure athleticism and agility, Ruby was more than capable of dodging the pegasus’ attacks. So far at least, her battle plan was working. Ruby already had managed to land a few strikes against the mismatched mare, just unfortunately not in her opponent’s most vulnerable body parts. The vicious steel of Ruby’s dagger instead clashed multiple times against the hard metal plating of the strange pegasus’ armor.
This endless cycle of combat was getting her nowhere. Narrowly evading the mismatched mare’s oversized drake wing time and time again was more than just scary. It was beginning to grow tiring as well and it didn’t seem as if the green pegasus was planning to quit any time soon. What Ruby needed was a well placed attack; a single expertly aimed flesh wound that would discourage her opponent from continuing the fight.
She began to aim her final attack when suddenly…
“Huh… hwu… WHAT?” Ruby gasped in bewilderment as a random Equestrian soldier tackled into the mismatched pegasus. That sudden moment knocked the mare back into reality. No longer distracted by her green pegasus opponent, Ruby could see that the area within Whitetail Woods had now become somewhat of a battleground. As she could hear before, Quillson and Kuruka were long gone. By now, they had fled ahead of her far off into the moat. How silly it was of her to trust in other ponies again.
And he’s here too? Darn it… Better take what I came to get already and leave… Ruby thought as she caught the glimpse of the woodspony she had met earlier in the day. She wasted no time in hightailing it out of there, sheathing her dagger and hoping to be able to cross the moat from a different side. On her way, she came to an abrupt halt as she trotted by a strangely peculiar bush.
“Hey… I know you! You’re that unicorn colt who ran away at the first sign of danger! You’re really not helping anypony hiding away in your safe little haven, you know!” Ruby yelled out loud at Searing Frost as she stopped in front of his bush. The mare’s fierce attitude only seemed to make him more nervous. She toned her voice down a bit before continuing to speak. “Now look, sweetie… I didn’t come here to look after scared little foals. I came here to profit and I’m currently in need of some magical assistance. If you could melt down that ice wall with some kind of fire magic for me, I would greatly be in your debt…”
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Post by clouddreamer on Dec 7, 2011 18:23:50 GMT -5
So much action, so much she could not see, it frustrated Cloudy to no ends. Yet all she could do was make illusions, she could not fight. The unicorn was weak, her best way of physical fighting was to either trick a pony or try and pull them back with telekenises. The second option was a lot harder for her, took must more consentration, and tired her out very quickly. Indeed, Cloudy was next to useless in battle. Ponies had a better chance of winning with a rock than her in her opinion.
Cloudy was suddenly snapped out of her bored waiting by the voices of one of her guards, as well as another. One that was to familiar for comfort.... oh sparkles..... why did he have to come?! Thank Celestia she was hidden for now. But she had to stall the ponies longer, and her only option was an illusion. A visual one should be all she needed. For now.
Once again she started a new illusion. From the outside, the ice wall seemed to burst apart as sharp metal spikes erupted from it. The covered the whole outside of the ice wall, lining the top as well. Each spike was no bigger than an inch in length, Cloudy had no idea how close anypony was to the wall and she didn't want her illusion being found out early, but it looked as if anypony climbed it they would surely be torn apart. Of course, all it took was a pony simply touching a single spike to find out what it really was.
A few visual illusions, easy to manage. Hopefully effective. Cloudy kept her eyes open in case a pony got over the ice wall and tried to attack her, but she kept her mind focused on the few illusions she had to keep going. Once a pony got over the ice wall she'd drop the illusion of the spikes, hopefully if she only had the illusion protecting the mages and the illusion hiding the light to focus on she would be able to continue them even if she was attacked. For now she was back to waiting for someone to catch how fake every barrier the unicorn made was.
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Post by Selenia on Dec 8, 2011 6:55:47 GMT -5
Selenia had been holding her breath while she was walking towards the ice wall and inevitable confrontation, but when Ranger arrived with his military patrol, she let it out in an explosive sigh of relief. Selenia wasn't one to pick fights, but she had no qualms taking part and helping when one was already in progress. While the equestrian patrol milled around the clearing and split up any fights, Selenia spotted Ranger and trotted over to him. Friendly, familiar faces were somewhat of a luxury that few ponies involved in any conflict could truly afford, so Selenia was more than happy to see Ranger again.
"Nice to see you again, Ranger. How have things been since our mission in Hoofington?" She turned her attention to the group in the middle of the clearing again, right as Ranger called out his order to arrest any of the ponies involved in maintaining or guarding the pillar of light. "Looks like this group has a habit of putting us on the same team... They're a lot more trouble then they're worth, eh?"
