MLP The Cycle 2: Eclectic Twist-a-loo: Ultimatum - Shut Up and Save the World! Gaiden

[userpay]

Brazen Hoof

As the speeches spill forth Brazen trots back and forth keeping a wary eye skyward as the others work to convince the crowds. A patrol with a short lead if one would. Granted the colt was just as wide eyed as any of the others watching the streak of light impact the park but with a shake to fling the dust free he's charging right after Silver. Though as the dust properly settles the big colt slows to a stop a few feet away and sighs, plopping his flank down to sit. "Not sure this is any better than a monster..." He mutters.

As the shouting continued on however Brazen stood back up and trotted over to squirm his way between Nobility and Silver. "Righto. Nobility this is not the time nor the place." He starts turning to stare her in the eye. "Besides its your fault for turning on the game in the first place."

[DigoDragon]

Dawn rubs her cheeks. "Freckle face? What's wrong with my freckles?" she softly pouts to herself.

[igordragonian]

Nobility stared at Brazen.

"Dirt Hoof?" she has asked puzzled.
Sure. Silver and Curtain- she could believe ANYTHING about this duo. But Brazen Hoof? He was a simple pony, but he wouldn't be a part of stupid tricks.. right?

"I don't want to take part at this Daring Do con!" she whined.
"Hey! How could I know that Silver Fail and Bore Call would mess up with the game I have ordered? They are SOOOOOO getting into troubles for that!"

[Derjuin]

"Is this... a friend of yours? A fellow hero?" Lily asks, concerned. The angels are on edge now, including Marekabah. They regard Nobility with unease, some splitting off from the groups escorting ponies home to ensure there's no danger about the new filly. Suddenly, Lily shakes her head and nods.

"I see; you're the Hero of Heart, then. When you all are ready... I'll be in the palace. The vault is just behind the throne." Lily begins trotting inside the palace, her hooves making a faint clip-clop-jingle-jangle sound against the carpeted hallway floor. The meteors overhead continue growing larger and - presumably - closer, while the initial flock of angels begin to disperse. Only Marekabah remains at the entrance, her gaze returning to the sky.

[DigoDragon]

"Uh... maybe we should... take this argument inside?" Dawn suggests as she looks at the falling sky.

[Theoboldi]

Silver, with considerable effort, pulls himself free of Nobility's grasp, toppling over in the process.

"I didn't drag you into anything! Much less Dawn! She doesn't even appreciate her own magic, so why should I invite her to one of my shows?" he says, dusting off his fur.

"And I didn't mess with anypony's game. How would I even do that? Do I look like some sort of tech expert?"

With that, he turns back around, following Princess Lily while keeping his tail tucked up tightly. "Anyways, I'm gonna be busy being hero who gets to wield cool magical elements. That's what I was called here for. I have no idea why the Princess thinks you're a hero too, but you can do whatever." Momentarily, he glances over his shoulder at Brazen Hoof. "Are we still going with the whole 'this is a just a game'-thing? Cause, for the record, I don't think that's the case."

[DigoDragon]

"Much less Dawn! She doesn't even appreciate her own magic, so why should I invite her to one of my shows?"

Dawn takes in a deep breath and lets it out slowly. 'And this is why I don't have friends'. She trots over to Nobility. "Hey, uh, you said you just ordered a game? Like, was it a small disc in a soft cloth, made you hear a voice and it moved around just before sucking you into this place?"

[igordragonian]

Nobility stared dumb struck- the princess, the falling skies...
And a whole city? It... looked too much even for fanatic nerds.
But.. it can't be real... now can it?
"Yes. Go play with your dolls! Silver Fail!" she called after him with rage.
But.. some voice told her.. that the heroes needed her?
And the beatiful princess...
Could it be? This bunch of losers heroes? For real? If that the truth, they are in desprate need for her!

Freckle Face surprsingly was nice.
She was a loser as well- but she couldn't ignore such kindness.

"Yes.' Nobility nodded, getting closee to who seemed to her, one of the only sane ponies around.
"There were such bizzare instructions..some voice called me "Seer Of Heart" and also said that the heroes of Equinia need me..?" she said puzzled.
"Are you trying to tell me, that you are playing this game as well, Freckle Face?"

