open Bangcolt Arena! (Fighting/Sol) -RP-

[Fractured 2,683]

@J.R., @Unicorncob

"No, that's it." Twilight lifted up the disinterested Nightingale, cuffs and all, holding her above her head with telekinesis. "And thank you for your help. I never would have caught her without your help."

 

Twilight turned towards Starlight Glimmer. Out of the corner of her eye, she'd thought she'd caught the hint of something, but dismissed it, smiling anyway.

"And you, Starlight Glimmer. Thank you, for offering to be here." Twilight paused for a moment, mulling her idea over, then said it anyway.

 

"I need to take her down to the guards quarters. If you don't have anywhere better to be, would you walk with me?"

 

--------

 

@The Down Trotten

"That's a shame." Anette muttered softly. Suddenly, the front door to her quarter's exploded open, as if caught in hurricane. It swung softly back and forth on its hinges, but nothing could be seen inside. Except seconds later, when a single red and black puppet flew out through the front door in an arc, landing softly on the ground next to Anette. As Anette watched, it slowly twitched twice, got to its feet, and smiled at Bowie, revealing rows of sharply filed teeth.

 

--------

 

@The Down Trotten

"I hope so." Heart heavy with indecision, Terra took one last look at the forest. She'd be risking a lot; in a city of metal and cobblestone, the magic she'd been used to controlling would be severely weakened. But, as she looked at Rhetoric again, she once again told herself what she already knew; that she had no choice. Her only option lay within the concrete jungle that was Bangcolt. And she had to go.

 

She began to walk forward again, finally strafing the boundary between forest and field.

 

"Tell me something, Rhetoric. Do you find it strange that I want to live a mortal life?"

 

--------

 

@Star Saber

Fluttershy very nearly jumped out of her skin as she heard the stallion call her out. She sheepishly walked out from behind the building, a sack of pet food on her back and a large crow on her shoulder.

 

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to eavesdrop on you two. Well, I did, but I didn't. Um..." Fluttershy's whole body tightened up; she'd rather have been anywhere else but there at that moment.

 

"I'll just go now." Fluttershy turned around and slowly began to edge away, hoping to Celestia above that she hadn't gotten caught in something way above her head. Or that the strange stallion wouldn't call her back.

[Unicorncob 5,651]

"No, that's it." Twilight lifted up the disinterested Nightingale, cuffs and all, holding her above her head with telekinesis. "And thank you for your help. I never would have caught her without your help."

 

Twilight turned towards Starlight Glimmer. Out of the corner of her eye, she'd thought she'd caught the hint of something, but dismissed it, smiling anyway.

 

"And you, Starlight Glimmer. Thank you, for offering to be here." Twilight paused for a moment, mulling her idea over, then said it anyway.

 

"I need to take her down to the guards quarters. If you don't have anywhere better to be, would you walk with me?"

 

Starlight raised an eyebrow at Twilight's thanks. Honestly, she was not expecting to hear it.

 

Thanks for standing around? Well, whatever floats your boat.

 

She blinked at the thought of walking with the princess, then cursed internally that it was to the guards quarters, and transporting a supposed prisoner.

 

Ugh, of all places to go...soon, Starlight. Soon.

 

She gave a single nod, returning the smile. "I'd be delighted!"

[The Down Trotten 299]

 

 

"That's a shame." Anette muttered softly. Suddenly, the front door to her quarter's exploded open, as if caught in hurricane. It swung softly back and forth on its hinges, but nothing could be seen inside. Except seconds later, when a single red and black puppet flew out through the front door in an arc, landing softly on the ground next to Anette. As Anette watched, it slowly twitched twice, got to its feet, and smiled at Bowie, revealing rows of sharply filed teeth.

 

Bowie blinked and took a step back "So this is the fat lady... so to speak..." he blinked again and wasn't quite sure what to think "...That's what the caveat meant when they said watch out for dolls. And here I thought it was referring to your feminine charms."

 

He took another step back "So... you got more?"

 

 

 

"I hope so." Heart heavy with indecision, Terra took one last look at the forest. She'd be risking a lot; in a city of metal and cobblestone, the magic she'd been used to controlling would be severely weakened. But, as she looked at Rhetoric again, she once again told herself what she already knew; that she had no choice. Her only option lay within the concrete jungle that was Bangcolt. And she had to go.   She began to walk forward again, finally strafing the boundary between forest and field.   "Tell me something, Rhetoric. Do you find it strange that I want to live a mortal life?"

