private A Temporal Odyssey

[Steel Accord 6,660]

@@Steel Accord

 

"You really think there might be something I could use to be helpful?" Chronos asked, smiling a little. "Maybe you could help me find my use to everypony when we go back to the ship? It might be a bit less hectic when we get back." IF we get back.... He thought to himself worriedly...

 

"Sure!" Steel patted Chronos on the back, friendly/roughly like. Forgetting his strength for a moment, but he meant no harm to Chronos. As he laughed at the opportunity to help a new friend overcome an anxiety.

 

"First things first, though," he drew one sword, "let's find this sneaky coward, onward!" He reared up for a moment in a heroic pose before swinging away at the foliage like he was Daring Do.

[Inactive01 5,299]

@lincolnshirepony

 

"Trombone sounds... Hmmm..." Sterling pondered more and more... The instruments came back to life once they turned the spell back on, and it was those dreaded trombones that Sterling kept hearing, as if they were moving either in eighth note paces or in single quarter notes like they were walking... Could that be their friends...? 

 

Sterling however could also hear other sounds... he could tear a xylophone clicking on single notes, lots of string flurries playing scales, and even a timpani.... Those instruments kept on resounding as Sterling continued to trot...

 

"Blue Note... I hear other sounds too... and they sound very rhythmic too... it's like they're moving in hoofsteps... I hear it towards the West... let's go that way." Sterling pointed his hoof towards his right... perhaps they would be one hoof closer to their friends after this revelation...

[lincolnshirepony 527]

@Sterling Crimson

 

"They might be moving sections," she said. She didn't stop trotting, just changed her course to follow where Sterling was pointing. She wished she had a map of the island, so she could know exactly where it segmented. She also was beginning to feel weaker. She could still hold the spell up, but she knew finding the group soon would be best. She could not continue this indefinitely. 

[Wayzer 1,418]

"Sure!" Steel patted Chronos on the back, friendly/roughly like. Forgetting his strength for a moment, but he meant no harm to Chronos. As he laughed at the opportunity to help a new friend overcome an anxiety.

 

"First things first, though," he drew one sword, "let's find this sneaky coward, onward!" He reared up for a moment in a heroic pose before swinging away at the foliage like he was Daring Do.

And right out of that foliage making absolutely no sound at all came NightStrike. He had his cowl pulled up over his head so his face was in the shadows. He silently stood there taking in all the ponies in the group and the way they would fight, if they would fight at all that is.

 

He softly spoke to them though his could be heard clearly all over the clearing. "So these are the mayors minions ey? So tell me... how much did he pay you to save his own skin." He couldn't help but to speak with a tone of repulsion as he said that. "The things ponies do nowadays.. betraying their own kin..."

[Umbral Noir 1,556]

@@Wayzer

@@Steel Accord

@@Pripyat Pony

@

@@Zhooves

 

Seeing the shadowy figure emerge from the foliage, Chronos backed slowly away from the rest of the group. Even though Red had given him a knife, he knew he would have no skill in using it.

 

DJ on the other hand stepped up in front of Vinyl. "Keep back," he whispered to her. "I don't want you getting hurt."

 

Nodding slowly, she whispered back, "Just be careful DJ... Please..."

 

Smiling briefly at her, he then turned to look at the assassin, a solemn, determined expression on his face. Betraying our own kin? DJ thought. HE'S the one doing the betraying! "He didn't pay us," DJ answer the pony. "We volunteered." Taking a step towards him, DJ glared at the enemy. "We'll take you back to the village an the mayor or die trying. And I don't plan on dying anytime soon..."

Edited July 11, 2014 by DJ-BRONI3

[Wayzer 1,418]

NightStrike shook his head in disbelief and lowered his cowl staring at them with an almost saddened expression. "You volunteered!? How can you be so sick to help that... thing..." He flashed his teeth at them.

 

He didn't draw any weapons yet he could draw them within a split second anyway. He was actually curious how they could have been so corrupted to volunteer for him but he mentally prepared for the fight at hand.

[Pripyat Pony 2,608]

@@Wayzer, Clover stepped forward. "Perhaps, rather than fight, you'd like to explain yourself," she said. "You see, we're strangers here. We'd quite like to know just why you're trying to kill the mayor... and why, instead of engaging him in a fair fight, which would be the honourable thing to do, you choose to sneak around in an underhand way. I for one would quite like to hear what you have to say for yourself."

[Umbral Noir 1,556]

@@Wayzer

 

"SICK!?!" DJ cried, furious. "WE'RE sick? We promised to protect the mayor, and that's exactly what we intend to do! We'll defend him no matter what you try to do to him!" Whatever this pony was planning, DJ intended to stop him, whatever the cost! He couldn't understand why this mysterious pony thought they were sick, when he was the one killing innocents!

