private A Cultural Exchange 1x1 with Randimaxis

[Illiad Easle 3,135]

@@Randimaxis,

 

It can wait a negative number of minutes.

 

Illiad gave a slight smile and nod. "It can wait." Iliad quickly wrote a message on the paper using emotions as ink. Luna would be able to detect and read it just fine, but others would see a blank sheet of paper. Those that could detect emotions would see that it said, 'Find me, ~I'. Illiad affixed the note to a post where he knew Taps would see it before returning to Slapper and Dax. "We best get going."

[Randimaxis 8,652]

@@Illiad Easle

 

The three of them made their way across the quarry and back to the mine entrance.  Dax talked a bit as usual for him, while Slapper seemed preoccupied... though Illiad was fairly certain he knew with what.

 

Reaching the cavernous tunnel entrance, they donned safety gear and once more headed down into the mines.  As they got closer and closer to their destination, Dax got quieter and Slapper got more worried.  Once they made their way to the side tunnel that led off to where Dax and Illiad found the Cloud Diamonds, Dax looked back at them both.

 

"The barricades are over there, behind that stalagmite.  I didn't wanna be seen dragging them out, so I just stashed them."

 

Slapper smiled w-i-d-e-l-y.  "Hey, Dax-a-lax, could I get you to maybe head topside and maybe fetch me some rope and glue?  It'd be in Shed #7; check the shelf next to the cot."

 

Dax gave Slapper a skeptical pout.  "Are you just trying to get rid of me?"

 

Slapper looked thoughtful, then simply sighed and put on a kind muzzle.  "Actually, yeah... there's stuff here I gotta do as a forepony that'll be boring as watching paint dry; it'll go faster with your buddy's help, but... well..."

 

Dax lifted a hoof in response.  "Hey, it's okay; you were honest with me, so I can be... uhm... 'magnanimous' with you.  I'll go get the stuff... and wander around a bit, on top of that.  As long as Illiad's okay with it, he can stay I guess."

 

He started heading back topside.  "Okay, I got ya... uhm, Illiad?  Be careful, okay?"  He trotted out.

 

"Alright, let's see what the damage is - not a moment to lose."  Again, Slapper had dropped into his other voice... and this one seemed to fit better, to be honest.

 

Slapper went behind the stalagmite, as Dax had indicated.  There was a moment of quiet, then:

 

"Aw, no... no no no no NO!"

 

He dragged what appeared to be a wooden barricade out from hiding and towards Illiad.  It was a simple wooden deal, but the sign on top was anything but.  In the center, it simply had the words "KEEP OUT"... but around those words were runes, cleverly arranged to look like artistic scrimshaw and fool anyone who knew nothing about magic; Illiad was no fool.  They were Glyphs of Sealing - powerful ones, but nothing rare and unusual.  There were a LOT of them, however.

 

"My friend, we have a BIG problem; these glyphs were attuned to the spot they were protecting, and thanks to Daxie, they'll need to be reinstated - hopefully, we aren't too late.  We'll have to check the deposit..." he visibly shivered, "and I'm not really looking forward to that."

 

He glanced down the tunnel and sighed tightly.

[Illiad Easle 3,135]

@@Randimaxis,

 

Utter perfection. Luna better get here quickly. 

 

Illiad sighed as well, not particularly out of dread but a bit of annoyance. He hadn't come here looking for a fight, but he could be prepared. He pulled his diamond from his robes and reshaped it, forming a sort of shield about as tall and a bit wider than he was, what little remained became a small spike on the front center of the shield. "Well, we best get moving. Whatever might be down there will certainly not take its time in escaping." He moved the shield in front of himself. "With any luck a friend of mine will arrive before anything too serious occurs."

[Randimaxis 8,652]

@@Illiad Easle

 

Slapper nodded, stepping cautiously over to, then into the tunnel.

 

They crept down the path to the same spot as before, yet Slapper paused before they came around the last bend.

 

"Listen... this thing, it... slides into your mind like an eel; all slimy-feeling and squirmy.  Once it's in, you can fight it... but it won't be easy.  The last one-"

 

He stepped back and gave the Trojan an appraising once-over, then nodded.