 

He laughed and laughed "Goodness no. I think you quite sane for wanting that Miss Terra. I can only image what it was like to watch things fade away...." his mirth died down "...I'm terribly sorry for your lose."
 

They had entered the city "I apologize, I can't possibly relate to what you've been through, but I can try" 

[J.R. 3,183]

@@Fractured, @@Unicorncob,

Ice looked at Twilight once more, and nodded, "No problem. Anything for the good of Equestria."

 

He looked over to the room Cadence was in, and looked back to Twilight, "Don't worry, Twilight, your SIL will get her magic back. She saved my life after a heated battle, and I plan to return the favor. You'll be hearing from me if I catch one glimpse of that thief, and I'll make sure I report it to Celly or Luna if I can't get to you."

 

He leaned against the wall, "If you want, I'll even check up on Cadence for you every so often while you handle your princess duties. I'm only offering because I know you're usually busy, so...ya know."

[P-Jay 1,987]

Yuki smiled at the two, "Thank you. Thank you both. I know for a fact whom he has fallen for. And I believe he'll be a pleasant match for Rarity," she said with a smile. "Oh, I have to go make some more sweets. Would you like to join me? You don't have to if you're too busy."

"i would love to--"

 

he was interrupted by yrel. "OF COURSE WE'LL GO! IV ALWAYS WANTED TO TRY BAKING!"

 

zenru blinked...and nodded with yrel. "we'll go."

 

Xiang watched closely as Violet sped toward him, aiming a right hoof for him. A basic start, but an effective one nonetheless.

He arched his head back, narrowly avoiding the blow but feeling the force of the wind on his tendrils, and spun on his right hoof to attempt delivering a roundhouse kick to the mare's back.

violet saw him evade, spinning in midair to catch the kick. she slid back a little, but that didnt stop her from yanking on the leg she caught, trying to pull him in close for a headbutt. 

[J.R. 3,183]

@@P-Jay,

Yuki smiled and giggled at Yrel's enthusiasm, "That's great! Follow me. I rented a nearby house for me to stay in while I'm in Bangcolt. I didn't cook there, but I'm excited to see what it's like."

 

She began walking through the town, and sighed with wonder, "Isn't the city just beautiful?"

[Fractured 2,683]

@The Down Trotten

As Bowie took a step back, the doll promptly took a step forward. It cackled once, a low toned garble that sounded like a combination of white noise and crushed glass in a dish disposal, then coughed up a small gale of black smoke onto the ground near Bowie's feet. When it was done, it looked up at him briefly, still grinning, before it launched itself from the ground towards his face, cackling horribly as it tried to wrap its hooves around him.

 

-------

 

@J.R., 

"Would you?" Twilight looked at him with gratitude, before balking suddenly as she realized what she said.

 

"It's not that I won't be visiting her! It's just, I think she needs somepony to, besides me. And while she's definitely going to get a lot of concerned fans once the news gets out, I think what she's really going to need while she's there is a friend. And for as long as i've known you, Ice Blizzard, you seem like a good friend."

 

Twilight smiled briefly, before turning back to Starlight Glimmer and nodding in confirmation.

 

"Let's go."

 

---------

 

Terra sighed openly again. They were now fully within the confines of the city, but even within a few miles of the forest, she felt exposed, and slightly less energetic. Like there was a piece of her missing.

 

"Despite wanting to get back my memories of before, there are always still things that I wish I could forget. But... imagine your life, playing slowly out over a record disk. It slowly spins, and you experience life. What it is to be alive. And you appreciate each moment, because you know, that at one point, that record will stop, and there will be no more music. Your life is through."

 

Terra blinked hard, and kept walking forward.

 

"Now imagine that that record never stopped spinning. That events continued to play and play, until the world around you became nothing more than a pattern. Mechanical. Lifeless. Meaningless. And eventually, the record starts to spin faster. Your years, decades, and centuries become minutes, hours, and seconds. You start to lose all grasp of who you truly are, or what any of it even meant in the beginning. Alive, but you've forgetten what it means to live."

 

Terra hadn't even realized that she had stopped walking. With another punctuated sigh, she continued to walk again.

"And still the record keeps spinning."

