MLP The Cycle 2: ETalUSUaSTWG 2 - The Good, the Bad and the Cutie: APØNYCALYPSE

[Derjuin]

Silver

When you yell at Samael, he seems to at least remain quiet so that you can speak with Cutie.

"Silver, I... uh... yeah, I'm fine," Cutie stutters, looking away. "Magical, interplanar location...? I... don't think so, why? I just... flew up here on Celestia's magic," she says, pointing to Celestia down below. "I thought that the clouds might be hiding something, that's why I came up here." She points then to Samael, whose eyes focus on her for a half-moment before whipping back to Celestia.

Dawn, Silver, Nobility

"Barbaric and violent? Do you forget to whom you are speaking? I am an agent of Lord Metatrot, the utmost incarnation of the Order. It is by His command that I and my machines fight. We must contain the corrupted Goddesses of your world and save your kind from the false promise of free will, that which leads only to chaos and to sin." Samael rumbles, staying his form as he returns to a more neutral position. "To embrace their rule is to oppose Order, to shun your true saviors."

Celestia waits below your group beside Dawn, glaring daggers into the angel. She remains quiet though, giving Nobility time to try diplomacy. "Be safe, Nobility... please," she mumbles, her eyes steadily trained on the pegasus. Meanwhile, Samael shifts his death gaze from Celestia to Nobility, though the stare doesn't feel quite as intense. Even the clouds overhead begin to shift back to a puffy white color, though whether this is a result of Samael's quieting anger or Celestia's and Dawn's sun bolt is tough to say.

Heartmender

The oats and milk slosh together into the bowl in front of you, forming a pretty yummy - if basic - breakfast for a growing filly. As you slip the letter from its envelope, it sticks for just a moment; when you finally wrest it from its container, it folds open and reveals quite a lot of writing in a hasty and agitated hoof(?), occasionally scratching itself out and continuing on new lines, or scribbling on the side. Toward the bottom, it shifts styles and colors... first to a curly green, then to a pretty, stately-looking blue.

Spoiler: The Letter

Show

As you finish reading the letter, you notice a light humming sound coming from the package, which probably contains the disc mentioned in the letter.

[Theoboldi]

"Thanks for taking this one, Nobi!" Silver shouts over to the determined filly, shooting her a quick smile. With that, he mentally dismisses Samael for the moment and turns away from him, his attention firmly on Cutie.

"I'm just a little worried, that's all." he tells her, trying his best to look as sympathetic as he feels towards her. "When that robot attacked us, I noticed that Celestia's magic didn't actually protect you. And then there was that aura around you, the same colours as your fur and mane. Honestly, I'm not sure how you survived, but I'm glad that you did."

His words are accented by a quick, happy flutter of his wings. Waiting for Cutie's answer, he steals a glance at the angel, wondering when he's gonna leave. The thought of introducing Cutie to the changelings has occured to him. Perhaps they can tell him more about that odd filly in the minus realm?

[igordragonian]

Nobility smiled Silver, just winking- she didn't wanted to avert the angel's attention to what ever Silver doing.
"Big words. Very big words. Facts saying otherwise- you attempted to murder children, and a leader who came to negotiate with you." Nobility said with an uptight tone.
"Your "order", have caused hatred and pain. What exactly was wrong before you came and destroyed the lives of the little ponies here?" her tone is calm. but she trying to fuel authority into her voice.

Spoiler: Little eerie friend in the ear

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"Anything else you can tell me?"

[The_Iron_Lord]

Heartmender

The oats and milk slosh together into the bowl in front of you, forming a pretty yummy - if basic - breakfast for a growing filly. As you slip the letter from its envelope, it sticks for just a moment; when you finally wrest it from its container, it folds open and reveals quite a lot of writing in a hasty and agitated hoof(?), occasionally scratching itself out and continuing on new lines, or scribbling on the side. Toward the bottom, it shifts styles and colors... first to a curly green, then to a pretty, stately-looking blue.

Spoiler: The Letter

Show

As you finish reading the letter, you notice a light humming sound coming from the package, which probably contains the disc mentioned in the letter.

Heartmender begins to read the letter, spooning oats into her mouth as she does. At some point she stops eating, but she’s too engrossed in the bizarre piece of correspondence to even notice.