 

"If you know what I'm pretty sure you know, then Luther told you about it.  He's a damn good stallion, that one; nonetheless, he and I were the only ones to walk away from that encounter with our lives.  A-are you certain you want to help with this?  If so, then I'll tell you what hap-... wait..."

 

Slapper moved forward, and his horn began to glow with a soft blue light.  His eyes rolled across the scene, tracing over edges and hiding spots with apparent ease.  After a moment, he got a dark look on his muzzle.

 

"That... can't be... good..."

 

He began to wander in further, lost in thought it seemed...

 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

One moment, she had been ready for a slice of delicious dark chocolate cake...

 

Suddenly, there was a small dark blue pegasus bowing in front of her, almost completely blocking the pantry in the Royal Kitchen.  It was as if she'd come out of nowhere!  Still, she appeared to be a loyal subject, and a mailmare, too.  

 

Taps stood up and saluted her heartily.  Then, dipping back into her satchel, she presented a scroll.  Her delivery made, she bowed once more, awaiting either a reply or further commands. 

[Illiad Easle 3,135]

@@Randimaxis,

 

"To be perfectly honest, I'd say no one should be here. But if putting myself in danger makes life safer for everyone else, so be it." Illiad moved in close behind Knee, keeping a close look at what little of his emotional state he could detect. he concentrated to extend his senses further, trying to see if he could feel what they were after. He turned the shield into something more practical as they were expecting a mental instead of a physical attack. The diamond reformed in front of him and began to glow blueish white illuminating an area about 8 feet in diameter. "You'd think your princess would have done something about this, you guys Did report this, right?"

 

Meanwhile...

 

Luna was more surprised that the strange mare had come directly to her than anything else. Few of the staff knew where she was at any given moment, but this mare managed to find her relatively quickly. She picked up the scroll and read it, a look of worry growing on her face, with a slight smirk at the end. But it quickly faded as she turned towards the mare. Her cake would have to wait. "You came from Blackwater Quarry correct? Lead me there as swiftly as you can." 

[Randimaxis 8,652]

@@Illiad Easle

 

Slapper continued to walk around, horn glowing and searching as he went further in.

 

"No.  Luther asked me to keep it quiet; he'd been fearful that the quarry might have been taken from him, had it been discovered just how much of the stuff was under there.  Myself?  Who was I to rat out my Boss, who had hidden me from a fate worse than death?"

 

His voice was low and solemn, lending a gravity to his words.

 

"Myself and Hard Looker were the ones who found the deposit, to be honest.  We were awed by the sight of it; it was an enormous column of Cloud Diamond, running from the floor to the ceiling.  Once Luther got word, he showed up with Hank O'Rope and Wheel Barrow - both of them foreponies.  The five of us worked for hours; Luther not only told us what it was, but he offered us a bonus for helping him get it out and keep it quiet.  When we'd gotten most of it... that's when Hank started twitching."

 

He stopped and looked back at Illiad, his face dead serious.

 

"Hank wasn't one to take ill very much, but he was shaking like he had an earthquake inside him... then he just... stopped.  He looked up at us, and his eyes just seemed to be full of... of hate.  It was horrifying; that horror doubled when he then levitated off the ground and began speaking in some sort of weird language... but when he..."

 

Slapper paused, and looked up.  "Okay, there IT is..."

 

The entire ceiling, now that it was pointed out, was strewn across with a heavy layer of raw Cloud Diamond.  It was magnificent.

 

Slapper, however, seemed to have something else on his mind as he was focused on staring at the ceiling.  Suddenly, his eyes nearly bugged out of his skull, and he turned to Illiad slowly, his voice wrought with fear:

 

"IT'S."

 

"NOT."

 

"HERE."

 

--------------------------------------------------------------

 

Taps looked up from her bow, determination in her eyes.

 

"By your command, Princess Luna."

 

She then stood up and, without a second wasted, took off like a shot, leading the way back to the quarry.