[userpay]

Brazen Hoof

Brazen rolls his eyes at Nobility's nickname for him, though it tended to be soot not dirt, before looking at Silver and shrugging. "It might have started out as one and grew to something more. We'll just have to find that one out won't we? Besides, ordering? I think someone might know a bit more about what's going on than they realize." He says starting to nudge the others towards the vault even as Nobility stares around. "Frankly it's probably for the best you come along with us, whether you think you're 'playing' or not."

[DigoDragon]

"Are you trying to tell me, that you are playing this game as well, Freckle Face?"

Dawn cringed a little at being called that. "It's Dawn, but yeah, we're all stuck here in this... place."

"Seer of Heart huh? I think I got called Heir of Light. I don't know what it means, but um, I think we're going to need to stick together. You know, not fight so much. But hey, it's nice to have another filly on the team. Right?" When she's nudged by Brazen, she starts moving toward the others.

[igordragonian]

Nobility started to breath fast, her pupils wandering arounf trying to grasp what going on.
"You are the heir of Light?!" Nobility said with such surprise, that some may believe she understand the meaning of this.
Surprisngly, she didn't gotten histeric. Actually she gotten excited, and a smug grin has conqured her expriession with "noble'-know it all-arrogant expriession.
Was it a game? Was it real? It didn't mattered to Nobility. Ponies needed her.
It seems that Silver stated himself as the Loser Lord of her class's losers.. they can't win on such conditions!
Crazy voice were right- those supposed heroes needed HER.
She forced herself to show body launguage of calm and self security.
"I see. Very well, Freckle Face. Let's go' she said with an authorative tone.
'Now... I want to know more about this princess and what she need us for.' trying to sound like a grown up

[DigoDragon]

'Now... I want to know more about this princess and what she need us for.' trying to sound like a grown up

"Okay... this is the city of Mareinev, in the land of Equinia. It's ruled by Princess Lily over there. She's pretty nice. Has a sister, Rose, who apparently put on a cursed crown given to her by the monsters of the moon Purgist, up there." Dawn is pointing out everyone and thing as she's trying to recap what she knows. "So Princess Lily has the angels of Gildaea, the second moon, to help her defend Equinia. She banished her sister to Purgist until such a time as some heroes will come to free Rose from the crown and restore order between the three worlds. Or something like that."

Dawn waits a second for the exposition dump to sink in. "So, the princess needs us to free her sister from the curse. Somehow."

[userpay]

Brazen Hoof

"To be honest I'm not to sure about the angels either..." Brazen mumbles, hopefully out of hearing of the remaining angel in the area. "But yea we all seem to represent something. Like I'm the Knight of Blood." The colt can't help but be bemused at Nobility's seeming turn around. Perhaps she's getting into the spirit of things... Might be hope for her yet. He thinks bringing up the rear, occasionally taking a peak backwards to make sure nothing new has popped up.

[igordragonian]

Nobility paused a bit, thoughtfully, waving her long mane."Hmmm... it does sound heavily inspired by Equestria history isn't it? But I guess, the purpose of the game is to make us feel heroes like Rarity and her friends..'

She stared at Brazen Hoof, and smiled. "Awww. You are trying to be a knight? It's so sweet!" she cooed, in quite motherly AND patronizing tone. The she blinked
"Wait... knight of WHAT? Ugh... Dirt Hoof!" she said with a sigh.
"I can understand you aren't afraid to dirt your hooves.. but BLOOD?! It's like... worth BILLION of ugh and yucks... can't you be a knight of something cuter?"

[userpay]

Brazen Hoof

"Says the 'seer'."The colt tilts his head. "Besides what do you think knights do? And soot is totally different than dirt!" Brazen says, flicking his tail.

[DigoDragon]

"Maybe it's blood in a... different sense? Like, passion or anger?"