Selenia let out a light laugh and looked around the ponies in front of her and Ranger. She stood up straighter and her calm smile darkened to a frown soon enough. She could see a few of the opposing guards tense up at the announcement of their arrest and trade sinister, almost knowing glances. They obviously weren't intimidated by the aspect of being arrested, and they would surely fight back when an opportunity arose. Additionally, that would make finding out what was behind the wall much harder, and Selenia needed to figure it out and stop it before it finished.
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Post by windstorm on Dec 8, 2011 10:39:20 GMT -5
Wind Storm awoke after what seemed like an eternity, his head feeling a few sizes too small and a bruise just above his horn. Thankfully the waylaying that happened didn't knock him out for any long period of time. "Ugh! My head! Why did I fall for that unicorn's tricks?" He then heard some shouting in the distance, right in the direction of the ice wall. "Oh no! Some ponies must have reached the wall! I have to get there quick."
Wind Storm ran as fast as his legs could carry himm, using his magic to blow away anything that got in his path. He then saw several Equestria Army soldiers fighting the earth ponies.
But this wasn't what got his attention. There on the ground was a blue earth pony as was a familiar green pegasus with a different colored wing and leg. It was the later that he knew as a cult member, although he had limited interaction with her. Were they alive and unconscious or dead? Wind Storm shuddered at the second option. He wanted this to be easy without conflict. Yet now it seemed what was happening was the exact opposite.
There was no time to stop now. Wind had to act quickly. First he had to get away from the guards fighting, then he had to take care of the other ponies trying to assault the wall.
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Post by eclipse on Dec 8, 2011 22:16:24 GMT -5
(OOC: This is the last time I'll be roleplaying until my work is done. I'm sort of celebrating being mostly done with classes, so I figured I would spend tonight catching up on roleplays before this weekend's hardcore arting. Enjoy the last you'll see of me for a week, I suppose!)
It sounded like it wasn't working. Why wasn't it working? She was sure that it looked close enough to the light that she was working on... maybe they were too close now? She frowned a little, still focusing on what she was doing but trying to figure out whether or not she should set off a second one. There was a lot of sound going on outside of the ice wall, and she wasn't happy that her distractions weren't working. Her mind raced, trying to figure out what to do.
It wasn't incredibly urgent for them, at least not yet, so she chose to hold off... for now. Too many at once and it would be obvious that she was trying to pull something, and once somepony figured out her little facade it would be pointless to try the same thing again. She wished she had something better than light at her disposal, or rather something else that she could do without losing her focus on this; she couldn't exactly try casting golems again right now of all times, and even then she could hardly say she'd mastered the spell.
She turned her attention back to the task at hand, her mind carefully planning anything she could do, frowning when she realized it wasn't much. She hated feeling helpless, but as of right now her best chance was to rely on the other ponies to do their job and bring success that way. She supposed it worked best with her magic style to have other ponies; distraction wasn't much of a solo act in combat, only for escape.
She sighed heavily; she had to do something. She turned to the shades she'd worked on so carefully and lit a few of them, getting them running off in the direction of the "pillar" of light she'd made in the hope of drawing others to the spot, but she was fairly certain that it wouldn't help her too much right now. She could do what she'd been told to do, and rely on that to work.
Hopefully the ponies who were working to protect them would do their job correctly, and this could be finished quickly. She would rather not have their work drag on, and certainly had no desire to fail, especially considering the last time she was on one of these missions she had failed as well. "They won't let us down..." she whispered under her breath, not sure if she believed it but needing to hear it.
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Post by tunnelnexus on Dec 11, 2011 13:10:55 GMT -5
The panting, dripping spelunker dragged herself out of the moat and onto the opposite side. She wasn't sure if she was going to have energy enough to climb up the huge wall; it seemed so much taller when you were standing at the bottom...
And then spikes shot out of the ice. No longer caring if she was heard or not, Tunnel complained loudly.
"You're kidding me. This has to be some kind of sick joke. I did not come all this way to be repulsed by... by pointy pieces of metal!"
The gray mare grumbled and looked back towards the main conflict. There were some Equestrian military ponies locked in combat with the guards. She scrunched up her face, debating whether or not to reveal herself to them, or to just leave and pretend it had never happened...
The thought occurred to her that it might be in her interests to acquaint herself with some of Equestria's military, perhaps even make the news. She smiled, picturing herself in the papers. Making up her mind, she galloped over to the main battleground, levitating her crowbar like a fencing foil in front of her.
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Post by Red Charge on Dec 11, 2011 17:43:33 GMT -5
(OOC - turn passed, Equestria has lost, as there is no way to skip the wall AND disturb a mage in one turn now. Carry on for one more turn before the battle is over)
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Post by rubynights on Dec 11, 2011 19:59:45 GMT -5
“Ugh! You know what? You can FORGET it!” Ruby yelled in frustration at the unicorn Searing Frost. He had still yet to return to the mare a response. He had probably been much too intimidated by her. “Hide in your little bush for all I care! It’s about time I leave anyway!”