[Illiad Easle 3,135]

@@Randimaxis,

 

Illiad did what he could to drain the fear from Knee, he didn't need his guide to be freaking out, but there wasn't much he could do. "You need to calm down. I suppose you mean that whatever is supposed to be trapped down here is not, and I can agree that that is a bad thing. But you need to stay calm if we are going to have any chance of getting things back under control. I must say, it was very selfish of Mr. Blackwater to risk the lives of every one here just because he might lose the deposit. You only sealed one end of the tunnel, it could connect to the greater system deeper down or accidentally get mined into." (I can go evil if you want IT to infect me.)

Illiad felt out of his element here, he wasn't a stranger to dealing with evil, but this just seemed wrong.

 

Meanwhile...

 

For some reason Luna thought it odd that the mare spoke, but she quickly moved on to follow the mare. Taps moved fast, but Luna was able to catch up to her without much difficulty. Illiad wouldn't alert me to a situation unless he felt he couldn't handle it himself. I hope I can make it in time.

[Randimaxis 8,652]

@@Illiad Easle

 

Slapper looked back at Illiad as he drained off the fear.

 

"You're... I can feel that; you're pulling it away from me - like a magnet with iron filings, drawing them out... that's incredible..."

 

He turned back around, determination in his eyes as he continued searching for whatever it was that had escaped from the Cloud Diamond.

 

"And no, you don't understand... Luther wasn't afraid of losing the deposit; he was afraid of losing the entire property.  The manor, the quarry... all of it.  He believed that if word got out, there would be Royal Guards sent to close the mines, eager to get their hooves on all that substance; with no work to be had, the quarry would have closed, and they might still want to keep the property 'under close surveillance'.  Luther was a bit paranoid, but he had to wrestle this place away from his own father, who was embezzling from the company; his entire LIFE is The Blackwater Quarry, and everything in it... including his family.  He'd only owned the quarry for about five years at that point - he was still afraid of losing it."

 

Slapper began following a trail Illiad couldn't seem to make out... and the trail was leading to where this supposed column of Cloud Diamond had once stood.  All around were more slivers and chips of the stuff, and the chunk that was still there on the ceiling was quite large.

 

"Anyway, between Luther, Wheel and I we managed to knock Hank and the thing in him into the wall.  It used some sort of force to shove us all back from it, but the shove also brought down a slab of Diamond from above."  Slapper looked down and winced with the memory.  "It flattened Hank; he wouldn't have felt a thing.  Poor guy."

 

"Looker had been trying to wrap his head around the whole thing, but he screamed when it made it's way into HIS mind.  Then HE started the whole floating-waves of force-strange voice thing.  I was trying to remember some of the spells I'd learned as a colt, and Luther was doing his best to protect me while I did.  Barrow was trying to talk to Looker - that was when I saw that it was working; Looker was fighting whatever it was, and he was winning... until..."

 

Slapper sighed.  

 

"The thing in Looker's head just made him... pop.  He exploded like a balloon full of tomato juice, except..."

 

He closed his eyes and groaned, trying not to let his gorge rise too far.  After a moment, he opened them again and continued his search.

 

"So yeah, Wheel suddenly turned to me and said, 'do it, Slapper - take me over'.  See, he'd been there when I first came, so he knew about what I could do.  I didn't want to do it, but Luther told me it was the only plan we had.  So I controlled Wheel Barrow... right as the thing got inside him.  I was in control, but it was the hardest thing I had ever done in my life to keep control.  It was like fighting a rabid squirrel!  Eventually, I managed to get him to hover up to the deposit on the ceiling, and I used my magic to mould it and seal it up around him.  Once that was done, I cast my most powerful glyphs to hold the thing in place.  That done, Luther and I left.  We came back about three years ago; checking up on it all.  We took out the already broken chunks, and I reinstated the glyphs here, as well as on the barricades."

 

He continued to search, looking almost as if he were following a trail Illiad couldn't see...

[Illiad Easle 3,135]

@@Randimaxis,

 

Is the quarry really worth that much more to him than the lives of his workers? Of his family? Above all it was just the risk of loosing the quarry. 

