Hederik

@@Once In A Blue Moon, @@AzureNightLight, @@SilverHeart, As the small group began to make their way into the tunnel, echoes rang all around them when the rest of Pony Valley's forces - by now being little more than a unit - marched their way past the opening and downwards along the mountain paths. Should someone be looking back, they could have observed a variety of emotions displayed on the officers' faces: awe, fear, hope... sarcastic derision too, although it was always hard to tell how seriously Toad and Gal's shows of distancing themselves should be taken. The last to come by, when the six ponies were quite far inside already, was general Hardy, who stood there until the others disappeared from view entirely. Had someone been trying to read them, it would still be quite hard to decipher her emotions from the distance -- was it longing or apprehension that made her eyes glint like that? Inside, the ponies were being made to wonder if their eyes will avail them anything during this journey. The darkness that greedily devoured what little light reached this deep from outside was bad enough by itself to make this passing unpleasant. Perhaps unwittingly, the glow of Star's horn strove futilely against it, making colors and shadows dance and mingle all around them, making the other ponies' heads spin and blurring their vision. If that wasn't bad enough, what was true about the Sieve's build outside proved doubly so inside: save for the floor upon which they walked, there was nary a flat surface in sight. Crevices opened left and right, some almost wide enough to stick a hoof in, others mere fissures in the stone's structure; cracks of unknown depth opened across the path; and finally, there were holes. Every face and facet of stone, every plane and surface was pockmarked with these like a smallpox-ridden piece of cheese. That had been stabbed repeatedly for the last few days. With a trident. By an apoplectic sadist. Even walking after Azure as he had been, Midnight Rover kept clipping his hooves on the rock and stumbling slightly, emitting a near-constant jangle, although he controlled his balance enough not to make it overly audible. Cirrus, in turn, appeared to have the least amount of trouble navigating this alien environment, even though everything about her screamed about high-strung nerves and a mounting anxiety. Still, she trod lightly and always stopped in time when the group in front of her had to pause suddenly because of the stallion's bouts of clumsiness. Meanwhile, even Star happened to bump into the male on an occasion, although her blank, unseeing expression never changed. Observing the way ahead and behind was proving mostly useless. With the quality of light and the texture of the rocks, the most useful sense available to the van and rear was hearing... and perhaps smell. Thankfully, neither was picking up anything quite extraordinary. The only thing that seemed out of place was a near constant sound bringing to mind two stone slabs slowly scraping against each other, sometimes rising in volume, sometimes lowering, and constantly weaving itself together with the hum of Star's magic. It was a good ten minutes of a mind-wearying travel before a fork finally appeared in the road. It was difficult to say for sure, but the tunnel appeared to have been going mostly on a level until then. Only a few meters before they reached this crossroad, Midnight stumbled into a short stalagmite, causing it to crash down onto the ground where it crumbled into a few jagged pieces. The thud was loud, but the clangor of a full plate mail making such an impact dwarfed it by far. Still, an interesting observation could be made thanks to the accident: the inside of the rock was solid - there was no hollow space that hadn't had any connection to the outside. Furthermore, in quite a few of the deepest recesses, small parts of the rock were off-color. What color it was exactly, Star's magic made near-impossible to tell, though. Speaking of whom, the mare stopped dead in her tracks while the stallion cursed silently on the ground before her, but her trance appeared unbroken and she had shown no sign of noticing the appointed checkpoint in front of her, still focused on channeling her energy to unknown ends.

Pebble rose into the air, fulfilling its lifelong dream of defying the overwhelming forces of gravity. It soared upwards, battling the deemed-negligible air resistance and pushing ever onwards to its ultimate goal, the mission it had been given by a being it neither knew nor cared about. Perhaps had it not allowed the long-term relationship with his southern cousin Boulder to stagnate over the last millennium, there would have been a greater understanding of purpose and a possibility of mutual respect and gratitude between the two parties that in these circumstances remained ignorant of one another. Now, feeling his kinetic energy converted almost entirely into potential, Pebble braced itself for the inevitable impact that would rattle its hard yet not indestructible body and allow it to make a mark on a story far bigger and more important than it could have ever imagined over eons lodged in its stony microcosmos. Ping. Cirrus stirred, then smiled awkwardly and jumped down, either disregarding the projectile that bounced off her armor or missing it entirely. The tiny rock shard was thus left unheeded in an environment it didn't really like, already starting to wonder whether it wouldn't have been wiser to let dreams erode and stay home with its family. As they say though, the stone has been cast, and that's that.

@@Colenso Rivers, @@SilverHeart, @@Once In A Blue Moon @@AzureNightLight Star smirked at Cat's last remark, mouthing the words 'right choice' as if to test them for herself. She then looked at her four volunteers, regarding them silently. "Four will have to suffice then," she said dispassionately and turned away from them to begin walking with purpose towards the marked entrance to the Sieve. "Come, let us waste no more time. Hardy..." she paused mid-step with her right front hoof raised, letting her head hang low for the moment, "...good luck, friend." With that, she continued onwards. Accepting the finality of their leader's decision, Midnight was the first to follow the winged unicorn's lead. As he went, the stallion cast a glance at the other two unicorn stallions of his unit, his expression puzzled more than hostile as he pondered what the weird relation between Star and Reverie meant and what it could lead to in the future. It wasn't before all the four ponies left the meadow and stepped onto the stony path declining into the ravine before a voice rang from above them and an anxious Cirrus appeared at the edge over their heads, making it clear who it was that had yelled for them to stop. Right as she made herself visible, Star turned her head sharply towards the beige mare. The intensity of her gaze caused the pegasus to back off a step and wince in expectation of equally sharp words to follow. As none came for a few seconds, she straightened up, steeled herself and opened her mouth to explain how it had been said they needed a pegasus to round out the group. Instead, it was Star who spoke up at that moment, but her tone was calm and respectful in stead of the anticipated rebuke. "I understand the hesitation," was what she said. "This is not an easy environment for a pegasus to cope with. Your sense of loyalty is most admirable," she added with a nod, for a moment catching the eyes of the general, who had positioned herself a little to the left from Cirrus to witness the exchange. "That means she agrees to your participation," hinted Hardy as for a long while the younger mare had made no move to continue downwards. Cirrus stirred, then smiled awkwardly and jumped down, gliding easily to the arrow made of broken crystal where Midnight and the four mares were headed. As she landed, she shot a sheepish smile at Silver and Midnight, the latter grinning in approval of this last-minute addition to their little task force. The huge violet mare led them as far as the mouth of the marked cave before stopping and turning around. "Azure," she addressed the only pony to have volunteered out of the older of the remaining units, "you appear to have a good grasp of the situation at hoof, and so I task you," here for a brief moment the green abomination of an eye focused directly on the white unicorn in question, "with leadership of this expedition on its way through the Sieve, at least until I am positive that its defenses have been sufficiently restored. Fear not," she added in response to the mare's alarmed look, "I shall impart onto you the extent of my knowledge concerning the navigation of this type of environment at the first fork we come upon. The only thing I ask is that I'm left in the middle of the formation and tasked with nothing, as it will require full focus from me to perform the necessary repairs on the walk, in such short time as well. I will remain conscious of you, albeit barely, so address me directly if need arises and I'll comply with the orders, but for the most part treat me as a liability." After a pause, she finished with an almost motherly air about her, "You can do it." If not for the creepy addition of her alien eye, she might have almost resembled the legendary princess Celestia as she was portrayed in literature. The anatomical detail in question dimmed visibly as the imposing mare looked away from them and began to channel her magic; a thing she apparently intended to give her undivided attention to on the march. And a spectacle it was: starting off as a slight whitish glow at just the tip of her horn, it began to shimmer in a multitude of colors as more of its length became enveloped in the radiance. In the end, more than half of Star's horn had lit up, emanating a literal rainbow of ever-changing hues of light. The focused look on the mighty mare's features, however, was a clear reminder that this was not a performance aimed at entertaining, but rather part of a serious task.