The mare had quickly realized that by now, any further action would simply be pointless. Perhaps there had been something valuable behind the towering ice wall after all… Perhaps not… Either way, it had become clear that this was much too large of a conflict for Ruby to be getting herself involved with. Just looking over the battle between the Equestrian soldiers the moat’s guards had been putting her off. Clearly, there was a much larger struggle taking place in the background. Besides, any treasure involving the Equestrian government and its authority figures was no a treasure worth getting involved in as far as Ruby had been concerned. It had been time for this treasure hunter to take off.
Within only a matter of seconds, the mare had been swiftly galloping through the forest and away from the moat. Away from Ranger… away from the authorities… and away from all those incompetent ponies… This day may have been a failure, but Ruby was certain there would be better days ahead.
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Post by kuruka on Dec 12, 2011 22:09:13 GMT -5
Kuruka's heart, once lifted by the hope that some of the other warrior ponies would even out the odds, now felt like lead. She hadn't been able to save Quillson from his watery death because she was a weak swimmer and using her wings would have only made things worse. As if that wasn't bad enough, spikes protruded from the ice walls, showing that they were weak and unsafe to climb. Kuruka had barely noticed the stallion that had appeared out of nowhere and saved her inattentive flank from an attacking enemy pony. She simply stared at the corpse floating in the water, unable to think anything other than: I failed.
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Post by Red Charge on Dec 13, 2011 2:22:47 GMT -5
Ranger's keen eye, noticing Ruby's flight, immediately turned to the Pegasus with the Zebra markings, he needed speed, and he and his guards were still busy fighting the cultists. He couldn't think of how to call her without potentially insulting her, but there was no time for that, he'd apologize later - "Pega-Zebra! That one in the red running away is a criminal, catch her!" At that, he narrowly avoided a blow from the Earth Pony he was fighting, it glanced off his mask and sent him off balance. Just enough for the Earth Pony to be able to pounce him. However, his counter was successful and he was able to flip backwards, so that now he was pinning down the other pony. A nifty trick he taught himself while preparing to venture into the Feral Caves.
Looking around he managed to spot a green pegasus with an orange mane sprawled on the ground dead. He recognized her despite her artificial limbs, it was Wildfire. Ranger had thought her dead, since he was told her remains were found in Everfree Forest, but it seems that was not the case. He scowled at the Equestrian Soldier who fought her, he didn't allow them to kill, but he had to assume that with a sharp wing like the one the green pegasus sported, he had no choice but to defend himself.
Discouraged he looked at another corner in the battle, where Tunnel Nexus was swinging her crowbar at another Earth Pony, who was systematically positioning himself so that the soldier he was fighting was between him and the crowbar. He barely even registered that Selenia was next to him, but when he did he called out, "Take down that wall!"
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Post by windstorm on Dec 13, 2011 8:00:25 GMT -5
As Wind Storm approached the ice wall, he saw that on top there were now large spikes affixed, adding another challenge to any pony trying to scale it. "Hmmm..." Wind said to himself, "I don't remember spikes placed on the wall. I guess these ponies are full of surprises." The wall did look intact, and from what he could tell no pony was able to get through to the other side. Nothing was certain until he met the other members, but from he knew, the cult had won.
Looking around, there was alot of activity though. The same unicorn who knocked him out was fighting an earth pony. He thought about to try and settle the score with her, but he decided against it. The last thing he wanted to do was get knocked out again. "I'm letting you go this time," Wind said soflty to himself, "but if you try to fight me again your tricks won't matter."
Wind then surveyed the other areas. Several Equestria Army and earth ponies from the cult were fighting. One pony who was dressed in a green cloak and wearing a wooden mask, obviously a leader of this surprise group, was giving orders. Another pony dressed in red was leaving the battle area. The most heartbreaking sight was a zebra pegasus who was greiving over the body of the blue earth pony. This battle was won, but not without loss.
Wind then considered his involvement. It wasn't really much, yet he did his job. "So this is it then. The battle is done. Now to make my exit." With that he disappeared into the woods slightly, waiting for the ritual to wrap up and to join his fellow cult members.
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Post by tunnelnexus on Dec 13, 2011 19:53:32 GMT -5
The gray mare pressured the Earth Pony guard with her crowbar, forcing him back with telekinetic swipes. The pony tried to maneuver himself so that the Equestrian Soldier that Tunnel was aiding would be between them. Scowling, the spelunker took the curved end of the iron instrument and hooked it around his foreleg, sending him sprawling to the ground.
Satisfied that she'd done her part, she moved on, and did a double-take; Nexus could've sworn she glimpsed a familiar gray stallion, 'Tempest', looking in her direction before sneaking off into the woods. The spelunker smirked.
Yeah, run away, little pony. I can't wait for our next meeting she thought, smug in her perceived victory.