"I honestly can't say I agree with the decision not to tell your princess about it, especially with what you told me. This thing is dangerous and a very real threat to everyone here if it's gotten loose. From what you've described I can't think of a good way to stop this thing. I can't save you if it get's inside your head." Illiad continued to follow Knee, but not too closely. He wanted a safe distance in case he got controlled by whatever it was that was down here. Luna you better hurry up and get over here before things get dangerous.

[Randimaxis 8,652]

@@Illiad Easle

 

Slapper continued to roam the area, his horn lit with whatever magic he was using to look for the thing.  Frustration slowly pulled his muzzle into a grimace, and he gave an exasperated sigh.

 

"The spell works - I KNOW it works - but I haven't found it yet!  If I can't find it here, then there's a chance it may have gotten out of this tunnel... which would be really, REALLY unfortunate.  For all of Equestria."

 

He continued his scan.

 

------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Back in the cavern, shadows along the walls hid sights unseen to those who had been going in and out today; that was important - if he was seen, it would all be over.

 

At this point, it didn't matter that it would be glaringly obvious to anypony who saw what was going to happen whose fault it was; it was the sheer principle of the thing.  One either rolled over and let themselves get beaten, or one proved their superiority.  This was one of those instances.  

 

The weight of the loaded balloon was comforting; it was a promise of revenge, a ballistic missile of calamitous intent which would prove that this unicorn wasn't as high-and-mighty as he apparently thought he was.  And the balloon wasn't filled with water, either - Father might have a fit if he ever found out, but Oglevy could think of no better way to use three bottles of indigo ink than for letting the Trojan know of his disapproval.

 

The tea party had been fun terrorizing him, but breakfast?  No, that would NOT do!  Oglevy wasn't gonna let this stranger make a foal out of HIM.  He crept up closer to the tunnel they had taken, ready to sling the ink grenade at a moment's notice.

 

------------------------------------------------------------------ 

 

Taps came to a skidding halt outside of the Post Office, and leaned against the building as she gasped for air, sweat pouring out in runnels.  She blinked repeatedly, and though she was obviously winded, she managed to stay on her hooves.

 

Looking at her guest, she motioned to the surrounding area - they were at the quarry, that was certain.  While glancing about, the note Illiad had left behind flapped in the slight chilly breeze from the mountains above, making it stand out from the surroundings.

 

Taps would have checked it out, but she was engaged in trying to stop panting like a dog.

[Illiad Easle 3,135]

@@Randimaxis,

 

Exactly. Your greed and cowardice may have doomed us all.

Illiad was a bit on edge and thus more likely to strike if surprised. (Illiad may not be able to feel Oglevy approach through his proximity to Knee's fear. I'd rate emotional detection at about 20% at this point.) He was having trouble sensing through Knee and it only added to his uneasiness. His diamond seemed to shift in discomfort as they continued.

"Do you think your decision was worth it? If we manage to contain this thing again will you report it to your princess? Or do you agree that the danger is too high to ignore?" Illiad sighed, but it failed to calm his nerves. "To be honest, if the danger weren't so pressing I'd have waited for a princess to deal with it. It occurs to me, we should have reinstated the barricades behind us before we kept going. We wouldn't want it to slip past us."

 

Meanwhile...

 

Luna felt the emotional writing on the note and was thus quick to retrieve and read it, taking hold of the sliver of cloud diamond that Illiad had used to secure it to the post. She was about to ask the mare for directions again but realized that this note was likely left after she had gone to make the delivery. She thanked Taps for her swiftness before utilizing the shard as a compass to direct her to the whole it came from. Without another word she took off in direction of the mine entrance. 

[Randimaxis 8,652]

@@Illiad Easle

 

"...dneirf dlo ym ,reppalS olleH"

 

The voice was gravelly and creaked like old wood; it seemed to reflect off every surface in the cave.  Slapper nearly jumped out of his coat when he heard it.  His horn's glow redoubled itself, and he began darting his eyes all around, trying to find the source.

 

"That's it!  That's it!  It sounded just like that when it..."

 

There was a feral hissing sound, and a chunk of Cloud Diamond roughly the size of a softball whipped down from above, slamming into the floor mere inches from Illiad's hooves.  From above, movement betrayed the position of what was hiding up there...