[igordragonian]

"Well I haven't chosen the title. I'm just saying you should change it!" Nobility said to Brazen Hoof, and then sheperked her ears and listened to Dawn Star.
"Passion...' she hummed."I guess, it could be that, but still.. it doesn't sound cute at all'

[Derjuin]

Following the Princess's lead, it's actually a pretty straight shot to the vault. Though, you could probably assume that on any other day, the whole place would be teeming with royal guards. And, of course, the presence of the Princess herself. The walls of the room just before the vault are thick and trellised with metal bars, and not a single window adorns any of them. You get the feeling that this area is much more structurally sound than anywhere else in the palace, and for good reason.

The huge door of the vault, however, is decorated to an incredible degree, despite being nearly twice as tall as the Princess. A stylized lotus, folding in on itself what seems to be a thousand times, spirals into a central hole in the door. Around the hole there are eight circular plates of gold, each embedded with a different-colored gemstone held by silver filigree and decorated with gold leafing in ornate patterns, each one slightly different from the others. The Princess focuses her gaze on the hole in the center, just large enough for a key to fit.

"This is where we keep the elements... at least, the ones we've collected. No pony in this kingdom, neither peasant nor noble, has seen the three rogue elements." She looks up to the five smaller circles above, whose gemstones are lit up with a faint light. "The elements of Creation represent more than just their namesake, you see. We've managed to piece that together from what little we do know about them." She points at a red gemstone in the door, then to Brazen.

"Blood is more than just, well, what's coursing in your veins. It's more abstract. Think... family. Best friends. Ponies you'd never want to lose. Those bonds that keep everyone strong, as a unified and loving whole." For a moment, you could have sworn you saw her eyes misting up, and a tear escaping into the light fuzzy fur on her cheeks before disappearing. "The others are just as well, though some of them are a little more obvious."

Her horn glows with magic, and a spark dances within the keyhole. The door slowly, heavily and loudly begins to swing open, and a simple wooden box sits atop a simple wooden stand within. "These," Lily says, the box lifting up and careening through the air as she turns around to show you its contents, "are the elements of creation. The Element of Blood -" she levitates a necklace featuring a red gemstone cut into a stylized droplet and places it around Brazen's neck "- for the Knight of Blood, Brazen Hoof." Four more similar necklaces float up, each bearing a gemstone with a stylized shape - a blue cloud, a dark pink heart, a yellow sun, and a cream feathered wing. "The Thief of Breath, Silver Lining; the Seer of Heart, Nobility; the Heir of Light, Dawn Star; and the Bard of Hope, Curtain Call."

As each necklace is fitted around your neck, something feels simultaneously right and wrong about each. They feel heavy, but as if they were crafted specifically for your size and shape. They almost feel like mundane - if exotic and expensive-looking - jewelry, rather than what mystical artifacts should probably feel like. "I'd be happy to explain more about what we know of the Elements, but I think the situation at hoof is a little more important..."

[igordragonian]

Nobilty stared with awe. There were a lot to digest.
Rouge elements?
Elements of Creation?
All those strange titles..her heart felt heavy- finally- a responsibility has fallen on her shoulders. The necklace strangely reminded her of her earings. Coindence?
Was it really a game?
Nobility stared at the other ponies, as each gotten a necklace- trying to see if the necklaces has changed them.. she supposed to know- she supposed to lead them! This was her destiny! That was the fate of her bloodline!
But.. she felt scared and alone... why Paladin has over slept, and why couldn't she wait for her brother?

She bowed deeply when she has accepted her necklace and title, she bowed with grace, closing her eyes.

She.. expected it to glow.. or SOMETHING.
But she won't complain. Fate gave her a chance to prove herself- she'l win with what ever she got!
"Thank you, your highness. I won't disapoint you" she said with a grin that looked a bit forced.

What are they going to do? She didn't knew. She'l make up something on the way.
She had to.
"Very well. We are ready for action, your highness Nobility said in formal tone, trying to mimic her mom who were Guard Captain. She added a bow and a salute, combining gracefully, between lady gesture with a military one.