[Unicorncob 5,651]

 

violet saw him evade, spinning in midair to catch the kick. she slid back a little, but that didnt stop her from yanking on the leg she caught, trying to pull

him in close for a headbutt. 

 

Xiang blinked as his kick was caught by Violet, who tried pulling him in for a headbutt. Trying to think fast, he released his other hoof and tried to slide beneath the mare, and then use his leg power to throw her off or slam her down.

 

 

"Would you?" Twilight looked at him with gratitude, before balking suddenly as she realized what she said.

 

"It's not that I won't be visiting her! It's just, I think she needs somepony to, besides me. And while she's definitely going to get a lot of concerned fans once the news gets out, I think what she's really going to need while she's there is a friend. And for as long as i've known you, Ice Blizzard, you seem like a good friend."

 

Twilight smiled briefly, before turning back to Starlight Glimmer and nodding in confirmation.

 

"Let's go."

 

Starlight nodded and followed Twilight's lead toward the guards barracks. Behind her back, she was scowling and rolling her eyes, but put on the happy smile when her companion looked over her shoulder at her.

 

Just need to get her alone...

[Star Saber 114]

@@Fractured,

 

“But my dear, we’ve only just met.” Maverick’s grin widened as he fully turned towards Fluttershy and even though he did not show any open hostility to her there was a sinister undertone to the way he looked at her and the way he spoke.

 

“Are you really going to deny me the opportunity to make a new friend?” Maverick slowly approached her; only just a bit faster than she was walking away. He tilted his head, “Now, what’s your name? Something about you seems… familiar.”

[J.R. 3,183]

@@Tacoma,

Ice smiled proudly with the compliment, "I'll stay with her for a bit and make sure to get her some decent food too. Hospital food is...meh. See ya later."

 

He went into Cadence's hospital room, and sat at her bedside, "Cadence? You alright? I offered to stay with you for a bit and stuff while Twilight's taking care of things. She said you needed a friend, so I'm here. Is there anything you want? Are you hungry? If you're hungry, I'll get you something to eat. Hospital food is lackluster these days."

Edited December 11, 2015 by J.R.

[The Down Trotten 299]

 

 

As Bowie took a step back, the doll promptly took a step forward. It cackled once, a low toned garble that sounded like a combination of white noise and crushed glass in a dish disposal, then coughed up a small gale of black smoke onto the ground near Bowie's feet. When it was done, it looked up at him briefly, still grinning, before it launched itself from the ground towards his face, cackling horribly as it tried to wrap its hooves around him.

 

This....whatever it was was freaky. And to its credit he was stunned by its...sheer weirdness and it managed to sort of tackled him. Barking and growling Bowie, kicked it off and pulled out his knife "... What are you for, for only ages 300 and up?..." 

 

He shot a glance at Anette "I'd say call your toys off...but there's no hope for me is there?" he chuckled and prepared himself for whatever freak show was ahead of him 

 

And now ladies and gentlemen watch as our daring dog takes on a master of puppets. A mistress of strings! 

 

@@Fractured,

 

Rhetoric just nodded. "I'm...I'm sorry. This... this will help that. I promise" he kept thinking about what she had said and he wanted to cry, he was lonely enough as it was...but to live with that forever...

 

He shuddered "Terra, when you gain your morality...will you settle down again?" 

 

 

Axton chuckled, "Oh you changelings. You have a lot to learn about us. Anyway, I work when I find a soul that needs gathering. But when you seemed...downtrodden, I thought, 'Why not help.' Come on, I'll buy you a drink."\   He walked with her and they came upon a nearby bar, "Now, what seems to be the problem?" he said as he sat down in a chair at a table outside the bar.

 

"A drink?... Unless you have lust in a bottle. I do not drink. And why do you ponies have these bars anyway?  Do you really have that much time to sit around getting drunk, brawling and being utter idiots?"

 

She had to admit, at least bashing the pony culture that had cost her, her changelings was making her feel a bit better  

[Fractured 2,683]

@Unicorncob

Twilight walked towards the guard's quarters quickly, not wanting to waste any time. After a moment, however, she slowed down, keeping pace with Starlight Glimmer.

 

"Thanks for offering to come, again." Twilight suddenly paused in her speech, as if she were searching for the willpower to say something.

 

"Also, i'm glad you came back, because there's something... i'm sorry."