 

The first thing Illiad saw clearly were strands of Cloud Diamond, formed into what appeared to be tentacles that it was using to keep itself suspended from the ceiling.  Slowly, a pony came into view; it looked like it was half-rotten, but any gory holes were covered with the same substance that was making the tentacle arms.  When the face came into view, it's eyes were glowing with a bright red energy, and it's smile was so large, the face had deformed to display a grin that literally went from ear to ear.

 

"!seno hsiloof ,emit siht em gnippart on eb lliw erehT"

 

It's voice sounded like the aural equivalent of a cat's claws snagging nylon - a terrible sound that scratched across one's eardrums and made one believe that demons truly did exist.

 

"... Wheel Barrow?"  Slapper gawked at the creature above them both, then his resolve hardened.  "You still wear my friend, but you were NEVER good enough to be him!  I beat you before, and I'll-"

 

Before Slapper could finish his pledge of destruction, the creature slung three of it's tentacles at the wall; large rocks began raining down from above, slamming into the ground all around the two unicorns.  The thing above laughed with amusement.

 

-------------------------------------------------------------

 

Oglevy couldn't believe his young eyes.

 

He'd never been this far into the mines before; he'd been determined to give that Illiad Easle a piece of his mind, and that's what he'd focused on.  He was dead set against allowing Dax's friend to think it was okay to rat him out to his parents - he was a Blackwater, for crying out loud!  He should be able to get away with whatever he wanted to...

 

But seeing the thing near the ceiling, he'd forgotten all about revenge; he was simply stupefied.  From his hiding place behind some of the corner rubble, he had a perfect view of it all - and no chance of anypony seeing him either.  Still, he was ready to haul flank at a moment's notice, should this thing prove too much for the two stallions.

 

Strangely enough, he was actually cheering Illiad on inside; monsters should be dealt with, and he looked like he was more apt to do so than musty old Knee Slapper was.  Oglevy simply waited, watching things unfold and hoping for the best.

 

-----------------------------------------------------------

 

The sliver of Cloud Diamond led her right to the mine entrance, where a number of miners were either gawking at her, bowing to her, or some combination of the two.  Chuck List himself looked dumbfounded by her appearance, yet he still had enough presence of mind to say, "... uh... w-wear a hard hat down dere, Princess..."

 

Not a single pony stood in her way.

[Illiad Easle 3,135]

@@Randimaxis,

 

Why is there so much cloud diamond here?! We'll need to adjust our estimate for the total mass of cloud diamond on the moon. And adjust it's value accordingly.

 

Illiad was only stunned for a moment before he felt around him and smiled a bit. Horn glowing intensely his diamond moved up to the middle of the space, before expanding in a flat plane to the nearby walls, drawing cloud diamond mass from the deposit growing slowly more solid. The center glowed as brightly as Illiad's horn. "This won't keep him back but it will keep him from collapsing the tunnel on us." Luna I need that piece here now! 

 

Meanwhile...

 

Luna for the most part ignored what was going on outside as she followed the pointer deeper into the depths of the mines. When she reached the beginning of the cloud diamond deposit she was stunned by the density of the deposit. She extracted pieces here and there as she continued cautiously deeper. What have you gotten me into Illiad?

[Randimaxis 8,652]

@@Illiad Easle

 

The thing above laughed with a sickening grinding sound to it's voice, then it began making it's way lower.

 

"!ESIMED RUOY DLOHEB  !NERDLIHC ENIUQE ,LATROMMI NOPU LATROMMI MA I  ?llaw ynup a htiw em pots ot nalp uoY"

 

Illiad could feel pressure against his magic; as if he were having a tug-of-war with the Cloud Diamond under his control... it was strong, but Illiad could maintain control.  The thing's push was like claws scraping at his spine - but Illiad's years of experience paid off as he set his proverbial hooves to the ground and pushed back.

 

The thing roared in unpleasant surprise, and lashed out with its makeshift arms.  The shield held, but Illiad could tell it wouldn't last much longer if it did that too often.  It crawled sideways along the wall, a macabre spider moving into position before leaping onto its prey.

