Justin ZW

@ Swordpoint smirked. He had expected something like this. The charge he'd place on Stephan was easy to detect, and Swordpoint darted through the sandstorm and homed directly in on it, grasping Stephan with his back legs and spinning him in the air before smashing him into the ground. "Relying solely on speed is not enough. Your mind is your greatest weapon."

@ Swordpoint easily recovered with a quick flap of his wings. Stephan's strikes weren't particularly painful or damaging; Swordpoint could tell that he relied heavily on his speed to outmaneuver opponents. Hm. This should be simple. If I can only place a small magical charge on his body, then I should be able to sense him coming. He will be that much easier to dodge. Swordpoint spread his wings and was surrounded by a golden glow. He transferred all of the energy to his hoof, and he shot forward and slammed into Stephan. He flapped his wings and quickly backpedaled, checking if his spell had worked... and it had.

Swordpoint @ Swordpoint approached the volcano's entrance with blinding speed. He could sense both of them clearly, now. But there was another presence there, as well... And it felt unnatural. Rainbow Dash @@synangel Rainbow was caught off guard. She was knocked to the ground by Vain's attack. "Ugh... Rude, much?" Swordpoint and Rainbow Dash Swordpoint flew down through the opening in the volcano. He could see Rainbow and Stone, along with another pony that he'd never seen before. "Rainbow! I am here!" Rainbow glanced up. "Swordpoint! We could use your help!" She wasn't sure whether to smile or panic. Each of them felt overwhelming joy at being reunited, although they both knew that they would have to take care of the strange pony, first. Swordpoint landed and conjured his armor and lance before facing Vain. "Now you will face a true warrior, devil."

@ Swordpoint smirked and kicked Stephan away. He then leapt over Stephan and brought down his hoof hard on the pony's back in an axe kick. "You think that my only advantage is my equipment, and you are sadly mistaken. I can already tell that I am physically stronger than you. But perhaps you may yet surprise me."

@, @ Swordpoint smiled. "Crimson, you flatter me. Now, then... I will speak with you after the match." He continued to the arena, where he stood facing Stephan. "Stephan," Swordpoint called, "I have no intention of killing you. I reserve that sort of force for the wicked. As such, you only need not make an attempt upon my life, and I shall not mortally injure you." He gave Stephan a calm smile and awaited the signal to begin.

@ Rainbow Dash @synangel Rainbow gasped. "What the hay?! I don't care who you are, but you're going down!" Okay, Dash... time to put that training to the test. She spread her wings and forced herself to gather as much energy as she could. There was a rainbow colored flash, and a dagger materialized at her feet. "Whoa..." She grinned wide. "It might not be as cool as Swordpoint's way of doing it, but it worked anyway!" She grabbed the dagger quickly and glanced at Stone. "I hope you know how to fight, Stone! This guy looks serious!" Swordpoint @ Swordpoint nodded. "Be careful, Sole." He shot back into the sky toward the volcano, glancing back at Sole. I will return to help you... I promise. (OoC: I lold at toothpaste mane. Looking at him, it really does make sense. Funny Also, I didn't even notice that there was another page to this lol. Had to edit it.)

@ Swordpoint nodded to Crimson. "Yes. If you can lead the attack on Chrysalis and her changelings, then that should provide an opening for my men and I. We shall end this tyranny here, and we shall save her. I swear this." He continued to walk onward, with the majority of the Equestrian military behind him.