 

---------

 

@Star Saber

"Oh, i'm not really anypony important. I just take care of the animals here in Bangcolt..." The crow fluttered off her shoulders, cawing loudly once as it soared off into the sky. Fluttershy increased her pace; she had a bad feeling about this.

 

"I'm sorry; they're hungry, and I really must be getting back to them..."

 

--------

 

@The Down Trotten

Having been brushed off to the side, the red and black doll promptly twitched, then picked himself up off of the ground, grinning. It jumped forward again, but this time, it stopped a few feet from Bowie's face. It opened up its mouth, before belching out a solid blue jet of fire in his direction.

 

On the ground, Anette suddenly felt the knots on the bola slacken. They fell to her side, sliced to ribbons, as a brown doll stowed away one of his two swords, and nodded at her. Anette shot a look towards the red doll, fighting with the kidnapper.

 

"Go help him." The doll looked at her, nodded again, and turned towards Bowie, sizing up his competition.

 

-------

 

Princess Celestia slowly rolled out of bed, hooves unsteady on the soft carpet. As she stood up, she grimaced in the darkness of her room; some of her wounds hadn't fully healed yet. But that was soon to change. She walked towards the window, preparing to open it softly.

 

"Bonum Mane, Solis..."

 

--------

@The Down Trotten

"No. I buried my husband millenia ago, and my children centuries after that. And i'll never have either again." Terra continued to walk forward, but began slowing down once again.

 

"But if I could just feel time again... I don't know."

[J.R. 3,183]

 

 

"A drink?... Unless you have lust in a bottle. I do not drink. And why do you ponies have these bars anyway? Do you really have that much time to sit around getting drunk, brawling and being utter idiots?" She had to admit, at least bashing the pony culture that had cost her, her changelings was making her feel a bit better

 

Axton chuckled, and offered her a seat, "Not everypony around here drinks until their kidneys fail. Someone has to have some kind of self-control in order to maintain a healthy lifestyle. It's as simple as that. However, if you're looking for love, quite a few young couples come to this bar."

[The Down Trotten 299]

 

 

grinning. It jumped forward again, but this time, it stopped a few feet from Bowie's face. It opened up its mouth, before belching out a solid blue jet of fire in his direction.   On the ground, Anette suddenly felt the knots on the bola slacken. They fell to her side, sliced to ribbons, as a brown doll stowed away one of his two swords, and nodded at her. Anette shot a look towards the red doll, fighting with the kidnapper.   "Go help him." The doll looked at her, nodded again, and turned towards Bowie, sizing up his competition.

 

The Dogs eyes widened as he jumped aside from the flames

 

THE RING OF FIRE!  and the crowd cheers and awes as the dog barely avoids death! 

 

Back paws slightly singed he growled "I guess the fun and games is over huh?" he even saw Anette had been freed and his bola broken "Those aren't cheap you know!"  

 

he looked at the puppet in front of him...still weird as heck, and now this other one. With swords? "Some trick you got there, little lady..." 

 

Smart money told him he should just cut his loses and run now, even if he could restrain her he had all her....play things to deal with. But the bigger money was some how turning her in 

 

So sheathing his knife, Bowie threw a boomerang at the puppets and made a mad dash for the puppet master herself 

 

 

 

"No. I buried my husband millenia ago, and my children centuries after that. And i'll never have either again." Terra continued to walk forward, but began slowing down once again.   "But if I could just feel time again... I don't know."

 

Rhetoric frowned "... Look at it as a fresh slate. A whole new life, one that will have an end. but even still it'll only be sweet if you live it. Maybe not a family, but find something to do with your life..." he tried keeping her pace steady, he had no idea if anyone in the city would recognize her and he would prefer to avoid any conflict... 

 

"Where almost there, see that building, the Princesses are in there. Now before we go in. I need to know, do you trust me?" that question haunted him dearly...last time he asked that and some one said yes...they regretted it  

 

"I trust you, but do you trust me/ Either way it'll be important to know as we go into this together" he finished his little speech, and even if he finished strong, Trixie was still nagging at the back of his mind. 

[Unicorncob 5,651]

Twilight walked towards the guard's quarters quickly, not wanting to waste any time. After a moment, however, she slowed down, keeping pace with Starlight Glimmer.

 

"Thanks for offering to come, again." Twilight suddenly paused in her speech, as if she were searching for the willpower to say something.

 

"Also, i'm glad you came back, because there's something... i'm sorry."