Well this is…bizarre… Heartmender mutters to herself as she reads the beginning of the letter. As she continues, her expression becomes more and more baffled, her lips mouthing the words “strong warrior” and “vicious game”. What in Equestria? She looks at the other package suspiciously. Hmmm… What the hay is going on here? Is this some kind of weird chain letter or something? Then her eyes widen slightly as she realizes that this must that “Cycle” game. Oh! she gasps, then a grin splits her muzzle. This is a pretty intense game, huh! Well, no use in chickening out now! She quickly scarfs down her oats, dumps the bowl in the sink, then snags the letter and package with her telekinesis and trots upstairs to her room. She sets the package and letter down on the table by her bed, then she quickly scrawls a note on a scrap of paper.

Spoiler: Note

Show

Mom, that Cycle game finally came, so I’ll be playing it for a few hours. If you come back in the meantime, don’t worry, I’m fine.

Love you!!
Mendy

She stamps a hoofprint on the bottom of the note, then tapes it to the outside of her bedroom door.

That done, she goes over to her bedside table and extracts the disc from the package. Now, how do I make this work? Heartmender mutters to herself.

[DigoDragon]

"I don't know what Nobility can still do up there," Dawn comments to Celestia. "I'm starting to miss the ground myself."

[Derjuin]

Silver

"Celestia's magic didn't... protect ...me? What do you mean? Celestia cast the fire tornado spell that removed the poison entirely." Cutie says, tilting her head to the side and giving you a confused look. "What spell are you talking about?" You see her face change in recognition for a second when you mention an aura, and she mumbles something. "Huh. You... you saw my aura?" She hovers in place for a moment, the disc under her bringing her up slowly. "I guess... that's just my power as the Muse of Magic? I don't know," she says with a shrug, looking back towards Nobility and Samael.

Nobility

Spoiler: Little Friend

Show

I can tell you this much, you hear a whisper in the back of your mind, hissing to you. That is definitely not Samael. I don't know who that is. Samael doesn't talk.

"I govern the deaths of all creatures - great, small, young, old. Those who oppose the will of Metatrot and threaten the Grand Order are destined for death. As for the one you call a leader, she is not one whom we recognize as legitimate. She is our ancient enemy, and Metatrot would accept no negotiation." For a moment, after Samael says this, his form wavers and his colors become indistinct. When you mention the order causing hatred and pain, the form wavers once again.

Suddenly, as if he were a stained-glass window, Samael's form shatters into a million colorful shards that glint in the light, and a smaller being, shaped more like the angels in Mareinev, emerges from the explosion.

"But there is one who will," he says, a white halo suspended behind his head and black, oily-looking feathers - like that of a crow - emerge from his back. His skin is pale and he wears a robe that resembles folded paper, and a black rectangular masquerade mask. "He is called Mastema, and he opposes the corrupted will of Metatrot, who has since become obsessed with his own crusade, rather than the true goal of our kind."

Dawn

"I, too, miss ground under my feet," Celestia says quietly, keeping her eyes on the scene up above. "The sky is a wonderful place, but the warm soil is more welcoming." She sighs, and relinquishes her steely gaze from the conversation between Nobility and Samael(?) looking to you. "I tire, too, of this ridiculous conflict. I am only grateful that our efforts now draw us closer to a permanent end of hostilities."

As Samael up above explodes like glass, Celestia whips her head back around to see the new being, curiously regarding it.

Heartmender

As you open the box to extract the disc, a sickly green light pours out of it and a spinning golden disc flies out into the air above you, whirring quickly. In its small center you see something sparkly against a black background, and when the disc changes its orientation to face you, you see the sparkling things - almost like stars against space - begin to shift and move around.

It begins to spin faster and faster, and slowly it expands and the metal of the disc shrinks, forming what looks like a hole in space itself... Looking behind the disc, you see nothing at all through the now-whistling spinning gold loop, able to look straight through. But from head-on, you see what looks like a vast night sky, one utterly alien to you. You see a planet, much like what you might've seen in Ms. Cheerilee's class, only it's definitely not Equestria, and two moons - a golden one, and a purple one.

"They need you..." you hear a voice call, and it sounds at once stately and proud, and also soft and pleading. "Please... help them..." Touching the surface of the "night sky" in the ring feels like glass, and doesn't budge even if you push on it.

"The words of power... speak them, and enter," Another voice comes, this one sounding much harsher and more grating. "Do What You Will. Speak the words, or forever leave the fate of Equinia to others."