@@Colenso Rivers, @@SilverHeart, @@Once In A Blue Moon @@AzureNightLight General Hardy smiled a grim smile that didn't quite reach her eyes in response to Carto's look, an expression that said 'you don't know what you're signing up for, but I like your attitude' painted on her face. Star didn't react to the first two, her gaze directed more through the volunteers than at them, her alien green eye shifting with a nervousness that showed nowhere else in the giant mare's physique. Midnight Rover stepped forwards next, slamming a hoof on his breastplate. "Close quarters or not, having a defender will go a long way. Plus, I'm rather impossible to be faked, what with the amount of metal I wear," the halfhearted quip went without a reaction from the superiors - Star didn't do as much as blink, in fact - but that didn't dissuade Midnight from continuing, as he surveyed the ponies from his unit, and thus, at the same time, took in those from the elder one as they were all interspersed in the clearing. "I'd dearly hope to be wrong, but I have a feeling that this little escapade might need medical supervision more so than the one originally planned." Again, no reaction from Star, although this time at least the general did nod her head a little in agreement. "I expect a proper caster would be a nice boon as well." At the last comment, Reverie looked up from his observation of the Sieve, instantly drawing Star's green eye to himself as the mare twitched. He managed to take half a step forwards before her voice stopped him dead in his tracks. "No," she said, turning to the surprised stallion, "not you." Looking back towards Midnight, she said as calmly as though she had taken active part in the conversation this entire time, "I agree. It would do well to round out the group with a pegasus; you never know when the advantage of having a flier might prove beneficial. That would make six ponies with me, a good number," she ended, turning her gaze back to general Hardy and disregarding Reverie's hurt look.

@@Colenso Rivers, @@SilverHeart, @@Once In A Blue Moon @@AzureNightLight As everyone locked onto their down-to-earth tasks, everything seemed to point towards the day being rather uneventful, if not downright peaceful. It was an illusion that shattered like so much cheap glass a few brief moments after Cirrus had yelled "We've got incoming!" and pointed towards a shape approaching the camp at a breakneck speed, leaving behind it a bluish-green blur. It came from roughly the opposite direction than the one 'Unit A' has taken to not half an hour ago, which contributed largely to the widespread astonishment when it landed and turned out to be no one other than general Hardy. She reciprocated the confusion and asked a question. She then processed the answer for a total of two seconds. Afterwards... "What do you mean, they're with me?" she asked icily, her stance yelling that she was very willing to tear the slightly quivering officer in front of her to shreds. His axe lay forgotten on the ground as the colonel pressed his back into a tree and stood there, unable to break away from the piercing gaze of the commander's magenta eyes. He tried to respond, but failed to even open his mouth. When after a moment the mare spat "You fool!" and turned sharply away, he almost collapsed as his legs trembled and threatened to stop holding up the stallion's weight. "STAAAR!" the general yelled, her voice carrying over and echoing throughout the mountains, effectively negating any misconception that the mission should be in any way covert. Not waiting for an answer, if there indeed could be any, the mare glanced towards the Cadets frozen in the middle of whatever they had been doing prior to her arrival. As she spoke again, her tone was that of a calm command again, even if the hardness of her gaze betrayed an underlying anxiety. "All pegasi with me," she ordered simply, "we still stand a chance of intercepting the changeling and our kidnapped unit before they reach the Sieve. As for the others, pack up posthaste and await further orders from Star, but more than anything be ready to leave quickly and march hard." With that, she spread her wings, jumped up, flapped her wings once and called, "To the air!" As a few doubtful looks turned to colonel Twine, he snapped, "You heard her, go!" displaying a sudden burst of anger that overtook him. Whether it was directed towards himself or the general was unsure, but as the pegasi took wing and sped off, he began to mutely do just as Hardy had instructed, collecting his tools and then strapping a load of wood to his back, all the time sporting a grim look that dissuaded any conversation. @@Colenso Rivers, @@SilverHeart, @@Once In A Blue Moon @@AzureNightLight PREEMPTIVE EDIT TO AVOID THE LOATHED MERGING METHOD Before anypony had time enough to react in any way beyond seeing to the fulfillment of the general's terse orders, Star alighted in the midst of their preparations, coming from the same direction as Hardy had before her. For a while, she just stood at the outskirts, not interrupting the officers, merely observing them. She lingered on the colonel first, and although her expression was devoid of emotion, the stallion winced and broke the eye contact, starting to busy himself with helping the Cadets load the firewood onto their backs. He was however quickly stopped by the mare's silent command, "Leave the wood. It won't be needed." The winged unicorn's gaze then easily fished out Reverie, the unicorn straightening as he caught her eyes, but she continued to scan the group, lightly shaking her head as she finished and sighing silently. "Triple rank, we press hard over a short distance," Star's voice carried as little emotion as her features betrayed when she spoke, once she saw everypony ready to go. "I'll explain the situation on the way. Twine brings up the rear. Move out," she ended, still keeping the calm, commanding tone to her speech. She went first, stepping onto the path the oldest unit of the Cadets had gone down what suddenly seemed such a long time earlier. At first, she moved at an easy marching pace, letting the officers fall into places in the formation behind her. Without ever looking back, she nonetheless knew exactly when that had been accomplished and accelerated immediately, bringing them to a lively trot down the mountain path, for now thankfully quite flat and packed, allowing for this increase in tempo. Despite her promise, she kept silent as they sped onwards. Only later did she speak, once the path reached a steep decline, where the company had to pause as officers needed to climb down one by one. Standing a little aside and overlooking their efforts, she began, "From what I gather, earlier today one of the units has been led away from the camp by a changeling impersonating the general. While their demise is unlikely, the abduction is a certain - barring Hardy being able to cut off their escape," she paused for a long time afterwards, closing her eyes and scanning the horizon while the downwards struggle of the thankfully-unburdened infantry continued. For the longest time, she just stood there, seeming to have forgotten about the world, but as the last few ponies began their descent, she stepped forwards almost absentmindedly, free-falling for a moment before catching air in her wings and hovering over their heads. She pointed the direction the path now took, currently with a steep incline to the left and a similarly precautious drop to its right. "Double file now, standard marching speed. Watch your hooves, there will be a lot of gravel on the path." The journey continued and now Star kept to the air, continuing her speech as the column reformed and resumed the stroll. "There is no easy method of differentiating a changeling from the person they're impersonating," she admitted, her voice easily carrying to all the officers, "but there are a few possibilities. For one, while most changelings will be able to incorporate clothing items into their guise, they may omit things they overlook: some flaw of the material, a stain, a decoration. Furthermore, while visually convincing, these clothes remain immaterial and will often fail to react properly to things like gusts of the wind, getting caught onto something or stepped upon - none of which seems particularly useful given the practical nature of your attire, but should be kept in mind nonetheless. Illusionary metal surfaces may fail to reflect sunlight or do so improperly, and the more intricately designed items may be recognized as looking downright fake." The path slowly widened, then turned a corner and a view opened in front of them of a wide, thick forest, making it impossible to judge what lay beyond it. A keen eye would be able to spot a pegasus dropping from the air where it had been hovering before the visual contact had been made. As the terrain now allowed, Star spurred them almost to a gallop, while she easily kept pace in the air and continued her lecture. "What is more," she said, "the illusion of sameness is only superficial. While a changeling's looks may be convincing, it will not display the same movement patterns, speaking habits and generally lack the idiosyncrasy of the imitated individual, even if the timbre of the voice may be unrecognizable. The transformation provides a changeling no knowledge beyond that it already had, too, so a tried and true method of ascertaining the identity of a pony you'd suspect not to be themselves is asking a question to which the answer would not be known to any outside force." The footpath led them straight towards a nigh-impenetrable wall of trees, but as they approached, Star alighted again and entered an unmarked trail that nonetheless allowed them to follow her without breaking the lines. The final part of the explanation was grave, and for the first time since she appeared in the morning, there was a hint of bitter emotion to Star's voice. "The reason you are being informed of this only now is there should have been no possibility of this area being infiltrated this deeply by the changelings and thus there was no hurry in relaying all the information at once. All this is of course no excuse for anypony who would have known what I've just told you before." Although she didn't deem to look back, Twine winced with a pained expression from where he was tailing the group. Walking through the dense woods had the upside of their pace slowing down greatly, allowing them to catch a breath after the forcible march, but the tension only grew as silence reigned, despite how pleasant a day it would have been in any other circumstances. Thankfully, after no more than a few minutes they got through to a clearing opening onto the beginning of a steeply deepening ravine beyond which the forest continued on a level ground. Scattered in the open were the pegasus officers, including general Hardy herself, standing on the edge of the crevice. Looking past her it was possible to view the opposite side of the downwards pass's wall. Its sponge-like surface, pockmarked with holes from top to bottom which ranged from openings so small it would be difficult to stick a hoof inside to cave entrances wide enough for more than one pony to go in side-by-side made the Sieve's name self-explanatory. The wall - increasingly high as the ravine's floor's drop continued - looked like this as far as it could be seen. "Casualties?" asked Star matter-of-factly, stopping next to Hardy and looking down into the Sieve. The armored pegasus shook her head. "None, as expected. But there is something you should really see," she pointed a hoof down, towards one of the bigger openings in the rock. A small pile of shattered crystal pieces had been gathered there, making it easier to notice what lay next to it: a smattering of the same material arranged into the distinct shape of an arrow, pointing towards the gaping hole. "Could it have been-" the general began to ask, but the answer cut her off. "No." Star was frowning, looking intently at the arrow and the depths it pointed towards. The silence stretched, the general's wings fluttering slightly in anticipation, until she couldn't contain the question any longer. "What happens now?" "I go after them, of course," there was no hesitation before the answer came. Star looked sideways onto the other mare and added, "Alone." A look of mixed hurt and outrage flashed in the pegasus' eyes. "No!" she snapped, accentuating that with a stomp of her hoof. "No?" Star looked curiously down at her interlocutor, appearing surprised. When the smaller mare didn't back down, she nodded slowly. "No, not alone. But alone, too." Not giving the general any time to process this response, Star turned towards the Cadets who spectated this odd exchange. "The tunnels through these mountains, including those opening onto the ravine before you, have once housed entire hives of the changelings," she informed them calmly. "While that isn't true anymore, the creatures know their way through them, and as such are capable of navigating them in order to get to the plains more quickly than by the way of the mountain passages we've been following. If there is to be any hope of catching up to the kidnapped unit, that is the way that needs to be used. However, as speed is vital, I will only be taking a select few volunteers with me on the chase, while the rest of you will carry on down these known trails with the superior officers." She paused for a moment, letting the information sink in before she added, "More than anything, I require somepony with a good sense of direction and orientation in terrain, as on the way I will need to focus on restoring the breached defense crystals more than leading you, lest Ponyvale come to trouble whilst we're gone. Decide quickly," she ended, turning to Hardy, who nodded her approval of the plan.