 

Starlight raised an eyebrow as Twilight pulled ahead, but lowered it as she pulled back. At least she seemed to finally treat her with some form of respect.

 

She blinked as she noticed something; Twilight...apologised?

"Sorry?" She asked, wanting to be sure, "What for?"

 

You took your sweet time apologising. I have so many things I want to say to you, Princess.

[Not Yellow Diamond 925]

@@J.R.,

 

Cadence opened her bleary eyes slowly, half-dazed from pain-relief pills, fluids being pumped into her body, and the lenghty hospital stay. She tried to focus her vision, but she heard him before she saw him. He had clean voice, though his words were muddled--no fault to him--his voice was smooth. 

 

She adjusted her eyes until, finally, they identified the stallion. It was not anypony she had ever seen before. Perhaps they were on the hospital staff? No; they were not in uniform. She smiled nervously, hearing the last half of his miniature ramble about food. "Thank you, but I'll pass." 

 

The pony was familiar; she knew him or at least recognized him. It was slipping her mind, Colbalt? No. Jaguar Dungee? Too built, and not tall enough. She'd rather not call him something wrong and risk being rude, so she took the safe route. "I'm sorry, but who did you say you were? I think I know, but I'm not entirely sure. My memory must have been a little jarred from the accident." She grinned, lifting her hoof like a sloth and pretend tapping skull then dropping the pupil in her lazy eye to roll around in the base of her iris before giggling like a school filly.. 

[Star Saber 114]

@@Fractured,

 

“...Fair enough.” Maverick stopped and gave Fluttershy a seemingly sincere smile, that menacing feeling coming from him seemed to cease. “You must care about your animals very much…”

 

“You should be careful though.” Maverick turned away from her and began to walk off, “Bangcolt isn’t the kind of city for ponies like you. Fluttershy.”

 

Wait, she never told him her name...

-----

 

@@Fractured, @@Unicorncob,

 

As Fuse approached the hospital he was fortunate enough to spot Nightingale being carried off by, a Princess?! As if his luck wasn’t bad enough already. Fuse couldn’t help but think; ~Looks like our little friend is trouble enough to get a Princess escort joy for me...~

 

Fuse pulled his hood down and he began silently trailing the Princess and her Unicorn friend; Fuse didn’t recognize her but he doubted she was very important...

[J.R. 3,183]

@@Tacoma,

Ice laughed a bit as she conked her head. It was good to see she was in some sort of decent condidtion after having the ever living daylights sucked out of her. Ice then decided to introduce himself, "Yeah, um, I'm Icesius Blizzard of the Ice Clan of the Land of Ice, and the only member of the Clan that is an earth pony with ice powers. You don't have to intro yourself, I know you're Cadence. Anyway....."

 

He moved his chair a bit closer to get more comfortable and speak properly, "I'm the pony whose life you saved. Remember me? The pony in the ravine? I was the loopy one that just ran off without saying hello," he blushed slightly as he said that, being aware of his rudeness, "After you lost your magic, me, Twilight, Trixie, and Sunset Shimmer tried to hunt her down."

 

He turned to the side and made an ice sculpture of a pillar with a flat top, the ponies he just spoke of, and Terra, "We had found her, down in the forest. It was a blistering fight!" he said dramatically, which quickly turned sad as his ears drooped, "We almost had her, but she managed to get away...."

 

After a sigh, Ice looked up at her, "I wanted to catch her and get you your magic back ya know...as a way to repay you for saving my life. Don't worry, though, cuz we're still looking for her. Shining Armor and the guards are still combing the Whitetail Wood as we speak." He tried to form a smile so that Cadence wouldn't feel so bad, "Anyway...after me Twilight and the others had finished dealing with her, I offered to stay here and check up on you every so often. She said that she would need a good friend, especially since Celestia knows how many ponies will want your autograph or something while you're here. So, I decided to sit here with you, and see how you're doing....haha....yeah. I also was offering you something to eat because I know for a fact that losing magic takes a lot out of you, and you've been resting up for a while. Hospital food doesn't really supply you the energy you need, so I was offering to go get you something to eat."

 

He blushed again, "But...ya know....if you're not hungry, then that's ok. How are you feeling?"

Edited December 11, 2015 by J.R.