 

Slapper, in the meantime, had been firing bolts of energy at the thing.  The ones that struck made it howl in a ghastly manner, but Slapper's defenses were down; the Trojan could feel the sick twist of fear and a bright thorn of grief lashing it's way through his fellow unicorn, though he was fighting panic as best as he could.  

 

All this action is what Oglevy is watching intently from his hidey-hole... and what Luna walks into.

[Illiad Easle 3,135]

@@Randimaxis,

 

Oh goody she's arrived. I need that back now.

 

Without looking away Illiad retrieved the last shard of his diamond from Luna and it flew with great speed into the glowing center of the mass of cloud diamond he was collecting. The mass shifted as if alive before glowing a light blue just a bit unlike to color of Illiad's magic. The wall condensed into a series of tendrils connected to the cave walls, supporting them and gathering more mass as a shape began to form in the center, a small sphere with a bright light glowing in the midst of it slowly grew in size, reaching between bowling and beach ball in size. "This wasn't meant to stop you." A consciousness stirred within the mass that Illiad controlled, its mass would be especially resilient to being controlled by others.

 

Luna was understandably stunned by what was happening, it was clear that one of these ponies had been possessed by a creature similar to the Nightmare that controlled her so many years ago, but the elements and balance were too scattered to deal with this in any reasonable amount of time. She spread her wings as she cast a seal behind her, separating the foal she had noticed from the fight. She shifted the cloud diamond particles she had collected into a starry magic scythe as she lacked the material to make a full one. She noticed what Illiad was attempting and a bit of a skeptical look crossed her face. "Thou art trying to summon her now? The timing seems less than opportune."  

[Randimaxis 8,652]

@@Illiad Easle

 

"!YTUD YM MORF EM POTS UOY TEL OT ESUFER I  !liaverp ton llahs uoY  !ON  ?nrocilA nA" 

 

"Oh, DO shut up!"

 

Slapper let fly a blast that sheared straight through one of its hind legs, but it barely seemed to notice; the thing's full attention was on the alicorn in their midst.  The hatred in its eyes was obvious, and it gave a roar of anger as it sent its tendrils into the walls.  There was a rumble, and then Cloud Diamond tentacles began popping up out of the ground all around them!

 

They began to entwine and grapple with the threesome's hooves, trying to grasp them tightly.  It almost looked as if the floor were alive with beautiful snakes, writhing about looking for prey.  Add to this the fact that it was still trying to wrest control of the amassed substance... but that was a fight it was steadily losing now.  Illiad could feel his control solidifying as the thing pressed it's physical advantage.

 

"!naelcnu eht yortseD"

 

The creature howled, and smaller tendrils burst from the corpse's ribs, waving around it protectively.  It eyeballed the scythe Luna held, then refashioned one of its arms into a poleaxe.  Holding it to bear with its smaller tentacles, it took a fighting stance.

 

"!MOOD rieht teem llahs erusaert s'gniK eht kees ohw llA"

 

It charged them, screeching like a griffon in agony.

[Illiad Easle 3,135]

@@Randimaxis,

 

Illiad was just surprised at the amount of power this creature wielded. To be able to continuously control such a mass was remarkable, better than Illiad has ever been able to accomplish on his own, which is why he had the help of someone who was far more experienced with this sort of thing. The sphere in the middle of his web stopped growing at just under beach ball size, it began to take shape, a curled body forming out of the sphere with the bright light in its head. As the sphere began to take shape the wall tendrils tapered off their extraction, remaining only where needed to support. Illiad's horn flashed as he teleported out of the was of the new floor tendrils and appeared atop the forming body. His horn glowed less brightly as he rested, taking advantage of the fact that he was no longer the center of attention.

 

Meanwhile...

 

Luna was surprised at this creature's willingness to fight her, but she was willing to meet it in battle. She altered her weapon so it wouldn't hurt physical matter, but magical entities like the creature possessing the pony. With any luck she could sever the connection and bind the creature, or destroy it if need be. She swung her scythe through the ground and up into the creature's chest. Trying to find the connection point would be tricky.

 

Meanwhile...

 

The consciousness within Illiad's gem stirred further, My, this is a new experience. It opened its newly formed eyes and for the first time in a very long time it saw the world first hand.