[DigoDragon]

Dawn Star

Did you ever have that feeling where you just weren't living up to your parents' expectations? Dawn felt it on occasion, in no small part of learning about some of the many adventures her parents had been on when they were younger. But now here she is, the little Star, wearing some important-sounding necklace. Sure, it didn't really look like anything spectacular, but she's seen pictures of the Elements back home and they didn't look all that impressive. At first.

It was a little hard to tell if Dawn was going to cry or that her eyes were just that wide open at receiving this gift. "I, uh... wow. So this is what responsibility feels like. I guess, what Nobility said. Ready to do... something."

[Theoboldi]

Silver almost stumbles a little bit upon receiving his necklace, surprised by its weight. So this is it, huh? A real, honest-to-Celestia Element. And he's wielding it. Him, of all ponies! Sure, Dawn Star and Nobility are each wearing one as well, but still! Pride wells up in the young colt's chest. If only his parents could see him now! If....if only grandpa could see him now.

The grin on Silver's face fades away, replaced with an expression of sheer, stubborn determination. While he has no idea how to do it yet, it is his privilege and duty to wield an Element's power. His head held up high, he loudly and firmly says what he feels deep down.

"Silver Lining, the Thief of Breath, is ready, your highness!"

[userpay]

Brazen Hoof

Brazen was about to retort to Nobility before the Princess began to speak once more, the corner of his mouth curling upward in a smile as she talks of what his title represented. While he barely knew some of their little forming group the colt certainly felt something of a bond. One that solidified further as each of them was gifted an element. The colt's frame giving the barest of shivers as he regards the red droplet with fascination. Such a small thing. Yet behind it was so much more waiting to be discovered...

Planting his hooves firmly to the floor with a click Brazen looks up to the Princess with a resolute look in his eye. "This colt is ready to stand firm."

[Zelphas]

Several times, Curtain Call thinks about interjecting in the conversation going on, but it seems like none of them believed that this was a game anymore, and besides it meant that Nobility might look at him... he decides to remain silent.

The young foal perks up as they are bestowed their Elements, though he is slightly disappointed that their abilities aren't revealed in some sort of spreadsheet or in-game inventory menu. They're quest items, so they're probably only useful as MacGuffins during scripted battles... unless these are fakes. I'm still not too sure the Princess is the right side to choose, and if she's the villain this would be a good way to keep us from realizing our true power. Then again, if that's the case we'll discover the Elements just in time to defeat her dastardly scheme, so I don't need to worry.

Curtain Call realizes the other foals have expressed their resolve, and figures it's his turn to speak. How did she know all of our titles, anyways? Either the writers of this game just made a plot hole, or the legend gave our titles as well as our elements. Funny, though, that's the first time she's mentioned them. "I am ready to help this land with my Element," Curtain Call says finally, carefully not giving allegiance to any ruler in particular.

[Derjuin]

"Good. I'm glad the heroes can be trusted this- ah, uhm, let's get going," she starts to stutter, giving a shy smile as she cuts herself off. "Hopefully we can catch the monsters before too much damage is dealt to the city and its people." At a loud, low rumbling echoing through the palace halls, the Princess breaks into a gallop and calls back to you.

"Quickly! There's no time!"

---

Back outside the palace, there are several new craters in the square, some of which are occupied by smaller creatures, while others are empty. You see some that wouldn't be out of place in Ponyville, even - a handful of wildly-differently colored griffons and what you could probably guess was a donkey. There's some kind of weird bug-looking pony, too, with wings like a wasp and a horn to boot - though it shortly disappears into the fighting. Most of them are already embroiled in combat against the angels, somehow keeping the armored and armed beings at bay. Suddenly, Marekabah appears above the melee and glows bright red, several nearby monsters disappearing in a shower of sparkles. While the angels seem grateful for the magic of their leader, there are a few that look... almost disappointed. "At least the courtyard is relatively secure..." Lily comments, glancing skyward before jerking her head away and closing her eyes.

With another flash of light, a balance-threatening rumble and a wave of dust, something strikes the stone immediately in front of you - some kind of weird snake-looking beast, with a single arm ending in a ridiculously long talon, uncoils from the depression its impact caused. Its head is conical, but it lacks any kind of eyes... or nose, or mouth? Its skin looks leathery and is covered in scars. "And she said the worst prisons were still secure?!" Her horn starting to glow with magic, the Princess is interrupted as the beast unleashes a keening screech from somewhere, and springs forth right toward her, talon outstretched!