She stopped cold when she saw the two bodies. One floating in the river, one lying on the ground. She tried to process the thought, but her mind just wasn't ready; it wasn't like she'd never seen death before, but... that didn't make it any easier.
Taking a steadying breath, Tunnel trotted up next to the half-zebra.
"We should get him out of the river," suggested the gray mare in a subdued tone. Her horn glowed in preparation for lifting the body, waiting only for the pega-zebra's consent.
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Post by Selenia on Dec 14, 2011 8:18:31 GMT -5
Selenia tensed up more and lowered her horn a bit. The scene had turned to a brawl, and even though nopony seemed to have their eye on attacking her or Ranger, she still stood ready. The instant Ranger gave the order, she sprang into action. Even though she was a civilian, more or less, after that one mission in Hoofington she still considered him her CO, and she still would stay loyal to his command when the situation called for it. Selenia pushed off and took a galloping start towards the wall. If it was ice, then it could be melted with magic, or shattered even, given enough force was exerted on it. She lowered her horn and pointed it straight ahead, the surface glowing with the magic she was pouring into it. Her path to the wall wasn't clear, though. She had to swerve around a few of the guards, busy fighting with the Equestrian military. A few even took a swing or two at her, which she dodged without fault. Soon enough Selenia had cleared the cacophony in the clearing and was sprinting straight towards the wall, and the moat before it. She had been building the charge in her horn the whole time, which was glowing white-hot, singing the tip of her mane and forcing her to squint through the heat and light. She ripped off her cloak and saddlebags, digging her hooves into the dirt and soil before pushing off in a flying leap above the crude moat. The jump wouldn't get her over, and she knew that. At the apex of her leap, she caught herself with her own telekinesis, covering her body with a scintillating orange envelope of magic, and launching herself, horn forward, straight at the surface of the wall with incredible speed. Selenia hoped the impact wouldn't hurt, not too much, at least. Instead of her body taking the brunt of it, all the magical energy in her horn and around her body would be transferred to the wall structure with immense force when her horn cracked the surface of the ice and lodged in like a knife. Selenia had been perfecting the technique of using a telekinetic field on one's own self, which was normally impossible for most ponies, and just inconvenient for those that could due to how little time the field lasted, but she found that that short amount of time can be used to launch oneself at something. Normally it's not very smart to toss yourself around with your own magic, but in combat with a horn leading the charge, it could be incredibly useful against larger or harder targets. As long as the wall adhered to the laws of physics, her magic-fueled charge of sorts would have enough energy to blow a sizable hole in the wall. At least in theory, and now she would be able to find out. (OOC: Based Selenia's little trick there off of the Vanguard's Biotic Charge from Mass Effect 2. youtu.be/mnbOYPwLNqQ )
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Post by Red Charge on Dec 16, 2011 18:35:08 GMT -5
It was too late, the light had died out, the ritual was completed, it was over.
Selenia felt herself flying through the air, as the entire ice wall dissolved, engulfing the entire area in a tidal wave. Equestrian's and cultists alike were caught in it, but when it finally dissipated, the battlegrounds were clear. Only Equestrians remained behind, the rest seemingly vanished into the water.
Soaring over the moat and and crashing into the ground heavily, Selenia managed to sprain her ankle, and possibly even fracture a rib from her harsh landing. Ranger and his Equestrian guards were washed away by the wave. Unfortunately for Ruby, she was washed right into the thick trunk of a tree, and with force. Kuruka and Tunnel found themselves on the same bank, the bulky unicorn on top of the agile pegasus warrior. Both Wildfire and Quillson's bodies disappeared with the tidal wave, washed off in an unknown direction.
The only member of the cult still in the vicinity was Wind Storm, who fled the scene before the ritual was done, and would now have to return to the cult on hoof, risking the dangers of the bog on his own.
(OOC, well done guys! Let's wrap this up with one last round or two of the Equestrians reacting, and call it a day! Love you guys for completing this!)
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Post by tunnelnexus on Dec 16, 2011 20:15:46 GMT -5
Tunnel looked around for a moment; all she remembered was a feeling of being swept away. She noticed that she was lying on top of the zebra-pegasus warrior from before. The gray mare recoiled hastily, practically leaping off of the striped pony. Her hide felt dirty where it had been in contact with the zebrasus, despite her best efforts to rub off the imaginary contaminant.
Nexus shuddered, but pushed down the feeling of uckiness that crawled over her fur. Things needed to be done, and she would do them.
She went around prodding the ponies that were left with her crowbar, to make sure that they were still alive and well. If a pony was reluctant to move or squirm (and thus indicate their liveliness), she poked a little harder.
Satisfied that they were all okay, she sat back and took a deep, calming breath or two. Things were all out of whack, and she needed a minute to just rest.
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