The world had not aged well since she last saw it.

[Randimaxis 8,652]

@@Illiad Easle

 

The scream of it's pain echoed off the walls as the scythe swooped through the corpse, leaving it untouched yet causing searing agony on the thing inside it.  It lashed out with some of the smaller tendrils on the front; a few managed to strike the Princess, but it was nothing she couldn't handle.  All the same, it was instantly wise to her weapon, and began lurching it's host from side to side, attempting to make it harder to strike.

 

Slapper had stopped pelting the thing, and was now chanting low and steady as he was drawing what appeared to be complex symbols on the floor of the cave with his glowing horn.  Left in the wake of his strokes across the dirt were lines of light, magical energy used as ink.  He worked diligently and precisely, the only emotion coming from him now was a cool and focused sense of purpose.

 

The tentacles from the floor began seeking farther, trying to find a target.  What they came across was Luna.  

 

Though many were within sight, there were a couple that sprang up behind her and tried to grasp at her scythe or her legs, whichever they could reach first.  While this was happening, the thing had started using the smaller arms to attempt to deflect Luna's swipes and counter with a few of its own.

 

The thing was still paying no attention to what Illiad had summoned; it was focused on the Moon Princess, for better or for worse.

 

[Illiad Easle 3,135]

@@Randimaxis,

 

OH, you'll regret ignoring me.

Illiad stood atop the web of cloud diamond pillars he had created. It was clear that whatever he was doing was exhausting. The sphere lowered itself to the ground. The body uncurled and four small hooves lightly touched the ground, the same glow extending through the cloud diamond that it touched, spreading in a small circle around it. It raised its head, its eyes glowing in a similar light. In all, it took the appearance of a miniaturized crystal pony. On its flank was a picture of a set of scales.

 

Meanwhile...

 

Luna cast a small pulse to knock the tendrils near her away before swinging her scythe again, this time through the creature's neck. "I won't let you hurt anyone."

 

Meanwhile...

 

The gem pony smiled slightly "!AMRAK mA I rof degduj eb lliw uoy woN .erom truh ,ynam deredrum ,snis ynam dettimmoc evah uoY" She took a step towards the creature, the glow extending as she moved.

[Randimaxis 8,652]

@@Illiad Easle

 

The thing stopped its attacks, totally taken in by the new arrival.

 

"?meht pleh uoy od yhw - feiht on era uoy teY  !seveiht eseht morf ti draug ot ytud nmelos ym si ti ...erusaert s'gniK eht kees yehT" 

 

The thing completely dropped its defenses, speaking earnestly to the entity in front of it.  The floor tentacles ceased their groping, and the long arms suspending the corpse became still.  It completely disregarded the others; this one spoke to it.

 

".ti mialc ot snruter flesmih gniK eht litnu ,retfa reverof dna ...efil ym htiw ti dnefed ot degrahc neeb evah I tub - tsehc eht evah lliw yeht taht sdnim rieht ni ti evah seveiht esehT"

 

It pointed a half-rotten hoof at Slapper, who was still making his glyph.

 

"?seitud ym gniod ylpmis ma I taht ees ton uoy naC  .seitud ym ot nruter ot em wolla ot hguone sdnob ym denesool dna emac rehtona tub ,roetem eht fo seceip eht gnitcelloc rof evas ,ecalp siht dediova yehT  !etiroetem eht nihtiw tsoh ym deppart eh dna - emit tsal eht tneserp saw eno sihT"

 

It used its host's face to give the entity a sad and exasperated look.

[Illiad Easle 3,135]

@@Randimaxis,

 

Illiad was starting to look strained, clearly he could not keep up this level of magical output for long.

 

Luna noticed that the creature had turned its attention away. She had the honor to not strike while it was distracted, so she added her own magic to Illiad's cause, lifting the strain on him significantly.

 

The crystal pony moved another step closer as the glow continued to spread.

".dniM A ,ydoB A ,efiL .dlrow siht ni elbaulav tsom si tahw nelots evah uoy nehw seveiht meht llac uoY"

She took another step forward.