[Not Yellow Diamond 925]

@@J.R.,

 

Cadence ears grew and within in a minute's time she had a discord of thoughts and questions, starting with Shining Armor and going on from there. She chuckled, "Shining's gone? Looking for my magic?" She didn't believe it; her magic wasn't gone, what did he mean gone? "You must be pretty tired from watching me; my magic isn't gone." She smiled.

 

She thought about Shining Armor. Where was he? Maybe like 'Icesius' said, in the Whitetail Woods, but why? She needed him here; she wanted him here. So, why wasn't he?

 

---

At the base of the mountain was a valley made entirely of snow, and it would stay that way throughout Winter. The snowfall was much lighter than it was at the peak of the mountain. but it was still falling. 

 

She shivered, chills running through her body, numbing her Spine and shooting underneath her skin like a poison. She could handle the cold, but she'd been out there for days, and that was an understatement. Between the time she spent passed out, and dazed, she couldn't take an accurate guess. It didn't matter though, she didn't think about that. If she were a normal pony, she would have been dead nine time over, but she was anything but. 

 

She had two things on her mind--her pitbull of a stomach and Bangcolt--and she had a while to think about them. 

Edited December 11, 2015 by Tacoma

[Fractured 2,683]

@Unicorncob, @Star Saber

"Well, we destroyed your home, and trashed all of your stuff. But more than that..."

 

Twilight stepped a little closer to Starlight Glimmer, still walking slowly.

 

"I'm sorry none of us ever came back for you. After you ran off into the mountains, Your Town had a big celebration. We got swept up in the emotion, and forgot that there was somepony else beyond the Town. Someone who truly needed the help of a real friend.  You."

 

"Starlight Glimmer, you brainwashed ponies. You used fear and intimidation to get what you wanted from others, resorting to violence when you had no other option. You may have thought you were creating peace and harmony, but by removing everypony's cutie mark and taking away their individual talents, you were creating the opposite. A world ruled by fear, and mistrust."

 

They had just made it outside the entry to the guards quarters, an enormous building slightly smaller than the princesses, marked on the outside by flags bearing the royal mark of the two sisters. Twilight finally stopped outside its doors, turning to Starlight Glimmer.

"But, Starlight, I don't blame you. Because, I know that's not what you want, and I don't think anypony's taught you better. That you don't have to take cutie marks in order to bring ponies together, and you don't have to restrict special talents in order to keep others happy. There's a better way; its called being a friend. A true friend. And i'd be willing to show you. If you let me."

 

--------

 

@The Down Trotten

As Bowie charged towards Anette, several things happened almost instantly. With a clean cut, Hero sliced the boomerang in half from the center, shredding it in two. A burst of flame from Nightimare took care of the other one, rendering it into dust in seconds. And from the direction of the house, three arrows came whistling out, forming the formation of a triangle as they sailed directly over Anette's head, and towards the Diamond dog. The violet doll inside, seemed to be smirking, already pulling up her bow to nock another arrow.

 

--------

 

@The Down Trotten, @Unicorncob

Celestia concentrated, softly focusing on the magical connection to the sun. It seemed most ponies had forgotten the old ways, when it was unicorns that pulled the sun and the moon through the sky each day. It seemed to be such a token given that Celestia would raise it, literally as reliable as day itself, that nopony even thought to question how any more. Most just assumed that Celestia wrested it from the heavens, pulling it through the sky with pure magical force. 

 

Celestia focused on the magical connection, and having found it, intensified it. It was a myth. While it was true that she did move the sun using magic, she never forced it. Also unbeknowst to most ponies, she held no ownership of it; the sun was was not hers to claim. It was its own being, and theirs was a two way street, in which which she asked of the sun every morning, and every dusk, and the sun gave. She was not its master, but its friend. Or, as she would like to think, its daughter.

 

She finished finished tightening the connection, and instantly, she felt a familiar tingle run up her body as raw energy flooded her to her very horn. Her wounds disappeared in seconds, cuts re-sealing themselves and aches and pains soothing away instantly. This was the gift of the sun; magical ability beyond any mortal ponies belief, bestowed upon her through her special connection to it. For any other pony, the connection would be a draw, siphoning away their magical ability over time, but for Celestia, it was rejuvenation. More than that; it was a connection. To life itself.

 

Celestia concentrated, then slowly, began expelling the energy, using it to move the sun up through the depths of space and raise it slowly into the sky over Equestria. As always, she quietly pondered what she could do with this power, were she willing. She could perform any spell, even greater than the ones Starswirl the Bearded had come up with. She could heal anypony of any sickness, or cure any injury, bringing ponies back from the brink of death itself. Or she could rain down destruction upon her enemies, bringing fire and death and highwinds, and...