@@Colenso Rivers, @@SilverHeart, @@Once In A Blue Moon @@AzureNightLight Cirrus smiled back, stretching a little before she too climbed to her hooves and began to make herself look presentable. "Mmmm, it was warm and soft, not like most other nights," she replied softly, presumably speaking of the dream's nature. "I could get used to it for sure." After a while of companionable silence, as she was rolling up her blanket and strapping it onto her pack, the pegasus murmured, "I wonder what this Sieve is." On the other side of the encampment, Midnight Rover yawned mightily, looking towards the sky with a blissful smile and mumbling to himself, "Now this is what I'm talking about." After an indulgent moment of lying back, he rolled to his hooves and proceeded to make a few simple exercises to stretch himself before beginning to put on his heavy gear. Toad and Rabble Buster had been among the first to move towards the treeline, a few dozen meters from where the fires were being secured, seeing their superior officer already putting his back to cutting down wood they would be taking as fuel for the coming night. They were soon joined by several others, including Comet Chaser and Verdant Vine, the two already in the middle of another friendly spat. Gale Wind, finding mostly everything being done already, for now dug out two apples from her satchels and wondered over to the lone sentry left at the cliff's edge - Reverie, as it happened - and offered one to him while gazing over the vast expanse of the world unfolding in front of her and munching on her own fruit. Although she said nothing about it, it was clear to any attentive observer from the anxious flutter of her wings how eager the mare was to take to the skies in this new environment. "Leave me be, rainy," the unicorn responded to the offer, a little belatedly. He too had his eyes pasted on the distant horizon as he spoke. "Go see to them instead," he added, waving a hoof in the vague direction of the camp. Gal shrugged, but did as he suggested and soon found herself fighting back a squeal of glee as Viridian Skies repeated the colonel's order for a few pegasi to do a short fly-over of the camp and take a look around it from above.

@@Colenso Rivers, @@SilverHeart, @@Once In A Blue Moon @@AzureNightLight The gravity of Rose and Steel's revelations put everypony in a quiet, contemplative, and in a few cases, quite dejected state of mind. Whatever conversations there were soon died down as the overall mood and exhaustion of the long day sped all the soldiers towards sleep, the officers finding themselves traversing the dream world almost as soon as their eyes were closed. This time, however, something was out of place. An almost imperceptible difference that nonetheless gnawed at the back of the observer's feeling until they managed to reach the conclusion that what made this experience so vastly incomparable was actually being there. Not merely spectating events as they unfolded in front of an immaterial specter that was a dreaming pony's mind, but the perception of physical presence within the scene playing out. Not necessarily in person, intangible as the concept of self is in the state of dreaming, yet as a person, a living being taking part in the action. With the itch scratched, the conclusion promptly began to fade, more of the scene materializing itself in its place... You look around yourself curiously. Two rows of comfortable plush seats, scenic windows and most of all, a rural landscape moving behind the glass panes makes it all too clear you’re sitting in a train car. It’s pretty crowded, too: no less than three mares are sitting on the nearest vacant spaces, with another two right across the walkway. Interestingly enough, there seems to be nopony else in the same wagon, which, paired with a fuzzy feeling inside you probably means these are not just random ponies you’re sharing the travelling space with. A supposition confirmed without delay as a hoof is wrapped companionably around your shoulder and a voice reaches you from the left, “Chillax, Twilight! Whatever it is that you’re supposed to do, you’re gonna ace it easily!” You turn towards the speaker, a cerulean blue pegasus mare, and admire her most unusual rainbow-colored mane, jutting roguishly over her magenta eyes. Feeling for some reason like you’re going to drown in these unless you avert your gaze quickly, you proceed to inspect closely the remainder of your company. Sitting across from you is a glamorous white unicorn, her violet hair corkscrewed artfully over her head. She nods approvingly to what has been said and looks at you warmly, trying to boost your confidence along with the other mare. Why is that, though? You can’t recall what would have you stressed enough for both of them to fret over you so. On the other hoof, you don’t remember coming onto this train either, so that might not be the best course of thought to follow. Next to the fashionable unicorn sits an earth pony mare so pink it’s hard to believe, her hair puffed up and tangled wildly, appearing sticky even if such observation is completely unbased. Perhaps the fact she’s intently devouring cupcakes - consisting in more than half their volume of frosting - contributes to that deduction, however. She, at least, appears to have no intention of comforting you. “Thank you, everypony,” you hear yourself speak calmly, your eyes sliding quickly along the five mares. “It’s just that... there is a lot riding on this job, and I don’t just mean that super-important test this all is…” “Shucks, Twilight, you’re more nervous about it than a chicken in a flight contest,” one of the mares from across the walkway laughs, a hint of a tease in her voice. Her wide-brimmed, well-worn cowboy hat rests easily on the back of her head and she’s stretched comfortably over her seat, presenting an athletic, orange-tinged figure and flicking her braided blonde tail absently. “Do as Rainbow tells ya and let it be.” The last of your company, sitting directly to your right across the walkway, opposite the country mare, nods and says “Yeah” so silently you aren’t even sure the words really left her mouth. Her coat is sunshine yellow and half of her face is hidden beneath a bang of her delicate pink mane. “Anypony asked for cool drinks?” asks a young male voice from the direction of the entrance to the car you’re all seated in, but as you turn towards the speaker, he adds, "Morning call! Up, up, all of you!" in the baritone of colonel Twine. The officers began to stir, looking around themselves blearily and taking in bits and pieces of their surroundings: the bonfires gone cold, the elements of equipment strewn around, the few cooking utensils left lying in the open, the two unicorns seating alert at the edges of the camp as sentries. As they were coming to, a lively exchange could be heard from the direction whence the colonel's wake-up call came. "- a group this big. Take the unit, uh..." general Hardy's voice lost its magisterial edge as she asked lamely, "How are the units called again?" "They aren't," admitted the stallion calmly. "There never was any reason to attach names to them." "Right," Hardy couldn't hide the surprise from her voice, but as befitted an officer of her rank, took it in stride. "I'm taking unit A-" a pause and a short groan betrayed lack of understanding from her interlocutor, "the eldest one," she explained irritably, "to scout forwards up to the Sieve. We will wait for you there, hopefully with a meal if something can be foraged. Units B and C stay with you to clear camp and gather firewood for tonight. Do not overburden them, we will be out of the mountains by tomorrow." "Yes, ma'am!" replied Twine, then went on to relay the orders unto the soldiers, by now awake enough to not really need it, but militairesse oblige. Soon after, the newly-dubbed unit A disappeared down the winding mountain track and the others found themselves put to work around the camp, as per the general's instructions.