[The_Iron_Lord]

Heartmender

As you open the box to extract the disc, a sickly green light pours out of it and a spinning golden disc flies out into the air above you, whirring quickly. In its small center you see something sparkly against a black background, and when the disc changes its orientation to face you, you see the sparkling things - almost like stars against space - begin to shift and move around.

It begins to spin faster and faster, and slowly it expands and the metal of the disc shrinks, forming what looks like a hole in space itself... Looking behind the disc, you see nothing at all through the now-whistling spinning gold loop, able to look straight through. But from head-on, you see what looks like a vast night sky, one utterly alien to you. You see a planet, much like what you might've seen in Ms. Cheerilee's class, only it's definitely not Equestria, and two moons - a golden one, and a purple one.

"They need you..." you hear a voice call, and it sounds at once stately and proud, and also soft and pleading. "Please... help them..." Touching the surface of the "night sky" in the ring feels like glass, and doesn't budge even if you push on it.

"The words of power... speak them, and enter," Another voice comes, this one sounding much harsher and more grating. "Do What You Will. Speak the words, or forever leave the fate of Equinia to others."

When the disk flies up out of the container, Heartmender jumps back and falls off of her bed, crashing to the floor. Owww... What the hay!? The spin of the disk attracts her attention again, and she watches, mesmerized, as it becomes a hole in space. Wow... What planet is that? This is a really well-crafted game.. she says, with a look of awe.


She starts with surprise as the voice first speaks, then begins to listen attentively, getting to her hooves as she does. She approaches the ring and softly pushes at it with a hoof. Huh... It's solid. I wonder why it won't let me through? The ring's next words answer her question and she nods. Okay, so I have to... Give it permission? I guess that makes sense... Seems a little strange if you ask me though. Scrunching up her muzzle, Heartmender thinks Well, it's probably just a really awesome intro, but... well, taking precautions (almost) never hurt anypony. She telekinetically picks up her pencil again, then writes another note to her mom, which she leaves on the bedside table.

Spoiler: The note

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Mom,

Like I said, I'm going to be playing that Cycle game--it finally arrived. But if I'm still not back out by tomorrow, assume that it's not a game and I'm trapped--hopefully Princess Twilight or somepony else can help free me in that case.

Love,
Mendy

PS Don't freak out, that's probably super unlikely. Like, 5% or something. Though actually, you normally can't leave enchanted comics until you finish the story... Nevermind.

With that done, she approaches the disk/hole in spacetime again. Darn, now I'm all nervous... she says with a embarrassed laugh. She shakes out her mane, then grits her teeth. Drawing in a deep breath, she intones with her most dramatic voice (which still sounds somewhat comical, all things considered)

Do What You Will.

She braces herself.

[Theoboldi]

Silver

"Celestia's magic didn't... protect ...me? What do you mean? Celestia cast the fire tornado spell that removed the poison entirely." Cutie says, tilting her head to the side and giving you a confused look. "What spell are you talking about?" You see her face change in recognition for a second when you mention an aura, and she mumbles something. "Huh. You... you saw my aura?" She hovers in place for a moment, the disc under her bringing her up slowly. "I guess... that's just my power as the Muse of Magic? I don't know," she says with a shrug, looking back towards Nobility and Samael.

"But that bubble spell that saved us all from the poison....without it, we would have all died...how did y-" Suddenly, realization hits Silver, and he audibly gasps as he puts a hoof in front of his mouth. He stares down at Cutie in a mixture of awe and smug self-satisfaction, then proudly declares "I got it!"

Looking around to see whether anyone is listening, he then leans towards the filly, and whispers to her. "You're a changeling, aren't you? That explains why you can use magic so easily as an earth pony. And I did meet a changeling recently who sounded just like you...." Scratching his chin, he adds "I mean, that doesn't solve the part where you apparently aren't alive according to Celestia, but it does explain some things. Wait, are you a changeling who knows they're a changeling, or is that something you forgot? Like h-"

Suddenly, Silver's train of thought is interrupted by Samael exploding into a billion pieces, and a new form taking his place. Immediately feeling an intense kinship for this totally wicked looking dude whose speech is markedly different from the usual angel sermons, he flies up to him, grinning broadly.