 

The sun was at its midpoint. Celestia slowly drew off the connection, easing the power back where it belonged. Into the sun. She felt her body cry out for it, every ounce of it protesting the loss of power, but she ignored it; even on Equestria's darkest days, there had never come a time when she had had to use that power for other than its intended purpose. And hopefully, there never would be.

 

"Gratias ad solis ortum. Thank you for allowing me to guide you, and thank you for another day of light." Celestia, finished, bowed to the sun, bending her knees in a simple act of respect for that which had given so much to her and her ponies. Then, she stepped away from the window, and began the process of going about the rest of her morning.

 

--------

 

@The Down Trotten

The dawn slowly lit up on Terra's face, illuminating her in the light of day for the first time since the months she had been walking the forest. She no doubt looked tired, weary, and bedraggled; she sure felt it. She also felt apprehensive; she had no idea what would happen beyond those doors. She could lose everything... or gain the only thing she truly wanted in the world. In either event, however... the words came back to her, clear as the day that had just cast its light over Bangcolt.

 

No choice...

 

"I trust you."

[J.R. 3,183]

@@Tacoma,

Ice shook his head, "No. 1. I've only begun watching you for the last ten minutes. 2. Your husband is out in the woods searching for an HVT, high-value target. He'll be back soon, so I offered to watch you for a bit."

 

He began to think very hard. Should he really be the bearer of bad news? Or would it be better to play along and fake as if she had magic to keep her from being stressed? No. He had to tell her, no matter how bad it seemed, he had to be honest, "Look.....I'm not kidding around. Your sister-in-law, Twilight Sparkle, and I just finished trying to talk to, and defending against the mare that stole your magic. She ran off before we could get it back. That's why your husband is still out there; he and the rest of his guards are still looking for the mare that took your magic!"

 

He realized he would be getting nowhere at this rate, and decided to try and factor in a witness, "Shit. Trixie's gone, Twi's gone....Sunny? Naw, she's out." He gave a defeated sigh, and looked up at her, "Oh, nevermind. Shining Armor's just out looking for someone who caused trouble. Forget what I said about the whole magic thing if you don't believe me."

 

"Maybe she'll listen when he gets back.....hopefully." In an attempt to change the subject, Ice...well...changed the subject, "Anyway, how are you feeling? You took a nasty amount of damaged before you ended up here, and shouldn't get up, so if there's anything you need, I'll get it for you. Since I pretty much offered to stay with you until SA gets back, so anything you need, or if you just wanna talk, I'm here."

Edited December 11, 2015 by J.R.

[The Down Trotten 299]

 

 

As Bowie charged towards Anette, several things happened almost instantly. With a clean cut, Hero sliced the boomerang in half from the center, shredding it in two. A burst of flame from Nightimare took care of the other one, rendering it into dust in seconds. And from the direction of the house, three arrows came whistling out, forming the formation of a triangle as they sailed directly over Anette's head, and towards the Diamond dog. The violet doll inside, seemed to be smirking, already pulling up her bow to nock another arrow.

 

 He winced inwardly as his boomerangs were lost, yet again. But at least they kept the puppets busy. And he was a cuople steps closer to Anette, just had to get to Anette.

 

Really need a warranty on those. 

 

​The arrows where another thing entirely. Jumping over the bottom two, the top third struck him in the chest. With a whine, he powered through the pain. 

 

"Come on boy! you won't get shot if you learn how to catch!" 

 

Hitting the ground with a soft thud he resumed his sprint at Anette. "how many more of those things do you got..." he growled through gritted teeth 

 

@@Fractured,

 

She said the words, he only hoped she didn't regret them. So with a nod, and a quick blink at the sun he realized it was time "Alright...lets go" 

 

He trotted up the Princesses royal doors, and though normally he wouldn't feel so brash as to knock himself, he had a purpose , a real purpose for being here, so he knocked and felt a surge of importance as he heard the knock echo through the corridors inside 

"... It'll be ok. Everything is going to be fine..." he said just as much for himself as for Terra, holy cow was this nerve racking 

 

___ 

 

Stonewall jolted back awake "WHO WHAT?! PRIVATE STone...wall...Oh phew..."  he picked up his spear that had landed on the ground, as he did he heard the echo of the knock "...Who could that be at this hour...and please... let it not be another assassin..." 