Spoiler: OOC

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Reactions:

I need a reaction from each of you due to the creature's burst of violent activity. You can, for example, use a Body check to cover your ears against the screech, try to rationalize any fears a la Mind, or just use your personality to refuse to be scared via Heart (or anything else you want to do! These are just examples). You can also try to interact with it but the DT might be higher if you do.

[DigoDragon]

Dawn Star

The screech causes Dawn to instinctively cover her ears. "Ahh, what is that thing?!"

Spoiler: Action

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Body check: (2d6)[5][2](7)
+1 Body

Total: 8

[Theoboldi]

The scream of the horrible creature causes Silver to shiver in fear, the potential dangers of being a hero suddenly having lost their status as 'potential'.

"Come on, Silver! It's no more dangerous than any of your tricks! You can do this!" he mentally cheers himself on as does his best to stand straight. "Come here, you overgrown lizard! Try and burninate me if you can!"

Spoiler: OOC

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Because I forgot, my roll's over on the OOC thread.

[igordragonian]

Nobility gasped.
Her pupils shrinked and she was about to scream with panic.
But then she remembered her mother. She was a Captain! From! The! Royal! Guard!

Could Nobility face her, if she'l run away at the first danger?

And those foals needed her.
She greeted her teeth,trying to force her legs stop shaking.
She stomped- it probably weren't heard because of the havoc around.


"STOP THIS SQUIRMING! YOU BIG WORM!" she shouted out, trying to turn her fear into rage.
"I AM NOBILITY! AND I WON'T ALLOW YOU ACT THIS WAY!!!!" she yelled, with tears of fear escaping her eyes, trying to sound dominante as she could.

Spoiler: roll

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heart-

(2d6)[6]+3

[Zelphas]

Curtain Call glances around at the griffins and donkeys in the craters, getting himself back into the spirit of the game. All right, so the 'angels' are obviously a little more morally ambiguous than they want us to think. I figured as much, but it's nice to have some hard evidence.

As the giant worm-snake thing lands in front of them, he whistles appreciatively. "Good monster design; that thing is terrifying," he comments, watching the thing move. "Looks like combat's starting!"

[userpay]

Brazen Hoof

As the creature thuds down in front of them Brazen instinctively starts to put himself between the thing and his friends. Then the screeching starts. The colt partially hunches down, ears laying flat against his skull, teeth grinding against teeth as he tries to ride out the sonic assault.

Spoiler: ooc

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Body (2d6+2)[7]

[Derjuin]

Through your display of bravado and/or lack thereof, you manage to avoid the dangers of the beast's screech and its unsettling movements entirely; even the Princess seems spurred on by your reckless show, and manages to put up a telekinetic shield to bounce the creature away just in time. It doesn't seem too deterred by this, though, and coils up as if ready to make another attack.

Additional Media

"Rip Tide's experiments gone wrong," Lily grunts, eyeing the beast as her brow furrows. "We need to dispatch this one before more arrive. I don't care what the others are like - this one has to go." From here, you notice that the leathery skin of the creature has actually started to shimmer and sharpen, as if it were turning to glass, or crystal. "If more arrive, they'll all start looking like that. It - that crystal coat - reflects magic," she says with a pained sigh. "We sealed those that didn't die in Gildaea. Seems we'd have been better off getting rid of them entirely."

Overhead, several more streaks of light grow closer. Around you, griffons, huge spiders, and even smaller dragons start to appear as more impacts strike the city's streets - though most of the "monsters" look lost. Those that don't jump into the melee are swiftly enveloped by Marekabah's magic, their bodies displaced by a serene shower of sparkles.

Spoiler: OOC

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Round 1 is a go!

You all get an action, and no one takes any damage (yay high rolls! (and theo's, which barely squeaked by )). Based on what Lily has said, directly trying to affect it with magic might be a bad idea.