"Woah! Heck yeah, that was an awesome entry! How'd you even do that? I think I'm gonna use that one at my next show." Realizing he hasn't introduced himself yet, he flutters back a bit.

"Oh, sorry, where's my manners? I'm Silver Lining! Thief of Breath and the best magician in all of Equestria and Equinia combined! Slayer of shadow and crystal monsters, and beater upper of giant robots! Also owner of a most wicked sword! May I have your name?" he stretches out a hoof, wearing a winning smile on his face.

[igordragonian]

Nobility jumped back, surprised and startled.
"Ehh.. What?" She blinked
"What is this mockery!? What it's going on?!"

Spoiler: Eerie Friend

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"Do you know.. this "Matsema"?"

[DigoDragon]

Dawn watches her friend talk with this... machine thing. She's out of ideas and can't think of a spell that would help.

Oh damn. She can't think of a spell to help here?! But magic solves everything! There has to be a spell. Something. Anything! Dawn hesitates, unable to think of what to do. She's never dealt with this before.

[Derjuin]

Dawn

"Dawn? Are you alright?" Celestia asks, looking aside from the angel above. "We should depart soon... this is too much for today," she says, looking over your face and peering back to the angel.

Silver

"The bubbles? I suppose... wow, that must have been-" Cutie starts, but as you talk about changelings, her expression gets further twisted up in confusion. "A changeling that sounded like me? I'm sorry, Silver... I don't know what that means. I'm... I'm an earth pony," she says, clapping her hooves together, making little clip-clop sounds with them. "I'm... not exactly an alive earth pony... but I definitely am one. Or... was one, I guess."

Nobility

Spoiler: Little Friend

Show

...Mastema? Yeah, he was the angel I took control of in Celestia's temple. Why?

Your vision goes blurry for a moment, and then it snaps back to normal. "Who is that? Is that someone claiming to be Mastema? He doesn't look at all like the golden-colored windbag I consumed."

The Angel Party

"I am the current herald of Mastema, and now the champion of his crusade. I am the angel of Mirth, Eloel." The angel bows in the air, his wings folding behind him. "Yes, I've heard many a things about your accomplishments in the short time you've been in Equinia. That is why I sought out Metatrot's zealots - I knew you would intercept them, and then I could relay my message!"

"I apologize if you were expecting the real Angel of Death, but I believe we both find this situation far preferable. Metatrot's angels only sought to send one Samael Machine to Equinia, but I saw it as a golden opportunity to not only secure passage to you, but also do so without raising their suspicions."

"With the sudden absence of Mastema, I have taken it upon myself to become his replacement in our fight against corruption on Gildaea. And so, I extend a hand to your hoof if you are willing to fight them." He holds out one of his weird digity hoof-things, which supposedly is called a "hand", toward Silver and Nobility.

Heartmender

After you intone the words the voice tells you to speak, the glass-like covering over the portal explodes in shards that are thankfully sucked inwards, but shortly after, you feel the pull of the portal sucking you in, as well. The golden ring surrounding the portal is consumed by it, and the portal swells and turns black against the backdrop of your room; it begins to subsume everything around it, warping and twisting the forms of everything.

And then everything goes black...

...

...

...you feel a hoof on your shoulder, a gentle one. It seems you're laying face-down on the ground, but you can't quite tell what it is you're on. A voice, a gentle one, speaks into your mind.

"Please help the others... Dawn Star, Nobility, and Silver Lining... save this world from the tyrant of time..." All around you, all you can see is endless darkness... and then pinpricks of light begin to poke through the blackness, and you realize it is the same space as from inside the ring, only now it's all around you. Then the blue planet comes into view, with its purple and golden moons, and... it seems to be getting closer and closer. You still feel a calm presence near you, but there's no one around...

[Theoboldi]

Silver barely notes what Cutie comments as he runs (flies?) off, making a note to check with the changelings later if they can tell him something about the filly. He's on the right track, he just knows it! Soon, he'll figure out just what is up with Cutie's past.

For now, however, there is an angel to talk to.

"Willing? Have you heard about me at all?" he asks with a broad grin, firmly grasping the angel's odd claw. "Glad to see at least some angels get how screwed up all of this is. I mean, enslaving a whole planet and killing all monsters? Who gave them the right to chose who deserves to live and who doesn't?" He lowers his gaze for a moment, his brows furrowing.