"?dne tahw ot dna ,snoitca ruoy yb truh seilimaf ,sdneirf ,spihsnoitaler elots uoY .meht htiw erew taht esoht fo ynam dna ynop siht fo efil eht elots uoY"

The glow began to extend up the walls.

".desuac ev'uoy niap eht leef ot eraperP .srehto ot enod evah uoy tahw uoy uoy od od ,amrak ruoy ecnalab ot ytud YM si tI"

[Randimaxis 8,652]

@@Illiad Easle

 

"!TI EKAT OT HSIW YEHT - TI TCETORP OT EFIL YM EVAG I  !DEHSINIF TON SI KSAT YM  !ON" 

 

The creature's host body took a defensive stance, and backed itself against the wall.  If the host's face was any indicator, it had gone from enraged to afraid... with no discernible reason as to why, unless a pony could understand its language - such as the entity before it.

 

"!EM NO SDNEPED GNIK YM  !LIAF TON LLIW I"

 

It roared out a challenge, though it sounded more desperate than angry.  With this, it launched itself away from the wall, all its arms out and ready to snag the shining pony in its clutches.

[Illiad Easle 3,135]

@@Randimaxis, 

 

The crystal pony seemed almost sad the the creature's attack. ".niaga srehto truh ot uoy wolla t'now I tuB .uoy thgif t'now I" With a gesture of her hoof tendrils of her own blocked the creature's attack. She came close enough that she could touch it. ".desuac evah uoy niap eht tegrof reven lliw uoY .emit gnol a rof dna yldab ,truh lliw sihT" With that she reached out and lightly touched the creature's forehead. He would feel all the pain he caused, the grief of those affected, all of it.

[Randimaxis 8,652]

@@Illiad Easle

 

The sound that came out of it was unlike anything ever before experienced by pony ears.

 

It was a ululating wail of extreme agony and misery, of pain inflicted and redoubled.  It tore at the very soul, and left one wanting to beg for mercy for the creature that made it.  But, all in all, perhaps it was justice finally being done...

 

Though it seemed to go on forever, the sound (it couldn't be called a scream) ceased, and the host body and all the Cloud Diamond surrounding it simply fell to the ground.  The arms and protective patches shattered back into the slivers they once were, and the corpse gave a wet thud as it hit the ground, never to move of its own volition again.

 

It was at this moment that Slapper finished his glyph and pointed his horn at the body of his co-worker.  The symbol on the ground lit up brightly before vanishing... only to form again over the body on the ground, covering it like a full-body tattoo of light.  Once in place, the glow faded and the glyph was complete.  Whatever was in there was now sealed up tightly; not a trace of its presence could be either seen or felt.

 

With this, Knee Slapper turned to face Illiad and Luna.

 

"Well... that was fun... right?"

 

He spoke these words, then collapsed onto the floor.  In mere seconds, the sound of soft snores began to drift up from where he'd passed out; that glyph must have taken a lot out of him, and he looked to be middle-aged at best.  Still, he had done his part - just like before.

 

The almost complete silence was near-deafening.

[Illiad Easle 3,135]

@@Randimaxis,

 

Yah, lets not do that again shall we?

 

With the threat dealt with Illiad relaxed his magic. As the Adrenalin wore off he realized how dangerously low his magic reserved had gotten. He felt lightheaded and honestly sick, he lost his balance and fell to the cavern floor. "Ow." And with that he too passed out from exhaustion. 

 

Luna too stopped her flow of magic and went to gather the now unconscious ponies. She laid them gently on her back and administered a bit of magic to them so they wouldn't suffer too much from their exertion. There would be no brain or horn damage, but they would certainly feel drained for the next day of two while their reserves were replenished.

 

Without a source of energy the crystal pony began to loose cohesion, she looked down at her melting hoof and sighed. "Someday I'll get a body I can keep." She looked over at Luna with a slight smirk. "Don't forget me." She climbed onto Luna's back as excess mass continued to fall off, until all that remained was the diamond that Illiad started with, although slightly bigger now.

 

Luna returned to the seal that she placed and dispelled it, ready to leave these caves again.

Edited December 19, 2015 by Illiad Easle