The eye not covered by the mane appears to be a little too big - should it fully open, the upper limits would almost go to the hairline. And the neck is a little thin, I believe. With that said, though, it's still an amazing job. I like the added allure of a paradoxically cute and cuddly Pinkamena too, and although I can't entirely picture what the effect of seeing her hair in the dark is, I believe it's something. Plus... half a meter, woah, that's a sizable plushie! Now you just need to roll her in ash and blood to make her more believable. Perhaps lay a butcher knife under her hoof.

Only seven? Have you tried solo queue in ranked, preferably during a promotion series? If there's only seven guys trolling, you can count yourself lucky. Full AD mid Darius... *shudder*

When *.gif stops being a good enough extension and you have to design *.lsd to replace it. Not sure what else to say or what the point of the exercise was, but that tree behind all the acidic static looks very disquieting for some reason, and the faces (especially in the stillframe mode where you can actually catch details) are more than a little disturbing. Well, I've enjoyed this mind-blender show. Keep being different, I guess?

I've taken part in moderating several forums up to date. Most of that has been several years ago, when all that took away my time was school, which meant a lot of spare time to devote to helping internet be a better place. I've issued a few warnings myself, though never have I used banhammer against anything less than a spambot. There has been no instance of me being warned on any forums as far as I remember, ever. That is, except for MLPForums, where I've already gotten two or three warnings. Oh well, guess when you get old internet doesn't like you hanging around anymore and you should keep to yourself as much as possible.

@@FortyTwo42, @@SilverHeart, @@Golbez, @@Mentis Soliloquy, @@The Elusive Cinder "Where do I even begin?" the stallion answered, glaring irritably at the mare standing over him. He didn't remember introducing himself, although maybe he had said something to the red mare and had been overheard. Nonetheless, being referred to in the third person hardly added any pleasantry to the usage of his name, spurting him further on to a rant that suddenly became more angry than driven by fear and doubt as his hurt pride added to other pains and resulted in an outburst of words. "Unless I'm the only pony present to have been quote-unquote 'invited' to this here haven of inequity with more blackmail than tact, thrown like a goddamn parcel to a courier's wagon and herded into a lush banquet hall as though it were my surprise 'happy last birthday' party, there is something really strange going on. And I'm not talking strange in a romantically mysterious way, I'm talking strange as in 'I wonder if anypony will get out of here alive'," deciding that the floor was really not a suitable place to look down on somepony from and in any case made him appear like a clownish speaker at best, Cursive attempted to sit up, but his body had different plans for him and so he found himself back in a sprawl, heaving painfully and with black spots dancing in his vision. "Have you given any thought to the setting?" he begun anew, the earlier bout of rage spent and subdued by the renewed physical discomfort. "We have all been driven a few inches south of the middle of nowhere, placed in what appears to be a ghost town with a few storefronts plastered on along the main road to make the whole thing look at least slightly presentable and told to enjoy ourselves under a close vigilance of our hosts, including, let's not forget, a supposed member of royalty at whose behest we had been hauled here and who only comes to greet - I mean, haunt - us, looking like a terminal junkie who has been off the sweets for a few days at least, while behaving like he just upped his dosage thrice. And guess what," the bitter resentment towards nobility painted his next word with heavy tones, "it turns out has been 'ill' for long weeks before the whole idea of gathering us here came to fruition. But oh, no, it's perfectly fine," he continued, badly mimicking a high feminine voice, "we will be right back, please sit back, enjoy, fatten and stupefy yourselves," then discarded the impersonation in favor of almost shouting angrily, "while we go about setting bear traps in the corridors and restraining the psychos from turning to attack mode too early on. I don't know what's on the agenda," he admitted more calmly, "though maybe I'll find out earlier than all of you if they do indeed take me away upon returning," heeding his neck's protest, the stallion allowed his head to flop back to the floor, cocking it ever so slightly to be able to conclude his speech. "Maybe the prince needs a few new organs due to his indulging ways, maybe there's a hunt on his mind and he lacked appropriate game. Maybe he's just lonely and we'll be restrained in this establishment for years to come for his entertainment. Or perhaps I'm the one who's raving mad here and all these circumstances are perfectly normal to everypony else, in which case you should probably pay all of it no mind at all. Otherwise..." he sighed, "we need a plan. And if there's not enough time to decide on one at present, it will have to wait until later. But it is necessary."

@@Colenso Rivers, @@SilverHeart, @@Once In A Blue Moon @@AzureNightLight Rose laughed aloud at the mention of the wild theories Cat had had to endure, the clear, melodic sound carrying in the hush of the encampment. "Avidity's students then," she concluded with confidence. "Give the mare a poem about an orange and she'll tell you it describes the futility of poetry in face of linguistic obstacles," she added, grinning. "Mostly correct, though," nodded Steel Resolve. "There isn't much more to it that we've been told, but perhaps we can share a better perspective for what is described. For one, it is interesting to note that despite it being noted that the Bearers of Harmony were present in the battle, its eventual outcome did not hinge on the use of the Elements but a different type of magic... which may point towards the changelings being somehow immune to the powers of the Elements." "Which did seem inconsequential for a long time," continued Rose. "Maybe not so much now..." she paused, looking around the three bonfires, at the gathered cadets - many of whom had turned a curious ear to the conversation, even the colonel sitting near the middle fire listening in. "Anyway, it is almost definitely further proof of what Star mentioned earlier today, that changelings are in fact somehow descended from ponies, as the Elements seem to hold no power against our race." Verdant Vine cleared his throat, then fidgeted a little as many eyes turned towards him. "The Elements of Harmony were created by the Royal Sisters to help protect and cleanse the pony nation of evil," he managed after a brief pause. "It stands to reason that they should be ineffectual against their creators..." "What about Nightmare Moon then?" asked Midnight, cocking his head curiously. "You won't tell me that Princess Luna wasn't a pony, will you?" The green unicorn shook his head. "No, Princess Luna was most definitely a pony. It is said, however, that the Elements being unleashed onto her caused her no harm, merely... washed away, I guess it could be said, Nightmare Moon from her." Midnight opened his mouth, the closed it again and simply nodded. After a moment of silence had passed and no one pursued the topic further, Rose picked up on the previous one. "The second claim of the story is pretty ridiculous," she admitted, "but may indeed hold some truths. I'm talking about the changelings feeding off love, and specifically love given them while in the assumed shape of somepony else. I highly doubt their race would have made it a few years on fuel this difficult to collect. It is much more probable that the changelings are able to sustain themselves on spiritual energy in general, but it's highly unlikely to be their main source of nutrition." "Nevertheless," said Steel, joining seamlessly after the mare's part, "it would be possible for more singular entities to exist that required this specialized diet. Thus, we reach the most focal point of the story, namely the being known as Queen Chrysalis, kind of like a super changeling." "The part about being powerful enough to beat Princess Celestia in single combat may be purely poetic," said Rose, "but there are more realistic - and much more interesting - parts of her description. For one, it is said that among a sea of uniform specimens, this alleged 'queen' stood out as tall as any of the Princesses, and differentiated herself in a few other physical aspects." Steel continued, "Furthermore, despite such not being ascribed to the changelings anywhere else, this one at least was apparently capable of utilizing quite powerful magic, including actual mind control. Now, as you've most likely heard time and time again, ponies have a natural resistance to magic, although we can't be entirely sure it this means any magic other than that we ourselves possess. Our colleague Frigid Mind has theorized that since the changelings are described as sharing many physical similarities with insects, they may have something resembling a hive mind, and what this queen did was dragging her victims into it, which I assume would be a pretty maddening experience in and of itself." Verdant Vine shuddered at the presented mental image, but said nothing. "Lastly," said Rose gravely, "the insect comparison brings to mind one final caveat. One that Star failed to mention, yet is quite universally agreed to be likely, that the changelings have in their ranks highly specialized individuals whose capabilities can hardly be even guessed at, of which the historic figure of Queen Chrysalis was only an example."