Then, he once again looks into Eloel's eyes(?), giving a smirk. "Anywho, what's your plan here? And just out of curiosity, do all angels have some kind of special purpose? I mean, I don't see any cutie marks on any of you, but each angel we've met so far has made a big deal of being the angel of something."

[igordragonian]

"I guess no avoind the fight... It's good to see there are actual noble angels." Noblity smiled and offered her hoof

[DigoDragon]

"Dawn? Are you alright?" Celestia asks, looking aside from the angel above. "We should depart soon... this is too much for today," she says, looking over your face and peering back to the angel.

Dawn snaps back from her daze. "Sorry. I'm just... not sure what we... what I should be doing. I think they have it under control now?"

[The_Iron_Lord]

Heartmender

After you intone the words the voice tells you to speak, the glass-like covering over the portal explodes in shards that are thankfully sucked inwards, but shortly after, you feel the pull of the portal sucking you in, as well. The golden ring surrounding the portal is consumed by it, and the portal swells and turns black against the backdrop of your room; it begins to subsume everything around it, warping and twisting the forms of everything.

And then everything goes black...

...

...

...you feel a hoof on your shoulder, a gentle one. It seems you're laying face-down on the ground, but you can't quite tell what it is you're on. A voice, a gentle one, speaks into your mind.

"Please help the others... Dawn Star, Nobility, and Silver Lining... save this world from the tyrant of time..." All around you, all you can see is endless darkness... and then pinpricks of light begin to poke through the blackness, and you realize it is the same space as from inside the ring, only now it's all around you. Then the blue planet comes into view, with its purple and golden moons, and... it seems to be getting closer and closer. You still feel a calm presence near you, but there's no one around...

When the portal explodes, Heartmender flinches, expecting to be lacerated by the glass. When it's sucked inwards instead of flying out, she sighs in relief--which quickly turns to confusion as to why it didn't follow physics and explode outwards. Her expression then morphs into panic as the ring begins to warp reality itself, pulling her in. She grabs frantically at everything she can seize with hooves or magic, but only succeeds in pulling Tails of Aurora Blaze and her bedside lamp with her into the void. AHHHHH!! I HOPE THIS IS JUST A GAME.... She squeezes her eyes shut just as everything goes black.

...

As the hoof touches her shoulder, Heartmender groans. What the hay... What was that? Argh, that wasn't fun... She staggers to her hooves, then jumps nervously as the voice begins to speak. Dawn Star? Nobility? Silver Lining? ... Those are my party members, I guess. I suppose the final boss--or the first boss--will be this "tyrant of time"? After saying this, Heartmender shakes her head to clear the last fogs of unconsciousness, then begins to look around. Her eyes widen at the sight of the stars surrounding her--and her stomach lurches with vertigo as she realizes that she's standing on nothingness. Oh Celestia! Gah...

The slow movement towards the planet and its twin moons catches her attention. That would be... "Equinia", I suppose? Interesting... Quite a detailed place! I applaud this game's makers for such thoroughness--assuming most of the planet's available for exploration. With nothing to do but wait for her arrival on the mysterious planet, Heartmender sits on her haunches, steadfastly not thinking about the lack of ground beneath her.

[Derjuin]

Angel Party

Eloel smirks and nods as you take his hand, and he shares a firm shake with each of you. "Good to have support from ponies, though I too wish we could change reality without fighting for it," he says, standing back up in the air. "I can talk about our plan in more detail if you decide to come to Gildaea with me, so that the rest of us can show you in turn. Essentially, though, we're aiming to remove Metatrot and end his pointless crusade."

For a moment, he's taken aback when you ask about special purposes and cutie marks. "Well, yes. There is one angel for each special purpose. Our rank is dependent on our purpose; seraphim, thrones, cherubim hold important or broad purposes; dominions, virtues, and powers are intermediate; principalities, archangels, and angels with the lesser, though we are also the ones who leave Gildaea the most." He seems to be rattling these off, as if he doesn't care for the information that much. "Then there are those whose purpose is so great it exists outside the hierarchy. Metatrot, Marekabah and Mastema all exist outside of it. They are the Voice, the Chariot and the Arbiter."

Dawn

"I see," Celestia says, almost woefully, as she looks upon Silver, Nobility and the new angel. "Yes, it's quite the difficult judgment. Maybe we should go see what they are planning with all that hoof-shaking?"