@@Pripyat Pony, @, @@Avolon, (OoC: I was waiting for some more people to reply, but I'm moving on with this now.) Swordpoint stood outside the castle with the army amassed before him. He was arguing with Rainbow Dash and the other element bearers about whether or not they would join the military on their march. "Rainbow, I just don't think it's a good idea," Swordpoint told Rainbow Dash with a worried look. "I understand that the princess wishes for us to save Cadance from her madness... But we are marching to war. I shall not place you in such danger. You certainly remember what they did to Applejack, yes?" Rainbow shook her head. "I don't care! We're all going! The elements of harmony can help her, Swordpoint! And they could probably help you, too, if you get stuck in a bad battle!" Swordpoint immediately stomped his hoof. "No! If you must come, you will stay behind the regiment. You are not to engage in battle. Any of you! Am I clear?" Twilight held out her hoof. "I don't think that combat is the right place for any of us. We've fought changelings before, but an entire army of highly trained soldiers is probably too much for us." Swordpoint turned to the army. "Men! Today, we march toward the Crystal Empire! And though we march in the name of war, know that we do not wish for this to end in violence! Princess Cadance is to be taken alive if at all possible! It is critical that we discover the cause of her madness, as it is likely a highly dangerous threat to the rest of Equestria! Now let us move out!" He turned to face the north and began the long trek north to the empire. (OoC: I read the MLP Comics and found that her name is actually spelled Cadance. Funny, I was spelling it correctly in the first place and then changed it.)

@ "I certainly would not mind," Swordpoint told Crimson with a smile. "And this time, if we fight in the tournament, I shall not use my wings. Last time, I simply had to win at all costs. I'm sure you understand." He glanced up at a television screen which displayed the current fight. "Hm. It seems that we are in for some interesting matches."

Rainbow Dash @, @@synangel Rainbow felt her heart stop. "I... I-I..." She was completely dumbfounded and unable to speak. How could she possibly choose between the one she loved and her best friends? She only whimpered at the thought. She looked to Stone, and then at the announcer. No matter how much she tried to choose, she couldn't. "I... I can't choose one over the other! I'd rather either die myself and save them all, or have them all die! I'd never forgive myself if I chose my friends over Swordpoint, or Swordpoint over my friends!" (True. She's the element of loyalty. She'd never be able to choose one over the other.) Swordpoint @ Swordpoint took off into the sky after Sole. "Perhaps you are right, Sole... I should not have killed any of them. They likely knew no better than to attack us because they feared us." His gaze narrowed. "But you must not kick yourself. We each have our own demons to face." He landed gently on a cloud and spread his wings, searching for Rainbow Dash's energy with a tracer spell. He could feel nothing at first, but then it came to him... faintly. It was coming from a volcano on a nearby island. "Sole!" he called. "Rainbow is in that volcano! I... I can feel someone there with her, as well. It... I think it is Stone." He gazed down at the massive volcano, trying to formulate a plan. "I will go there. Please go and find Crimson and the others. I must ensure her safety."

@ Swordpoint stood from the small bed. "I expected Crimson to win. That other pony was far too unskilled to match him. I wonder which of us would win if we fought again..." He decided that he would speak with Crimson. It had been several months since the two had last seen one another, anyway. He exited the room and made his way to where Crimson was. He tapped his friend on the shoulder. "It seems that our fates continue to intertwine, Captain Grinn. Excellent performance in your first match."

Swordpoint @ Swordpoint grabbed Sole by the ankle and lifted him to his feet. "Think not of it, Sole. We are not safe, yet." Swordpoint dashed toward the tribals with blinding speed, propelling himself across the ground with his wings. As he neared them, he stopped abruptly, creating hurricane force winds which blew them away. He smirked at this. "Haha! Rainbow Dash, you surely will make a grand fighter." His expression suddenly changed as he remembered her. "Rainbow... And the others! Sole, now that we have been freed, we must make our way to the center island! From there, I am certain that I will be able to sense the rest of the crew... if they are here..."

Swordpoint @ Swordpoint knew he was out of options. He grabbed the chain and yanked as hard as he could, hoping to shock some sense back into Sole. He then changed course for the shaman at the top of the pyramid, forcing every ounce of his energy into his flight. He managed to drag Sole along, and crashed into the shaman, causing the crazed pony to fumble the staff. Swordpoint caught it easily. He could feel a source of magical energy, here... but it wasn't natural. It was almost as if it had been manufactured. Nonetheless, he held the staff up until it glowed dark purple, and then he pointed it at the chain. A blast of light emanated from the staff and struck the chain, snapping the anklets off of Sole and Swordpoint. He smirked and threw aside the staff. "Wonderful. I am no longer limited. Fight me if you dare."

