private A Temporal Odyssey

[Steel Accord 6,660]

@@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!"

 

"Not again." Steel could not help but roll his eyes. "All due respect Captain, back . . . off! This pony tries anything I have to act fast. I don't have total freedom of movement with you right next to me!" He raised his wing in a flapping then slashing movement, both times he tapped DJ lightly to illustrate his point.

[Zhooves 843]

@@Steel Accord,@@Wayzer,@

North and Midnatt stood there, listening to what the others and who they now were pretty sure were the assassin said, and did. They both looked around, thinking about something they could do to help - as far as they knew, the assassin had not noticed them... Yet.

 

Finding a small rock, North picked it up, and gave Midnatt a tap on the forehead with a wing, signalling to her to take a few steps back, before he as quietly as possible climbed up onto a branch, his light weight making it easy. As soon as he were up there, he hurled the stone towards the assassin - the throw was far from powerful, but the heigh gave it just the curve it needed...

[Pripyat Pony 2,608]

@@Wayzer, "I give you one chance to redeem yourself and justify your attacks," Clover replied. "And you won't even take that chance! You spout about bad deeds your proposed victim has done and give no evidence to back them up. I'm a reasonable mare. I like to give ponies a chance to explain themselves. However, you have given me nothing to justify not taking you down."

 

Clover spoke to the other two. @, @@Steel Accord, "Don't kill him. We don't want to make ourselves as bad as he is. Besides, perhaps he might be more willing to talk to us afterwards."

 

Clover planned to take the assassin down with a spell if it looked like DJ and Steel were in danger of being seriously hurt.

[Inactive01 5,299]

@lincolnshirepony

 

Sterling slowly opened his eyes after having fainted. It was such a tiring task to keep Blue Note's  magic alight and ensuring that they could find the rest of the group. He continued to lie down looking at the treetops and the blue sky that hovered over the land. If only he could lie down all day... He felt a lot of pain from his horn, and it was very difficult for him to get up given the pain throbbing there... 

 

"Owww..." Was all Sterling could say after he groggingly opened his eyes... How exactly did Blue Note last that long with the magic spell anyway?

[Steel Accord 6,660]

@@Pripyat Pony,

 

"I make no promises, Highness, but I shall do my best." One really doesn't have time to think and prioritize in the heat of the moment. When the blade is to his throat, Steel won't hesitate to defend himself. The tension in the clearing was becoming so palpable it was almost electric. 

[Umbral Noir 1,556]

@@Steel Accord

@@Pripyat Pony

@@Wayzer

 

"Oh... Oops!" DJ replied, a little embarrassed he was in the way. "I'll keep off to a different angle then..." He moved quickly to a better position where he could still help Steel face the assassin at the same distance, without being in the swordpony's way. Nodding to Clover, he grinned. "Don't worry! We'll make sure to leave him in one piece!" he said to her, never taking his eyes off their enemy

[lincolnshirepony 527]

@Sterling Crimson

 

"Be careful," Blue Note whispered. She slowly edged back to Sterling, who was just regaining consciousness. Her breathing had mostly evened out, thankfully. "The assassin is here." She didn't take her eyes off of him. She knew that much about being threatened. One movement of the knife and she could be dead if she didn't react. 

[Inactive01 5,299]

Sterling lifted his head when he heard Blue Note warn him about the assassin... He lifted it as slowly as he could, praying that his horn wouldn't hurt as much and being fully aware that the assassin was among them... What was he going to do at this state... He couldn't help anypony with medicine because he was feeling terrible... Was there any way he could some relief for his poor horn... Sterling tried without avail to straighten himself into a proper standing posture... his horn hurt too much before he thudded back down to the ground...

[Steel Accord 6,660]

@,

@@Pripyat Pony,

@@Zhooves,  

@@Wayzer, 

 

They had taken their positions. The Captain, The Princess, The Swordpony, and the assassin. Nopony seemed interested in talking anymore. Shamed as he was to admit it, Steel lived for this moment! The anticipation, the coiled muscles, the slight partitions of air vibrating along his edge.

 

All it would take is something as slight as a rock falling from the sky.

 

(OOC: . . . twitchy tail   )

[Commander Bubbles 1,343]

@@Sterling Crimson

@@Steel Accord

@@Pripyat Pony

@@lincolnshirepony

@@Wayzer

@@Zhooves

 

(Listening to this right now lol)

 

 

 

Red saw his comrades take their fighting stance as the assassin drew closer. Drawing his knife, Red slowly made his way to the adversary.

"Lay a single hoof on any of them, and I'll slash your throat right open," Red growled. However, he felt his hoof twitch as he held his knife in fighting position. Sure, he could CQC him into submission and interrogate him, but that would prove quite difficult. As he remembered, the best way to disable an evil unicorn was to not bother at all; it is a lost cause. In other words, he knew he had to kill him. He wished that he didn't have to take his life, but right now, he had no choice. His heart thrust blood throughout his veins, and time seemed to slow as Red focused on the target.