Needless to say (look where we are), I like the second style much more. As a brony I don't deny being biased however, especially since the thought of a pony-inspired figure-driven strategy battle game has haunted me for several years already, yet I had never found the depths of ambition to chase after its creation. That being said, what you're presenting above is definitely not an MLP-related project and any presumed association with the brand can cause more harm than good. Besides the aforementioned problems, this may provoke a copyright infringement accusation -- although I'm not one to judge, the style of characters 2. & 3. in particular is very reminiscent of MLP. In any case, originality is much more likely to garner attention than what can be seen as copying on something else's style. In defense of the pony-like beings, the short-ranged telekinesis I at least view as more of an opportunity than obstacle. Presuming the telekinetic grip is equivalent in strength to that of a hand, there is no issue of held objects being easily ripped out of it - but if there were to be a character with, say, anti-magic bursts, this could lead to interesting options of temporary disarmament of affected units. Speaking from my own (admittedly limited) experience with figure games, players (aside from the 10% of its aficionados able to masterfully paint their miniatures or afford to commission the painting) are prone to forget about art styles and such after a few matches. Initially, yes, the art plays quite a role in catching a new eye or convincing someone to try, but a while later everything is "BWM Captain with Heavy Machine Gun and 2 Grenades" and "WoMT (shield; spear)", with attributes playing a larger role than looks. Yes, it is nice if the game after setup is pleasing to the eye, but it's not a deciding factor anymore. Especially if the claim about innovative, intuitive rules is justified; then that more than anything should invite new players by merit of good word being spread. Long story short, I prefer style 2 visually but would advise you to go with style 1 if it's anything beyond a personal fan-project.

Mostly @@Colenso Rivers, @@SilverHeart, but I guess @@Once In A Blue Moon and @@AzureNightLight deserve a notification as well. "Ask me that in the morning," responded the pegasus, but she did not sound too wistful. There was actually a hint of amusement in her voice as she added, "Assuming any of us get up after today. This was quite a trot and with how late we stopped, I'm surprised you're not having your hooves full at the moment mending broken legs. Unless the older guys have learned to see in the dark and it was assumed we can too," she jested, then twitched at a grumpy huff from beside her, where a skinny, light brown unicorn sat. He looked at the mare, squinting his pale eyes and frowning, the effect multiplied by his gaunt look and remnants of a neon orange mane, shaved almost clean off. "Unless you grow a horn, no. And even then, that would be beyond your reach," he didn't attempt to mask his disdain, but despite the negative attitude, there was no hostility in him, even though he looked half like a serial murderer, especially once he turned his head sideways to the fire, letting it illuminate the side of his face that had previously remained hidden from view. He had a long, nasty scar there, going from the neck almost all the way to his eye, ending right beneath it. "'Because with magic, everything is possible'," a stout, ivory earth pony mare said from where she sat next to Colenso, badly imitating quoting some wisdom. "I'm excited for the day you gain enough power to prove that." "Power isn't everything," the unicorn answered with contempt, drilling into the speaker with his gaze. "Although I don't expect you to grasp it, magic requires a deep understanding of what exactly you're trying to accomplish. And even then you could at best target yourself without a lot of preparation from those who were to be influenced." "I told you, we're not creating a cult to allow you to experiment on us," the mare replied chidingly, receiving a derisive snort in return from the unicorn, who then waved a hoof at her as though declaring her a lost cause and laid his head on his front legs to stare blankly into the fire in front of him. Noticing Cirrus and Silver's expressions of mild confusion, the earth pony laughed heartily. "Never mind him, gals, Frigid Mind is just a grump, but he doesn't bite!" "Bite me," spat the unicorn, not lifting his head. "You'd better not," the mare advised in a theatrical whisper. "He's all bitter and sour. I think you'll like me Luscious Spirit better," she winked. Another pegasus mare seated next to her sighed and dropped her face on a hoof. "That joke wasn't funny even back in first grade. And I swear you've used it at least ten times every year since then." Luscious responded by shoving at the pegasus lightly, but did not comment.

@@Once In A Blue Moon,@@AzureNightLight, @@Colenso Rivers, @@SilverHeart, Steel looked at the mare next to him, then both shrugged before the mare spoke. "A bit more detailed history of the Thousand Year Realm, some fancy heroics describing the Princesses' feats against various monsters... I guess it should've been obvious that the purpose of such reading was to familiarize us with what may lay ahead, but at the time it seemed more like fairy tales and a waste of our time," she admitted abashedly. "Still, there's a fair bit that can be remembered quite easily, way too much to relay in a single session in fact..." she trailed off, looking musing. The unicorn smiled amusedly at the mare, then nodded his head. "I agree, this might be the most important piece of knowledge that's been given to us recently. And if Star herself won't dirty her hooves teaching you, we might as well put in some time to make up for it." Rose smiled agreeably and nodded, but the look on her features turned sour when Jinx piped in again. "Star just knows it's a waste of time," he muttered. "They won't last a week anyway. At best you'll make them able to call out the name of whatever monster will be about to bite off their-" a dark silver radiance appeared in the air beneath the nasty unicorn's jaw, suddenly snapping it upwards, making his teeth clamp with enough force to elicit painful winces from all seated at the fire. "Enough," said Steel darkly, the glow dying from around his horn. Jinx shot him a hateful look, but said nothing, instead lying down and closing his eyes, although his breathing betrayed the blood still running hot. "What about more... physical abilities?" prodded Midnight, prompting a laugh from Comet Chaser, who then grinned and stretched out one of his pale orange wings, gesturing at it and announcing with pomp, "Behold, a limb that has had two or three more years of training than your own!" The wing took on a pale green glow, then all of a sudden slapped its owner in the face and wrapped itself around it. "We may have picked up a few additional tricks," admitted Verdant Vine, the unicorn keeping his entire focus on the pegasus who was now struggling to regain control of his own body. "Nothing world-shattering, though," he added, surprising Comet by releasing his hold, making the pegasus flap his wing wildly, which sent him rolling onto his back and barrelling into Jinx. "Leave me alone," whined the unlikeable unicorn, squirming under the pegasus. "Posthaste!" exclaimed Comet, jumping off him, somersaulting in the air before landing in his previous spot, flapping his wings at the same time so as to send a gust of smoke from the fire to engulf Verdant Vine and send him into a coughing fit. Steel and Rose both shook their heads at their colleagues' antics, after which the unicorn asked, "Back to the matter at hoof... how much do you know about the changelings' invasion of Canterlot and its outcome?"