Just then, space near you begins to bend and warp, and what looks like the shape of a pony begins to materialize in the air...!

Heartmender

"Please be careful, this... n... ame," the voice begins to break up, as if through static. "St... yrant... save... them all."

Suddenly, your body lurches forward and space around you seems to warp past you, streaking light past, and the planet suddenly comes in very quickly and quite close. And then, in the next instant, you are surrounded by an endless sky; to your left is a unicorn filly with a dark purple-ish grey coat and a messy dark red mane with a disc of light under her hooves, and standing by her is none other than PRINCESS CELESTIA herself!

Above, you see a ring of clouds slowly fading away, and two pegasi - one wearing a cape with a grey coat and a light blue mane, and the other is a bit chubby with a golden coat and a white mane - talking to a strange creature with black wings and a white circle behind its... head? It looks very lanky and has four skinny legs, its top two ending in weird hoofs with lots of thin digits that remind you of claws, except round and not very scary-looking, just weird.

[igordragonian]

"Alright... I guess, we can go to your place.. any objections?" she turned to her friends.
So much stuff to follow, she trusted Dawn's eggheadness to write mental notes of all of this.

[Theoboldi]

Silver, for one, has several objections. None of them have to do with not going to Gildea, but he still has so many questions that need answering!

"Woah, hold on, dude! You mean that angels, the guys we've been fighting, are only the bottom of the barrel?" He glances over at Celestia, clearly having her comparative strength to other ponies in mind. "Just how tough are those seraphim and thrones? They've got to be amazing if they have such a high rank and actually do important stuff!...Come to think of it, what do the big three guys actually do? What's their purpose?"

Pondering everything that has been laid out to him, he puts a hoof to his chin, hovering and sorting his thoughts. "Come to think of it, how are you gonna hide us on Gildea? Five little ponies in the angel capital sound like a tough group to disguise."

Hang on.....five?

Silver takes another count of the group. Himself, Nobi, Dawn, Cutie........who the heck is that? Another hero? Dang, whatever algorithms run this world sure take their time with bringing the band together. "Hi there, new pony!" he shouts, waving at her. "You had the misfortune of catching us in the middle of some very important business! Me and my lovely assistant-" He gestures clearly, but without any rude pointing movements, towards Nobility. "Will be right with you!"

At this point, this feels kinda like it's become routine, even though he's only ever met two new members of the party. How odd.

[The_Iron_Lord]

Heartmender

"Please be careful, this... n... ame," the voice begins to break up, as if through static. "St... yrant... save... them all."

Suddenly, your body lurches forward and space around you seems to warp past you, streaking light past, and the planet suddenly comes in very quickly and quite close. And then, in the next instant, you are surrounded by an endless sky; to your left is a unicorn filly with a dark purple-ish grey coat and a messy dark red mane with a disc of light under her hooves, and standing by her is none other than PRINCESS CELESTIA herself!

Above, you see a ring of clouds slowly fading away, and two pegasi - one wearing a cape with a grey coat and a light blue mane, and the other is a bit chubby with a golden coat and a white mane - talking to a strange creature with black wings and a white circle behind its... head? It looks very lanky and has four skinny legs, its top two ending in weird hoofs with lots of thin digits that remind you of claws, except round and not very scary-looking, just weird.

As the voice begins to break up, Heartmender cries out. Wait!! You can't go yet! I need more exposition!! She tries to lunge forward to where she thinks the voice was, but when she does she's pulled even further forward by the warping of space and plummets through the hole in space. When she sees the ground rushing up to meet her, she closes her eyes, praying that this game doesn't have fall damage.

A few moments later, realizing that she's not dead, Heartmender opens her eyes and looks around. She smiles tentatively at the other unicorn filly and begins to greet her. But the sight of PRINCESS CELESTIA chokes her friendly hello off mid-word. Hell--ghk! P-p-p-Princess Celestia!?!??!? She falls back on her haunches, staring up at the regal goddess of the sun. Heartmender's thoughts are a jumbled multidirectional tangle of admiration and utter confusion.

Silver, for one, has several objections. None of them have to do with not going to Gildea, but he still has so many questions that need answering!

"Woah, hold on, dude! You mean that angels, the guys we've been fighting, are only the bottom of the barrel?" He glances over at Celestia, clearly having her comparative strength to other ponies in mind. "Just how tough are those seraphim and thrones? They've got to be amazing if they have such a high rank and actually do important stuff!...Come to think of it, what do the big three guys actually do? What's their purpose?"