[Inactive01 5,299]

@lincolnshirepony

 

Sterling was beginning to ponder whether Blue Note was just wandering around aimlessly in search of her friends... It was becoming more and more difficult to find them, and the sounds just kept on jumping around and becoming more and more hazy. He could still hear the cacophony of rhythmic tones he heard a moment ago, but they were becoming fainter and fainter... 

 

"Blue Note... let's try going this way..." Sterling pointed to where he thought the sounds would be stronger... hopefully Blue Note wasn't walking any further away in the wrong direction...

[lincolnshirepony 527]

@Sterling Crimson

 

"I was just going the way you were pointing," Blue Note said, raising her eyebrows. "Maybe they're stopped for some reason." She slowed down and tried to listen to the jungle. She was noticeably more fatigued than when she had started out. "I hope we find them soon. This spell is really draining me." There was a faint brassy sound in the distance. "Follow that?" she panted. 

[Steel Accord 6,660]

@@Wayzer,

 

Steel at last gazed upon the figure that has taken a prominent place in his mind's eye.

 

"Even if the mayor is not who he claims he is, like most politicians, your methods for ending his rule are deplorable! Has every guard you killed been a willing accessory to the mayor's supposed crimes?" Steel raised his sword, not in a manner of physical attack but accusation. "If your cause is so noble, why do you hide in shadow? Subterfuge, sabotage, assassination; the methods of the insidious. You don't dare reveal yourself to Celestia's Holy Light because then your own evils would be revealed!" Steel was not just making a defense for himself and his friends, but an inditement on Nightstrike's entire profession and modus operandi.

Edited July 12, 2014 by Steel Accord

[Inactive01 5,299]

@lincolnshirepony

 

Sterling jumped slightly when Blue Note raised her eyebrows at him and his suggestion. He didn't mean to be nagging to Blue Note... he was just worried that were going in the wrong direction. He could see that Blue Note was getting tired... He wanted to help, but he wasn't sure his magic was working at all... He replied to Blue Note with a worried look,

 

"Blue Note... is... is my magic helping...? Sterling then began to use his magic in an effort to alleviate Blue Note's struggles, hoping that it would also help them inch closer to their friends.

[lincolnshirepony 527]

@Sterling Crimson

 

"Yeah," Blue Note said, still panting. The sounds intensified slightly. "I can hear the instruments better now. I still don't think they're moving very much. We should hurry; I don't know how much longer I can keep up the spell." The physical effort of traveling through the jungle, combined with the mental effort of performing the spell was taking its toll on her. As she moved forward, she levitated on of her water bottles out of the bag and took a few big sips. 

[Inactive01 5,299]

@lincolnshirepony

 

Sterling intensified his magic, trying his best to alleviate the workload from Blue Note... As a consequence, Sterling couldn't hear the sounds as well, because he was too focused using his magic to help Blue Note... the green trees and bushes whacked Sterling's head continuously, but Sterling wasn't the type to lose his concentration that easily if he wanted to help a fellow pony... even if she was still suspicious in his sights.

 

"Blue Note... are the sounds louder now...?" Sterling spoke with a grunt as he continued to intensify his magic, hoping it would help Blue Note...

[lincolnshirepony 527]

@Sterling Crimson

 

The trombones had returned. "Yeah, I think we're getting closer." She continued moving forward, as quickly as she could. She was tired, but the thought of not being stranded in this Celestia-forsaken jungle gave her a boost of energy. She focused on holding the spell. "I'm going to change the spell so we make sound too. That way they'll know we're coming. Any objections?" she asked. She wanted his input to make sure that there were not any glaring flaws in her idea.

[Zhooves 843]

@@lincolnshirepony,@@Wayzer, @

 

While the others had been talking as they reached the clearing, the light had led North to blindly walk out into the clearing. Midnatt soon noticed, and quickly followed him and led him to the shade at the edge of the clearing, not too far from the others. As they moved towards them while hidden in among the trees around the clearing, North stopped them, as he noticed a hooded figure not too far ahead of them, seeming to speak to the others from a dark spot. North motioned to Midnatt to both stop, stay low and keep quiet. As far as they knew, the hooded one had not seen them yet.

[Inactive01 5,299]

@lincolnshirepony

 

Sterling continued to light up his magic with his red horn, hoping to inch ever closer to the rest of their company... He continued  to place his focus on his magic, not uttering a single word since his last exchange with Blue Note. He needed to keep the magic intensity up so they could find their friends before the assassin got to them... He could hear the sounds getting louder and louder even as he was fully concentrated on keeping the magic afloat... He could feel the sweat beginning to accumulate on his mane, steadily dripping down on his face... but it didn't stop him from keeping his magic up... his friends... 

[lincolnshirepony 527]

@Sterling Crimson

@Zhooves

@Steel Accord

@Wayzer

@Pripyat Pony

 

Sterling had not said anything to protest, so Blue Note allowed the spell to affect the ground directly under them as well. Her hooves made sounds like horns as she trotted on. She noticed the noise was starting to get softer. She tried to keep her energy going towards the spell. "Just a little more." Soon, her steps changed into trombone sounds. "We must be close. They should be able to hear us soon."