@@Once In A Blue Moon,@@AzureNightLight, "Lucky her, not getting caught up in a mission like this thanks to being young enough," muttered Midnight from across the fire, hearing Alto's name mentioned. "If I understood Star's words right, even we aren't deemed ready for what lays beyond..." "You likely aren't," agreed a snide voice. Turning to face the speaker, Midnight recognized Jinx, the unicorn stallion sitting apart from others on his side of the fire. As he looked up and gazed at his sister seated at another fire, the derision faded from his speech as he added musingly, "I wonder if any of us are." A pegasus stallion seated next to Azure clicked his tongue at this, cracking his neck and asking in an almost-pleasant tone that nonetheless betrayed an underlying anger, "Not so nasty when alone, huh?" The speaker was Viridian Skies, the top fighter of Azure's unit and something of an unofficial leader to them. "Or did you sweat out all your poisons for today?" he jeered. "Leave the nit alone," advised calmly a dun-colored unicorn. "He's not worth your attentions." Jinx glared at this, but - perhaps because he didn't have his usual backup - said nothing in return. "That's what I thought," the unicorn nodded, then turned towards the younger ponies and spoke up a little to be well heard by all present at the fire. "Since we're in this together, I figure we might as well properly introduce ourselves for the sake of those who hadn't the occasion to meet us yet. I'm Steel Resolve, and this is Black Rose," he added, motioning to the dark red earth pony mare with jet black hair sitting next to him. "Do call me Rose, though," the mare said insistingly, leaning affectionately on the stallion. "Fair enough," Viridian answered with a smile. "My name's Viridian Skies, and seated next to me is Azure. The mare there," he motioned with his head to a pegasus positioned next to Midnight, "is Comet Chaser. And on Rose's right is our own master sorcerer, Verdant Vine," he ended with a flourish, prompting a loud raspberry being blown by the greenish unicorn in question. It was all clearly good-natured, though, as both stallions laughed easily afterwards. A spell of silence followed, and when no one else spoke up, Midnight eventually picked up the slack. "Guess it falls to me to speak for us," he said. "I'm Midnight Rover-" "The guy who beat our favorite colonel!" Rose interrupted suddenly. "I told you Twine had some reason to look so forlorn," she added in an aside to Steel, eliciting a chuckle from the stallion. Midnight, now thoroughly embarrassed, managed to continue nonetheless. "The mare next to Azure would be Carto Sketch the cartographer, and the earth pony there is Nix Fumble," the introduced stallion waved in a friendly manner to the others. @@Colenso Rivers, @@SilverHeart, Meanwhile, at other fires, the atmosphere didn't seem as gregarious. Not too far away from Silver Heart, Jade Facet was looking towards Minx even more intently than her own brother, mouthing the unspoken words "What the hell is wrong with you?" while ignoring his company and the world at large. The mare in question was seated at the third fire with Reverie and a few others, both the unicorns staring mutely towards some random point in the darkness. Toad was humming to himself, munching on something an muttering, "Yo ho, twice fifteen ponies on a dead plane, an officer's life for me." Next to Silver, Cirrus Streak was lying with eyes closed, although judging by her breathing pattern, not quite asleep yet. Other ponies at the fire avoided eye contact and at best exchanged half-whispered comments between themselves, apparently uninterested in fraternizing with their chance company. One such remark, delivered a little louder and concerning the dreams they would likely be experiencing tonight caused Cirrus to stir and sit up, blushing a little as she realized how close to Silver Heart she had lain down, but not backing away as she rubbed groggily at her eyes.

OOC: Credit where it's due & a word of commentary @@SilverHeart, @@Once In A Blue Moon, @@Colenso Rivers, @@AzureNightLight, The path leading to the front door was perfectly familiar, having been practiced on numerous occasions. Everything else about the march out - occurring possibly for the last time - was utterly alien. At every turn, a detail would catch a Cadet’s eye, having gone ignored for years on end and suddenly making them realize there was so much more that could have been learnt and done in this place. The empty, echoing corridors almost made it seem as though they were leaving a ghost town behind - no one was there to see them off, to acknowledge their bravery in undertaking a mission of worldwide consequence. For whatever reason, it seemed their departure would be mostly kept secret. Just as their breakfast had been, even the traveling rations prepared for them had just waited to be picked up in their dormitories, without anypony handing them out or offering any explanations. The One Way Door looked particularly ominous despite the merry rays of sunlight streaming in through it. There, the only two witnesses of the Cadet’s egress stood: on the right, general Hardy, and on the left, colonel Twine, the unicorn leaning on his famed weapon and visibly restraining himself from looking at the passing young officers. His distress was as apparent as the general’s light-heartedness, creating a mix that would make anypony wonder if this weren’t the actual reason for the naming of this portal, that it was like a death row to the world outside Pony Valley. Up front, the academy’s highest ranking officer turned out to actually be of quite an intimidating posture, standing easily as tall as Jade Facet despite not having his bulk. Both of the supervising officers were fully armored as well by now - which meant much more in the case of the colonel, who sported a chainmail over almost full-body, thick leather armor, while the general merely added matching bracers for her hind legs and a light-looking body armor composed of leather reinforced with scales made from the same dark alloy that constituted her unmistakeable breastplate. As the officers began to filter out of the building, their stress not lessened in the slightest by the process of assembling into even rows with practiced ease in front of it, yet another surprise greeted them, this time in the form of a song catching their ears. At the beginning, the melodic voice was rather quiet, getting lost under the creaking, clanking and stomping that thirty armored ponies inadvertently had to cause. It also seemed to come from afar, making it hard to locate the source of the music. This is gospel for the fallen ones Locked away in permanent slumber Assembling their philosophies From pieces of broken memories For the next part, the singer’s voice raised in volume, and now all eyes turned towards the same rocky outcrop on which Carto and her comrades had had their stargazing session only a few hours earlier. Perched atop it was Star, her long, straight hair blowing in the wind from the south as she stared intently in just that direction. In the light of day, two brighter streaks were clearly visible amidst the near-black purple of her mane and tail. Their gnashing teeth and criminal tongues Conspire against the odds Anger was audible in every syllable, and it appeared almost as if the unicorn could see whomever the words were directed at in the immeasurable distance. She herself was positioned a good hundred meters away and had nothing but morning sky behind her, but something seemed off about her… the fact that she was looking… right. Tall and slender, but proportional, even though her horn still seemed way too long. “But they haven't seen the best of us yet,” she said softly, and yet the words didn’t escape any ears as she directed a warm, almost motherlike smile towards the gathered ponies. It was then that it registered for most of them: the mare was huge, easily twice the height of any normal pony, immediately bringing to mind the descriptions of Equestria’s Royal Sisters. As if to validate the connection further, she suddenly spread a pair of dark, majestic wings, catching wind in them and bursting right back into her song, now directed straight at the sky above her. You most love me, you let me go Their words are knives and often leave scars The constant fear of falling apart Truth be told, I never was yours You gave me fear of falling apart Towards the end, the tone of the song became increasingly more bitter, until the mare hung her head and became silent for a moment, her wings dropping lifelessly at her sides, partly obscuring a cutie mark of what seemed like a fractured, six-pointed white star, surrounded by several broken pieces of itself being hurled away from it by a fiery explosion. It seemed that she was done singing, but then a quiet follow-up could be heard. Sadness permeated the initial verses, but it turned into resolve as the song went on and the mare lifted her head back up and straightened herself, regaining the air of nobility about herself. This is gospel for me, the vagabond Ne'er-do-well, an insufferable bastard Confessing my apostasies You led me away, you imperfect impostors With that, she jumped off the cliff and glided easily down to where the soldiers were by now without exception gaping at her performance. The last words seemed to be directed at the Cadets as much as towards whatever part of the world Star gazed towards earlier. Don't try to sleep through the end of the world And bury me alive 'Cause I won't give up without a fight “All ready?” she asked over the heads of the young officers. No answer came, but general Hardy’s voice rose in a sharp command after only a brief pause. “Attention! Triple file, senior units up front, after my lead! Colonel Twine brings up the rear! Hup two three four!” Next three hours featured nothing out of the ordinary. They assumed a marching tempo that wasn’t too taxing for the ponies used to daily physical exhaustion but still meant they covered a lot of ground with the steady pace. Nothing could be heard beyond the noises associated with the march, as all officers refrained from conversation both to spare their breathing and avoid unnecessary attention. The two high ranking officers’ presence probably wouldn’t have been enough to achieve this result, but the fact that they could sometimes see Star a little to the side, sometimes slightly ahead, sometimes not at all, moving almost deliberately out of sync with their formation was more unnerving. At one point, the group arrived to a mountain pass many of the Cadets recognized as one of the furthest locations in this direction their training sessions would take them. There was a steep incline towards their left that led a little ways back towards the academy, but climbed onto mountains far higher than the one their alma mater was located upon. To the right, the road wound almost squarely backwards and a little downwards, allowing an alternative, difficult approach towards Pony Valley or a path that could theoretically be taken all the way around the peaks surrounding it. This time, however, there was a third way as well, opening right in front of their eyes, so obviously and naturally fitting the landscape that nopony could imagine any possible explanation for why they would have never noticed it before. The road ahead sloped downwards for the moment, and although the mountains still stretched far, far away, some flatland beyond could also be seen. Without stopping, the general led them onwards in that very direction, and only choice few officers have proven to possess enough split attention to notice two gray crystals partly hidden within rocky crevices on both sides of the pass they just cleared. The journey lasted several hours more, and although they kept almost unchanged direction, the end of the mountain range seemed to stay as far away from them as it had been previously. As they walked, luminescent points could sometimes be glimpsed somewhere in the distance near their path’s sides, but they quickly faded away and couldn’t be spotted again. The sun was far past its peak before they were allowed to stop, and even then it was only for a brief repast and consumption of some fresh rations they had been supplied with. Afterwards, the march resumed and lasted well beyond the time at which the sun disappeared behind the tall peaks the ponies had by now left behind them. Looking back, it seemed they had come from almost impossibly high up, but the altitude didn’t seem to be much lower where they were by now having some difficulty keeping up the pace, unchanged by the general since the very beginning of the day. Only when the darkness became prevalent enough that the Cadets began to stumble now and then on rocks that were slowly blending into the background did the general rise her voice - and how wonderful the sound of words sounded after a day of mute exertion! - ordering the troops to spread around, gather wood and set up three bonfires. Lifting their heads from the road underhoof they had been carefully studying for the last hour or so to avoid misstepping, the Cadets saw that they have indeed come to a little flat plane, opening on the eastern side to a cliff and a view of the road they would undoubtedly continue to follow tomorrow. It was rich with grasses and on one side faded into a forest that in the darkness stretched to some unknown distance. As they were taking it all in, the second part of Hardy’s instructions came, surprising them more than a little: rather than automatically form into units around the separate fires, the Cadets were to spread amongst them according to the rank they had marched in, forcing a mingling of the differently aged officers during this period of evening relaxation.