"Is that the way you want to go out?" He almost shouted, stepping further, ready to defend his friends.

Edited July 13, 2014 by ~Drunken Pelipper~

[Wayzer 1,418]

Years of training as a colt gave him incredible reflexes as he heard the rock thrown behind him. He grabbed it with his unicorn magic and turned around to face his attacker. NightStrike snorted, he was very small and wouldn't pose a threat for now. No way he's going to hurt him.

 

 

Turning back to the others he growled "nice ethics you have there blaming me for my ways yet not having the courage to attack me 1v1 2v1 3v1 no you need to go with the four of you against just me!"

 

He noticed one of them was an alicorn... "ooowh so that's it, the royal highness doesn't want to share equestria with the likes of Luna and Celestia. Rather rule supreme alone don't you? That's why you help them eh? It all makes sense now."

 

He comtinued in a softer tone "I swear in Luna's name you will pay for what you are planning to do... And even though I will probably die here and now I'll make sure you won't easily get away with treason."

 

He got into his battle stance, adrenaline roaring trough his body as he prepared to attack anypony who came too close.

[Zhooves 843]

@@Wayzer, 

Looking a little surprised as the assassin had stopped his rock, he froze in place, watching carefully in case the assassin would do anything in response. Listening to the assassin speaking now he seemed to realize something. He unfreezed, as he started to speak:

 

"Ye work for the princesses?" he begun, tilting his head. "Then I believe we might have a misunderstanding here... We too are doing the princesses' work... We were told to come here and meet someone, who again asked us to find and take you on... For the sake of the people here."

Edited July 13, 2014 by Zhooves

[Umbral Noir 1,556]

@@Wayzer

@@Zhooves

 

DJ nodded as North asked the assassin this question. For someone with such malicious intents, the pony seemed to think that Luna supported him in this. It angered DJ that the Princess' name was being used by the assassin to justify his actions. "I think you'll be the one paying..." DJ growled. "Disrespecting a Princess's by claiming your aims would be something she'd be PROUD of! I can't believe you can justify your actions so easily!"

 

DJ knew that the slightest movement from any of them could spark off the fight. Knowing he was unarmed, he thought it best to hide his time until somepony else made a move...

[Inactive01 5,299]

While the confrontation continued to intensify between the adventurers and the assassin, Sterling continued to shake his head, the pain throbbing harder and harder from his horn. Sterling tried to get up again from his slumber, but it was too difficult with the pain still throbbing on his head... If only somepony could give him something cool so he could place it on his horn... 

[Steel Accord 6,660]

@@Wayzer

@@Zhooves

 

DJ nodded as North asked the assassin this question. For someone with such malicious intents, the pony seemed to think that Luna supported him in this. It angered DJ that the Princess' name was being used by the assassin to justify his actions. "I think you'll be the one paying..." DJ growled. "Disrespecting a Princess's by claiming your aims would be something she'd be PROUD of! I can't believe you can justify your actions so easily!"

 

DJ knew that the slightest movement from any of them could spark off the fight. Knowing he was unarmed, he thought it best to hide his time until somepony else made a move...

"Not my fault my friends want to join in on the fun. If I had it my way, we'd both be facing-

 

Wait! North has a point. What reason does he have to lie to us?" Steel sheathed his weapons and relaxed his stance. "Who are you, stranger? Who was it that hired you and what for?"

Edited July 13, 2014 by Steel Accord

[Wayzer 1,418]

NightStrike was taken by the fact Steel sheathed his weapons. Was he playing tricks on him? Is he trying to let him get his guard down?

 

The group seemed awfully willing to talk for ponies who joined an in his eyes such an evil cause.... Then he nearly fell over when he realised something and smacked himself with his hoof in the face. "it all made sense now! Of course he must have fooled them all!" he thought.

 

"so this so called mayor..." He asked "what exactly did he ask you to do? Did he appear to you as a pony?"

[Umbral Noir 1,556]

NightStrike was taken by the fact Steel sheathed his weapons. Was he playing tricks on him? Is he trying to let him get his guard down?

The group seemed awfully willing to talk for ponies who joined an in his eyes such an evil cause.... Then he nearly fell over when he realised something and smacked himself with his hoof in the face. "it all made sense now! Of course he must have fooled them all!" he thought.

"so this so called mayor..." He asked "what exactly did he ask you to do? Did he appear to you as a pony?"

"As...a pony...?" DJ asked. Relaxing his own stance and adopting a confused expression. "Of course he appeared as a pony! He is a pony!" Was this another trick of the assassins? "He told us that you'd been trying to kill him, and that you were also terrorising the villagers! We came here to stop you from causing this havoc and bring you to justice to protect the village!"