Swordpoint @ Swordpoint was caught completely off-guard. As Sole shot off toward the ponies, Swordpoint was dragged along. He fought the pain of the shock and forced himself to recover and match Sole's pace. "Sole! Control yourself! We must acquire that staff! Their magic is strongest, here! I can feel it!" He was forced to dodge quickly as the shaman sent a blast of purple light at him. "SOLE! PULL YOURSELF TOGETHER!"

Swordpoint @ Swordpoint stared at Sole with a worried look, but he quickly looked back to his path. As they passed through more underbrush, they emerged into a clearing, and Swordpoint's jaw dropped. Standing before them was a large, pyramid-like structure with at least a hundred of the tribals standing at its base. Atop it stood a pony holding a staff. What is he holding in his other hoof...? Oh, no... He quickly realized that the shaman was holding the disembodied head of another pony. Swordpoint turned to Sole. "There will be no element of surprise. I would suggest that we attack the one with the staff in an attempt to take it from him. If we can remove this chain, then they will prove to be no match for us."

Swordpoint @ "Wait, Sole! Use caution!" Swordpoint groaned as he heard a twig snap. Within seconds, a net encased them from beneath, lifting them above the ground. "Damn! I knew they were somewhat clever, but a snare? Such a trap requires precision and skill." He turned to Sole. "Do you think that your talons could cut through this? And if not, then can you reach my dagger again? My hooves are stuck."

Swordpoint @ Swordpoint only nodded and began moving. As they exited the village, Swordpoint made sure to keep his eyes peeled to his surroundings. Another of those spear traps could easily spell disaster for both of us. Of course, who knows what other sorts of strange traps they have laid? If we are indeed approaching a site of dark worship, then it will be heavily guarded and reinforced... He was quickly lost in thought, attempting to create a strategic approach.

@ Swordpoint noticed Sole mumbling to himself. He is troubled. Perhaps I should take extra care to not kill these tribals, lest I push him into a bloodlust. "Let us depart, Sole. That site should be fairly nearby. Do you think that you could fly, or will the bonds make that too difficult?"

Swordpoint @ Swordpoint only sighed. Sole was certainly trying his patience, but it wasn't going to do either of them any good to beat each other senseless. "I have no idea. But look at this map. Note the circled area here?" He pointed to a small spot on the island with a crude red circle around it. "It is possible that they use this as a place of worship. And those staves they use appear to actually channel the magic, as earth ponies are completely incapable of magic without some method to actually gather magical energy. If we could find the source of their power and use one of their staves, I am certain we could break this chain."

Swordpoint @ Swordpoint regarded Sole with a dull expression. "Yes, that would be what I was saying. After we remove the chains, then I can use my magic to find someone. Now, the chain itself seems to be magical. We certainly won't be able to simply cut it." He sat down and pondered this for a few moments before standing back up. "We must find the source of their magic. That is what made these bonds, and it can certainly destroy them, as well."

Swordpoint approached the arena with a smile. I suppose that this should be a perfect means of gaining additional training. I may even learn some new battle strategies. He flashed his ticket to the receptionist and entered. He found his way to his room, but he was surprised to hear Crimson's name called over the loudspeaker. "Crimson? Here? Haha, I should have known! You certainly do get around, you..." He noticed a camera watching him, but he merely shrugged and sat down, awaiting his name to be called.

Swordpoint @ "I have the feeling that they are more intelligent than they seem," Swordpoint said calmly as he searched the hut. "Plus, we must find some way to remove this chain, and their magic seems like the most likely method." He came upon a crude table, and he cried out as he found a piece of parchment. "Perfect! Look at this, Sole! It is a map!" He held it up and studied it carefully, but his face scrunched into a frown when he saw it. "According to this... we're on an island... And it appears to be part of an archipelago." He turned to Sole. "I propose that we find a way to remove our shackles and then head toward the center island. If we can come without a close enough range of the others, my magic will be able to find them."