Awesome. I love everything about it, from the quality of the night sky to the fresh style of mixing fine details with almost blurry city landscape. There is so much to see there, too, speaking to a ton of thought having been given to it, like the mechanical bird thingy on the left, the Star Wars style probe on the right, the glow on Pinkie Pie-turned-unicorn's face from her device (piePhone 6, I'd wager). The entire piece agreeing in coloration with Twilight to the tee only makes it so much more enjoyable. It's also very pleasing to see it's not all pure technology, and there are still flesh-only ponies to be seen or architecture based around crystals squeezed in amongst the skyscrapers. If I were to expect more from this (who would I be to do so, I'm not sure), these foreground buildings' outlines look out of place and out of proportion, especially since some of the antennae are layered beneath the bridge centerpiece. It could also be a cool effect if the glass panes incorporated into the bridge's rails where even slightly transparent, letting through at least something of the silhouettes of the ponies standing behind them. All that are really minor details though in an otherwise astonishing picture. Thanks for sharing!

Minx and Reverie where the first to vacate the premises, marching out head in head and paying nopony any heed on the way, as though unable to notice them at all, even as the female's name was hissed loudly by Jade Facet as the unicorns were passing him. "So what, we're just up and leaving everything like that?" an incredulous question was voiced by a unicorn stallion of the middle unit, making more than a few heads turn from the sight of the two unnaturally behaving unicorns and back towards Star. Or, more accurately, towards the now empty podium, where only a lone transparent crystal indicated anything had happened at all. Beside Silver Heart, Cirrus Streak trembled a little but stood up resolutely nonetheless. She was blanched no longer, although the look on her face was far from gleeful as she turned towards her companions. "Are you okay?" asked Midnight, noticing the unexpected change in the mare's demeanor, getting a single mirthless laugh from her in response. "I'm scared a lot," she admitted quietly, closing her eyes for a moment. "But this... this is what we've been trained for. This is a fear of something natural, of the uncertainty of tomorrow, not... you know," she finished lamely, blushing at the memory of her morning display of weakness. "Yeah, we can do this!" agreed Gal energetically, jumping out of her seat and flying over the others to land beside Cirrus. "Better get a move on, then, juniors," the unwelcome, but not entirely unexpected intrusion came from Jade Facet himself, as the towering earth pony paused on his way out near their unit, "or Star might actually really eat you alive, ha!" With that, he resumed his egress along the remaining officers of his unit, perhaps aware of just how little edge there was left in his attitude currently.

It only occurred to me yesterday how many champions have a bluish and reddish skin available. Like, with large enough investment of RP and team coordination, the entire blue team could appear blue in-game and vice versa. I would so much like to see something of the sort executed.

@@Once In A Blue Moon, @@SilverHeart, @@Colenso Rivers, Upon hearing about being trusted by the officers, Star's features contorted into a wicked smile and her eyes lit with amusement, but she allowed Colenso to finish before saying anything. "A valid question, Colenso Void," she said, putting a lot of stress onto the unicorn's name. "Let me answer with a rhetorical question of my own: would you rather sacrifice half of a world's population or allow it to be destroyed entirely and thus throw away all the more lives?" She closed her eyes and bowed her head, sighing heavily. "Therefore, if it comes to that, I will not hesitate to throw you away like pawns. If you threaten the mission in any way, I will not think twice about doing away with you myself," her tone remained flat and a calm smile lingered on her face as she announced that. "If there was any possibility of having done so, I would have discarded myself a hundred times and saved all of you from even knowing about the danger. But as the example of Celestia's rule has proven, that is a sure way to ruin. That is why this academy has been established and why you have been put through the years of training, sometimes even against your wills," here she knowingly met eyes with Silver. "You do not have to like me; I do not expect that. Most of the time you won't even have to deal with me. But, sadly, I'm the only hope this world has left. And it deserves so much better..." Cirrus was sitting still and hardly even breathing, pale and visibly dreading the real Star more than anypony ever has the wild tales being told about her. She wasn't alone in this, however, as more than half of the gathered officers shared the symptoms. Given what they were being told, it was far from surprising. Once the medical mare asked her question, Star threw her head back and laughed manically. "What is out there? Ask us rather what isn't," she responded joyfully. "It's a wide, wide world after all... Grab a copy of Gilded Mantle's bestiary and you'll get a pretty exhaustive list... Yes, it's all true. From the tiny parasprite to the mighty dragon, our world is chock-full of danger and we're throwing ourselves bodily at whatever should dare stand in our way, even if eventually our aim is to save the lives of those foolish creatures alongside our own. Well, most of our own. Also, I don't dare presume there hasn't been more mutation going on in the far reaches of the world, so we won't have to pretend being surprised when a party of new challengers appears. Next?" she asked, returning to the state of peace and closing her eyes. "You didn't answer about the gate-builders," prodded a pegasus stallion from the middle unit, eliciting a disquieted look from the misshapen mare for the first time. "I don't have a name for them," she admitted, "if they even have one. I have no idea what they look like or what they're capable of. And I don't even want to know, since that would require them actually entering the world, which is precisely what we want to prevent. Anything else?" She let the question hang in the air for a long while before nodding. "Very well. Go grab your gear, everypony, and assemble at the main entrance to the academy whenever you're ready," despite the almost gentle tone, this was very clearly an order.