[lincolnshirepony 527]

Blue Note joined the others in their confusion. The pieces of the puzzle were not fitting together. If they were both on the side of the princesses, a miscommunication must have occurred somewhere down the line. She and Sterling had missed being personally tasked to find the assassin by the mayor, only warned of his presence. She realized that she did not know anything of motives of the pony before her. It seemed that he was against the mayor, and believed the mayor to be against the princesses. Somepony had to be in the wrong somewhere.

[Wayzer 1,418]

"The only thing terrorizing those villagers are himself and his companions." NightStrike replied grimly. "You know, I was send there because the... eerm organization I work for found out a certain truth. The mayor of that village is not who you think he is, or at least not anymore... and some of the villagers aren't either.... eerrr how do I explain this..." He bit his lip

 

"Well let's just cut it to the chase, they're changelings all right. The mayor his guard and most of the villagers. They've been send there and gradually replaced some of the townsfolk feeding of their love. The ones they replaced... I don't know what happened to them. I fear they might have been killed. They would to replace loved ones, spreading from town to town like a disease. And when they would have been fed enough, they would all rise up at once and march to Canterlot... the consequences would have been disastrous. Now this mayor is not a normal changeling... he is like one of their higher military leaders a colonel of some sorts. They are especially good at camouflaging and extremely dangerous."

 

He looked at them one by one "Of course you think I'm lying now, I would be surprised if you wouldn't actually, but I ask you if I would have been lying give me one reason why I wouldn't have him" He pointed a hoof out at Chronos "Skewered to an arrow when I surprised you the first time. I'm not a pony who misses their shots accidentally."

[Steel Accord 6,660]

@@Wayzer,

 

Stepping between Chronos and Nightstrike, Steel spoke to the assassin.

 

"Then prepared to be surprised. I believe every word. You speak with conviction. If you did not feel your duty was a moral imperative, you would not have confronted us like this at all."

Edited July 14, 2014 by Steel Accord

[Umbral Noir 1,556]

@@Wayzer

@@Steel Accord

 

"So what you're saying is that a lot of the town are changelings?" DJ cried, shocked. "Those poor townsfolk. The ones that are still normal have no idea that their mayor and some of their loved ones aren't ponies at all..." The thought made him sick. He could see why this pony was trying to kill the changeling general then! "Well, I guess we had better change our deal with the mayor then... Maybe pay him a little visit! I'll not let him deceive the ponies anymore!"

 

Looking at Nightstrike in a new light, he have a small smile. "I guess for now we should at least work towards the same goals then! If we're working together though, we'll need your name!" He thought that it would be best to deal with this matter with another ally in town even if he had been trying to kill them before! If Steel believed him, DJ thought it was only right to believe him too!

[Wayzer 1,418]

He raised an eyebrow "S-so you two seriously believe me that easily?" She shoot his head in amazement.

 

He dug in the ground with his hoof, a plan already forming in his head "Well if you would happen to attack him we surely have to take care not to alert the whole town. Some of the changeling infiltrators could easily reveal themselves and take the ponies who thought they where their lovers as a hostage, allowing their officer to escape. Mmmhm if only there was a way we could find out who of them are changelings and who aren't we could take them out silently one by one..."

 

He looked up to the leaves above him "If only there was a question every villager knew the answer to except for the changelings..."

[Umbral Noir 1,556]

@@Wayzer

 

"Hmm..." DJ thought pensively. "That might be tricky, especially if he's had infiltrators in the village for several years. What we could maybe try is sneaking into he mayor's house and fighting him on his own? We'd only have his guards to deal with then, and the other changelings wouldn't be able to take hostages in time?"

[Wayzer 1,418]

NightStrike bit his lip "Well you see, that's exactly what I thought on my first attempt to remove him. Problem is that he guards himself extremely well, I've got to say, I'm quite good at getting somewhere unnoticed, it's my specialty but even I got caught by them and had to fight my way out. We could still try it of course, but it will be very risky."

 

He looked at DJ form out of the corner of his eye "The name's NightStrike by the way"

[Umbral Noir 1,556]

NightStrike bit his lip "Well you see, that's exactly what I thought on my first attempt to remove him. Problem is that he guards himself extremely well, I've got to say, I'm quite good at getting somewhere unnoticed, it's my specialty but even I got caught by them and had to fight my way out. We could still try it of course, but it will be very risky."

 

He looked at DJ form out of the corner of his eye "The name's NightStrike by the way"

DJ nodded understandingly. "I see..." Suddenly, he grinned. "But you were just one pony back then! Now we're alongside you, it'll be a lot harder to be captured! Sure, we'll get spotted more easily, but at least..." DJ's eyes lit up as an idea came to him. "Maybe we don't need to be unnoticed! In fact... I have an idea how we can just trot straight in the front door..."