Pondering everything that has been laid out to him, he puts a hoof to his chin, hovering and sorting his thoughts. "Come to think of it, how are you gonna hide us on Gildea? Five little ponies in the angel capital sound like a tough group to disguise."

Hang on.....five?

Silver takes another count of the group. Himself, Nobi, Dawn, Cutie........who the heck is that? Another hero? Dang, whatever algorithms run this world sure take their time with bringing the band together. "Hi there, new pony!" he shouts, waving at her. "You had the misfortune of catching us in the middle of some very important business! Me and my lovely assistant-" He gestures clearly, but without any rude pointing movements, towards Nobility. "Will be right with you!"

At this point, this feels kinda like it's become routine, even though he's only ever met two new members of the party. How odd.

Heartmender is too in shock from the Princess's presence to acknowledge the caped pegasus's words, though her subconscious mind does file them away for later comprehension.

[DigoDragon]

Hell--ghk! P-p-p-Princess Celestia!?!??!?

"Uh... yes, that is indeed her," Dawn says, not sure what to make of another pony popping in from the ether. "So... you a new player or..? Oh! Bad mannered me. I'm Dawn, from Ponyville."

She extends a hoof to shake.

[The_Iron_Lord]

"Uh... yes, that is indeed her," Dawn says, not sure what to make of another pony popping in from the ether. "So... you a new player or..? Oh! Bad mannered me. I'm Dawn, from Ponyville."

She extends a hoof to shake.

Heartmender blinks at the Princess, then shakes her head and turns to Dawn, smiling. Sorry, I was just startled to see the Princess here. I'm Heartmender, nice to meetya! And...yeah, I'm a new player... She trails off slightly, then scrunches up her nose and asks Apologies if this is rude, but...are you another player or an NPC? Likewise...this is just a game, right? She has a worried expression as she asks this.

[DigoDragon]

"I'm a player as far as I know," Dawn replies. "Though as to whether this is just a game... erm... that's in debate and depends which of us you ask." She motions to the other players so Heartmender knows who is among him.

[igordragonian]

"WHAT?!" Nobility gasped-squeaked. "Another one? Ugh..." she groaned.
She blinksd. "Wait a moment- assistant?!' She growled, baring her teeth.
"Lovely?" She blushed.
She shaked off all the sudden reaction changes and finally turned to Hearmender.
"Excuse me. Umm.. my name is Nobility- a name you should know well. And for sake of sanity, assume that everything is real- that my suggestion."

[Theoboldi]

"Of course you're the lovely assistant." Silver gives Nobility a friendly wink and nudge, oblivious to her blushing. "Do you see anypony else who could pull it off?"

Then, he turns back towards the newcomer, deciding that she deserves at least a quick introduction. "I'm Silver Lining,-" he says, letting his cape flutter dramatically in the wind and throwing back his head. "-Thief of Breath and the best magician in all of Equestria and Equinia combined! Slayer of shadow and crystal monsters, and destroyer of giant robots! Also owner of a most wicked sword!"

Relaxing the melodrama a bit, he adds "What Nobi said is right. Have you ever seen the Maretrix? This place is kinda like that movie, but with ponies from another dimension instead of ours."

[The_Iron_Lord]

"I'm a player as far as I know," Dawn replies. "Though as to whether this is just a game... erm... that's in debate and depends which of us you ask." She motions to the other players so Heartmender knows who is among him.

Heartmender nods, then turns her head to the ponies that Dawn had gestured to.

"WHAT?!" Nobility gasped-squeaked. "Another one? Ugh..." she groaned.
She blinksd. "Wait a moment- assistant?!' She growled, baring her teeth.
"Lovely?" She blushed.
She shaked off all the sudden reaction changes and finally turned to Hearmender.
"Excuse me. Umm.. my name is Nobility- a name you should know well. And for sake of sanity, assume that everything is real- that my suggestion."