@@Once In A Blue Moon,@@SilverHeart, @@Colenso Rivers, "And will we ever return," muttered Rabble Buster just as Star began to answer. "Our first destination lies not far away to the north," she said, turning her piercing gaze towards Cat. And piercing indeed it was - as soon as the sickly green iris and its pupil aligned on the earth pony, she felt as though she were picked apart, analyzed and quickly put back together. Even though the feeling was purely mental, a very physical tremble ran through her body. "I expect the journey there and back to take less than a week total. What you will face... changelings mostly. Have we taught you about changelings?" she mused, the green eye impossibly rolling into her head. "You may have heard - or read - about the invasion of Canterlot. Ah, whatever," again, only the very tip of her horn lit up and immediately, in place of the crystal a very realistic illusion of a most unusual creature appeared. It looked very much like a pony cross-bred with a dragonfly, dark gray coat paired with a short, blade-like horn and delicate, transparent wings. Its legs towards the ends were full of holes, prompting a question of how they managed to support the weight of its body and not snap into pieces. Its pupilless blue-green eyes narrowed as the changeling looked around itself in confusion, then winced as Star explained, "These creatures are without a doubt a sub-species of pony, and pose a few very interesting questions about genetics, but sadly we don't have time to make this into a biology lecture. As a consequence, expect the same type of magic resistance from them as you would from any actual pony," the illusionary changeling hissed audibly at that, but Star paid him no heed. "The creatures are rather primitive, aside from using the same language as us they have little in common with civilized ponies. Living in hives, they utilize few weapons if any, and their only worthwhile ability is shapeshifting," the changeling stood up straight in a display of pride, "although bastardized to the point of being little more than an illusion," added Star, making the changeling deflate and sigh. "Go on," the mare said, not turning away from her audience. The changeling mimed talking back, but then flicked his horn and in a poof of greenish smoke transformed into a perfect copy of Reverie, the teal unicorn looking grumpy at the lack of recognition from his creator. "As far as we know, that is the extent of their magic capabilities. Next question?" she asked, the light around her horn increasing slightly for a while as the illusion of Reverie disappeared with a loud crunch and a splutter of green goo that dissipated right before landing on the podium floor. "When do we leave?" Jade Facet's voice, cocky as usual, contained more than a hint of eagerness. When Star's weird eye zeroed in on him, he winced, but kept his gaze on the mare. "I'll answer a few more questions, if there are any," she replied, "then you'll have a few minutes to go get your gear. Do not," she added, suddenly turning her gaze towards Cirrus Streak, "even think of deserting or attempting communication with any of your younger colleagues."

@@Once In A Blue Moon,@@SilverHeart, @@Colenso Rivers, “What you are about to be taught is usually reserved to those who have nearly completed the entirety of their training in the Officers’ School and have been unanimously deemed ready by the committee,” the clear, calm voice carried easily around the room, cutting all conversations short. The speaker was easy to identify as the misshaped mare, who still stood as straight as she had when everypony entered the room and hadn't yet deemed to open her eyes. The overall effect was all the more creepy because she naturally moved her head around while speaking, as though she were surveying those gathered through the tightly shut eyelids. Her peaceful expression faded slightly as she continued, “The circumstances are dire, however. If there was ever any time to lose, it’s now expired. Without further ado, then…” she sighed as the very tip of her grotesquely long horn lit up, and slowly, a single transparent crystal jutted from the center of the podium next to her. “It is my understanding that all present are familiar with the events that took place at exactly a thousand years after Princess Luna’s banishment to the moon,” stated the teacher. There was no hint of emotion behind her words. “A heavy burden was lifted from Princess Celestia’s heart as a result of that and the fact that there were new bearers of the Elements of Harmony, taking over guardianship over the peace of her domain.” The aura around the unicorn’s horn increased a little as a single thin beam of light traveled from it to the crystal, around which a vibrant illusion came to life, a miniature of a vast, beautiful land rich with verdant grasses, lush forests, pristine mountains and numerous other picturesque features. “That’s the state of knowledge you have been left with. Allow me to skip a few months ahead; detailed study of the intermediate period, important to your insight though it may be, is not a part of today’s talk.” The image stayed in place as the mare want silent for a moment. “Not all of you may be familiar with the concept of the Crystal Empire,” she picked up after the momentary pause, again drawing her close-eyed gaze over the listeners. “Long story short, there were complicated, long-term implications of its allegiance. As the time to secure it came close, Princess Celestia’s choice was quite obvious: the six heroines were tasked with the quest, armed with the most potent tool ever to be known to ponykind and led by the holy light of her blessing. The bearers of the Elements of Harmony, confident of their imminent triumph, embarked upon the journey willingly. All pointed towards another long era of equestrian paradise.” Another long pause, as the speaker lowered her head for the first time since the students came into the class. The illusion of Equestria dimmed slightly as all eyes were focused intently on the lecturer. “And then everything went to fucking hell!” the mare suddenly snapped, the beam of light shining onto the crystal flaring with violent purple, illuminating her features with ghostly light for a second… and the image around the crystal once more became vivid, but the view soothed the soul no longer. In place of all the brilliant colors, grey and black ruled, heavy storm clouds replaced the fluffy white ones. Minute cities that could be seen throughout the land were now nothing but flickering flames and columns of smoke. “You are all here…” her voice faltered, a tear sliding silently down her cheek from under a closed eyelid, “every single one of you is here… because mighty Princess Celestia was in fact an arrogant, self-centered poser who failed to look at her own decisions from a perspective. Everything you have - and WILL - endure, is a price we’re paying for her errors. Centuries have passed, but the downwards plunge of our world continues. And now we must all take action to stop it, or there will be nothing left to save. No one to save it. Unless action is taken, within a few months life as we know it will become irrevocably eradicated.” A long while passed as everypony stared in stunned silence at the speaker before them. “The threat we’re facing,” the mare eventually picked up, her voice once more devoid of emotion, “is an invasion of otherworldly, unnamable beings that desire nothing but to wipe out ponykind and take its place. Why they haven’t made their move yet is unsure, but they are going to act soon, and we have to act sooner,” despite being closed, the speaker’s eyes seemed to be drilling into the very hearts of those she turned towards. “It is my belief that there exist a total of three gateways, spread around the world, linking our realities together. These need to be destroyed at any cost. To make matters more interesting,” she added with a bitter smile, “by my deduction their destruction must occur in a window of time no larger than an hour, or the results might be more cataclysmic still than those of inaction. A task made all the harder by the fact they’re likely all heavily guarded.” The mare sighed, dropping her head sadly, then looked back up with a pained but determined expression… and slowly opened her eyes. The right one appeared pretty normal, its color amethyst, glowing almost unnoticeably in the semi-darkness of the hall. The left one, however, looked so alien that the previously observed lack of proportion in her body parts faded to a distant background. The iris was a toxic shade of green, exuding a sickly-looking glow. The pupil was just as shocking, huge and apparently shifting around as the mare refocused her vision, while the iris stayed in place. It all became a welcome distraction, however, as the mare’s final words fell in the stupefied silence. “And there is only one pony capable of destroying any of these gates.” Her face suddenly contorted into a mad smile as she tilted her head to the side. “Hello. My name is Star and I shall be your guide on a tour of kicking the world back into place. Any questions?” she added, the borderline-insane look lingering on her face.

Did you really include that coop vs ai game?