 

There was alot of ponies who didn't like the Prince 

 

___

 

 

 

Axton chuckled, and offered her a seat, "Not everypony around here drinks until their kidneys fail. Someone has to have some kind of self-control in order to maintain a healthy lifestyle. It's as simple as that. However, if you're looking for love, quite a few young couples come to this bar."

 

She laughed, a buefitul glorious...evil laugh "Pony, if I wanted love, I'd have one of these mares hog tied and scared and their husbands non the wiser." he paused and rolled her eyes. "I suppose that isn't very PC, but I can't help I'm good at it can I?" 

[Unicorncob 5,651]

"Well, we destroyed your home, and trashed all of your stuff. But more than that..."

 

Twilight stepped a little closer to Starlight Glimmer, still walking slowly.

 

"I'm sorry none of us ever came back for you. After you ran off into the mountains, Your Town had a big celebration. We got swept up in the emotion, and forgot that there was somepony else beyond the Town. Someone who truly needed the help of a real friend.  You."

 

"Starlight Glimmer, you brainwashed ponies. You used fear and intimidation to get what you wanted from others, resorting to violence when you had no other option. You may have thought you were creating peace and harmony, but by removing everypony's cutie mark and taking away their individual talents, you were creating the opposite. A world ruled by fear, and mistrust."

 

They had just made it outside the entry to the guards quarters, an enormous building slightly smaller than the princesses, marked on the outside by flags bearing the royal mark of the two sisters. Twilight finally stopped outside its doors, turning to Starlight Glimmer.

"But, Starlight, I don't blame you. Because, I know that's not what you want, and I don't think anypony's taught you better. That you don't have to take cutie marks in order to bring ponies together, and you don't have to restrict special talents in order to keep others happy. There's a better way; its called being a friend. A true friend. And i'd be willing to show you. If you let me."

 

Starlight blinked, not expecting such a detailed explanation. Twilight, despite all she seemed to be doing, truly was paying attention.

 

Her pupils practically diluted at the last point, and she turned to look at the princess, eyes flickering with anger and hatred. The façade was gone.

 

"Does a friend walk into somepony's life and ruin it for them?" She accused, taking a step forward, "Those ponies were happy, at least for the most part. Nopony asked you and your 'friends' to walk into my life and take it away from me!"

 

She put on a sarcastic smirk. "Oh wait, a map told you to do it, if I recall. So if a map told you to burn down Ponyville, you'd do it?!"

 

Another step forward. "You have no idea what I've gone through, Princess. And I don't think your idea of friendship-" She added a quote gesture with a hoof, "-is going to solve it this time!"

[J.R. 3,183]

 

 

She laughed, a buefitul glorious...evil laugh "Pony, if I wanted love, I'd have one of these mares hog tied and scared and their husbands non the wiser." he paused and rolled her eyes. "I suppose that isn't very PC, but I can't help I'm good at it can I?"

Axton chucked with her, "No I guess not. Ponies seem to take you for someone evil, but you're not bad at all. I actually kind of like you. I feel sorry for all those who shoot down changelings just because of a stupid incident. Getting to know somepony is better than judging,"

[P-Jay 1,987]

Yuki smiled and giggled at Yrel's enthusiasm, "That's great! Follow me. I rented a nearby house for me to stay in while I'm in Bangcolt. I didn't cook there, but I'm excited to see what it's like."

 

She began walking through the town, and sighed with wonder, "Isn't the city just beautiful?"

zenru followed silently, letting yrel talk.

 

"it really is! today's my first day here, but im not staying for long. i have to go back to my parent's house soon...im just visiting..." her ears drooped a bit. "but im having tons of fun!" she beamed with a toothy grin. 

 

"so, yuki, are you here on other business, besides checking up on ice?" zenru asked, suddenly. 

 

Xiang blinked as his kick was caught by Violet, who tried pulling him in for a headbutt. Trying to think fast, he released his other hoof and tried to slide beneath the mare, and then use his leg power to throw her off or slam her down.

violet blinked, at the suddenly sliding, before she was launched off. she caught herself in midair, looking down at him. 

 

"hey...why aren't ya using your sword?" she asked, upon noticing the sheathed blade, still keeping herself aloft.