[Umbral Noir 1,556]

@

@@lincolnshirepony

 

Suddenly, DJ heard a strange sound coming from behind them. He didn't want to look away from the enemy, but the sounds made him feel he had to. It sounded like there was a small orchestra walkin through the jungle! "What? That can't be right..." he muttered. "It must be some sort of magic... Could it be? There was only one pony h knew could be likely to do something like this.

 

"Sterling! Blue note!" he cried happily as he saw them coming out of the trees, strange orchestral music coming out of their hooves with eac step. He suddenly remembered the dange they were in and his smile faded. "Be careful! As you can see, we've found this assassin who's been terrorising that village. Just be careful of yourselves here!" He didn't want any of his crew to be her , and he hoped they could take his pony without too much trouble...

[Inactive01 5,299]

 

Sterling continued to wade through the jungle, feeling more and more tired as his magic continued to be used. He had never used this much magic in his whole life, and he could feel pain beginning to swell on his horn before he finally let go. Once he let go, he could hear a voice calling out for him and Blue Note... Blue Note's idea worked, even if it drained a lot of energy from them. 

 

Sterling, too tired from waving at his best friend DJ, simply collapsed onto the jungle floor...

[Umbral Noir 1,556]

@@Sterling Crimson

@@lincolnshirepony

 

Seeing his friend suddenly collapse, DJ rushed over to him. Anyway, if there was a fight, he knew Steel, Red and Clover could handle themselves until he had time to come back. Kneeling down, he tried to work out what was wrong. "He looks exhausted, but what I there's something wrong?" Then he remembered they had a doctor amongst the crew. "Quick! Where are you Sterling? Sterling is..." As the realisation dawned on him, he facehoofed. "Oh..."

 

Maybe if he stayed with him, he could help if Sterling regained consciousness? Looking up at Blue note, he asked. "What in Equestia happened to him? Were you attacked? And what was that strange music a minute ago?"

[Wayzer 1,418]

@@Steel Accord,@, @@Pripyat Pony,

 

"Because it's endlessly more effective.." He replied to Steel "One well placed knife in the right back can do more than a thousands swords saving the lives of thousands of ponies. He couldn't help but to flash his teeth in anger at their remarks about his ways

 

"So if it's not money what did he do then? Captured your family? Blackmailed you in another way? Maybe a good spot in their new empire after both princesses lay dead at their feet!!!" That last came out with more emotion than he intended to. He rarely lost his calm attitude but this was one of those moments.

 

He levitated his knifes spinning them in the air around him encircling him for if somepony would try to get too close. "How dare you call me a traitor while you render your services to them!"

[Steel Accord 6,660]

@@Wayzer,

 

Steel saw this gesture and while Nightstrike didn't appear to be gearing up this moment to attack, Steel drew his other sword. He lightly strafed in a semicircle so he was standing next to his friends rather than among them. Nightstrike's flimsy justification rolled out of his mind as quickly as it entered, he now entered the theta state as he regarded the marauder. Ready. Waiting.

Edited July 12, 2014 by Steel Accord

[Umbral Noir 1,556]

@@Wayzer

@@Steel Accord

@@Pripyat Pony

@@Sterling Crimson

@@lincolnshirepony

@

@@Zhooves

 

Hearing the sudden outburst, DJ realised the fight was about to begin. He turned to his marefriend. "You and Chronos should stay here and keep an eye on Sterling," he said. "Not only will you two be safe, but you can make sure Sterling is safe too then. I have to help Steel!" He then dashed off before Vinyl could even say anything in protest.

 

Seeing the two combatants circling one another, DJ stepped in close to where Steel was, taking a defensive stance. "No way am I letting this guy fight you one-on-one," DJ said with a grin. "I don't want a friend of mine being hurt by a pony like that. Besides, we have a job to do!"

[lincolnshirepony 527]

 

Blue Note was so relieved to see the group; she dropped the spell immediately. Sterling had fallen beside her, and she did not feel very steady on her hooves. She breathed loudly, in an effort to catch her breath. It took her a small eternity to be able to answer DJ's questions. "Tried to find you... Escaped a python... Cast a spell to hear you... Wanted you to know we were coming... So much running..." She hated speaking in fragments, but she couldn't quite catch her breathe. 

 

Seeing the pony menacingly levitating knives caused the first thing DJ said to register. "Assassin?" Her eyes widened, and she took a step back. She thought that they would be able to avoid him, but it looked like he wanted a confrontation. She tried to think of a spell to use, but the combination of exhaustion and panic prevents any ideas from forming. Her magic was weakened anyway. She wouldn't be able to do much without rest. Still, she took several steps towards the fight, remaining on the outside. If she had a few moments to gain her bearings, she may be able to pull off a helpful spell or two.