Heartmender blinks at the golden-coated filly's flurry of conflicting reactions, then grins as though she's enjoying a private joke. If I had any bits to bet, I'd wager that this filly likes that pegasus colt there...Maybe I can help her out? She tilts her head slightly, then files the thoughts away for later and gives a wide smile to Nobility. Nice to meet you! Heartmender. she sticks a hoof out to shake (assuming that they're close enough to do so) then offers an apologetic smile. I'm sorry...I don't believe I recognize your name, but it's not like I'm very knowledgeable in pony nobility-- Heartmender suddenly scrunches up her muzzle, struck by a thought. Actually...Is your mother Chivalry, captain of the royal guard? I've heard of her--my mother's in the Royal Guard herself. Bright Spark? The filly continues smiling for a few moments, then allows her expression to fall into a confused frown and asks Though...How would assuming that this is real help one's sanity? If this is real... her eyes tighten around the corners, pupils shrinking slightly--I...I don't know if I could cope... she trails off.

"Of course you're the lovely assistant." Silver gives Nobility a friendly wink and nudge, oblivious to her blushing. "Do you see anypony else who could pull it off?"

Then, he turns back towards the newcomer, deciding that she deserves at least a quick introduction. "I'm Silver Lining,-" he says, letting his cape flutter dramatically in the wind and throwing back his head. "-Thief of Breath and the best magician in all of Equestria and Equinia combined! Slayer of shadow and crystal monsters, and destroyer of giant robots! Also owner of a most wicked sword!"

Relaxing the melodrama a bit, he adds "What Nobi said is right. Have you ever seen the Maretrix? This place is kinda like that movie, but with ponies from another dimension instead of ours."

Once the colt begins to speak, Heartmender quickly dons a smile again to greet him properly. At his listing of dramatic titles, she can't suppress a giggle. An impressive array of titles indeed, sir Thief of Breath! I've never heard of a pegasus magician--you must be quite skilled! I am Heartmender...Healer pony, Daughter of Bright Spark, and...uh...Hmm... she crinkles her snout in thought again, then declares confidently And Cleric of Heart! Or something--wait, did you make that title up or is that part of the game?

Heartmender shakes her head. No, I've never seen The Maretrix--my mom says that it's for older foals. But I know a little about it...Are you sure that this is real? Can I go back home?! She begins to look panicked. 'C-cause... she begins to look slightly manic, then says with a slightly unnerving laugh I wouldn't want to panic over nothing, after all...

[DigoDragon]

Interesting, that story checked out. Huh. Dawn isn't sure of the answer, but she has a positive stance. "I believe we can go home once we complete our quest."

[igordragonian]

Nobility blushed. "S..shut up, Showoff. Why ever I would be an assistant of commoner? Pff." and then turned to Heartmender again.
"Yes! Captain Chivalry IS my mother." she said with pride. "Our bloodline, going all the way to Commander Hurricane herself!" she enjoyed talking about her... nobility.

[The_Iron_Lord]

Interesting, that story checked out. Huh. Dawn isn't sure of the answer, but she has a positive stance. "I believe we can go home once we complete our quest."

Heartmender barely seems to hear Dawn at first, but she begins to breathe deeply and rhythmically. Calm down, Heartmender...There's nothing you can do about it now. Just make the best of what you have... She tips her head back, then looks at Dawn and says Well, that's something to look forward to...so what exactly is our quest?

Nobility blushed. "S..shut up, Showoff. Why ever I would be an assistant of commoner? Pff." and then turned to Heartmender again.
"Yes! Captain Chivalry IS my mother." she said with pride. "Our bloodline, going all the way to Commander Hurricane herself!" she enjoyed talking about her... nobility.

Despite herself, a small smirk begins to creep onto Heartmender's muzzle at Nobility's adorable actions. She quickly suppresses it into an ordinary faint smile, then says Wow! I may not know much about pegasus nobility, but even I've heard of Commander Hurricane!

Spoiler: OOC Note to igor

Show

By the way, canonically, the real Commander Hurricane was male.

[DigoDragon]

She tips her head back, then looks at Dawn and says Well, that's something to look forward to...so what exactly is our quest?

"End some kind of cycle that has this world trapped," Dawn responds. "We're still learning about it ourselves. Seems like there's a great magical power we can find that would free the ponies from under the conflict between angels and monsters."

[igordragonian]

Nobility puffed her chest's fluff, almost purring with pleasure. "Now, finally! A pony who apreciate a true greatness!"

She nodded to Dawn's explanation.
"The angels sort of rulling over the ponies, forcing them to banish unponies, and we sort of released the local Celestia and Luna, which the angels sealed a way."